Chapter Two:Suffered In Their Hands

Yeah, right.

It could be for a princess but not for a mere village boy at least for a prince. Since when did things change, Katonde questioned his instincts. In the old days, only girls were forced to a man and now today am forced to love and marry the princess.

No!

This will happen over my dead body!

Katona had less to do but only to murmur some words of courage within his throat.

The Black Mamba moved out of the bush. He was a big man,thick-necked, like a bull buffalo. His anger was unpredictable like one, too.

He wore antelope-made skin clothes with a greenish painting that camouflaged with the immediate environment.

A big necklace made from black Mamba’s skin ran diagonally from his shoulders across the upper chest, through the lungs, and to the back. Imani got even more terrified than the task before her.

It was time to execute the plan and teamwork was necessary. Men lined up to have their arms painted with her dark magic, but none of them dared look Imani in the eye. She was now the Black Mamba’s spirit child.

The fear had gone.

She talked with the devil and walked within the spirit world. The spirit protected her.

”Come,” said the Black Mamba.

He held up her arm glowing brightly in the darkness.

"It is time to take what belongs to us".

They were now a formidable team with one goal of getting Katonde from the hands of the princess.

Imani followed the Black Mamba and his men to the forest edge and along with the water catchment areas. She squeezed her eyes tight shut and gripped the barrel of her gun, the metal cold against her skin.

She focussed on the sounds of the waking forest on the leaves rippling in the fresh breeze above her and the chorus of owl birds, which to her signified bad omen yet to happen. Fear in her started again.

She tried to control her breathing, slowing her breath so she could taste the earthy air. She tried to ignore the sound with her but it was consistent.

"DON’T GIVE UP IMANI, OPEN YOUR EYES THEY ARE NOT LIKE US. THEY APPEAR STRONG BUT THEY ARE WEAK, THEY DESERVE TO DIE"the Black Mamba commented. 

Imani forced her eyes open and starred down to the village in the valley below. The sun had not yet risen above the mountains. Small fires flickered in the pale dawn light.No movements save the few villagers who moved from one cow shed to the other just to ensure that their animals were safe from dangers, especially the wondering hyenas.

Boom!

One of the men come running holding a necklace that resembled that of Katonde, he had retrieved it hung on the tree branches just a few meters behind them. They retreated.

The Black Mamba rapped his fingers on his gun. Imani scanned the fields, with high hopes to see Katonde or just sniff his smell ready for any eventuality little did they know that it was a trap laid by the Katonde's abductors to confuse them from the direction and perhaps make them waste more time.

Like a military operation. They divided among small groups and conducted three hours thorough search but all was in vain.

Imani developed fatigue and they had to take a rest by the river bank till dawn though Imani's eyes kept dry from sleep.

So far Princess TT's mission was a success as it had not encountered any major setback from Imani. They chanted songs of praise as the princess maid started dancing and cheering themselves up singing and chanting marriage jingles as per the tradition, it was now evident that Katonde was marrying Princess TT whether he liked it or not.

He was helpless!

They reached the seashore on the way to the secret palace where the ceremony and marriage rituals were planned to take place once they arrived.

The secret Palace was situated in the middle of   Devils Island, on the west of the Kingdom where it is believed to be a secret palace of worship and rituals.

That morning as the sun rose from the East they met representatives from the Devils Island sent to pick the Princess and the already gave up Katonde. They got into the awaiting boat since that particular morning the sea waters were wild and the sea was "dirty" therefore it was much safer to use the boat rather than using the lagoon that connected some part of the shore to the Island due to fear of the swash and backwash waves of the sea.

Just before they could set the engine on, a delegation of traditional event organizers arrived for a hurried orientation and pre-wedding training and coaching.

"The bride and bridegroom must put on a lovely smile when before the congregation, observe no distancing as this will tell people how together your marriage is going to be, "one of the organizers said.

I had to accept and come to terms with whatever was happening around me.

It was a painful defeat and a painful acceptance. If you cannot fight them then you rather join them, I had to comply with this slogan.

I was dressed in posh robes for the first time in my life resembling those of biblical Pilate and King Herod. My outside appearance was superb but my heart was bleeding from the inside. The love of my life was languishing and suffering in the journey to trace me. We had to endure suffering in their hands.

While in the water we were shown the wonders that exist kilometers away offshore. Indeed, I understood that marine life doesn't only include food to humans but also poison to humans beings.

I smiled and my princess beside me smiled back and gripped my hand so tightly as if she was stronger than me.

The king and a few guests occupied the front seats of the venue on a highly decorated pulpit smiled and nodded their heads accepting our entrance whereas the crowd cheered us and threw a bunch of roses after, before, and on us. At the end of the hallway was the staircase leading down to the ballroom of the palace. There sat my father and mother; on seeing them I almost went into a coma with questions running down my thinking lane without a proper answer.

"SO MY PARENTS ARE AWARE OF MY SUFFERING?"

"HOW DID THEY ARRIVE AT THIS PALACE?"

Now I understood that when you are a man you are you and you alone. All the hurried walking styles that I had been taught by the seashore by this moment had drastically changed and I was almost forgetting everything.

I felt continuous betrayal both in the Kingdom and my own family.

"Your majesty, my father King, we greet you".I greeted him as a prince would.

Shamefully, I expected my princess who stood beside me to hold her glowing gown and at least bow to the King instead the King stood and bowed for us. People looked at each other with boredom and disbelief. It is only me and the crowd that found her actions to be disrespectful, she did not even realize that she had made a mistake. Our aides around looked with disbelief.

"Mmh."The King cleared his voice.

"I welcome you my beautiful daughter and princess of our great kingdom together with your spouse and all the guests to this auspicious event in the calendar of the family where my beautiful daughter, Princess TT is going to exchange marriage vows with the love of her heart".

I looked down the ballroom and I didn't spot the auspicity. The guests who purported to have been invited must have been invited under haste and by the look of things they honored the invitation just for the sake of it. There was no uniformity as far as the dress code is concerned, it was as if people were on their way to their daily errands and diverted to the palace to see what was happening. The dancing and chattering was a mix and mess, the drums started heating their drums barely thirty minutes after the ceremony began. It didn't make any meaning. Secular songs were danced with gospel dancing styles whereas gospel songs were danced with secular moves. My mother wore two different earrings; one blue and the other goldish.