The Noble Daughter of Maribah

When they finally got to the meeting place which was a stone throw from the main palace, the meeting had already begun and as Zeeps feared, Soma was already in charge of the meeting. 

Her sister turned to glare at her then and Asha knew if eyes could kill, she would have been dead from her sister's menacing stare. 

Majestically, they walked towards their own spots and took their seats quietly. She was no longer putting on her pretty robe her father had gotten for her for the event but an ordinary dress they had hurriedly gotten from one of the houses on the road. 

She knew all the daughters and relatives of Chiefs who were present were giving her an awkward stare and probably thought lowly of her, but she didn't care. It wasn't a new thing for them to criticise her for not being just like them. 

"I see the Dramidis are here. Good of you guys to join us just at the right moment" Soma said, with a condescending look on her face. 

Shocked by the news, Zeep rose swiftly to challenge Soma.

"It's not in our nature to be late for important meetings… we just had…"

"No need for any explanations Zeep. Important decisions have been made by important people. I will be in charge of conveying our meetings to the royal house."

"You can't make such important decisions without every daughter of a chief in attendance"

"Well, we did! Are you going to cry about it or should we proceed? If you wish to cry about it, perhaps we should talk to the royal mistress and see what she thinks about your lateness"

Zeep sighed and sat forcefully on her seat. 

Asha could see Zeep frowning because it meant a lot for her to be the one to talk personally with any member of the king's family. She hoped to have a private time with the Prince or even catch his eyes. She wasn't growing any younger and she needed to find a husband soon and a royal one for that matter. 

Everything about the meeting bored Asha and she wished she could be allowed to roam the market free, or the river or any part of the village, discovering new things. But her father had insisted that she be here at the meeting with her sisters. He had said something about being too old to be wandering the land all alone. 

"So, we've decided there will be a dance for the prince and we've carefully selected, I mean I have carefully selected the dancers from those who arrived early!" Soma stated, her gaze fixed on Zeep like she was daring her to object. And Zeep did just that. 

"That can't be! You can't exempt us from every activity just because we arrived late!" Zeep screamed, her anger burning intensely. The other daughters couldn't even utter a word of complaint or any word at all for or against Zeep or Soma. They were like the Queen bees of the privileged daughters and everyone feared them. 

"Why not? I was made the leader of this meeting and every other aspect of this celebration!" 

"Well, that's not right! One person can't be in charge of everything when there are over 15 of us here!" Nena stated strongly, hoping to get some supporters from other younger ladies in the gathering. But they all held their faces high, ignoring her. She sighed then and turned to look at Asha. Her hot glare blaming Asha's stupidity for being the cause of everything. Asha bit her lips painfully because she truly felt guilty for how things were turning out. 

"I know and I hope that This very celebration will determine who amongst us will be getting married to our precious king and who will continue to remain an old maid well one the age of marriage!" She turned her eyes to Zeep as she said this and she could hardly control her burning anger. 

Asha couldn't figure out why everyone teased her sister about not having a husband, especially since she went through her womanhood rites just three years ago.

"What about the hunting games? Would it be done this year by the royal bloods? And the moonlight games too? Are we ladies going to take part in it?" One of the young ladies asked enthusiastically. They all knew her for being so excited and unable to control her emotions but Asha liked her and they could have been friends if she wasn't so unpredictable and always eager to please the other daughters of chiefs. 

"Of course, Omi. Can there be a day for royalty celebration without all these side activities to make them fun? I will of course be the prince's personal assistant on that day. I would help him clean up before and after his hunting game" Soma smiled sheepishly, her long teeth sitting pretty in her mouth. 

Asha turned to see Zeep shift uncomfortably like her seat was too hot for her. It was no secret that both girls were rivals and were both seriously vying for the prince's attention. The prince! Asha thought bitterly, he wasn't even all that. He was ill mannered and arrogant. There was nothing to like about him or his other brothers. But there were two beautiful young women fighting over him. 

"So, Zeep and sisters, your duties on that day would be to make sure everywhere is clean and that the hunters have fresh water and food throughout!"

"Mind you, we are no servants! Just because we are late because of my silly sister does not mean we deserve to be treated like servants. We are the daughters of Chief Japthan Dramidi, the bravest and wisest chief…"

"Spare us Zeep, we know your history. You're also the first daughter of a chief to be unmarried at your age! Yes! Some say you've been cursed!"

"That's so uncalled for!" Asha shouted and all eyes turned to her. Why had she spoken? Now, all the haughty stares were directed at her!

"Oh shut up! Asha! This is your fault, silly girl" Zeep barked. 

She could the sound of laughter bursting all around because of her sister's unkind words and she wondered why she had even tried to defend her. 

She just couldn't wait for the meeting to be over so she would be back home and help their cook make the sumptuous dinner of yam porridge and bush meat. 

She was still thinking about how sweet the food will be when a servant entered the gathering bearing cups of sweet orange juice. 

"Did I give you permission to enter? Have you forgotten where you are or whose daughters stand amongst you?" Soma questioned the servants slowly, her slender neck pulsing with veins, indicating she was gradually losing her temper.

Asha observed the maid's mumbled apology, realizing it was the same girl her mistress had been hitting earlier. Why was she subjected to this treatment again? It deeply saddened Asha that servants were treated so unfairly, as if they weren't human.

"Just get in and share them with everyone before I lose my temper and give you a beating your mistress has never given you before!" Soma breathed heavily. While Soma's harsh treatment amused the other girls, it deeply pained Asha.

"So, with all of events arranged and with all of us aware of our roles, it's time for us to give audience to other members to talk about issues I may have forgotten. Any pressing issues?" 

"Yes, the prince's younger brother is becoming a brute by the minute. Sometimes, I wonder if he will ever make…" she suddenly stopped to avoid saying the wrong word and continued again. "The other day, I was at the stream, he accosted me and wanted to…" 

"What are you insinuating?" Soma screamed down at the girl who looked nervously around as the other ladies watched her with demeaning looks. 

"You've made the floor open… you should at least let her speak her mind!" Asha screamed on top of her voice, unable to hold her anger towards Soma's utter disregard for others. 

There was a pause as Soma boiled in anger, carefully thinking about the words to hurl at Asha to show off her power. She moved quickly to the center of the room to be closer to Asha and that was at the same moment the servant girl making her towards there. They collided and the orange juice spilled on Soma's radiant robe. 

There was a gasp from the other ladies while the servant quivered where she stood. It was all Soma's fault but she knew everyone would blame the girl and she wouldn't take it. 

The next series of events unfolded too quickly. Asha recalled witnessing Soma's hands striking the girl's face twice, and suddenly, she found herself standing between Soma and the servant girl.

"What do you think you're doing?" Soma questioned as Asha held her hand in a tight grip.

"You've hit her enough! Let her be!" Asha retorted.

Soma attempted to free her hands, but Asha held her tight, causing her to trip and fall to the ground. A collective gasp filled the room as Soma hit the floor, capturing everyone's attention, including Asha's sisters. A tiny speck of blood appeared on Soma's lips, and she screamed in horror. Asha realized she had landed herself in deeper trouble – a significant problem that might result in a severe punishment.