"Ali!" She called entered into the Royal physician department.
"Mother!," Prince Ali bowed his head lower respectfully as he greeted his mother.
"Uncle Ali," Little Princess Ella rushed to him to give him a hug as she hadn't seen him for some days.
Prince Ali carried his little sister up in his arms as she was only five years of age, his mother had given birth to her at an older age.
"You will have to go and wait for me outside Princess Ella, I need to see what's wrong with the lady" Prince Ali said as he pointed to Princess Alesa whom laid unmoving on the bed, while the Royal physician performed some treatment on her. He noticed as the royal physician placed the wet leaves on her forehead it dries up immediately, indicating she was a witch, the Royal physician gulped and dared not say anything about his patient being a witch to the Prince nor his mother whom stood waiting for him to tell them what was wrong with her.
As the Royal physician already saw the worried look written all over Prince Ali face, he continued doing his treatment, backing the Queen not to see the dried leaves.
"I can't go out brother, there are witches outside and they will catch me," Princess Ella interrupted his thoughts as she cried in his arms refusing to come down as she held on Prince Ali warrior cloth not wanting to come down and hiding her tender little face on his chest.
Prince Ali smiled and said to her, "See I was just coming from outside the palace now and there was no witches there."
"Really..?" Princess Ella asked as her face beamed in the dark room, only seeing the burning lantern, the royal physician gulped knowing the prince had lied to his sister making him to choke as he began to cough.
Prince Ali immediately placed Princess Ella down and turned to face the Royal physician with worried look written all over his face. The Royal physician quickly took hold of a glass of water and gulped it down immediately to soothe his dried throat.
"Come Ella, let me escort you back to your room as your maids are not here," Queen Mahama spoked as she offered her hand to little Ella, just as she led the cute beautiful girl back to her chambers, Princess Ella spoked,
"Is it true mommy that witches don't exist?," She asked her mother just as they both climbed up the stairs holding each other hands.
"I don't know about that Ella, but the legends are true," Queen Mahama replied, as her little daughter was still being taught about their history, legends and customs of their land and the other kingdoms surrounding them.
Queen Mahama knew that no matter how she tried to explain further about the legends to her cute little daughter, it will only become too complex for the little girl to understand. Just then they both spotted one of Princess Ella's maid, and she came over to escort little Princess Ella back to her room, but Princess Ella refused.
"No, I want my mommy to follow me to my room, witches might appear at the night and catch me," Little Ella screamed and ranted out, not wanting to follow her maid back to her chambers as she held on to the hem of Queen Mahama's garment.
"Ella, you don't talk about the witches here again or have you seen one?,"questioned Queen Mahama as she pulled her daughter little arm away from pulling off her gown.
"Fine let be, I will escort her back to her room," Queen Mahama dismissed the maid, "But Ella you must promise me, not to make mention of witches here again, do you hear me?," questioned Queen Mahama.
"Yes mother," Princess Ella replied and looked downward.
"Good girl, now come let's go back to your room" Queen Mahama said as she held her little daughter's hand, while escorting her back to her chamber and carefully put her on her bed to rest asking her daughter's maid to read some sweet bedtime story before she turned and left her daughter's chamber exiting the door.
Queen Mahama quickly remembered that she saw some dried blood stains on the woman her son had brought into the palace dress, she sighed and hoped it wasn't what she was thinking it as she walked back to the royal physician department to see them, and to also know whom the lady truly was.
Prince Ali had not yet returned back to his chambers, as he still stood watching as each wet leaves placed on the beautiful princess head dried up instantly it touches her forehead, his suspicion kept rising that she might have lied to him about her true identity and she might be also be a witch as he knew about the wet leaves effect of witches, he kept silent watching the royal physician do his job.
"Will she get better?" He finally asked the royal physician, as he was still concerned knowing he was the cause of her predicament.
"Yes your majesty, she will. She seemed to have fainted," The Royal physician said, not daring to say much words as he knew about the Jalin people too, having being a half cast too.
Although the King of Kande hated Jalin people and forbids entry of anyone found to be from Jalin kingdom, and they do not accept using any products or herbs that comes from Jalin kingdom except on crucial cases.
Prince Ali watched as the Royal physician kept on placing different leaves on the princess head, from one leave to another kind of leave and they were all drying up as soon as it touches her forehead, he had to ask to clear his suspicion.
"Why are the leaves drying up, is that how it normally works?" He asked the royal physician, wanting to know if that's how it truly works or the princess was the cause.
"Yes your majesty, that's how it works and the recent changes in climate is what's affecting it potent, extracting the remaining life out of the plants to cause a severe famine, that's why it drying up," The Royal physician replied.
"I see" Prince Ali hummed, just then did Queen Mahama came into the room, she shifted her gaze and looked at the beautiful lady lying down on the bed and she was marvelled at her beauty.
she has never seen such kind of a beauty before, and her jaw dropped seeing how charming and alluring the lady looked. She wondered where her son had seen such a beautiful young girl from as she continues to stare at the sleeping beauty, she turned to her son to ask him as she had not seen such type of a beauty before
"Ali, where did you find her and what happened to her?," She asked, as it was also the duty of the prince never to lie to any member of the royal family especially his parent.
Prince Ali smiled and replied her faintly, "Mom, I meet her at the river bank."
"Which river bank?," Queen Mahama asked seeming interested to know where her son had meet the beautiful lady from as she had never seen such a magnificent beauty since she was born, there wasn't any woman in the whole of Kande Kingdom as beautiful as the girl she was staring at.
"The Soso River bank in Acan Kingdom," Prince Ali replied.
"Really? What's she doing there with you, and how did you come about her to bring her here, was she attacked by the witches?," Queen Mahama asked, as she shifted her gaze away from the beauty to stare at her son.
"No mother."
"Then what happened?," She questioned him again.
"Hmph.." Prince Ali sighed just then Princess Alesa coughed and immediately sat up straight as she was still in a dreamy state.
"My Love!," She called out to Prince Ali and he stiffened, even Queen Mahama stare in shock.
He barely knew this girl and in less than 24hrs and she has taken his pride and given him hers, fainted in his arm and now calling him 'her love', he frowned and she subconsciously cried out, startling all of them whom stood beside her bed watching her, including Queen Mahama whom also stared at her in shock.
"My love are you rejecting me now?" Princess Alesa cried as she asked him with her eyes closed and tears started falling down from the corners of her eyes. Prince Ali immediately rush to her side and held her stretched arms around him, wrapping it around him waist as he hugged her and patted her back to calm, rubbing her back slowly and she finally calmed, feeling some warmth from his body against hers, she stopped sobbing and Queen Mahama blinked her eyes severally to see if she wasn't dreaming at all.
After some minutes passed by she fell back to sleep, sleeping in Prince Ali's shoulder as he held her close to his body. The Queen watch in awe, as she looked at the beautiful woman whom was displaying drama just now, was she daydreaming?.
Prince Ali kept her down slowly and gently, as he supported her back and head to rest properly on the pillows, she was already in a deep sleep. So he put her head down gently to rest back on the pillow, Queen Mahama came forward and stare properly at the sleeping beauty.
"Where's she from?," She quietly asked Prince Ali, knowing that the news will soon spread and get to her husband's ears that his son had brought in a total stranger to the palace and a beautiful female at that.
"She said she's from Acan, The Princess of Acan," Prince Ali replied faintly and Queen Mahama stiffened, "Which of the Acan princess? I heard their king as many illegitimate daughters, after his first wife left him, so what did she say her name was?," Queen Mahama questioned him again, knowing of only one princess, even though she hasn't met the princess before, she was quiet familiar with the princess name as Princess Alesa.
"She said, her name is Princess Alesa of Acan Kingdom" Prince Ali replied, sighing as he shook his head, he stood straight and wanted to go out to his chambers, but he heard his mother screamed
"Wow! is she really the one? I have heard so many gossip about her, she's truly beautiful, a beauty to behold," Queen Mahama spoked as she gushes over Princess Alesa beauty.
"Mom, I have to retire back to my chambers now and change my clothes," said Prince Ali and Queen Mahama nodded in agreement giving her son some space to pass and go out of the Royal physician department.
"Take good care of her Doctor, she's indeed a beautiful girl, I will come back tomorrow morning to see her when she's awake, or don't you think she will be awake in the morning?" Queen Mahama questioned the Royal physician as she was about to leave and the Royal physician immediately replied,
"Yes my Queen, she will be awake, I will put in my best."
"Good, I will see you tomorrow morning," Then Queen Mahama turned and left the Royal physician department in their castle, going upstairs to her chambers.