Come Love A Stranger

Twelve

His hair was darker than the night sky, his eyes as black as his hair but he had a very fair face, he had long face and his nose was pointed, his lips thin and attracting, he was the perfect description of being carved by the gods. His skin was pale and something about his beauty reminded her of the stranger she had met in the forest few nights ago and who she was missing desperately like she had known him all her life. After swooning in his beauty, Mariah recalled that he was a stranger standing in her garden, how did he get in without the servants seeing him? She took a deep breath and asked, “Who are you?”
The stranger smiled, his smile was pearly white and it would fascinate any woman it was directed to and Mariah was no exception, she was finding it hard to identify who was more beautiful between him and her stranger.
“Oh, I’m more beautiful,” the man replied with a light chuckle, it brushed against her skin in a strange way and she was surprised, when around her stranger, she feels at peace, she feels loved and happiness but something about the man in front of her gives her the willies, she couldn’t help but feel that with his presence brings danger.
She took a step back, taking a second to realize that he had just answered to her thought, just like he did a while ago, the feeling in her was growing stronger and she found herself wishing he would just leave the way he came.
“Oh I will, once I pass down my message,” he chuckled again, “I do not like being here more than you want me to.”
“Who are you, and how can you answer to my thoughts?” She asked.
The man smiled, his smile dazzling her for some seconds, “I am someone you would not like to know, someone you would not want to cross as well. But do not worry, I am not here to hurt you, you might say that I am even a…friend,” he smiled, “after all, I came to warn you to save your life.”
“What do you mean?”
“The stranger in the forest, I can recall when I came here you were wishing you could go back to him, although there is a way, you could run away from your loving family and go be with him, but what is the point when you would not even live to witness how life would be living with him?”
Mariah frowned when she heard that, “I do not understand.”
“Aye, I know,” he smiled, “listen to me and heed my advice, life would be better for you if you forget about him. You should thank me, you know. I was the one who told the king to accept your family back into the kingdom.”
Mariah was shocked when she heard that and when she processed his words, her shocked expression was replaced by anger, “why would you do that? We did not ask for your help,” the thought that he was responsible for why they had to come back into the kingdom and also the reason she was not able to go meet her stranger tonight angered her so much.
The man smiled, “are you speaking for your family or for your own selfish desire? How do you think they would feel should they find out that you go into the forest every night for the past two nights just to see a man? They would be disappointed, no doubt but let me ask you, do you think your family was happy leaving in abandonment? Think about your father, his status, do you think he loved the way things turned out? Of course not, all I did was answered to your family’s wish but you, you my dear are angry because it prevented you from meeting your stranger. Is that not true?”
Mariah closed her eyes and heaved a deep breath, “who are you and why do you care about my family so much?”
“You are wrong, I do not care about your family, I care about you and I am trying to save your life. Like I said, being with the stranger in the woods would only end your life sooner than you expected it. I came here to tell you, I can grant you any wish you want, anything, whatsoever, I can make it come through for you but you must promise me in return that you would stay away from the stranger in the woods.”
“Why would you grant me wishes?”
“Say,” he moved his hand in the air with such exquisite fairness that she was mesmerized, “I’m your fairy godfather,” he laughed at his own words. “But really, I would do anything to preserve your life for you, starting by granting you every lady’s wish. Your father shall return with a good news for you, you be a good lady and accept it. Forget the stranger in the woods; he would bring you bad luck. With that said,” he sighed, “I shall bid my farewell now, my lady,” he smiled and did an exquisite bow for her, “if you heed my advice, you might not see me again, but if you do not, you might or might not see me again as well, but you would start seeing everything I told you about the stranger being a danger to you and to prove myself right for now, he shall come to you, enticing you to go to the forest with him, but mind you, he would only be luring you to your death, you do not know anything about him, not even his name, shouldn’t that make you wary?” He smiled, “farewell my fair lady and yes, your father has returned,” he smiled once more and just like that, he vanished before her eyes.
Mariah couldn’t believe what just happened, did he just disappear? But before she could think on it, a servant ran out to meet her, “my lady,” he bowed, “your father has returned and he asked for your presence.”
Mariah felt her heart missed a beat at that, the stranger said the same and it was true? She was scared no doubt but she sucked in her fear and let it out in a deep breath before following the servant in to meet her father.
She walked straight to the drawing room where she knew her father would be waiting for her, she stopped before the door, took a deep breath to prepare herself for whatever news he would give her before going into the room. Her father was seated beside her mother on the couch and they both looked up with smiles on their faces when they saw her. Mariah knew they have good news but she had this fear that even though it might be good news to them, it won’t be to her.
“Mariah,” Josiah called with a smile, “come, my child,” he stretched out his hand to her and she took slow steps towards him and placed her hand in his, he led her to seat in-between him and his mother. Lydia stroked her head lovingly while Josiah began, “our fear has finally been washed away. Tonight, while sharing a meal with the royal highness, he told me the main reason he brought us back and it was all because of you.”
Mariah felt her heart missed a beat when she heard that, she looked at her father and then her mother and back to her father again, “me? Why me?”
Josiah looked at his wife before looking at his daughter again, “the king has asked for your hand in marriage.”