The Hidden Princess and Her Alpha Prince

EPISODE 6: FINDING AGATHA

AGATHA BUYS

I kind of fell asleep after Mamsy's visit earlier on. I was woken up by movements and banging of things in the house. My father has got home from work and he looks pissed. I want to ask what the matter is, but I'm scared because we are not on speaking terms. I remain still on the couch, contemplating if I should say a word or not. When I look outside the window, it is almost dark and my grandmother is not yet here. I wonder where she could be.

"Can I help you with whatever that you are looking for, baba?" I end up asking, because he is turning the house upside down.

He continues to look without uttering a single word. I let out a sad sigh and curled myself back on the couch.

My father has suddenly changed on me. I am wondering if he is still mad at me for being rude to him the other day, or if it's something more than that. Maybe I should just apologise, so I can have my daddy back.

I abruptly got up and stood behind him in the kitchen.

"Baba, I am sorry."

"I don't want to hear it." He says, dismissively. It really hurt me that my tears instantly dropped. "I really am, baba." I beg for his forgiveness.

"You apologised, now get away from me… I'm busy." He can't even look me in the eye.

"Baba, please. I miss you. Forgive me, please."

"You are rude. You won't even listen to me, you rubbish child. You are just like your mother who ran away from her responsibilities. Very useless and stupid! I somehow wonder why you are my child. You are nothing like me."

"What is wrong with you, baba!? Why are you saying hurtful things to me?" I cry out loud.

"Because it's the truth. I am tired of pretending. Girls your age are out there, doing something with their lives, and you are stuck here in the rurals with nothing productive." I couldn't stay any longer and listen to everything my father was saying to me. He just broke me in a way that it can never be repaired. I am done for.

I was about to run out as I had the opportunity to, but my grandmother came in and someone followed her behind.

"Where do you think you are going, Mbali?" Grandma asks. I can't even talk. I am crying so much that I choke and cough badly.

"Gra… Gra…" I struggle as I try to talk to my grandmother. She glares at my father who is behaving like a madman and then she smiles wickedly at him. What is going on?

"Baby girl, I promised to bring a trustworthy friend to help you work on your calling. This is Makhosi, the seer I told you about." She says.

This Makhosi person does not even look friendly. He looked so scary that my tears dried up instantly. Unlike the cloths that Mamsy once gave me to wear; Makhosi is wearing black cloths. He wrapped one long red cloth around his waist and had a black bag on his hand. I really do not feel right about this.

Makhosi opened his grass mat in the living room and asked my grandmother and I to take off our shoes before we joined him down on the grass mat. My father excused himself and went out. I am so scared that I am even trembling. Why is he not nice? My grandmother has a very irritating smile on his face. Why is she smiling so wickedly? Something is wrong and I know it is.

Makhosi opened his bag and took out herbs, black candles and other things I don't know of. Before he could light on the candles, I nervously stopped him.

"You don't disturb me when I am doing my job." He says, looking not so pleased with me.

"I… I apologise, but… wha-what are the black candles for? I don't use black candles. They bring darkness and bad luck."

"You think that you are smart, but you are not. I have been on this journey for more than twenty years and still going. I bring people good luck only. Most celebrities, famous people and all the rich people that you mostly see on TV came to me and I made them successful. They are rich because of me and the powers I have. I helped most seers initiate their calling… I'm the best." He brags. He still has not answered my question.

"But…"

"But nothing, Mbali! Let Makhosi do what he is here to do." My grandmother shuts me.

Makhosi lit the first of three candles. When he was about to get on the last one, they all blew off. He gasped.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, only to be ignored.

Sigh.

I watched him do the process over again, but the candles blew off again. He groaned out of frustration and mixed the herbs before he lit them with a lighter. The smell it made was horrible enough to leave me unconscious. I started to feel dizzy and my eyes were starting to get blurry.

"What is happening to me?" I asked, but Makhosi and my grandmother started singing, ignoring me. "Help me." I cried. "Baba!" I screamed for him. My body started feeling weak.

"This child is powerful. In order for me to make her ours, we need to steal her powers. It's easy, but her Gods and spiritual guides are protecting her. I have never been defeated before and It won't start now." I hear Makhosi angrily say.

"Don't fight this, Mbali." My grandmother says.

"I'm not Mbali, I'm Agatha." I say.

"You stupid girl! You are Mbali. Why can't you just let loose and be one of us. You have always wanted to live a fancy life, don't you? Eat nice food, live in a gigantic house and be a rich woman. You want beautiful things. You can be the best seer in this world. Everyone will want to come to you only for consultations. People will travel for twenty-four hours across the world to come see you. Accept this."

"No, I don't want this. It comes with spilling blood and killing people. I am not a witch!" I refused, shaking my head profusely. I look outside the window and there is a bright light coming in. It's the moon. My journey began in a dream when I went to the river and my way there was litten by the full moon.

"Do not doubt." Mamsy's voice plays in my head.

I closed my eyes, completely ignoring the event happening around me.

"Prince Luke." I call him out in my head without opening my mouth. He has to hear me. He has to.

"Prince Luke, please respond to my voice."

Still no response. If I don't get rescued out of here right now, I will be stripped off my calling. I will no longer be a good seer, but I will be working, doing the devil's work.

"Pray, Princess Agatha." Mamsy's voice echoes in my head. "Pray."

That's it, I am going to pray.

LUKE FRIEDRICH

"Prince Luke, please respond to my voice." I have been trying, believe me. She doesn't seem to hear the sound of my voice when I respond to her. Looking at the time on my watch, it's already past eight at night. I am back in the woods, looking for a way to communicate with her, but I don't know how to.

She started praying very hard that I felt it. I felt her powerful prayer. I even developed goose bumps all over my body. Why do I feel so close to this girl, lady, or woman? Why does my heart feel so warm with her? What is she to me?

"And Lord, please protect Prince Luke. Let light shine upon him so he may find peace in his heart, in Jesus' name, amen." And she prayed for me too. How beautiful is that?

As I am sitting in the car, her cries sound very close. They get louder like she is right next to me. My body started heating up and I already know what is going on with me. The beast wants to come out.

"You have supernatural powers, Prince Luke. Use those powers to find me and do not hide the beast in you. Let it out… it can help you find me. You have to find me today, please!" I get out of the car and fall down on my knees, groaning and breathing heavily. My muscles tighten and I feel my clothes tearing up.

It's painful, but I am not backing out. I am no longer fearing or running away from myself. This is who I am and I will find Flower today.

I looked up to the full moon and I heard wolves howling. I didn't know that there were wolves here.

My feet and my hands get bigger, my arms and chest grow stronger and my face totally transformed. I basically changed into a human-animal. I closed my eyes, tracing the voice of Flower. Instead, I was shown the way. I flipped my eyes open and howled and roared out loud, looking up to the full moon. I turned and started running between the trees, tirelessly. I am on a mission to save a soul. I got to the river and I had no choice but to jump through it.

After I jumped, I got a glimpse of something that reflected on the water. I walked back and stood by the edge of the river and looked in the water with the moon lighting on me. First thing that caught my eyes were actually my eyes. Blue glowing eyes. Another thing was the body and my face which scared me most.

"I'm a werewolf." I said, tracing my fingers on my face.

"Aaaahh!!!" Flower lets out a piercing scream that almost scares me. My jaws cringe and I groan deeper and louder.

Without wasting any more time, I started to run again until I got to the street, leading to scarted homes. I didn't know which way to take or which house to go to. I had to use my gut. I started running again until I heard the voice, physically. I turned to my left, thudding to the voice that is wailing.

I noticed a house just around the corner. It had to be the house. I took my chances and ran padded to the house. I didn't have to knock to be let in. I howled, scratching the wooden door with my hands and hard nails.

It was quiet then and the cries even stopped.

I kicked the door open and jumped into the house, reeking of herbs. The vision is not as colourful as the human vision, but I can see well.

I see the old woman first who looks terrified. Really now! This is who I am? I terrify people? People are going to be scared of me?

People love me, dammit. I am Prince Luke; the son of King Lukas Friedrich.

"This is not what I signed myself for! What is this!?" What is this? Did this scary man wearing black things all over him just call me 'this'? I moved closer to him and roared on his face. He fainted right away. Serves him right.

I saw a girl laying down on the floor with blood on her hand. She isn't unconscious, but she looks weak and tries so hard to keep herself awake. As I got closer to her, I couldn't miss how heavy she was breathing. She got scared of me. I scare her.

"You… you found me." It's her… this is her. Unfortunately, she can't hear a wolf's language, so I nod at her.

She is so beautiful and looks quite younger than me. Sadly, this is no time to compliment her, because I have to save her before she loses more blood on her hand.

I looked around and I couldn't see the old woman anymore. I picked Flower up and walked out of the house, carrying her in my arms. I want to tell her not to fear, because she is trembling in my hands. She is very scared, but she must be trusting me right now.

"There it is, stealing my granddaughter!" The old lady screams, coming with a mob of people ready to kill. It's time to make a run.

***

I laid her down next to a huge rock by the river. I tore the bottom of my pants and wet the torn part with the water in the river. I cleaned the wound on her hand. She was cut, but not deeply. She'll be fine in a day or two. I tore another piece on my pants and wrapped it in her hand.

"Thank you." She says, wiping her tears with the other hand. I groaned and sat up on the rock, looking at the river.

For how long am I going to be like this? Are people going to fear me? Like her?

She doesn't deserve to be near someone like me. She is beautiful and looks very innocent.

"He… hey?" See, she is even afraid to speak to me. I see her getting up making her way to me. I turn my back on her so that she can leave me alone. I am lonely and miserable and I don't want her to be a burden on me. I am fine as I am.

She tries getting up the rock, but she struggles quite bad and ends up frowning out of frustration as she cannot balance with the wounded hand. I would laugh, but I am not in the mood.

Her face saddens seeing that I am not giving her any attention. I am an animal, for goodness sake! Why can't she get that and be like everyone who is fearing me.

I groan and pick her up and sit her on the rock. Surprisingly, she lays her head on my shoulder.

I guess I should let this little girl be.

***