She spared a glance at her three sisters, their husbands, their children, and then at her elder brother who had a soft smile on his face as he stared her way. Lifting her hand, she waved gingerly at him, receiving a wave in return. She had not seen him in a while. He was a hunter and married to a woman from the neighboring village where he built his house and chose to stay.
"Welcome the king, Igwe of Azusa kingdom!" A man yelled from the side.
"Igwe!" Everyone chorused in unity.
Immediately the king sat, he waved at them and turned his gaze on Ella.
"People of Azusa, we all know the reason we're gathered here today. Today, we're going to witness the joining of my son; the prince, and the daughter of the Onowu of this kingdom; his betrothed."
The people cheered while Ella's heart raced. She wasn't used to being the center of attention, and she wasn't getting used to it anytime soon, not with the many curious eyes staring at her.
"Welcome the prince, prince Jackson of Azusa kingdom!" The cheers were deafening. At this announcement, Ella's heart missed a beat as it jumped in her chest. She was about to see the man who she was going to be bound to for the rest of her life. The man whose kids she would bear.
She was about seeing the man who would determine if she would be a happy woman or not. No, scratch that, she was an optimist, so, she was sure to be a happy woman. She was about seeing the man who would impute in her every decision, and expect nothing but compliance. A man who would expect submission and love from her side, but what was she to expect from him?
A tense male figure emerged from the massive building, and took his place beside his father, ignoring the noisy cheers of the people. They were giving him a headache.
Ella's eyes widened at the sight of him. He wasn't anything she expected. They said he was fine, that was an understatement. He looked like he fell from a generation of beauty gods. His dark beady eyes framed with long thick lashes roamed her body from head to toe with an expressionless look in them, causing her to shift from foot to foot nervously. She could not be more thankful for her veil.
On his head, he had thick dreadlocks which were weaved neatly together, while some fell over his forehead. His fair skin gleamed. Stubbles adorned his face, making him look even more manly than he already was.
His taunt muscles looked inviting. Why didn't Papa tell her that her betrothed was this….attractive? She could see unmated maidens fan over him, while some now stared at her with jealousy and envy in their eyes. Suddenly, she began doubting herself. Was she beautiful enough, would he like her? Would he treat her nice? She was overcome with thoughts of insecurities which she never had.
He brought out the insecurity in her. Would he dislike her for not being beautiful enough, and marry another woman? She couldn't even bring herself to think that. The queen soon walked into the gathering and took her seat beside the king.
"Let the joining commence." Ella felt her heart skip a beat when the king gestured for her to come closer. She swallowed slowly and willed her feet to move towards the royal family. She made sure to walk just as she had been thought, though she found it hard to do so without almost falling face first to the ground, with all the many eyes on her.
When she got to them, she curtsied, doing her best to avoid the prince's intense gaze on her. She could feel it bore a hole on the side of her face, and she almost felt like he could see her through the veil.
"Take off her veil, Jackson." The king said. The whole place was as silent as a graveyard. From her peripheral vision, she saw the prince tense up. He slowly got up to his feet and walked to stand beside her. Overcome with panic, Ella didn't move.
"Face me." His voice was rough, but velvety. Silky smooth but hoarse. This voice could be any woman's weakness. It sent an involuntary shiver down her spine, and a sweat broke loose on her temple, and she turned to him immediately, nervous as hell.
What if he didn't like her face? Did he even like her brown skin color? Was she just too short, or was he like really tall? She barely reached his shoulder. She would reach if she stood on her tippy toes. She swallowed hard when his fingers touched the hem of her veil. Unlike her, his expression gave nothing away. You'd think he was okay with the marriage if not for his tense muscles and clenched jaw. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there.
Once the veil was off her face, she looked everywhere but his direction as she nibbled on her lower lip in nervousness. Her heart almost beat out of her chest. He stared for a while, which had her wondering if he liked what he was seeing, and then suddenly, he turned away from her and returned to his seat.
He turned away from her, not uttering a word. If one thing was clear, he wasn't as happy with the marriage as she was or at least tried to be. The realization saddened her. The queen gave her a reassuring hug and then the ceremony commenced.
After they had been joined and the rights carried out, the partying, the eating and the drinking started. It seemed like everyone was happy, save for the newly wedded couples. Not even fifteen minutes into the party, the prince was nowhere to be found. For the remaining part of the party, he didn't show up and this worried Bella. Was he okay?
**
The sound of the crickets chirping could be heard as the night grew darker. Her family and the villagers had long left. She was with the queen who was telling her what was to be done on their special night like she didn't already know. As if it couldn't get any more embarrassing, the prince was sitting silently in a corner, watching.
"Is this really necessary, mum, the pep talk? The last time I checked it is our marriage to run, not yours. Stop telling us what to do." Bella cringed at the amount of venom in his words. He looked terribly mad.
"Marriage is a life time commitment, not a job. I'm just doing what any other mother will do." She countered defiantly.
"You're invading our privacy." He grunted, getting to his feet.
"Privacy, you say? What has gotten into you, Jack? You were never like this when I came to visit you in the states. You never talked back at me. I'm still your mother and you're still my son, my only child." She cried out hysterically.
Ella was starting to get uncomfortable with the mother and son argument going on before her, and she wanted out, but she didn't dare interrupt.
"A son you watched his right of marrying the woman after his own heart be taken away from him. I only did this because of you and dad's stupid emotional blackmail. I'm not happy with this marriage and you know it!" That struck a nerve. Ella felt pained. Even though she knew that he didn't want the marriage, him voicing it out like that in front of her was like repeatedly stabbing her heart with a blunt knife.
"And you think I had a choice?" she spoke up.
"You think I want the marriage too? I can't escape it, so I'm willing to try and make it work just like you should be doing!" She snapped. He was making it seem like he was the only victim.
"I'm getting married to the woman I love once all this is over, so do not get your hopes up high." His beady eyes stared straight into her unwavering ones, daring her to say something else. It was like he was looking directly into her soul. Ella felt her eyes water, but she did her best to prevent the tears from falling. All she could see in his eyes was hatred.