Chapter two.
CHAPTER 2
The fifth day of the week was dominated by heavy fog and the air was chocking with humidity, from the palace monster entrance you could have a giraffe view of the whole extent of Butita kingdom. Dark smoke marked different homesteads as young mothers tried to busy themselves milking and pretending to be more busy than the famous desert ants. Hannah watched all this with heightened anxiety, would she go against his very own master, the very man who had given her life at the verge of death? She remembered the previous evening conversation, one she had overheard about the verdict made the previous night, she remembered how king Xavier had made love with her despite being a mere maiden, the fruit of their illicit relationship? An abortion.
"Hey ma'am !", Hannah never realised she had been stuck at the entrance for nearly an hour, the sun was already paving its way up the sky and young boys were taking out herds to the pastures.
"Have you swallowed the kings masai fakason", Job jerked her back to senses. They used to joke about the noisy tractor of their boss which they referred as masai fakason for marsey furgason.
"Couse your shaking than it's loud smoke pipe".
"Can't you see I'm much okay than your loud mouthed boots", Hannah joked back mocking the young man's shoes which needed more material for repair than the original one. Job was one of the palace guards.
"Listen, you self proclaimed queen, take your hate to that fat boss of yours and tell him I need a pay rise", Job was always complaining about his wages.
"I will if you make your way to the queen and tell her she's less curvy than your Halloween ears", She said with pretended hatred.
" Speaking of which, have you seen her recently", he looked more serious, "I heard she's near the month, we might be getting a young master", that was his way of extracting gossip.
"Look here Mr. tell-me-all, I don't feed on gossip like that old girlfriend of yours", She made her way into the palace with finality.
"I'm much better than the princess who has not even a single dog licking her angles!", Job was laughing like he had just won some mega jackpot.
Inside the palace the king sat uncomfortably at the edge of his gold coated chair, made by the best blacksmiths Butita could fetch, the curtains had been drawn and some early rays were filtering through the lavish garden outside the magnificent building, some birds were making funny jumps near the rear window. King Xavier was staring squarely at all this without seeing a thing. The events of the previous night had happened like a dream, he was still at the verge of loss when the first group of people entered, knelt down with tears all over.
Yes! The ploy had worked perfectly.
Before the first cock crow the elders had already set their feet at the palace, the child was taken and everything played as had been plotted afew hours prior. The elders had spread the "news" of a miscarriage to the unsuspecting subjects with tears and grief written all over. Ofcourse no one could doubt the group, you never mock them the very log that helped you cross the river. The elders were the rule and as the saying went, the rule is always at the path of justice.
"Look at you Hannah, has these news stuck the brains out of your old head", Helen, another palace staff hit after observing the absent nature of Hannah.
"I'm as fit as the word, these things happen dear", she replied with much delicacy than necessary.
Her mind was burning with fear, the plans she had were adding weight with time. She heard voices deep in her head and almost shouted to one of the visitors, or maybe I'm running mad? Not even time could solve her confusion.
"Aaact, action!", She was shouting!
Afew maids were surrounding her and that's when it dawned on her that time was moving, the voices were getting louder and all her innate felt like melting. She walked out the house, out of the palace gate and far into the village path. Only one place would silence all those voices, and that destination was the most feared place in all Butita kingdom!