so i stayed

mieke zulu, south africa, 34

[ayozulu]

( &&. @miekezulu​ )

“ do you think the unstopping drums and dancers wearing animal skin is enough to scare off the europeans ? ” it was funny watching the reactions in their faces when the drummers entered the room. what did they think they’d be listening to all night, edm ? “ what’s on your mind, my queen ? ”

[miekezulu]

“I think it was a good test to see who we should keep around from now on. Narrow-minded begone.” She giggled --- she had been doing that whole night long. Joy was practically oozing from her. She rested her arms on top of his shoulders and grinned at him. “We won. We’re the winners, finally.”

[miekezulu]

The new queen of South Africa celebrated the beginning of her husband’s reign in a dashing white Tony Ward dress. The blue detail of the hem matched her jewelry. The tiara she wore is a gift to the South African royal family from the van Vuuren family. The tiara and the matching necklace and bracelet are special pieces from the vintage collection that has been kept in the family for three generations. 

[miekezulu]

”Thank you. Then I suppose the inconvenience is worth it.”

[miekezulu]

Did he just flinch? Did he really flinch because he heard her speak? It seemed a bit dramatic even for the nephews. ”Quiet is good. It means everyone’s behaving themselves.” No one wanted guests to ruin their wedding — the day was stressful enough as it was. ”Kgosi has friends I don’t care for. I consider it better to rest when he decides to socialize. You are aware he can survive without a trophy wife.” Because that’s what Omari had wanted to say: that being an arm candy was what she was best for.

[miekezulu]

“We should have worn yellow,” she told him after she had let her eyes roam around the room. “Now you don’t stand out.” She reached to make sure his hat was perfectly placed on top of his head. “Let’s make a deal for tonight: no thinking, talking or mentioning the future or politics. We just dance, eat, and laugh a bit.” ( @ayozulu​ )

[miekezulu]

“And how are you liking the party?” The silence between had felt unbearable after five minutes. Omari was far from her favourite in-law (if there even was such a thing) but pretending he didn’t exist seemed a bit too much. ( @omxriis​ )

[miekezulu]

“Every time I decide to wear lipstick to a party, I end up regretting it,” Mieke mused as she continued to fix her makeup in the ladies’ room.  ( @lucianabxlla​ )

[miekezulu]

HRH Mieke of South Africa attending the wedding of HRH Aslan of Turkey and HRH Layla of Egypt. 20/02/2020

[modelcoutureee]

[ayozulu]

( &&. @miekezulu​ )

“ i don’t like the way things are turning out. ” it had already been over a month since his father had died and nothing got any better. his brothers and their offsprings were making noise and some of it was being heard even inside of south africa. it couldn’t be happening, they couldn’t afford to let that happen. “ i know you don’t like it but your relationship with freja could secure us france’s support. we can’t ask for anything from the russians right now, not right after alexei got poisoned. ”

[miekezulu]

“We need to start planning the coronation now, once it’s done the situation will calm down. It will be more difficult for the little pests to cause you trouble.” Being in South Africa would have been ideal: they could have spent their energy on preparations --- but because of his family, it wasn’t wise to leave Phuket just yet. Who knew what trouble they could wreck if Ayo and Mieke weren’t around to contain it all. A frustrated huff of air escaped her. “I can ask but even if she says yes, I think Arnauld will be hesitant to help us. I don’t know how much effort Freja will put into convincing him just to do me a favour.”

[modelallday]

[ncdyc]

away from the tide of noise from the celebration, she lingers ; coat pulled close, flush against her silhouette ; perched on the ledge and feeling the biting chill of the air outside pierce her face as she breathes in the strange scent of an intermingling of lingering perfumes from the party and the frost that rests in the dark.  her head shifts slightly, an acknowledgement of the periphery when she hears the shifting and footsteps behind her.  ❛   you should be on the dance floor. might miss it.   ❜         // open.

[miekezulu]

“And leave you here alone to sulk? I could never.” She didn’t ask for a permission before relaxing against the ledge, side by side to Nadya. “It’s below zero, you’ll catch a cold if you stay here for too long. Russian or not.”

[miekezulu]

31/12/2019

[miekezulu]

ayozulu‌:

it felt wrong though. but that wasn’t the place or time to have that conversation all over again. holiday memories were important and he didn’t want ajani to keep one of his father locked inside all month. mieke’s words bring a smile to his face. “ it always is. ” he points out. it wasn’t even a joke, they were always finding ways to show everyone just how much better than them they were. “ let’s start by making it bigger. ”

“But if you make it big, it’s easier to see our mistakes,” Mieke warned. “I was thinking of asking Freja and her family to join us on Christmas day. It’d be nice ot have more people around than just the three of us. What do you think?”

[miekezulu]

( 25/12/2019 )

bonus:

[miekezulu]

frejaedb‌:

“ that would be- LOVELY. i’ll have to pass it by luc. i suppose you have a tree and presents arranged ?? PÉRE NOEL is still a thing at the talhouet’s. “ in other circumstances she might have spent the morning with the french royals, but in mieke’s invitation sounded much more appealing in the current situation. “ ah yes, i don’t think i was able to send my condolences in person to your husband. from what i’ve heard those other ZULU’S are quite the hassle. “

“Yes, we do. We are saving decorating for the Eve in case you want to participate in that as well.” Christmas, for Mieke, was the ultimate holiday: it was about family, being together, love --- and the presents did not hurt either. “It’s alright, I think at this point he doesn’t even want to hear anyone be sorry. It’s easier to pretend all’s fine when it’s not brought up.” She had been walking on eggshells the past month or so, it was a lot more challenging that she would have thought. She rolled her eyes at the mention of the in-laws. “As annoying as mosquitoes. I wish they could just sit down and let things be. They are wasting their energy.”

[miekezulu]

“I’ve been wondering... would you like to spend Christmas morning together? I could use more people around us during Christmas --- usually we have my cousins and their families around but since we’re here...” She shrugged. “Do you think Lucien would like to spend it with us?” ( @frejaedb​ )