QUEEN UGONMA

KING LEO'S PALACE

  The royal couple has just finished dinner and they are now seated at the queens palour just the two of them. Blossom and all other guests have retired to their rooms. " My love, you never really told me what happen before the day i rescued you, i don't understand how a princess like you would be sold out to another kingdom as a house help. George said as she parted her hands loving " You never asked my king" she replied. " Yes i never asked when i saw how traumatized you were, hence i decide to give you time to heal, but it's been three years now my love, won't you let me share your pains? he said pleasantly smiling all the time. Sighing as she breathed heavily, she closed her eyes and down to memory lane in her fathers palace, king Leo.

     Born into a typical polygamous African / Nigerian palace, Queen Ugonma's father King Leo had 3 wives and fourteen children, five boys and nine girls. Ugonma was the first daughter from the oldest wife, As the princess Ugonma was the apple of her parents eye, their shining star, a very brilliant child and very brave too. She was the only one who could stand up to Queen Beatrice the father's third and wicked wife.  "Ugonma ,Ugonma come here you spoilt brat" Beatrice called at the top of her voice " How dare you walk past me without bowing down to me, are you mad? she scolded Ugonma, eyeing her wickedly. " But my Quee....." " Shut up you fool" she cut Ugonma off without allowing her to finish " Ugo, Ugo , now get inside the house" Queen Peace beckoned on her daughter, knowing that Beatrice is up to some mischief and before she could turn, the king approached the two queens, " Greetings my beautiful wives, hope you had a peaceful rest last night, since it was the second wives turn with the king, Queen Franca. " Good morning my love and king" Queen Peace responded lovingly, "what is good about the morning , when you and your daughter has been insulting me" Beatrice interrupted Peace. " but i did not here voices as i approached" said the king sensing that Beatrice is up to her usual pranks again. He walked on as he admonished them" I want absolute peace in this palace today, by the way where is my princess , Ugonma. Peace tell her to see me in my chambers. " I will my king" Peace replied. " Is that all you can say, you wickling of a man, ok i will handle them in my own way" Beatrice shouted as the king left and didn't even turn despite hearing what she said. The day passed without much incidence except for the occasional whispering coming from Queen Beatrice's quarters.

    It was midnight when Ugonma woke up, the moon was full and she could hear the night animals howl their cries . as she listened she could her something that sounds like singing but on a second thought it was not a song, it was incantations and the person wearing white was  moving in circles and being the fearless  one she asked 'Who is that?" At once it was as if the person disappeared just like a ghost and at her voice the whole palace came alive. When it was morning , the king summoned every one . Ugonma explained what she saw but could not tell who it was. The head security observed" My king, i have observed what princess Ugonma just described before and when i reported it to you, my king you said i was hallucinating but its real" he finished afraid that he must have said too much as he could feel too many eyes on him" Pardon me my king if i have said too much" he apologized. The king was deep in thought as he dismissed everyone. However before leaving , Princess Esther could have sworn that she saw Queen Beatrice eye Ugonma and the head security with hatred, she shrugged and did not mention it to anyone as she thought it was a figment of her imagination.  Ugonma was in her first year in the university when this took place and she was just sixteen years old, observing her second semester holidays. As she pondered om the issue she was noticing a pattern, if for any reason Queen Beatrice gets angry, that day strange things will happen, could she be imagining it, the other day she could have sworn she heard a goat bleating in the compound in the middle of the afternoon, when she came out she saw what looked like blood all over the compound but no one seamed to notice and when she told her mum, she simply said" Are you sure you don't have malaria?" Malaria indeed she thought to herself and made a pledge to unmask whoever is responsible for all the abnormalities in the palace and why do the guards seem not to notice. "Something is wrong" she said.