An Afternoon on Bundok Balani

Dakila nervously gazed out over the water. The view was beautiful, but he was having trouble appreciating it. He was too busy worrying about why Princess Liwayway had invited him here, alone save for her everpresent Aten bodyguard. He had been a little surprised to be invited to join her on an outing to Humalik at all, but it was not unheard of. The Princess was known to prefer the island, and she hosted several expeditions there each year with her cohort from court, frequently inviting newcomers to Mynilad to come along.

Dakila had come to court hoping to become a companion of her elder brother, Haribon, whose great entertainments and parties were legendary even in the rural Lalawigan Dakila hailed from. But Haribon had so far taken no notice of him, and Dakila had been forced to subsist on secondhand tales of great debauchery rather than enjoying them himself. He had never thought to court favor with Haribon's serious and studious sister, so the invitation, when it arrived, was a great surprise.

The Princess herself was seated in the pavilion behind Dakila, speaking about the sights arrayed before him. He had lost track of her words in his fretting and suddenly worried that he had missed something important. He turned to her with a smile on his face. He had always been able to summon an easy smile, no matter what was on his mind. He bowed his head.

"Pardon me, Highness. I was so overcome by the view that I missed your last words."

Liwayway smiled back at him, and Dakila suddenly wondered if the Princess was flirting with him. Perhaps she had inherited some of the licentious nature her brother and father were renowned for, but simply kept it more discreet. Emboldened by the thought, Dakila's smile grew wider, and when the Princess asked him to sit beside her, he gladly accepted.

And then she began to talk.

Her voice was warm and pleasant to listen to, but her topics were dull. Politics and history and the state of the empire. Dakila focused on her lips to hide his inattention, imagining what more interesting occupation they might engage in should she ever stop talking about inconsequential minutiae. He barely noticed that she had asked him a question, and only just caught himself before an embarrassing outburst of "What?"

"I asked what you thought of my brother, Dakila."

Her eyes had taken on an alluring flash, and Dakila began to realize that he had slid far deeper into court politics than he had intended. He had heard rumors that Liwayway had a faction that advocated for her succession over Haribon's, but he had thought it mere gossip. Not a real thing.

He mastered himself. "I've had little time to know your brother, Highness. He seems to be very preoccupied with his companions."

Behind his composed facade, Dakila's mind raced. How could he turn this to his advantage? Liwayway continued on to other topics, but Dakila was certain now that he was being sounded out for his loyalties.

If I can convince her that I am on her side, he thought, I can use what I learn to gain favor with Haribon. It would be the making of me.

His gaze drifted up and down, taking in the Princess's lithe form. And perhaps she rewards her followers with something as well. That would be a pleasant benefit to being in her circle, at least for a time.

He made his decision and acted on it.

"Highness, pardon me, but I have to say that I have heard some claim you would be the better successor to your father, and I have come to agree with them. Will you have me?"

Her eyes widened slightly. She paused a moment before replying. "Perhaps. Swear an oath to support me, if you would."

Inside, Dakila was grinning. Women always asked for an oath before surrendering themselves, and he had sworn many such vows back home, though of a very different nature than this, of course.

"I swear it, Highness. I will support you and no other."

Princess Liwayway leaned back, her lips parted slightly, but not smiling. She raised one hand and made a subtle gesture too quick for Dakila to register. He was puzzled for a heartbeat, and then he was lifted from his feet, hanging by a strap that carved a burning line of pain across his throat.

Behind him, the Princess's bodyguard held him aloft, waiting for his mistress's next order.

Liwayway sipped her wine, then said, "Do you know why I come to Bundok Balani so often, Dakila? The view is lovely, but that is not the reason. This is a sacred place, and within it dwells a Hininga, a keeper of bonds and oaths. Oaths truly sworn here are enforced. The penalty for breaking them is severe."

Dakila choked and struggled, but could not break free.

Liwayway stood. "The key is that they must be sworn in good faith. Otherwise, the Hininga does not notice them or take them up. It is unmistakable when they do. Or when they do not."

She stepped closer, searching Dakila's blackening face. "I had already seen that you were unsuitable to me, but you might have left and gone on your way. Instead, you chose to declare yourself falsely. And that, I do not forgive."

Liwayway glanced over Dakila's shoulder and gave a quick nod.

His vision went dark.