Meeting Nihena

by Ervin Agayan

  “Don’t worry. I always made sure my clients don’t misbehave.” Arsy smiled.

  “Oh, thank you for that!” the princess quipped and added sarcastically, “What other acts of valor can you take pride in?”

  “I used to gamble.” Arsy shifted his almost offended glance to her. “So, you really haven’t heard about me, have you? I’m quite a popular personality.”

  “I haven’t been so lucky,” Parelia stated angrily, “or rather, I’ve been lucky not to hear anything about you.”

  Her romantic image of Arsy that she had pictured in her head before this conversation was wiped clean, revealing the criminal’s true nature.

  “Why are you feeling angry?” Arsy showed surprise. He couldn’t understand the reason for the displeasure in her voice and expression, as though he had inflicted a personal insult with his stories.

  “Because gambling is strictly prohibited!” said the future Queen of Agastan through her teeth, keeping her sly stare fixed on him.

  “What difference does it make to you? It is Parelia who should be concerned by it and not you; after all, it’s her rules that are broken.” Arsy smiled.

  “I don’t like it when laws and regulations are not complied with,” exclaimed Parelia, raising her voice.

  “And I don't like it when some silly, half-asleep girl comes up with stupid laws,” Arsy retorted indignantly.

  “That ‘stupid girl’ consults with hundreds of people, only after which she ‘invents’ those foolish laws, as you call them.” Parelia was losing her temper and was close to screaming.

  The emotionally-charged atmosphere reached its climax. Neither of them noticed how they both jumped to their feet and were now standing on the bank-side. Parelia looked like an enraged tigress, ready to devour her prey, with the only difference that the “prey” wasn’t a meek rabbit but an equally furious tiger.

  “Then, it’s time to get rid of her brainless advisors,” Arsy said maliciously.

  He was still holding Parelia’s hand, and the girl was futilely trying to disengage it.

  “Let go of my hand!” exclaimed Parelia.

  “You look gorgeous when you get angry.” Arsy smiled.

  “You’ll never smile again as soon as Parelia learns about your deeds,” threatened the girl.

  “Oh, that is really scary!” Arsy said ironically. “A couple of whiplashes—what’s the big deal?”

  “Don’t even dream of getting off so cheap.” Parelia narrowed her lids spitefully. “You’ll end up in prison!”

  “That doesn’t impress me either; I’ve been there and not once.” Noticing her interrogative stare, he added proudly, “For robbing!”

  “Let go of my hand, now!” screamed Parelia.

  She looked around, hoping to find help, but there was no one nearby. The girl bitterly regretted choosing such a remote place. Arsy was holding her hand so tightly that the feeble princess was unable to disengage it on her own.

  “No, really, you are very pretty when you get angry. Though, I never thought angels would get angry!” Arsy enjoyed teasing her.

  “Is your friend like you?” Parelia whispered maliciously. “A thief and a troublemaker?”

  “No, Erik will die hungry, but he will never steal a leso,” lied Arsy without batting an eye. “He’s ready to lose his life to principles, and he never breaks any rules. We’ve been friends since childhood. You may not believe me, but I’ve never seen him drinking boha. He seems to be from a different world.”

  “And why couldn’t you follow his example?” exclaimed Parelia. “Get an education, become a normal man?”

  “I’m happy with my life,” Arsy declared with a teacher’s tone. “Besides, Erik’s lifestyle would definitely not be fit for me; it’s too boring. I’m not really keen on reading, let alone learning! I’m a free bird. I need to hover at large and not sit in a cell and master some foolish science.”

  Parelia was breathing heavily, either from the rage boiling inside her or from her periodic attempts to disengage her hand from the criminal’s iron grip. Her eyes were sparkling with wrath, indignation, and disappointment, first of all blaming herself for giving space for the presumption that this man was worth her attention.

  “Now I see why Erania was against our communication!” exclaimed the princess.

  “Yes, because I am impudent and ill-bred,” Arsy smirked fatly.

  “No, because you are a thief and a troublemaker!” she snapped into his face.

  They stood in silence for a few seconds, glaring at each other, Parelia furiously and Arsy smugly. Finally, the princess took a deep breath and asked more composedly, “Will you let go of my hand, after all?”

  She didn’t want to spend another second in the company of such a criminal.

  “Your hand?” Arsy showed surprise and added resolutely with a spiteful grin, “but it does not belong to you anymore; it’s now mine.”

  “What?” the girl asked in shock.

  “You belong to me now, and consequently, your hand is also mine.”

  “I belong to you?” Parelia burst out. “Since when?”

  “Since the moment I saw you. That’s my style: come, see, conquer.”

  “So, this is how you treat women?” exclaimed the princess, gasping with the indignation boiling inside her.

  “Yeah.” Arsy nodded without a shade of confusion. “But despite all my insolence, I still have principles. For example, I do not kiss girls against their will.”

  “Do you have the slightest idea what my father will do to you when he learns about this?” threatened Parelia.

  “I am not afraid of your father,” Arsy declared flatly.

  “You simply do not know who he is!”

  “While you don’t know who I am!”

  Parelia gritted her teeth, still glaring at him with her furious eyes, which amused him more than scared him.

  “Arsy, let go of my hand, right now,” the princess said as composedly as she could, “or my screaming will be heard all over the island!”

  Parelia pulled her hand with all her might, and Arsy decided to release it. Whether he did it intentionally, or it was determined by the circumstances, losing balance, the Princess fell into the river. The loud splash of water interrupted the silence, starting the frogs relaxing in the brushwood nearby.

  The princess immediately jumped on her feet, but that didn’t save the situation. Her trousers and shirt were soaked through.

  “I’m sorry.” Arsy smiled, without a twinge of conscience, examining her body hugged tightly by wet clothes.

  He offered her his hand, which the proud princess didn’t accept. She got to the shore on her own, trying to look dignified, and went up very close to him.

  “You shouldn’t have started this game,” she said quietly, looking into his eyes, but it seemed to Arsy that there was a coquettish glint in her expression. It was too late when he noticed it, for the next second, he felt a vigorous thrust at his bosom, and a second later, he found himself in the cool river.

  “1:1,” he snapped with a smile, getting to the shore.

  “Don’t even start, bandit.” Parelia smiled quizzically. “You’ll lose the game at a high score.”

  Arsy didn’t answer but smiled and blew her a kiss instead.

  Trial (Part II)

  “Are you okay, Arsy? Keep going?” asked Zens with concern. His friend looked quite miserable.

  “On my last legs,” groaned Arsy through his teeth, twisting with pain. “But I forget about pain once I remember Parelia.”

  “It’s a perfect moment to inject the painkiller. The crazy girl has made up her mind to become a bat,” whispered Zens, nodding in Nihena’s direction.

  Nihena was hanging from a branch upside down, while Sensei Farin had left the court. If there was a chance to alleviate his pain, it was right then.

  “She’s definitely crazy.” Arsy turned his head and made sure Nihena was indeed hanging from a branch, like a bat.

  “You didn’t see what she w
as doing before that,” smirked Zens, “jumping from one branch to another, like a squirrel. I couldn’t look at her out of fear. I even laid a mattress under the tree so she would not break anything in case she fell.”

  Zens handed the syringe to Arsy, covering it with his body, so Nihena didn’t notice anything. Arsy injected the painkiller in both legs and returned the syringe to his friend.

  “Did it relieve the pain?” Zens asked with care, going back to where he was.

  “Yes, I feel almost no pain, so I can hold out for quite a long time,” Arsy snapped as lightheartedly as he could, while in fact, he was still writhing with pain inside. “I’m only afraid of getting bored to death.”

  “I won’t let that happen,” sneered his friend. “Listen, I was inquiring about Nihena. In fact, everyone is afraid of her. Every person compares her to a beast, whereas the gardener gave me friendly advice, ‘Cross the street when you see Nihena or, better, make like a banana and split.’”

  “That won’t help either,” smirked Arsy. “The poor guy on whom her cat landed also tried to run away!”

  Zens nodded, trying not to laugh.

  “I just came up with a joke about Nihena; check it out! When you see Nihena, pretend you are a tree and start praying she and her black cat don’t find you.” Zens started laughing at his own joke wholeheartedly.

  “Such a stupid joke!” Arsy didn’t like it.

  They were silent for a while, after which Zens decided to offer a topic that Arsy would like better.

  “Is Elmunia pretty?”

  Arsy reflected for a while before answering. “You know, she has quite an extraordinary personality; she even dresses and looks different than others. In a word, she may make a controversial impression, arising either admiration or disgust. No third option. Her character is also quite controversial. She’s either in a good mood, or she’s absolutely rotten.”

  “And what was the impression she made on you?” inquired Zens.

  “Not very good at first,” Arsy shook his head and added with a smirk, “but after we had a few cups of boha together, my opinion about her changed for the better. Once, I asked her why she chose such dresses and make-up. Guess what she answered— ‘Poisonous snakes look the way they look, so one can see from a distance that they are dangerous and keep away. The same is the case with me; I must inspire horror.’”

  “I wonder why Parelia had no one else to make friends with,” Zens said, showing surprise.

  “I don’t know. Maybe she behaves like an angel in Parelia’s presence.” Arsy shrugged his shoulders. “They have been friends since childhood. Elmunia lied to Parelia, saying she was an orphan. She did it to evoke pity.”

  “So, she has parents, does she?”

  Arsy shifted his weight on his right leg to allow the left one to relax. “Elmunia says her relatives are strangers to her,” he said, trying to hold back painful sensations in his knees. “Judging by her tone, she was aggrieved with her parents for her fate. That is why she considers them strangers.”

  “But what have they done?” inquired Zens.

  “They made her make friends with Parelia and spy on her,” clarified Arsy. “Presently, she’s happy with her fate, but she still doesn’t accept her family.”

  “And is her family well-known?”

  “I don’t know, but it must be well-known among Agayans,” nodded Arsy. “I’m not interested in her personal life. Elmunia doesn’t like talking about it.”

  “So, Elmunia is Agayan?” clarified Zens.

  “And not only she. According to Elmunia, Parelia’s close surroundings predominantly consist of Agayans. Poor Parelia!” Arsy exclaimed compassionately. “She’ll have a heart attack when she learns about it.”

  “But what goals do Agayans pursue?” Zens pressed further. He was growing increasingly interested in the topic.

  “There’s just one goal: they want the king to be an Agayan. Many people aspire to that role, and there’s a fierce struggle between the competitors at the moment.”

  “So, it appears the guy who’s trying to win her heart is Agayan?” asked Zens, and after his friend nodded in approval, he asked, “Do you know him?”

  Arsy was glaring at Zens with distrust. His friend’s obvious interest in the topic gave rise to multiple questions and suspicions in his head. Nevertheless, he answered: “I do not know him in person, but I know that he and Erathos were fellow students. This means, he is also a heartbreaker, and consequently, a serious opponent!” Arsy declared resolutely. “Besides, Elmunia is kindly disposed towards him, and now, she will most probably do her best to convince Parelia to accept his proposal.”

  It suddenly dawned on Zens, and he pronounced with a smile, “So, by abducting Parelia, you will in fact save her from Agayans, won’t you, Arsy? It will then be a rescue, rather than an abduction!”

  “You’ll tell that to Parelia when we abduct her.” Arsy smiled in response and added sadly, “But of course, she won’t believe us.”

  “Needless to say, you’ll be a monster in her eyes, while in fact, you are her rescuer.”

  “I wouldn’t care a dime whether or not she married an Agayan if I didn’t love her.”

  “Listen, have you told Parelia about your feelings?” asked Zens, casting yet another concerned glance at Nihena swinging silently on the branch.

  “No, but I wrote about it in my anonymous letters to her.”

  Noticing his friend’s interrogative scowl, Arsy clarified, “Before reaching Parelia, every single letter undergoes verification by Agayans. If I sent a letter indicating my name, first of all, it wouldn’t reach her, and second, I’d have problems with Elmunia.”

  “This explains why my letters didn’t reach the Princess!” Zens thought with frustration.

  “So, in fact, Parelia didn’t know that the love letters she received were from you?” Zens frowned. “Then what’s the point in writing them?”

  “You are right. There’s no point at all,” agreed Arsy. “It’s just that sometimes, I’m so overwhelmed with emotions that they make me gasp for air. I feel relieved when I write to her. Besides, I write things only the two of us know, so she can guess who the author is by the content. I don’t know why she hides the fact that we know each other from Elmunia, for Elmunia is sure her friend has no secrets from her.”

  Arsy kept wondering but never found an answer to the question of why Parelia didn’t tell her closest friend about her adventures on the island, where she got to know Arsy and spent a while with him.

  “What if she loves you too?” suggested Zens. “Is that absolutely impossible?”

  The princess’s unhealthy interest in Arsy was suspicious to Zens, but the presence of affection would explain it.

  “No, there’s no way she may love me!” answered Arsy, perhaps sharper than he meant to. “She ordered to catch, arrest, and hold me prisoner for a couple years. Is that something loving people do? By the skin of my teeth, I informed Erathos where I was, and he came to set me free.”

  “And you didn’t talk to her afterward, did you?” inquired Zens, casting another worried glance at Nihena, who was still hanging from a branch upside down.

  “No, but I saw her during the revolution, when we conquered the capital and made our way to the castle.”

  “Did she say anything to you?”

  “Yes, she said she hates me and that I am the worst person in all of Agastan,” said Arsy, his voice noticeably growing sad. “I wanted to confess my love to her, but I was unable to after such accusations. Later, the entire story turned very nasty for me; our revolution failed.” Arsy smirked. “Instead, I was lucky to start my collaboration with Elmunia. If not for Elmunia, I would have long ago been caught and sent to the gallows for all the crimes I have committed. As for Parelia, not only has she not forgotten me, but she’s sent a great many policemen to find me, which leaves Elmunia wondering. On one occasion, she said to me, ‘How deeply you must have hurt Parelia for her not to be able to forget it and to want you locked up
after so many years.’”

  “Come clean! What did you do?” Zens smiled mysteriously.

  “When we first met, I had absolutely no idea that she was a princess, so I behaved inappropriately. Later, Erathos and I attempted a revolution, and when we invaded the capital and entered the castle, I tied her up.”

  “This explains why she hates you,” smirked Zens.

  They were silent for a while. Arsy did his best not to think about the pain burning in his knees, which was smoothly crawling up and sweeping through his entire body.

  “I’m not sure whether I should tell you now or after the trial,” Zens said unconfident voice.

  “Tell me what?” Arsy asked with apprehension. Bad news was the last thing he needed!

  “It’s just that…” Zens hesitated, but said shortly, “I don’t know if you had much money in your wallet, but now there’s not a single leso left in it!”

  “How come?” Arsy exclaimed in surprise.

  “Nihena cleaned you out. I went to the cloakroom to take the syringe from your pocket and saw her there with your wallet in her hands. I asked her what she was doing, and she answered, ‘According to our traditions, robbing a thief is a great piece of luck.’ At first, I thought she was kidding me, but I was wrong. She pocketed the money, threw the wallet on the floor, and left the cloakroom, like nothing ever happened. To my question, ‘Don’t you want to return the stolen money?’ she answered that if I wanted to take the money back, I’d need to overcome her in battle.”

  “And what happened after?” asked Arsy, unable to believe what he heard.

  “Nothing!” Zens made a helpless gesture. “What could I do? Battle with that beast? It’s no point, anyways. I’d only break my bones.”

  Arsy was silent, and it seemed to Zens that his friend was increasingly boiling with rage. However, he was filled with hope that the rage was caused by the pain of the trial and not by the bad news he told him.

  “Was there much money in it?” inquired Zens with a guilty voice.

  “Three hundred thousand lesos.”

  “What?” Zens whistled. “It’s a damned fortune! Why did you take so much money with you in the first place?”