Akinidad Linette has finally arrived in Carthage, the palace of his uncle the great King Masinissa Linette Duah II, where he will be guided on the roles and responsibilities of Kingship, and hopefully become the king his mother the Queen have always wanted him to be.
Carthage serves as the biggest village and biggest palace in the Kingdom of Ptolemaic since it serves as the residence of every King that comes to serve the people of the Kingdom.
In this palace resides the great King himself and his daughter, Princess Nala, cousin to Akinidad, and hopefully supposed to get along till he is king one day, hopefully.
Due to the beauty of the prince, speculations have always began to rise in respect of his real identity and why such beauty lies in the body of a masculine instead of a feminine.
Hakeemi is the son of one of the servants of the King who as found love in the Princess and hoping to end up with her if no obstacle stand their way, The princess has been in love with him for a very long time and thought her father, the King has no disapprovals towards their relationship until the sudden appearance of prince Akinidad Linette of Azurethra.
Due to the coming of the prince, Akinidad Linette, speculations are beginning to rise in respect of their relationship which lies on the pillars of their future and the future of the Linette lineage.
Oh! How I wish I were a young girl (Still dancing)
All she can think about at this point is wishful dream of being younger in getting the attention of the prince
Amari: What would you have done?
Zibo: I would wait till there is a big festival and when the drummers begin to play the Kizombo tune and…you provide the basic Kizombo rhythm (She tells Amari to hum the Kizombo tune so she could demonstrate her dancing skill) with your mouth and I will show you what I mean.
(Amari begins to provide the rhythm supported by a soft sounding hum)
Now, let's suppose you are the prince, sitting at the durbar… the drums would be playing… (There is a real Kizombo music softly from behind them) I shall go before the prince, smiling and do obeisance before him.
Zibo: (Screaming in excitement) I have won! I have won his heart! I have won the prince's heart!...
Amari: Hey! Are you crazy? Stop hallucinating. What have you won? (They all break in laughter)
Zibo: O, (wishfully thinking)! All the same, I wish I were a young girl. I would pay anything to dance with him. Just that!
Amari: I would give myself to him just for his smiles. (Suddenly growing furious) if age and time had not deprived me of youthfulness, I would have been…hmmm…why at all was I born forty years ago and not a little bit later? (Amari laments with a sort of disappointment in her voice)
Zibo: That's the question I also asked myself when I first set my eyes on the prince. (She responds with same disappointment)
Amari: And did you find any answers to it?
Zibo: Oh yes! Simply because my father married my mother at the wrong time. (Laughter)
Amari: You are crazy. Don't forget even if we were born in the same age as the prince, we are still slaves and no royal would be allowed to mix blood with us.
Zibo: That is true. Anyways, that reminds me. Have you sat to think of why the prince should be brought to the palace at this particular time?
(Zibo says in almost complete silence)
Amari: Our Lord, the Great King is old, and needs someone young to understudy him and the prince being…
Zibo: (Interrupted immediately)That is what people are being made to believe. Let me tell you…
(Looks about furtively and speaks undertone)
Its all for the sake of our mistress, the Princess.
Amari: You mean our princess Nala?
Zibo: Yes, our princess Nala.
Amari: (With a confused face)I don't understand.
Zibo: (Undertone) The king wants the prince to win the heart of the Princess so that when…
Amari: That can't be true. Our Princess is in love with Hakeemi, the Gieschen's son, you know that. Furthermore, the King hasn't expressed his disapproval of their relationship.
Zibo: That is what you think. Tell me, where is Hakeemi now?
Amari: He has been sent to supervise the labourers on the Kings farm at Tietiesbaai.
Zibo: And why should it be Hakeemi when the Akuafohene of the palace is around?
Amari: Perhaps, you have to tell me. (Begins to nod in agreement)
Zibo: It's all part of the grand scheme to prepare the heart of the princess for the arrival of Akinidad Linette. Can't you see what am seeing?
Amari: (Almost to herself) I am now getting the picture. The King disapproves of his daughter's association with Hakeemi, so he sends him far away. That was when our Princess wept for a whole week, and the king wouldn't allow us to send messages from Hakeemi to our Princess or from the Princess to Hakeemi. Then the Princess seemed to forget all about him.
Zibo: And that is the most dangerous period in a woman's life. Most women let down their guards completely, or better still allow their alertness to go blunt – unconsciously though and are tempted to accept anyone that comes their way showing the slightest interest in them.
Amari: Our Princess found herself in that situation.
Zibo: I wouldn't doubt that.
Amari: And the King cleverly brings a suitor unto the scene. (She says with enthusiasm)
Zibo: He has thrown a bait down the river, lets see if the hungry fish would swallow it.
Amari: How I wish I were a fish, I would swallow everything, hook, line and sinker. What do you say? (She says with a broad smile on her face)
Zibo: (Almost to herself) Here is a beautiful fish, and over there is an equally tempting bait. (Pause) Hmmm…who knows, may be for the first time in history, contrary to human expectations, the hook may swallow the fish.
Amari: I want to understand one thing. Why would the King want two cousins to marry?
Zibo: Very simple; that way the stool and wealth of the kingdom remains in the family for good.
Amari: My goodness, I now understand. I now see what length men will go to sustain aristocracy in society. Eiii men, hmmm…
Zibo: Sh…sh…sh… I can hear footsteps approaching. Yes, someone is coming.
Amari: Its mealtime and I must go and set the table for the king.
Zibo: I am going to fetch water for the Princess for her evening bath after meals. We shall meet again some other time.
Amari: Sure, and as soon as I hear something new, I shall come over to you.
Zibo: Please do, because things are really happening.
(They bot departed hurriedly through separate ways to attend to their chores)
It is accustom in African society for one to marry from his or her tribe or clan, so as to keep the lineage and wealth of the family right amongst them, and we can clearly see all that manifesting itself in this story.
The presence of Akinidad in the palace has raise a whole lot of speculations about the King wanting his only daughter, the Princess, not only win the heart of the prince but to also end up marrying each other, in other to keep the throne in his lineage.