The African Winds

Chapter 3

It's been three days since I escaped my marriage.

I had left Kofi's hut after I told him I was escaping. I knew if I left before dusk, I would have little time to escape. So, I got Meli and we went back to the palace.

"Do you think she'll be the best wife for me, Meli." I asked her on our walk back.

"I have no idea, Adansi." She responded with a sigh. I rolled my eyes in annoyance with this whole situation and started walking faster than her.

I yanked the door open to palace only to be greeted by my mother. "You are late." she spoke with slight anger in her voice. I looked up at the sky and it was dark with a small twinkle of the sun in the west. "Your fiance is almost here. Hurry up and go get dressed."

Not wanting to upset my mother, I ran to my room and put on my best cloth and jewelry. I ran out to the dining room to see her and her family there.

When I saw her my mouth dropped. Her skin was so light and her face was weird shape. She had green eyelids and her eyes were also dressed with a black line stretching all the way to her ears.

She was not what I called beautiful.

"Son, meet you beautiful wife, Amisi. Her and her family are from Egypt." My father said raising his cup to her. She gave me a weak smile before going back to her cup that she was drinking out of. I sat next her and she scooted away from me with a disgusted look on her face.

This was gonna be a long night.

"Um, where is the silverware for the food?" Amisi asked.

"In our country, we eat with our hands." I answered.

"Oh." she said, rolling her eyes. She grabbed one of the tatales, a fried plantain cake, from a plate and bit it slowly. Her face turned up with disgust and she slowly swallowed it. I rolled my eyes.

The night was very long, like I said, and at the end of it I barely knew anything about Amisi. Everytime I tried to talk to her, she would ignore me. I eventually gave up and when my mother told me it was time to get some sleep, I left quickly.

I laid on my mat until I heard the palace was completely quiet. It was time for my escape.

It was pretty easy to escape and go all the way to the horse stables because it wasn't as heavily guarded. I grabbed my horse and walked her to the shores of the river. I closed my eyes to feel the wind. East. East. I shot opened my eyes, hopped on my horses and, started galloping east along the shore.

Three days later, I ended up at Konongo, a city where my father held all of the farmers, their crops, and their families. Thankfully, they only know what my father looks like and not his family. If they found out who I was they would take me back and I would be severely punished.

Before I entered the gates, I hopped down off the horse and shooed it off. The man that trained me once said that a horse will always find its way back home so, I let it go. Plus, if I had walked in with a horse, the soldiers protecting the village would know who I was because only the nobility had horses.

I walked into the gates of the city and the first thing I saw was a goat running my way. I quickly got out of his way, but not before grabbing the rope that was around his neck. He tried to get away but, I firmly held onto the rope.

"Yaa! Yaa! Where did you run off too." I looked up from the goat and saw a female running my way.

"Is this goat yours?" I asked, holding up the rope in my hands. She ran towards me, grabbed the rope from my hands, crouched down in front of the animal.