Princess Khadija—or Dija, as she was fondly called by her friends—was the only daughter of King Khalifa, the king of Daura Kingdom. She was exceptionally beautiful and intelligent, overprotected and pampered by her father and loved by all. She spent all her life growing up within the four walls of the palace and was allowed to come out in public only on special occasions and during festivals. It had been her dream to one day leave the palace and attend a university like every normal person did. Luckily, with the help of her mother and one of her uncles, she was able to convince her father. Her mother unfortunately did not live to see the dream come to pass as she died shortly afterwards.
Her first week of school had been stressful. She found it difficult to mingle with other course mates and make new friends because she wasn’t used to attending social gatherings. Most of the female students were jealous of her beauty while the men were just too intimidated to approach her.
The thought of making new friends seemed impossible to her until she met Chizzy, a final-year engineering student. He was confident, smart, and friendly. He noticed she was looking lost on his way to the canteen one day and figured she might need some help. “Looking for something?” he asked when he walked up to her.
“Oh, yes, I am,” she replied, partly surprised and relieved at the same time that someone was finally talking to her. “I’m trying to figure out how to get to the Kennedy Lecture Hall,” she said .
“That’s not a problem. I’ll take you there,” he offered. She gladly accepted. As they walked down to the lecture hall together, they exchanged contact details, and he promised to check on her once in a while.That was how they grew from good friends to best friends and eventually went ahead to date each other.
Their relationship stood the test of time and blossomed through the years till she finally graduated, and he asked her hand in marriage.
“I will hear of no such thing in this palace!” her father bellowed when Dija told him about Chizzy’s proposal. “You’re a princess, and you must marry a prince.”
“But, Father, we’re in the twenty-first century. Those things don’t matter anymore!” Dija cried.“If you must know, my dear, from the moment you were born, you were betrothed to a prince. And the only reason I haven’t married you off to him is because I was honouring your mother’s last wish for you to become a graduate before marriage,” her father replied.
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“Father, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I will not marry some strange prince. My heart belongs to Chizzy, and that is who I will marry,” she said, storming out of her father’s presence.“Make sure she does not leave the palace,” her father instructed the guards. “I will make plans for the prince to perform the marriage rites at once.”The date for the wedding was fixed for three days later. Dija had been locked up in the palace and was denied any form of communication to the outside world.
Finally, towards the end of the ceremony, it was time for her to be handed over to her prince. “Send the princess down here immediately,” the king ordered. “She has taken too long to present herself before her husband.”The prince and his royal family waited anxiously as the palace guards marched off to bring his bride. After what seemed like forever, one of the palace guards finally returned, running towards the king and falling at his feet. “Your Majesty,” he stammered, “the princess is nowhere to be found . . .”
– written by Dr. O
Find out what happens next in Episode 2