The story takes place in Lan Na, an ancient kingdom centered in Northern Thailand, in 1770. At that time, Lan Na was a vassal of Burma (the present-day Republic of the Union of Burma).
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Notional:
1 : theoretical, speculative
2 : existing in the mind only : imaginary
3 : given to foolish or fanciful moods or ideas
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The storm caught him unawares. One minute, the fisherman was idly steering his oars, content to soak under the rain for a while before reaching his village, and the next minute, he was rowing hastily as gales twisted and whisked unevenly, threatening to turn his fishing boat upside down and drown him under metres of water.
Kasem had heard his mother warn about sudden storms in the North – those that gathered in the blink of an eye, starting with drizzles, breezes, occasional sunlight and ending with gale-force winds and tumultuous outpourings. Nonetheless, he had paid little heed to his mother's advice because she herself had said that Lan Na had not encountered such storm for almost a century. Only after he had taken the brunt of the act of God himself did he regret dallying and making light of the initial sprinkle.
Endless torrents of raindrops fizzed on his head, his neck, his clothes, infiltrating every tiny crevice on his bare skin and drenching him in a shivery cold. Winds whipped into the Ping river, turning the usually serene Chao Phraya tributary into a never-ending stream of cacophony and precipitating strong waves that swirled and eddied against Kasem's fragile boat. Kasem cursed under his breath and tried to regain his equilibrium in vain. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he felt as if panic could convulse him in any minute.
Through his chaotic state, he delineated the map of Lan Na in his mind. Earlier that day, he had been close to Chiang Mai, the capital of Lan Na, so it would take roughly half a day to get back to his village. He must, perforce, find a temporary shelter. The northern part of the Ping River was immured by forests and mountains; if he was lucky, he could find a cave, take shelter there and wait until the storm had passed. With that thought in mind, he grimly propelled the boat forwards, eyes on the lookout for possibly dangerous obstacles and the smallest signs of a cave.
Suddenly, Kasem caught a flicker of bright green in front of him and squinted. His heart nearly stopped when he made out a girl wearing a green robe floating behind the endless rush of waves. Her long hair was disheveled and flowing on the water surface; her eyes were closed, and her face showed no trace of consciousness.
He blinked. The girl sunk into water again, before floating back to the surface.
Was she dead? He wondered briefly, only to reach the inevitable answer. She was, probably. Once a person had hit the bottom of the Ping during a storm, that person had very slim chances of survival. It was not worth saving her, as Kasem himself was also in danger.
Kasem's boat would have gone past her had Kasem not felt a twinge of conscience. Even if she was dead, she did not deserve to be buried under water. He quickly steered the oars in a different direction, propelling the boat towards the poor girl.
The rain beat down harder and harder by minute. Kasem's surroundings faded into a white blur, obscuring everything in his vision. He licked his lips and narrowed his focus into the green color. After a minute that felt like forever, he managed to grab her hand and pull her onto his boat. His boat rocked on the waves and he almost toppled backwards into the river.
After succeeding in his little deed, Kasem held his breath and slowly composed himself. He clutched onto his oars and proceeded on, only sparing the girl a small glance as he looked around to find a cave.
Once he had spotted a cavern, he wasted no time in rowing towards it.
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Kasem was an impoverished fisherman who worked to excess every day in a remote village in Lan Na. His family only consisted of him and his mother – who was over seventy years old and could hardly work. Yet, she was not even his real mother. Three years ago, when she walked along the bank of the Ping river, she found him – a teenage boy who was drenched in blood and wore tattered clothes. When he woke up, she realized that he had no recollection of his past – his memory was a blank paper. So she called him her only child, taught him the language of Lan Na, sent him to an experienced fisherman to teach him how to fish and bought him a small fishing boat with her savings.
His mother had expected him to be sensible. His mother had not expected him to botch up his only job and risk his life during a storm.
Luckily, Kasem managed to stay alive. He sat on the cold layer of rocks, still gasping for breath and coughing. Outside, a wall of rain enclosed his shelter and drummed loudly against the rocks. Water trickled on and seeped in his skin, making him shiver from the cold. He pulled off his shirt, ignoring any sense of modesty left, and used his sloppy shirt to wipe his body dry. Then, he glanced at the girl he had saved earlier.
When he examined her a brief moment ago, to his surprise, the girl was alive and breathing well. She was still wan, and her pulses were weak, but she showed no sign of a person who had just drown herself. He winced, wondering what would have happened had he not decided to save her. If she had died without him knowing, he would be doomed to perdition and overcome by regret while rotting in hell.
He contemplated taking her green outfit off. His mother had taught him not to touch any person of the opposite sex unless he was married to her. Yet, if he left her in such a saturated state, she would catch a cold. After a moment of wavering between propriety and her health, he shuffled closer to her and removed her apparel while blushing furiously and carefully averting his eyes to not look at her undergarments. When his fingers touched the water-soaked, silky green fabric, he paused momentarily and frowned. Under the expensive robe hid a pocket knife the size of his hand, with elaborately-carved handle that suggested superior caliber. The sharp, cold metal gleamed at him in the lightless surroundings and made him shudder. She probably carried it to defend herself.
Kasem squeezed the piece of clothing lightly in fear of leaving it crumpled and dimly realized that it was not the usual kind of clothes that women in his country wore. A foreigner, then? Maybe she was the wife of a rich nomadic trader. He blanched when he thought about his and her situation. Her husband would go livid if he saw Kasem and his wife now.
Kasem quickly used her robe to dry her head, helped her put on her own clothes and scooted back. This way, she would not easily catch a cold and feel less embarrassed once she woke up. He mouthed a silent apology to her, her unknown husband and his future (nonexistent) wife.
Then, he looked at the pocket knife again. If he left her with the knife, he might well put himself in serious danger, as he could not be sure whether she was a good person. However, if he attempted to hide it, the girl would know that he had undressed her. Kasem's face burned at that thought. Surely she would not mangle the person who had just saved her life? But he could not be sure. On the other hand, if he took her knife, he could ensure his own safety.
Finally deciding that he wanted to avoid possible troubles, he stuffed her knife in one of his trouser pockets and looked outside. It would take a long time for the storm to pass, so he crossed his arms and sat down. It did not take him long to doze off, as he had been working for nearly a day.
His dream was filled with pleasant images, with a foreign, beautiful girl hugging him and promising to be with him forever. Kasem embraced her, bubbling with bliss, not quite believing that the girl would stay with a poor fisherman like him.
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Kasem slept through the distant roars of thunder. However, he jerked awake at the slightest sound of movement, just in time to avoid a punch to his face.
Kasem's eyes widened, only to be met with piercing amber. The girl he had saved earlier – the object of his dream – was staring straight at him, eyes blazing with unreadable emotions. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He had accidentally fallen asleep and dropped his guard.
"Give me my knife." She said brusquely.
Kasem blinked. She was speaking a language that he was familiar with – not of Lan Na, but of a certain nation in the south. Definitely a foreign girl, he concluded.
"No," was his quick rejoinder. "I value my life, thank you."
The girl quirked her eyebrows. Before Kasem could stand up and defend himself, she sprung herself forwards to tackle Kasem to the ground. At a moment's notice, he rolled over, gripped her wrist and pulled her forward, sending her careen into the rock-hard bottom.
She moaned. Her pained utterance snapped him out of his drowsy stupor and Kasem instantaneously realized that he had just inadvertently hurt a girl.
"Oh God." He blurted out. "I'm really sorry. That was just self-defen-"
Whatever he had to say was heckled by a sudden spasm of hot and excruciating pain lancing through his face. Kasem lost his eyesight for a moment, his ambience turning white as he toppled over and hit his head.
"Ouch." Kasem clutched his head in pain. The place on his head that collided with the rocks was probably bleeding. It took him one second to realize that the girl had faked her moan to drop his guard and attack him. "That's an unfair move."
"Serves you right." The girl murmured lowly, feeling smug about her unexpected blow. She got up and walked toward Kasem.
Through his haze, he barely recognized that the girl's hands were roaming all over his body in search of the regal knife. Kasem's face went white. Oh great. He was going to be stabbed to death.
"Where am I?" The girl asked nonchalantly while taking out her knife.
"What?" Kasem rasped hoarsely, surprised that she had not removed certain appendages of his body yet. He quickly got up using his elbows and shifted away from her. Multicolored dots blotted his sight, hindering him from seeing anything clearly.
"Where am I?" She repeated. "I must have passed out and drifted along the river. Where am I?"
His head was puzzling. Why was she questioning her whereabouts with such equanimity? She had just been drowned. Some people would be too panicked over that to care about anything else. Then again, this girl was the same person that easily crippled a guy after waking up.
Kasem racked his brains for the answer. He needed to buy time while he was unable to defend himself.
"Near the capital." Kasem blinked repeatedly, trying to regain his normal vision. "We are near the capital."
"Of Thonburi?" She asked.
"Lan Na." He shook his head and felt blood flow down on his forehead.
"Lan Na? How come-"
Before the girl finished the question, Kasem heard an abrupt clang. It was the unmistakable sound of the pocket knife hitting the rocks. The sound alerted him that his chance had come, yet, given his temporarily impaired vision, he could not act promptly. His mind swirled and swirled and swirled, making it harder to think clearly. Kasem cursed himself. He had to get the knife, yet his body could not move.
When his eyesight slowly returned to normal seconds later, he steeled himself for battle. However, he soon realized that the girl had not made any effort to move. She was standing still and scrutinizing him, eyes tingling with vibrant emotions for the first time. The pocket knife lay beside her right foot, forgotten.
Kasem stared at her in confusion.
"You are… bleeding." The girl said in disbelief.
"Well, yes." Kasem murmured sarcastically. "That hit was rather hard, considering that we are total strangers and I just saved your life out there."
The girl opened her mouth to say something, then decided against it. Kasem eyed the girl for any sudden movement, but it seemed that she was too lost in her own emotions to take action. There was something in her eyes that flickered and shone brightly and disappeared as fast as it came. A grisly shadow, a gossamer illusion, a delicate, tenuous, sprawling fragment of sentiment. The girl peered at him, not bothering to vocalize her thoughts. The passage of time seemed to be ground to a halt, and silence ballooned between them.
Kasem squirmed under her intense stare. The last time he recalled, his bleeding did not elicit such anomalous reaction from anyone. Strange, as if the girl had expected him not to be wounded after such a strong collision.
Outside, a flash of lightning splintered the sky and illuminated the cave in a brief second. Thunders roared from distant lands, startling both of them.
The girl blinked, once, twice, then shook her head. The pool of emotions which sprawled into a rattling ocean earlier quickly coalesced into a drop of collectedness. Whatever was there, she had dismissed it.
The girl wordlessly staggered towards him, forgetting about the knife entirely. Kasem covered his head in caution and watched her every step, wondering if she was going to attack him again without the knife. However, she apparently became more benevolent. Tearing off a part of her robe, she meticulously wrapped it around his wound.
"Huh." Kasem said dumbly. The girl did not reply.
Nonetheless, he accepted the unexpected goodwill without question. What other option did he have? He could hardly fight – his wounded head had put him at a severe disadvantage.
Rain continued to teem down in an unmitigated deluge, and the storm winds coiled and writhed and howled in a sorrowful rhythm. Yet, none of them uttered a single word. Feeling the girl's soft, nimble fingers on his head, Kasem felt an odd sensation flutter under his skin despite his initial fear and wariness. He had never been this close to a girl before. And the girl in front of him, now that he had had the opportunity to look at her up close, was rather pretty. Her skin was pale and spotless, and her pellucid-amber eyes were as translucent as the dawn. Was she the same girl that blithely beat him up just a moment ago?
Kasem dropped his gaze. It was not decent to peer at somebody.
A moment of pregnant silence passed, before the girl whispered ruefully:
"I'm sorry."
This time, she was speaking the language of Lan Na instead of the other one. Kasem looked up, surprised by her bilingual ability. The girl pulled away and gave him a hollow, vacant look. Perhaps she had been thinking about how to act in this bizarre situation for a while.
"It's… alright." Since the girl had switched to Lan Na, he figured that he could, too. "I was the one at fault, after all. I … took your knife and refused to give it back. Everything just kinda spiraled out of control. I don't blame you."
"No, I should have expressed gratitude instead of injuring you." The girl said quietly. "You saved me and found a shelter for me even though I was a stranger. I was not aware of that."
Kasem fell silent. He could not think of anything suitable to say. The girl had undergone an unexpected change of attitude for some strange reason.
"Well, I'm sorry anyways. I only… found out about the knife because you were shivering and I was afraid you would catch a cold."
"I understand." The girl closed her eyes. She seemed to be overwhelmed by raw emotions again, yet Kasem could not discern what those emotions are.
"Thank you for saving me." She continued. "What's your name?"
"Kasem. But you can call me Yai; it's my nickname." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm a fisherman. My village is near here."
"Kasem." She smiled politely. "I am Lien, a merchant from Dai Viet. You know Dai Viet, right?"
"No…" He said awkwardly. Maybe he had heard of this name before losing his memory, but in his village, there was no book, and most people were somewhat parochial.
"Oh." The girl said. Did she just sound disappointed? "Well, it's okay. Dai Viet is a nation in the east and is pretty far from here. You have to get past a few eastern countries to get there."
A far eastern nation? It made sense that he did not know Dai Viet. Kasem had peregrinated about Lan Na and a certain country in the south a few times – mainly to seek his true identity – but had never gone eastwards.
But she came from Dai Viet, not from the country with the language that she initially spoke to him. It meant that she may not be just a bilingual – she could speak at least three different languages. It was rather impressive, considering her young age.
"Sorry, I am not too familiar with other countries." He replied sheepishly. "So… What happened to you? I found you out there, drowning. I can help you if you want."
The girl – no, Lien – was silent for a minute. Her eyes darted upwards as she recalled everything in her mind.
"I was on my way to Luang Prabang, you know, another eastern nation, when some robbers waylaid my carriage. They divested me of my belongings and planned to sell me to a rich landlord, but I managed to escape. When they almost caught me, I fell into the river." Lien recounted quietly.
Kasem frowned at the story. Poor girl. However, he also caught the unspoken part. Lien did not mention other people travelling with her – she was travelling alone.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that. It must have been hard on you. Why didn't you travel with someone you trust? Your family, your business partners, your … husband?" He tentatively asked.
"I have no one. No family, no friend. I don't even know my parents."
The immediate, blunt answer made Kasem almost choke. Lien looked blithe, but she was eying him carefully, looking for the slightest hints of reaction. Maybe she was silently daring him to take pity on her.
"I'm sorry." He said, wondering what he should say next. If he expressed his sentiments, Lien may mistake his feeling for pity and take offense. "I don't know my parents either."
Lien looked at him with a surprisingly calm, steady gaze.
"You don't either?"
"Yeah." He scratched his head. "Three years ago, my mother – my current mother – discovered me on the bank of the Ping river. I was… covered in blood and wounds, according to her. When I woke up, she found out that I had lost my memory as well."
"Oh," was all Lien said. She looked away, seeming lost in thought.
"So… well," he trailed off. "Before my mother discovered me, she lived alone. She had lost both her husband and her son in the war. So I think she can understand your tribulations and help you out in this dire situation. Do you want to meet my mother? We would be willing to help you get home."
Lien tilted her head to one side. She thought about the offer for a few seconds before nodding.
"Thanks. I'll return the favor the next time I'm here."
Kasem smiled, relieved that he was able to help her a little bit. "Glad I can help."
"So…" Lien turned her head to the wall of raindrops that confined their cave. "I guess we can wait until later. The storm will not go away soon."
Kasem glanced at the interminable torrent of raindrops and listened to the hollow cries of the winds. Having experienced storms on a monthly basis, he knew when the storm would pass. They were probably going to stay the night in the cavern.
"We may have to sleep here."
Lien cast a glance at him. Apparently, she had become charier of Kasem after the knife incident. "Don't touch me this time. If I find out, I will not forgive you."
Kasem's face immediately shot past pink and closer to red. He threw his hands in the air. "Don't worry, I won't. I promise."
Lien's lips curled into a half smile for the first time.
That night, they chatted for hours on ends before going to sleep. Kasem talked about his favorite food, favorite people, favorite places and his village. He babbled on about his little adventures and his dream, proclaiming that he would one day realize a competent life and make his mother proud. Lien listened to him without asking any further question. In return, she talked about her love of travel, her life without somebody to hold on to, her summers in the north of Dai Viet and her winters in the south. Apparently, her country was currently split into two unofficial states – Dang Ngoai in the north, Dang Trong in the south – and she travelled often between them, despite being born in the north.
"The disparity between northern and southern people has become so conspicuous that it's saddening. It's not good for commerce." She smiled sadly. "I actually bought this outfit in the south. It is not available in the north."
"This robe?" He was interested. "It looks interesting. I've never seen any outfit like it."
"It's not a 'robe'." Lien corrected him. "In the south, they call it 'ao dai'. It means 'long garment'."
At some point, they both became too sleepy to continue talking and went on to sleep. Kasem kept his promise, falling asleep as soon as the girl dozed off.
His dream was filled with the very same person that night. However, Lien did not embrace him this time. She was riding a horse and giving him a wide berth, amber eyes smoldering. Her hair, her hands and her shirt were blemished by blood. She was crying.
"Ayutthaya." She sobbed. "Ayutthaya."
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Kasem was jolted awake by the high notes of bird song in the morning. Sunshine glazed his eyes and the smell of rain and earth infiltrated his olfactory sense. He yawned and gazed out across the verdant field outside, pleasantly noting that the storm had passed.
"Now that you have woken up, let's go." Lien said suddenly from behind.
"Alright." Kasem smiled.
"Put on your shirt first, though."
Kasem laughed.
They pushed the fishing boat onto the water, and Kasem insisted that Lien let him steer the oars. Outside, sunlight beat down on the tropical forest and drowned everything in a torrid heat. Birds chimed in accord, and the flora and fauna swanked their majestic kaleidoscope of colors. The storm was a catastrophe to humans, but an angel's gift to nature, breathing new life into wilting flowers and droopy animals. It was a typical day in Lan Na.
Lien sat behind him and made no comment about the weather. Kasem found it apt to turn around and opine:
"Beautiful day, isn't it?"
He only intended to start a conversation. However, when Lien's lips slowly curved into a brilliant smile and her amber eyes glimmered with mirth for the first time, he suddenly forgot how to breathe.
He had seen girls in his village smile like that, yet, none of their smiles was more beautiful than hers.
He blinked, then turned his back to her and continued rowing. Kasem could technically feel heat gathering across his face and neck. As his heart hammered loudly in his chest and and a fervent fire spread through his body, he closed his eyes and inhaled a sharp intake of air. It was a very familiar sensation, but he could not discern what it was.
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End of chapter 1.
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Author's note:
This fic will feature tidbits of information about historical events in Thailand and Vietnam, but I made sure that you would still get the flow of the story even if you were not familiar with the history of mainland South-east Asia. Nonetheless, in case you're interested, here is some historical background.
* Vietnam (or rather, Dai Viet), year 1770:
During this period, Vietnam was split into two warring states: Đàng Ngoài (Bắc Hà/Tonkin) in the north and Đàng Trong (Nam Hà/Cochinchina) in the south. The north was ruled by the Trịnh lords; the South by the Nguyễn lords. On paper, Dai Viet was still considered one nation under the rule of Lê Dynasty, and both Nguyễn lords and Trịnh lords claimed that they fought on behalf of the Lê Emperor. However, in reality, Dai Viet was embroiled in a civil war.
* Thailand, year 1770:
In the first half of the eighteenth century, there was no "Thailand". There were only two kingdoms centered in present-day Thailand: Lan Na in the north and Ayutthaya in the south. While Lan Na was a tributary state to Burma, Ayutthaya was an independent nation which was constantly under threat from Burmese invasion. In 1767, the Burmese sent troops into Ayutthaya and brought the Ayutthaya Kingdom to ruin. Afterwards, a new country was built upon the old foundation of Ayutthaya and called Thonburi Kingdom.
So basically, the story will feature:
– Lan Na: Thai kingdom in the north.
– Ayutthaya: The destroyed Thai kingdom in the south. Thonburi: Ayutthaya's succeeding state. Ayutthaya and Thonburi share the same main language.
The story takes place in Lan Na (the kingdom in the north and under the Burmese rule) around the given period, after Ayutthaya has been obliterated and Thonburi has been established.
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* Trivia:
Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, and the Ping river is one of its two main tributaries.
About Kasem's name: From what I have read, Thailand and Vietnam's naming customs seem to differ significantly.
– While we Vietnamese have had family names for thousands of years, Thailand only required Thai citizens to have last names in 1913. Before then, most Thais used only a first or individual name. They also use nicknames to refer to each other, but I am not so sure if the use of nickname persists even after a person has matured.
– In Thailand, people with shared family name are most likely to be related (as Thai last names tend to be long and unique) while in Vietnam, you can meet many people with the last name Nguyen (Nguyễn) or Tran (Trần) who are not related to each other. In my old high school class, about 70 percent of students have Nguyễn as our last name.
Dai Viet was Vietnam's official name from 1054 to 1400, and from 1428 to 1804.
Luang Prabang (1707–1949) was one of the three Laotian kingdoms (Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Champasak) that bordered Lan Na on the east in 1770. It was also a Burmese vassal at that time.
Lien's statement: "I actually bought this outfit in the south. It is not available in the north."
We all know that Lien's outfit here is ao dai (áo dài). The origin of this national costume dates back to the Trinh – Nguyen war (1627-1775). In the eighteenth century, ao dai was created in Dang Trong (the south), and lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat made both all members of his court wear this outfit to distinguish themselves from the court in the North (Dang Ngoai). The design of ao dai in 1770 was somewhat different from Vietnam's ao dai now, though.