THE FACE OF A SLEEPING KING-2

THE FACE OF A SLEEPING KING-2

“How is she doing?” A voice as gentle as a healer’s asked.

“She was cut up pretty bad when we found her, what do you expect?” This one was harsh, familiar…

***Darkness***

She loved the darkness.

Her father was in the darkness. He beckoned her to come with him. He played her favourite tune on his flute and there in the darkness she danced on and on; with every step bringing her closer to her father.

***Semi-consciousness***

She was on fire now. Yet she shivered as though she had been left in the rain and was drowning in it.

 “Hurry with the water, this one is too warm.”

The harsh yet familiar voice yelled. The voice quivered as though it was trying to choke down on tears; trying to get a hold on its command although it was quickly slipping.

Ma!

“O my child!” the princess’s call must have escaped her lips. “Don’t leave me. I will die.” 

The strongest dam broke through human determination to never let a tear fall and with the dam of tears came desperation. Her head fell on the princess’s breasts and her whole body heaved with the sorrowful sobs of a mother watching a daughter’s battle with death.

“Fight, love. Fight to live.” The queen commanded in between sobs.

***darkness***

Her father was not happy when she came around. His look of concern when her daughter’s feet began to draw away from him turned into a frown. The frown turned into a scowl and as it did it was no longer the king, her father, but it was now the king, her enemy.

She knew right then to run; run for her mother, run for her life.

Yet his strides were longer, filled with the promise of violence and torture.

“Find her!” The king’s voice shattered through the darkness. And with those words, five more of the same man had joined the chase.

“Mother! Mother!” She screamed for they were at her heels. One more step, even a moment’s hesitation and she will be done for. Yet with her scream twenty five more avatars had joined the chase.

How long had she even been running? How long would she run? How long?

That was when she stopped. The frightened princess was now the angry one, the violent one. It was now time for the hunted to become the hunter. As she turned to face her adversaries she felt something in her hands. Not bothering to look at what it could be she plunged the object right into the king’s heart.

The look on his face was one that the princess had hungered after. How she wished that this was reality. He blasted into oblivion and with his avatars. At that, the princess bolted straight up into reality.

“My daughter. My daughter whose heart is stronger than that of a lioness'.”

“She looked straight at her mother and stretched her open palm before her.

A gesture her mother rewarded with half a smile. She handed her daughter a bag and a knife in its sheath.

“Avenge your people.”

***

She had journeyed days through the forest to catch up with them. In her mind she saw herself sneak up into his tent and plunge the knife deep into his heart and maybe turn it around for good measure. She saw the utter desolation of her kingdom; homes burnt, their food store torched and farms still warm from the scourging taste of destruction. The worst of all was that not even a single soul was found in the town and shallow graves held the dead bodied of the people of the once great kingdom.

The bastard king had taken slaves. He had taken the proud people of Sebokrom to slave away in his kingdom.

She hit her knees and screamed.

But when the feeling of desperation threatened to wash over her she stood and forged on.

She noticed that her people had left a trail. They had marked the trees along the path they took. For a week she was exposed to the elements, she barely ate or drank. She almost believed that she had failed.

By the second week, she had finished all the supplies in her bag, the trail had grown cold and she was sure that she was lost. That was when she heard it. The hoarse yet penetrating voice of the missionary singing one of his favourite hymns. It beckoned to her as an island beckoned to the lost sailor. Though frail she managed to find their temporary campsite before the dawn broke.

Most were asleep under a makeshift shed. They were not chained, which surprised Princess Yab. Yet they looked like they were bound by the heaviest chain. She slowly crawled to the shed and sat rigidly by the praying missionary.

“Welcome.” The princess who knew for sure that she had entered the shed undetected thought the missionary was still praying. “We thought you would not make it”

The antics of the white missionary who had settled in their kingdom had never ceased to amaze the princess. He opened his eyes and looked straight at her then.

“You can’t stay with us for long. We are counted every morning and they kill five of us if anyone tries to escape. They find the person and kill him too. It has happened twice already.” He shook his head sadly.

Princess Yaba shook one of her maids who was asleep by her side.

“Run, go beyond the River Pra to the valleys of the Great Healers. Tell my mother the King will die in three days.”

Fear was drawn boldly on her face.

“Run before I kill you myself.” The princess flashed her blade and pressed it to her neck. The maid took to her heels. She was not twenty steps away when one of the captives began to sound an alarm.

The princess swore under her breath. She tried to shut her up but before long the warriors had surrounded the shed. The Princess looked disdainfully at the Palm wine tapper’s daughter who had by then realized her cavalry had arrived.

By that time everyone was awake and was praying that the gods will preserve their lives.

The leader bellowed, “Come out.”

The trembling girl fell at the foot of the fearful warrior. The princess looked around for the king.

“He is not here.” The missionary whispered into her ears. She sure was disappointed.

Before long, the warriors were taking turns to slap the poor girl around so she would speak the truth.

“Please let her be. She probably woke up from a nightmare. You can count us and see.” When the princess spoke up almost everyone gasped. First at the shock of seeing their princess with them and second because she had actually spoken up against the fearful warriors.

“Did you just speak to me, slave?” The leader demanded.

“Yes.” The princess was resolute.

“Count them and bind her.” Just then a warrior  held her hands to her back.

“I am going to enjoy making a public spectacle out of this one.” His menacing words made some of the women who had been captured begin to weep. In front of the people he began to strip the princess. Tearing the sack cloth she had on from top to bottom. He exposed her. She had on only a dainty covering for her breasts and womanhood.

The warrior was clearly excited by her body. He approached her with a wicked glint in his eyes. The Princess stood head to head with the warrior who was now looking at her full mouth with desire. He tried to capture her lips with his. And that in a moment proofed to be a futile mistake. With all the strength her tired body could muster she bit into his lips holding it tight with every ounce of strength she had.

The soldier screamed as his fellows laughed at him thinking it was just play.

Blood.

That was when they took hold of the princess and tried to make her let go by inflicting her with whips. She was still adamant. Until with a blow she fell into unconsciousness.

The same warrior who hit her was ready to drive his dagger into her when many of the captives threw themselves over and between their princess’s assailant.

 “Wait.” The white missionary pleaded. “Think for a minute. When the king realizes that you have killed the choicest spoil of his bounty what do you think he’ll do to you. Would it not be worse than what you can do to this woman?”

The warriors thought for a while. Indeed none of the captives could replace this fiery beauty. The king will have their heads for even hitting her not to talk about trying to take her forcefully.

“You all better behave. This is the last time this is going to happen. Or else you would be worse than slaves when you get into our kingdom. You’ll all be dead.” He screamed madly with his bloodied lips.

They carried on with the journey. Taking turns to carry their frail princess. By the second day she was on her feet and on that same day they reached a very large kingdom. She thought they were passing through. Never had the princess even thought that a kingdom could truly be ten times as large as theirs.

The people of the kingdom cast lofty glances at them as they walked through their beautiful streets to a great palace in the center of the kingdom.

She felt beneath her lofty covering for her knife. This must be his kingdom. Vengeance was closer now.

“Vengeance is the Lord’s” The missionary cautioned the Princess.

 “What is that you say,” she pretended to think for a while, “Even God needs a man”