Unexpected guests

'The rains were too heavy at the beginning of borsa (monsoon) that year, so, she sent surveyors upstream of the rivers and when they reported unusual and fast-rising waters, she didn't waste any time. She strengthened the protection of the granaries and sent ships to buy as much grains as possible from the neighboring lands. By the time those ships returned, large swaths of the country were already flooded and she didn't take any risk. As many rooms as possible at the upper floors of the palaces and garrisons were emptied to store those precious cargoes.' The king stopped for a while. 'It was a great flood' He resumed in a sad voice. 'Only a few patches of land remained above water, like islands in the sea. And it was the water that proved to be the bane. Hasi tried to protect the ponds and wells by raising their banks but some weren't high enough and some weren't strong enough for such an unprecedented disaster.' The king smiled, 'But she was resourceful and quick-witted, and soon she turned to the very rain that was causing the havoc for the solution. Still, it was very hard and everyone had to summon their last bit of patience and endurance. Finally, after months, the water started to recede.'

Suborna and the king sat in silence; they watched the vast expanse of Matonggini in front of them and enjoyed the joyous voice of Labonno coming from the lower deck. 'So, that's why some of your ponds and wells have such high banks?' Suborna said after a while. She was listening about the time Hasi took charge of the country after the queen had died and the king was in mourning. Labonno and Chotu appeared from the lower deck, 'Baba, I tried to operate the oars but they are so heavy that I couldn't even move a bit' Labonno said with giggles. It made everyone smile. She took her now customary place in Suborna's lap and everyone sat silently again. 'Baba' she said in a far-off voice 'would you take me with you the next time you visit south? I want to see the sea so much.' He gently stroked her hair, 'Of course love' he said gently. The king would be traveling to the seafarer's land after a short break at Polash Nogor and he would pick Suborna and Labonno up on his way back to Nokkhottro. Labonno was having the time of her life, after visiting the Subornorekha, she would now be visiting Jongol Mohol for a month. But since listening to the stories, her heart longed to see the sea.

Although it was nearly summer and the days had got longer, there was little light when they reached Polash Nogor. The king witnessed the impact of the dry season on these lands; the river was as high as the elephant's belly only a couple of months ago, now it was barely as high as the horse's knee, and although the reservoirs still held enough water, the level had dropped a lot since his visit. To say that the people were surprised would be an understatement. They were expecting Chotu to return, but they didn't expect to see Suborna or the king so soon, and certainly not in the company of a little girl and traveling without much protection through the forest. The chieftain and the queen were still in stunned silence when the rally stopped in front of the house. Suborna dragged both of them to the cart and cheered 'Look whom have I brought to you'. She got a menacing look from the queen who then carefully picked Labonno up from the cart, she waited till the king laboriously got down from the cart and then said 'And I thought you had some senses'. Even after another couple of hours, after the guests have washed and eaten, Suborna and the king were kept showering with rebukes. Chotu had conveniently disappeared. 'Well, I had two of your best warriors guarding us' the king said apologetically. The queen slapped her forehead, 'Were your people that desperate to make you the king' she moaned. For the first time in many years, the king laughed out loud.

The next morning the king wanted to go to the place where the commander and his team were working. But none would hear any of it. 'Do you really want to burden the men with the concern for your safety and convenience?' the chieftain said decisively. So, a messenger was sent instead to bring the commander to Polash Nogor. The king presented the chieftain with a copy of the map they had made with the help of Suborna. Everyone was amazed and delighted with it, and as the senapoti had said to Suborna, they could immediately see the benefit of having the lay of the entire land. The king benefited too; the queen, the chieftain, and others who have traveled extensively across the land pointed out some corrections or more details. The chieftain and the queen updated the king about the project the commander was working on. The scouts have identified a site for a new settlement, a day's journey to the east from Polash Nogor. It was a sizable clearing and the soil was good too, but aside from some shallow ditches and pools which dry out before monsoon, it didn't have any water sources. So the crew was now digging ponds and canals. Also, so far the place was only accessible through a thin track, but they are now widening that for ease of future commuting.

Labonno had spent her life largely within palace boundaries. Now she had gone crazy to have such a large swath to roam around freely. One moment she would be near the queen's home and a few minutes later she would pop up near a reservoir and a few minutes later her voice could be heard from the river bank. But the king noticed that where ever she went, Chotu or Suborna were never far away. 'Baba, I fell down trying to climb a tree' she proudly informed, 'and I don't know what it was, but some insect got stuck in my hair when I went into the pond.' 'And how did you get those scratches on your hands' the king inquired. She thought for some moments, then confessed 'I don't even remember'. She never had playmates of her own age, and although both she and the village kids were shy and uncertain of each other, there was a growing rapport between the sides.

'We are digging multiple smaller ponds instead of one big one' the commander informed, 'That way, everyone will have easy access to water'. 'Why don't you try building settlements along the river? The king asked. 'You go through so much hardship to dig ponds, but water is right there in the river.' The queen sighed and smiled. 'I guess it's in our blood, dear; we feel at ease surrounded by the forest. Even our river valley in the east is well covered by forest on one side and the hills on the other.' 'You saw those tiny villages along the river' the chieftain said, 'Imagine how desperate and daredevil those people are.' The king nodded understandingly. 'Why don't you have metal tools? You have swords and spears, so you know how to fashion metal.' the commander asked. The queen giggled, 'No dear, we don't know much about fashioning metal.' Then she added, 'We don't have much to trade for the ores either. We can trade some of the rice, but then what are we going to feed ourselves? We can't eat metal, can we' she giggled again. 'Besides' the chieftain said, 'the bamboo, cane, and wood are all around us and we can fashion a tool anytime we need.' 'Do you have ore, dear' the queen asked. 'No' the king said with frustration, 'We get our ores mostly from the southern land and sometimes from traders coming from the upper reaches of Matonggini.'