That day, something shifted for me and Jonathan. It was shocking that he didnât directly kiss me, I was surprised and I'm sure that he was too. I wouldnât have resisted, there was no way I would have too, I wouldn't even want to resist either. The time we spent together was less because of the wars but Jonathan found a way to see me everyday and it was starting to become true that he liked me. There is no reason to do everything that he did for me. Absolutely no reason at all but he did it anyways and it always made me happy, to see him, to see his efforts and every other thing always put a smile on my lips.âSo when is it going to be ready?â Masoma asked and shrugged.âI have no idea yetâ I replied and she nodded as we both leaned on the wall staring at each other. Masoma had come to check up on me in the palace and we had discussed the herbs I was working on and random things. Masoma was fast becoming one of the people I enjoyed spending time with. âYou know you look so much better
The encounter with the Princesses wasnât exactly pleasant for me even though Masoma had defended me, it reminded me of a life I once had, a life I might never have again and it wasnât going to be anybodyâs fault but mine. I didnât know if I missed being a princess, missed being compared daily to Triss, being nagged against and everything else but I knew that I missed my family, I knew that i missed my mother and my people and everything else I would do back at home and somehow Runa and the rest had managed to bring to my remembrance something I was so confident that I had forgotten about, apparently I hadnât and in all honesty, there was no way I could forget about it but I could only pretend not to.I rolled my elbows as I carried a tray of cookies and tea that the kitchen had asked me to serve Jonathan. I couldnât wait to tell him about the encounter with the Princesses, I wanted to see his reaction, maybe he would laugh it off or get angry or just be straight neutral about it, some
âOh myâ Serena squealed in delight and I had to hold her from falling off her chair in the process. She was to excited for her own good The moment I told her what I had held, Serena had jumped up in excitement and happiness. She was nearly as excited as I was and it made me laugh, made me happy.âI told you!â she yelled.âI told you that I was rooting for youâ she said with a bright smile and I nodded, âI know you said thatâ I replied and Serena shook her head.âBut thatâs just beautiful, I canât believe he admitted that to elder Tao and the restâ she squealed and I nodded.âI canât believe it either, how hard can it be?â I asked, shaking my head and Serena grabbed my hands.âNo you know Amira, now you know he feels towards you, he even said if he agrees, he wants to marry you, doesnât that answer all of your questions. He was scared because of the history between you two but Iâm sure he loves you, I mean you have always wanted to hear him say it and now you have so, tell him too oka
By instinct, I knew that Runa sending for me was anything but good. And worse, it was to her quarters, I knew that it meant trouble was brewing and like I had told Jonathan and Masoma the day before, I was still enough to handle them. I knew that she wanted to get back at me at what happened before and I knew that she had concocted a plan but for some reason I wanted to teach her a lesson.âYou donât have to go,â Serena said and I chuckled.âI know but I want toâ I replied.âYou have no idea what they have planned for you there. It could be anything, they could hurt youâ Serena warned and I burst into laughter.âI know that they want revenge for what happened yesterday but hurting me is something they wouldnât try to do, that would really be bad for themâ I explained while grabbing Serenaâs arm.âThe truth is that they want revenge and they are spoiled and they are good at throwing tantrums but they are not stupid either, they know what this means and itâs not a bad idea to deal with
THIRD POVJonathan held his head in his palms, his breathing heavy while Kareem and Azrah stood behind him, quiet. The two guards behind him both had hard looks on their faces. Jonathan wasnât the only one angry or furious. Kareem had been furious and Azrah had been mad, he had commanded the guards to send the Princesses packing immediately, they all thought it was a joke, they couldnât believe that Jonathan was chasing them away because of a slave but Azarahâs actions had made them realize that he was serious.Freya had begged and begged, she had pleaded to be spared but Azrah wanted to hear nothing about it. He never understood the female royalty, the incessant jabbering and competitions, he never seemed to understand, there was no reason to be always in competition with each other. They could have chosen to be friends but instead, they hated each other, were jealous of each other and envied each other.Envy was a strong emotion and it was that envy that had pushed the five of them
AMIRAâS POVNobody knew why the Princesses were sent home. What had happened had been kept tightly on a lease and no matter how hard anyone tried to pry, they couldnât find out what had happened. When Serena found out what had happened, she had almost beaten me up especially since she had told me not to go and if she hadnât gone to Kareem in the first place and Kareem going to Jonathan, something terrible would have happened and then nobody would have been able to do anything.By the time Masoma found out, Azrah had already thrown the girls out. He was ruthless with them and didnât spare any of them. It was worth anyone getting angry over, they had in the name of whatever tried to ruin my face.It was no longer jealousy or envy, it was pure wickedness and evil and I wasnât exactly surprised that Runa was the one who came up with the whole plan. She was capable of such evil but getting the courage to actually act it out, I hadnât seen that coming and even though Freya had somehow found
I laid in my bed for half of the day, wondering and pondering on Juniperâs question. I knew that he was right and he had only been looking out for me and that was why he asked me that question but I didnât like what he had asked at that point in time. I was merely trying to be happy and at that point, my emotions had plummeted.I knew that like Juniper, anyone who heard about me and Jonathan would have questions, valid questions. Like how did we all in love? Did we really love each other? Would I be able to forgive him? He was someone who had turned my entire life upside down, would I still be able to forgive him? How did I even dare to love such a man? He hadnât told me to my face that he loved me but I knew and I was also yet to tell him that I loved him. I didnât have to think so hard because I had gotten my answer a long time ago, fate and destiny had a way of playing games and the games they had played with me and Jonathan were unfair games, games that shouldnât have been played
âAmira, Amira, wake up, wake upâ a strong jolting jolted me awake and I jumped on the bed with a fright. I turned to see Serena staring at me with wide eyes.âAre you okay?â She asked and the previous night memories came washing over me in an instant. The secrets I had found made a lump form in my throat. I had stayed in the medicine room, drinking in every detail and what I had found out had terrified me. It was a lie, it was a sham and I had walked into the room late to sleep.âAmira, Amiraâ Serena called again and I came back to myself while she stared at me with narrowed eyes.âAre you sure you're okay?â she asked and I quickly nodded my head.âWell, the king would soon leave for the war, I thought you might want to see him before he leavesâ Serena said as she grabbed my hand, âAmira, talk to me, whatâs wrong?â she asked and I turned to stare at Serena wondering whether to tell her what I had learned first but instead I got off the bed and rushed out of the door. I needed to tell J
Triss and Karl werenât married.Finding out that Triss and Karl werenât married was one of the shocking pieces of information I received after I came back to the Zadok kingdom. Triss wasnât going to marry someone as lecherous as Karl, he was stinking and couldnât keep his dick in one place and I knew that she couldnât, at least I had experienced how much of a man slut Karl could be in time at the Eleven kingdom so when I found out that all they had was an arrangement and it was supposed to scare other kingdoms away and solidify our stand as a kingdom before we got back on our feet, I was genuinely shocked.I didnât even know how to feel, happy or betrayed or at a loss, I somehow at the end of the day felt nothing. I wasnât happy nor was I sad nor was I bothered about it. Triss had laughed about it and told me that I was the one who wanted to marry him, she wanted someone who was smarter and stronger and even though I had come back home, she still never forgot to throw jabs at me. My m
âGreetings your royal highnessâ the greetings kept repeating themselves as I and Elora walked past. A small smile remained plastered to my face as I kept walking.âI still sometimes find it hard to see everyone greet you like they adore you. The only part is that they truly adore you,â Elora commented and I laughed.It was true, they all did, the rumours and stories hadnât quenched down even one bit. Even more absurd stories were spreading around and I hadnât gotten tired trying to quench them down or correct them. More so, my mother said it was fine, as long as my reputation is being restored. It seemed as though everyone had long forgotten that for six months, I had been a slave in a strange land and I had suffered and had my status stripped off.Elora kept the fan blowing slowly as we kept walking. When I came back, Elora had jumped into my arms crying and weeping like a child. She spoke about her days in the palace without me and she had even gotten into a few fights in the last
It was easy for me to find my way to the royal ancestral grave. I walked past the grave of my grandparents and my great grandparents, my breath sucking in as I finally approached a newly made grave. Tears rushed to my eyes but I held it in as I finally came to stand face to face with the grave. My fatherâs name was written boldly on it with the year of his reign and seeing the quote at the top of his tombstone, I knew that my mother had written it. I bent down and slowly lowered the flowers I had brought to the grave. They were a bundle of fresh lilies I had specially woken up early to pick. My father loved lillies a lot and I knew that he would be happy to see me bring them.âGreetings father, Amira is homeâ I said slowly and softly but those words carried so much weight, so much weight that I couldnât explain and my throat was clogged once more, I arranged my clothes and allowed myself to sit beside the grave staring into space.The sight of my father dying right in front of me was
It took less than a day for the news to spread across the kingdoms, across the Zadok kingdom. I wasnât surprised but it spread faster than I thought, everyone in the kingdom was talking about it. There was a myriad of emotions, shock, surprise, confusion, appellation among many others.The King of the Berg Kingdom who had imprisoned me was asking to marry me.The people couldnât believe it. He had imprisoned me and yet he fell in love with me and so the story of clearing my fatherâs name circulated. My people jumped up in joy and in celebration because it meant a lot to us. It did mean a lot to us and that aside, it made a powerful kingdom like the Berg kingdom our allies, our friends and maybe our soon to be in-laws. It felt the kingdom in a state of euphoria.Along with those two news, so many stories and rumours started to spread around the kingdoms. Rumours like I had intentionally gone to the Berg kingdom to find out the truth and I had endured humiliation because I wanted to cle
The trip to the Zadok kingdom was slower mainly because of how huge the entourage was, we couldnât rush through the trip. Serena and I kept our conversations through the trip, making each other laugh and talking about so many random things. We ate the cookies and the drinks packed for us in the carriage and my heart beat faster with every landmark we passed that signified that we were getting close to the Zadok kingdom. My anxiety clogged at my throat and I was trying my very best to remain focused despite all of the mental stress I was going through.my anxiety didnât escape Serenaâs eyes as she kept assuring me over and over again that it was going to be fine and then we go to the Zadok kingdom, I held my knuckles till the turned whites as we rode through the kingdom, I didnât have to look outside to know that people were already coming out of their homes and they were staring. I didnât dare to look outside because I didnât know they would look at me, what they would think of me. The
Leaving The Berg Kingdom had invoked emotions in me that I couldnât describe. It was unbelievable that I was finally leaving. As I climbed into the carriage with Serena behind me, tears welled in my eyes asI stared at the horde of people who had come to wish me goodbye. I couldnât believe it. Serena got into the carriage with me and the door was closed.âAre you okay?â she asked, seeing my expression and I nodded.âI just canât believe that Iâm leaving, Iâm going homeâ I whispered in reply and her hand immediately stretched out and covered mine.The night before, the people had hosted a campfire dinner for me showing me all the beauty of their culture. Their dances, their traditions, their usual practices, I had a good time laughing and watching in curiosity and amazement and even a a point while they danced, Masoma had pulled me to my feet and taken me to the center to dance with them, it was easy to learn some of the steps and soon I was in tune with them and the excited howls and wh
He loved me. He loves me.That was what Jonathan felt for me and I knew that he did in every way. Helping him get rid of his guilt and self beating up was one step fr him to admit that he loved me and that after everything that had happened, we both deserve a chance, a chance to be together, a chance to make everything right and we both agreed. We sat down in his room and talked about a lot of things and despite all of that, Jonathan still wanted me to go home, he wanted me to visit my fatherâs grave and pay my respects. He also wanted to apologize to my mother and my family for the chaos he had caused.Baring our hearts to each other made us way closer. We laughed at some of our thoughts,laughed at some of our memories and cleared up the misunderstandings we had built about each other during our stay with each other. It was a discussion that we honestly should have had long ago.And Serena hadn't lied at all. The people of the Berg Kingdom were so sorry. So sorry that it brought tear
My head spun.Princess? Princess? High Princess?The title of High Princess was only given to Princesses who were sent to other kingdoms as peacemakers, sometimes it was usually a marriage alliance or to act as an ambassador in the said kingdom. Serena was a Princess. I stared at him in shock, my lips parting but no one came out of my mouth.âYou are a princessâ I whispered and Serena chuckled.âIâm sorry I kept it from youâ she replied softly and I blinked my eyes hard at her. I had heard too many things in a short while to even be fazed and bothered that she had hidden such a thing from me. âSo why were you pretending to be a slave?â I asked curiously and Serena laughed.âI never said I was a slaveâ she replied and I froze on the bed, blinking as I searched my memories of when I first arrived at the palace. She had indeed told me that Jonathan had saved Julianna but she didnât exactly say anything about herself, it was something I had missed and she as well had allowed me to conven
I slowly fluttered my eyes open and the movements made my head feel light. I closed my eyes and opened them a few times before I finally managed to open my eyes. The familiarity of the room was immediately registered in my head as soon as I opened my eyes. I was in Jonathanâs room.I was alive? I had survived?I turned slowly to see Jonathanâs head on the bed and he had slept off. He had most likely slept off while watching me. Instinctively my hand reached out to him and my fingers delved into his hair, rubbing his head softly.I was so grateful that I had gotten to tell that I love him. And then thankfully, I could tell him again. My hand went to my stomach and I could easily feel the bandages wrapped around my waist. My little movements woke Jonathan up and I watched with a small smile as he raised his head from the bed and stared at me with red eyes.âYou are awakeâ he whispered, his voice hoarse and he quickly reached over me and pressed a kiss to my temple.âThank you Princess, f