.jpg "The Legend of the White Siamang A West Sumatran Folktale")
Chapter 1: The Lonely Princess
Long, long ago, in Alai Village on the north coast of Tiku Beach, West Sumatra, there lived a beautiful princess named Julian. Her father was a ship captain named Nahkoda Baginda, and her grandfather was the great Tuanku Raja Kecik, who ruled the kingdom of Pagaruyung. Her beauty was so famous that people in faraway lands spoke of it.
But there was one sad thing. No young man had ever dared to ask for her hand in marriage. The young men of Alai Village were only humble fishermen, and they felt too small to marry the daughter of a wealthy merchant with royal blood.
Day after day, Princess Julian stayed alone in her room, feeling lonely and sad. Her grandfather began to worry.
Tuanku Raja Kecik: "My dear granddaughter, why do you shut yourself away from the sunshine?"Princess Julian: "Oh, Grandfather, I am so lonely. No one wishes to be my friend, let alone my husband."
Tuanku Raja Kecik gathered the whole family together to think of a plan.
Tuanku Raja Kecik: "Let us hold a grand festival! We will invite people from near and far, and it will last for one whole month. Perhaps Julian will find a kind and worthy man there."
Everyone agreed.
Chapter 2: The Dream
The night before the festival began, Princess Julian had a wonderful dream. A handsome young man of royal blood smiled at her, and he told her his name was Sutan Rumandung. When she woke up, her heart was fluttering like a little bird.
Princess Julian: "Grandfather, Mother, Father! I dreamed of a young man named Sutan Rumandung. I think I have fallen in love with him!"Tuanku Raja Kecik: "Then we shall find him, my dear. Guards, search the festival for a young man named Sutan Rumandung!"
The guards searched high and low for the whole month. But no one by that name could be found. The festival ended, and Princess Julian was sad once more.
Chapter 3: The Storm and the Stranger
Tuanku Raja Kecik loved his granddaughter very much, and he did not give up. He called for a wise fortune-teller from the palace.
Tuanku Raja Kecik: "Please, use your magic. Bring Sutan Rumandung to Alai Village, wherever he may be."
The fortune-teller closed his eyes and spoke his magic words. Soon, far out at sea, dark clouds gathered. A great storm struck a trading ship and broke its tall mast. The ship had no choice but to land at the pier of Alai Village.
A soldier hurried to the palace.
Soldier: "Your Majesty! A ship has landed at the pier. Its captain is a young man named Sutan Rumandung!"Tuanku Raja Kecik: "Wonderful! Bring him to the palace at once!"
When the young man entered the hall, Princess Julian gasped. It was the very same face from her dream!
Princess Julian: "Please, sir, tell us who you are."Sutan Rumandung: "My name is Sutan Rumandung, Princess. I am a merchant from a faraway land. The storm broke my mast, so I had to stop here."
Chapter 4: The Promise
Tuanku Raja Kecik saw how happy his granddaughter was, so he made an offer.
Tuanku Raja Kecik: "Sutan Rumandung, would you like to marry my granddaughter, Princess Julian?"Sutan Rumandung: "It would be my greatest joy, Your Majesty. But my business has lost much money lately, and it would not be right to marry a princess with empty hands. Please let me sail away to earn more wealth first. Then I will return for her."
Tuanku Raja Kecik thought for a moment, then nodded kindly.
Tuanku Raja Kecik: "Very well. I understand."
So the two were engaged. On the day he was to leave, Princess Julian stood at the pier with tears in her eyes.
Princess Julian: "Sutan, please make a promise with me. I promise to wait for you faithfully. If I ever break my promise, let me turn into a white gibbon."Sutan Rumandung: "And I promise to be true to you, Julian. If I ever break my promise, let my ship run aground in the middle of the ocean."
Then Sutan Rumandung sailed away across the wide, wide sea, and Princess Julian watched until his ship was just a tiny dot on the horizon.
Chapter 5: Waiting, Waiting, Waiting
One year passed. Then another. Every morning, Princess Julian looked out at the sea, but there was no word from Sutan Rumandung.
In the third year, a big and magnificent ship arrived at the pier. Princess Julian ran to the shore with a hopeful heart.
Princess Julian: "Is it him? Is it Sutan Rumandung at last?"
But it was not his ship. Her heart sank, until she saw the owner of the ship step onto the pier. He was a handsome young man of royal blood, and a rich merchant too. Before long, Princess Julian forgot all about her promise. She told her mother about him.
Princess Julian: "Mother, I have met a kind and handsome young man. I like him very much."Mother: "Then let us invite him to the palace, my child."
At the palace, the young man was welcomed warmly.
Mother: "Would you like to marry my daughter, Princess Julian?"Young Merchant: "It would be an honor."
And so a grand wedding was prepared.
Chapter 6: The White Siamang
On the wedding day, the palace was full of music and laughter. The priest turned to Princess Julian and asked the important question.
Priest: "Princess Julian, do you accept this man as your husband?"
But before she could answer, Princess Julian let out a sudden squeal and leaped to her feet! Her voice changed. Her body grew smaller and smaller, and soft white fur covered her from head to toe. Princess Julian had become a white siamang!
Guests: "Oh no! What is happening?"
The guests cried out and ran from the palace in fright. The little white siamang scrambled up to the roof and gazed out across the sea.
Tuanku Raja Kecik sighed deeply.
Tuanku Raja Kecik: "Oh, my dear Julian. You broke your promise to Sutan Rumandung, and now the oath has come true."
But it was too late to undo it. The royal family had to accept that the white siamang was their beloved Princess Julian.
Chapter 7: The Sad Ending
From that day on, the white siamang lived in a tall ketaping tree. Every evening, as the sun began to set, she climbed to the highest ridge of the palace roof. There she cried out loudly, in a voice that sounded like a young girl weeping. She stared out at the open sea, waiting for Sutan Rumandung, but he never came.
One day, the royal family found the little white siamang lying still in the ketaping tree. She had passed away.
Princess Julian's parents kept asking for news of Sutan Rumandung. At last, they heard the sad truth. Sutan Rumandung had also broken his promise. He had planned to marry another woman, and his ship was wrecked in the middle of the ocean, just as he had sworn.
And that is the folktale of the White Siamang from West Sumatra.
The Moral of the Story
A promise is a precious treasure. When we make a promise, we must keep it with all our heart, or we may face sad things we never imagined.
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