Brinda

Marriage

Two days passed since his conversation with Suraj on Indian women and how beautiful they were. His parents had chosen to travel along as well, bringing with them the finest chariots they owned, hundreds of soldiers and gift items meant to assist their son towards making his marriage to the Princess of Brinda a welcomed one.

Prince Adigun continued to stew in silence, wondering hard and long on what was going on without uttering any words yet. The kingdom was beyond magnificent and just as Suraj had claimed but the other side to the story still had not manifested. He had seen nothing of the women in the palace and the harder he tried, the more complicated it felt too.

Suraj joyed about, greeting and smiling with people with whom he shared a strong bond; after all, he was half Indian and could speak their language fluently as well.

The servant raced over to sit by the Prince's right hand as he whispered, "Why do you have a long face on? You look magnificent".

Prince Adigun looked down at his chest and sniffed. It had been some time since he last donned the outfit he had on him or any like it. It made him feel rather lighter than usual and above all, nothing like the warrior he often exuded in looks.

"Did I really need to dress like this?" he asked his servant.

Donning the most expensive Aso-Oke, a traditional clothing hand sewn by the maidens in Nigeria and in Chiroma to be precise, he felt different and wondered if it was worthy of the occasion considering what the women around him from Brinda wore. The Aso-oke itself, garnished with a large Agbada sewn from top quality material, provided him an elegant appearance not far off from that of his father.

His mother on the other hand tied her "gele", and coupled it with a brightly colored Iro and bubba as well as large gold bangles around her wrists. The woman had done her best to dress for the occasion and equally try to match her husband and the Indian women in Brinda.

Feeling somewhat nervous, Prince Adigun toyed with the royal beads placed around his wrists. He had often went into battle with them to signify he wasn't just an ordinary warrior, but a man of prestige and power in his Kingdom as well.

"What do they call those?" he asked Suraj while he pointed towards a group of women seated before him in silence.

The air felt drab, songs were absent and he could almost swear something was off for a moment, if not for the sight of so many Indian women who had attended the event. Their men dressed rather well too, but the women seemed to catch his eye and his attention. Every asked of their body was well-covered, with the exception of their tattooed hands and feet.

Suraj whispered, "It is called ghoonghat, and it is a sign of preservation to keep a woman's virtue holy and intact".

Prince Adigun shot his servant a raised brow before leaning into the golden chair he had been presented with.

"I thought you claimed the Princess is beautiful and full of charm and allure?" he asked sarcastically. "How do I even know if she has a face?"

Suraj laughed aloud but Prince Adigun continued to hold a rather staunch expression on him. He did not buy whatever Suraj had told him at that point in time. Having the women veiled with a colorful clothing material seemed to hinder his interest in seeing past it and while he tried to resign himself to simply going with the flow of events, a loud bang alerted everyone to the entrance of the Princess herself.

Prince Adigun looked to Suraj who seemed rather restless and excited at the same time. His parents waved him up from his seat and he obliged while a group of women, all donning thinly veiled ghoonghat began to approach with one stood in the center. They finally stopped before the King and Queen and went on their knees.