Something New – Chapter 1
Michonne cringed as her mother Queen Aria fussed over her at Heathrow airport in London. Although they were all dressed in casual outfits, the sight of large beefy men surrounding two women drew the stares of other passengers who were also waiting for their flights.
They were the royal bodyguards sent there under the strict instructions of her father King Obena who couldn't be there to send her off himself.
Her mother cried as the announcement for the final boarding call to the United States and people started heading towards the boarding gate. Queen Aria hugged her tightly causing Michonne to feel embarrassed.
"Mom stop! I will be fine."
"I know!"
Her mother fussed over her some more.
"I just wish you would take more bodyguards with you to the US."
"No mom! It was a nightmare here in London being followed everywhere! I couldn't have any fun with my friends at all!"
"You don't have time for fun Michonne. You have responsibilities!"
"Please don't remind me."
"I have too."
"I hope you and dad are as hard on Akinyi and Tuma as you are on me."
"Your younger brother and sister have a long way off before they start assuming their responsibilities. Besides, you are our first born. Most of the royal duties will always fall on your shoulders and it will be the same when you have your first child."
"Mom…I am only 21 years old. Being a mother is the furthest thing from my mind. I'm in university. I want to finish my masters and then move on to do my PhD."
"And then after that?"
"When that time comes I will deal with it."
Queen Aria looked at her exquisite daughter. She feels sorry for her. Her beauty was always a heavy burden for her as was her own beauty. A flight attendant walked up to them.
"Your Highness, we are ready for you."
Michonne nodded at the attendant and hugged her mother again and saw the worry in her eyes.
"I would be fine mom. I will be with Desmond. I wouldn't be alone."
That statement made her mother smiled. Michonne and her single assigned bodyguard followed the attendant as her mother looked on. She looked back and waved at her mother, then disappeared down the corridor.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Michonne followed the attendant down the length of the plane passed economy class to the back and instantly became upset. There was no-one else in first class. Her father bought all the seats. She masked her disappointment until the flight attendant disappeared from sight. She called her father who obviously knew it was her by the way he answer the phone.
"Yes daughter."
"Dad! I told you not to do this! I told you not to buy out all the seats! Now I am alone in first class with no-one to talk to!"
"It's for your own protection!"
"I want to fit in dad! I want to be normal in the US!"
Her father became irritated.
"You are not normal! You are the princess of Ghana and the future queen of Nigeria and you will be treated as such!"
"But dad..!"
"Enough!" Her father roared into the phone. The bodyguard heard him from where he was sitting and briefly glanced at Michonne and looked away quickly. "I am doing what I am supposed to do as a King and as a father! You are my first born and I love you to death! I have given you the very best in life! My duty is to protect you on our home soil as well as on foreign. I compromised on the amount of bodyguards you wanted to go with you…did I not?!"
"Yes." Michonne said weakly. She could never win an argument with her father. She wouldn't even try.
"You begging and crying wasn't the only reason I agreed to that. It was also because you would also have the extra protection where you are going in the US. I was guaranteed it."
Michonne said nothing.
"I will not be having this discussion with you again. Is that understood?!"
"Yes dad."
"When you land call me immediately!"
"Yes dad."
There was a pause on the phone.
"I love you so much my daughter." She heard the gentleness returned to her father's voice causing her anger at him to dissipate.
"I know you do dad. I love you too."
"Have fun."
"I will. Bye."
Then there was a dial tone. The air hostess brought her a drink and went back to serving the other passengers. She looked out the window and a smile came to her lips. She knows that her father means well but sometimes it is too much.
She wants to able to enjoy the freedom she doesn't have back home where she is constantly followed by guards and maids who wait on her hand and foot for everything. She had constant fights with her mother about her wanting to do simple tasks for herself like making her own breakfast or bed in the morning.
She wanted to go shopping and among other people without having the store being closed to members of the public until she was finished. She thought she would have gotten some measure of freedom when she travelled abroad to go to college in London three years ago.
A contingent of royal guards was sent with her. As a matter of fact, it was worst because her mother also accompanied her. Now she was going to further her degree and she was desperate to finally be on her own. She convinced her mother to return to Ghana and her father to only let one guard come with her to the US.
She cried for three days before her father conceded. She was looking forward to being ordinary in the US. She was also looking forward to see her betrothed Prince Desmond Umaze from Nigeria.
They met when both of their fathers' held trade talks in Ghana. She was 15 years old and Desmond was 16 years old. They hit it off immediately and kept in contact with each other via telephone and weekend visits to the other's country.
Ten months later, on her sixteenth birthday, her father promised her hand in marriage to the prince and it was immediately accepted by his father. Both her and Desmond were happy as were their parents, especially their mothers.
They were expected to wed when she turned eighteen but as both her and Desmond expressed their desire to further their education abroad, it was decided that the wedding would take place after they have finished their studies.
Desmond opted to go to the US to earn his degree in Journalism and Communication in International Relations. That field suited him as Desmond loved to be in the spot light and talking about himself. Michonne on the other hand decided to pursue her degree in Law, more specifically, European Conventions in Human Rights in London.
She always dreamed of becoming an attorney. So for the past three years she and Desmond have been keeping in touch via telephone, email, skype and other forms of social media but she longed to see him…touch him and for him to touch her. She closed her eyes, anxious to get into his arms and enjoy her new awaited freedom.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rick was on his way to see his girlfriend Lori when one of his best friends called him to ask for a huge favour. Despite his protest he eventually reluctantly agreed to the request. He had to call Lori and cancel his plans. She didn't seem too upset and only stated that he would have to make it up to her with some very expensive jewellery.
He and Lori were destined to be together. They grew up in the same neighbourhood, went to the same boarding school, the same college and now the same university Atlanta City University. They also run in the same circle in the university…a very wealthy one.
They were dubbed the "One Percenters" as they were the sons and daughters of some of the wealthiest families in Atlanta. They unofficially ran the university's student body. The money their parents donated into the university basically guaranteed that they were elected presidents of various clubs at the school. Some students wanted to be like them…others loathe them.
Some of the One Percenters, because of their families' money didn't bother to keep their grades up. Fortunately, Rick wasn't one of them. His grades bounce between B- when he didn't study and an A when he did. This caused great annoyance of Lori who averaged a C+ at best.
As he waited impatiently at the airport, he couldn't help but snicker at the stares he got as he was surrounded by four large men dressed in suits. He could see the confusion in people's faces but he tried not to let it bother him.
When the flight he was waiting on announced that its' passengers were disembarking the plane a flight attendant approached and summoned him to a private entrance used for dignitaries. The muscular men also followed him.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Michonne was glad when the plane landed and she was summoned first to disembark the plane to the scowl of the other passengers. She followed the flight attendant to a private location. From the distance, she saw the party of five people in the area where she was expected to be greeted. She grew excited.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Michonne finally meet the group she was confused. She recognized two of the bodyguards who only nodded at her. However, she didn't know the young man who was with them. She stared at him.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rick looked at the young woman standing before him. She was dressed in fitted blue jeans which emphasized her full hips and shapely legs, pink and white pinstriped top, a jacket and calf length black boots.
She wore large sunglasses which covered most of her face but it accentuated her face and her full and beautifully shaped lips with mild cherry colour lipstick. Her locs was up in a neat pony tail that reaches on her shoulders.
She was pack very light with one bag on her shoulders and one small suitcase which her lone companion carried. This isn't what he expected. He expected an entourage of bodyguards, possibly a couple maids and a dozens of suitcases. Atleast that is what he was told to expect.
He turned to the attendant and whispered to her.
"Are you sure this is the person I'm supposed to meet?"
"Yes. This is her. This is Princess Michonne Edo Okeke."
Rick slowly looked at the princess as she took off her sunglasses. She put out her hand to greet him. He shook it.
"And you are?"
"Rick. Rick Grimes III."
"Ok Rick. Where is Desmond?"
"He had an emergency to take care of so he asked me to come and pick you up."
He saw her frown at his explanation and he was surprised that he himself was disappointed that she wasn't please that he came to pick her up.
"Ok."
"Ok." Rick repeated. "Shall we?"
Michonne smiled at him and they all followed the flight attendant back into the airport.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Infront of the airport a huge black stretch limo waited for them. There were curious onlookers as they stood next to it. Rick saw how daunted Michonne seemed. She looked at him, her eyes begging him for help.
"I didn't come with the limo. It was sent for you by your fiancée. I actually came with my own car. We could use that if you want to."
Rick pointed to the black sedan parked behind the limo. Relief washed over her face. She ordered the bodyguards to take the limo and she made a beeline for Rick's sedan. He was surprised when she didn't wait for him to open her door for her but rather she opened it herself and hopped in. He smiled when he saw her putting her handbag in the back seat and making herself comfortable adjusting the seat. He got in and started the engine.
"Comfortable?"
It was then Michonne realized what she had done.
"I'm sorry. I took liberties with your car without asking you."
Rick saw how embarrassed she was.
"It's ok. I want you to be comfortable. Are you?"
Michonne shyly adjusted her seat some more to Rick's amusement. Then she put on her seatbelt.
"Yes."
"Good."
They pulled out off with the limo following closely behind.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Desmond showered vigorously to get the smell off him then quickly dressed. He rushed to clean up his room to cover up his activities before Michonne arrived. He called Rick who told him that they were halfway there. He briefly talked to Michonne who was beyond excited to be seeing him after so long.
He hung up and walked out to the gardens of the sprawling 8 bedroom mansion that was bought for his stay in the US. The house also had a maid's quarter where the bodyguards and maids stayed.
Because of his status, he was easily able to fit in with the elite One Percenters at ACU. As with all of the extra space available, Desmond invited some of them to stay at the mansion with him. Some of them jumped at that option while others decided to only stay over on weekends. A maid brought him a glass of champagne while he wait for his future wife.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Desmond heard when the main gate opened. He went down to the front door and opened it. He became concerned when he saw the bodyguards coming out of the limo and Michonne coming out of Rick's sedan.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rick hadn't properly parked the car yet when Michonne jumped out and ran and jumped into Desmond arms. He staggered back into the house. She was showering kisses on him.
"I missed you so much!"
Desmond kissed her deeply.
"I missed you too."
She hugged him burying her face into his neck.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rick watched the lovebirds from by his car through the sprawling front door. In all of her excitement, Michonne forgot her handbag in the backseat of his car. He took it out and walked up to the house. There Desmond and Michonne was on the sofa cuddling.
"Here. You forgot this."
Oh…thank you." She took her handbag from him. Desmond stood up from the sofa and hugged Rick.
"Thanks for bringing her home from the airport."
Rick smiled.
"No problem. I'm going to buy Lori some expensive jewellery to make up for cancelling on her."
"Good luck with that."
Rick smiled and turned to Michonne.
"It was nice to meet you princess."
"Call me Michonne. Just Michonne."
"Ok Michonne. I will see you later."
Michonne nodded and Rick left.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*