Chapter 20 - Awkward Encounters

A young lady with black curly hair, giggled as she played with a cat on Prince Meelzib's bed. She wore nothing but one of Meelzib's shirts. He stood away from her at his balcony.

Meelzib was smitten by the cold wind hitting his face as he marveled at Cherilisia. The lights spread across the vast land made the city look even more beautiful at night.

Seeing that Meelzib was lost in thought, the young lady joined him outside. Unlike him, she didn't like the cold wind at all and immediately started to shiver. She thought that her loud shivering was enough to get his attention but to her surprise it didn't.

"My prince, you always give me your undivided attention whenever I visit you but tonight you are distant. What is troubling you?" she asked in a deep seductive purr voice.

"If you don't mind, I would like some peace and quiet. I have a lot on my mind." he answered her, uninterested with her concern.

She pressed her chest against his arm and he felt the softness and plumpness of her large and warm breasts. This however wasn't enough to take his eyes away from Cherilisia. The young lady however, refused to accept defeat.

"Please, let's go inside my prince. It is so cold out here." she pleaded with a kiss on his cheek.

"I said I want peace and quiet." his husky voice was harsh and authoritative.

"Oh come on, we will have a lot of fun inside. You can think about what you are thinking about tomorrow." she insisted.

Prince Meelzib pulled his hand away and gave her a tight slap across her face. She stumbled down and covered her bleeding nose with her hand.

Prince Meelzib roughly picked her off the ground and forced her to look at Cherilisia. The woman was crying as he pulled her hair in an effort to make her stand straight.

"I have never told anyone this but I guess you make an exception. You see, every time I look at this view, all I want is to have it all to myself. It makes me thirst for the throne. It makes me want to be king." He pulled her hair harder and she screamed. "How dare you tell me to forget about all this and think about it tomorrow? Do you think that you are special because I share my bed with you three nights a week? Has it given you the right to tell me what to do?"

"You are hurting me." she cried but Prince Meelzib pulled her hair even harder.

The woman could no longer bear the pain anymore and she scratched his hand with her long nails. She made a ran for it but unfortunately for her, she was pulled back by her hair.

Prince Meelzib tossed her off the balcony where she fell six floors below. The sound of her body hitting the ground immediately got the attention of the guards.

King Raglan heard the noise too and he looked down from his balcony. He was completely shattered to see the unconscious woman in a pool of her blood. He looked up only to see Meelzib looking at her without any remorse in his eyes. King Raglan's blood boiled.

Prince Meelzib looked away from his father glaring at him and made his way back into his room. To his dismay, he found himself face to face with Raglan who just stepped out of a portal.

Before Meelzib could say anything, he was grabbed by the neck and shoved outside. King Raglan forcefully threw him off the balcony but grabbed his leg. Meelzib was forced to hang upside by the leg. King Raglan's sword appeared in his hand.

Queen Lavila burst into the room and joined them on the balcony. She was horrified with what was happening. She got down on her knees and held King Raglan's leg with tears in her eyes.

King Raglan ignored her and continued glaring at Meelzib. Lavila got desperate. She had never seen Raglan that angry before. She called for help from the guards but none of them dared to interfere.

"Are you going to hurt your own son because of a prostitute?" she desperately asked but got no answer. "Stop it Raglan! He is your only son and heir to the throne!" she screamed but still went ignored. "Please don't harm my son. I am begging you my king. He is our only child." she cried.

King Raglan pulled back Meelzib and threw him against the wall so hard that it cracked. Queen Lavila stood in between them and shielded Meelzib. Meelzib rubbed his bruised neck glared at Raglan.

"You know what, I blame you Lavila. It is because of you that he is an insolent, good for nothing and disobedient boy hell bent on ruining this kingdom. You have always tolerated his unruly behavior. I feel cursed that he is the only child I have in this world." King Raglan furiously said.

"Is that so father? You say all these harsh words just because I threw a prostitute over my balcony. What kind of a king puts the needs of a whore before those of his son?" Meelzib asked, amused, with a smirk.

"I am king first before I am your father. My duty is to the people of this kingdom. You must never forget that boy. What you have done tonight is the worst thing you have ever done in your life. When will your foolishness ever end?"

"Don't speak to him like that. The girl will be fine. There's no need for all this." Queen Lavila added her voice to the confrontation.

"Woman, speak to me again and you will feel my wrath tonight. I am talking to my son and not you. Don't you dare interrupt me again. Your words are venomous. Meelzib is spoiled rotten because you have failed as a mother. Every time I tried to discipline him, you secretly undermined my authority. You have created a monster with your so called motherly love. Can you not see what your stupidity has done? Utter one more word and I tell you, you will feel my wrath tonight."

Lavila cowered in fear at King Raglan's threat. She decided to keep quiet and hope that King Raglan was going to leave without hurting her or Meelzib. She fearfully looked at him scowling at Meelzib.

"Change your ways Meelzib or you will one day fall so hard that you will never rise again. When that time comes, you will no longer be looked at as royalty but as a nuisance. No one will mourn your downfall but they will rejoice at your absence."

King Raglan furiously walked away to the relief of Lavila. She turned to Meelzib and gently checked him for any injuries. Meelzib shrugged her off and walked away fuming with rage. He knocked down a glass table and Lavila gasped at the sound of it shattering on the floor.

"This is the last time he will ever lay his hands on me. Mark my words mother."

****

Light sat alone in the reading room by the fire place. Everyone else had retired to bed. As he stared into the flames, he recalled his day with his father.

The two of them spent the whole day on a boat and chatted for hours on end. Light enjoyed his time alone with Velan but most of him yearned to see Sharaina.

He thought about her all day. He obsessed about what she could have been doing and who she was with. He dropped his gaze when the guilt and shame fell upon him for ignoring Sharaina in the morning. He wondered if she noticed that he intentionally ignored her.

"Will I be able to face her again?" Light feared.

Light heard Sharaina's voice and he rushed to the window. He carefully peeked out and smiled at the sight of her merrily playing with Alainara on their lawn.

He smiled glad to have gotten a chance to see her before bed. He saw Emelinia join them outside. She stood away and watched them play.

Light remembered about what Nami had told him and Velan concerning the ordeal in the morning. He couldn't help but feel sorry that Emelinia had to go through all that. He was amazed that Naian decided to marry her. His decision to save Emelinia made Light respect him even more.

Light thought that if Naian wasn't afraid of marrying someone he knew close to nothing about, then he should be able to marry Yolin. The only problem he had was forgetting Sharaina.

"Why does she have this strong hold on me? In such a short time she has my heart at her mercy. Is this truly infatuation or I'm I going insane?"

Akirexer called the girls back into the house and he backed away from the window. It was about time he went to bed too. He paused in thought and slowly peeked through the curtains again. This time, only Sharaina was outside.

She looked so beautiful as she looked up at the night time sky. The moonlight in her face only increased the natural glow she had. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked over at the mansion.

Light backed away immediately. After what felt like a minute, he peeked again and this time, she was gone. He sighed and walked away from the window.

****

Emelinia woke up at exactly 6:00 a.m in the morning. She wasted no time in getting dressed and heading downstairs to help Akirexer with the chores.

When she got down, she already found Akirexer waxing the floor. The two women greeted each other and Emelinia proceeded into the kitchen to do the dishes. By the time she was done, Akirexer came in to prepare breakfast.

"Emelinia, please be a dear and get me matches on top of the cupboard in the dinning room." Akirexer asked of Emelinia and she promptly left.

To Emelinia's agony, the cupboard was too high for her. She pulled one of the chairs and got on but she was still too short to see the top. With her hand, she felt for the match box.

When she found it, she grinned to herself and picked it. Emelinia took a wrong step and slipped off the chair. She landed straight into Naian's arms.

They froze in time as they gazed into each other's eyes. Emelinia blushed at his touch. Naian was first to get back to his senses and he let go of Emelinia. She felt so embarrassed and her anxious eyes fell to the floor.

At that point, Akirexer came to the dinning room. She had lost her patience in waiting for Emelinia. Upon seeing her looking at him, Naian excused himself and went into the living room.

"Emelinia, please give me the matches. I need to get breakfast started." she softly said to Emelinia.

Emelinia handed the match box to Akirexer and followed her into the kitchen. Her eyes were on Akirexer as she lit the stove but her mind was on what had just happened with Naian. That was the first time a man held her in his arms therefore the whole experience made her feel out of place.

Growing up, Emelinia avoided men the most. A flashback of her father fighting with her mother played in her mind. He didn't want her mother to tell his relatives about her. He never showed any love or affection to Emelinia whenever he went to their house.

You are not my daughter. Ask your mother to tell you who your real father is! His hurtful words echoed in her ears.

Emelinia thought about how he would at times hit her mother before leaving. Her mother would forget her pain and do all she could to comfort Emelinia. She assured her that she was better off without her hateful father.

Emelinia's misfortune with men did not end with her father. Because she was a seer, most men she came across as a young girl were rude and mean to her. Some of them tried to make her their mistress but she turned them down.

Her mother warned her sternly against it. By the time she time she was 80, Emelinia completely avoided men. She only interacted with them when the situation was beyond her control.

When she started hiding her birthmark, life became a lot easier for her. The headband and her introverted nature made her invisible to most. It was the peace she grew to love.

Emelinia only got a new perspective of men when she met King Raglan for the first time. She was cleaning a hallway in the castle and accidentally swept across his feet. He was kind to her and excused himself instead of punishing her. Sharumez and Jenu also showed her that good men existed.

Now here was Naian. He was the one she was to spend her life with. So far, he had not been rude or mean to her. If anything, he left her alone more than half the time.

Emelinia appreciated that so much due to her anxiety. She thought about how strong and warm his hands felt and her heart skipped a beat. She swore she could still feel his grip.

Is this why women love to be held by men? she wondered as she blushed.

She felt silly for thinking that way but she couldn't help but reminisce about it. She wondered if she would ever feel comfortable around Naian and if so, how long was it going to take her?

****

Sharumez sat at the dinning table and Akirexer served him his breakfast. Naian, Sharaina and Alainara joined him at the table. Sharaina and Alainara sat together whereas Naian and Akirexer sat together on the other side of the table.

There was an empty chair at the far end just opposite Sharumez. It was also in between Naian and Alainara. Emelinia nervously sat on it, taking care not to look at Naian. When Sharaina smiled at her, she felt a little comfortable.

"I have been thinking that the wedding takes place in two weeks." Sharumez said in the midst of breakfast and everyone looked up their plates stunned.

"Two weeks?" Akirexer asked, puzzled.

"Yes two weeks. Sharaina will be leaving for the academy soon so I think it's best we have the wedding before she leaves. She must be a part of it." he explained his point. "Do you have a problem with this Naian?" he asked.

"No, I don't have a problem with it." Naian blankly answered.

Sharumez shifted his attention to Emelinia. "What about you Emelinia?" he asked.

"I don't mind." she answered. she honestly felt that two weeks was too early but she couldn't bring herself to refuse.

"But will two weeks be enough for all the preparations papa?" Sharaina asked, concerned.

"Yes it will. We will just have to make it possible." Sharumez confidently assured her.

Sharumez looked at Emelinia again. "You said that your mother is in Vanimaq right?" he asked her and she nodded her head in confirmation. "I need you to give me her address."

Sharumez turned to Naian. "Tomorrow, you, Jenu and I are going to see Emelinia's mother to seek her permission and also give dowry should she agree." he said to him but Naian said nothing and continued eating his breakfast.

"By the way Emelinia, how old are you?" Akirexer asked her.

"I am 98 years old ma." she respectfully replied.

"Wow only a two year difference with Naian. How lovely." she smiled widely at Emelinia and she grinned back.

When breakfast was done, Emelinia cleared the table. She stood at the window by the sink and watched Sharumez talking to Akirexer. Sharaina was busy weeding the flower bed and Alainara played with her ball.

Emelinia's attention switched to Naian who was already on his horse. She looked at him chat with Sharaina and when she saw him smiling, she admired his dimples.

"Sharaina, why would you let Liss say that to Alainara?" Naian laughed at Sharaina.

"What could I have done? You know how unpredictable Liss is. You should have seen the look on papa's face. I was petrified." Sharaina laughed.

"Liss is funny." Naian remarked in between his chuckles. He saw Sharumez get on his horse. "Okay, I'll see you later Sharaina." he said and Sharaina waved at him.

Light walked out of his front door and immediately spotted Sharaina weeding as she spoke to Akirexer. Feeling his stare, Sharaina turned to look at him and the two locked eyes. Light wanted to wave at her so bad but the sudden sound of his mother calling him forced him to go back inside.

"Did Light just ignore me again? Something is definitely wrong, but what?" Sharaina thought out loud.

"What was that Sharaina?" Akirexer asked her.

"Oh, nothing mama. I was just thinking aloud that's all." she quickly explained.

"I can't believe that I haven't thought of what punishment to give you for hitting Naavi and Wela." Akirexer put her finger to her chin.

Sharaina stood up and jerked one eyebrow up at her. "Are you seriously going to punish me for that mama?"

Akirexer burst out laughing. "Oh, not at all. To be honest I found it laughable when you slapped them. I struggled to hold in my laughter when you slapped Wela so hard that she fainted. You did what I can never do. How dare they accuse your father and poor Emelinia for such disgusting things?"

Sharaina joined Akirexer laughing. "So you not going to punish me at all?"

Akirexer wiped her tears of laughter with a wide smile. "No I will not. I just said that I would so that they would go away. But on a serious note, don't you ever do that again. It is very wrong to hit your elders."

"Okay, I will keep that in mind, mama." Sharaina smiled and continued weeding.