7. Panjilaras In The Palace
When the king heard about the strange cock, he was pleased. Apart from hunting, his greatest pleasure was watching cockfights. He owned many valuable cocks, the best that could be found in his country. Whenever he heard of somebody owning a powerful cock, the king always wanted that cock to fight against one of his own. And when the king’s cock lost, the king would always buy the winning cock at a high price.
So when the king heard about Panjilaras and his wondercock, he immediately ordered the boy to be taken to the palace garden where a special place had been built for the cockfights.
The honest look in the boy’s eyes, his handsome face, and strong, straight body pleased the king. It was different with the “queen” who had followed them into the garden. When Nikki saw Panjilaras she immediately recognized him as the son of Dewi Murti. Fear rose in her heart. The boy had to be destroyed before he could reveal her secret.
In a sharp and disagreeable voice, she said, “How rude that boy is to come here with his cock. He should be punished!”
“Oh no,” said the king. “I like to see new cocks fighting my own.”
But the demon queen didn’t give up so easily. She turned towards Panjilaras who watched her with great attention. Indeed she looked like his mother in everything but her eyes. His mother’s eyes were soft and gentle, but the eyes of this woman were hard and cruel.
In a hard and cold voice the false queen said to him, “Hey boy, what will you give us if you lose this fight?”
Panjilaras bowed.
“I don’t possess anything more than my life, Your Highness,” he answered calmly. “If my cock Kinantan wins, I ask for a bag of gold. If I loses, you can take my life and do what you want with it.”
His answer pleased the king very much. The boy was certainly very well educated. The king sighed. How he wished he had a son like this strange, handsome boy. In all the years he had been married to the “queen” she had not given him any children.
Nikin was looking at Kinantan. He was certainly a beautiful cock, but he didn’t seem remarkably strong. He would certainly lose against one of the king’s cocks. And if this happened she would see that the boy was killed immediately.
