Freeday, 1st of Juno, 470th Year of the Fifth Era

The great hall of the Raja Malim remained tense, especially after the proposals set forward by the king of Saorma. What was outwardly started as an informal gathering of the kings had suddenly become an impromptu tonggoraja. And now what was being put into question was the treaty of Haumarara and the role of the Hulubalang Nabolon itself.

Parulian could only sit tight as involving himself further into these political intrigues was beyond his role as a prince of Goria. Even Partogi didn't say anything in his own defense despite the fact this was technically a plea for his status to be restored. Parulian frowned as he thought an outright battle would be preferable to this kind of politicking.

With all of this in mind, Parulian stuck his head out a bit as he exchanged glances with King Tagam of Hutangali. Parulian mouthed towards the king, "Do something!" to which he nodded before clearing his throat.

"I don't believe the king of Saorma has any right to call for a tonggoraja here, especially not without the proper preparations." King Tagam spoke up while raising his hand. "We were called here for a celebration of brotherhood in a less formal setting. I believe even the Raja Malim would agree with me when I say that for a tonggoraja to take place, the proper steps of 'ritual', prayers, and the like need to be prepared. Especially for a tonggoraja nabolon which would be what a meeting of all twenty kings would be."

Parulian nodded his head fervently at King Tagam's statement. Other elders and kings also voiced their agreement towards it.

"...You have claimed to be… more in tune with the traditions of our great ancestors…" King Parhal now spoke again as his icy gaze was focused upon the king of Saorma "...yet when it comes to things of your own benefit… you are quick to dispense with those traditions you say you hold so… highly… Truly a fox with no true loyalties… hahahaha.. *coughs*"

King Parhal continued to laugh through his coughs which was followed by the other elders and nobles of Goria and their allies. King Lombutua feigned a smile as outwardly he laughed along with the Gorians, but Parulian could tell his eyes weren't laughing with him. Parulian had to give credit to his father. Even old and dying as he is, he was still as petty as ever to people he did not like.

"The Hulubalang Nabolon speaks truly, my kings…" The Raja Malim said as he straightened his back and shook his head. "The proper rituals need to be observed for a proper tonggoraja and we are currently still in the middle of the festival ceremonies. We must not anger the gods nor the spirits of the ancestors with rash proceedings such as that."

Parulian stifled a laugh at what he saw as skillful maneuvering done by the Raja Malim. On the one hand, the Raja Malim no doubt harbored more sympathy towards the followers of the Old Ways. But on the other hand, given the fact that nearly half the kings in this hall were no longer adherents to that old way, he had to be careful.

"And of your three points, king of Saorma, I do not think we need to reassess the role of the Hulubalang Nabolon." The Raja Malim continued "The role of our esteemed Hulubalang Nabolon is clear. His role is to act as our military commander in the event an outside power expresses open hostilities towards the Halak peoples. And in that role, I believe the honourable King Parhal has fulfilled his duties to the utmost. In the twenty years since we all chose him as our Hulubalang Nabolon, not a single outside power has dared to even try to openly antagonise us. The knowledge that he is a swordsaint alone has been enough of a deterrent towards anyone foolish enough to dare."

King Lombutua nodded somewhat, but it would seem he still desired to protest.

"While that would be true and I will be the foremost to acknowledge my daughter's simatua (father-in-law) in his role, what the Hulubalang Nabolon did would still be an infarction upon his rights!" King Lombutua said. "The treaty that was signed at Haumarara only agreed upon a form of religious freedom but for each king to enact within his lands. It did not carry any form of stipulations in enforcing said religion upon the peoples of those lands!"

"...Lombutua, you look down on me too much… Do you think I'm a fool…?" King Parhal spoke up once more. "The treaty of Haumarara… of which all twenty kings were given a copy of… did not guarantee freedom of religion… No, it gave the freedom to each king to enact his own religious policies… within his realm… without any outside interference…"

"Right, but where does that give you the right to upend our ancestral ways and traditions?" King Lombutua did not back down. "How is it that you – the man we chose as our Hulubalang, a defender of all Halak – would then become the source of the destruction of all our traditions?!"

"Once again, I tell you to not look down upon me… and speak without intelligence… You old fox may be clever… but you aren't more clever than I… Whatever religion I choose to enforce within the realm of Goria… and how I choose to enforce it is of no consequence to you…" King Parhal then pointed towards the two Moslem kings who were sitting near the doors to the great hall. Both were distinguished from the other kings by wearing turbans and clothes similar to what the merchants of the Alamiyyans would wear.

"Those two men who sit there… kings of Sombanaria and Hutabanua… It has been almost a century since their forefathers had surrendered to the Moslem Banuans… and accepted the desert prophet and God as theirs… Where were our people when that happened…?"

"Are you calling us vassals, Hulubalang?" One of the kings whom Parhal had pointed to – the middle-aged Raja Abdullah Sombasurgo – spoke up in slight indignation.

"...Are you not…? So are you telling me… were the Sultan of Jayakarya… of whom I hear you have taken two daughters… as your wives… were he to invade any part of the Halaklands… you would take up arms against him…? You would bleed for us… kafirs?"

Parulian saw the Moslem king merely giving a scowl at his father's questioning. He couldn't or didn't want to give an answer. But not answering was an answer all the same. King Parhal scoffed before he cleared his throat to continue.

"...Yet I see no action from any other 'king' here to that… I did not hear of the old Hulubalang being cursed for failing to prevent the sultan's aggression… or am I mistaken, King Pirma…? Was it not your ompung nini doli (great-grandfather) who was the Hulubalang at the time..? Did we then curse him for his failure…?"

The one-eyed, one-armed, King Pirma of Hutaraja grit his teeth, not giving King Parhal the satisfaction of an answer. King Lombutua refused to give King Parhal the edge in the current argument so he said once more, "Should we not strive to be better than our ancestors in that case?"

"...We are striving for that…!" King Parhal banged the armrests of his chair. "...That is exactly why… I have chosen to pledge my loyalty to my Lord God and Saviour…!"

"...That still does not excuse you for one-sidedly deciding to oust your own son for a reason like that!" King Lombutua refused to back down "All for the sake of a religion brought over to our lands by foreigners… Foreigners like that pale-faced creature who sits beside you and all of the others he has brought with him here! I had held my tongue all this time, but now I shall no longer withhold my thoughts! I want these white devils out. This sacred hall is not a place to be desecrated by their presence!"

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The king of Saorma had pointed a finger towards the Lord Ephorus of the Halak church as he said that. Indeed, within the room the christian realms had brought a few of their missionaries and priests within the halls which at first had invited the hostile stares of the kings and elders who followed the Old Ways.

In light of this, some of the foreign monks and priests of the catholic realms had begun to stand up to leave the hall. However, the Gorian missionaries and priests had stayed in their place upon the carpets. They did not move a single inch which caused the other leaving priests to pause.

"Boasa dang lao ho, ale begu nabontarmata?! (Why aren't you leaving, white demon?!)" King Lombutua screamed at the prelate of the Halak church who had a bemused expression. All this while the king's hand was still pointed towards the bishop. "Boasa mekkel ho?! (Why are you laughing?!)"

Despite the open hostility, Bishop Ludwig merely shook his head and chuckled. It was as if he heard the funniest thing in the world. The Ephorus soon cleared his throat before he looked the king of Saorma dead in his eyes.

"Ise ho mamburlak ahu? Amokku do ho? Rajakku? (Who are you to drive me away from this hall? My father? My king?" The Ephorus as always spoke in the Halak tongue with an accent that sounded as native as the other Gorians. "Unang ho marborakborak songon jolma narintik, ale raja ni Saorma. Songon hambing ma ho hubege! Hahahaha! (Stop screaming like a madman, O king of Saorma. You sound like a goat!)"

At the bishop's quip, not a few people in the hall started to laugh. Even the Raja Malim had a slight smile apparent on his face before he moved his hand to close it. This caused the old fox of Saorma to redden his face in such a rage.

"How dare you, foreigner?!" King Lombutua continued to shout "What gives you the right to speak like that?! Just because the Hulubalang favours you and your ilk does not make you worthy of these halls!"

"I am not a foreigner! I am Ludwig Johann Rappmeister! But I am also Ompu Tuan Guru Eporus Rapmasari! I went to the process of mangain, I hold – by the very ancestral laws you people claim to uphold – the very same right that all of you do to sit within these halls! I am Rapmasari! My beloved late wife a daughter of the line of Raja Natuatua! My own daughter was born and raised in these lands I have grown to love and call my home!"

"What the Ephorus says is true…" Elder Rihar had spoken up in defence of the Lord Archbishop. "I have taken him in, into my house. He is my son by the rights of our ancestors before us. He is Rapmasari, twentieth in the line of Tuan Rapmasari!"

"And his late wife was my own beloved daughter, Si Boru Duma Nataruli boru Sinatua!" Elder Marasi also spoke with firm resolution.

As the Elders of Goria spoke for their adoption of the Archbishop, the other Gorian foreign priests also started to list off their Halak pedigree as well as the pedigree of their wives and children. Even Reverend Steinmann who was now a member of King Tagam of Hutangali's court stood up to defend his right as a member of the Binangabalok clan.

As all this was happening, the pagan kings started to quiet down. They were no doubt angry, judging from the way their faces looked twisted. Parulian laughed as he thought they looked like they were holding in a shit. As he looked to his side, he saw that even his father was smirking.

"...And so that is the case… Will any of you deny further the presence… of my most trusted councillors…?" King Parhal said as he then motioned to the Raja Malim. The Raja Malim heaved a slight sigh before nodding his head.

"The Hulubalang speaks truthfully. It is indeed a sacred right for which the precedent lay with our most revered ancestors." The Raja Malim said to which Bishop Ludwig bowed his head in respect with his hand over his chest. "Back when the Halaklands lay wild with beasts and barbarians, it can not be denied that our blood is a mixture of ancestry. So long as the foreigners are connected by blood to the descendants of Si Raja Halak, they too are counted among our people…"

As the Raja Malim said that, the Gorians and their allies cheered. The ancient rite of the 'mangain' was upheld. The king of Saorma grit his teeth before his attention was focused upon the catholic priests who had started to take their seats back.

"While it may be true for the priests of the Gorians who have married properly into our lineage, I will not accept those foreigners of the Sinaria and the Hutapadan!" King Lombutua said "To my understanding, though they share a foreign god, the priests of the southern realms do not marry and are therefore incomplete humans! They are not counted as Halak!"

A few murmurs of protest were heard at the new motion but the Raja Malim raised his hand to silence them. After a while of thought, the Raja Malim spoke up once more. "...I shall sustain the King of Saorma's request on that regard and I must ask the foreigner priests who have yet to embrace the fullness of our culture to sit and drink with us…"

At the Raja Malim's ruling, the catholic superintendent merely stood up gracefully once more and bowed toward the Raja Malim before leaving the hall with his fellow priests. Parulian had noticed a slight scowl towards Archbishop Ludwig coming from the catholic foreigner, but it was quickly masked by a smile.

With that out of the way, the discussions continued once more as King Lombutua continued to push for his main request.

"Regardless of all that, my point still stands." King Lombutua said "The Hulubalang must rescind his faulty revocation of my hela's status! It is only right and just."

As he said that, king Parhal refused to give an immediate answer. Parulian saw that his father had a composed look throughout. That was a sign that he had mostly made up his mind. Soon enough, King Parhal blew out a sigh before he spoke again.

"Why are you so interested… in the internal squabbles of my realm…?" King Parhal asked in a rhetorical tone. "You speak to me of rights… but you are overstepping your bounds…! When my father decided to up and massacre his entire clan, no one did anything… You refused to intervene after the night of screams… I had come begging the previous Hulubalang… so that he might intervene… but do you know what he said…?"

King Parhal did not wait for anyone to answer as his gaze was fixed towards another man sitting upon a king's chair. He looked to be younger than most of the other kings and elders, being in his early thirties at most. Parulian knew him to be Raja Batara Nagabolon of the Hutanaga clans.

"...Do you know what your ompung (grandfather) told me, boy…? He said… 'the kings do not meddle in the internal affairs… of other kings…' So I ask you all… why are you intervening me now…?"

"That… that was a shame to be sure, Lord Hulubalang but it does not excuse what you did to your son!" King Lombutua remained adamant. "You do not have the right to so one-sidedly-...!!"

"I HAVE ALL THE RIGHT IN THE WORLD…!!" Still seated at his chair, Parulian saw his father finally unleashing the full force of his golden aura. At the king's pure unleashment of rage, the entire hall started to shake as if an earthquake was occuring. This was as an amount of aura far more than what Parulian had ever seen his father unleashed before.

"I AM THE MOST SENIOR ELDER OF MY CLAN!! THE ELDEST OF THE GORIAN LINE OF THE SIGUMOGO! AND MY. RULE. IS. LAW!!" As King Parhal unleashed the full force of his energy, the entire hall was pressured greatly.

All of the guards who were only at the second star of aura had outright passed out then and there. The third stars were also losing consciousness at the sheer amount of pressure being unleashed, some even experiencing nosebleeds. Even Parulian – who was a five-star warrior – felt like he was being suffocated.

The kings and elders were busy trying to focus their own auras to counteract the king's pressure, but no one at that point was strong enough to stop King Parhal. King Lombutua was on his knees gasping for air at the intense pressure.

"...Father… I beg you please stop…!" Parulian gathered all the strength he could to gently lay his hand on his father's shoulder.

The Archbishop Ludwig – who was on the opposite side of the king and half unconscious himself – did much the same.

At this act of persuasion, Parulian saw his father's eyes begin to waver as their golden glow began to dim. Soon enough, the pressure was relieved from the hall. Despite that, the people were still breathing raggedly with the weaker warriors still lying unconscious.

Not long after he released his aura, King Parhal began to cough violently as he spat out blood from his mouth. Bishop Ludwig immediately got to work to assuage the king's pain. Parulian was equally as worried for his father's health. In light of this, Parulian finally stood up as he faced the Raja Malim.

"My apologies on behalf of my father!" Parulian said as he recollected himself and helped his father to stand up. "But I believe my father is in need of a rest and that tonight's talks shall be concluded… Do we have your leave?"

"...Go…" The Raja Malim decided not to pursue the matter any further as he gave his leave. "...I believe tonight's events have concluded anyways."

With that being said, Parulian nodded as he and the rest of the Gorian contingent along with their allies exited the premise of the halls. As he was carrying his father away, Parulian gave one final glance towards his little brother Partogi. He had a difficult expression upon his face but there was nothing they could do about it.

The talks of the night proved to have no gain for anyone. Though his father had exposed his 'weakness' in front of all the Halaklands, at the same time he still reminded everyone just why he was elected as the Hulubalang.

But one thing was also made clear that night. The fate of the Halaklands was in the balance and should anything were to happen to that balance… all hell would break loose.

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