Adiya Amir

Seventeen

Adiya

"No way, he can't marry her" the queen sneered. She stood up and eyed me with a nasty look as she wanted to walk out, Zaid pulled her back unexpectedly.

What have I done, I thought.

"What do you mean?" he asked in calmed voice. His voice was too calm.

"As the queen, you can't marry her" she seethed. The King didn't say anything. He was inspecting like a hawk.

As Zaid wanted to talk the King beat him to it, "everyone sit down" he demanded.

The queen reluctantly sat beside the king while I and Zaid sat on the two-sitter couch.

"My Queen" the King called her softly, "Why do you think Zaid can't marry?" he stroked her hands fascinating.

"How can you expect the future heir to marry someone that doesn't have family" she uttered, "Someone that does not know what's family. What family involves, that doesn't feel the warmth of family. She won't be able to rule alongside with the heir" she explained. What she said hurt me to the bone marrow. It was not my fault, I didn't know what family was, even though I'd the warmth of family till I was seven years old before my uncle took me in.

My eyes stung with tears.

The King turned his gaze to me and stared at me softly, "Do you know anyone in your family?".

"I have a paternal uncle but I do not know if he's alive or not because I lost contact with him when I was thirteen years" I wiped the tears that were tailing from my eyes severely.

I'd promised that I don't want to cry again but when someone makes remarks about my family always made me tear up. The family was a delicate issue for me.

"Sorry dear" The King spoke with compassion, "The queen does not mean to make you cry"

"As if she did not" Zaid stated sarcastically, "if she does not possess a family then I will become her family" Zaid declared openly.

"You can't still marry her" she growled lowly, "how can you expect a Hausa girl becomes the future Queen" she pointed out.

"There's nothing wrong with it, my beautiful queen, it makes the bond to strengthen," the King explained softly.

"You are Hausa?" The King inquired.

"My parents were Hausa but I was born and brought up in Kwara state before I was given admission relocating Lagos" I clarified.

The King turned the Queen and gleamed softly at her, "see she has a Yoruba blood in her and my grandad was also Hausa".

"No matter what," she said, "she still has the blood of those animals in her vein" she affirmed angrily.

Zaid stood up angrily, "how dare you to talk to her like that?" He yelled.

The Queen was shocked, "is it me you are talking to in that manner" she shrieked.

"Yes, I'm talking to you Asia" he roared, his face turning red in anger.

"I'm your father's wife and that makes me your stepmother" she stumped her feet on the floor.

"Never in your life", he strode to her in angry pace, "talk about being my stepmother".

The queen released a squeaking sound, fear flashed in her eyes, "I'm the queen..." Zaid interrupted

"A queen my ass, a queen that's after an old man property. And you are talking about family" he laughed sarcastically.

"Was is not under the bridge we saved you and your cousin from the touts who were going to do only God knows to you?" he raised his brows taunting her to reply, "Your ass is now saved, you are now in my father's wealth and behaving like is yours" he snarled, his body was shaking with fury to be unleashed.