by Owen Oakley
The men gathered their gear and proceeded to the entrance.
Rebels lit the enchanted garden on fire. Traces of fire outlined the wings of the beautiful butterflies until they were unable to flutter.
The thick smoke burned the men’s eyes, it made it hard for the soldiers to see.
As the soldiers grew closer, the rebels retreated. The damage could have been far worse, but they had put proper precautions into action.
The kingdom and the surrounding villages of Lark continued to riot since Adanya’s banishment.
It made it harder and harder for the soldiers to control them since the kingdom not only housed the palace but the market and other important places that citizens needed.
They couldn’t deny entry, and the rebels used unsuspected women and children to carry their weapons inside.
King Kofi had done nothing to counteract the attacks. He thought the problem would subside on its own.
Runako and the men did a thorough check of the palace to secure it.
They had to create a better system, too many rebels succeeded in their missions, no matter how small the incident, Lark’s resources were used to restore the damages and it was evident in the kingdom’s value.
⸞⸟⸞
King Kofi called a meeting in the Chapel’s basement. It was large, with a light damp draft. He paced in front of the soldiers.
“What use awe any of you?” He questioned the soldiers.
“Why do I keep any of you awound?”
The men had grown nervous before their new king as he had proved unpredictable and in his months as a king, things fell to shit. Besides the riots, the money ran low; workers weren’t paid, so they didn’t work, and there was a food shortage.
The kingdom was at a stand-still, nothing flourished as it did before he was king.
He lacked the skills to be a good king. Every king must find his own way, and as a promise Muto gave his word, he would not interfere with his decision making. However, that didn’t stop Bayo from checking in on him. He descended the stairs, unseen at the back of the basement.
He watched as Kofi belittled the men for lack of control on the riots and intruders.
A young boy and recent recruit stood at the front of the line.
His face etched with fear, he flinched each time the king raised his voice. The boy’s reaction made him an easy target. Kofi gave him a look of disgust.
“Tha’ awe such weaklings and cowawds a’.”
He pushed the boy hard in the chest. The boy lost his balance and fell to his knees.
King Kofi stood over the boy, his sword’s blade horizontal to his neck. They were like statues and looked on in fear, the boy’s voice begged for mercy in their ears.
“Let this se’ve as a message to you all, tha’ is no woom fo’ the weak.”
He moved his blade and sliced the boy’s throat. Blood spurted on those closest to him.
Bayo reached the front a moment too late, only to discover the young boy face down on the cold, damp concrete. An eerie silence filled the room, no one dared move.
Bayo lifted his eyes to Kofi in utter disbelief.
“Leave us!”
The men trampled one another to get out of the way. Two men waited until the area cleared to transport the young boy’s body upstairs.
“What awe you doing?”
Kofi removed a piece of cloth from his breast and wiped the sweat from his brow and cleaned the blood from his blade.
“I am doing what this kingdom needs in o’da to keep us safe. We awe ova’wun with wiots daily, each wosse than the last.”
“This is not ow you andle things we awe not savages. Feaw is not the same as wespect. All you awe doing is placing a tawget on yoa bagk.”
Kofi sheathed his sword and stepped closer to Bayo, just inches away from his face.
“If you plan to wemain apawt of my council, I suggest you not question my methods again. No one is above the same fate.”
A small smile played at the corners of Bayo’s mouth, his chest seemed more massive than usual.
With no sign of warning, Bayo’s head cracked against the bridge of Kofi’s nose. Blood seeped from each nostril. The blow sent Kofi staggering back into a golden statue.
Bayo was older in age but had an old tribal strength deep inside. He took his time as he walked towards Kofi who bent over in pain, trying to stop the bleeding from his nose.
Bayo pushed him upright and removed two daggers from his sleeves. Each blade crisscrossed at Kofi’s throat; pressed hard against his skin.
“Do not let my age o’ position fool you. I am a Zulu wawwio.”
Kofi looked with widened eyes and quivered in fear at the mention of the Zula tribe.
They knew of Zula tribes for their fighting skills and capabilities.
The fact that they hadn’t modernized themselves with advanced weapons only showed how strong they would be if they had advancements.
The fierceness in his eyes, the muscular strength, and the tone of his voice made the hairs on Kofi’s arm stand up.
“You do not thweaten me. Wespect yoa elda’s and know yoa place o’ yoa fate will not be as swift.”
The blades nicked the sides of Kofi’s neck when he released him.
Bayo put away his daggers and watched Kofi clench his hands around his neck. He walked away but stopped short of the staircase.
“Consida’ this my wesignation as yoa adviso’ and council memba’. You awe on yoa own.”
Bayo was a respected man and one reason the riots hadn’t turned into total destruction.
Once the citizens learn that he was no longer in the king’s corner, they wouldn’t hold back.
Chapter Nine
The former Queen of Lark was hardly recognizable as she laid in her bed. It was Zola’s duty to care for the old queen but stated to her husband frequently it wasn’t her responsibility and that she was busy with other essential tasks.
As queen compassion was something that either came naturally or taught at an early age of a princess’s life. Zola fell short in both forms.
Nailah’s illness was sudden and losing her two children, and the kingdom in ruin kept her in a weakened state. Some days she wished she would die to rid herself of the pain.
King Muto was a good king, but over the years Nailah made him better. Nailah had been his one and only love, an amazing queen, and wonderful mother even when he hadn’t deserved it.
Muto surveyed the room.
“Wha’ is Zola?”
Nailah looked at her husband in the doorway and gave a faint smile. Her hair was stringy, and her bones protruded through her skin.
Muto sat in a recliner next to her bed. Her frail hand touched his, and he gave it a gentle squeeze.
Nailah’s breaths were shallow and faint. Her voice that once spoke with confidence and eloquence was just above a whisper.
“I don’t want to be a botha. She’ll be bagk soon.”
“It’s ha’ job as a Queen to elp you.”
“She as betta things to do.”
Muto shook his head, duties were serious to him. His belief was everyone had their role, and the kingdom wouldn’t function if everyone didn’t play theirs.
The queen looked at her husband.
“We’ve ad a good life, aven’t we my king?”
He smiled and brushed a strand of hair from her face.
“Yes, we ave, betta than most in any lifetime.”
Her rattled, an uncontrollable cough continued until the napkin was covered in thick chunks of blood. Muto watched, sunken back in his chair with his hands clasped in his lap.
His self-preservation hadn’t prepared him to watch a loved one suffer in pain and rendered him helpless.
⸞⸟⸞
“Kofi I can’t, no I won’t keep doing this. I’m not a docto’ she’s dying, and we ave se’vants to tend to ha.”
“You will continue to ca’ee fo’ ha’ until the end, it’s not a wequest. She is my motha and the fo’ma’
Queen of Lawk. Is that understood?”
Zola rolled her eyes but nodded to satisfy him. Kofi didn’t realize she wouldn’t have compassion, he only saw beauty, along with all of her other physical attributes that made men lose their heads.
She had become more and more demanding and less compassionate for the citizens of her new kingdom, especially for the former queen.
Kofi understood it was a difficult situation for a queen to inherit a kingdom in a predicament such as Lark.
The people of Lark hated her, not because she was their queen but her blatant disrespect and constant display of superiority. She walked around Lark without so much of a nod or address to any of their people.
“I know you’we stwessed becaoze you’we with child but I ask you to elp make my motha comfo’table in ha’ last days, please.”
Zola stood with her arms folded unmoved by Kofi’s words. He sighed and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll be back I ave to meet with my new adviso’ and figa’ out what we can do to stop these wiots.”
“Yoa motha is expecting me bagk, but this discozsion is not ova’. You need to place my feelings and oa’ child as a pwi’ity instead of conca’ening yoozself with things that awe beyond yoa contwol.”
She strutted out of the room before Kofi had the opportunity to speak.
⸞⸟⸞
Zola overheard the whisper of Nailah’s voice as she approached the queen’s bedroom. She hid in the door’s corner, to hear better.
“I ave something I mozt tell you, my love.”
“Anything,” said Muto as he slipped out of the recliner and onto his knees.
“Oa’ children awe blessings fwom God. Even when we thought we would neva’ be able to conceive; Adanya came into oa’ lives, Kwame followed sho’tly afta, and yet anotha su’pwise with Kofi.” She smiled at the thought of her children.
“I ave not always been twuthful no’ faithful to you my king. We went through things that deemed oa’ futa’ with unca’etainty.”
Muto held her hand.
“Kofi as always been a special child. E kept to imself next to Adanya we neva’ ad to wo’wy about im.”
Muto nodded and held her hand tighter.
“But yoa blood does not flow thwough Kofi’s veins,” she said.
She braced herself for all possible reactions her husband would give.
He dropped his head and sighed.
“I suspected that much.”
“Ow?”
“I was away du’ing the time that Kwame was conceived. We joined as one; mind, sp’it, and eawt.”
“And not to say anything?” she asked.
“What good would it ave done? Kwame took my name and I waised im as my son becaoze e is my son. I aven’t always done wight by you many, many times, but you stayed by me. My shame bwought you shame and fo’ that I am twuly so’wy.”
The queen choked back tears at her husband’s words. Many queens dealt with infidelity because they had no other option.
Kings would be kings, but most queens weren’t bold enough to play a king’s game and get even. Adanya and her mother had reached a place where they no longer related to each other, but she was more like her mother than she knew.
“I ave one wequest.”
Muto fought back the tears and nodded.
“As a queen, I ave always eld my tongue, stood by yoa side, and twozted yoa decisions. Yoa decisions that ave kept us save as a family and kingdom, but oa’ daughta.” Her voice trembled and the coughs came more severe than the last.
Muto closed his eyes unable to bear the sight of his dying wife.
“My king yoa decision was flawed fwom the moment you took away ha’ ascension. The awwanged mawwiage you twied to fo’ce upon ha, and the banishment was nothing mo’ than adding insult to an alweady inja’d pesson.”
“Adanya undesstood the consequences fo’ ha’ disobedience, and she killed ha’ own.”
She shook her head.
“Oa’ daughta’ wanted nothing mo’ than to wule this kingdom and choose ha’ own path. Who awe we to take that away? No one chose fo’ us. We can only waise oa’ childwen we can’t choose thee’ destiny fo’ them.”
Muto shoulders’ slumped, in his heart, his wife was right.
“You ave to make this wight if you want me to west. You ave to bwing Adanya bagk to Lawk.”
“We awe uncertain she is even alive.”
A tiny smile curled on Nailah’s lips.
“If you onestly think that fo’ even a second, then you don’t know yoa own daughta. Oa’ daughta’ is stwong, deta’mined, and v’y bwave. She is ha’ fatha’s daughta’.”
Beyond the room, in the hall, Zola’s eyes widened, and she backed away from the door until she was out of earshot; and scurried back down the hall.
“I cannot take the thwone fwom Kofi, it would be cwuel.”
“I’m not asking you to wemove im. I’m asking you to make things wight. She neva’ belonged tha’ and I want you to bwing ha’ bagk ome.”
Nailah closed her eyes and took two short hiccups followed by a long gasp and just that fast, death took her. Muto kissed her forehead, crossing her hands one over the other to give her the graceful pose she always carried.
Chapter Ten
Days ago, after Zola overheard Nailah’s confession, her attempts to tell Kofi failed from inapposite timing. Although her compassion skills weren’t up to par, she managed to offer him sympathy in his time of need.
Zola had run out of time to tell Kofi what she overheard before his mother died. She wanted to wait until after the funeral, but Muto would set for Tigray as soon as he had grieved.
She found Kofi in his chamber, the previous one of Muto.
Kofi hadn’t changed the room much; he was a man of simplicity.
He worked busily at his desk. Zola stared in the doorway. Her footsteps were light when Kofi looked up, she had already made it over to him.
“We need to talk.” Kofi recognized the urgency in her voice, it wasn’t her usual demanding tone.
He beckoned for her to have a seat next to him on the sofa.
“What is wwong?”
Zola hadn’t decided what she would tell him. She married a man who didn’t have an ounce of royal blood in him. She weighed her many options.
For all she knew his father was a servant, a nobody; he was a bastard child.
She was worried and for a good reason; royalty was determined by the man. Even if the mother was of royal blood, it meant nothing unless the father was too.
Her unborn child would only be the son of a princess; five people would have to die before he’d be considered the ruler of Chanta, assuming those heirs didn’t have children of their own.
Kofi saw she was nervous and placed a hand on her bouncing leg.
“It’s not the baby is it?”
“No, the baby is fine.” She saw the relief wash over him.
“I ova’eawd yoa pawents talking the night you sent me bagk to ca’ee fo ha’.”
Kofi looked appalled.
“You wa’ spying on my pawents? Zola, why would you do that? You invaded thee pwivacy.”
Zola sprung from the sofa and scowled at him. The sympathy recoiled from her lips.
“You can’t be pleased. It doesn’t matta’ that I was listening in; you’we going to thank me fo’ it. As a dying declawation yoa motha asked yoa fatha to bwing Adanya bagk and to place ha’ as Queen of Lawk.”
Kofi stood, confused, unsure of what to do.
“What? Is what you speak, the twuth?”
Zola nodded holding her stomach.
“Even if my fatha went to get Adanya fwom Tigway the chances she su’vived that place awe slim, if not none.”
“Yoa sista’ as su’vived many things. What makes you think she’s not alive?”
Apart from the soldiers who stood watch that night, Zola had been the only person he confided in about what happened to Adanya after the announcement party.
“I don�
�t ca’ee about any skills, chawagta, o’ anything else that once made ha’ a gweat wawwio, No one su’vives Tigway, no one! I’ve seen it as a young boy, and I know the savage conditions in which slaves enda’ tha.”
Kofi paced the floor as he tried to make sense of his wife’s words. She made her way to him, cupping his face with her hands.
“Now is not the time to be ova’ly sa’ of yoozself. We mozt assume that she is alive and capable of walking thwough this kingdom’s doo. If you allow this to appen, the thwone will be taken fwom you and twozt me when I say you will ave nothing!”
He locked onto her hands.
“I will andle it. As a queen, you should voice yoa opinion as little as possible. The one thing I ado’ed most about my motha was the lack of intwozion into a king’s decision.”
Zola grabbed Kofi’s chin, pulling his face inches away from hers.
“When my life and that of oa’ unbo’n child angs in the balance of yoa decisions; I will voice a thoozand opinions if it means oa’ su’vival.”
She released his chin and smiled.
“You said you will andle it. Fine, andle it.”
⸞⸟⸞
Muto breezed across the room gathering clothes into his trunk. An aggressive knock on the door tore him away from his task.
He padded to the door and eased it open. His brows arched at his son’s presence.
Kofi was drenched in sweat, worry etched his facial features.
“May I come in?”
“Muto stepped aside and allowed his son to enter.
Kofi eyes roamed the room, falling on the opened suitcase on his father’s bed.
“Going somewha this late?”
Muto followed his son’s gaze to the suitcase. Muto rubbed the back of his neck and took a long sigh. His nostrils flared.
“Son, I ave to get to Adanya. Yoa motha asked me to bwing ha’ bagk befo’ she died and not jozt becaoze of yoa motha but becaoze what I did was wwong. I won’t allow yoa sista’ to spend anotha day in that place.”
Kofi circled his father as he studied him.
“But Adanya killed Kwame and disobeyed yoa o’da. I don’t undesstand yoa line of thought.”
“As you shouldn’t. Kings and fathas make mistakes, it’s what makes us uman. Soon enough you will know; ev’y decision will not be yoa best, but once something is done, we cannot undo them.”