Pregnant For The Royal Prince

AT the instant the prince’s royal staff fell off, there was a commotion.

“What!”, King Neel exclaimed as he sat uprightly.

“Son?”, queen Arya called, getting up from her seat.

“Big bro! Jeez!”, Prisha exclaimed as she got up and ran to him.

The maids and guards present all exclaimed in unison, they were all shocked.

Mrs Roshan and her daughter stood in a daze, their eyes widened in shock as they watched befuddled.

What exactly had gone wrong? Why has the prince’s royal staff fell? It was a puzzle that needed to be solved.

One of the guards instantly ran and picked up the royal staff.

“I’m sorry my prince”, he said handling it to him.

He nodded and took it, his eyes still fixed on the lady who looked familiar.

He was more than shocked and surprised that she was the one who turned out to be the childhood friend his mom had so wanted him to meet.

What! Gosh, so this was her? This was the so called childhood friend?

She was the same lady who had laughed at, and called him a pauper at the tourist site, that fateful day he had met the love of his life.

It was also the same lady who had tripped his ever precious niece, and made her fell on the dusty floor, without even as much as a sign of remorse.

So…. so she was his childhood friend. The rude girl!

“Big bro, what’s wrong?”, Prisha asked on getting to him, he ignored her, just staring at the rude girl.

Prisha suddenly looked crestfallen, huh? Was big bro already falling for this lady mom brought? Why was he staring at her? Why?

“I’m not Prisha”, he said, startling her.

“I’m just… I’m just…”, he sighed and turned away from her, looking downwards.

Prisha exhaled, at least he has said he wasn’t falling for her, at least.

“It’s okay Maharana, let’s move to the table”, she took his left hand and they walked to the table.

“Are you alright son?”, Arya asked as soon as he got to them.

Raghav turned to her and halted, staring. Why would she decide to trick him with such a human?

“I’m fine mother”, he looked away, turning to his father, he bowed.

“Long live Maharajah”, he greeted.

Neel nodded.

“And you too my prince”, he replied shortly.

Whatever had caused his son’s royal staff to fall, must be a very serious issue and never meant to be taken lying low, never. He surely must find out.

Whenever the royal staff of a royal member falls without anyone or anything causing it to fall, it shows a sign of bad omen, and such omens brings down a kingdom.

“May you live long Maharana”, Mrs Roshan bowed slightly, smiling sheepishly.

He turned to her.

“May you live long my prince”, Vidya genuflected.

Raghav turned to her too, and the hard stare continued.

He still couldn’t come to terms with the fact that his loving mother, has decided to matchmake him through tricks, like… what the hell?

Meanwhile, the rest of the people present in the dining, were all thinking he had already fallen in love or something… because the stare wasn’t ordinary.

Arya smiled, she knew it, she knew it that her son was gonna like her, yes.

Vidya fleeted a smile, grinning from ear to ear. Oh my! The prince already likes her? Yes, the way he stares says it all, she continued smiling and blushed all the while.

“Oh please”, he said and made to sit close to his father. Everyone turned to him.

“What?”, Arya quickly asked, looking intently at him.

“Tell her to better stop daydreaming”, he said, sitting comfortably.

Arya’s face turned sour, she instantly knew it, he had read her mind.

“Huh?”, Vidya mouthed.

Arya turned to her, smiling.

“Oh daughter, it’s nothing. Just sit please”, she motioned to them.

She didn’t want to disclose the fact that he reads minds to them, so they won’t feel creeped out or something.

Mrs Roshan sat, but Vidya kept standing, her face now turned sour.

“What’s it Vidya? Sit”, her mom said to her.

She ignored her and remained standing, still looking downcast.

“Vidya? What’s the problem?”, Arya asked and she turned to her.

“It’s the prince your grace, he is supposed to sit close to me”, she pouted.

“Oh!”, Arya mouthed and slowly turned to him.

“You heard that baby, go sit close to her”, she said.

Raghav scoffed, ignoring her.

“Jeez! I am talking to you Raghav”, she said, her voice a pitch higher.

“Sorry to interrupt mom, but can’t you see Maharana doesn’t want to sit close to her? He is okay where he is”, Prisha said, making a face.

Everyone turned to her, Vidya fumed. Why must this little rat open her gullet to vomit rubbish always? Gosh! She is such a pest!

“Prisha!”, Arya called.

“Yes mother, please can we just go on with the dinner? My stomach has been rumbling, I can’t bear it anymore, gosh!”, she said, rubbing her stomach.

“You better keep your mouth shut. You…”.

“Can you just forget about this argument and get on with the dinner Arya?”, Neel interrupted in a deep coarse voice, startling everyone.

Arya’s face fell in disappointment.

“But my Lord, Raghav is supposed to sit close to her, so they could do some catch-ups, you know it’s been since childhood”, she complained.

Raghav scoffed, childhood indeed.

Mrs Roshan watched all that was happening in shock, what is the meaning of all these? The dinner should just go on please, she was beginning to get fatigued already.

Neel turned to Vidya who still stood.

“Young girl, please sit. Prince Raghav is difficult, we told you that”, he said.

“Told her that? I thought you said they were childhood friends, she is supposed to know then”, Prisha said looking from her father, to her mother.

“I thought so too”, Raghav said, scoffing.

Fuming, Vidya quietly took her seat, she was really begining to loose this.

“Fine”, she said.

Arya sighed then signalled to the maids.

“Get on with it”, she ordered and they began dishing out food.

*

*

*

Amaya stood close to the window as he sipped the alcoholic wine from the small bottle in his right hand, his left hand thrusted in his trouser pockets.

He suddenly stopped and glanced at his wristwatch, then he sighed. He had actually been waiting, tenterhooked for a call.

He looked out the window again as he watched the golden sun setting in the west, it was really a beautiful sight to behold.

Just then, his phone on the center table rang out, into the still silence of the evening.

He smirked turning from the window, finally, the long awaited call.

He picked up the ringing phone and answered without even bothering to check the caller.

“Davida, what is the latest?”, he asked, licking his lips.

“Ah bro, you can’t even ask if I’m okay”, Davida complained from the other line.

Amaya sighed, saying nothing. What was he to ask her of anyway? She actually left the kingdom and country, few days ago to go check out something for him.

“Well I’m sorry Davida, so what is the news I’m itching”, he said.

Davida sighed.

“Well it went well, even though the people over here aren’t accommodating”.

Amaya sighed again and walked over to the couch to sit, he flopped on it.

“Go on and don’t keep me in suspense”, he drank from the bottle.

“Well bro, I actually got to meet the man, I found his temple just exactly as we were told”, she said.

He nodded.

“Alright, good”.

“He said you could actually be the next king but there must be a task”, she disclosed.

Amaya sat up, this was getting interesting. If really he could actually be the next king, then whatever task it was, he was ready to carry it out.

“What task?”, his cold voice asked.

She exhaled.

“He said, you must have to go to the palace, put on the king’s crown and take up his golden sceptre”.

“What!”, he exclaimed, getting up.

“Wear the king’s crown? Take up the golden sceptre?”, he returned the question.

“Exactly bro, this task seems difficult”.

“Ugh”, he closed his eyes, this was really difficult.

First, to get to the palace was a huge task, especially with Raghav around. That guy would never let them in, and even if he does, there must be totally watched… totally.

Secondly, to get to the throne room in order to wear the king’s crown and take up the golden sceptre was another mundane task.

And lastly, it was a taboo for one to do all these in the kingdom, most especially take up the golden sceptre, it was really a taboo.

He sighed.

“But you know these are taboos and highly prohibited in the kingdom”, he said. “Didn’t you tell him so?”, he asked.

“Well I did, but you see, he said that’s the task the deity of his temple has required of you, just to know if you could actually face the tasks that follows being a king”.

“Hmm”, he drawled, this task was really mundane.

“You have to keep up mom’s dying wish, she entrusts you to, remember?”, she asked.

He licked his lips.

“I do”, he shortly replied.

Of course, how could he have forgotten the wish their mother had said while on her dying bed?

“And this is the only option now, since the princess’s abduction didn’t work out”, she reminded.

“I know all that Davida”, he shouted, already getting infuriated.

“Oh my gee, there you go again, shouting”, she hissed.

He sighed, saying nothing.

“Well and one more thing”, she said.

“What is it?”.

“While doing this, no one must see you”.

“What!”.

*

*

The maids served out the food and they began eating. They ate in silence for a while, everything was actually becoming boring to Vidya, she played with her food.

Arya noticed and decided to speak up.

“I hope you are enjoying your meal Vidya?”, she asked.

Vidya looked at her and forced a smile.

“Yes your grace, I am”, she replied.

Arya nodded and turned to Raghav.

“You know, I’m still just wondering how and when prince Raghav suddenly seemed to be cold towards me”, Vidya spoke up and he sharply turned to her.

“You mean?”, Arya asked.

“We were actually so close during our childhood, I mean we did almost everything together”, she said, deliberately avoiding his gaze and looking into her food.

Arya and Roshan bursted into laughter, startling the prince and princess. Like, what was funny?

“Don’t worry about that Vidya, you know he is now all grown up and must have definitely forgotten a whole lot about you”, Arya said.

“Exactly Vidya, exactly”, Mrs Roshan said in support.

Raghav turned to her. Like what exactly where these folks doing? So they really thought they could deceive him huh? He turned back to his food.

Prisha looked at him and shrugged, maybe she really was his childhood friend.

“She isn’t”, Raghav said in a whisper, no one heard him actually, no one.

“Well my prince, it’s all over now, we have finally seen each other again. I’ve actually been waiting to see you”, she smiled.

He scoffed, keeping silent.

Vidya sighed, well she just has to press on.

“Alright Maharana, let’s look at it this way. You know, I now love the colour blue, which is your favourite colour. You know when we were little, I hated it… but I love it now”, she sipped some water.

“Actually she has changed virtually everything in her room to the colour blue, just because of you my prince”, Roshan said, smiling.

“What? You don’t mean it?”, Arya said.

Raghav smirked, these ladies were really good at acting and deceiving people, wow, cool.

“Um your highness”, Vidya turned to the king.

“Yes dear?”.

“You know his grace and I actually do go up swimming at the pool every weekends, there was a time we had gone swimming and I almost drowned, a guard rushed and saved me. Then when we were back, you admonished us”, she smiled as she spoke.

Neel nodded as she talked.

“Yes yes, I do remember daughter. It actually been too long”, he said.

“And I almost strangled his grace to death when I had been revived, thinking he was the one who actually wanted to drown me”, they all bursted into laughter.

“That is funny”, Arya said, laughing.

“Really?”, Prisha asked.

“Yeah”, she replied, still laughing.

“You know I used to think you weren’t a childhood friend to him, but now I see you are”, Prisha said.

Vidya smiled.

“Thank goodness”.

“So let me ask, when did he leave the country to further his education?”, she asked, throwing her off balance.

“Prisha, did I ask you?”, Arya said.

“Will you turn back to your food?”.

“No my lady, let me give her the answer she needs”, Vidya said smiling, Raghav turned to her and she winked.

“My prince, he actually left the country as at eight to nine years ago, somewhere around June”, she said.

Prisha looked at her, huh? She got it right. So does it actually mean she was his childhood friend?

“That’s right”, Arya said.

“You see, come on, why should you doubt me? Just like the time we….”.

“Can you please just keep your gullet shut and let me concentrate on my food? Or I leave the dining for you”, Raghav suddenly spoke up.

Jeez, she freezed. How rude. What the hell was wrong? She turned to the queen.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“Stop it Raghav, stop”, the queen said in fury. Why was he trying to ruin her works and render it useless?

Raghav hissed.

“I’m really sorry my Lady, that’s how he always does, I remember when we were having a heated argum…”.

Raghav shoved his seat backwards and got up. Everyone watched in total disbelief as he walked out of the dining.

“Where are you heading to Maharana?”, Arya called, but he ignored her.

Vidya was dazed, what! Was he already leaving? Just like that, no she must have to go with him, she must. She stood up.

“Don’t leave here Vidya”, her mom said to her.

“No mother, I have to”, she replied.

‘He is the reason I’m here’, she said to herself and went after him.