The Coronation Ceremony

They say that time pass like wind and just like that, it was Moremi's day to be crowned princess.

She sat before a large bronze mirror in her chambers, her shoulders held stiff as Nyala and Ayanna fussed over her.

They could see her expression all day.

Their princess's thoughts was all over the place.

She could hear the palace buzzing outside and she knew the villagers were already present on the grounds.

Since King Jelani was one to keep celebrations like this a private affair, only the most trusted allies, a handful of neighboring dignitaries, and villagers including the Azuran king and his son, Yovana.

The scent of palm oil and herbs filled the Moremi's room as Ayanna worked her skilled hands through Moremi's thick, coiled hair, braiding it with gold thread while Nyala, ever chatty, applied a fragrant powder to her skin.

"You've heard the stories, haven't you?" Nyala said excitedly as she traced a line of kohl beneath Moremi's eyes. "Prince Yovana is said to be the most handsome man in all of Azura. His skin shines like polished ebony, and his smile—"

Moremi's eyes narrowed. "His smile hides sharp teeth, Nyala," she muttered. "He's as wicked as a serpent. I've heard enough about him to know he is not going to be what I want in a man."

Nyala sighed dramatically, brushing the princess's cheek with a soft cloth. "You worry too much, my princess. Handsome men are not always wicked." She turned to Ayanna, seeking backup. "Isn't that right, Ayanna?"

Ayanna remained silent, concentrating on weaving a final strand of gold into Moremi's braids. She clipped the end carefully and whispered, "A serpent often wears beautiful scales."

Moremi smirked. "Thank you, Ayanna. At least someone understands."

Nyala rolled her eyes playfully and clasped a necklace of finely wrought amber around Moremi's neck. "Well, I choose to believe things will work out. He is your betrothed, afterall." She shrugged at the princess before moving backward to admire her beauty, utterly fascinated by it.

Moremi stiffened at the mention of the betrothal.

"No."

Her sudden word startled them as they turned to furrow their brows at her.

"No?" Nyala asked.

It was clear the princess was having a spiral of emotions.

"What is it, my princess?" Nyala asked when she didn't understand why Moremi had made that statement.

Moremi dropped her arms, her face scrunched in worry.

"Yovana is not my betrothed. Not yet. And if I have my way, not ever." She said with a straight face.

She was not excited to see him at all and deep down, the only person she was currently worried about and wanted to see was Akan.

She knew the poor man was dying in the dungeon and if she didn't quickly find a way to get her father to release him, she was sure he wouldn't make it alive.

She had visited him the previous night and had seen how his condition worsened.

However, she didn't let the two girls know what she was thinking. Instead, she clouded her thoughts and tried to brighten her face.

If she wanted her father to grant her wish, she would have to just tolerate the Azuran prince for today.

At least.

"Nevermind." She shook her head at the miads, brushing it off. "You may continue." She brought her hand up again.

Meanwhile, Nyala and Ayanna stared at each other, not knowing what to say concerning Moremi's statement.

"We're done, princess." Ayanna managed to voice out when the silence became uncomfortable.

Moremi gaped at them before standing up slowly, her ceremonial gown of deep blue and gold cascading to the floor like flowing water.

She took a moment to admire herself in the mirror, her reflection glowing with ethereal beauty, but her eyes, sharp as a hawk's, were filled with unease.

"Thank you, ladies." She said, forcing a smile as the both of them bowed in gratitude.

Moremi was the type to always make them feel appreciated whenever they helped her. It was something they had grown accustomed to.

...

In the compound of the palace was joy and chatter as well as gongs beating melodiously with a few men dancing round a fire.

King Jelani watched with pride from his carved wooden throne.

Seated beside him were the Azuran king, King Malawi and his son, Prince Yovana.

"I hope you are enjoying our wonderful culture, King Malawi. Our people are happy to see you." King Jelani turned to the men who had only just arrived a few moments ago and were led to their respective seats.

"Of course, I am delighted to be here." King Malawi replied with a smile as he looked at the villagers who stood around the fire, far away from the royals.

He gauged their bodies and clothes, comparing them to his own people and he his the smirk the almost formed on his lips.

"Your villagers are very warm people." He complimented instead, looking at King Jelani.

However, that was not what was on the King's mind.

To Malawi, Mandinga's villagers looked unkempt and impoverished like they were sick and starving and deep down, he knew this had been part of what made the so called dignified king accept Yovana's request for Moremi's hand.

He knew his kingdom's wealth was dwindling compared to theirs and while he wanted to improve it from this union, Malawi wanted his son to rule alongside Moremi, having control of two kingdoms.

Basically, they were each seeking their own interests.

An alliance with benefits for each.

"Thank you, King Malawi. I must say your son, Yovana here is quite the handsome one. Moremi will love him." Jelani continued the engagement to not make their discussion become awkward.

"Oh he is." The king nodded at his son who sat just a bit farther from them.

Yovana could hear them just fine from where he sat but he played dumb instead as his eyes scanned around for the princess.

"I wonder where she is." He told Vekar who stood behind him with his hands at his back.

There were other guards present from Azura but they were away from the higher ups.

Yovana's sharp features and dark, calculating eyes scanned the ceremony with idle curiosity, his fingers drumming against the hilt of a jeweled dagger at his side.

"Be patient, Your Highness. It is her coronation today. She surely would take time to get dressed."

"Oh please! Spare me those trash." He snorted, rolling his eyes. "What does a woman wear for a coronation? Aren't they just gowns and jeweleries? I'm sure it's just a frivolous excuse for her to primp and preen."

Vekar narrowed his eyes at the prince's words before looking to the kings to make sure they didn't hear this.

"Women and their obsession with dresses." Yovana commented again and Vekar cleared his throat, his expression a mask of diplomatic neutrality.

"If I may remind Your Highness, the coronation gown holds significant cultural and symbolic importance. It's a tradition passed down through generations."

Yovana waved his hand dismissively. "I'm aware of the tradition, Vekar. But why must it take her so long? Can't she just throw something on and get this over with?"

Vekar decided to not speak any longer as he knew how little of value Yovana saw women.

To him, a woman's coronation to rule a kingdom felt like an insult to them.

Why would he sit to watch a woman get coronated to the station of a man?

To make it worse, the so called Moremi was nowhere to be found, wasting their precious time and making them wait on her.

This infuriated the Azuran prince and he really hoped the princess was even worth the hype he heard of her.

Since he had nothing to do now, he began observing the women that surrounded the compound— maids and other females who stood and walked past as he eyed their bodies lustfully and one could tell what he was thinking just by capturing his gaze.

The ceremony began as King Jelani continued to chat with King Malawi, the both of them now speaking of the white men.

"I hear they have a weapon that could kill anything from a distance with just a sound." Jelani was the first to speak and that was the first statement to come out of his mouth.

It thoroughly fascinated him hearing of guns and pistols and he was curious to see such a weapon that was rumoured to do such evil in a second.

"Ah yes!" Malawi exclaimed. "I must say, it has been one of the best of their inventions that has been sold to us in exchange for our slaves." He commented with the light atmosphere and unbeknownst to him, his last sentence had caught the ear of a few elders who were seated by the sides of the palace.

On hearing about the slaves, Jelani's smiled faded immediately as he turned to stare at his elders who were also startled by those words.

King Malawi, oblivious to the tension continued, "They buy young boys from us in exchange for silver coins while the women are bought in exchange for their inventions." He said with a proud face before gesturing to a bag not too far away from them that he had brought along.

Immediately, the guard walked forward to where the king and his chieftains sat as the elders eyes followed the bag, wondering what was in it.

They looked at each other in confusion as they were too stunned to even speak after what Malawi had said.

"In honor of my future daughter in-law, I have brought a few of the inventions and gifts these white people have sold to us." He signaled to the guardsman and he opened the bag immediately, drawing the attention of the crowd that was present there.

The villagers who stood far away, dancing and vibing to the gongs and drums that were being beaten suddenly stopped in their tracks as they watched the guard begin to pour out things they had never seen before.