Chapter Three

Eniola had never been in the same room with so many people, and although she had a shawl covering her in addition to the wrapper they gave all the ladies seeing the king, she shivered.

This would be different from anything she had ever faced in her life, and she was scared.

“What if I embarrass myself, and I am punished?”, she thought over and over again. She had been praying ever since Uncle Madeyo came to the house to bring her here.

“God, please help me. I am so afraid and shocked to be here, with these people who have no regard for You. When the king glances my way, please cover his eyes so that he will not see me.”

Madeyo had overheard her praying this way before they left their hut and he had laughed, saying that if God answered all the prayers of man, by the words of our own mouth and by our own decrees, we would be permitting evil. Our knowledge as humans is so limited, that we don’t know what is best for us. Only God knows.

Eniola remembered this, and started chanting “Lord, please, let Your will be done.”

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

A reminder of that scripture from Joshua dropped on her heart and she felt a wave of peace. She proceeded to go and meet Abena, who was finally free from all the ladies who were now filing into the palace.

“Thank you very much, ma. I have never seen such a beautiful fabric in my life, and these beads are so precious. It’s a privilege to have access to them for this ceremony.”

Abena smiled. She was right, the girl was a breath of fresh air. It was the first time anyone cared to thank her for doing her job.

“You are welcome, my dear girl.”

“Thank you, ma. Please, can I send them back through my uncle tomorrow? I will love him to see me in this beautiful costume.”

Abena smiled in surprise.

“What do you think we are doing here?”

Eniola was ashamed by the question and couldn’t bring herself to answer.

“I am very sorry ma.”

Abena saw that the girl had misunderstood her, so she held her hands.

“You cannot plan to go home tonight, until the king has picked his bride.”

Eniola smiled shyly.

“I am just here to fulfil all righteousness. The king can never pick me. I don’t qualify to be queen.”

At her humble declaration, Abena fell in love with Eniola, and prayed briefly that she found favour with the king tonight.

“Go on Eniola, the others are leaving you behind, and it will be wrong of you to keep the king waiting.”

Eniola nodded quickly and hurried to join the other ladies.

When she got to the entrance of the palace, many of the ladies were already there, struggling for a spot in front. Eniola couldn’t be bothered to join in the struggle; instead, she walked up to one of the palace guards and asked if she could stand at the back with him. He looked at her strangely and walked away.

As soon as Eniola entered, Abe noticed her, because he had been waiting for her. All the girls that came in before her, fell below his standards of proper behaviour, so he was hoping to see her do better, and from the way she stayed at the back, watching the other girls struggle, he knew she was queen material. He whispered to the king. It was time to run Abena’s errand.

“Have you seen a woman worthy to be your queen?” Abe asked, not wanting to jump the gun.

“How does a king pick a queen in this backward manner? I hate this.” Azari whispered back.

“That girl at the back, have you considered her?”

Azari scanned the room for the girl he was talking about, but before his gaze could fall on her, Chief Halaam began the proceedings, and the place got rowdy. The musicians began to play music and the girls danced, showcasing themselves as the best option to be queen. Their efforts nauseated Azari.

“Am I looking for a dancer?” he asked Abe.

Chief Goze rose to whisper in Azari’s ears excitedly; “The girls on this side seem to be prettier, just look at their back side.”

Goze laughed at his own joke, and Azari joined him just to avoid embarrassing him, but he couldn’t continue like this, knowing that he was not going to select any of the ladies here to be his queen. This event shouldn’t have happened, and he refused to let it go on for longer than necessary.

Azari rose, fully intent on leaving the chiefs to enjoy themselves and close the party when they did not see him.  At that moment, he saw her, the girl Abe told him about, standing by the palace guards, clapping and dancing as though she was there as a spectator enjoying a show, rather than as a contestant for the throne of the queen.

He would have thought she was a palace maid if not that she was adorned in the same costume as the other ladies presented before him.

He did not know her enough to say that she was fit to be queen, but one thing was certain, she was not there for any selfish reason, and that quality in itself qualified her to be considered.

Azari sat and smiled, glad that this exercise was not going to be a waste. He summoned Abe and whispered into his ears, and Abe smiled too. The chiefs wondered what was happening as Abe motioned for the music to be stopped, on the order of the king.

Chief Goze moved closer to Chief Halaam to whisper into his ears.

“I hate that he relies on a guard so much. If we don’t do something about it, he will soon make the fool a chief.”

Halaam laughed.

“Over my dead body will a man without manhood sit in this cabinet with me.”

They both laughed but stopped as the music ended abruptly, wondering what the king had to say.

“The contest is over. The king appreciates you all for coming out today, but you are now free to go home.”

The hall was silent for a few seconds, but soon murmurs became almost as loud as the music that was playing before.

“Silence!” Abe bellowed, and the hall became quiet again.

“The king has proclaimed that all the ladies who came tonight should be given five cowries and be allowed to leave with the costume and beads they were given for this ceremony.” Abe continued and soon the room erupted in a frenzy of excitement.

Eniola danced for joy. Finally, the Lord had answered her prayers, that was more than enough capital to scale her vegetable business.

The chiefs looked at each other in shock. The king was squandering money, they thought.

“My king, isn’t that gift too generous?” Chief Goze asked.

“Your father would never have given away that kind of money.” Chief Halaam seconded.

“I guess that will make it clear to you that I am not my father.” Azari said, taking offence but too excited to be choosing a woman tonight that he didn’t dwell on it.

“Won’t you pick one of these ladies?” one of the chiefs asked, and the king smiled.

Azari signalled to Abe who then shouted, “Silence!”

The room went quiet again.

“You at the back, what is your name?” Azari asked.

Eniola looked around, wondering who the king was referring to, but everyone was looking at her, because she was the only one at the back.

“Me?” Eniola asked, shivering all over at the possibility that it could have been her. She got her answer from the way the palace guards ordered people to stand aside to usher her forward.

Be strong and courageous.

“Eh God!” Eniola whispered as she moved forward, looking around to see if Uncle Madeyo was anywhere in the crowd to give her a reassuring look, but her eyes were blurry, her head woozy, she could no longer see anyone.

She wobbled a bit, almost falling off, and she heard a girl say quietly, “This has to be a joke, where did this girl that cannot even tie her wrapper in a trendy fashion come from?”, and another said, “But she has natural beauty!”, and yet another said “We stood outside together, she was so clueless!”

The whispers made her nerves rave, her heart was beating so fast that she feared that people could actually hear it.

“God please help me.” Eniola said as she approached the throne, not knowing what she would be required to do, or how to greet the king.

From his seat, Azari noticed that the lady he had summoned was constantly wobbling, and he sensed that she was afraid, her fear was palpable. He tried to connect with her by looking at her with a reassuring smile, but she did not meet his gaze, not even once.

“She is very shy!” Abe whispered to the king, and immediately, Azari knew what he must do. He rose, and raised his hands to the lady walking up to him, and as Eniola reached him she was going to kneel down, but he caught her hand and raised her up.

“Behold, the king has chosen his bride. Bow down and hail your ruler” Abe commanded, and everyone bowed down and screamed “Long live the king!”

“What is your name?” Azari asked the woman he had chosen to be his queen, whose hands were so cold, and wet from anxiety.

Eniola looked up to him and some of her fear dissolved. He didn’t look like he was going to destroy her, but he was dangerously handsome and he looked like some mini giant; broad chested, tall, with a deep voice. Was he even a man? she wondered.

“You can look at me later, for as long as you want. For now, tell me your name!” Azari said humorously, and everyone laughed, enjoying the exchange. Something about her had changed Azari’s mood and suddenly he felt like celebrating. Her skin was not dark, yet it was not fair. Her hair was not long like that of the Daaji people, so he knew she had to be one of his father’s captives, but her short hair was packed in tiny bits, adorned with beads making her look like a princess. Azari suddenly fought the urge to trace the lines on her head.

“What is wrong with me? Have I not been with a woman before?” Azari chided himself, but his hand was already tracing her shoulders, they were smooth like that of a baby who had never been exposed to the sun.

“My name is Eniola!” she said, but still couldn’t look at his face.

“God please, let him stop asking me questions.” Eniola prayed, and thought King Azari must have heard her because immediately, he said, “I won’t ask you any more questions.”

She was just about to whisper her thanks to God, when he decreed that the marriage priest be brought forward.

“I will not wait another day to be married, drama and ceremony is not my style. It is a waste of time. Tonight, I will marry my queen, and in thirty days’ time, as we celebrate my one-year reign as king and my birthday, we can have the kind of party that will be legendary and renowned across the nations of the earth.”

The crowd had cheered, everyone was excited about the king’s impromptu wedding, except for a few girls who had thought that they stood a chance to have been selected although, their opinions never mattered in the grand scheme of things.

That night, the king held the shaky hands of Eniola, an innocent girl who had hidden at the back but had caught his attention. He married her, proclaiming her Queen of Daaji.

****************************************************************************************************************

His shift had ended, but Madeyo could not go home.

It was the first night in eighteen years that he would go home without seeing Eniola, and he was overcome by fear. What if he had sent her like a sheep to its slaughter?

“God please give me peace” he prayed.

Peace I leave with you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid – John 14:27

Madeyo was grateful for the reaffirmation he got from that scripture, but still decided that he would not go home tonight, he was going to keep vigil, praying for Eniola.

There was a hill behind the palace. He stayed there and began to pray for the host of heaven to support Eniola and allow her reign to be beautiful, to teach her how to serve the king, grant her the wisdom to work with people, and to do things right.

He was still praying when he saw two men walk out of the cave near the hill. Madeyo hid so that they wouldn’t see him, but he could still hear them clearly.

“Make sure you stab him with the knife three times, to ensure that you kill him. It doesn’t matter where the blade touches, it has been poisoned. If you cut the king with it three times, he will die.” The first man said.

“I know this already, what I need your assurance for is that I will remain invisible till I complete the mission and leave the palace.” the second man responded.

“As long as the necklace is on your body, no one will see you till it’s over. If she is with him when you get there, kill his new queen too.”

“I don’t kill women.”

“This one is not just any woman. She may already be carrying the next prince of Daaji. We don’t know if anything has happened between her and the king in the short hours of their marriage, but we can’t take any chances.”

“I understand you.”

Madeyo was in shock, but he couldn’t remain like that for too long. He needed to act fast.

“Jesus help me” Madeyo whispered, and stepped out of his hiding place.

Are we the only ones getting adrenaline rushes? What do you think will happen in chapter 4?