Chapter 21
At first he was merely surprised to find his father, who needed to command the Queen to his quarters, was instead here in the Queen's quarters. But that wasn't all, what they they where talking about, he remembered what the Oracle had said:
"He is to marry of a royal family, she wants blood from a royal Virgin, when my Prince marries a royal, the night of there consummation, that blood of the virgin is what will break the curse but....."
Yes the Queen had stopped the Oracle midsentence.
"Am I going to get cured only upon the death of my wife?"
"How.....why...you didn't knock? barging into the Queen's chamber is not only bad etiquette but an abomination too, Prince Sepo" Yelled the Queen with guilt plastered all over her face.
"You...you,"Prince Sepo stuttered in between breath.
"Isn't that making your son a murderer"
"How are you a murderer?"
"It's your Father, who is a murderer"
The King exclaimed in surprise
"My Queen!!!"he yelled.
"Am I lying? Isn't my son paying for your sins?the one who committed the sins is the murderer." She said unfazed.
"Queen Mother"Prince Sepo shouted. A hammering beginning in his heart, he started to sweat profusely. He clenched where he felt the pain was, his chest. The familiar pain that should be bearable by now but it was. The King and Queen watching in horror. He knelt on the floor as he surrendered to the pain, feeling like his heart would leap out of his chest. Than as quickly as the pain came, it was gone".
He straightened himself, though surprised at the sudden disappearance of the pain that would normally linger for rather a long time. But was nothing to answers he wanted. His stare at the Queen, penetrated the body to her soul, searching for anything that would qualify what he has just heard, a lie.
"Tell me mother, without any lie" he begged,
" Is my wife going to die after we consumate our union?"
The Queen's mouth could not outer the words.
"Yes my son"the King answered him.
His shoulders droopped, he did not care to hear anymore.
He turned his back on his parents no obeisance offered, they didn't deserve his. He strode away feeling like the whole world was on his shoulders.
"I would have killed her."
"I would have killed Zae....My Zae"
Nyambe take this pain away, if only for that wife of mine. I'll pay for my father's sins in another way.
"Come back here. " The Queen shouted.
"He stopped in his tracks.
He stopped, turned and walked back to his Mother.
"It better be, not you telling me to marry Princess Mokomena"He sneered "because am going to tell her why I can't marry her when I leave here.
"You can't, my prince. You need to get healed, you will die if you don't, everything is going great"She cried shrilly following Prince Sepo before the King slapped her.
" Aren't going to go back to your senses?" He King asked feeling unusually calm for the situation.
She looked at the king dumbfounded, she couldn't believe the King who dotted on her so much and done everything she said could slap her quiet.
"Let him go, and do not do anything anymore. That's an order."
*********
It was inevitable that Prince Sepo will meet Princess Mokomena at least once.
The Letuyako royal procession had occupied most of the Visitors' quarters. It was extra noisy today because of the marriage ceremony, the noise that Prince Sepo dreaded.
" Announce my arrival." Prince Sepo ordered.
" She is not allowed to see anyone"
"Can you repeat your sentence? because I think my ears didn't hear you saying you want to die here." A smirk crossing his angry face. The irritation not escaping her royal experience.
The handmaiden was too scared to repeat the sentence but instead went and came back a short while later.
" You may come in, my Prince. " She said with terror. Prince Sepo walked inside the chamber without sparing her a glance. For him this was the first time, he was meeting Princess Mokomena.
Princess Mokomena was known to be a handsome woman she was a muscular looking woman, her dark brows compliment the black eyes, that shimmered with love for Prince Sepo. She had seen him only once and had fallen in love at first sight. Prince Sepo too at first glance thought the woman would pass off as a Prince, instead of the Princess she was, if not for the very visible breast on her chest.
"My Prince why are you here, please take a seat" Princess Mokomena said pointing to an empty couch in her guest chamber.
"I'll get to the point, Princess Mokomena, am not one to prolong a conversation whose end result is already determined..."
" Yes my Prince" she said with a grin. He looked at her again, Her face had changed, Maybe her face was one that grew on you the more you look at it, the more beautiful you thought it was. But as I have learnt later Princess Mokomena practiced witchery and was good at it
I'll be lying if I told you I knew what happened in that chamber that afternoon, but what I can tell you is that Prince Sepo married Princess Mokomena that evening, married by the same Oracle who married us at the shrine.
Who Couldn't be bothered by the ways of the royals only that Nyambe collects his dues himself...Who gets married twice on the same day?
The Celebration had ended but Prince Sepo was still drinking with Lonki, who congratulated him on his marriage.
"Your wife is waiting for you now, you have to go to her"
" She is?"Prince Sepo asked Lonki drunkenly.
" Do everything, I told you about ok, don't forget that a woman will judge you by your first stroke." He laughed and gave the staggering Prince Sepo to his bodyguards.
They had already brought Princess Mokomena into Prince Sepo's quarters, so they took him there too, to finish off the marriage ceremony.