Umakoti (The bride)

Nomsa Vs Noma

"I don't want you to go." Lindiwe said to Vusi holding on to him. He was hurt but here he was getting ready to go on a daredevil mission to save his sister. Mbuso and the other guards could do that. He really didn't need to go according to Lindiwe. They were safe here and she didn't want them to ever leave. "She is my baby's sister Lindi. Please understand." Vusi said hugging her. She was not happy with his decision but he would move heaven and earth to get his little sister. He was now her main guardian and he would do right by her. "Be safe." Lindiwe said with tears in her eyes. He held her for a while and eventually had to pull away. He had to do this no matter how conflicted he was about leaving Lindiwe.

"She is locked up in her room according to my intel. We need to make our way there without being recognised." Mbuso said as they drove to the palace. Vusi knew a way that was secluded and would lead them to the back entrance of the palace.

"You need to eat Nomsa." Noma said holding her little sister. Sifiso had her locked up in her room and she was on a hunger strike in protest. "I want mom." Nomsa said hugging her sister tightly. Rumours were spreading that their parents were dead and so was her brother. She has never felt so lost like today. No matter how tightly Noma hugged her, she felt she was the enemy, her husband was the cause of all this pain.

But, Noma could be all she had left and it made her want to cry so badly but she couldn't. She was the baby of the family and everyone always made sure she was cared for but now she felt alone. "I am sorry Sifiso has you locked up in this room, you should not have charged at him with a knife." Noma said softly. Nomsa was not about to respond to her sister's stupidity and gullibility. She married a monster and he knew how to play her. "Can you leave me alone for now." Nomsa said to her sister as she turned on the bed to face the wall. She needed to breath and come up with a plan.

Noma could not even sleep. Her heart was so heavy how could Sifiso do all this. He swore he was not involved with her parents deaths but refused to talk about Vusi. Did he really wipe out her whole family in a week. All she had left was Nomsa and she looked at her with judgemental eyes. She had pleaded for him to let her out of her room but Sifiso said it was for everyone safety that she be locked up. Noma had cried enough and she had lost enough. She loved Sifiso but his quest for revenge that went back generations was killing his marriage. She was at a crossroads and she did not know what to choose.

"Oh, my baby mommy can't tell daddy yet." Noma said holding her belly. She was not showing yet which was a blessing but she wished things were different. She longed for her mothers hug and her father's stories. She had a very close relationship with her family until she got married to Sifiso. No matter how much she wanted to make her marriage work his hate for her family made it difficult. "My love." Sifiso said walking to to the room. "You can't keep her prisoner!" Noma said turning to face her cold hearted husband. "I can Noma. I need everything to go smoothly until I am crowned." Sifiso said trying to pull her into a hug. "Don't touch me!" Noma said softly and sat on the bed crying. All she wanted was for everyone to get along but now she had lost her family.

"Nomsa." Noma said softly waking her sister. "Yini?" Nomsa hated being woken up early. The sun was not even out and Noma was bothering her before she could protest Noma put her hand over Nomsa's mouth to shush her. "Ubuthi is outside." Noma said pulled her out the bed. Nomsa finally picked up on what was happening. She put on her slippers and grabbed her bag on the desk. "What about the guards?" Nomsa asked softly. "I served everyone a delicious dessert with a special ingredient. No one is waking up." Noma said smiling. She was fed up with how her family was being treated. Nomsa was her sister and when Vusi called her she wanted to prove to him that she was on their side. She loved Sifiso but he was wrong for what he was doing. "Come on." Noma said as they snuck out of the palace.

When Vusi called Noma he didn't not expect her to be willing to help. She had been so obedient to Sifiso for so long that he didn't even think of calling her. Mbuso convinced him to at least plead with her cause going into the palace guns blazing would be their last day on earth.

They waited a short distance away from the palace and could see Noma's car from a distance. He put on his headlights to indicate to her that it was them. Noma stopped the car and jumped out . She ran to Vusi and hugged him. "I thought you were dead." She wept. "I am okay, Sisi." Vusi said embracing his sister. Nomsa came out of nowhere and joined the hug. She was also crying. He held his sisters for a while to calm his own emotions. "Let's go." Vusi said to them. "I am going back." Noma said wiping away her tears. "Why?" Vusi yelled. "He is my husband, please claim back the throne Bhuti but promise me you will not kill my husband." Noma said looked at Vusi. "I can't promise that Nomathemba." Vusi said sternly. "I am carrying his child Vusi." Noma said with new tears trailing down her cheeks. Vusi just looked at her and turned his back. He felt sorry for his sister but her husband had to be stopped by any means necessary.

"What the hell! Vusi I am not in high school I graduated varsity last year!" Nomsa said chuckling. On the drive back to the hide out they were talking and joking around. Vusi and Mbuso were convinced she was still eighteen and in high school. It's like time stopped in their minds. "I don't remember you graduating! When did you graduate?" Mbuso said laughing. "Okay, I didn't graduate but I have like a few modules left to finish my degree." Nomsa said proudly. "So you are Lindiwe's age and the two of you were in the same class?" Vusi asked perplexed. "Yes, I am a year younger than Lindiwe." Nomsa said. "Mbuso, how old is my wife?" Vusi asked now looking concerned. Mbuso just burst out laughing when he turned to look at Vusi. The man looked traumatised.

"So she is okay?" Lindiwe asked the moment Vusi walked into their room. "Yes, Noma helped us get her out." Vusi said taking off his shoes. "The whole story about him wanting to marry Nomsa thing was just gossip. Sifiso is smitten with Noma and he wants nothing to do with the rest of my family." Vusi said relaxing on the couch. "I am glad everyone is safe and sound." Lindiwe said sitting on her man's lap. She loved this huge mountain of a man so much.

"Mbuso for the last time I got these bruises from trying to escape through the balcony. No one manhandled me." Nomsa said. Mbuso had noted the bruises on her wrist and arm. She knew he would lose his cool and charge to the palace so she lied about how she got them. The guards got rough with her after she tried stabbing Sifiso. It hurt a little but she was not about to tell Mbuso. He was always her favourite person from since they were kids. He always protect and cared for her.

When she was in varsity she got herself into some trouble and Mbuso always came to save her. He never told the King but he would give her an earful. "So which room are you sleeping in ?" Nomsa asked jokingly. Her whole life she has been chasing after Mbuso but all he saw in her was a little sister. She would always make weird jokes about wanting him but he would brush her off.

"I am in the room near the kitchen. Call me if you need anything." Mbuso said and walked away. Mbuso had no idea how handsome and sexy he was. Whenever he would come to her dorm the girls would drool and ogle him. He was their eye candy. They would bother her for months begging for his number. She hated how nonchalant he was. Did this man know he looked like a god. Nomsa finally finished her sandwich and headed to bed after taking two shots of whiskey. She was too pent up to fall asleep by her own means.

"Mbuso, did you get do what I asked?" Vusi asked through the phone. "Yeah, I put the bugs in various places in the palace. We should be able to listen in." Mbuso said. While Vusi was meeting with Noma, Mbuso was in the palace bugging every room he got into. He also deleted security footage and changed all banking passwords to the palace funds. He actually wanted to kill Sifiso but that was not his mission. He had to only bug the place and take some important documents. No one was changing anything any day soon. The throne was secure because of the documents he had.

"Mbuso? Are you sleeping?" Nomsa knocked. He got off the phone and went to  open the door for her. She was standing in the doorway with short pj pants and T-shirt. "I can't sleep can I come in?" Nomsa said looking down her her feet. "Yeah sure." Mbuso said moving out of the way. She shuffled her way in and sat on the bed. Mbuso followed her and sat next to her. "So you want to sleep in here?" Mbuso asked fidgeting. He didn't see Nomsa in a romantic way but sleep on the same bed with a woman would have any man a bit on edge. "Yeah." Nomsa said still looking her her slippers. "Okay, let's sleep." Mbuso said getting up to switch off the light. Nomsa got on the bed and turned to face the wall. Mbuso switch off the light and got on the bed keeping his distance. "Mbuso? Do you think my parents are dead?" Nomsa asked. "That is the report we got. I am sorry Nana" Mbuso said softly. "Can you hold me please." Nomsa asked turning to face Mbuso. He pulled her into his arms and held her. "It okay." Mbuso said holding a crying Nomsa.

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