The Newborn Prince

Whoosh...

pa ta pa ta!"

The sound of raindrops filled the air on a cool evening. As the sun prepared to set in the west.

The clear sky was cherry–red, with patches of dark–brown clouds, struggling to completely obliterate the sun. 

It was one of those days when it drizzled while there was still sunshine.

From a small hut, made of red mud and thatch roof, a female's sorrowful cry rang out. 

Succeeding, to outperform the whooshing sound of the evening breeze, and the clapping sound made by the drizzling rain.

The female human continued to scream from the suffering and pain she felt. 

However, from inside the hut, some other voices of encouragement and consolation could be heard.

"Just a little more your highness! it will be over soon."

"yes your highness, I suggest you have a bit more endurance, and just put in more effort and it'll all soon be over."

Four women, each dressed with a white piece of cloth, tied around their chest and waist, gathered around a woman as they hollered words of encouragement and consolation to her.

lying on a stone bed, was a disheveled woman, who had been wailing for a while. 

With her eyes tightly shut, and her face contorted from pain, she continued to endure the suffering, while biting hard against her lower lip. To ease the pain of the stressful task.

Two hours later, the screaming died down.

Lying on the stone bed, was a more relaxed and beautiful woman. Her chest rose and fell, as she sighed and breathed heavily. 

Although she was sweaty and her hair has scuffled, her charcoal-like black skin was shiny and reflecting. glittering from her sweat, she was soaked in.

Her pale face lit up. And her mood immediately brightened, as her cat-like eyes reflected a glint of cheer and joy. 

Tears quickly poured down her cheeks when she saw a bloody baby. she reached out her hands to take the newborn from a blood-stained nurse. 

As she got hold of it, she drew the newborn baby closer to herself and pressed it against her chest. 

Then she caressed, and kissed the baby, as tenderly and sweetly as she could. Exuding all the gracefulness of a mother and child.

Crystal clear tears, detoured and trickled down her beautiful face, to stray away, drops blood, stained on the baby.

She was at the moment, a perfect epitome of pure and unconditional love.

However, in her most gentle and senile moment yet, her beauty, multiplied by manifolds. That even mother nature herself became jealous and couldn't resist stealing a peek.

Then, the drizzling stopped. And the dark clouds, paved way for a moment to allow a column of sunlight, settle on the hut.

"May the Gods be praised!

my queen, it is a bouncing baby boy."

A fat woman, who was a nurse–the chief maiden nurse, besides the queen, cheeked in. She was smiling from ear to ear.

"yes my queen, you've given birth to a prince, the gods do favor your house."

Another nurse remarked. she too was happy. 

"You're right, the gods have finally smiled on us.

ovaide ovaide

osamudiamen ovaide

ovaide ovaide"

A third nurse concurred, before raising a traditional song of thanksgiving.

The other maiden nurses then went on dancing. A traditional dance, that involved swaying, moving from left to right in a rhythmic manner. 

Although the queen wanted to join them in the dance, she was too tired to do that. So instead, she started swaying, moving the baby left to right as she sat on the stone bed.

They danced for a while when suddenly,

"Oh No!"

The chief maiden screamed as she was taken aback, her eyes popped out, and her wrinkled face twisted into a complicated expression.

As she stared at the baby in the queen's arm. 

Her face plastered with shock,   and her mouth kept agape, she seemed to have suddenly discovered something.

"My queen! 

There's something wrong with the baby."

Stuttering as she spoke, Chief Maiden, drew nearer to the newborn prince wrapped around the queen's arms.

"Cynthia, what do you mean!   What are you trying to say?"

The queen was startled by the sudden statement and change in the behavior of the chief maiden, she narrowed her eyes questioningly, demanding an explanation from the former. 

"My queen!  Ha–haven't you noticed anything about the prince yet." 

Still stuttering, even as she spoke the chief maiden reached out her hand to the queen intending to take the baby prince.

"what!?

What do mean? stop all this nonsense and tell me what is going on right now!"

The queen, who had naturally run out of patience, yelled at the chief maiden.

She held the baby closer to her chest, refusing to give the baby to the former.

The chief maiden who had been lost in her thought had been so shocked and amazed.

However, upon hearing the queen yell at her, she was taken aback as she jerked.

She immediately realized that she had been keeping the queen in suspense.

"I'm sorry your  highness, I didn't mean to keep you in suspense."

when the chief maiden spoke, she still had her eyes fixed on the newborn prince, there was a trace of fear and concern etched on her face as she looked at the baby prince.

This behavior only ended up infuriating the queen further.

"What is wrong with you! are you.."

the queen was about to pour out her rage when she suddenly noticed something.

she quickly looked down, at the child pressed against her chest. 

By this time, the air had already almost become tangible due to tension. 

The other maidens had already realized what the chief maiden meant to say and had been intending to tell the queen. 

Sticky goosebumps and sweat was all over their face and bodies and had also soaked the greater part of their wrappers. With eyes, so heavy, they looked at the queen desperately. 

Even so, she also seemed to have realized that something was odd about the newborn prince.

She glared at the chief maiden briefly, then settled her sight back on the newborn prince. 

Seeming completely disoriented, after a heartwrenching discovery, her beautiful chiseled–like, v–face instantly grew bumps and became lumpy. 

Heaves of sweat pooled out from her body and completely drenched her clothing. Then she started breathing heavily. 

She felt, her eyes become too heavy and a feeling of dizziness overtake her senses, she struggled to suppress the fainting–feeling she was having and kept trying to utter a word.