SUNSET

4

✓CHAPTER 4 SUNSET

LULOLWAM

I watched the funeral from a video my mother had made for me,I should be happy but it didn't make me feel better at all. I mean how do people just blame for something I never did? Apparently I was responsible for his death only God knows how. My father bulged in the room,I quickly turned my laptop off and looked at him.

Me:Masithule.

Dad: Your brother escaped.

My heart stopped.

Me: What? When?

Dad:We don't know,we are trying to figure that out.

Me: You still believe that I will rule?Look at this mess .

Dad:I know baby girl.

Me: You know absolutely nothing. It's not you who can't stay outside for one single moment and live to regret it. There are hashtags made about me, they hate me and you don't care.

Dad: Lulolwam.

Me:No Daddy,I am tired of being treated like an outsider. As my parents my happiness should come first,give Ndalo his crown.

Dad: I wish I could.

Me:Then I would like for you to leave.

Dad:I could tell you but you are-

Me: Leave.

Dad: Lulolwam let me talk to you.

Me:No.

Dad:I could tell you everything if I could my child. I feel everything you are feeling,I can hear you cry everytime and I wanted to tell you the truth but I made a promise to wait till you are 25. If I break the promise nothing will go as planned.

Me:Is me going through this pain part of the plan?

Dad: Lulolwam again if I could I would tell you everything but I can't.

Me: Will I ever rule?Ndalo is out there,bitter, angry and betrayed. Do you think he'll miss the chance to rip me apart?Do you think he'll be nice to me? That is on you.

Dad:On me?How many times did I tell you Lulolwam that stop trying to prove yourself to people huh?No one would have known anything about what is going on with you but no you let the idea of being a Queen get you. If you are not blaming your uncle,you are blaming your mother for the same things we warned you about. I have had enough of your whining. Get up and get dressed,join the other girls in the ball happening tomorrow. Don't show up, you will know me.

I knew he meant exactly what he said.

Me:Dad-

Dad: I get that you thought your powers were somewhere but they are not anywhere. You don't have what everyone is expecting okay, you have something else that you also won't be able to control.

Me:Huh?

Dad: You will understand in due time,get up.

He walked to the door.

Dad: Lulolwam?

Me: Masithule.

Dad:I know that I may have been hard on you without telling you why me and your mother are saying what we are saying. Your name means Lulolwam uthando, your arrival showed us that love was on our side so was our ancestors. Your life is on history books but you don't know that yet. You were a gift of love. I can't make you believe in yourself if you don't. One day you will understand that we just wanted you to have a great life before you turn 25. I am still hoping that you get what your heart desire. There's nothing more painful than watching everything happening around,I know I could really stop it but that would be me getting you killed.

He walked out. I sat there confused,the servants walked carrying dresses.

Me:He understood his mission, to get me to go to the ball. Sly old man.

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As a princess I should have gotten used to these balls or being with crowds but I was feeling claustrophobic already. I gulped more glasses trying to calm down.

Sivu: Breathe.

Me: Didn't know that you were coming.

Sivu:Well your father can be scary,he threatened to take my fingers off.

Me: That's scary.

Sivu:How are you doing?

I looked at her,I wonder why she was still nice to me when everyone was team Lulolwam must fall.

Me:Why are you nice to me?

Sivu:Why were you nice to me in the first place?

Me:I couldn't bare watching those girls bully every day,I had to do something.

Sivu:I owe you my life, they could have killed me. You put aside your tiara and helped me without hesitation, people talked about a princess befriending a commoner,a nobody. Instead you annoyed your parents to take me to school and university or you would hate them. You were only ten years old, each and every day you stood by me, sometimes I wanted to die but you didn't let me. Look at me,I am a teacher because of you Princess Lulolwam. I learnt one thing from you,whether you are doing good or bad people will talk.

Me:How easy it is to advise people,yet you can't use the same advice on yourself.

Sivu: What you are going through is a nightmare something I would never have wanted for anyone but you are the most strongest person I know. Looking at you, beautiful as ever. We'll get through this.

I hugged her.

Voice:Awe Princess and her commoner friend hugging each other.

I clenched my fists.

Sivu:Lulo-

I moved and turned to face them.

Me:Amanda Zulu how nice to see you.

Amanda:Heard you got a little whooping not so long ago.

They laughed. I turned and grabbed the glass,I threw the entire juice on her.

Amanda:What the hell is wrong with you?

I grabbed the jar and poured it on her. She screamed,I took the plate with the snacks and threw them on her.

Amanda:Are you crazy?

Me:I drank too many glasses of wine.

I jab my finger on her.

Me: You should take a bath.

I walked past her,my parents looked at me stunned. I am sure they knew that I was drunk.

___________________________________

RED

Time:And?

Me: Nothing, they left no print, no nothing. What I do not understand is how Makaziwe missed this?

Time:What do you mean?

Me:I felt them and saw the arrow,I thought she was going to duck or move but I realised that she was not. Then she tells me that she didn't see anything.

Time:Now that's weird.

Me: You think? They wanted to kill her and knew she wouldn't see them.

Time: She's an Oracle,her job is to alert us about any future problems.

Me:With her dead no one would protect this kingdom. What if this has to do with Angelo?I mean he's about to be the Uriel and he doesn't possess any Oracle power.

Time:Now you are stressing too much.

Me:I am worried.

He pushed me down.

Time: He's grown now.

The door opened,Time jumped I laughed.

Me:I should have told you that he was coming.

Angelo:All these years he still jumps.

Me: He's jumpy this one.

Angelo:We haven't found anything on who attacked us Mamam.

Time: Your mother is worried about something happening to you because she has decided that you take your place as the Uriel.

Angelo:Mom I am going to be fine and careful.

Me: It's not that Angelo. I am your mother and my job is to protect you at all cost,I would kill all these kingdoms if something were to happen to you. I may have been a tyrant ruling with an iron looking like I had no emotions but that's not you. It's a good thing you didn't turn out like your father.

Time:Ah Red you were comparing him to you not me.

Me: You have the worst parents when it comes to massacres, your father is mostly responsible.

Time: Your mother killed her first mate because she didn't like him simple as that.

I smacked him and he sniffed.

Me:I said I am sorry.

Time: You just said that now.

Me: You heard me.

He sniffed louder.

Me:Come here,I am sorry I should remember no hitting of kids.

Times: You won't do it again?

Woh those eyes.

Me:I promise baby.

We turned to look at Angelo,he was holding his phone and smiling.

Me: What?

Angelo: I want what you have.

Time coughed furiously.

Me:Then stop being a player like your Daddy.

Time:I wasn't a player,I just enjoyed sharing my bed with different women until you trapped me.

Angelo:No arguing. Mamam and Dad-

Time: Can't you change how you call your mother?

Me:I tried,he refused,so entitled. Anyway I won't stop worrying about you either so that's why you should talk to your sister.

Angelo:Kezia?

Time:Avatar.

Angelo: She's scary and an immortal, aren't those a no go to area?

We looked at Time.

Time: I'll talk to her.

Me:We just need to know what we are facing.

____________________________________

NDALO

I was eating like I have never eaten before.

Zamani: Weren't they feeding you?

Me: Eating twice a day isn't exactly feeding.

Zamani:I have to return to the castle and act surprised and plan our attack. I need you to stay here okay?

Thato:I will look after him.

He walked out.

Thato:How are you?

Me:I don't know Aunty,I really don't know.

Thato: She's your sister.

Me:Is she?

I grew up knowing that I was going to rule after my parents,with the mark and power. Some said my powers were as strong as my father's, unfortunately I didn't have Mother's power. I was trained and groomed to be king,a year before my crowning when I was suppose to be initiated my parents dropped a bombshell on everyone. They didn't tell me, they told everyone that I wasn't going to rule. No one dared question them, they questioned Lulolwam since my parents declared that she was to rule. All these years they trained me for a sit that was never going to be mine. They wanted Lulolwam to show her power,she had none everyone knew that. I thought they were joking but it was serious and they didn't want to explain anything to me. I was really confused at to what really happened. Just like the rug I was pulled and my parents weren't explaining anything. Then I had to challenge Lulolwam for the throne I worked hard for but I couldn't exactly kill her. She was my only sister,I thought my parents would give up the throne but yet again they pulled the rug and had me imprisoned for high treason against the future Queen. The same future Queen who couldn't come to see her brother who could have killed her but. 4 years her and father never came to visit only mother to beg me to forget about their betrayal. I wish I could but not this time,I was taking what was mine one way or the other.