Be My Princess

This is Ruund; Capital city: Musumb. Much like the Principality of Monaco in France, the uRuund Kingdom is an independent enclave within the Democratic Republic of Congo. With 150'000 Km2 of surface area and close to two million souls, Ruund thrives on agriculture, jewel crafting and the exportation of salt, oils, perfumes and minerals; and is renowned for its amazing chanters and natural touristic sites.

At first an African empire, Ruund became a modern kingdom as the uRuund people, being very strong willed and unyielding, was able to strongly withstand white colonials' invasions in Africa. Though colonials had traced the limits of DRC all around Ruund, and conquered some of the small kingdom affiliated to the empire, the uRuund people's powerwill to remain independent had left enough impression on them to lead them to abandon all attempt to take over the empire and settle for trading agreements instead. Through those agreements, the Ruund Empire had been able to acquire of all the benefits that came with white people civilisation such as modern infrastructures, technology, industry, better political management and so forth, but still keep the essence of its culture as it gradually morphed into a modernised kingdom.

Ruund had also played an important mediating role between Congolese and colonials in the negotiations for the independence of DRC that had allowed the kingdom to not lose its trading relations with Europe and at the same time to reinforce its relationship with the newly born Democratic Republic of Congo. Hence, later on, when DRC had faced civil wars and troubles, Ruund had always stepped in to lend a helping hand to its sister nation.

The uRuund Royal Estate was the result of the works of several skilful urban planners, architects, interior designers and landscapers from different parts of the world. Though the palace's interior design was relatively modern and sophisticated, the palace still harboured an aristocratic aspect at some level.

The estate included the Central Palace, residence of the king, that comprised two sitting rooms – a private one reserved exclusively to the royal family, and an open bigger one to receive guests; two dining rooms – same specifications as for the living rooms; a ballroom; the Throne Room; the king's office; the royal private office; a conference room; the Heritage Hall where were displayed the most valuable paintings and artefacts that told the story of uRuund royalty from as early as they could be recorded; a library; a surveillance room; the queen mother's apartment; and the king's apartment.

Each apartment included three bedrooms on the first floor, and a living room with sitting area and dining space, a kitchen, a laundry room, and the assigned servants or handmaids' bedrooms at the ground floor. The floor separating the two storeys did not cover the spacious living room; so, from it, one could directly admire the beautifully designed ceilings bearing paintings depicting important events in Ruund History.

To the Central Palace were attached a West Wing – apartment of the Crown Prince, an East Wing – allocated to the second born, and a much bigger South Wing, allocated to any other member of the royal family and royal guests. All wings were connected to the Central Palace through outdoor corridors longed with colonnades. The corridors leading to the East and West Wings were boarded by the inner courtyard on one side, and the garden on the other; whereas the one leading to the South Wing cut through the inner courtyard in which two magnificent fountains stood as centre pieces on each side of the corridor. At the exception of the South Wing which had twenty-seven more bedrooms, double the number of sitting rooms and dining rooms and a library of its own, the other wings were similar in layout to the king's apartment.

The palace and garden were upfront on the very large land that extended on acres. Beyond the royal palace could be found a greenhouse that also included a perfumery, a chapel, stables, and palace staff residences. And at the very far end of the property, nestled within a vegetation majorly made of tall trees, at almost 30 Km away from the main palace, stood the Forest Palace, resting residence of every Crown Prince where no servants or guards were ever allowed.

Once Angel had entered the West Wing, he dismissed the maids and headed straight for his bedroom. There, he sat on the bed and let out a sigh of frustration. He always knew that his marriage would be arranged by his parents, as it was tradition in the high sphere of uRuund society; but the story of his grandparent's love had always given him hope in the possibility of finding a queen of his own that he would marry for a reason greater than merely following his parent's will and kingdom tradition.

And a queen he had found! Or at least he thought so…

Angel leaned back across the bed then stretched his arm to grab a pillow that he placed under his head. Sighing a second time, he let his memory travel back to London, a week prior to his return home…

Angel had just received a letter from the king with an urgent request for his return without waiting for his university's Graduation Ceremony. He had suspected that his betrothal was one of the reasons for this urgent summons even though his 25th birthday was still months away; so he had thought of proposing marriage to the woman he had fallen in love with, Natacha.

Natacha was the daughter of a renowned uRuund businessman who had always dreamt of becoming the first uRuund citizen to win a gold medal in Javelin Throw at the Olympic Games.

Angel knew how dear that dream was to Natacha; but he never imagined that even the prospect of becoming his queen would not be able to overthrow it. Hence, it was at Angel's great disappointment that she had not wavered at his proposal.

~ Understand me, Angel. I don't want to forsake my dream when I'm so close to fulfilling it. If I say yes now, won't I be obliged to follow you back to Ruund to undergo princess training…? ~ She had explained. ~ My heart is yours; truly. But my dream also hold a very important place in my heart… ~

Angel had had in mind to convince his parents to still allow Natacha to fulfil her dream even after they had gotten married. The Olympic Games were taking place the following year and, by then, Angel was to already be married. However, Natacha's unfaltering rejection had led him to question the depth of her feelings for him.

"Even if I had told her about this plan, would she have changed her mind? Will her dream truly be fulfilled with just one victory? In fact, do I even hold more or as much importance in her heart as her dream?"

Those questions that had kept on ringing in his mind since the moment she had rejected him, still remained unanswered. If he were able to answer positively to those questions without an ounce of doubt, he would have spoken up before his parents and his grandmother earlier. So not having a strong ground to boldly stand on for the sake of the queen of his heart because of that uncertainty was even more upsetting than the idea of being betrothed to a half uRuund commoner just to honour the word of his grandfather.

A commoner…

Angel sat up. "I need to see it for myself!"

He quickly stood up and left the room to look for his personal guard. Peter was standing next to the entrance of the West Wing and approached as soon as he saw the prince walking towards him.

"Do you need anything, Your Highness?" Peter asked after he had bowed.

"Yes. I need you on a very special mission, Pete."

"At your service, Crown Prince." The guard replied with another bow.

Peter's tall and thin figure, and his rather friendly triangular face bearing a deep set of hooded eyes, a medium hero nose and thin lips, were not the type to strike fear in the heart on an opponent. But for having had him as his martial arts instructor for several years now, Angel knew that his guard's slender limbs would turn into deadly weapons if circumstances were ever to call for it.

"I want you to find me the address in DRC of the family of the late Commander of the Royal Guard before the royal investigators do. Take a few trusted people with you if needed."

Peter looked at the prince with perplexity.

"I just want to know what the maiden is like before she is told that she is promised to the crown prince of the uRuund Kingdom." Angel explained.

Peter's traits relaxed. "I'll do my best, Your Highness."

"I'm counting on you Pete! And don't let anyone other than me and the men you will take with you know about this."

"Rest assured, Crown Prince. No one will know of this."

And after a last bow, the guard rushed away. Angel returned to his bedroom and noticed that his luggage had already been unpacked. Scanning the room, he realised that the maid had placed the box he was looking for on his nightstand.

Although Angel knew that the maids would never go through his personal belongings unless they were ordered to do so, he had still opted to buy a box with lock by precaution. He sat on the bed, close to the nightstand, and reached in the inside pocket of his jacket for the key.

In the box were the only proofs that his love was not a mere illusion. Several pictures of Natacha and him, the pin with a heart pierced by a javelin in the place of an arrow she had offered him as a symbol of her love for him, and the small jewellery case harbouring the solitaire he had had crafted especially for her.

Angel looked at all the items for a long time before closing the box. After having placed it back on the nightstand, he stretched his tall body and lied on his back on the bed. Arms crossed on his chest, he closed his eyes and, as he slowly drifted into a sleep, promised himself to take the box to the safest place he thought he could hide it: the Forest palace.

⁂

Democratic Republic of Congo; Sanga Province; Likasi…

Kat was slowly drawn out of her peaceful sleep by the sound of chirping birds. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, stretched herself, and then got down the bed right on her knees for her morning prayer. Afterwards, she went to the bathroom to freshen up.

Once she was done with her morning ablutions, she went to the living room and found her mother at the dining table, already taking her breakfast.

"Walankanyi*, Maaku!" She said while kissing her mother's cheek.

"Mwanyi mwa vude**, Mwan-mband***. Did you sleep well?"

"With God's peace. Where's Michael?"

"He's already left for college."

Already?! He sure is very excited to start university life." Kat commented with a laugh.

*Ruund for Good morning

** Response to all greetings (common to some African languages)

***Mwan = child; Mband = female/woman; so Daughter

Her mother joined in the laughter then replied: "Yes. You should have seen his glowing face this morning! Hadn't I stopped him, he would have left without taking his breakfast."

"How about you, Maaku…" Kat started while buttering a slice of toasted bread. "Are you excited about your first day?"

"Very much. But I still think I will miss teaching."

"Really? You mean you prefer teaching, giving tests and correcting copies over your new job?"

"What? No!" Charlotte replied with a laugh. "Just teaching. Just teaching…"

Charlotte Sama had always had a passion for teaching. She had majored in History, and specialised in uRuund History. She could even be considered as the Congolese expert in Ruund Kingdom History, but did not seem to care much about that. With her academic level, she was by far fit to be a university professor; but she just found much more gratification in teaching high-schoolers.

Charlotte had been teaching history at the same school since the moment she had moved to Likasi with her husband; and she had never had the slightest interest in any promotion or any other job opportunity that had presented itself in the beginning. The need for greater income that had risen with her husband's passing over ten years prior was what had pushed her to first accept the position of principal at her school while still teaching occasionally, then now take a job as one of the curators of the recently refurbished uRuund section of the History Museum of Likasi. The pay was significantly better; but such financial ease still came as little consolation to the fact that she had to completely give up on teaching for the time being.

"Well, you'll still get to teach uRuund culture to the visitors at the museum." Kat said to comfort her mother, understanding the hint of nostalgia in her tone.

Charlotte nodded in concurrence. "How about you?" She then asked to change the subject. "What do you have planned for today?"

"Me? I've already sent out my CV to different places, so I'm waiting for feedback now. In the meantime, I want to start working on my sketch album."

Charlotte nodded. "Great. What are you going to start with?"

"Our favourite picnic spot."

"Next to the artificial lake in the park?"

"The very one!"

"Well, I can't wait to see it." Charlotte said as she stood up and kissed her daughter's head.

"Don't worry; I'll take care of it." Kat intervened when she saw her mother motion to clear the table.

"Okay, see you later!" Charlotte said as she grabbed her bag and walked to the door while waving at her daughter.

"See you!"

Later on, dressed in a summer dress, sandals and a large-brimmed sun hat, Kat emerged from their compound and headed down the street. The park was situated at the centre of their neighbourhood, just one block away from their street; so she could actually walk there. Enjoying the particularly cool after-rain weather in the hot rainy season, Kat hummed her way down the street, greeting every passer-by with a bright smile. In her bright mood, she didn't even realised that the first man she had greeted right after exiting their compound had started to tail her.

After Kat had disappeared around the corner, Peter pulled out his cellphone and initiated a call.

"Crown Prince Angel… We've found the maiden… Alright, here's the address…"

After his report, Peter signalled with a whistle and three guards appeared before him as if they had materialised out of thin air.

"Our work here is done. Let's roll!" He ordered.

Kat took a last look at her drawing then stretched herself; satisfied. She looked at her wristwatch; 2pm. She had been there for almost three hours, but had been so caught up in her work that it didn't even seem to have been that long. She packed up her drawing materials and slowly exited the park.

"According to his timetable, Michael will soon be done for today. It won't be long until he comes back from school; and he'll be hungry, as usual." Kat thought with amusement.

Good thing she had taken the initiative to cook part of the meal before going out. What was left to do wouldn't take long; so everything would actually be ready by the time her little brother would get home. She knew that if it weren't the case, Michael would spend his time circling around her in the kitchen and badgering her until the food would be ready.

Absorbed in her reflexion, Kat had not noticed the man standing in front of their gate until she was a few meters away from him. With creased brows, she accelerated her pace; and, as soon as she had reached the gate, the man turned to look at her.

At first, Kat was taken aback. The man was handsome and imposing both in presence and stature. An intriguingly dignified aura was emanating from his entire being; but there was also a haughtiness in his eyes that tended to trigger her feisty spirit.

"Good afternoon, Sir. May I help you?" Kat asked in French with a slight frown.

Though the man was young, and dressed in the simplest attire, the captivating aura he was exuding immediately called for a person's respect.

Angel gauged the young woman from head to toe. She was of average height and medium dress size. She had a brown skin tone and a seemingly fine-looking hourglass body shape that even the prude summer dress she was wearing could not hide. Oval face, almond eyes, fine Nubian nose, slightly uneven full lips; her below-collarbone-long African hair woven in beautifully patterned cornrows…

In general, she did not have the type of appearance that ranked top in the set standards of beauty; but there still was an undeniable beauty to her entire being that could definitely catch a man's eye.

'Graceful'

That was the only word Angel could come up with while he looked at Kat… Nonetheless, she was a commoner; so the prince could only be irritated by the fact that there was nothing at first impression that could give him ground to argue the arranged marriage.

"Maybe her character will be flawed enough to deter my parents…" He hoped.

"Are you looking for someone?" Kat asked this time in Swahili, intrigued but as well gradually irritated by the way that stranger was scrutinising her. "May I ask why you are looking at me this way? It's rather offending." She added, going back to French.

Even her elocution was well-mannered. That could only denote of a good upbringing. After a last look at the young woman, Angel turned around without a word and walked away.

"Hey! Sir!" Kat called to no avail. "Who is that guy…?" She muttered to herself.

His face seemed familiar. Kat hardly forgot faces; and she sure had seen that face somewhere. But where? Suddenly her face lit up. She had definitely seen that face on the news and in magazines.

But could it really be…?

"No, it can't be…" She muttered again.

"What are you mumbling about?"

Kat startled at the voice that suddenly resounded behind her. Hand on her chest, she turned around to face her little brother, who seemed amused by his sister's reaction.

Though his little brother, Michael was a head above her in height. He was darker than his siblings, slender, but still rather athletic. His round face with droopy eyes, snub nose and pouty mouth always harboured a teasing expression that made it very difficult for anyone to get mad at him.

"How many times have I told you not to do that?" Kat gently scolded.

Michael laughed and Kat smiled. Her little brother was mischievous; and that would never change.

"Why are you home so soon?" Kat asked while entering the compound.

"The last class was cancelled because the lecturer didn't come today." Michael explained. "Is food ready? I'm starving!"

Kat smiled and slightly shook her head. "Almost."