The Prince With Ten Brides - S01 E05

Story 3 weeks ago

The Prince With Ten Brides - S01 E05

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 5

The Prince With 10 Brides

The last note of the flute faded into the air. The drums became quiet. The dancers stopped moving. A silence so deep fell over the palace square that it felt like the whole world had stopped breathing. It was a very strange kind of silence. It was the kind of silence where you could hear the soft flutter of a butterfly’s wings as it flew over the flowers. You could hear the dry leaves on the ground moving in the light wind. Everyone was waiting. The people of Omalin held their breath. They were all looking at the platform where the royal family sat. The time had finally come. It was time for Prince Azu to make his big choice. It was time for the village to find out who their new Queen would be.

The village elders were standing near the platform. They looked very serious and very old. They were wearing their special traditional clothes. In their hands, they held the royal rings. These rings were made of pure, heavy gold. They were very bright and very beautiful. These rings were not just jewelry. They were a sign of a promise. They were a sign that the girl who received one would belong to the palace forever. The elders stood very straight. They were ready to hand the rings to the Prince so he could give them to the girl he loved.

The King leaned forward in his big wooden chair. He was looking at his son with eyes full of hope. He expected the Prince to stand up and walk down the steps. He expected his son to point to one lady. Perhaps he would choose the most beautiful one. Perhaps he would choose the one who danced with the most grace. The King wanted to see a smile on his son’s face. He wanted to see the joy of a man who had found his partner for life. The Queen Mother was also watching closely. She wanted to see which girl had captured the heart of her only son.

Prince Azu began to move. He tried to stand up from his royal chair. But as he stood, his legs began to wobble. He looked like a small child who was just learning how to walk. He looked very weak and very tired. His face was pale, and there was sweat on his forehead. It was not the sweat of a man who had been dancing. It was the sweat of someone who was sick. He was struggling to keep his balance. It looked like his body was fighting against something invisible. The people in the crowd whispered to each other. They wondered if the Prince was okay. They wondered if the heat of the sun was too much for him.

The Prince turned his head slowly. He looked at the long line of ladies. He looked at the girls who had used the dark powders. He looked at the girls who had used the secret magic words. He looked at Zola. Zola was standing there with a proud look on her face. She was sure her magic powder had worked. Then he looked at Nneka. Nneka was smiling because she thought her magic song had worked. He looked at all the other girls who had visited the dark herbalists in the woods. His eyes were still cloudy. He did not look like he was seeing real people. He looked like he was seeing ghosts or shapes in a dream.

Finally, his gaze passed over Ada. Ada was standing at the very end of the line. She was wearing her simple white dress. She was looking at the Prince with eyes full of worry and love. She wanted to help him. She wanted to reach out and hold his hand. But as the Prince’s eyes moved past her, something very sad happened. He looked right at her, but he did not see her. He looked at her as if she were a ghost. He looked at her as if she were invisible to his eyes. He did not even blink. It was like Ada did not exist in his world anymore. The magic fog was so thick in his mind that it had hidden the only girl who truly cared for him.

Then, the Prince raised his hand. His arm was shaking very hard. He was pointing his finger toward the line of girls. But he was not pointing to just one person. He was pointing to all the ladies who had used the charms. He was pointing to Zola, Nneka, and all the others who had broken the laws of the land. The crowd became even quieter. They did not understand what he was doing. They waited for him to stop at one girl. But he did not stop. His finger moved across the whole group.

I shall marry them all! the Prince shouted. His voice did not sound like his own voice. It did not sound happy or strong. It sounded cracked and hollow. It sounded like the voice of a man speaking from the bottom of a deep, dark well. I shall marry them all! They are all my queens! Every single one of them!

The village gasped. A great sound of surprise went up from the crowd. It was like a giant wave of air. This had never happened before. In the history of Omalin, a Prince only chose one bride. He only had one Queen. Marrying ten brides at the same time was unheard of. It was against the traditions of their ancestors. People looked at each other with big eyes. They could not believe what they were hearing. They thought the Prince had lost his mind.

But the Prince was not finished speaking. He turned his body slightly. He pointed a trembling finger at Ada. His hand was shaking so much it looked like it might fall off. Everyone except that one! he said. His voice was full of a strange anger that did not make sense. I do not want her! She is not a queen! Do not let her near the palace!

The King turned as pale as a white cloth. He stood up from his chair, but he could not speak. He was too shocked. He looked at his son and saw a stranger. He saw a man who was trapped in a nightmare. The Queen Mother covered her mouth with her hands. She began to cry soft tears. This was not the wedding they had planned. This was a disaster.

Near the platform, the Chief Priest stood perfectly still. He did not gasp. He did not shout. Instead, he narrowed his eyes. He was a very wise man who knew a lot about the world. He looked at the Prince’s cloudy eyes. He looked at the way the other girls were smiling. He realized that something very dark was happening. He could feel the smell of the magic powders in the air. He knew that the ancient laws had been broken. He knew that this was not the Prince’s heart speaking. It was the magic speaking through him.

Ada felt a sharp pain in her heart. It felt like someone had poked her with a very sharp needle. She felt like she wanted to fall down and cry. The man she loved had looked at her and called her nothing. He had chosen the girls who used lies and magic over her. But even though she was hurting, Ada stayed silent. She did not scream. She did not argue. She stayed in her place and watched the Prince. She was not thinking about her own pain anymore. She was looking at him.

She saw that the Prince was in a lot of trouble. His hands were not just shaking; they were jerking. His skin was turning a strange, grey color. As the girls began to cheer and laugh, the Prince’s eyes began to roll back in his head. You could see the white parts of his eyes. He looked like he was about to collapse. He looked like his soul was being pulled in ten different directions at once. Each girl’s magic was fighting the other. The spells were crashing into each other inside the Prince’s brain.

The celebration turned into total confusion. The girls who had been chosen were trying to run to the platform to touch the gold rings. They were pushing each other and shouting. They did not care that the Prince was suffering. They only cared that they had been called Queens. The villagers started to move around in a panic. Mothers held their children tight. Some people began to run away from the square. They felt that a great evil was present. They felt that the air had turned sour.

The King finally found his voice. Stop! he shouted. Someone help my son! But it was too late for a simple stop. The Prince fell back into his chair. His body was stiff. He was making strange noises. The beautiful flowers and the colorful ribbons did not matter anymore. The honey smell was gone. Now, the square smelled like burnt copper and old dust. The music was replaced by the sound of people crying and the wind howling through the trees.

The true horror was only just beginning. The magic that the girls had used was not a toy. It was a poison. By trying to steal a heart, they had broken something very important. Now, the Prince was not a husband. He was a vessel for darkness. The village of Omalin was no longer a place of peace. It was now a place of a curse. The sun began to hide behind a dark cloud, even though it was the middle of the day. The ground seemed to tremble under the feet of the people.

Ada stood at the edge of the square. She was the only one who was not running or cheering or fighting. She was just watching the Prince. She knew that she was the only one who could see what was really happening. She knew that the ten brides were not queens. They were a danger to the whole kingdom. She knew that the Prince’s life was in great danger. But what could one simple girl in a white dress do against the power of ten dark spells? The horror was growing, and no one knew how to stop it. The Prince with ten brides had become a story of fearWhy do you think the Prince's voice sounded hollow and cracked when he spoke?

If the Prince chose all the girls except Ada, does that mean the magic was successful?

What do you think the Chief Priest is going to do now that he sees the Prince's eyes rolling back?

Do you think Ada is still in love with the Prince even after he said he didn't want her?

The wedding has turned into a terrifying nightmare! Prince Azu has been trapped by the magic of the ten brides, and he has rejected the only girl who truly loves him. What will happen to the kingdom now that a curse has been invited into the palace?