Patih Dendawasesa uses this opportunity to destroy his enemy. Ferociously and without any difficulty, he attacks and slaughters his opponents, like an elephant knocking down trees. The Maespati troops are destroyed.
Sumantri does not want his soldiers to be scared off by Patih Dendawasesa's rage. So he lets loose his arrow, Nagapasa. The arrow flies, trailing a flexible chain that flows in small waves like a dragon, striking and entangling Patih Dendawasesa. The top warlord of Widarba falls, wrapped in Nagapasa’s chain. The Maespati soldiers cheer loudly, feeling that now, victory is now at hand beyond any doubt. They look at Patih Dendawasesa, lying on the ground, helplessly entangled in Nagapasa. They want to kill him, because he is the last warlord of the Widarba kingdom. Without him, it will be easier to make the Widarba fall at the feet of Maespati. However, they hear Sumantri shout from afar, “Don't kill Patih Dendawasesa.” They obey the order of their commander, then bind Patih Dendawasesa to take as his prisoner.
Losing his leading warlord infuriates Prabu Darmawasesa. His fury turns the battlefield into a pitch-black darkness. In the completely darkened night, when there is nothing but a vengeful heart, the King of Widarba still yearns to continue the battle. The Widarba soldiers try to stop him. They say, don't let the king get upset and angry, because anxiety and anger will only bring defeat. Therefore, it is better for him to retreat tonight and gather strength, so that tomorrow, we will be reenergized and stronger, and can destroy our enemy. In the end, Prabu Darmawasesa agrees to retreat to the camp, not because he has listened to the advice of his soldiers, but because the dark night has made it impossible for him to see anything. When the Widarba troops do not continue the battle, the Maespati troops also withdraw to their camp.
Also read:
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (78)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (77)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (76)
It is pitch black at the Widarba camp. The torches are lit, their flames flickering with the faint breath of hope. From the battlefield the wind blows softly, carrying the scent of death and bringing it nearer to the torches, slowly extinguishing the flames, sending the remnants of hope to the lives that remain. The complete darkness has eliminated the stars, like a war that claims lives with swords. At a time when Prabu Darmawasesa is drowning in sadness, he sees the flames of the far-off torches slowly spreading through the night. Then he ses a few soldiers escorting five women to Prabu Darmawasesa's camp. They are Darmawati, his younger sister, accompanied by four of the King's wives. The four wives bow together in respect, embrace Prabu Darmawasesa's feet, and cry and beg that the King should just come home to Widarba with them rather than perish on the battlefield. It is useless to continue the battle, because the Maespati army has conquered Widarba and captured the top warlord Patih Dendawasesa, as well as the kings of Darmapati, Sinduloba, Kodrabanu, and Rodrapaksa.
"There is no need for Your Majesty to be ashamed. Remember us. Will Your Majesty have the heart to let us live without Your Majesty’s love?"
Darmawati adds to the request of her elder brother's four wives, pleading, "Oh, my elder brother Sang Prabu, you are so infatuated with the Princess of Magada, as if there are no other women besides her in all the world. Why can you not see your wives, they are all beautiful, and if you so desire, I can find a more beautiful one. You leave them all behind only to risk your life for the sake of Dewi Citrawati?"
Prabu Darmawasesa is silent. For him, it is easier to be separated from his wives than it is to be separated from Darmawati. He truly loves his sister. He loves her even more because she is not a giant like him. Darmawati is a beautiful woman who is not inferior to any goddess. He contemplates, and thinks that his sister's words are true, especially when he hears his sister wail again.
"My elder brother, haven't you lost Paman (Uncle) Patih Dendawasesa and the four kings who were the top warlords of Widarba? I don't want to lose you, and see you caged or killed at the hands of the Maespati commander. Come home with me to Widarba, my elder brother."
Also read:
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (75)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (74)
Prabu Darmawasesa's heart breaks when he hears his younger sister cries. He looks out of the tent, and his gaze drifts into the darkness of the night. He wants the torches and lamps to be extinguished, so that he can see more clearly what the darkness wants of him. "Should I retreat, when I have defeated all the kings and sacrificed so many lives to the battlefield?" Thinking about this, his heart churns and he no longer wants to hear his younger sister's cries anymore. He looks deeper into the darkness of the night with a penetrating gaze. There, in the dimness, another shadow appears. Who else's shadow, if not that of Dewi Citrawati? Thinking of Dewi Citrawati, he again goes out of his mind. All has been sacrificed, much blood has been shed for this shadow. Why must he retreat, when one step further and he can claim the shadow as a reality? The beauty of Dewi Citrawati, this is the vision that the darkness of the night has sent to him.
"I will not retreat, Darmawati, until I have Dewi Citrawati," Prabu Darmawasesa confirms his decision.
"Many kings have tried to take Dewi Citrawati, only to lead to their deaths. Will you simply follow in their stead, my elder brother?” says Darmawati.
Why do you always think I must die? Why do you not think that I am certain to claim Dewi Citrawati?
"If I am afraid to die, it will impossible for me to claim Dewi Citrawati."
"But, my elder brother, if you die, you will never have Dewi Citrawati."
"Why do you always think I must die? Why do you not think that I am certain to claim Dewi Citrawati? Darmawati, don't bother me anymore. I never think I will die. Now I simply imagine seeing the Maespati commander, Sumantri, dead! Because he is the only obstacle to my claiming Dewi Citrawati."
"I am not thinking about Sumantri or Dewi Citrawati. I am just worried. What if you really die, my elder brother?" Darmawati releases her words into the moonless night, and the crows catch them with a cry, and the way they caw turns into a dread that grips people with the fear of death. Anyone who hears their caws will shudder in fear, including Prabu Darmawasesa who does not want to think about death.
This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.
