The day had darkened into a cool evening and the air in the palace oozed with tension and anxiety.
"What do you mean you can't find Jemima!"….. the king slammed his reading table in anger. The frightened messenger kneeling afar of, pleaded for him to calm down but the thought of his missing daughter worsened his strong uneasiness.
A slight knock on the door interrupted his rant and immediately after, the doors opened to the queen who rushed in with a worried look on her face.
"My king, what is this I hear about the princess being nowhere to be found?"....
The messenger immediately rose to his feet and left the room, leaving the king and queen alone with themselves.
" commander Ish reported to me that all the guards who followed after the princess early this morning were found dead in the green forest"…..
"oh no!"….. the queen gasped loudly.
Silence roamed the air for a while until the queen finally spoke. She got up and sat beside her husband, slowly rubbing his back.
"Nothing is going to happen to her, trust me."...she spoke gently, in attempt to comfort her troubled husband.
After a while with him, she excused herself from his chambers and moved towards the palace courtyard. With 6 maidens following after her, she strolled in her traditional gown with a satisfied look on her face. A palace messenger ran towards her and immediately bowed.
"Your highness, The leader of the Jobmen has arrived to see you"…..
"Good. Send him to my chambers and keep him there till I come "….she ordered immediately.
"Yes your majesty"…..
In a short while, she reached her chambers built in elegant cedar wood and pure gold. The maidens bowed as she walked in between them. She opened the door to her room to find the leader of the bandits nervously sitting and awaiting her return.
At the sound of the doors creeping open, he jumped to his feet and immediately bowed to the queen.
"Good job Mano, Good job"…,,.she praised him continuously. The anxious look on his face slowly destroyed her satisfied joy.
"What's the problem Mano?"...
"your highness please forgive me for I am unworthy of your praises. I failed to execute the princess and she got away, being rescued by a strange commoner"….
"What nonsense are you spewing right now?!"….. she yelled in anger.
"I couldn't fight him off and he threatened to kill me like my men If I —".....
"you must be foolish Mano. What am I going to do now!, "....fear clouded her thoughts.
"What if she shows up from nowhere and ruins my reputation, saying I sent bandits after her in order to create room for my daughter as the crown princess?"…..she muttered to herself. Mano knelt in front of her, pleading for forgiveness.
"Get up Mano, Go now and find her. Bring her corpse back or else I will make sure you become one"…..the queen spoke gently with an evil gaze planted on her face.
"As you wish your highness"…..he answered quickly and then exited the room.
The queen called out to one of her court maids and immediately she came rushing in.
"Get me Amia now"…..she demanded.
"Yes My queen "….. the maid replied, leaving the room immediately after.
meanwhile, Yan returned home and to his surprise, he saw Vernon in a friendly conversation with the princess who dressed his wounds.
"What's going on here?"…..he asked in a confused tone.
"Yan lower your head. This is the crown princess and she has graced us today with her presence "…. Vernon quickly added.
The princess smiled at him as though she was expecting him to obey his father and properly greet her but as usual, he rolled his eyes and ignored her. Left embarrassed again by Yan, she turned to Vernon with a quick smile.
"It's fine father. He helped me earlier so we are more than Royalty and subjects. We are more like friends"…..
"Well that's good to hear"...Vernon smiled as he spoke.
"Father , how are you feeling. Do we need to get you checked by a physician?"...Yan interrupted their conversation in a worried tone.
"I'm well okay son. What did you get us for dinner, especially the princess?"…..Vernon continued.
"I'll roast the fish I caught at the Kidron river and we will eat that for dinner "...
"No!, the princess must eat something more to her standings"...Vernon scolded him immediately.
Yan whispered in his ears with an uneasy look on his face.
"Why should we do that father, after all, she owes us."…..
Jemima pretended not to eaves drop on their little conversation but Yan's disrespect began to infuriate her. She saw how Yan loved Vernon and would do anything he says and somehow she sought a way to use that to win Yan's favor.
"Father don't bother yourself with that. I'm just a princess not God, I'll eat whatever you give me"…she smiled in a persuasive manner.
"Who is she calling father?"...Yan scoffed to himself.
"No your highness, you are injured. You must eat well so that when you return to the palace, you won't return malnourished"…..Vernon smiled back at her.
With a deep breath, Yan held back his words and reluctantly obeyed Vernon.
"I'll roast some fish and plantains."…..
"that's better right?"…..he turned to Jemima.
with an innocent look as though she wasn't enjoying the attention, she replied "yes" and continued her conversation with Vernon.
The night came. The crickets sang louder and louder as though they were in competition with the mosquitoes. Vernon had gone back to bed and Yan remained awake with the princess. She laid on the mat in the cottage but could not fall asleep because of all the mosquitoes and heat. She was used to two maidens fanning her and singing her to sleep in her warm silk bed at the palace unlike Sleeping at the cottage which seemed like torture; and with annoyance, she rose to her feet and went out just in time to catch Yan enjoying the view of the dancing fireflies.
"I told you the mosquitoes wouldn't let you sleep"…. He spoke up first without turning to her.
"I don't know how your father is able to sleep. It's really overwhelming "…..she instantly agreed.
"The police officials hurt him"…..Yan started.
"Yeah, I heard"….
"I'm still mad at it, but he's strong so I'm willing to let it go and quit my constant picking on you"…..A quick smile brightened his face.
At the sound of this, she felt more comfortable and a slight feeling of happiness.
"when I get back to the palace, I'll make sure I get them all disciplined and punished for the way they have treated the people"...
"I hope you do"….. he chuckled to himself and then turned to her with a cute smirk which made her heart flutter.
"Why aren't you sleeping?"….she quickly changed the subject.
"I like watching the fireflies. It helps clear my head of some things going on in there"….
"I usually strolled round the blue pond at the maiden chambers whenever I needed to clear my head and get some air"…..she moved closer and then sat beside him.
"Tomorrow is going to be a long day for me so I'll go in to sleep now"….
"Okay then. Sleep well "…..she greeted as she watched him leave.
After a while of being gone, Yan peeped from the room door at the princess who sat outside, dozing off. After a short stare , he came out and picked her up in his arms and took her inside. He laid her unto his blanket and covered her with a thin silk like material.
"This should help keep the mosquitoes away and leave her some air"…..he said to himself. After watching her for a while, he got up and left the room, unknowing that Jemima had been awake the whole time. She came outside to catch him sleeping on the bench and with a smile, she covered him with the silk blanket he had covered her earlier with, at the same time watching him sleep.
"I guess he's not a total jerk"….she smiled to herself as she continued admiring him.