Heir Apparent: A Nigerian Story.

VIII

Najib sat across his parents.
His father was reading a newspaper and his mother glaring at him.

"Is 340 the best you could do? You couldn't do any better?" She asks bitterly.

He says nothing looking out the window.
"Won't you answer your mother?"
"The paper in her hands can answer all the questions she has"
She scoffs "You really want your mother to pay for your mistakes, don't you?" She smirks.

"When you've already kicked her out?" Najib asks.

His father abruptly keeps the paper "What do you mean kicked out?"he asks furiously looking at his wife.
"It's...it's—" she stammers before glaring at Najib, warning him.

"She was kicked out with only the clothes she had on, I had to find a friend pick her up" he adds.

He turns to her angrily "Do you know the kind of trouble I'll be in if the emperor finds out? You're aware that the mother of the Vassal is more important than the Queen, right? You and your sons convinced me to let her stay as Lady, I might not care about her but I care about my son becoming king" he huffs "I'll call them to pick her up before we get in the jet"

"There's no need for that, she's fine where she is"

He chuckles "You're not king yet, your decisions don't matter".
"We can ask Uncle Awwal about that, can't we?"
He looks at him amused "You're threatening me?"
"Just leave her out of it, I'm not a child anymore. I won't let you mistreat and disrespect my mother"

He laughs hysterically, his wife joining in "She's unwanted. If you weren't the Vassal I would have kicked you two out years ago"
Najib scoffs "You already did once, I'd love nothing more honestly".

They stare at me horridly "It's those friends of yours, I knew they'd turn you against us".

He says nothing and turns back to staring out the window.
"We'll see" his father whispers.

::

She slaps her right across the face.
Raudah looks at her mother horrendously, surprised and scared.

"332? 332!!?? My daughter isn't first place"
"But there are only scores, there's no ranking"
She slaps her again "You're stupid, how can you let that bastard, that dumb child beat you?"

Tears kept falling uncontrollably but she doesn't weep "I did my best"

She scoffs laughing irritatedly and frustratedly "You need motivation, 14years has given me enough time to think of new ways to motivate you, you've always been slow" she huffs "I used to beat the others with over 200points, I laughed and made fun of them and now my daughter can't even get a 390/400? Is it so hard?"

"It's not a competition, we're just given grades to see how we've been doing so far. It's not like it's to know who's the smartest and dumbest"

She looks at her perplexed "You're talking back at me? Are you crazy?"
"You can't touch a Vassal, you're Queen and you're aware of that"

"Oh wow! So because you've been gone you think you have to power to think on your own? Don't think you can capitalize on your spot as a Vassal, I'm still your mother and I'm still Queen. It's the Emperor's fault for giving you children too much attention and importance, you're no different from how we were"

She scoffs "Talk about past glory" she murmurs.

Her mother was too shocked to utter a word.
"Let's talk about this when we get home" her father speaks up.

She glared at him, her eyes still teary "You're worse than she is".

::

They were all in the huge dinning room back in the Aventine Palace (the king's palace in Bandar, Huda's home).

Her sister hasn't said a single word to her since she got back.
"You could have done better" Queen Halima says to her daughter "Imani gets the best grades in school"

King Iman huffs "Don't sound ignorant, you think you can compare the Vassals and the students in Imani's school?" He scoffs "it's not like you went to school so I don't expect you to understand"

"Don't start this! Whether I went to school or not doesn't matter, I'm the queen now, aren't I?"
He laughs hysterically "Because you seduced your sister's fiancé"
"You fell for it , didn't you? You wanted to have me for yourself from the very beginning".

"That was the worst mistake I have ever made"
"Keep joking!"

The door opens and a maid walks in with the king's pills on a tray, they both stay quiet until she walks out.
"That's why your son can't stand being home, you're intolerable and you choke every man in your life with your stupid personality"

"Stupid?! Iman you're calling me stupid?"
"Get out! I said get out!" He shouts angrily.

She gets up panting heavily "Imani, Huda let's go"
None of them move a muscle.
Huda was already crying, she hasn't been home for more than 15minutes and they're already at their throats.

Her phone chimes.
"Girls! Let's go!" She says "Huda come on"

Uncle Awwal sent her a message:

To All Vassals, if you so wish you can be back in Vier City in a week. We know the amount of stress you'd be in at home and we want healthy minds. The Hind Castle is still your home and will always accept you.

Suddenly all the pain seemed to vanish.
She stands smiling "I'm going to aunt's house, I can't stay here"

"You're not going anywhere" her mother says with finality.
"I can't stay here. I've been here for less than thirty minutes and you two are already at it and Uncle Awwal says to stay away from stress, if you don't want me to, you can talk to him yourself" she walks out.

Walking down the hall way happily, nothing mattered anymore now that she can be back in just a week.
Suddenly she's pushed against the wall, hitting her head against a lamp holder.

She raises her head and sees Imani staring at her.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She pushes her angrily "Fuck off".
She scoffs laughing hysterically "A Vassal using such crude words, how euphoric"

"I'm not in the mood for your trash" she starts walking but Imani pulls her again.

"You always find a way to leave when things get rough, you cry and leave"
"I'm not a psycho like you, If I'm hurt I don't hide it and if something is bothering me I don't force myself to live with it because I want to show how brave and fit you are to be the heir"

She smiles "Well Ya Nazir doesn't give a damn about the throne and you feel like it's a burden"
She shakes her head "No, you're the burden. For everyone and for yourself too" she walks away "I'm leaving" she shouts smiling.

::