A long time ago in the kingdom of Pajajaran, lived a king, Prabu Siliwangi. The king was an avid hunter.
One fine day, he went out hunting in the forest. However, he was so engrossed tracking his prey that he was separated from the rest of his hunting party. He looked up only to find himself lost, deep in an unknown part of the forest. He turned left, he turned right but wherever he went, he ended back where he started. Panic surged through his veins.
Suddenly, in the distance, a shadowy figure appeared. The king squinted his eyes to get a better look at who it was. It was a woman.
What is she doing in the forest? Is she lost? Maybe she can help me. Questions and doubts filled the king’s mind but he had no other choice but to ask for help.
He took a step forward.
“Excuse me, kind stranger. I was out hunting and now I am lost. Can you please show me how to get out of the forest?” Prabu Siliwangi asked.
The woman replied as she stepped out from the shadows, “I have lived here for a long time. I know every inch and corner of this forest. I can help you but on one condition.”
“What is the condition?”
“For a long time, I have lived here alone in the forest with just my servants. I would like to make a humble request that you be a guest in my home for a few days before I show you the way out.”
The king thought it over. He would rather spend a few more days in the forest than be lost forever. And so, he agreed.
The woman led him to her house. To their surprise, the two of them became good friends. They would stay up till late at night talking and laughing, and every meal was spent together. The woman showed him around her palatial grounds and the surrounding forest, and they would spend their days hunting. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Without realising it, their friendship turned into love, and the king and woman got married.
