Raya and the Last Dragon - Adaptation

3

HEART

Raya

With a jump and a roll, out of the bushes, I suddenly landed right in front of Father, scaring a passer-by in the meantime.

Father giggled. "Well, someone's excited!"

"Well, yeah! I mean, anyone hoping to steal the Dragon Gem now has to face the fury of the two baddest blades in all the lands!

Father giggled again. "I'm glad that you feel prepared, dewdrop, because I have something important to tell you."

Suddenly, Father turned stone-faced. "The other lands... they're one their way here, as we speak."

"They are?!" I stopped in my tracks. "Uh... ok! Ok! We can do this!" I said wearily. "I'm ready! I know exactly how to stop them!" I exclaimed, pumping my fists.

"Really? Tell me what you know about other lands."

"First, Tail; A sweltering desert with sneaky mercenaries who fight dirty.

Second, Talon; A floating market famous for fast steals and fighters with even faster hands.

Third, Spine; A frigid bamboo forest guarded by exceptionally large warriors and their giant axes.

Fourth, Fang; Our fiercest enemy. A nation protected by angry assassins and their even angrier cats."

"Okay," I blurted, "So we're gonna need some crossbows, and catapults and oh!"

"What about flaming catapults?" I exclaimed.

We entered the palace kitchen and Father stood in front of a pot, where stew was being cooked. My stomach growled and I promised myself that I would treat myself later. Or after we defeat the other nations. Turning back to my father, he continued.

"Or... how about shrimp paste from Tail, lemongrass from Talon, bamboo shoots from Spine, chillies from Fang, and palm sugar from Heart?" Father suggested.

"We'll poison them?"

Father laughed. "No, we're not going to poison them, and we're not going to fight them," He handed me a bowl of stew. "We're going to share a meal with them."

"Wait what?!"

"I invited them."

"But they're our enemies!"

"They're only our enemies because they think the Dragon Gem magically brings us prosperity."

"That's ridiculous! It doesn't do that!"

"They assume it does," Father shrugged. "Just like how we assume things about them."

"Raya, there is a reason why each land is named after a part of the dragon. We were once unified, harmoniously as one; Kumandra." 

"That's... ancient history, Pa."

"But it doesn't have to be."

"Listen, if we don't stop and learn to trust one another again, it's only going to be a matter of time before we tear each other apart. This isn't the world I want you to live in."

"I believe that we can be Kumandra, again. But someone has to take the first step."

I sighed and smiled at Father understandingly.

"Trust me," he replied.

***

"Things look a little tense, Pa," I whispered.

That was an understatement. Right in front of us, the people of all the 5 nations awaited, growing impatient by the second. The more I thought about it, the more worried I was becoming.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna open with a joke." 

"Please don't!"

Father chuckled softly. "I'm kidding!"

Turning around, he faced the rows of neatly lined people of all 5 kingdoms.

"People of Tail, Talon, Spine and Fang. Welcome to Heart. For far too long we have been enemies, but today is a new day. Today, we can be Kumandra once more."

For a moment, there was only silence. I could feel the anxiety radiating from my father.

Only a single clap reverberated around us. "Nice speech, Chief Banja. Why did you really bring us here? Are you gonna rob us?" The leader of Tail asked.

"Why would he need to rob us? Land of Heart already has everything!" The leader of Talon shouted.

"Oh, it's easy to pontificate on Kumandra when you hold the mightiest weapon in all the lands!" Leader of Spine exclaimed.

"The gem's not a weapon! It's a sacred treasure..." Father tried to explain.

"Kumandra's a joke!" "He brought us all the way here just to tell us fairy tales!" "This is pointless!" The crowd burst into chaos.

Just then, I made eye contact with the Princess of Fang. I looked at her and smiled. She smiled back. With a sigh, I stepped forward.

"I have something to say." The whole crowd fell silent, looking at me.

"Who's hungry?"