Chapter 41

Eyare

One hour was almost up and I was yet to come to a decision.

It was a difficult decision to take after all.

If I agreed to do it, not only would I be adhering to some strange religion, I would also be letting my father down who abolished all forms of paganism. And then they might also bring another hurdle my way.

If, on the other hand I disagreed, they would do all in their power to stop me from becoming king.

I felt stuck.

Try as much as I could, I couldn't think of a way out of this mess. I joined mother in pacing.

I was damned if I did, damned if I didn't.

The time was up. The one hour I had given came and went.

The high chiefs began to file in one by one. When they were seated, Chief Idionsere stood up and addressed me.

"So my prince, have you come to a decision yet?" I looked at each of the chief's faces individually. They all seemed pleased with themselves.

I had definitely come to a decision.

I would definitely not partake in such ungodly, unholy fetish tradition. I would rather forfeit the throne and move on with my life.

So I stood up and as I was about to speak, a scuffle ensued at the door.

"LET ME THROUGH THIS MINUTE, I'M A FRIEND OF THE KING!" Someone kept shouting at the top of his voice.

I paused to listen.

That voice. . . I knew it.

I was still trying to decipher where I'd heard it when Imade came rushing in.

"Your highness!" She bowed low and I indicated she rise. "There's someone at the door who barged in uninvited. His name is not on the guest list. He's been causing a ruckus outside ever since and ---"

I didn't let her finish. "Let him in."

"But . . . " I gave her a look that brooked no more argument and she bowed low again and exited the throne room.

Two policemen brought the man in struggling. I told them to release him. He was wearing dark glasses so I couldn't see his face. He grinned at me and it reminded me of someone, except I couldn't place his face.

Then he removed his glasses and recognition flooded me as I saw his face.

"Gboyega!"

"Well, well, well. I'm hurt! I thought we were close friends and we could confide in each other. You were being crowned king today, yet you didn't so much as send me a text. That's not nice at all, now I'm very upset with you." He didn't't look upset though, he was smiling like a Cheshire cat that had just licked some cream.

I rushed to him and we hugged like it had been ages since we had last seen. In reality it did feel like a long time. I knew I was guilty and should have replied his texts or even called him.

"I'm so sorry, Gboyega. I have had a lot to contend with, do forgive me. I was actually in the middle of something before you came. If you would just sit and ---"

But he didn't let me finish. "I've got a surprise for you. Let's just say it's going to surprise the pants off your body, or maybe your wrapper rather." He finished, smiling.

I was still wondering what surprise he was talking about when in walked a ghost, someone I thought had died. Someone who was the very backbone of this kingdom --- my father.

I heard gasps echo all around in the throne room. From the corner of my eyes I saw the high chiefs all standing up in shock. There were clapping of palms, snapping of fingers and raised shoulders.

Mother stood up, fear etched on every part of her face. She looked like she'd just seen a ghost. In truth, he was probably a ghost, because I watched them burying his coffin.

She fell back onto her seat in a dead faint and Osagiede rushed to tend to her.

I was stuck, wondering whether to go to her or stand and gape at my father.

I decided to gape at him instead.

He was in his full regalia. His chest was bare, save for the red round beads around his neck. A red wrapper was tied around his waist and he was bare feet.

He had lost a lot of weight but he was still here, alive in the flesh.

My father.

I took in all these details within a few seconds.

"Father?" I didn't recognise my own voice. It came out croaky.

He turned sad eyes to me. "Yes, my son. It's me in the flesh." He held out his hands for me to see him better and I moved tentatively towards him.

I stopped some feet away and reached out to touch his cheek, and he trapped my fingers in his hands and drew me to him in a bear hug.

I didn't realise it at that moment, but we were both crying and laughing at the same time.

"It's really you, father'!" His face was clasped in between my hands, and I gazed at him in awe. Tears ran down his cheeks and I cleaned them away.

There was a scuffle at the door once more and Imade came in with two of her men holding Chief Idionsere. They were followed by another set of four policemen holding two men.

Imade addressed me. "Your highness, the chief wanted to run away and when the two men saw him, they said they'll confess he is behind the kidnapping of your father, the king."

I was very much confused, so I turned to Gboyega who had been watching everything in silence with a smile on his face.

"What's going on here? How did you find my father? Who are these two men and what does the chief have to do with them?"

The questions came out, one immediately after the other. I couldn't help it, neither could I stop it. I needed to know what was going on.

"Please, my friend, let us try to remain calmn. Can we all sit down." Gboyega indicated to the empty chairs that had been vacated by us. The chiefs were still gaping at the reappearance of my father.

Mother had regained consciousness and she rushed to him. They clung to each other and father began to cry all over again.

This put a smile on my face. They were together once again.

I expected father to sit down on his rightful throne but he sat down beside mother instead. I noticed their clasped hands and smiled yet again. I couldn't stop smiling.

Finally, everyone turned their attention to Gboyega who was standing. He began to paint a picture of how he found out father was alive and determined to rescue him.

He talked about his challenges on the way and I smiled at the courageous man before me. He told us about the two villagers who helped him in rescuing father.

When he got to the part where he saw father in the barn and the state he was in, a few stray tears began seeping from my eyes yet again.

I saw mother crying silently and father petting her. This was almost too much for me to bear.

How could someone be so cruel as to treat a fellow human being the way they treated my father?

I almost told Gboyega to stop talking but I manned up and kept quiet. I needed to hear him to the end.

He further told us how he took father to a hospital in Lagos and back to his place after his treatment was over to coax him back to good health.

When he finished, everyone was stunned into silence. I raised accusing eyes at Chief Idionsere who was cowering before us and begging for mercy.

There would be no mercy for him.

I was about to call for Imade to take him away to a jail cell to rot there, when she appeared and bowed low before us.

"My king, we have caught Chief 'bazuaye. He was trying to sneak in through the gate unnoticed, but we detected him." She addressed my father but I stood up and demanded he be brought to the throne room.

The atmosphere was tense as we all waited for the chief to come. He finally appeared, being held in between two police officers. I told them to let him go but to stay alert outside the door.

When the police men left Chief 'bazuaye smiled at us all, resting his beady eyes on father. "Well, well, well, I see the dead has come back to life. What a happy reunion this is, sadly I'm going to have to cut it short once again." He whipped out a gun from inside his trousers and centred it on father.

Fear sliced through me as I stood up.

Gasps and shouts rang out in the throne room.

Was I going to loose my father yet again?

Father's eyes gleamed with anger.

I knew that look. I remembered it back when I was a child and I had done something wrong.

Imade rushed into the room with three other police men. They all had their guns pointed at the chief.

"Drop the gun, chief, you can't escape this. You are surrounded by armed police men so don't try anything funny." Her voice was deadly quiet.

Chief 'bazuaye laughed crazily and began to address mother, ignoring Imade and the other policemen behind him. "Do you remember our son, Efe, the son you thought was dead? Well, turns out he never really died. He's still alive. He's a big man now and very much ready to take over the throne. You can't even begin to guess who he is. He has lived under your very own noses all this time." He waved the gun at us. "Yet, none of you ever knew."

Mother gasped and paled immediately. Father held her in his arms as she began to cry.

I didn't understand what chief meant when he said 'our' son.

What son?

Did mother and the chief have a son?

I turned questioning eyes to my parents who stood holding each other.

Actually, mother was gripping father and crying in his arms while father looked on sorrowfully.

The chief turned to me and smiled evily. "Yes, Eyare, your mother has a son. Her first son, if I might add. He's the rightful heir to the throne. He's my son too. You know him though, matter of fact, you have known him all your life. You even grew up with him right under your nose, yet you never knew he was your very own brother."

Goose pimples rose up on my arms immediately and I felt faint.

Was I hearing things?

I looked at my parents, waiting for them to deny it but they kept quiet and averted their eyes.

Their silence was answer enough.

Mother disentangled herself from father and lunged at the chief.

"LIAR!" She screamed. "HE'S DEAD!. OSAZE IS YOUR SON, NOT MINE. YOU'RE A LIAR!" She bunched up the front of his shirt and screamed hysterically.

I didn't recognise her anymore.

"Yes, I lied." Chief 'bazuaye replied calmly.  "I wanted him to take his rightful place as the king and that is what will happen right here and now."

"What the hell is going on here?" I thundered. I was afraid of what I was going to hear, but I had to know. I needed to know.

No more secrets. I was done with being the last to know about sensitive issues all the time.

Father shook his head, looked at me sorrowfully and kept quiet.

"Father!" I asked warningly.

He sighed, looked at mother who nodded at him, giving him the go ahead to talk. Then he launched into a sordid explanation of how mother and the chief had dated when they were both still in secondary school.

Chief 'bazuaye raped mother when she disagreed to lay with him. Mother got pregnant, but when she gave birth to a child, the chief took the baby away from her.

Months later, he told her the child had died.

Apparently, that was a lie!

Father met mother years later, and they fell in love and got married. Chief 'bazuaye became a high chief of the palace and eventually got married and had a son.

Some years later, the chief''s wife mysteriously died, and the child was later brought to live in the palace when he was just three years old, out of the goodness of father's heart, seeing he didn't have a mother to care for him anymore.

Unknowingly to mother, she was bringing up her own son.

The chief finished. "And that son is the true heir to the throne. He must take over the throne today, here and now."

"Son, come on in." Chief 'bazuaye shouted.

And in walked Osaze, held in between two police men.

I gaped in disbelief as he walked into the throne room ---The bloody traitor.

All this while he had been scheming to get the throne. I should have killed him when I had the chance to.

To think I met up with him secretly and accepted his apology for all he had done to my wife.

He slept with her with the use of charms and now he wanted to be king too. This was just too much for me to bear.

"You traitor!" I whispered angrily. He looked at me, apology written all over his face.

"I'm so sorry, my brother, I never meant for it to be this way."

His eyes were speaking a message to me, but I couldn't look at him anymore.

I was so disgusted.

I heard mother weeping loudly and father comforting her.

That was when I knew it was finished.

All my dreams. All my hopes of a happy reunion with my father, with my family, had been dashed.

I watched as Osaze whispered something in his father's ears.

The chief suddenly looked angry and waved his gun crazily about as he shouted. "No, I will not."

He centred the gun on father, sneering his words. "Say your last prayers, former king."

Fear sliced through me yet again.

Everything thereafter seemed to take place in slow motion.

I heard Imade shouting for him to put his gun down.

Then I heard the loud sound of the gun go off.

There was deathly silence.

And then mother began to scream.

A/N: Hmm!!! What do you guys think happened?

So very sad the way things ended. 😔😫😔

But don't despair, there is still an epilogue, so you'll get to see who truly died!

Peace and love y'all
Jirogzy
💕💞💕