*DING DONG! Must be that double update I ordered, with a bag of crisps and a cola*
(I'm British, I say crisps ok😑)
"Are these tribal," He asked after a while.
"Yes," She breathed out, hearing her heart pound loudly in her ears.
"How did you get them?"
She breathed in deeply through her nose and swallowed her nerves. Now was not the time to have a panic attack.
"Do you remember when I told you about my parents, how my father would've killed my mother had I not been born."
"Yes he left you with his family."
"Well it's only half true... The M-migosa, is always ruled over by a king, and he always chooses a bride for his first son, who will succeed him. Usually there are rules around this ceremony: the bride must be within a 5 year age gap and must be 3 or younger when chosen. But in this case the king had twin sons... Which had never happened before.
"The king then made a decree... The eldest twin would marry the chosen bride, but the first son of the youngest twin would ascend the throne. When the king found out that my father was in a relationship with Ashanti royalty, he demanded that the first female child of their union would be the chosen bride... Because of this, Eric was 10... I had just been born.
"After my father left us with the royals, my mother was allowed to wein me for a year before the nannies took over. But she refused. She demanded that she raise her daughter. The king granted her that much, so long as she followed the Migosa code of conduct.
"When I was one, I was officially initiated into the lion clan with the Migosa and lion brandings. From then on, I'd be trained to be the perfect wife and queen."
He eyes stang with tears as she struggled to continue.
"I was... I was beaten, m-molested, and hospitalised. I can't remember it all that clearly, but sometimes, I can her my own screams in my nightmares."
"Ama that's... I'm so sorry you had to go throughout that." He mumbled, pulling her close she could feel his tears fall onto her shoulder.
After a while,she continued. "When I was three, I met my stepfather for the first time. He gave me a huge stuffed unicorn. He and my mother had been having an affair for a while and had fell in love. When my mother became pregnant,she desperately wanted to marry Marcus, but couldn't bare to leave me with the Migosa. So she hid me in a basket with her belongings and went to France. I was six when Bethany was born, it was one of the happiest days of my life."
By now, the two had curled up on the couch. Silent. Taking each other in. Ama felt Graham trace the gagged lines of her cuts and scars.
"You said you spent, six months in an asylum."
Ama shivered at the memory. "It was two and a half, but I spent an extra four in rehab."
"What happened?" Graham asked in a whisper.
"They found me again, when our family took a trip to China... Like any other gang, the Migosa deal with drugs, only difference is they make and develop their own. Had I stayed with them, I would've been on these drugs as part of my rearing.
"So when I wondered off during in a fair ground, they kidnapped me and tried to put 12 years worth of doses into three months. It was... Horrible..." She sobbed. "I went crazy... Psychotic. That's what they said, when they found. Like an abused animal. I was violent and would turn on anyone, even myself.
"My parents called on an expert to help the rehabilitate, and they didn't leave China until I was ok to leave. But when I got home, I was in a very dark place... M-my sister found me, trying to hang myself from the landing. Maman was cooking at the time and dropped a pan of hot oil on her feet when she heard... She still came running to save me."
Ama gripped onto Graham's shirt as she wailed into his chest. "I hated myself Graham. Maman couldn't walk for weeks and it was all my fault. I told her I would go, I'd leave so I'd stop causing everyone such pain. But she told me that all the pain in the world was worth her children's safety and happiness. She... She told me that I should work hard, that if I did, I'd be able to trample on the people who wronged me and our family.
"And so I did. I took up self defence classes, went to a boarding school in England. St. Teresa's Catholic girls school, Richie went to the adjoining boys school, St. Benedict's. That's where we met our friends.
"When I got 16, puberty had done a number on me. I met Eric again, only I didn't know who he really was... I was never allowed to see his face before. But he was nice to me, treated me well. Until his brother Enoch- or Elick as he's more often called- came around, that's when things started going wrong.
"They smoked, drank, they beat me, raped me. Every time I asked them to stop,or tried to defend myself, they'd tie me up, then give the excuse that their father had died. They even tried to kidnap me from my own home, but Eric got shot and died, at least I thought he did."
"I'm sorry Ama, I'm so so sorry. I didn't know you went through all of this please forgive me... Forgive me..." Graham weeped, holding her tight.
"No please Graham don't cry, don't cry for me, none of it was you fault. And it's not even over yet they're still after me. I've been bounty hunter for years now. But not all of them come to me for that reason. A special few, reforms, they see me as an idol of some sort. They think because I managed to gain freedom, they can have theirs. That's how 'Royal' came about."
The evening was calm and full of warmth. Ama felt a weight had been lifted from her, Graham knew now and he accepted the truth. When she'd finished her story, they'd spent the following half hour crying, and Graham hadn't stopped apologizing.
He'd cooked her dinner, bathed her, and laid with her until she'd fallen asleep. They'd made progress, they were going to get better, but Ama couldn't help the guilt in her stomach. Now he knew more, and knowing more meant his life was in more danger. She couldn't let him risk his life for her. She'd already jeopardised enough people's safety.
But maybe it would all work out. Ama knew that Graham had his own weight to carry, and she'd be right there to help carry his load as he'd done for her.
She looked up at the sleeping man beside her, his hair had grown out and the cowlick sagged on his forehead. Ama stared at the face she'd grown to love, the man she'd grown to love. Would he ever love her back?
She leaned in and pressed a kiss on his cheek, causing him to pull her closer.
Whatever happened, she wouldn't let him go.
Part one of the confessions.
What do you think of Ama's story?
Are you ready for Graham's?
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More Than Politics {Book 1}: Editing
Romance(FORMALLY MR. POLITICIAN) He barely made a move before he felt a hand on his chest. He looked down to see Ama delicate fingers snaking slowly around his tie, tugging it gently until he was facing her. She pulled him closer, close enough for his arou...
