Chapter 2
My Father at age 14, fell in love with my Mother a twelve year old commoner, he met her at a dance festival. When he told his father, he was forbidden to see her again. He was to marry from Kele palace. It was my kuku who had gone to my grandfather the King at that time and told him, it was in his best interest and that of the kingdom to let them marry.
Since my grandmother was a seer, a healer and a priestess, the King saw her words as those from our god "Nyambe"and let them marry. To appease and keep a relationship with the Kele palace he sent his two daughter Malila fifteen years and maliwa a twelve year old . One was given to the then current king as a concubine, and the other was given to his heir to the throne Chani a fifteen years old prince, the current King as a wife.
Kele palace rules, allowed a male royal members and their courtiers to marry more than one wife, so the king was more than happy to have Malila as his concubine.
ll go to see Kuku right now".
I said as I run outside the reception room with nanny on my heels...Kuku's house was in my Uncle's premises, but it was further away into the bushes and near the stream.
I was greeted by a smell of dried herbs that where spread on grass mats under the guava tree. The door to her house was ajar but there was no one inside. I walked to the backyard and yelled.
"kuku, Bo kuku...."
Maybe she has gone to the stream Princess Zae, let's wait here for her."
I was tired from the running so I sat on a bench just outside her door. It was seven minutes later when a twelve year old boy came running in the opposite direction from where we came, he had on a yellow chitenge wrapped around his waist and had nothing on his upper body and was glistering with sweat from having ran here.
"Kuku sent me to call you to the fields"
I looked at the boy whose face showed a trace of mischief but looked honest enough. Even at ten years old, I was a good judge of character. He can be trusted I said to nanny who was looking at the boy with an inert response.
"let's follow him"
"But Princess...."
I was already a distance away from her.
"Are you going to procrastinate or follow us nanny?"
I asked her but didn't stop walking behind the boy who kept looking backwards at me with amazement.
"Are you really a princess?" he asked me.
"What do you think?"
"Well, your demeanour does emit a sense of royalty and you are...."
"what?"
I asked him, curiosity getting the best of me.
"Are you going to finish the sentence?" I asked him impatiently.
"Your are beautiful" he said shyly.
It was the first time someone who wasn't my Father and family and was of the opposite sex had said that to me. Because I had head it many times, it didn't mean much to me, because I knew that I was beautiful. At ten i had visible features inherited from my mother, who was the most beautiful woman to me ever. I had also inherited big brown eyes and a narrow chin from my father. Having gotten no comment from me, he changed the topic.
"What is our princess going to do at the field?" He stopped walking and looked at me.
"Can my princess hold a hoe?"
He asked with sarcasm.
I looked at him but said nothing. I had never done any manual work in my life and as lazy as I was, was just glad I was born royalty.We walked about seventy foot steps and then a big ploughed land came into sight, I could tell nanny was relieved when she saw grandmother who was busy throwing maize seeds in the little holes made by a girl who looked twelve wearing a chitenge that she drapped around her body, through her armpits and tired behind her neck.
There where five children in the fields with Kuku. I only knew two, who happened to be Dalo and Nandi's brothers chilala, eleven, and Sipalo, fifteen. The rest where the boy who escorted us here, the girl who was helping Kuku and a little girl who looked six years old...who sat on the ground eating dirt.
"Why are you here so late Zae? "
Kuku asked paying no attention to me...She paid little or no mind to the royal etiquette.
"I was waiting for you, I didn't know you where here". I answered her.
"Really?"
"Yes I..." I suddenly stopped speaking and thought about her question.
If nanny had asked me the question, I would have, without doubt said
"Yes i didn't know" but when Kuku asked me I wasn't so sure anymore so I kept quiet.
"Did you need someone to tell you where to find me?" she asked laughing
"How can I know if I haven't been told, what sort of stupid question is that?"
All the kids looked at me with faces that elaborated the fact that I was disrespectful to Kuku. They had never heard anyone talk to Kuku like I did, went home and continued living like nothing happened.
Grandmother looked at me but showed no hurt reaction to my response. For a moment it felt like I was just with her in that field, she bent down pinched her self on the thigh, I saw her do that and the pain I felt in my thigh was like no other, I screamed out in pain.Nanny came running to me.
"What is it princess Zae".
She looked at me and her eyes fell on the hand I had on my thigh. She checked and saw a bruise on my thigh. I was in pain but I couldn't cry and be made funny of by these children in the fields with me.
Nanny almost laughed seeing me trying so hard to not cry.
"She got bite by an ant" Kuku said unconcerned. She put the basket with the maize seeds down, went to a nearby anthill, took a little cray and spat on it, she made a paste and rubbed it where my bruise was.
We all believed it was an ant because Kuku said it was.
