CHANGE OF PLANS
"Madok, I know you like Lucy, but for now, you just have to take things slow, you had earlier told me what you heard while eavesdropping on both mother and daughter.
Since she wants Rashid, please let her be, just let her be, but... I swear I won't make any attempt to make things go easy for them, I just have to tell you now", Queen Amancia said.
When she went to bed after her encounter with the Emir, she had thought of everything Claudia and her discussed while they were coming back from shopping, she had given it a thorough thought and after everything she concluded that since Lucy doesn't want Madok, and her friend Claudia isn't ready to help her pull through, she's going to leave it to Claudia's hands.
She swore that Claudia is going to work for everything to turn out well between her daughter, Lucy and Rashid.
"Mother?, is that what you are saying now?. Have you forgotten how you told me that you would make sure I have her as my wife?, Have you forgotten the promise you made to me about being the Heir to the throne of Al Zayed, are you going to back off now?", Madok asked.
"Son... you really don't understand, this is not a matter of choice, I have to do it, it's a difficult decision to make, but I promise you that it's for the best", Queen Amancia said, as she took Madoks' hands in hers.
"You know this isn't what we planned, mother, you know that", Madok groaned in anger.
"I know that son, I know", she consoled him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mrs Claudia, took the hallway that led to the entrance of the building, she was heading to the garden, to take in fresh air and enjoy the serenity.
She took with her, a glass of fresh orange juice mixed with plum.
It was the late hours of the night, everywhere in the garden was dark and quiet apart from the spring fall near the garden which made the serenity, not to be too quiet.
She saw as the birds flew from tree to tree, perching at one and collecting leaves to make their nest.
She heard sounds ahead of her, the entrance of the garden, although she could not make out who in particular came in, she could only see the build of the person, to know that she has a female company coming towards her direction.
She brought the glass cup to her lips and took a sip of the orange and plum mixed juice.
She looked up, her female company being the personal assistant to the Queen, Aamina.
She was able to recognize Aamina because she had seen her countless times walking around the place with Queen Amancia.
Aamina walked all the way to Mrs Claudia, and came to a halt, she looked down at the woman.
"Good evening, Mrs Claudia", Aamina greeted.
"Good evening, er-er-ermm, you are Queen Amancia's personal maid right?", Mrs Claudia Robson asked.
"Yes, can I sit down?*, Aamina asked.
"Yeah of course", Mrs Claudia replied as she shifted for her, so she could have a seat.
"You love the view from here right?", Aamina started.
"Yes, yessss, I love here so much, it's been long since I last came here, and then the view wasn't as nice as now", Mrs Claudia emphasized.
"Me too, although I don't really have the chance nor the time to enjoy the serenity, the little time I have for myself, I use it to take a little rest, you know it's not everytime we have such chances to spare", Aamina confided.
Mrs Claudia took a deep breath, raised her glass of drink to her lips, parted it open and drank a large quantity.
Time ticked, seconds clicked, minutes read, an hour more and they still sat there with unsaid words between them, enjoying the serenity.
"How long have you both been friends, I mean the Queen and you?", Aamina finally broke the silence between them.
Mrs Claudia looked at her, drank from her mixed fruit juice and said, "since we were young, we have been inseparable since we were just kids", she said.
"It's really been long though, right now do you think you both can still be inseparable, can you still fight for the friendship between both of you, and conquer any obstacle that faces you both?", Aamina questioned, seeing the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, gave her a bit of hope.
"I really can't tell, but if it would affect the ones dearest to me, I would fight against it, but if it won't my hands would be folded", Mrs Claudia said.
"You say dearest, right?", Aamina asked.
"Yeah, my dearest", Mrs Claudia repeated.
"So if you don't mind, who are the dearest to you?", Aamina asked.
"Dearest.... I would say my dearest are my immediate family, my husband, my children. They are the dearest people I hold to my heart", she said.
"That's good, because you have to fight as tough as you can, and make sure you don't loose them, but sometimes... listen very well.
No one can be more dangerous than the hand that feeds you, that is why you have to be loyal and subject to him or her", Aamina advised.
"I don't understand, please explain to me, you are speaking in parables", Mrs Claudia complained.
"If you don't want someone or something, how do you go about doing showing it?", Aamina asked.
"Definitely you have to tell the person", Mrs Claudia replied.
"What of if the person is not ready to accept it?", Aamina retorted.
Mrs Claudia kept quiet, "You are making me confused", she sighed.
"You don't have to threaten the person, let the person feel why you don't want it, I could help you out, you know!!", Aamina said.
"I still don't know where you are driving at", she quirked.
"You don't?", Aamina rhetorically said.
"Madok, you don't want him for your daughter, or your daughter don't want him as a husband, whichever... I really don't know.
I want to tell you something, and right now, I feel it's only you that can relate to it in a way that it would look so serious", Aamina related.
"Okay!!!", Mrs Claudia replied.
"On a very good night, a night which turned bad, a night which was meant to be the doom of me, someone took my position, she was harmed because of me, brutally raped, disvirgined, her pride and virtue forcefully taken away from her....
It would have been me, but maybe fate decided to chang my doom to bring me out to a better light", Aamina recalled.
"When, where, how did all this happen, tell me the victim, did it happen here?", Mrs Claudia asked.
"Wait a bit.... I would tell you everything, everything you want to know, but.... this should be kept between us. I can only help your daughter out from marrying Madok, whose 'M' means monster, but that's if you are ready to lend me a helping hand, are you?", Aamina asked.
"Yes, I am ready please, anything for my daughter", Mrs Claudia mumbled.
"Firstly, I would love to apologize for eaves dropping on you both, but when you mentioned the part of you being a mischievous person, I knew that deep down, you are so nice and can't hurt a fly.
The step you would want to take would rather bring you to your doom, you are too innocent to be hurt.
The first thing I want you to do, is to tell your daughter, Luciana Robson, to forget about Rashid", Aamina demanded.
"Allah!!!, No I can't do that, she's going to feel so hurt, I can't please", Mrs Claudia sobbed.
"You can't or you won't, I want to know, it would be a battle of four against one, but if you back down it's gonna be three against two.
Your daughter is old enough, don't treat her like a baby, she might be your only daughter or child whichever, but you have to start letting her know that it's not everything you want that you would get", Aamina bellowed.
Mrs Claudia thought about it for a little while, she would give in to this... she has to, for herself and her daughter.
"While you are thinking through, remember that you have only words against Queen Amancia, you have no evidence nor proof, you could be sentenced if you lay false accusations on the wife of an Emir, moreso the wife of the Emir of Al Zayed.
Choose wisely, I won't come to you for this, never in my life will I do that, if you choose negative, but,I would remind and advise you to think thoroughly", Aamina advised.
"I am in, what's the plan", Mrs Claudia finally agreed.
Aamina smiled, now everything is working out right for her.