Fairytale: Princess Kaca Mayang

Fairytale: Princess Kaca Mayang

A TALE OF THE ORIGIN OF THE CITY OF PEKANBARU IN RIAU PROVINCE

"Tell me," General Gimpam, the mightiest warrior of the Kingdom of Gasib that stands on the banks of Siak River, stood with his shoulders squared and his muscled hands on his hips. "What do you intend by bringing two platoon of armed men of Aceh?"

Gimpam was asking the two men of the Aceh Kingdom who are kneeling before him. It was only due to their forwarded message and humble air that Gimpam did not immediately respond with his own army. A platoon only consist of 16 to 50 men, so at most, there are only one hundred armed men standing on order. Gimpam spoke up again, "Are you two perhaps each platoon's First Lieutenant?"

"No, General Gimpam," the blond man answered. "The First Lieutenants are with each platoons."

"We are envoys sent by our King," the other blond man answered. This one had a beard and moustache. He tore his eyes from the stare of the General of Gasib Kingdom, and instead looked into the eyes of King Gasib. "We mean no harm, Your Majesty."

"Our intent is to convey the arrival of our King's proposal."

"Our King wishes to woo your daughter, Princess Kaca Mayang, Your Majesty."

General Gimpam's face remained stoic, and it took every fiber of his control for King Gasib to not seethe in anger. He knew of his fellow King. King Aceh was an arrogant, greedy, bloated goat of a man! Who does he think he is, to come up near his Kingdom out of the blue to ask for his beloved daughter's hand?! 

Granted, it was the first time someone proposed for her hand. The first time someone was brave enough to do so. General Gimpam strikes fear towards all the other lands. He is a hero to the people of Gasib, and the reincarnation of the very devil to other kingdom's peoples. His presence was enough to discourage any other king from daring to ask for her hand. 

His daughter, Princess Kaca Mayang, was blessed with angelic beauty and was famous to various countries since Kaca Mayang was a child, and he will only agree to the courting of someone who Kaca Mayang  approved of. He will not stand for the courting of other kings who never met Kaca Mayang and has only heard of her beauty and none else.

King Gasib took a deep breath to calm himself. "Messengers.... My apologies. My daughter is not willing to be married just yet. Do convey my apology to your King."

General Gimpam immediately escorted the two envoys to their platoons, and drove them out.

True to King Gasib's assessment, King Aceh was a hot-headed man. He blew up in rage when he heard of King Gasib's refusal from his messengers. Taking it to be an insult, King Aceh wasted no time in ordering his men to begin the attack on Kingdom of Gasib.

It was predictable. King Gasib had already sent General Gimpam to lead guard in Kuala Gasib, the area around the Siak River. What King Gasib did not manage to predict was that King Aceh would kidnap one of his own people and torture them for information on how to get into the Kingdom of Gasib that does not go through the Siak River. King Gasib was mistaken to think that King Aceh would attack an army with an army. Instead, King Aceh and his troops sneaked into the kingdom and devastated the civilian population.

When soldiers stormed the courtyard of the palace, King Gasib finally realized that an army had invaded his kingdom, but he was too late. All the palace guards were quickly killed by Aceh's daggers. King Gasib could only watch - beaten up as he was - as King Aceh gloatingly kidnapped Princess Kaca Mayang and make a run for it before General Gimpam receive any report.

By the time General Gimpam and his battalion came back, there were only corpses of the Gasib people - guards, palace royals, peasants - to be found. Only King Gasib and the very few that managed to hide were alive to tell the tale that Princess Kaca Mayang was brought to Aceh.

Gimpam vowed to avenge the defeat of the Kingdom of Gasib and promised his King that he will bring Princess Kaca Mayang back.

You might expect there will be a mighty battle where General Gimpam wins and bring the Princess back. Or where General Gimpam end in a hero's death. But no army awaits him. King Aceh only set up two large elephants to block Gimpam at the Kingdom of Aceh's Palace gate. Instead of killing them, Gimpam tamed the elephants and rode on one elephant into the Palace. Shocked and amazed at his courage to come in all by himself, King Aceh lets him bring Princess Kaca Mayang back to King Gasib.

However, Princess Kaca Mayang was sick. Her sickness was obvious and it got worse as the two made their way home. The wind was so strong it made the Princess difficult to breathe. The journey was a quiet one, so General Gimpam jolted in surprise when the Princess cried out, "General! I can no longer hold this pain. Please say hello to my family."

He did not have time to reply as she exhaled her last breath.

Overcame with deep sorrow and guilt, General Gimpam continued his journey with the Princess' corpse to King Gasib.

All the survivors in the Kingdom of Gasib noticed their conspicuous General and the body he carries. Every single one of them mourned.

Since the loss of Princess Kaca Mayang, King Gasib drowned in his sadness and became lonely. It may have been days, or months, or years, but eventually, the king decided to escape his daughter's shadow and left - he retired to Ledang Mount in Malacca. For some time, the royal government was held by Gimpam. But not long after, he left the remains of Kingdom of Gasib too. He departed and opened a new settlement which he called Pekanbaru.

Gimpam's tomb can still be seen in the Upper Sail, about 20 km from the city of Pekanbaru.