The Prince's Choice

Meeting with the Prince.

After doing her morning chores Elizabeth set out to the farm to complete the work of the previous day. Immediately she steps on the farm, she discovered something strange on the farm land. The weeds were all gone and the farm was neatly cleared. She wondered who the good Samaritan was that will come so early to clear the remaining part of the weed she left behind the previous day. She recalled the event of the previous day, and wondered if the strange man might have come to her aid. She put the hoe that was hung on her shoulder on the floor and sat on a log of wood that had dried up on the farm. She thought of going back home but facing her aunt in the house was another difficult task for her, as she always tries to make her stay in the house unbearable, by using every opportunity to abuse her or hit her.

As she was sitting on the log of wood, she didn't know when she fell asleep only to be awakened by a touch from someone. She opened her eyes, and behold she saw the strange man from the previous day staring back at her. She quickly panicked at seeing him and stoop up from where she sat.

"Goo-good morning," she stammered, with shaky voice.

"Don't be scared. I am Collins says the strange man,” as he stretches out his right hand for a handshake.

Elizabeth pull forth her hands, not knowing if she was worthy to shake the figure in front of him.

He was everything she wasn't, maybe a year ago she would have been close, but right now, she saw her world a thousand miles apart from his. There was a crown on his head, and he was dressed like a royalty. His shoes were of the finest quality, and his light complexion skin shorn like a diamond and dazzle in the morning rays of sunlight.

His teeth were like they were carefully crafted by the finest artists as it peeps under his lips as he smiled.

His smile melts her soul, it was like he was a magician as everything in him was like magic to her. Elizabeth stood for a moment unable to say a word, or move her body from where she stood it was like she was hypnotized.

"What's your name?” she heard him ask her, his hand in hers.

"Elizabeth," she replied.

"Oh! Elizabeth, that's my grandmother's name.”

“Elizabeth, would you mind I take you out for a drink?”

"Like this?" She asked glancing at the oversized and ugly dress she wore, amused and surprised by what he asked her.

Looking at her dress, she was no match for him. She was dressed in a dark flowery gown which hung loosely on her tiny figure. She was dark in complexion, her mother's carbon copy. She remembered several time people stops her on the way calling her Alice, when she first arrived the village to stay with her aunt.

Elizabeth was a very beautiful young woman, she is tall, slim with a perfect body, with a nice hip which hung perfectly at her back. Even in the loose dress she wore, one can still see her perfect and well-shaped figure hidden within the gown she wore. Although she looks older than her age, as many always mistook her for a young lady above twenty, whereas she was only seventeen years of age.

She used to see herself as being pretty when her parents were alive, as her mum always buys her beautiful and fitting dress, but since she came to live with her aunt, she wasn't allowed to wear any of her fine clothes.

Going out with Collins was not a good idea to her, her aunt will kill her if she finds out. Plus, Collins is a stranger which she only met the previous day.

And even at the moment he didn’t seem real to her. What if he is a ghost? she asked herself. Or even a ritualist or a kidnapper, she has heard strange things happening to young girls after following strange men and she didn’t want to be part of those awful stories. How did he even find her to the farm she thought.

How was he able to leave in such strange way he did, after he kissed her the previous day? She asked herself. She was dreaming and the man standing in front of her wasn't real, maybe she should run away, and stop letting herself fall sheepishly for his handsome looks, before she ends up landing herself into trouble.

"Did you send people to clear the farm?" She heard herself asked him.

She pinched herself over the foolishness of her asking such question, and she was at the same time surprised over the boldness she has in asking.

"Yes I did." she heard him reply.

"But why? I am just a nobody, why would you want to help me?"

"Because you are my Princess and I love you."

"You love me, how? But you barely know me?”

"I know you Elizabeth, I know you even before you came into this village. I know who your parents were, I know everything about you."

Elizabeth laughed, she didn’t know what to make of what he just said. How could he claim to know her when she barely knows him?

"I know you are surprised," she heard him say. "But I wouldn't blame you, I blame your parents for concealing me from you. They promised to wait until you are eighteen before revealing what destiny lies for you."

What destiny was he talking about? Elizabeth asked her self. Where her parents hiding things from her, but why? Why would her parents hide things that concerns her life from her. What could be there reasons for that? She thought.

Collins reading her thought, walked close to her. "I know what you are thinking," he said.

"But don't worry, everything will be revealed to you in no time, your aunt knows everything and she is trying to make sure you never know what future lies for you. But I promise myself never to let that happened. As from today henceforth I will make sure you know no pain again, but I won't tell you anything for now, I must respect your parents wish to wait till the right time. Now go home, because today will be the last time you will ever work on this farm or any other farm in this village again."

Elizabeth softened at his words and turn to leave, she wondered why he was so kind to her and was confused about all the things he said.

Collins watch as Elizabeth turn her back to leave. He walked close to her and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. Elizabeth flinched and blushed but did not say a word. She moved gently away from him, and walk away shyly. Her steps became heavier as she walked home, with so many unanswered question on her mind.

Why was he calling her his Princes? How come he knows so much about her? How come he knew her parents but her parents never mentioned him to her? What could be their reasons? He was talking about the right time, what right time was he talking about?

As she walked the lonely part home, she passed through the popular Obo market, and noticed a lot of people gathering around a woman which should be in her early fifties, she wondered what the problem was and decided to walk closer only to notice the woman has been beaten by the villagers that surrounded her.

There were wounds all over her body, not knowing what the problem was, she walked towards the angry crowd and saw a boy of between nine to ten years standing among the crowd with stick in his hand.

“Please excuse me"

She said to the boy gently, pulling him out of the crowd's.

“What happens to the Woman?”

She asked.

“She is a Witch.” The boy replies.

“A witch! How did they know she is a Witch?”

Elizabeth asked curiously.

“ She fell down from the sky as a bird and letter turned into a Woman”

The boy said, while leaving Elizabeth and joining the crowd of people who were surrounding the elderly Woman.

Elizabeth looked at the Woman surrounded by the crowd, and felt pity for her, she wondered how such stories were even possible, that someone will turned from a bird to a human being, she had only seen such things in novels and in movies, and she doubt the possibility of such things happening in real life.

Things like this were always happening in the village and she wondered if Witches actually exist.

She wanted to leave the scene and noticed a man held her by the hand.

She looked at the man and did not seem to recognize him, he should be in his early thirties she guess.

“Why are you holding my hand?”

She said to the man, as she tries to free her hand from his grip.

“You are Elizabeth”

The man said.

“Yes I am, please leave my hand and let me go”

Elizabeth said with pleading eyes.

“I just wanted to be sure, that you are actually Elizabeth, I saw the resemblance with your mum, you are a complete carbon of her,"

The man let go of her hand and Elizabeth watched as He disappeared into the crowd.

She wondered why the man was so curious about knowing who she was, as she turned around to watch the crowd gathering around the woman only to notice that the crowd was increasing as more people keep coming, some were stoning her, while others were pouring abuses on her, She prayed that nothing should happen to her, as the woman might die in the hands of the angry mob.

Luckily a Police van pulled in front of the crowd and whisked the woman into their van.