PORTIA'S DIARY Chapter four.

This is the wedding ceremony of Amelia and ends before the reception. the complete fourth chapter.

CHAPTER FOUR.

My father visited. He was a tall man and spoke very gently. Clearly he was excited that my mother had accepted to make a child with him. He was a good man. I felt pity for him. My mother still had no feelings for him and all her dreams were directed at becoming the next queen. She continued to show that she had no feelings and that she was not going to have one in the nearest future. He was a dreamer. He kept coming to see me. I loved my father and in my little childlike mind, I dreamt that she and my father would find love and get married so that I could have my family but Linda had other plans and she showed it. My father was royal and he was not like her late husband. He was stronger. He wanted to marry my mother but he did not say so. He was simply content with their having a child together. He did not love her and he consoled himself with the fact that she was not a good woman and she did not deserve his love or devotion. I on the other hand tried to see how I could get the two together for my father’s sake. He was a kind that believed that since all she wanted was games he would play them with her. He was about thirty six and they had been dating for five years long before I was born. Outside Dandy he was the other person she almost bothered to care for. My mother abhorred men who drooled and he did not and it seemed that I had guessed something he was only playing this game to get my mother to love him. He was a gentleman and has seen the good in my mother. She was a woman who had never had anybody thinking of what she wanted from life. All everyone ever asked of her was her own self. Her body and her love. He wanted to make her feel loved and at the same time show her that he wanted to be her dream and he was doing this by remaining calm and staying away. It was the greatest game ever played and I was watching this love game, scared, horrified and waiting intently, hoping this witch never guessed this. She still respected him. She called him her love and I was excited but I knew what he was doing, did she know? No all my mother knew as a talent and gift was playing pianos.

“My daughter, I was afraid you would be at Amelia’s” he said smiling.        

I smiled too. After all, after everything my mother would have him, after everything who would Barbara have, men were scared of her and so were women as well. All stayed away from her and prayed her dreams came true. To them she was a witch but not pronounced as Bonnie. Because Barbara was good and believed in Ethics so why did fate seem to wipe away anyone who stood in her way. No one ever killed in rosette as a people, talk more of a woman, we were not wild and notorious like the other lands across the seas and beyond.

“I loved my father and I knew he was the best man for my mother but was she the best woman for him. I wondered as I thought to myself. I wanted my father to be happy and him waiting for a widow was not the best thing for him. She had first married at sixteen when she had dreamt of being laden in all our people’s gold, sitting in a court and judging from everyday matters to the most important. From the first court shelve to the second or b as it was called.

But I thought it might be boring and even then a woman Kesha had been sitting in the second shelves but temporarily. She had been so honoured until her place was given to me that evening by the queen who barely knew I was five. She was alarmed to learn that the famous Portia who had made such an impression on her son was only four going on five. The king rarely judged matters but was supposed to do so with his wife. The queen has ultimate powers and the king was viewed as a figure head, especially this one. It was at this time that princess Mary ‘s father was declaring their church cut off from the catholic church and Mary was planning intently on how to take over her father and rule with an iron rod. We feared that and preferred her father to her. all wondered what would be the outcome of this.

It was not up to me to choose for my father since he had already made the mistake and my mother could remarry since she did not have any child with her husband as this was the trend also she could remarry him as he was single and they now had a child together indeed this was the trend and everyone was waiting for her to get married to the father of her child as our people were very moral and if she did I was still the closest besides her to marry the prince, so I was not bothered. But I worried for Barbara

How she would fare. What her dreams were  and who she could turn to but that was when I remembered Haile could take her or if he was also scared of her but he was soldier and scared of no woman. He was even a chauvinist and a very strong man. The thing was that before my birth he has also tried to court Barbara contrary to others fears about who she was.

MY mother’s life was about to replay itself and it was in the life of Amelia who was now getting married. I was stunned to see how unhappy she was when we first met prior to the marriage. She looked at me as an ill-fated girl. No one dared Barbara or the devil her arch diety. She was a devil worshipper and an ardent one. She never stepped into church and stood her ground on tis in spite of what the prince told her but now she seemed to be thinking of bending. My birth brought a new trend but all said Dandy was a man and rejected her and this had caused him to grow closer to Amelia but I respected Dandy so much. He was no fool and suspected the kind of woman Amelia was. Amelia was a terrible snob and also an advocate for the female but the way she would plead her course is something that was yet to be seen. She was one who believed in her ability, a fiery student of physics and chemistry and one of the best at the learning institute. She loved Dandy too but in her case she directly loved the throne. She was no fool Dandy did not love her so she had not allowed herself to fall so deeply but she still had feelings for him as one whom she dreamt would be her husband.

He said to Amelia “Woman I have gone right all over the world, in search of a woman, all the women I met hardly attracted me, but now that I have you, I would never search again. I searched long and hard for a woman to stir my emotions, now that I have found you, I am the happiest man”
Amelia grinned. “Indeed I know that you are happy my husband to be, you know you won for yourself what’s fit for a king” she had begun like that and that meant trouble. She still considered herself the wife to be of the king. She had sat at the shelves. The mother of Dandy the queen had wanted to honour her too besides Keisha who had lied about her age and it was soon discovered that she was too old for her son.

He understood that pride had set in and played the same game my father now played . he was indeed a man and bravest for taking this risk and not swooning over her instead. I felt that my mother would soon understand that this man was merely bothered about how he was about to be treated by his wife to be and had taken to pride as an alternative.

“So know it that you are the daughter of an Elite woman and you are now marrying a royal, that day would be the happiest day of your life.”

She a witch worse than my mother “Indeed except that I don’t care”
He lost it. “But you care to marry Dandy the prince of our land and the richest in the empire”

She laughed. “Please don’t talk about me and dandy again. It is a very sacred issue.”

“Look I want to be happy and I want to be happy with you , you are remarkable woman do not join all the crazy people even that toddler who is swooning around that man. It is stupid. I know what it means to be a queen, have chariots and coasters of laced with fabric and furniture laden with gold and silver. Travel in the best of ships and in the best of comfort. Gain honour and acclaim and rule the people but as a royal we are also very rich. I don’t want us to talk about this again. You know what it means that I took the risk to marry you when you know that you are Elite.”

“My father is royal so I am royal”

He snorted. “Take note there is no way the prince would have even married you as your marriage would mean the invasion of the elites and foreigners.

Amelia hated her mother for making her elite. Her mother was a kind but secretly proud woman. She was also hateful and hated Amelia’s father for spoiling their daughter and not loving her enough.

Amelia had whatever she waned but she was bright and brilliant and did well in whatever she did at work in the place.

“Now Amelia, your mother is arriving”
She sighed, “Ah my mother”

But openly she supported the elite and showed solidarity with them. Secretly she loved her father to a fault and he was her hero and promised her that she could soar to wherever she wanted and that someday she could become queen for she was bright and pretty. They all also had dreams that she should marry Dandy including her mother. That was her mother’s utmost dream. SO she was deeply disappointed that her daughter had failed but happy that she had been accepted by a royal and that unlike her she was dotted upon. Picture her surprise when she noted how cold and curt Devon had become.

She was in shock and he noted and was glad that he had been believed and played on. But Amelia understood nothing and was also so depressed. She wanted to see her dear daddy and cry to him.

She was so sad because she had not been looking for someone to love her and make her forge that she was unloved by the prince, no she was looking for someone to get back at for this but unfortunately Devon had become curt and was showing her that she was simply elite and not royal, her greatest insecurity. She shuddered.

She turned to him with Love and affection and tried to win him back. “Listen you said you loved me, why are you acting thus” I was excited that neither of the two women had guessed the game, one for the reason that she was always dotted upon and the other for socio political reasons. I was so little yet I knew it was in their eyes. It was then that I knew that the goddess had given me the power to read souls. We did not know all this until the day of the wedding.

She looked georgeous in her ball gown. She painted her face white with powder like a geisha and painted her lips red. Her bridesmaids did the same. The practice was in vogue and it fitted her perfectly. The res of her own lips shone brightly. She rubbed the blush on her cheeks and smiled. Amelia looked beautiful and she was happy to be a royal bride and happy that the groom had not called of the marriage or something. She had been saying before that there was no ceremony and that she did not need help but only a week to the wedding she called her friends and the elite daughter. Please help me attach these to the dress. The worked fast with needles attaching the white featherlike pieces of fabric to the dress that was to be all roses and feathers. Roses above feather bellow. She was still working when he walked in.

“What are you doing? He said sternly”

“I am busy getting ready the cloth dear. She eyed him sideways. This is the new dress.”

He frowned. “Really, I had no idea. So this is what you want now”

She smiled and replied. “Yes”

He looked away and smiled.

“Is it not pretty wait till you see me in it”

He nodded and walked away.

She collapsed on the bed with the dress and grumbled “He loved me but simply because I am elite he is all hatred for me”

“Hatred, he loves you don’t worry, you are so beautiful when he sees you in the dress his heart will melt on your wedding day.”

“I am sure. He is so proud maybe it is because he is handsome”… A page omitted

What a game he had played on her. He had caught one of her insecurities and hammered her heart strongly with it and now she was changing indeed!”

She looked like an angel in flight with the long ball gown that was white, the roses, the flow of white fabric and the feathers in the middle. She looked like some heavenly bird and so did all her bridesmaids. Barbara was one of them. She looked beautiful too.

She was excited that her greatest contender has gotten married besides me. I saw her once looking at my mother and cursing under her breath. She had a dilemma. She loved by mother because they were two of a kind but hated her for bringing me into the world. A closer relative than her.

I saw the queen for the first time. Life and not a picture portrait painting. She was beautiful but not like Celina who stood close. Smiling at Amelia and frowning too. she hated to be there, she was no longer the star of the moment. She was now looked upon by many as a villain as one who suspected what had happened.

She still commanded a lot of respect in Mathematics but her methods were odd and new. Ari and Petrov always laughed at her and told her that since she wanted to be an island of knowledge she would always remain with the elementary since they would cut her short.  He needn’t threaten her later for she became ill with a mind illness. She disagreed with many formulas and Petrov kept watching her and her works, He first scrutinized her work and made no comments. Others were quick to leave her lessons. She also was controversial in other studies and claimed this would produce more accurate results. She expected her students to know that the real values were never presented to anyone. She and the many who were in her school of thought continued individually and were always strongly opposed by the westerners and Europe. She forged ahead brilliantly when she was young but with age she grew weaker with the burden of working out so much. Angry at the caucus that hid knowledge. Yet many brilliant people in our land thrived. But no one wanted to hear from her again. She had suffered from an attack of severe psychological strain and ever since then could no longer think. She said so herself. But when she smiled again was that this time the world was called upon to view her in her unready state when she had failed. She made a new friend.

Her husband whom she was separated from thought she was a witch but that she would ever remain not encouraged and stunted since no one offered as much help and all did their work individually. He had no feelings for her but was awed by her. He had known her from childhood when she commanded a lot of respect in the study of music and the likes and regarded her in high esteem but vowed to her that she would never go further and the best would be done to discouraged her. she later alleged many things but then in her present state no one believed her. She advised them to be wary of knowledge that came and admonished her friends to develop their own knowledge since there was a deep conspiracy to keep the public in the dark and keep a few individuals who has access to a joint learning ground and basis and were part of a caucus that dispensed this learning. Many of them were dignified age long royals. Many commoners loved and saw her as a mother but a few of them later turned against her in her teenage ages and she had dealt with them heartlessly.

Celina laughed at those who were confused when she spoke of a conspiracy but was more amused by those who did not know of it at all and thought that they were been spoon fed. But she laughe more at those who could not discern the correct things. When she had a psychological breakdown. She attempted suicide because she knew that now she would be close to understanding and knowing nothing. Her thinking pattern had waned and she was no longer who she was any longer. Her heart beat and blood pressure went higher as she was so scared about what would be the outcome of a ghost of her emerging. She however calmed her nerves when she noted that she still had friends who stood by her. One of them was Gabe a widow but he was an Elite and this sparked a lot of controversy. She concluded that she could not remarry since her earlier marriage was not annulled but that she would remain close to her new friend and treasure him above all things.

Amelia looked excited and was so glad when she saw the queen. Dandy congratulated the couple and she walked on the aisle and was presented before him. He smiled but then remained calm again as she walked down the aisle of the church. Dandy did not miss her anymore but he felt that he had lost a true friend to another man. Someone her considered a better company, who was not as vivacious as Barbara.

“Queen-mother you are welcome”

“Barbara, my dear”

I stood. This was my first time of viewing the queen. I was delighted. I smiled and in my excitement I called her mother. She frowned.  So you are Portia! Wonders would never cease goodness me! What is this that I am seeing and hearing. Are you the one whom it is being said would marry my son. But you are only a child now. Why don’t you give your place to another woman, I was not this little when my husband was my son’s age but I was about nine. Look at you! And you are so rude, you scream and call me mother”

“But mother I went on, I am so glad to see you for the first tim,e. I was just too excited.”

“Too excited! You are pardoned for feeling too familiar with me whom you barely know”

“I am just so happy to see you”

“Well I can see that. Save that for another day we are at a wedding”

I gave up. I was trying to embrace her and she did not bother. I knew that he would be mine just like she had been married to her husband by being first betrothed so diary I did not need her to compliment me or to support me. And Dandy showed this by taking me with him to sit besides him an Barbara ofcourse who refused to sit with the other girls.

They stood before the entire congregation and said their vows. We all watched as the priest wed them. Then we went to the ball where the wedding party was to hold.

The time that made all things stand still was when they both kissed after they were blessed. They kissed for a long time in spite of the distractions from the clapping and cheering before we matched out for the ball at her home.

"She is so happy, so in love!" everyone exclaimed.

Author's Note

it shows a twist of fate and fortunes in the marriage of the two newlyweds.

Reviews

[Amadi Judith]

Please anyone who knows how this story can be published should inform me. I have been writing online for a long time and looking for a job but it has been impossible. I have never earned from my writing at all. I am looking for an opportunity to earn from my writing.