LOVE ME AGAIN PRIM

CHAPTER THREE

Prem sat on a stool staring at the stars from her bedroom window waiting for Fusha to finish dressing her hair while Fusha teased her about the series of events that had occurred since they arrived at the palace.

It had only been a night and a day since she arrived with her family at the palace but tales of her beauty had spread far and wide. Since that time, her home had been bombarded with unbelievably expensive gifts of fabrics, perfumes and jewelry.

On the night of Prem's arrival with her parents to the palace, two noble families came visiting with their sons. The families continuously sang the praises of their sons until one mother made a scandalous accusation at the other and received a slap to the face. Things escalated and both sons started brawling. Biron called the guards to separate them but took matters into his own hands when both families refused to leave his house. He stormed into his personal chambers and came out moments later with a murderous look and an unsheathed sword, the unruly guests fled for their lives and Vasha spent the rest of the night pacifying her infuriated husband not to take further actions against them. As a result, Biron forbade Prem from going out alone and visitors from entering their home; besides Vasha's immediate family members, but even that couldn't stop the influx of invitations, gifts and proposals her parents received from the nobles and royals in the palace.

Thankfully though, Prem was temporarily saved from prince Arin's advances by the birth of his thirteen children adding to his already outrageous number of twenty- seven offsprings. Ravian tradition requires that parents stay indoors with their new borns till the seventh day, when the parents will come out together before the rise of the morning sun and name the child together in the temple of heaven. Which means that for five days more days she will be free of him.

'There my lady, all done.' Fusha says to her and Prem looks at Fusha's work through her polished bronze mirror.

'I like it' Prem says smiling at her closest friend through the mirror.

'Will you be needing anything else my lady?'

'A good reason not to go would suffice' Prem responds.

'I pray my lady would see the sunshine behind the clouds in our situation. Your hand is been sort after by the wealthiest and most powerful families in Ravia, surely it is a blessing to us.'

'How is it a blessing to us Fusha?'

'I for one have been blessed with more than a years wages in the past two days.'

'Fusha!'

'Its true. So many people have been meeting me with gold and presents, so as to put a good word about them and their sons to you.'

'Yet you have said nothing?'

'I never told them I would, I simply nodded at their every word. Silence can never be misquoted my lady.'

Both women burst into fits of laughter for several minutes, then Prem said, 'at least one person benefited from my predicament.'

'One! My lady the entire household is benefitting from it. Just this morning the house cook was offered his weight in gold to pour a love potion in your meal.'

'What?'

'Luckily, he is loyal to your family and gave the potion to your mother. Your fathers men are dealing with the situation as we speak.'

'I will speak to my mother now.' Prem says standing up.

'And tell her what? Where would you say you heard it from? You will not say anything to anyone my lady for the safety of this house. You've seen how far the royal families are willing to go to win, do you really wish to fight them,'

'Then what do I do Fusha? I can't just sit and do nothing.'

'We play dumb and innocent my lady. We play dumb and let them fight each other'

'Play dumb? Seriously Fusha.'

'Right now my lady, the most powerful houses in Ravia are out hunting and you are the prey. Here and now is neither the place nor the time to play hero my lady, if we make the wrong move here; we will die.'

'I hate it here Fusha.I didn't want to believe my mother when she told me about the level of madness here, I just believed her panic attacks made her exaggerate the situations. If I didn't experience this myself, I would never had believed it. Now that I see it myself, I want to go home and never come back here.'

'We will my lady, once the cudanians arrive and your father is finished with his business here. We will all go back, but for now we will wait but we trust no one.'

'So now what?'

'Tonight, we make you the most beautiful woman is all of Ravia, we give them the spectacle they wish to see.' said Fusha bringing out prince Arins gift.

'I am not wearing that dress Fusha.'

'Forgive me my lady, I will have to overstep my boundaries for the sake of your safety and insist that you do.'

'I order you to put it back Fusha.'

'Please my lady think, this dress is too beautiful to be picked by a man. Prince Arin would never know how to order for the making of a dress this beautiful and all of his sisters are married to nobles too far away, plus he would never give such an assignment to any of his thirty-six wives, which leaves us with only one suspect, his mother-the queen.'

'I feel choked Fusha, I can't do this.'

'You have to my lady if we are to survive. Your father is already risking too much as it is by shielding you in the house. Did you not think it strange that the queen herself asked for your presence in her chambers. Not your parents but you.'

'IWhat does she want with me?'

'I don't know, but I do know that she is an enemy we do not need.'

'But won't people think that by wearing the dress I have accepted the princes proposal?'

'I am counting on that my lady. Wearing the dress will simply mean that you've worn the dress and nothing more, but if everyone else misreads your intentions including the queen they only have themselves to blame, not you.'

Prem looks at Fusha mischievously and says, 'seems like all those nights listening to Padarios boring lectures and assisting him with his work weren't for nothing Fusha.'

Fusha blushes and responds , 'my lady jests.'

Prem holds Fusha arm gently and asks, 'when will you tell him of your true feelings Fusha? You know my parents do not care about class, and my mother loves you like a daughter, so why won't you tell him.'

'My lord Padario is immersed in so many responsibilities and does not have time for the silly crushes of a teenage girl.'

'Do you fear his rejection Fusha?'

'I fear losing his friendship my lady. General Padario trusts me and I am content with that. Even if he never realizes nor reciprocates my feelings I am content my lady. So please do not worry about me.'

'Padario would be foolish not to see what is before him.'

'You honour me my lady, but tonight is about you so, strip'

Prem is washed and lathered in sweet smelling oils. She is then dressed and adorned in beautiful jewels.

'Are we done yet?' Prem asks impatiently

'Just one more thing my lady', Fusha responds and picks up a small nife to cut the stings in Prem's hair.

'Fusha! I sat for almost the whole day to make that hair and you just ruined it.'

Fusha smiles saying nothing and continues to remove the strings till there is none left. She begins to set the ringlets of hair in place with pins of precious gems.

'There, my lady now we are done' Fusha says.

Prem looks at the mirror and can hardly recognize herself.

Her straight, light brown hair had transformed into beautiful wavy locks and her flawless skin glowed like the sun. Her beautiful blue eyes shimmed like the gemstones on her dress and the dress fit her like a glove, revealing the curves of her bosom and waist. Prem stared at her reflection, surprised at transformation.

'Well my lady, where are my compliments?'

'I don't know whether to hug you or kill you Fusha.'

'Come princess, the commander with princess Vasha are waiting for us.'

The two young women walked out from Prems chambers and through several passages to enter into the family lounge . Several servants and guards they passed by were either bulging their eyes or dropping objects in surprise at the sight of Prem. When she enters the room where her parents are waiting for her, her mother gasps at the sight of her while her father who is talking to a soldier turns around to look at her. She moves closer to her parents and her father closes his eyes taking a deep breath and exhaling.

'Make it fifty men' her father says to the man

'Yes my lord' he responds and leaves.

'Father I need you to promise me some thing.'

'What is it my child?'

'I need you both to trust me tonight and not interfere in anyway.'

'Prem?'

'Father please listen to me.You both have protected me all my life and you have taught us to be brave and strong in the face if adversity, but this is my fight and if I hide behind you tonight, I fear I will be hiding for the rest of my life. I need to face this madness myself, and fight it my way. Please trust me.'

She moves closer to him, holding his huge hands in hers, 'Father, promise me.'

They hold each others stares for a few minutes before he nods his head in acknowledgement. She smiles at him and bows, touching his feet in respect and he touches her head in blessing. She does the same to her mother and her mother teases her saying, 'my baby is now a woman.'

Vasha applauds Fushas efforts and Biron rewards her with a sack of gold before the family heads out in a waiting carriage to the dwelling palace of the king and queen.