QUEEN AMINA

CHAPTER 4 cont.

The king sat in his throne room, as the doors of the palace were opened for villagers to come present their case and problema to the king for advice and judgement as was the case three times every week in Jarma kingdom. Today's case was between an old landlady and her tenant who was a struggling, young man who hadn't paid his rent for four months. 'you may state your defense' Gad said to the man, who bowed humbly 'My lord, i ask for an extension of time to pay my dues to the lady, my lord' he said and the old lady frowned 'and i plead, my lord that you tell this young man that I bore if his endless time extension' she said adamantly and the King sat for a while thoughtfully. After which he coughed and his special adviser, Gad leaned beside him, taking orders from him 'as my King wishes' he said and stood up to address them. 'The King, sire Harold the great's verdict is as follows 'the King has ordered that you give your tenant one week grace as he had requested and after which you might evict him' 'thank you my lord, thank you' the young man says as he prostrates on the floor.

Amina moved the buckets with some of the women to the barn after they weeded the field to feed the horses. The palace had been busy the whole morning, with preparations happening everywhere from killing of livestock to cooking. She sighed as she remembered festivals back home that she never enjoyed, but right now she wished she could be part of the people sharing laughter and good food than working hard under the sun. She looked around thoughtfully. Jarma kingdom, her father had spoken about it but she had never had an encounter with them or a chance to visit mostly because the princesses were shielded a lot. It was a beautiful kingdom, she thought as she looked at the palace but she wished she could go around, outside the slave quarters and have a tour of the kingdom.

Prince Alexander walked out of his room to the dining where his parents were having lunch. His leg felt better after a week's rest from which he felt fatigued already 'oh you are up son' his mother said with a smile and he kissed her on her cheeks 'good day mother' he said sitting beside her 'good day sir' 'good day son, how was your night?' The King asked 'good, I mean, the later hours of it, i couldn't sleep for most of it' 'really? are you sick?' his mother said with concern,  touching his palm 'no, i mean,i guess it's just the leg' 'hmm, do you want us to send for the nurse?' 'no, father it's better now' Alexander replies standing on his feet 'where are you going to? ain't you going to eat lunch?' the Queen asked and Alexander shook his head 'not now, mother' he said gulping down a glass of water 'i'm going for a walk' he added and kissed her as he made his way out 'son' 'yes father?' 'we are hosting a party in honor of you today so you might need to come in early for your fitting' 'huh? ehm is it necessary? 'of course preparations are already underway' 'oh, alright mother, thank you father' 'you're welcome son' 'son...son' 'yes mother?' 'you also need to, try out the array of dishes in the kitchen and kindly let us know if they are fit for the party' 'ehm OK mother, i'll will be back shortly'.

Prince Alexander walked out of the palace and made his way through the slave quarters. He looked on at the people and marveled at how huge most of the men of Awilla were and how beautiful their women were, where is she? He wondered, Amina, the most beautiful girl he had ever set his eyes on, he thought as he wondered around the camp. The guards bowed in obeisance as he walked and flanked around him 'do you need anything sire?' 'no just taking a stroll..hmm, these people look fit' he said to a guard 'yes they are, they have been quite hands on,since they came around' 'OK good' Alexander said thoughtfully and stared as his eyes caught the image of Amina by the barn. He walked curiously to meet her and spoke when he was inches away from her 'i see, you enjoy feeding the horses' Amina turned around and glared, when she noticed who it was 'bow down to your prince..you' a guard says shouting at her and Alexander dismissed him casually, staring at Amina's beautiful features 'it's OK, she's new here' Amina continues to ignore him and concentrates on feeding a horse 'Amina, are you always this stubborn?' 'yes i am, your prince' she said turning, she gave a slight bow and made a silly face and he chuckled 'your voice sounds beautiful, you should speak more often' he acknowledged and Amina frowned 'am I obstructing something?' 'no, the prince is just out on a stroll, and chooses to stand wherever he pleases' 'i see, then excuse me' she says picking up the empty bucket and a guard halts her, blocking her path with his sword 'i hear you are from Awilla Kingdom, a land of great warriors, and dancers am i correct?' Alexander said walking closer to her 'your point is?' Amina says holding her breath 'my point is i would love for you to tell me about the demolition of your kingdom, the great King, and his three astonishingly beautiful daughters' he said and Amina's eyes turn red with fury 'that would be some other day though, tonight a feast is thrown in honor of the Prince and i humbly request that you join the train of dancers, i would love to be entertained by your beauty' he finished off with a smile and Amina gasped and turned to him quickly 'what? i'm afraid i'm not a dancer, my prince, pick other maidens from the camp, i can even help out with your choice of great dancers among my people' Alexander looked at her carefully 'i doubt, that a beautiful lady as yourself skipped one of the most important values of womanhood.. dance' he gets closer to her face, studying her 'you have so much pride, why?' he paused as he stared at her with interest, trying hard to resist soothing her lower lip that had a bruise on it 'that is...' 'not a good attribute, i know' Amina said, rolling her eyes and he shook his head 'i never said that, i like a woman with a voice' he replied with a smirk on his face and Amina's eyebrows burrowed in confusion 'what?' 'i'll leave you to get back to your duty, the guards will lead you in when it's time' he finishes and starts to walk off 'but...i' Amina sighs as they leave, swallowing her thought of a protest.

'i see the prince is taken by you' Asher says coming from behind her 'what? no, he was just...' 'i heard everything fair one, i predict he desires you' 'what? 'i can see it, in his eyes' Asher said with a smile and Amina hissed angrily and walked back towards a horse, to stroke it 'not in his wildest dreams, i am not a prostitute to be mocked as such' 'well maybe he has good intentions' Asher says following after her 'good? what good intentions, could he possibly have for a slave' 'but if we tell him...' 'Asher stop! Amina interjects quickly, looking around to make sure no one heard them 'we can't tell anyone' she said in a whisper 'but this is an opportunity my princess' 'opportunity for what?' 'if you find favor truly in the eyes of the prince, he'll lessen the burden of your people overtime, don't you think so' 'that's a cheap way out Asher, seduction' 'no that is the power of a woman, apparently you didn't spend so much time listening to your dance teachers and our old mothers of wisdom' Asher said and Amina rolled her eyes 'you have the power Amina, to bring a man to his knees' Asher says and Amina looked at him 'are you saying, i should let him have his way with me?' 'no my princess, of course not, i'm just saying this could be a window of opportunity for us, fair one, you are the fairest above all and any man in his right senses would desire to have you' Amina looked at Asher thoughtfully and sighed 'I don't know about that Asher, i know only of war' she said and Asher chuckled 'it's inside of you'.

Prince Alexander struggled to put his thoughts together as he tried on robes for his party. Amina..he wasn't quite convinced he had seen a lady as beautiful as she was, her frame to him was perfectly built. He found himself wondering just how long the gods took to sculpt her, to make those beautiful light brown eyes that were lit as fire, daring as a leopards and her voice..it was smooth but it was confident and firm. She had a grace about her, he thought as he swallowed, letting his thoughts roam to the curves he imagined where underneath the shapeless, slave dress she wore 'she's just a slave, she's just a slave' he said within himself as he tried to calm the flutter in his stomach 'ehm i prefer this' he said staring into the mirror at the outfit, absentmindedly 'OK my prince, may i serve you lunch now?' 'yes please, bring it up to my room' he replied and sat on the bed, to take off his shoes 'yes my lord' the maid said and bowed as she left.

Princess Caroline walked in escorted by her maids and smiled broadly at Alexander. She was Prince Alexander's betrothed from birth and her father ruled Tema kingdom of the south region. Caroline was an only child and she couldn't wait to be married off to Alexander as his kingdom was bigger and much more advanced in civilization 'my lord' she said with a bow and Alexander, surprised to see her, hugged her 'Caroline...how was I not informed of your coming?' 'It was a surprise my lord' she said and Alexander smiled 'it's good too see you my darling, you look beautiful as always' 'thank you my lord, I bring greetings from his royal highness King Jarius, my father' Caroline replied with a bow and Alexander took her hand 'i hope he is well?' 'Yes my lord, and how are you Alexander, i must say I was deeply troubled about your last battle but i am delighted that you are hail and hearty' she said and Alexander smiled 'of course, please, join me for lunch, my princess' 'yes my lord'.

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