The Angkhora Warriors

Part 2: Spice Trader

One day, when Dinda returned home with a bowl of tofu soup for her mother, she found an elderly man standing at her bedside. Exquisitely dressed in expensive silk, with a gold chain around his neck and fur coverings on his feet, he looked like a journeyman who had travelled abroad.

Dinda immediately pulled out the dagger that Sriga had given her for protection. A blade with a red jade on its pommel. He had told her that it was smart to keep it with her at all times in case she was ever caught alone by one of the people they'd been stealing from. She hid behind the door and peeped through the door slip. The man sat himself down beside her mother and called her by her name, "Nangna."

He knows Mom's name.

He placed his hand gently on her shoulder and tugged at her slowly. Her mother turned around and her glazed eyes stared sharply at the man. She brightened up a little, gave a little smile momentarily, then the smile faded away. A stream of tears flowed down the side of her face and her eyes shifted, staring blankly into space again as though the man in front of her had turned into a ghost.

"Nangna?" the man called out again.

Her mother did not respond.

Dinda walked slowly into the room, dagger in her hand. The man turned to face her at the sound of her approach and raised his hands to show that he was not a threat. Dinda looked at the man and slowly lowered the dagger, her heart beating in her throat. He had a scar on his left eye. Mother described him perfectly. Boran looked confused.

"Father?"

Before he could reply, Dinda rushed to him and hugged him. Boran was hesitant at first, then it slowly seemed to dawn on him that she was his daughter, and she wondered if her mother had ever told him about his little girl. He gently wrapped his arms around Dinda, seeming to accept in one breath after all these years that he had a child.

Dinda recomposed herself and pulled back from him, taking a good look at her father. "Would you like some tea? We don't have much, but we do have herbal tea." Dinda stepped back and clasped her hands in front of her, trying to make her father feel at home.

"Errr... yes, I'd like that," he replied softly. "Thank you."

Dinda rushed to the kitchen and began the preparations for tea.

When she served the steaming brew, Boran stared at her. She had forgotten about her scarf. Her black lips. She turned away and pulled the covering back in place across her mouth. Boran smiled at her, seeming to not want to make her uncomfortable. They sat together drinking and talking softly so as not to awaken her mother. Dinda spilled out a barrage of questions at him then suddenly stopped.

"Is there something wrong?" Boran asked.

"I just... I need to ask you a question, but I don't want you to get angry," she said.

Boran replied, "I will not get angry. Please, ask your question."

She took another sip of her tea, having given up on the scarf since her father didn't seem perturbed by her dark lips, and looked at her mother who was still curled up on the bed.

"Why did you leave us?" she asked bluntly.

Boran's eyes looked away, trying to find a place to hide. He took a sip of his herbal tea, buying some time to answer.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to answer if..." Dinda began.

"No, no, you deserve an answer." Boran looked at his daughter. "I did not leave you and mother. I had to go on a journey." He adjusted his seating position. "We were so poor, we had nothing. No food, rags for clothing, no money. We were destitute, and I had to do something. I thought if I went out and looked for food or a job that I could send supplies back to your mother. Food or money or... anything. Whatever I thought she would need. But I knew I would never find it here, in this valley," he explained.