QUEEN UGONMA

A PRINCESS BUT NOW A MAID

King Eric sat in his chambers and thought about the beautiful and elegant princess given to her on a platter of gold," How do I make her my own"  he asked himself. " If I should pamper her, children of these days, she will never willingly marry an old man like me. In that case, I  must have to be tough with her and force her in to submission, I will traiten her with being a palace maid, a princess and well educated girl like her would rather marry me than be an ordinary palace maid, I am sure by the time I go there in the evening having stayed without food since yesterday afternoon till evening , she will be on her knees begging me, I need her to give me more children after all my queen can not give me another child. I must make use of this golden opportunity no matter what it takes." he smiled to himself. 

   The princess, now awake pondered on the dream she had last night and sighed, "Oh how I miss my parents" she yawned and stretched her body realizing its been a while since she did that, suddenly her mood changed as she remembered that she is a prisoner in this strange land. She quietly knelt down and said her morning prayer, thanking god for yet another day but committing her life especially in this palace into God's hand as she pleaded that God should deliver her from this bondage.  The day refused to pass fast not because she was eager to settle it once and for all with the king but because the hunger and weakness was becoming unbearable, thank God she could drink water from the tap but yet she was starving, at least as a maid i will eat something pending when i can escape from this prison she thought as she narrowed her eyes, "If only i have my phone" she sighed remembering how the witch as she has now grown to refer to her step mother Queen Beatrice, had snatched her apple titanium plated Iphone from her before locking her up all tied as if she was a criminal. but why is no body looking for her. who knows what she must have told them happened to me, will I  ever see my mum, woun't I attend my fathers burial, she had so many questions going through her mind that she did not realize how time has passed. she heard the key turn and the door opened and she quickly grabbed the knife again.

     " Have you made up your mind, either to be my wife or join the palace maids, your choice?" The king asked angrily spotting the knife she has in her hand, " Over my dead body will I marry you" she retorted. "So be it then but you will soon come begging by the time you see how a maids life looks like, devoid of all the privileges you've had as a princess." he said. " I will rather be a maid than marry you" she said.     " In that case forget any plans of escape because you shall be hand cuffed and will never come in contact with a phone, we shall see who will laugh last, I am a patient bird" he stormed out as the princess looked on in horror. " Chains, handcuff, am I  a criminal?"  she wept and wept uncontrollably. The door opened again and this time two uniformed palace guards came and told her the king asked them to move her to the palace quarters immediately. She followed them like a lamb being led to the slaughter house. Indeed she is the sacrificial lamb or what else will you call my predicament she queried herself. They got to the last room that is very unkempt and the guards told her this is her new room and slipped a leg cuff on her as the told her  " Princess we are so sorry but we are only obeying instructions" she nodded her head as tears rolled down her cheeks.

   Princess Ugonma has been a maid for a month now, she never set her eyes on the king neither was Mary allowed to come close to her. she did all the laundry with the chain on her leg, it was only removed at night when she goes to bed and the door is locked by one of the guards. No one was allowed to talk to her. Every night she cried herself to sleep wishing she will not wake up another day to this nightmare, humiliation, indignity , cruelty and inhumane treatment melted up on her. For how long will I endure this she asked herself. So many times she has been tempted to take her own life and put an end to her misery but the thought of exposing that witch and seeing her family again kept her from it. She had just three clothes that Beatrice added when she sold her and that was the only thin she was allowed to wear, the mosquito bites where now pronounced on her body. Once she could swear she saw tears as she passed in the guards on their eyes. She ate only what the cook left for her, it was as if they were asked to treat her like a plaque. Two months as a maid, moping floors, doing laundries, washing dishes with a leg cuff, she now cries non stop. She is so emaciated, and she is feeling seek, her menstruation came and she managed to use tissue because no body will talk to her or help her for fear of losing their job.

Its six months now, since she became the palace maid, she is now a shadow of her usual self but she resolved not to give up, she no longer cry out of self pity. The king has summoned her for the third time and her answer remained the same and he has made up his mind not to call her unless she came to him, more over he looked at her with disdain, as if she is no long worth the trouble, infact he hardly remembers her. King Leo has been buried and the rumor now moving around is that the princess ran away after hirering the assassins who killed her father, though her mum who have now fully recover and took Kingsly and the rest of Ugonma's siblings with her to USA, knows that Beatrice must have done something to Ugonma but they have no proof , just mare speculations. The family lawyer has become suspicious and decided to follow the mandate of the late king ,that his first daughter Princess Ugonma must be present before the 'Will" will be read.