Blood And Water - Episode 11

 PEN  DOWN. . . . . 

   The new king put his right hand on Olanike's shoulder while conversing with his second wife who was a princess to the former Oba, Adebowole. Then, the news reached him. One of the palace messengers approached the throne and whispered to the new king. some three women, serving as porters have entered the town earlier in the day.  They explained to the king that the women claimed to have gotten information from three villages away that a ceremony was taking place and they decided to come into Okore Town hoping to find work to do and earn themselves some money and food.

How they were able to bear security at the border was a mystery. "Should they be brought before the king for judgment and punishment or be put behind bars till the next day when the ceremony must have come to an end?", asked the chiefs. 
  At hearing this, the king considered it an honour to perform his first public duty and convince his people that he was capable of rulership. He ordered that the offenders be brought to him at once. King Adewale glowed with glamour.

  "Despite his handicap" no doubt,  I was generally agreed, "He is going to make a good king". He then continued to converse with his wives and while doing that, he had a flash back ,in to the past

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. He suddenly stopped his conversation with his wives and looked into the air as if in some intense vision.

  "The Dream in the forest. It's coming to pass!!!", he murmured  repeatedly and audibly. Everyone In the palace, including the two wives were astonished at his sudden awareness. 
  They had wondered :"What could have made the king suddenly grow serious and speak to himself? "  He was anxious, but Perplexed as he gazed across the palace in the direction of the door . He couldn't wait to see the suspects. 

Two giant lamps were already on the Wells on either side of the palace. He sat back with eyebrows knitted and looked at his two wives one after the other. "They are both beautiful ", he said to himself and beamed a smile with a renewed memory.
  Meanwhile, dancing and drumming had ceased and the whole palace was thrown into an incredible silence.  The two queens displayed their perfect set of teeth despite everything as they occasionally smiled broadly. His clothes! He had on him , beautiful and colourful  attire. The floor of the palace however was not covered with some materials that were golden, but it was no doubt a colourful decoration.

  The royal throne on which he sat  was so soft  that he had the feelings that he was going to sink inside it.  His throne was made of pillows with the finest wool in the land and covered with the best of aso oke materials. The middle of the walkway to the throne from the door post was made of the same material. 

  All attention in the instance was directed at the king. He sat back. Adewale indeed looked royal and honourable  but was obviously confused at that time. " I am going to be patient", he thought to himself. But love! Pure love, never can be polluted. His heart was somewhere outside the palace. The king now looks into the future with mixed feelings. He felt joy and anticipation. His heart - beats increases.

Three women, escorted by one guard in front of them who though, a giant but  terrifying,  and  the other, huge and wide - chested closely followed behind the women in to the palace. The women, especially the eldest, look haggard and rugged. The king sighted the woman as they appeared before him. His heart flows to meet  them.

   "Mother! ", the king shouted without any restrain. This embarrassed all in the palace, including visitors. King Adewale, with the  speed of his thought  jumped off the throne, probably forgetting that he was still crippled . He fell down with a  thud. His mother also ran to the spot to give a helping hand but was guarded off. 
   She  was  not  allowed  to  touch the king. She was confused. She had thought that Adewale would have been dead." Could the king be my son? Could that be Adewale, my cripple child? The child I left behind, in Omupo town now a king in an unknown land? No! It must be a dream," she wondered.

My people  my people How are you all doing? Well this my most difficult chapter and also my favorite too so which is your favorite let me know..... now let go back to the story. 

 They rushed him into the inner chamber immediately in order to attend to him. His two sisters were transfixed to the spot, sympathetic, but too confused to understand the meaning of the on going event. The queens could not hold back their tears as they went and softer the crowd that rescued their beloved husband.  They looked worried and  followed hurriedly with misty eyes.

   That event marked the end end of end of the ceremony. People were turned out of the palace.

Read " The Pain Of The Poor " by the same author ( Nnenna books )

. The news of the day's event quickly traveled like wild-fire in harmattan infested grassland.  Okore Town instantly went to sleep in fear and was only relieved at the arrival of the dawn.

The king lived, reunited with his family.  The town also reawakened  to full activities, the next day. It was another party galore in the palace,  the effect  which  was felt even beyond the town. People who heared of the King's, benevolence to his people commended him. That The king's forgiveness is evident of good rulership, they stressed. "It was a matter of Blood and Water. 

 That  blood  is thicker than water, is not in doubt . Love reigns supreme, it encompasses all and conquers all adversities, one villager postulated.  Love is forgiving without bitterness and love between mother and  child is a wonderful  phenomena. While some of the  people thought  Bimpe, Adewale's mother deserved  death by hanging, others felt felt she should  have been thrown into jail and made to suffer. "What of if the king had died in the forest?," they asked. "The woman  acted wickedly and deserves  to die ," They argued. 

     "Well,  it was a mean to tests and trials for the king",  others  argued. 
   "No one has ever, in history, wore the crown  on a platter of Gold. 
    Who knows, the cripple may never have risen to stardom or ascended  the throne were he not  abandoned by his mother", they persisted. For no reason, according to others, should any mother or parent abandon any child due disability, most often, ability inheres  in disability, they explained. 

THE  END. .
Hope you all enjoyed reading this story?