Chapter Five

SODAIR

I thought hard about what Liana said to me. It wasn’t a week that I’ve been gone, right? I mean it couldn’t be. I sighed as I started feeling bad on how I addressed Liana just a while ago. I’ve never had such attitude but I guess it was the result of being caged in a city full of deceit and lies.

I headed to the bathroom to get a shower and relax my tense body. I was home now. But deep inside, I felt that something was wrong but I couldn’t figure it out. It’s annoying to try to think of something and being unable to realize it. To hell with it.

I got out of the bathroom and headed to my room. Today there were no maids around. I figured they might have been informed of my absence. I sighed as I dressed myself.

I left my room and walked towards the King’s throne room. I was definitely sure he’d be there and being there would only ease his tension if he was worried about me. I was standing by the door when I heard him and his royal advisers talking about an ambush attack.

“My lord, I am sure that King Morton has your daughter. That man has the nerve to do anything to make your heart boil with anger and resentment. He’s trying to put you in a situation that would make you fall anytime soon.” The first adviser said to him.

“We must prepare our soldiers and our troops. What if he did it on purpose? He took the princess in order to get to you. We must fight back.” The third spoke in a harsh tone.

“What if, it’s a trap?” The royal adviser said to King Gaber casually.

“They know you need her. They took her, they will hold her captive. They will do this to get to you so that you can head their way to save her. Are we even sure that they have not prepared their armies as well?” He nudged them.

I gazed at the King who was deep in thought. His wrinkles on his face were now much more visible, than the last time I was with him. He seems to be thinking of totally something else. I sighed.

If I don’t walk in, they will go in blabbering about armies and attacks. All this to save me. The memories of Achan taking me out from there back to home flicked in my mind.

“You don’t have to do this.” I said as I walked inside heading to my father. The advisers gasped and when my dad’s eyes realized it was me, he stood up and rushed towards me.

“Oh my beautiful daughter! Are you okay? I have been worried. Those fools dare touch you, I swear by the name of Gods..”

“It’s okay Your Majesty.” I replied as I gave him a reassuring smile. I gazed at the advisers and gave them a nod. They bowed to me, shock still evident in their eyes.

“Please, excuse us.” King Gaber said as he walked towards his chair. He sat and gazed at the advisers who were leaving. When he was sure they were gone his gaze turned to me.

“Are you sure you are okay?” He asked me insisting.

“Yes Father. I am doing just fine.” I replied casually.

“You got us worried.” He said to me, his tender gaze turning into a cold one. I sighed. If I say anything more it would only bring his anger higher than it should be.

“Your Majesty, I think we should have this conversation during dinner. The palace walls have ears.” I said as I gave him a tight smile. He scoffed at me as he gazed aside.

“I am heading to see mother.” I said to him as I walked away. When I just arrived at the door Liana stood there waiting with my bodyguards. I sighed irritably and started walking hurriedly to my mothers chambers.

When I arrived at her chamber door, I met her two maids doing cleanliness. When they saw me they stopped and decided to open the doors for me. I walked in and went direct to my mother’s bed. I sighed as I gazed at her face, sound asleep. She looked like she was in deep pain and seeing her like this only made my heart much more sadder.

“How long has she been here?” I asked Liana who was standing right behind me.

“The next day after you disappeared.” Liana replied casually as she stared at my mother too. I sighed as I stood up.

“Will I be able to see her during dinner?” I asked her as I walked out of the room.

“It depends if she’ll be able to make it work to the dinning hall. The king decided that she should get her meals in her room because of your absence, maybe now that you are present, it will be easy for her to attend the meals there.” She replied.

“De to it that she manages to.” I told her solemnly as I headed back to my room. When I walked in she walked in too, but then she sat quietly on her bed and the silence that reigned in the room became awkward.

“I’m sorry of the way I reacted when I arrived. I have been through a lot.” I said woefully.

“I understand. We tried to find you here but knew better. We just couldn’t attack the Viper King without a plan, so we had to do something so that if we had to save you, we had to make sure he also experiences a high loss.”

“He lied to me.” I said quietly as I gazed outside the window.

“I don’t know why he did that, but he told me I could find utopia where he was taking me. And I was so stupid to believe him..” I said as tears started to fall down on my cheeks. I wiped them off and tried talking valiantly, but still the pain I had inside of me was fresh.

“He whipped me. He told me he’ll use me against my people.” I scoffed ferociously. “What does that even mean?”

Liana stood up from her bed and came to sit next to me. She hugged me in a tight embrace as she said quietly.

“Whatever he said, we will get through it.”

“He even ruined my beautiful skin.” I said this time unable to stop my tears from falling.

“I don’t know how I managed to trust him before. He’s ...malicious. When he called me to their side his eyes were filled with a tenderness that I’ve never seen, but when he came to see me where they locked me in he was a different kind of person.” I said wiping my tears off again.

“How did you get here then? You managed to escape?” Liana asked me.

“No someone helped me out. I wasn’t strong enough. I didn’t want to trust him to but he left me no choice. He was kind to bring me back to the border. But he then left before I could thank him.” I said to Liana.

She patted my back as she wiped my tears off my face. “You’ll be fine,” she said silently. “You’ll be alright. You are back home now.”

I don’t know when I fell asleep but when I opened my eyes, I was in my bed tucked in. I gazed at the window and realized it was dark. I gazed around and realized that Liana was not in the room. It must the time for dinner. I thought. When I just got off the bed, Liana walked in.

“Oh. You are awake your Highness.” She said as she bowed to me. I scoffed. What was with all this drama of a greeting?

“What is it now?” I feigned seriousness as I gazed at her. She smirked mischievously.

“It is time for dinner your Highness.” Liana said as she bowed to me. I shook my head in disbelief as I walked out of our bedroom and headed to the dinning hall.

I walked majestically towards the dinning hall and when I arrived I was happy when I met my mother by the table. I walked towards in a hurried pace and gazed at her jovially. When she saw my face, her expression lit up and she smiled at me widely.

“Zeeklah.” She said to me as she held unto my hands. I gazed at her, my eyes about to give another well of tears.

“Mother.” I said to her amiably. “Am so happy that you are able to attend this dinner with us here.” I sighed woefully as I went on. “I’m so sorry for keeping you worried mother.”

My mom gazed at me with tenderness in her eyes as her right hand took hold of my left cheek. She gazed at me, her eyes watery as she said calmly. “It’s okay, what matters is you are back home. That is what matters.”

I smiled as I took my seat and gazed at my father. He has been silent since I arrived here and I decided not to say a word to him at all.

He cleared his throat as he ate but his gaze never left mine. I knew he had something to say and it was annoying him to be this silent up to this current moment.

“I am not so happy about what you did Zeeklah.” He said calmly but with a cold gaze. I sighed as I went on eating my food.

“You look at me when am talking to you, young lady!” King Gaber said as he banged his fist on the table. Queen Marquis gazed in shock at her husband’s attitude.

“Gaber,” she whispered to him, “Its okay.” She said to him.

“No, Marquis. This must end now! How will she be the right Queen of this kingdom if a little issue gets to tick her for her to head to the wrong place? Is this how you will make your decisions when you become Queen?” He said aggressively.

I still decided to eat my food. I felt the nudge to let my anger over power me but I knew this conversation will not lead to any better place. He’s just angry, I said to myself. He’ll definitely cool down when I say nothing in return.

“Look at you! Shameless! Your father is talking to you and you have the never to act like nothing is going on here!”

King Gaber went on and now he stood up, his height overpowered at the dinning hall.

“What has gotten into you? We’ve been with you all this years, taught you the Royal etiquette manners, taught you everything you have to know and this, this is how you repay us? Do you know what people think of you outside this palace? A queen to be, disappearing, after her coronation.” He sighed as he started pacing furiously in the room.

I was about to lose it but decided not to. Something deep inside was waiting for me to give it out, irrationally. But I will not.

“Gaber darling,” Queen Marquis said to her husband. “You need sometime to cool off.” She said as she stood up and walked towards him. “Come I’ll take you to your chamber.” Queen Marquis insisted.

“I will not go anywhere until she says something! Such arrogance! Am quite angered by the fact that she is a girl! I’d it was a boy it would have been quite easier.

“Gaber!” Queen Marquis said in astonishment. She was about to lose her patience too.

I laughed. I was ferociously into it and instead, I laughed. King Gaber’s face turned red out of fury.

“You! You get to laugh?” He said aggressively to me.

“Of course I get to laugh!” I said as I stood up to and pushed the plate that fell down and broke into pieces.

“It’s because of you that I left! What kind of a father does not grant her daughter’s wishes. I only asked just for a day, and you denied me it.” I said my arctic gaze intact with his.

“And do you think I want to be your daughter? Hell no I don’t! I had hoped to be born to a place with a normal life but here I am blabbering about the boredom I go through when I am in this palace. You want a boy? Go ahead! Find a baby boy make him king! Do you think I need this I don’t!” I bellowed at him.

That didn’t phase me but the surprise face that the Queen held , made me hold my tongue for a while. I have never acted irrational like this. When I gazed at Liana, her eyes too were widened out of shock.

“Your Highness,” she said to me her eyes filled with fear.

“Your eyes..” she said as she pointed at me. I gazed at my father and mother and ran back to my room. I walked hurriedly towards the mirror.

I did not recognize the person I met with at the mirror. My face was wrinkled and my eyes that were always azure, had turned purely green.