...36...
I AM AFFIANCED TO HIM
For the whole of that day, they had neither lunch nor dinner, no food and no water as commanded by Princess Hera-Mera.
They stayed by their Lady's side till the morrow.
They were unable to do a thing except sleep, watch over her and absolutely nothing else.
The dawn broke with their Lady looking pale and sickly.
Vura checked her thoroughly and discovered then that she was running a high fever.
She suspected that the Lady's untreated wounds were to blame for the symptom.
The Princess must have applied some sort of thing to the whip before using it to cause her lady unbearable pain.
Xiera called for help from the guards standing outside the cell—the ones who ignored them totally.
It was Hayeesha who came in, having bribed the guards on duty.
She brought them as much snacks as she could carry, with medicine and ointment.
The Lady didn't speak to any of them, just hurdled by the wall, with closed eyes.
The maid left after a few minutes and Xiera tried to coerce their Lady into eating.
But, she refused to do so.
She also refused to take the medicine and refuted for the ointment to be applied onto the wounds on her back.
And before the noon hour, their Lady's condition got worse.
Yet, their dire request for a doctor to be summoned was ignored over and over again.
And soon, she slipped into an unconscious sleep.
Meanwhile, somewhere else, the Little Prince sat on his golden throne in his palace.
His aide, Octavia was standing right by his side, as always.
He was sitting there amd listening to matters of his manor.
Such which he had not been able to do since his elder brother, the emperor kept him so busy most of the time.
He was trying to think of a solution to a matter when one of his trusted men walked into the small gathering.
He was Danlis, just one out of his best swordsmen.
He calmly came up to his throne and stopped.
Then, he rendered a deep bow like he always did although it wasn't actually necessary to do so.
'Greetings to My Munificent Royalty,' he greeted the Little Prince.
He remained in his bow despite having completed his obeisance.
'Thank you Danlis. Now please rise, stand upright in a way befitting of your status,' he said through gritted teeth.
He hated when Danlis always performed this exaggerated extravagant bow.
It wasn't necessary.
'Have not I told you to not always do this?' he murmured.
'Thank you My Lord,' Danlis said, straightening. He had a small hint of amusement in his eyes.
The little Prince quirked his brows at him in frustration.
'You are just so keen on stressing me out of the remainder of my life, right Danlis?' the Little Prince questioned him with a small groan.
Danlis smiled broadly.
'My Munificent Royalty is bound to live long and prosper, assisting the emperor till the end.'
'Then mayhap it is you who will have a short life span, for the both of us can not coexist.'
Danlis chuckled at the Prince's words despite knowing the meaning behind it.
'I will not do anything to your life span My Lord,' he assured him.
The little Prince shook his head slightly at the warrior.
He was fed up of him.
'Oh whatever!' he groused. 'What brings you here Mighty Man?' he asked the fierce warrior.
Danlis had been known to kill hundreds of men on the battle field without batting an eyelid.
'I bear news which might be important for Your Munificent Royalty,' he said.
'Where is it from? It is not about war right?' he simply asked him nonchalantly.
'No My Lord, it is not about war. But it might start one. It is from the manor of Lord Linamine,' he informed him.
The warrior's were allowed to address the Emperor by that title, especially warriors who were knighted by him.
The little Prince sat up in his throne at the mention of that.
His brows rose in question.
'What sort of news? What and who is it about?' the Little Prince asked him with a fixed gaze.
The warrior hesitated.
The little Prince was quick to suspect that something was definitely wrong.
'It is about the woman who seems precious to the Emperor.'
The Emperor's woman?
This news, it must be serious if it could lead to a war as Danlis had said.
'What has happened Danlis? I know that the Emperor is away."
He realized something then, his mouth hanging agape.
"Has she attempted yet another escape and finally succeeded?' he asked in a tense voice.
He hoped she has not.
His brother was going to cut of his neck if it was so.
'No,' was Danlis' monosyllabic reply. He sighed at the affirmation.
'I'm relieved.'
'I am not sure you should be My Lord,' Danlis told him.
Of course nothing would be more worse than her escaping, or was there?
He thought otherwise when he noticed the uneasy look on Danlis face.
He might just be in for some fresh trouble with his elder brother.
'What has happened to the Lady Danlis? Please quickly tell me before my heart leaves me!' he pressurized the warrior who was unknowingly killing him with the suspense.
'I think she was locked up somewhere. I heard the maids from the emperor's manor whispering about it as I went to the Royal gardens to gather a bit of flowers.'
His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped at the information.
Locked up and emperor's woman in the same sentence?
That couls not be so.
'Who would dare?!' he demanded in a loud voice.
His hand clenched into fists.
'It must be Princess Hera-Mera My Lord. It is only her who would think to do such in this situation," Danlis continued to say.
The little price slammed his fist against the arm rest in anger.
"How dare she?!" He bellowed as his nostrils flared.
"She has been parading like a peacock in the Royal manor ever since the Emperor left there. I even heard that the residents are afraid of her.'
The Little prince facepalmed.
What on earth was that Princess Hera-Mera feeling like?
He turned to his aide.
'Go and get me a trustworthy maid from the Emperor's manor Octavia!' he ordered.
"Yes my lord," Octavia said.
'The healer preferably!' he added, seething like boiling water.
'And that would be me My Munificent Grace,' a feminine voice disrupted him.
All turned to see Hyeera as she stepped into the spacious hall.
"Hyeera?" he asked, surprised to see her because she was right on time to his palace.
'Yes My Munificent Grace!' she answered him with a bow. 'I am at your service,' she continued.
'What is this unpleasant news that I hear about your lady, Hyeera?" He asked the healer.
Silence replied him.
"It cannot be rumour because the news was brought to me by my trustworthy man,' he quickly inquired from her.
The doubt embedded in his sharp blue eyes were doubling.
'If it is about My Lady being imprisoned My Lord, then it is definitely true."
The Little Prince closed his eyes in exasperation and frustration.
"Princess Hera-Mera had her whipped with a poisoned two mouth whip and threw her into the dungeons," she added.
Maximlian felt a cold chill run down his spine at the words.
Whipped? Poison?
His brother was going to kill somebody at his return.
He prayed desperately that it wasn't going to be him.
"I was unaware of this matter until dinner time. I went and tried to reason with the Princess, but she would not reason with me."
"Hera-Mera didn't bulge when you spoke to her?" He asked.
Hyeera shook her head.
"She wanted to imprison me too but I plead my way out. I tried to get to My Lady, but was stopped. I also discovered My Lady has had nothing to eat since yesterday."
Something gripped his chest tightly, constricting.
He almost couldn't breathe.
"Since yesterday?" He whispered as he imagined his brother's sword stuck in his neck.
"Yes my lord."
The reply did worse things to him than the entire story.
Something began to cook, bubbling deep inside of him.
He had been in the palace and his brother's woman had been badly mistreated by Hera-Mera.
"She barely had anything for breakfast and her wounds must be quite painful due to the poison from the whip, yet she even refused any medication."
"How do you know all these? Did you go to see her in prison?"
Hyeera shook her head.
"No. I heard all of these from the maid who made a visit to her in her confinement."
Whatever was bubbling, it exploded instantly.
'Why are you just coming to me now then with this matter Hyeera the Healer?!' he barked at her in an infuriated tone.
Hyeera bowed low with a remorseful stance.
'The Princess will not let me leave the manor. I used a healer's way to leave when I was sure that she would not renege on her decision of forcing me to stay put and came to you," she explained.
Maximilian sighed, rubbing his forehead tenderly.
"I am sorry My Munificent Grace that I am late with this news,' she said to him with a small bow.
'Let's go!' he shouted angrily, standing to his feet.
Hyeera rose at his words.
"Ready my horse Octavia and prepare me a retinue of strong maids. The kind that can take out my anger properly.'
Octavia understood.
'Yes My Lord,' she said with a small bow, knowing exactly the kind of maids her master, the Little Prince wanted her to prepare.
'This meeting is adjourned till my return!' he snapped at all of the people present.
They all bowed in obeisance and left, leaving him to prance the room in complete anger.
Some minutes later, they were all riding to the Emperor's manor, including Hyeera who was given a horse and the four maids that Octavia had personally chosen.
If these maids couldn't do the job very well, she was very much available to do it.
Her master was only just being considerate of the Draco Princess by not choosing her, Octavia for the job because of her efficacy.
They soon arrived at the emperor's manor.
The Little Prince glanced around the manor which was bubbling normally with activities.
But he sensed the unease and tension hanging carelessly, the kind his brother didn't bring.
This type was made out of fear.
It was an oppressive manipulative kind and not out of respect, like the one his brother commanded with his royal presence.
The Dtayco Princess must have seriously gotten into each of their heads if they were all so tensed in their own territory.
He walked up to the door.
And she was there, just inside the door, smiling sweetly at his appearance.
The staff must have informed her of his arrival prior.
'Ah My Munificent Royalty!' she greeted him with a dignified bow.
He nearly snorted but kept his anger in check.
She straightened and stared at him with a mawkishly smile.
He, in turn, studied her with his sharp eyes, questioning her actions without speaking.
'Why are you here, in the Royal Manor, receiving guests on behalf of the emperor?' he finally asked her after half a day of pointed staring.
She continued to smile broadly at him.
'Oh that!' she answered him.
It was in a way that suggested that she thought it was a trivial matter that he was supposed to know.
'I am affianced to the emperor remember, My Munificent Royalty?' she answered him with a question.
She flashed him another annoying smile that did nothing but greatly piss him off.
'Affianced? I don't think that gives you the right to leave your quarters and come and act as the mistress of the manor in the emperor's absence!' he snapped at her with annoyance.
'Well, it does because I am soon to be Lady of this manor. The emperor has acknowledged that My Munificent Royalty,' she informed him.
'Really Princess Hera-Mera? Is that really so?' he demanded of her with raised brows.
She nodded at him before proceeding to speak.
'I am only trying to practice so that I can quickly fit into this role properly when the appropriate time comes for me to do so.'
'Soon to be Lady?' the Little Prince mused inaudibly with a small scoff. 'And, you see nothing wrong with such?' he asked her. She shook her head just as he expected that she would. She was a shameless peacock as Danlis had implied. What made her think he would believe that his brother had told her anything concerning their betrothal? She was most definitely out of her mind.
'Is there a problem My Munificent Royalty?' she asked him.
'I only want to know, what other duties do you perform save from receiving guests on behalf of the emperor Princess Hera-Mera Dracon of the Draco Kingdom?' he simply asked her.
'I do a lot to ensure this smooth running you see,' she bragged as she gestured with her hands.
He gave her a dirty look.
But she chose to ignore it and carry on with her chatter.
"I see to the kitchen. I also keep up with the servants and ensure smooth running of other household sections."
She was bragging now.
"A woman's touch is definitely different. You cannot compare it to the emperor's touch."
He was tempted to just reach out and peel the useless smile off her upmost irritating face.
'And you do this with whose permission?' he queried her. 'Oh I forgot, the emperor's permission,' he answered his own question in a mocking tone.
'Yes My Munificent Royalty. I spoke to the emperor and he acknowledged me as his affianced. I have told you that already and besides you know what that absolutely means.'
Her audacity irked him.
'Where is Lady Rose? Where are her aides, Vura and Xiera?' he demanded in a voice that betrayed the extent of his unbridled fury.
'I will get them here My Munificent Royalty,' she said with a smiling face.
She did not seem to be shaken by his hard tone.
She turned to a maid.
'Get them for me,' she snapped.
'Yes Your Highness,' the maid answered her with a bow and left to do as she had been bid.
'Where have you sent them to?' he asked her.
'Then are in the dungeons, the aides and their mistress,' she said with so much courage.
His heart constricted.
So she had actually dared to imprison the emperor's beloved?
All of them were goners.
'You did such and you have the right to still speak so nonchalantly?' he questioned her in a trembling voice.
He was shaking from the fury bubbling inside of him.
'Well, they defied me. I was only teaching them a lesson. They dared to go against me, even waving the emperor's seal afore me. They stole it, I know,' she prattled.
'They brought you the emperor's seal?' he inquired.
'Yes,' was her answer.
'And I am sure that they welded it, did not they?' he continued then with his questions.
'Yes My Munificent Royalty,' she nodded after saying that.
Frustration tightned like a boose around his neck.
'And yet you still had the guts to touch them, despite that?!' he asked with obvious fury.
'They stole it My Munificent Royalty,' she said to him with so much confidence.
"What made you think that a person could steal such seal from my brother?" He roared.
"I am sure they stole it, that woman and her wiles!"
This woman, could she be less shameless?
She was so confident.
He was so angry that he was boiling internally like fresh sesame oil.
'Octavia, where are the maidens that I ordered you to get? I am so furious that I really could do their jobs!' he snapped.
'No My Munificent Royalty,' the two maidens said stepping forward. 'We are here,' they chanted.
The first maid stepped up to Hera-Mera and struck her hard across the face.
Hera-Mera's eyes widened as the first strike hit her.
But she knew better than to defend against it.
She could only stand as the maid repeated the motion, shocking Hera-Mera greatly.
She stepped back and the second maid did same twice.
She stood dumbstruck, staring with cheeks red from the impact.
"What have I done?" She dared to demand from him.
He scoffed in disbelief.
'Put her in her proper place before I lose it!' he commanded.
The maids were swift.
An unexpected twin kick to both of her knees had her kneeling unsteadily afore him.
'What is this?!' she demanded in a high voice, still surprised. 'What have I done?' she asked.
'Oh, you know not?' he asked her with mockery.
She stared at him, or was it glared furiously at him?
'No I do not!' she snapped disrespectfully.
He quirked a brow at her, baffled by her stupidity.
'And you can not do this to me despite being the Prince. I am still affianced to the Emperor!' she defended quickly.
This fool was still playing with the fire.
He hoped that she would be able to stand the burns when the time for that came.
'We shall see about that when the emperor returns to the mess that you have created,' he blurted out.
She stilled, swallowing at the intensity of anger in his feisty eyes.
Mayhap, just Mayhap, she was doomed.
...OmaPhinaPhire