exclusively devoted, too

[part i of this series can be viewed here]

in the years following fermastika's coming of age, the territories surrounding gunung ledang were lead in a time of strife. as do the parasites of nature thrive in the withering of the lush and the live, so do the parasites of humanity in the want of others'. by this, we see the social and economical invasion from the centre of the world, and in reaction, the coup d'etat of the local malaccan governing.

entering the scene, in a swoop of glorious cannon-shelling, and pompous trumpet-blaring, was a young and aspiring portugese admiral, alphonse d'esfiladeiro. in the ensuing confusion and unsettling wake of governmental reform, such external powers held an unnaturally strong sway on the aristocracy - which would later lay the pavement for an invasion highway into the heart of the malaccan sultanate itself. but, our tale does not concern the fall from grace of islamic empires, or does it revolve around the eurocentricities of colonial nations from what-was-then the epicentre of the universe. it does serve here, to mention that alphonse, in a story of his own, ventures into the depths of gunung ledang, and has meeting with fermastika.

a revolution, and restitution of power, though, does not come into being by itself. ceteri paribus, the subservience of local culture and unrelenting subordination to the decrepit leaders would have dictated a solemn, yet unavoidable coming into power of the portugese, but, nay. it is the singular event that follows, which muses and uprising to challenge the status quo, and this event will forever be spoken in the histories of the downtrodden, of that when amaru as-satari would meet the princess fermastika.

much like the story of her mother, fermastika's encounters with alphonse and amaru are elaborate and intricate, beautiful portrayals of love and kinship, and the ugly truth of lust, greed, and vanity. the years of retelling have reclaimed much from truth and what little is left of legend is too spread between heresy and profanity to recount. however, unlike the caveats and pitfalls of pride and blindness displayed by the sultan, many generations ago, the men of now are not as easily fooled as a slave in his throes of ardor.