Zephra's Arrangement by Zainab Tavewas (philippa perry book .TXT) 📕

An older me sits on the throne. Graceful, beautiful and regal, everything I’ve ever wanted to be. Except, there is something missing. No, there is something extra. A tall man on a twin throne sits beside me, but no matter how hard I look I can’t see his face. Where his eyes nose and mouth should be, there is a blur of color. I blink and the man’s face becomes Alex’s. I blink and then it’s my father’s face. Blink. He becomes the gardener. Blink. The stable boy. The herald. My Uncle. He could be anyone. I could be stuck on a throne destined to share my life with anyone.
Before I know it, I’m awake, staring at the blue ceiling painted to look like the sky. I stay lying down and gaze at the ceiling. Though it is my birthday I don’t want to get up. “The day will happen whether or not you get up” This quote couldn’t be truer. No matter how hard I wish that tomorrow I won’t wake up fourteen years old, it was going to happen. Fourteen birthday candles aren’t going to change the fact that on my eighteenth birthday I was going to be married to a complete stranger. No use delaying it I sigh. It was time to get up.

After the time-sucking tasks of getting dressed and getting my hair brushed I was ready to face the day. First thing on my to-do list –find Alex. I envy Alex sometimes. Because I was going to be forced into an arranged marriage on my eighteenth birthday I would never go through the experience of having suitors and being courted. Though, I’m not beautiful, with my curly wave length red hair, chocolate brown eyes, red lips and freckled face, because I was a princess I would have had many suitors. Alex could marry whoever he wanted or no one at all.
Finding Alex is easy because he is so predictable. Just as I suspected he is in the backyard doing some kind of sport. Today it was fencing.
“Hey” I call to him waving. He looks over his shoulder and waves back. Then, he motions for me to come over. Shooing off his fencing partner he gives me a bear hug.
“What was that for?” I ask.
“Your birthday hug” he says letting me go. With his blond hair and hazel eyes he looks exactly like his father, the king’s advisor.
“Don’t remind me” I groan as we make our way over the green lawn back to the castle.
“Hey, it’s not every year that Princess Zephra turns fourteen.”
“Well I have a birthday every single year.” I say “Can’t we skip it for once”
“Because of that?” He asks gently.
“Yes, because of that.”
Due to my birthday feast I had to go back to my room to “prepare”. This basically means getting my curly hair brushed again (ouch!) and getting dressed in a supposedly fashionable dress that pulls my already thin waist in thinner. After I’m done with that I, carefully, lie down on my silk sheets and stroke the white ball of fur also known as my cat Snowball. He starts purring happily. I love this cat.

Sitting at the feast table I can’t help, wonder how they made this much food. It seems like hundreds of dishes are lying on top of the golden table cloth, but the star of the show is the cake. It looks exactly like a miniature castle. Even though it was a mini castle it was bigger than any other cake I’d ever seen, being eight feet tall and the bottom layer being six feet across. The cake was eight layers of chocolate coconut, plenty to feed all of my guests.
“It is time for my daughter Zephra to blow out her candles” announces my father. He extends his large tan hand to me to help me up. Taking it, he and I walk towards the cake. They had set up a kind of wooden stair case so that I could reach the candles. Slowly I walk up the steps carefully holding the rail so I won’t fall. Glancing at the feast table I see Alex smiling mischievously. Not this again I think rolling my eyes. Continuing up the steps I reach the top. Closing my eyes I silently recite the same wish I’ve had since I knew of my fate. “I wish to make my own choices” Then I take a breath and blow out my candles.

When I open my eyes there’s just one candle with an orange flame dancing on top of it. Not surprising for two reasons. 1) Unlike the other fourteen green candles that one is yellow. And 2) Alex played the same trick on me last year. The candle has to be dunked in water to go out. Carefully taking the candle out I walk down the steps and use the melting wax to stick it on a windowsill next to six other candle stubs. Then, taking a piece of cake I go and sit down. If that’s how Alex gets his kicks who am I to stop him.

I wake up after having the same dream that I had two days ago. I usually have that same dream for a few days after my birthday. Looking outside I notice that it’s dark and rainy, Alex won’t be in the backyard today. I slide out from under Snowball, trying not to wake him up, unsuccessfully might I add. I choose a random dress from my wardrobe and pull it over my head. Then, I get up and close the door before a certain cat can follow me.
“Meow” I hear through the door.
“Sorry, baby” I say walking away. On rainy days like these me and Alex usually tell scary stories or do homework assigned by our tutors. I make my way towards his room. The floor is chilly against my bare feet and if my governess sees me she’ll surly scold me for not wearing shoes. I giggle a little. With my crazy bed head and bare feet I look like a country bumpkin. Maybe I should say country pumpkin because of my fiery orange hair. Aside from the fact that my dress cost more than ten farm houses I think looking down. Finally reaching Alex’s room, I knock on the door.
“Come in” he calls. I open the door to see Alex feeding his pet snake Fluffy. I shudder. That snake is anything but fluffy. Alex’s father brought that snake back with him when he went to India. Seeing what his dad had brought Alex I was scared that I was going to get a scorpion or something but luckily my present was a Traditional Indian sari that women wear.
“Hey” I say keeping my distance from Fluffy.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” he asks
“I could sleep, just not peacefully” I reply. I sit down on Alex’s bed and lay back.
“You couldn’t rest in peace” he offers smiling.
“Ha ha, you’re drop dead hilarious” Alex’s sense of humor could make anyone laugh. After he finishes feeding his snake Alex rummages around in his closet for something. He pulls out a dart board and five red darts.
“Since, when do you play darts?” I ask leaning on my elbows.
“Ever since dad brought these back from somewhere” he says shrugging. “Want to play?”
“Sure”


“Ha. I win” I say jumping up and down.
“What!” Alex has a look of pure disbelief on his face. “I’ve been practicing for three weeks” I smile smugly. It wasn't unusual for Alex to think he was good at something, then find that I could beat him easily.
“Maybe you’re just not as good as you think you are.”
“Go knit a blanket or something” Alex mumbles. “You know girl stuff.”
“What ever, I’ll go do “girl stuff” I sigh leaving. “I have to go feed Snow anyways.”
“Zeph, you and I both know that you have a servant to feed that cat.”
I didn’t see Alex for the rest of the day. He was probably busy practicing darts, which was annoying because I was bored out of my mind. I mostly just wandered around the castle exploring rooms.
The next day, when I wake up there are maids in my room cleaning up. I quickly shut my eyes and lay back down. I hate getting my hair brushed. After they’re all gone I sit up and rub my eyes. Outside it was sunny and bright like it usually is after a day of rain. I wonder if I should go bother Alex. He might be still playing darts and ignoring me, or he could be outside. I’ll go check outside first I decide.
When I get to the back yard he’s not there. I check his room, not there either.
“Where is he?” I murmur annoyed. My mother might know. If you get past her sarcasm my mother is very wise. I find her in the throne room writing. My mom loves writing poetry, but writing of any kind bores me to tears. My mom looks a lot like me. Same long curly hair though hers is a dark auburn, same red lips, but my mom has emerald green eyes that I wish I had.
“Mother” I ask “have you seen Alex?”
“Alex who?” she says smiling
“Mother, I’m not in the mood for jokes.” I say impatiently.
“Don’t throw a fit. He’s in the back yard with Trevor.”
“Who’s Trevor?” I ask “and I already checked the yard.”
“My lips are sealed” she says zipping two fingers across her lips.
“I’m on a wild goose chase” I exclaim walking towards the yard.
Panting I finally reach it. Scanning the yard I see two dots towards my left. Taking a breath I run towards them. Finally I reach them. I bend over taking deep breaths.
“I’m……here” I gasp out.
“I didn’t know we were waiting for you” says Alex. I glare up at him.
“While you were off showing Trevor around I was on a wild goose chase looking for you.” I hiss out. “But you know what? Geese would be easier to find than you, Alex.”
“Zephra, I don’t even know Trevor. Me and him were running around looking for you.” He says laughing. “We were on a wild princess chase” That was news to me. I didn't know any Trevor.
“Really, so what do you want anyways?”I say still breathing hard. I finally look over Trevor. He was handsome enough, with light brown hair that fell over his head in curls and green eyes that looked suspiciously like my mom’s.
“I need you to introduce me to your mom.” He says, finally speaking. He spoke with an