??Beautiful??
(Ifeoma)
Written by Rejoice Jeremiah. C?
EPISODE 18?
?The Dream?
(30 minutes later)
?Ifeoma?
“Yes, it’s gummed… It’s strong on the scarf now. After twenty years it’s back at where it belong,” The Prince said and I smiled.
“Yes it is.. You’re happy right?” I asked.
“Yeah of course.” he said. “It’s beautiful right?” he asked..
“Yes it is.” I answered.
“It would fit me more if I wear it around my neck..” he said and wore it around his neck.
I chuckled and said, “Sincerely, I don’t think you should wear it. I think you just have to keep it around you. It look too girly for you to wear.”
“Really?” he took it off his neck. “Then you wanna try?” he asked and tried tying it on my head but I stopped him.
“No you can’t… You can’t. It’s yours. Just keep it,” I said.
“I wasn’t trying to give it to you,” he said with a smirk smile.
I smiled.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you about your friend, Charles. Where’s he?” I asked.
“Well he’s in his room. Actually I told him to leave but he refused. Saying he’s staying back until he’s ready to go back..” he said.
I raised my brows. “Why did you tell him to leave and the maidens too?”
“They will be in danger if they stay in this palace. I have to protect them by dismissing them from this palace,” he said.
“But the maidens aren’t gone too. Your father, the King didn’t let then leave?” I asked.
“Yeah he didn’t. He said that would bring a lot of chaos in the kingdom and also be a disrespect to them,” he said.
I heaved a sigh and asked, “So what are you going to do. You are going to let the Contest go on?”
“No way, I’m not gonna do that. I’ve found a bride already and it’s you. I’m gonna tell my father and I will know what to do,” he said.
“Are you being serious? I’m a poor girl.. My father doesn’t even get the respect he deserve just because he has no son. I doubt that this decision is ever going to work out. If your Father say no, you can’t disobey him. He’s the King. No one disobeys him,” I said, feeling sad.
He took my hand and squeezed it softly, looking into my my eyes.
“You don’t have to worry about all these. I’m gonna make you my queen.. It’s my choice, my decision. Let me deal with it,” he said.
I breathed out, feeling a sudden dizziness. A strong one that can’t be resisted.
My eyes were shutting.
“I..I have to go now… I don’t want Uju waking up and won’t find me in the room, also I need to escape the dozen guards.. I will you in the morning,” I said.
“It’s just eleven, you can stay a bit more then leave,” he said. I could also feel his eyes closing.
“Are you dizzy?” I asked him.
“Yes, really,” he said.
“You can sleep while I go,” I said as I tried to resist it but in the next second, I had drifted into a deep sleep.
I guess the Prince too.
“”””””
A knock sounded on the door, waking me up from my sleep. Uju was sleeping on her bed.
Uju doesn’t sleep so deep so I wonder why she didn’t hear the loud knock on the door too.
Anyway, I went to the door and opened it to see a strange old woman holding a long stick and tying the shinning star scarf on her head.
‘How did it get to her head?’
“Who are you?” I questioned.
“You are Ifeoma Okeke. Follow me to the upper floor,” she said.
I raised my brows. “How did you know my name, including my surname and what are we going to the upper floor to do?”
“If you sense ev!l around me, then don’t follow me but if you don’t, come with me. We have to hurry,” she said.
I sensed no ev!l around her.
“I would follow you only if you tell me who you are,” I said. “Why are you wearing the Prince’s scarf?”
“I’m here to end the evils looming about this palace. You shall know who I am when my mission has been accomplished. Now do not waste a time and follow me Ifeoma,” she said, turned and began walking away, heading to the main building.
I glanced at Uju who was sleeping peacefully.
Then it hit me.
“I thought I was with the Prince, feeling dizzy and I think I drifted off, How did I end up back in the quarter?” I asked myself before running to meet the old woman.
“You are confused about how you came back in the quarters?” she asked.
“Exactly, how did I? Do you have an idea? Did you do that?” I asked her.
Another thing I noticed was that, there was no guard anywhere.
We went freely without seeing any guard at any door or at any corner.
“You came back through a dream,” she answered.
“What? A dream?” I asked, confused.
“Yes.. Right now, you are in the dream world and this is where the evil Akaka are going to get their end,” she said.
“Who are the Akaka?” I asked.
“They are the evils that possessed the Princess, their realm is at the spirit world and this is why we are here,” she said.
“What about the Prince and the Princess?” I asked.
“The Prince is also in the dream world with you. Whatever you dream is what he dream too. You both are in this same dream world including the Princess,” she said.
“So how is it going to be possible to defeat the akaka in a dream world. This is only supposed to be possible in reality,” I said.
“I told you that if you want to defeat them, you have to fight them in spirit and this is why you are here,” she said.
“But how come you know a lot about this akaka?” I asked.
We stepped into the upper floor and entered the corridor.
“I told you that I’m going to tell you who I am after my mission is accomplished,” she said.
We got to the Princess door and saw it wide open and what I saw shocked me to my bone.
The Princess was hanged up with her neck in a rope, inside her room.
She was still alive, struggling to get freed.
“Princess!!!” I screamed and rushed into her room and was about to rush to save her but the strange woman halted me.
“Don’t move!! It’s a trap! Don’t go to her.”
I halted. “The Princess needs to be saved and you say it’s a trap?”
“Yes it is… Step back and go to the Prince.. You have to protect him. Go now,” she said.
“I should go to the Prince?” I asked.
“Yes, go, now..” she said.
“Okay, okay” I moved back… “But what about the Princess?
“I will save her,” she said.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Do not doubt me, go now and protect the Prince. He’s the King of this kingdom!” she said.
“Okay..”
Just as I took a step towards the door, the Princess stopped struggling and erupted into an evil laugh…and in a second she was standing right at the floor with the ropes gone.
“Oh my God!” I exclaimed.
‘This old woman was right’
“Go now Ifeoma!” The woman shouted at me. I stepped back, turned and ran off to the Prince room.
I got to his room and without knocking, I entered and saw him sleeping.
But as I closed the door, he turned.
‘He wasn’t sleeping?’
“My Prince, are you alright?” I asked.
He sat up.
“Yes, you’re here,” he said.
“Yes, I have to stay here a lot of things are going on right now.. I’m here to protect you,” I told him.
“Protect me? Is the demon coming?” he asked.
“I think so but there’s an old woman and she’s fighting the demon right now… She told me to come protect you,” I said.
“An old woman?” he asked.
“Yes.. She is wearing your scarf. She is really fair and tall for an old woman like her but her eyebrows and her hair are all gray. She came knocking on my door and we ended up at the upper floor,” I said.
“Does she have a big birthmark onto her forehead?” he asked.
“Yes she do… Do you know her?” I asked.
“My grandmother and my father also, described her to me. She’s my great grandmother but she’s dead a long time ago. How is it possible for you to see her?” he asked.
“I saw her and you might also see her because we are in the dream world not the reality,” I told him.
“The dream world?”
“Yes… We are fighting the akaka through the spirit,” I said.
“Who’s akaka?” he asked.
“An evil cult in this kingdom. They possessed the Princess to kill you,” I told him.
“My great grandmother told you?” he asked.
“Yes…” I answered.
He stood up. “Then I should go and meet her cos I have a lot of questions for her.”
“No you can’t right now. She’s fighting a battle. You have to stay here. She promised to tell us everything once she defeats them,” I told him.
He turned to me.
“Are you sure she can do this alone?” he asked.
“I don’t know but I think she will. A sensed a great power within her. A really great power so greater than mine,” I said.
“If she has the scarf then she must have come here. She owns the scarf. My grandmother told me that it was given to her by my great grandmother..” he said.
I walked to him and took his hand. “Come and stay over here while I gather up some things that can a demon if they come,” I said and dragged him to the edge of the bed and he sat down.
“And what are they?” he asked.
“Let me start with very pure white clothes. Sorry but I’ll have to search your wardrobe for them…” I said and rushed to his wardrobe..
I opened the wardrobe and began picking out white clothes.
In a minute, I’ve spread them everywhere on the floor.
“What again?” he asked.
“Uhm I don’t know.. I guess this is okay,” I said.
“Are you even sure about these ones? Is that going to chase them away” he asked
“I’m not trying to chase them off, I’m doing this to weaken their strength. I once heard from my father that this helps,” I said.
“Talking about your father. I heard from a guard that he came to the palace. Did you meet him?” he asked.
“Yes I did..” I answered.
“Is everything okay with him?” he asked.
I heaved a sigh.
“Yes everything is okay..” I said, pacing about.
“Your voice doesn’t sound like everything was okay,” he said.
“It was. He just came around to see me since it’s been a week he did,” I said.
“Are you lying to me Ifeoma?” he asked.
I stopped pacing and heaved a sigh.
“You cant tell me that you read minds right?” I asked him.
“I guess I do now since we are in the dream world,” he said.
“He told me to go home with him but I disobeyed him,” I said.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because whenever I use my power, he feels it.. He hate to see me use my power because he think I’m going to end up using it for evil. He think my mother was killed by her sister who inherited the power… You see, I wasn’t supposed to inherit this power because in my mother’s family, only the first daughters inherit it and pass it to their first daughter who pass it to their first daughter and my mother wasn’t a first daughter so I wasn’t supposed to inherit it but I did, shockingly. At first my father was cool with it but when my mother died, he disdained it. He forbid to hear it and the worse was him having the feeling anytime I make use of it,” I told him.
“I’m sorry about all these Ifeoma, really I am,” he said.
“It’s okay. I have to be focused and expect the akaka. They might come for you anytime.. I don’t want to be distracted by discussion,” I said.
“Once this is all over, I promise to make your Father never to regret having you as his daughter. Everything is gonna be alright once this shit is over. If I survive this, I’m gonna make this work and we are gonna spend the rest of our lives together, you and I, happily married and we are gonna have beautiful kids,” he said.
I inhaled.
“You are very beautiful Ifeoma and you deserve the best from me. The best side of me, I know I’m not perfect buy I’m gonna try my best to be perfect for you.. The few days with you had been the best days of my life even now,” he said.
“Please stop it.. I just need to concentrate. I have to protect you, don’t you get it? If you have to do all this then you need to be alive,” I said.
“””””
(Two hours later)
?Prince Eric?
“It’s two hours now and nothing has come…including my great grandmother. She’s not here yet..” I said.
Ifeoma was still standing and pacing about.
“She’s still fighting them. She’ll be here soon. I should have gone with her. This was my fight but she wanted to just fight it for me,” she said.
“I think I’ve heard the name akaka before.. I guess that was when I was little, from my grandmother but I can’t remember anything she said about them then,” I said.
She turned to me. “Really?”
“Yes but I really think you should come have a seat. You’ve been standing for too long,” I said to her.
“No, I’m fine. I can’t sit when there is trouble around. I’ll just stand here and wait for your great grandmother..” she said.
“We have no idea when she’s gonna be here, so come seat for awhile,” I said.
“No, I’m fine..”
“Please Ifeoma…”
“I said I’m fine.. Really,”
“You..” I was about to start insisting when suddenly the door opened and an old woman holding a long stick walked in.
The exact description of my great grandmother.
“I’ve returned with great news,” she said.
“Great grandmother?” I called.
She smiled.
“You have great news. Is the Princess saved now?” Ifeoma asked her.
“Yes, the Princess. Not just her but every body whom the akaka hold captive by possessing them with demonic powers. Also the akaka have been destroyed and their corpses lay at the market square in the reality world.. This is the end of evils in Anaeze kingdom. From onward there shall be no more akaka and there shall be no more black magic,” she said.
“This is good news.. So where is the Princess?” Ifeoma asked.
“She’s sleeping peacefully on her bed. She shall wake up just like you two will and she shall remember hurting everyone and shall beg for forgiveness. Let her be forgiven,” she said.
“Great grandmother.. Thank you so much for coming to our rescue,” I said.
“It would been a very dangerous war for me but you came and fought my battle, thank you so much great mother. May you always be remembered in our hearts,” Ifeoma said.
“Yes, it would have been a very dangerous fight for you and you would have won also but I didn’t want you to do this fight..” she said.
“Why?” she asked.
“The fight would have been in the reality world and lives would have been lost even though you would defeat them at last. Your father and the King would have died, even Charles who would have sacrificed his life for his best friend, the Prince,” she said.
“But how did you show up and brought us into the dream world?” I asked.
She untied the scarf. “This opened the portal from the ancestral world to the dream world.. I would tell you about myself. I had powers, very strong power when I was alive years ago and all I wanted was to do good with my power. I wanted to save lives and bring happiness to people with my power. I wanted to make the world a better place with my power. So I birthed the hood, Akaka. It was a group which consist of people with same power who want to go that journey with me. The hood became a success and our good targets were being achieved. We were only but five members. This went on until I left the leadership in Ukenne hands and left the reality world and everything changed. Ukenne turned into a demon, turned two of the others into being evil and killed the other whom refused to be part of evil.
Now her subordinate are ten with her as the queen but their end had come. They are now laying lifeless at the market square at the mercy of hungry vultures.” she narrated.
“My mother, I remember her mentioning the name Akaka when I was little…now I know. It was once a good hood,” I said.
“Yes it was…When I found out my time was near, I made this scarf with magic and I gifted it to my daughter, your grandmother to protect herself and call on me with it each time she is in trouble but your grandmother also passes it to you when she was dying but there was another reason why she did.
When you were born, I saw your destiny. I saw that evil will try to come to you so I told your grandmother to pass this scarf to you for protection but then I found something else. You have another protector. A lady who would save you several times and also try to fight the evil from getting to you but she’ll be a maid from the palace. Also I saw you and her together, you as the king and she as, your Queen…. Your destiny is connected with her and it can’t be destroyed or stopped,” she said.
I looked at Ifeoma and she looked back.
I smiled.
‘I knew it…that I have a strong connection with her’
“Do my parents know about this? My father, my mother?” I asked her.
“Your father had known even before you were born but he refused to tell anyone not even your mother. That was why he sent you to the white man’s land so that you don’t get the chance to see the palace maid. Also he persisted you to marry immediately you return because he’s scared if you come back without getting a wife instantly, you would get the opportunity to see the maid. Even though he doubted it but he was afraid for it to happen. He doesn’t wish for you to marry a mare maid but that is your destiny and it can’t be changed no matter what,” she said.
I heaved a sigh.
“Now I know why my father lied about him being sick and wish for me to get married immediately I return so he could pass the crown to me but I returned and he doesn’t even look like a sick old man,” I said.
“You don’t have to worry dear son. Your father would have no choice than to let destiny take charge. This is yours,” she said, walked over and handed the scarf to me.
“Keep it safe and make use of it when necessary. I bless the marriage of you two. You shall have great sons and daughters and you shall rule this kingdom in wisdom and harmony. Now I take my leave but before then. You both need to sleep and I’ll help you with that,” she said and raises her stick…
Well I never got to know when she left or disappeared because my eyes went shut.
I guess Ifeoma’s too.
“””””””””””””””””
(??)
?Ifeoma?
I struggled my eyes open from sleep..
My sight was blur at first but then it began vivid and I found my face only few inches from Prince Eric’s own.
Also, he was cuddling me and our heads were on the same pillow, facing each other.
I smiled, admiring his sleeping face.
‘He’s handsome. Uju was right afterall.’
He opened his eyes.
“Hey beautiful,” he said.
I smiled. “Do you have to call me that. I’m not beautiful, you know it.”
He smiled. “You are.. Look at your eyes, your nose, your lips. They are the most beautiful eyes, nose and lips I’ve ever seen.”
I chuckled.
Our face still inches away from each other.
“Don’t flatter me,” I said.
“You know I’m saying the truth. You also have the best smiles and beautiful set of teeth,” he said.
I smiled. Seriously that made me smile.
“And your hair..” he caressed my hair.. “..The perfect style for your beautiful face,” he said.
That made me blush.
I smiled. “Thank you.”
“But…how did I end up on the bed. I thought I was sitting at the couch?” he asked.
“I told you, that we were in the dream world. This is reality. In the reality I remember us drifting off on this bed,” I said.
“Wait, you had the same dream that I had?” he asked.
“Yes I did… It was all your great grandmother’s doing,” I said.
“Then I think I should go check my sister Ola,” he said.
“Yes I think so too,” I said and in a minute we were hurrying to her room.
The day has broke and the sun was out already.
I wonder if anyone know that I spent the night in the Prince room.
Well, I guess they will..
I’m ready for it.
____________
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