Dangerous Aaliyah

The Rise of Aaliyah

Aaliyah’s Point of View

As I sat to think about how my father’s burial was going to be and the possibility of facing the people of Sussex, my chamber door pushed open. The maid came running in, screaming.

“Princess, your father is dead!”

I rolled my eyes in disgust. “How is that a problem?”

The maid’s eyes widened in disbelief. “My princess, I don’t think you understand what I just said. I mean King Merlin, your father—the king—is dead. He passed not too long ago.”

I burst into laughter, leaving the maid stunned and unsure of what was so amusing.

“I know he’s dead. Now leave my chambers and return to your duties,” I murmured absentmindedly.

The maid hesitated, stepping back. “But… my princess…”

My loud scream cut her off. “I said leave! Oh, my goodness…”

The maid quickly scurried out, too frightened to linger.

I took a deep breath as she left and stood up, making my way to the closet. “God, see me through this. This is too much for me to bear,” I muttered under my breath as I changed into a long purple dress, so long that it swept the floor as I walked.

When I got to my father’s chambers, I saw my cousin Alfred amongst the palace workers and some members of the council sitting with their legs crossed, hands folded, and faces covered in pitiful emotion.

I pretended not to see him and walked forward to where my father’s lifeless body lay.

“Aaliyah,” I heard his voice call me from behind.

I turned and met his straight face staring at me. His deep blue eyes were too glimmering to be ignored; his pink lips were cupid-bow shaped, and his sharp, straight nose also adorned his perfectly sculpted face.

I couldn’t help but drool over him in my mind. It’s been five years since I saw him last, at his twentieth birthday. He had evolved so much and looked so different from last time.

His voice cut through my thoughts. “I’m so sorry about your father’s loss. I mean, he’s my uncle, but I know the gravity of what you’re going through right now. Accept my condolences,” he said calmly in a sober voice.

I flashed a fake smile. “It’s alright. I can’t question God.”

He was surprised but quick to hide it. “Yeah… I mean, yes… What can one do? We will all die one day.”

I didn’t respond to his statement. Instead, I turned and walked to where my father’s body was. When I got there, I knelt and held his cold hands.

After staring into his chest for a few minutes, I prayed for him, performed the sign of the cross, and kissed him farewell. The tears were fighting so hard to fall, but my emotions were too distracted to allow such a thing to happen.

As I stood up, a huge, finely dressed man was by my side. His wide smile revealed his crystal-white teeth. His strong masculine perfume hit my nostrils as I came face to face with him.

That was when it dawned on me that the person standing before me was a majestically handsome man. His facial features were so expressive, and his eyes were bright almond. His long black curly hair fell on his face, making him look like a Greek god.

“Good evening, Queen Aaliyah,” he greeted, flashing the biggest smile I had seen in a long time.

I was taken aback. Did he just call me “queen”? Wow, I was loving every bit of this. This man was about to make things interesting for me.

“Good evening, sir,” I responded, faking a serious face.

He furrowed his eyebrows and twisted his mouth in an amused manner. “Sorry about your father. I heard a lot about him from Alfred. He was indeed a great man.”

Alfred!

Now this was getting more ridiculous. At least I felt proud that my father’s name had traveled beyond the walls of Sussex.

“Yeah… It’s alright. God knows best. You are friends with Alfred?” I asked gently.

“He and I attended the same high school back in London, and as nature would have it, we both attended Harvard and became roommates for four years. So yeah, we’ve known each other for ages,” he replied, still smiling.

I was flabbergasted. Only God knew how much of me this fine man had in his head.

“Wow… that’s interesting. If you don’t mind, excuse me. I have a lot to attend to,” I murmured quietly.

He nodded, and that was it. I strode off.

Oh, s**t!

He didn’t tell me his name, and I didn’t even ask. “Aaliyah, you are a fool,” I cursed myself playfully as I walked to the garden to meet the elders of Sussex and the ruling council with some relatives.

“Good evening, Princess,” everyone greeted as soon as I walked into the garden.

I waved, as that had been my regular mode of responding to greetings.

I sat on the wooden chair set aside for me by the side of the lemon tree.

Anthony, my father’s right-hand man, began. “It’s with a heavy heart that I say to you all today, our King Merlin is no more.”

The whole place fell silent. Even the drop of a pin could be heard.

He continued, “No doubt he is the greatest king Sussex has ever had. Our kingdom grew thrice in domestic production. Mutual agreements between neighboring kingdoms and faraway lands were reached in good faith. We were the envy of different civilizations in this British Empire. Yet, after all that he struggled to achieve for this kingdom, death came knocking, and unfortunately, he answered.”

Loud cries erupted in the air, and I rolled my eyes in astonishment. I knew some people amidst this crowd would be delighted that my father had passed away, but their pretense would say otherwise.

Anthony waited for the wailing to die down, then began again, this time in a noticeably sad voice. “He will be greatly missed, and his impact will be deeply felt. I know the agony Aaliyah here must be going through. Losing two of the most important people in your life is enough grief, and I pray the Lord will comfort her in His infinite mercies.”

“Amen,” shouted everyone.

I made a thankful expression with my hand and remained silent.

“Our princess, as tradition demands, you are to have a husband before your father’s burial, and I’m afraid it’s not possible because it’s tomorrow. Your cousin Alfred will have no choice but to step in and ascend the throne as we discussed earlier,” he said with abrupt finality.

I was angered by his statement. I thought I had made my stance clear in the last gathering. No one would divert my father’s legacy. His legacy would remain in his lineage, and that was final. I would ascend the throne, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

“I made my intentions known the last time we gathered, and it remains: no one is ascending my father’s throne. His legacy won’t leave his lineage. I will be the queen and rule over the people of Sussex, and that’s final. I’m ascending the throne,” I screamed furiously.

Loud murmurs erupted in the air. I saw the scared look on Alfred’s parents’ faces, and my satisfaction hit rock bottom.

The kind of power I possessed now could not be measured. Without my approval, Alfred would not ascend the throne.

I stood up in rage and looked at the crowd with a disgusted face. I saw Anthony’s mouth open in amazement, and I knew it was time to hit the nail harder on the head. I wasn’t giving any of them breathing space.

“You all can murmur and gossip or even disagree for all I care. Tomorrow, my father will be buried, and that same evening, I will wear my late mother’s crown and hold onto my father’s mantle. I don’t care what you all think. A woman can be a leader, and if you doubt my abilities, I’m here to prove you wrong,” I fired. The anger in my voice was intense, and everywhere fell silent.

I saw the frightened looks on their faces and knew my declaration had left a deep void in their hearts.

“The sooner you people accept the reality at hand, the better for all of us,” I uttered in satisfaction, and with that, I walked out of the garden without turning back.