Ada stared at them thoughts swimming in her head blocked out the sound of their music. It was one of the palace guards who found and brought her back to Afudo this morning. She recognised the mark of the royal guards on his right arm. All day he stood silently at the front of her hut daring her to try and run.
Since she had been chosen by the chief priest of Afudo at the age of twelve, Ada had been prepared by different tutors for the prince. She had been taught how to eat like royalty and how to now before the king, how to walk like princess, Ada always listen absent mindedly and trembled In fear whenever she thought about her wedding night. She was expected to always please and never complain. All these years she longed for someone to ask her: Ada how do you feel about this? Many years later she still struggled with the fact that the decision had already been made for her and there was no turning back. Tradition also demanded she never move close to the palace until day she was together married to the prince.
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On the same morning, feet that had tread and conquer many battles stood my the royal palace willed by a consecration to duty and an oath to protect the village of Afudo. Silently winds gently caressed the chest of the warrior who guard the palace. In an instant the movement of a hand cut through the silence and the prince tenth spear hit the circle on the tree heads turned and eyes connected in silent wonder.
Ikenna struggle to quell the feeling of anger and betrayal that wrestled inside him. He picked his eleventh spear and father the momentum to throw, heart pumping and eyes calculating the distance a head, suddenly unable to bottled up his frustration threw his spear down in one defeated motion and cursed loudly , the guards immediately turn their backs knowing better than to get in his way.
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Ikenna what is the matter? The queen asked as she stepped out of her hut with two maid servants. Looking into her son's eyes, she smiled today you will become a man and learn the responsibilities your title --- first as a husband and later as a king she raised her hands and dismissed the maids.
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Mama how can I live a lie when my heart belongs to another? Ikenna asked.
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The queen walked towards her son and raised her head to look him straight in the eyes and say make sure you treat her right, else you'll never be able to rule right.
The prince quietly pick up the spear and threw it down with all the strength he could muster. He bowed before the qeen and walk away making up his mind on what and what to do abusing the love of his life.
He promised her he would go against tradition and the royal family's judgement, but is promises weighed little in the light of his present predicament. He would marry Ada who had been chosen for him, and make life unbearable for her until she left him. Then he would bring his love in, he smiles at the wedding today would come from the foresight of his plans coming true, not from bubbling joy of acquiring a bride who he was neither in love with nor he had ever met.
The whole of Afudo was gathered Nanyi odiochor's house (Ada's house) to escort the bride to the palace hand made drum beats of happiness, and Ada's heart beat respond in sadness as the dancers and masquerade danced to the rhythm of the music.
She looked at herself and saw how beautiful they made her. The wrapper with beautiful red pattern went around her waist and stopped just little above her knees. The same material was wrapped above her chest and stopped a little above her navel. There were heavy red beads around her feet and lighter ones around her waist. Her rich full hair was braided and divided into eight pants each part bearing red beads around them. Her light complexion skin whic had always made her center of attention attention seemed to shine even more brightly today.
Ever since she was a child her younger sisters despised her for her beauty. The eldest in a family of four girls Ada was her father's favourite child. Papa would usually buy her beautiful wrappers and beads with colour that shone on her fair skin. Her immediate younger sister Nneka, was already married to the son of a chief in the neighbouring village Ngozi like Nneka's twin.
Ada sister's and the girls in the village laughed and called her mad when she talked about what she thought about marriage should be. They told her that love was for the birds in the sky and not for the people of Afudo. How she wished she the birds I the sky.
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Iknna watched from his seat in the palace courtyard as Ada approached the palace from distance. He was the groom but there is no doubt that the centre of attention today was the fair maiden in red.
He wonder what she was thinking, she must be overjoyed to be marrying him to someday become the queen of Afudo. As she came closer, ikenna read no emotion on her face she was blank as wipe slate. She was beautiful there was no doubt about that tall and fair with full black hair. Ikenna watched as the red wrapper and beads gleam In contrast with her skin, he reminded himself that she was not the one he loved. As he looked at her, he turned and caught another stares. He saw tears in the young girls eyes and a depth of sadness only he could understand.
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Ada had made up her mind not to make her face a signboard for people to see and read her feelings. She held her head high and decided that if this was her fate she might as well get on with it. From the distance, Ada could see the royal court. In the last six years of her life she hand never crossed this path and now she standing in front of the king and the royal family's
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Nnayi odichor (Ada's father) beaming with pride, walked over and stood by her as they bowed before the royal family of Afudo
'Your majesty the king of Afudo, the lion that protect this land we greet you. I have brought my daughter to the palace as dictated by the gods of this land. May Live long my king
'YOUR MAJESTY THE VILLAGE CHORUSED.