Chapter 1
Choosing who to marry was always a battle In my heart due to my royalty position as princess. This was because the right to marry anyone of my choice was not in my hands. The most annoying part is that my feelings, choices, or opinions did not matter to anyone not even my family.
Talking about my family worsened the situation because my father would always see me as a machinery to win more empires, territories, and Kingdoms, to get the most powerful territories in Wessex which comprises seven Kingdoms I must be married to the young tyrant King in the seven Kingdoms.
“For a prince and princess, the kingdom comes first”, my mother usually advises. “Every other desire, choice, and your personal feelings then comes after”, she further explained usually when she catches me in my lonely and most depressed moment.
Digging deep into the situation I was in, I saw everything in the palace, including the respect to be useless. I usually then compare myself to my housemate who lives a free life to be better than me who is royalty.
My brother on the other hand, the young prince has nothing to worry about, he will come day be the King of our father's great Kingdom with greedy desires to conquer more kingdoms just like our father. If he married a wife and didn’t like the wife, he would marry another one because usually most of them have many wives and concubines, but for a princess like me, the story is different. There is nothing I can do other than to please and obey my husband and watch as he marries another woman if he gets bored with me. “This is evil, All men are wicked”, I said to myself. By this time my heart raced very fast and was full of anger as I laid my head on my soft pillow and then used my right hand to hold the other to myself.
Suddenly a footstep was heard from the staircase right to my corridor and then approaching my door, “who is that I asked” but everyone seemed to be silent I then knew it may be because of much thought and anxiety.
I stood up from my bed and went straight to the mirror to examine myself, I was wearing a red dress, and my black long hair was weaved backward by my maid. The Bangles and jewelry were perfect except for my makeup which needs a retouch in the eyebrows and lips.
“My princess don’t you like the makeup”, Mogana my eldest housemaid asked. “am fine” I replied sharply to her.
Mogana was brought to our kingdom after their kingdom was overpowered by our kingdom and their king accepted the defeat and then bowed to my father. Many were held captives and were brought to our kingdom including Mogana but the captives did the tough work in our kingdom including their king. According to her narratives her father and mother died when she was just a year old.
She was taken care of by her uncle who later maltreated her before the Queen took her from her wicked uncle and made her become one of her housemaid. She has been with my Mother the Queen even before I was born meaning she was my childhood housemaid.
On the other hand was my other housemaid from my father’s Kingdom her father was buried alive for performing magic. Magic was prohibited in our kingdom and anybody caught was to be buried alive. According to Josiah one of my father’s advisers, the magic was performed to bring her back to life.
These were the only two people I could talk to in the palace. Fears could always be seen by Mogana and Charlotte on my face. “Everything will be alright”, they choked as they both looked down in fear.
Not that am believe in any rumours of my unknown husband but they usually affect me. Some people said he was a Spirit who was allowed to move and mix with people after seven days, while some said he was a dangerous vampire of his time, some said he was an ancient mermaid who was reborn to complete his dangerous mission of what made him die in the other life.
Either of the rumors could be true but could they be speaking, are they referring to his personality, that maybe he was a liar, a murderer, a magician, a tempter or could he be a pure devil? that’s what scared me. But my father hates magicians and would not like to give her daughter to any of them.
A sound of footsteps descended from the staircase and approached my door, a soft but loud knock was heard on my door and then my thoughts were interrupted.
Shortly after a court lady came in, “my princess, it’s time,” she informed me.
I went down the staircase carefully so as not to stumble, but was hard with my long dress that covered my shoes. I was happy that there were only two steps left but just then I stumbled forward almost falling before I was hailed by a very strong hand who saved me from falling on my wedding day.
I felt relaxed in his hands but was so curious to look at the face of the helper, my eye jammed with his but went off immediately, his eyes were burning likes flames of fire, shining like the sun of the earth which made mine not to settle with his, His big bulky eyeballs were reddish. I have never seen an eye like that before. “Are you okay my lady” with a painful smile on his face.
Indeed it would have been a horrible nightmare but this time it was the time for me, fever from nowhere attacked me as I now managed to look straight into his eyes.
Who could this young man be? I have never seen him before around the palace or in my vacation to other kingdoms. He was energetic and tall with broad shoulders and an oblong face, he had a pointed nose and his brown hair fell over his shoulders. From his appearance, you could tell he was from a royal family.
Could he be a guest who came to attain my marriage? yes……. yes I am fine I manage to reply after a long examination. He bowed elegantly before leaving.
He is a good-looking, charming, and brave young man. Mogana said as I looked at him tirelessly as he departed. Yes sure he is I nodded as we left hurriedly. “The ceremony would begin with salutation”, the guard informed and responded with a nod. My housemaid gave me a reassuring smile before they left me behind to walk inside. Immediately the court official informed my presence.