Episode Twenty: Two Sons At War

“Where did Banji go?” Wuraola asked, and Tade was about to answer her truthfully when she caught her father’s eyes and the slight warning in them.

If Wuraola was shocked to see that Tadeyanju was alive, she didn’t show it. It was the last thing on her mind. She desperately needed to get back into the good books of her son, Adeloye. He was mad now, but with a show of support and love, he would begin to see her differently.

“Where did Banji go?” Wuraola asked again, hoping he would be back in time to lead her back to the palace. She wanted to go back there instead of running away, yet, it would be dangerous to lurk around.

“He went to run an errand for Prince Adeyeri,” Tade  said, leaving out the details because she too did not fully trust the Queen, but she trusted her father less, and wondered if he wasn’t just biding his time till Adeyeri died. She knew she had to do something. She felt it strongly in her spirit.

Adeyeri needed an intervention.

Lord, save him. Save Adeyeri! Please… He’s all I have!

Tade had never felt like she belonged with anyone till Adeyeri decided that he was going to marry her. Now that she was finally sure that she had a life worth looking forward to, it seemed it was about to be snatched from her. Starting afresh again without Adeyeri would be painful. Beyond what he was becoming to her, there was also the fact that his life was just beginning too, and she couldn’t bear the thought of him losing it to cruelty. She realised the noise from the palace was completely gone now. It was either everyone had been killed or subdued. 

“How can we know that they have not killed the Prince? I am scared,” she confessed.

Wuraola was convinced that by now, Adeyeri was already dead. There was no way the Adeloye she met today would leave loose ends by taking Adeyeri prisoner, but she remained quiet. Coming here was a bad idea when she knew the truth. Even if Adeyeri survived his arrest at the party, he would have been apprised of the truth, and she wouldn’t be able to face him. She shouldn’t have come here, she chided herself again, yet, she didn’t have a plan. She didn’t know the best cause of action.

“I am tired of hiding in the woods while my husband faces death alone, or a fate worse than death,” Tade said, facing her father, daring him to protest.

He did! “There is no way I am letting you go to your death,” Tadeyanju stated, positioning himself at the entrance of the small cave.

“What is death to you? You killed an innocent King. If a loyal servant did not die in the place of Adeyeri, the Prince would have been dead too. You abandoned your little daughter in a strange land for a reason I can never understand. Why will I ever listen to you, or let you stop me from saving my husband?” she asked furiously.

Tadeyanju flinched at her tone and the way her voice broke when she spoke about being abandoned in a strange land. “I did it all for you! To change your fate.” 

“Yet, all it took to change my fate was the sacrifice of the man who married me.” 

Wuraola realised in that moment that all hope was not lost. Adeloye was treating her badly because he wanted revenge, and thought that she did not love him as a mother. He was feeling betrayed. If she were to bring him Tade, the Abobaku that would make him King, he would forgive her, and she would win his trust.

“Maybe I should follow her to the palace,” she said quietly, hoping she could fool them.

“Not on my watch!” Tadeyanju said, unmoving.

“He is my son. I may be able to strike a bargain with him to banish Adeyeri instead of killing him. That way, we can save his life, and he will live to fight another day.”

Tadeyanju rolled his eyes, seeing that Tade was already warming up to the idea. “If you believed you had such a hold, why did you run away? What kind of mother even runs for her life when she knows that her sons are at war and could kill each other?” he retorted.

Tade sighed. Tadeyanju made sense, and her spirit did not agree that Wuraola meant well, which was weird since she was Adeyeri’s mother, but regardless of how she felt, she had to take the chance to see Adeyeri, no matter the cost.

“I will go with her to the palace and take my chances,” Tade said, and Wuraola’s heart welled in joy. Tade was going to be her sacrificial lamb to win Adeloye back.

“Going there alone is like going to your death. I cannot allow it.”

Tade smiled, finding unusual courage. “We are not going alone. The host of heaven is with me.”

Wuraola raised her brows, wondering if Tade had a secret army. “Who are they?” she asked, but Tade only smiled as she walked towards her father, who reluctantly stepped aside for the women to leave the cave.

“I guess today is the day I die,” he said with certainty, and followed them.

Few Hours Later

The sky had become black, but the moon shone bright, full in all its glory. It was as though it had come out to witness the humiliation of Adeyeri.

The Prince was made to kneel, two hands holding him down to ensure he didn’t  look away as his crown was placed on his brother’s head.

“Are we done? You seem to be taking your sweet time,” Adeloye said impatiently to the Chief Priest, whose hands were shaking as he put the crown on his head.

“The only thing remaining now is your Abobaku.” 

Adeloye hissed then smiled, rising up to show off his status. “In that case, it is done. My first rule as King is to eradicate the Abobaku tradition. From today, it ceases to exist.”

“The gods will be angry!” the Chief Priest said in a shaky voice, scared to incur the wrath of the new King, but even scarier about the consequences of angering the gods. He looked at the other Chiefs, speaking with his eyes to get their support, but they simply looked away. Otun’s lifeless body and head was still beside them to serve as a warning.

Adeloye looked at the Priest as though he hadn’t spoken, then faced Iyalode. “I need new clothes. I refuse to wear the old clothes of the late King, or scraps from my soon-to-be-dead brother. Find me the best cloth maker within the nearest seven kingdoms, and get them to make me the best clothes anyone has ever seen. In three days’ time, I will address the people of Iludoyin. Till then, I do not want to see any of you. It’s time to celebrate with my men. Bring us the palm wine seller with the best wine,” he commanded in a composed and casual manner then stretched his hand to collect a sword from one of his men, and moved towards Adeyeri.

“Jesu, help me! Please, deliver me from this evil man,” Adeyeri whispered, his body profusely wet with his own sweat, the reality of his death dawning on him. The words of Tade were the only things he could remember. 

At the height of battle, when things are about to go really bad, say, “Jesus, help me.”

“Now, it’s time for you to go and be with our father. When you see him, tell him that he failed,” Adeloye said boldly as he raised the sword, smiling at the thought of the act he was about to perform.

Adeyeri refused to dignify his action by showing fear. Instead, he looked away, which infuriated Adeloye. He needed Adeyeri to grovel before he killed him, so he dropped his hands to refrain from cutting off his head just yet.

“Untie him,” he said to one of his guards, who swiftly obeyed. Before Adeloye could say his next words, one of his men brought in Wuraola and Tade. “How dare you interrupt me?” he bellowed in irritation as he saw his mother. “I plan to deal with her later.”

Wuraola shrugged free from the man who held her, and without looking at Adeyeri, she addressed Adeloye. “I wasn’t trying to run away from you, my son. Instead, I brought you the Abobaku. She is the one that will complete your coronation.”

Adeloye hissed, while the pain of betrayal creased Adeyeri’s face, and Tade slumped to the floor in shock.

Wuraola had never been on their side.

“Why will anything stop my coronation? On your knees, woman! How dare you stand in front of your King.”

“My son!” Wuraola started to say, but Adeloye cut her short.

“You are not my mother anymore. I already told you, I plan to marry you, “ he said, and the Chiefs gasped, which only made Adeloye laugh. It was as though he enjoyed shocking them. “Take her inside,” he said to the man that brought them in then settled on the throne.

As Adeyeri watched them lead Wuraola away, his heart broke all over again. Everything he knew to be right and true about the world shattered. He didn’t know which was worse: seeing the woman he knew as his mother being led as a prisoner into the place they called home, or the sting of her fresh betrayal. He looked down at his wife, and seeing his ever fierce Tade crumpled on the floor was definitely worse than the pain of the lashes on his back. If he knew that death was calling his name today, he would have let her go to her Brother Joseph. He felt too disgraced to be anyone’s husband. Even if he somehow escaped death, he was too broken. He was no longer heir apparent to the throne, and was a victim of trusting the wrong people. He was a desolate man with no land, and at this point, death seemed like his best fate.  

How could he ever trust anyone again? Even Tade! He just met her some weeks ago. What if she was only using him? What if she was in this with her father? However, despite his doubts, the sight of her in trouble was killing him. The fear he felt now was stronger than when Adeloye was about to cut his head.

Jesu, please come and help!

If Jesu truly existed, they needed him now more than ever.

“Now, it’s time for my entertainment. I hope someone has sent for the palm wine. This is going to be interesting,” Adeloye said, and from the look of panic in Adeyeri’s face, he knew that the answer to his quest was here. Adeyeri was in love with the Abokaku. “Rise up!” he said to Tade, who obeyed slowly. “Come closer, I have been told we are family,” Adeloye said smiling, but when Tade did not move, he bellowed the instruction again, his tone shaking the room, and Tade ran to him, only to be intercepted by Adeyeri, who used his last strength to push her behind him and face Adeloye.

“You have no business with her. This is between us! Let her go.”

Adeloye laughed. To him, this just got more interesting. His theory had just been confirmed. The best way to hurt Adeyeri and see him grovel was to kill Tade in a very slow way.

“Why will I let her go? Guards, tie him! He is about to witness a performance.”

Adeyeri struggled with the guards as they tried to subdue him, but he did not yield until one of them hit his right hand with a sword. The pain was so excruciating, he staggered back, and Adeloye laughed. His laughter was however cut short when a group of fifty hefty fighters led by Tadeyanju entered the palace and began to shoot arrows at Adeloye’s men. In fact, Adeloye narrowly escaped a shot of arrow when he stood up from the throne to get a sword to join his fighters, who were already taking position for battle. Iyalode, on seeing Tadeyanju, fainted, while Osi and the Chief Priest looked at each other in shock. They wondered if he was a ghost sent by the late King to rescue the land.

“Run, Tade! Run! Go away,” Tadeyanju screamed as he pulled out a sword to meet Adeloye’s sword in the air, and they both began a fierce fight.

Tade rushed to Adeyeri and led him aside while men fought fiercely around them. The Chiefs also quickly dragged Iyalode towards the back, escaping the scene. Adeyeri was so weak from all the beatings, he almost couldn’t stand up straight, so Tade put his arm around her neck for support. They took the long walk from the throne room to the palace gates, and not a single person noticed them. 

It was a miracle!

Adeyeri kept saying between laboured breaths, “Jesu, help us!”