'Why were you disappointed to see us?' the prince asked after they have settled down. By now Labonno has calmed enough to think through her reply, 'Well, you look same as us; but we live on land while you live in the sea.' Though her reply incited a mild amusement, the prince was calm and sincere in saying, 'It's true that we spend months in the sea, but we return to our homes on the land.' 'Months! What do you eat?' Labonno sounded both shocked and concerned. The prince smiled a little and then explained 'Some of our voyages even take over a year. We carry supplies on the ship and we buy supplies from the ports on our way.' 'It's the drinking water that causes us the most headache', it was the king who spoke. 'But there are water all around you' Labonno was puzzled. The king smiled softly, 'Seawater is salty, undrinkable. We carry drinking water and coconuts and we collect as much rainwater during the voyage.' Suddenly the voyages seemed far more gruelling than she had imagined.
'What about those big fishes, can they really swallow you whole?' Labonno asked after some sobering moments. 'Big fishes!' the king mused for a while, 'I guess you are talking about the Timi (whales).' As Labonno remained silent, he continued 'They can swallow a man whole, they are indeed that big, and they can wreck the ships if they want to.' He enjoyed the shock and awe on Labonno's face, then added 'But they are very gentle creatures. Most of the time we see them from afar, sometimes they come close as if they want to find out what type of creatures we are.' Labonno heaved a huge sigh of relief. 'But it's the Kamot (sharks) who are the real scourge of the seas' the king said in an ominous tone. 'Imagine a fish with teeth like tigers haunting the seas in packs.' Labonno swallowed hard. 'But surely they don't attack the ships' she said rather hopefully. The king smiled reassuringly, 'No, we are safe on the ship.' But just as Labonno looked a bit relieved, he added 'But ships get wrecked in storms and even if you survive the storm, there's no escaping from those rakkhos (demons).' They talked and talked; the joy of slicing through the waves, the adrenaline rush of catching the wind in the sail, the tranquility of the calm sea, the loneliness of being in the middle of nowhere.
Surprisingly, neither the gruelling life in the sea nor the terrors of the sea dampened its enchantment. If anything, in addition to her fascination, she now had an affection for the distant Nilambori (lady in blue) and its indomitable people. 'So, the sea is blue, huh!' she said. 'Not really' Manik (Jewel/Dear) said in his characteristic calmness, 'Near the shore, the water is muddy grey and deep into the sea, it's deep grey.' 'So, why Nilambori!' Labonno was puzzled. The prince smiled a little and sighed a bit, as he tried to muster an answer he started to fall into a trance. As her patience verged on the breaking point, he spoke, like he was far, far, away. 'It's the night sky on a clear night, when the clouds too had gone on their voyage and the moon had retired to land we know not where. You will think that the sky is black as the night; but as it holds your gaze, the blue appears on the fringes of the cold, soft aura around the countless stars. The deep, deep, blue; like nothing on this earth. A celestial lady in her chumki adorned blue shari caressing you, soothing the tired limbs and restless soul.'
'I want to see the sea so much' Labonno said mournfully. 'Well, surely you will come when the king and the queen visit Nilambori, won't you!' the prince asked. 'Not see it from the shore' Labonno said a bit impatiently, 'I want to sail in the sea' she added in a hopeless tone. 'You have visited Jongol Mohol, you have seen the Subornorekha, I don't see why you won't have a voyage too.' the prince said in a matter-of-fact tone. 'But I'm so little' The hopelessness was really palpable. For the first time, Manik laughed; and he only stopped after noticing the menacing glare. 'I'm sure the seas will be still there by the time you are old enough for a voyage.' he said after sobering up. That cheered her up and her eyes went all dreamy. 'When is your first voyage?' she asked from her dreams. 'It will take a while' the reply startled the kids, they didn't realized when the king have crept up to them. 'He will go on his first voyage when he is this big' the seafarer king pointed to his shoulder. Labonno dragged the prince to the king's side, the prince was two fist lengths short of his father's shoulder. 'Oww' Labonno moaned, 'You are still so little'. The king smiled and ruffled his son's hair, 'He will grow up in a blink'.
The ship moored at the anchorage flew the pennant of Nilambori, a white crescent on the field of blue. Bobbing and swaying gently like an eager stallion shuffling impatiently to set off to the horizon. Like a stallion, it was streamlined and well-groomed. The gangway had already been removed and the soldiers and the sailors lined the railing giving the king and his entourage the centre-stage. The soldiers and dockers on the jetty had stepped back giving their king and his entourage the centre-stage as well. A horn blew somewhere in the port, and a drum-beat replied from the ship. The ropes were untied and the oarsmen pushed the ship into the current and then laid down the oars, the ship cruised effortlessly downstream. Then the sail was unfurled and as it caught the wind the bow leapt up from the water as if the ship would take wings. And though it didn't, it sliced through the waves in unimaginable grace and speed. Labonno kept staring until even the dot vanished beyond the horizon.
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