Chapter 71 His Royal Highness

He kissed her forehead and smiled, "No one can harm me here, Fareeda. There are some that can risk their lives to protect me even if I can't protect myself. You don't have to worry about me, just take care of yourself. Someone will bring you a new sim to install in your phone, my number is saved already, call me at any inconveniences, okay?"
She was looking at him without taking her eyes off, she couldn't believe this was her very own Mujaheed. Life could surely be ironic when it wanted. She had never imagined she could come across a plot twist in her life like this. "What are you? I mean here, who are you to them?"
He chuckled, realizing she just couldn't keep some questions to herself. "I'm the crown prince, Fareeda. My father is the king here. I need to go, take care of yourself for me." He leaned forward and lightly kissed her lips. "I love you." And she silently watched him leave the room. She slumped back on the wondered and wondered if she was dreaming or this was the new reality life wanted her to adjust to. She couldn't believe everything right now, nothing even made sense anymore.
There was a soft knock on the door and she looked up, she wondered if she was safe to say they could come in or not. But she knew so well that Mujaheed would ensure their safety before his and he told her that someone will bring her the simcard to install and also the food. "Come in," she spoke in French, knowing so well that she could spend eternity speaking Hausa or English to them and they wouldn't understand what she meant. She had never been thankful for the summer lesson she took on French. At that time she thought she was only wasting her time and her money, but today, it became useful to her.
A lady came into the room, and when Fareeda examined her, she could be two years younger than her. She smiled at her and she immediately bowed her head. "Good evening, your highness. The crown Prince asked me to bring this SIM card to you." She stretched out her hand and Fareeda nearly gasped at the name she called her with. Everything was still sounding and looking bizarre to her.
"Okay, thank you." She collected the sim and tossed it in her hands. "What's your name?" She knew she was the type that could hardly go on without talking to someone and right now, she needed to excuse Mujaheed because it was evident he would be so busy considering how he had been away from home for a very long time.
"My name is Nafisa, and I'll be your maid of honor, your highness. Whenever you need something, just ask me and I'll have it done."
"Okay, Nafisa. Do you know where our belongings have been taken? I need to bring out new clothes for Muhaseen." She picked up Muhaseen to her laps and slightly kissed her forehead. "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself, my name is Fareeda." She did't know how life would be in this royal palace, but one thing sh knew was that she had to stay strong for her little Ange and Mujaheed as well.
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Mujaheed passed the long corridor that would lead him to Baffah's room, he knew he had been waiting for him and when he knocked softly, he heard his voice from inside. "Come inside, Mujaheed." He called out and he smiled, not remembering the last time he heard someone spoke Fulani. He new he hadn't forgotten his language but it had bene long since he spoke it himself.
He turned the doorknob and walked into the room. Spotting his uncle in the usual spot he always sat down in the evening, Mujaheed smiled before he walked up to him and sat down at his right side. "Good evening, Baffah. I hope I've met you in good health?"
Baffah stared at him with a loving smile and nodded his head. "I've been fine, Mujaheed, but what about you? I know it's too early to ask you the reason you did that but I'd want to know why you did that. Why you left home. It took me more than two years before I knew where you was. I know how you can act when you're furious, but I've never imagined you could do that."
With his head ducked down, Mujaheed fidgeted with his fingers. He didn't want to tell him everything now, he wanted time to tell. "I'm sorry, Baffah. I made a mistake, but that's the only thing I could do at the time."
Baffah smiled, he knew Mujaheed would never do something without a tangible reason. He knew he might not tell him the reason yet, but surely time will tell everything. "I know you, Mujaheed, you won't do this without any reason. I trust you, so it's fine now. Have you checked up on your father?" Mujaheed felt as his heart sank, that was the reason why he came back to Cameroon, his father.
He softly shook his head. "I don't know how to go and see him, Baffah. Don't you think that will worsen his condition?" He asked silently, feeling as his heart sank painfully. He didn't want to imagine how he would see his father, even though all his wish had been to see is father but now that he was only a few meters away from im, he felt that he couldn't do that.
"We're going to him together. Have some faith. I believe that seeing you will improve his health status. Shall we go?" He was reluctant before he nodded his head and Baffah stood up.
The royal palace was huge that Mujaheed could say there were places he had never stepped on in his life. He was the kind of person that was always stuck together with Yumma and hardly ever left beside her unless he was going to school. As they walked to the king's chamber together with Baffah, he wondered what life had been when he wasn't here. How they had lived, the people that had rejoiced his absence and those that truly cared and prayed for his safe return.
His heart lost a bit when they came to his father's chamber and he looked up at his sculpture before they entered. For all he could remember, he was the most honest and justice king Yaounde had ever had. A very understanding king and friendly in some ways, that was before the tragedy struck into their hearts and destroyed everything, it destroyed all the happiness they had once shared and the love and peace, everything.
"Let's go in, Mujaheed." Baffah turned to look at him when he saw that he had stayed behind, intensely staring at the sculpture of the king.
"Will he be okay if he sees me?" He asked with his voice breaking but he knew better than to let those tears out. He loved his father, that was as concrete as the mountains were. But he was afraid that if he saw him today, wouldn't that cause his heart to panic?
Baffah smiled before he placed his hand on his shoulder, "Mujaheed, he has nothing on his lips but asking whoever goes to see him about you. If we've seen you, if we know where you are because he believes you're still alive somewhere. When I found you, I wanted to tell him about it but I couldn't, because you've already told the people I've sent to bring you home that you aren't coming back. Your father will be fine, okay? He will be happy to see you."
Mujaheed gulped down a lump in his throat and walked ahead. He didn't want to remember whatever that had happened in his past, he would let that slide at least for the time he was going to see his father. He tried to paint a smile on his lips but nothing came, just sheer pain and the agony he once felt in this palace. He nodded his head at the servants that happily smiled at him and knelt down to extend their greetings. At least, he could say that these people were happy he came back because they cared about his father.
They kept walking deeper into the chamber until they came to the master bedroom and Baffah smiled at him before he encouragingly nodded his head at him. Mujaheed felt as if he couldn't do this. He couldn't see his father after being away for five years now. What would he say to him? What would be the first thing he would tell him? Ask him that how he was or apologize for leaving without him knowing? If he asked him his reason for doing that, what would he say to him?
"Go in, Mujaheed, he's waiting for you." No one told him that Mujaheed was back because no one knew he was back. Mujaheed turned the doorknob and got into the room with his heart on his feet and with each step he took, it felt as though he had stopped onto his heart himself.
He lifted his head up and noticed the machines that were in the room and painstakingly, his eyes were back to the bed and there laid his father, as though a body that had been away from its soul. He felt a tightening in his chest and when the nurse that was taking care of him wanted to speak, he motioned for her not to speak and she silently left the room. He moved over to the bedside and sat down silently before he took the now bony hands of his father. Despite Mujaheed's attempt not to cry, he had to shed some tears.
"Daada..." He spoke with a crying voice and it was as if he had opened the reservoir of his tears. Nothing pained him like seeing his father bony and weak, sick for so long now. "Daada, I'm here, Mujaheed is back home." His crying voice uttered as his lips trembled with so much pain.
He watched as the eyes of Daada began to open slowly as if he thought he was dreaming. His weak and sick eyes laid themselves on Mujaheed and he felt as he lightly squeezed his hands that were on his. "Mujaheed?" He said weakly and Mujaheed nodded his head vehemently with tears and a smile on his lips.
"It's me, Daada. I'm back home today." He cried even bitterly and the way his father's lips etched into a smile was everything he wanted and more. He realized how much he had missed that smile, these loving hands, the father figure he had in his life. Even though Daada was a king with so much commitments, Mujaheed couldn't have prayed for a father better than him. He was everything he had and more.
"Lift me up, I want to hug you to make sure you're right here by my side, Mujaheed." Daada said weakly and despite the way he wanted to Burts into tears until he couldn't stop himself, Mujaheed controlled himself and smiled before he made him sit upright and he hugged him, that was when everything came back to him and he cried terribly.
"I'm sorry, Daada. I shouldn't have left the way I did. I shouldn't have left you all alone here. I'm so sorry." Weakly, he felt the feeble hands of his father that once stood sturdy were now so weak that they trembled with just a touch-he fondled his back and smiled while tears rolled down his cheeks as well.
"I know there's no way you'll die somewhere else, I've always known you're alive, Mujaheed. Somewhere in the world, you're safe. Don't apologize, I'm just glad that you're back before I die."
Mujaheed quickly broke their hug and shook his head at him with tears rolling down as fear overtook his soul. "Please don't say that, Daada. Now that I'm here, you'll be fine, we'll live our lives happily."