Episode 7 – Love Charm

A Fortnight Later (Two Weeks)

Many days had passed since the twins were miraculously born, but it still felt like yesterday to Adeyeri. The royal babies had defied the prophecy of Oluawo, and despite arriving one month earlier, showed no sign of prematurity. Yahweh had proven Himself again, and it had become Adeyeri’s main goal to get the people of Iludoyin to meet the Almighty God, who was indeed greater than all the man-made gods that they served. However, he couldn’t start the process of achieving his goal because he was always with Tade, doing his part in taking care of their children.

Infact, the babies were always so active at night that Adeyeri and Tade barely ever got any sleep. The palace staff remained in awe of how hands-on the couple were with their children. Traditionally, the royal babies stayed in the care of the head palace maid and midwife for the first three years, but Tade would have none of it. She had still not gotten over the trauma of the birthing experience.

Adeyeri watched her from the side of the bed. He had just laid the Princess, Adesewa, to bed, while Tade was still breastfeeding the Prince, Aderopo. “For a creature who is so little, I think that boy eats too much. We should curb it,” he complained, feeling sympathy for his wife, who had been sitting on one spot breastfeeding the twins interchangeably for two hours.

Tade laughed. “You want to curb the feeding pattern of a growing baby, who is simply taking after his father.”

“He should take after me in my concern for you as well. Look at your eyes, you have barely slept in three days.”

“I will be fine. Stop worrying too much.”

“It is my duty to worry.”

“What does worrying ever do for us?”

“That is why I have done beyond worrying and sent for your Aunty, Shade! She will take care of the babies whenever you need to rest. I hired her as a full time nanny.”

“Oh! That was unnecessary. I am managing fine,” Tade protested then took the now sleeping baby away from her breast.

Adeyeri sat up from his side of the bed and collected Aderopo from her, rocking him to sleep deeply before putting him down beside his sister. “It is very necessary. You are becoming a shadow of yourself. The birthing process was hard on you, and you have refused to be helped by any of the palace maids. If you must remain paranoid and distrustful, then I am committed to find another way.”

“Another way can’t be bringing my Aunty around my children. She is not even my Aunty, and I don’t really trust her either. Have you forgotten how she almost betrayed me to the Chiefs?” Tade reminded him as she tucked her breast back into her blouse then went to stand by the window.

Adeyeri rose to join her, encircling her body by pulling her into his arms from behind, but Tade stiffened. He kissed the back of her neck, but she pulled out of his arms completely.

“If it’s what you are thinking, I am not in the mood. My body is not ready for it,” she protested.

“How do you know what I am thinking?” Adeyeri responded, irritated.

“I don’t know what you are thinking, but the truth is, I have never felt more alone in all my life. My children are my only source of joy. At least I know they mean well for me. They are innocent.”

“And I don’t mean well for you?” Tade looked away, unable to meet Adeyeri’s gaze. “What is the meaning of this mood swing? I have been with you every step of the way.”

“I am just tired,” she said solemnly, tears glistening in her eyes. Adeyeri moved closer, but she moved back again, avoiding his touch, and leaving him exasperated.

“You need help, Tade, and if I could offer that help, I will, but as it is, I am doing the best I can.”

“I am aching all over. I am…” She couldn’t finish her thoughts as she broke into tears.

“Tade!”

“Please, excuse me. I need to be alone.”

Adeyeri shook his head in disagreement. “My love, you are not allowed to shut me out. It is me and you against the world, it must never be you against me. I won’t allow it.”

Tade stared at him blankly for a few seconds as though she wanted to revolt, but she gave up, nodded in understanding, and wiped her tears. “I am sorry,” she said.

Adeyeri moved closer to her but didn’t touch her, sensing that she did not want it. “There is nothing to be sorry about! You have been through a lot and are only lashing out because of exhaustion. Tomorrow, your Aunty will arrive to help you with the babies when you are not breastfeeding, and also supervise the palace maids to help you with the chores. I will not watch my Queen waste away in the palace from exhaustion.” 

“Adeyeri…”

“Shhh! Come with me. It is time to go to bed. Trust me, everything will be better soon.”

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Few Hours Later

Toriola paced the corridors, determined to catch the King alone as he came out for his morning prayers to his strange god. She had a new respect for Adeyeri because he had gone ahead to find a god more powerful than any god ever known in Iludoyin, and now the Chief Priest was afraid. He believed that Tade was indeed a greater witch than they had thought, and was determined to kill her children before they were forty days old because on that day, the King had declared that he would crown his wife, and mother to his heir, as Queen. The Council of Chiefs was divided. Iyalode and Balogun were openly supporting the idea, while Osi and Oluawo, the Chief Priest, were  against it. 

“You need to act fast! How hard is it to seduce a man whose wife has just given birth and cannot satisfy him in bed. This is your chance, and you are wasting it,” Oluawo had bellowed at her when he caught her in a corner the day before.

“I am trying my best,” she replied in frustration too. “King Adeyeri is permanently glued to his wife at all times, except for when he has a meeting. They share a bond that seems impenetrable,” Toriola complained, and Oluawo glared furiously then pulled out a wrist bead and handed it over to her.

“Wear this, then catch him alone. The rest will be up to you. Make sure you avoid being seen by any other man except the King. In fact, remove it if you are about to stumble on any other man apart from the King, because any man who sees you first will stop at nothing till you sleep with him. The charm is potent for one hour, so you must act fast.

“What kind of bracelet carries this amount of power, Oluawo?”

“It is a love charm that will make the King attracted to you. Once you notice that it is working, lure him to a secret place and make him sleep with you, I will take it from there.”

“What if he regrets it afterwards and casts me off before I can get pregnant for him?”

Oluawo smiled, “Then we will resort to blackmail. If he loves his wife as much as everyone claims, he will never want to hurt her by letting her know what he has done with another woman just two weeks after she gave him two children.”

Toriola had smiled, glad to be allied with such a smart man like Oluawo. She assured him that she would be successful, but this morning, as she stood waiting for the King to show up, she was overwhelmed by fear of Adeyeri’s god.

What if he catches me? What if he casts me off?

The sound of multiple footsteps made her scurry back as different young warriors stormed the palace. They were holding two men who spoke in an unknown language, obviously protesting to be saved. Banji, Yemi, and some of the men were familiar.

“We should not do anything until the Council of Chiefs and the King arrive. Tie them and leave them here while someone finds Atoyebi, the King’s servant, so that he can alert the King,” Banji barked out in an order.

Toriola tried to scurry away to avoid being seen, but instead, the multiple bowls of calabash that she was hiding behind all came crashing down. Instantly, she put her hands on the bracelet to pull it out, but it was too late.

Banji and Yemi’s eyes caught with hers at the same time.

Toriola took a deep breath, silently praying that the charm would be deactivated because two men, instead of one, had seen her at the same time.

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Adeyeri strutted furiously towards the throne room, and Atoyebi struggled to catch up. “I don’t know why this was so important, it couldn’t have waited till later in the morning. Where are my Chiefs?”

“I waited for them to arrive before coming to wake you up.”

“Next time, don’t wake me up. I have only slept for one hour.”

“I am sorry, Your Highness.”

Adeyeri waved his apology away, frustrated from lack of sleep. After Tade had slept, he had remained awake, praying for her. Something was eating her up beyond the tiredness, and he decided that if he couldn’t get her to open up to him, God would do it for him. So he had prayed for the most part of the night till he found release in his spirit to sleep, and he had planned to remain asleep till very late that morning, except Atoyebi had come to wake him up.

“Give me a summary of the situation.”

“I am not really sure my King, but the men of the night watch are currently briefing the Chiefs,” Atoyebi answered, and Adeyeri rolled his eyes. For the umpteenth time, he wished he was still just a prince, living happily in marriage with the woman he loved , and raising their children.

Lean in to the power of Yahweh!

Adeyeri took a deep breath. “Thank you Yahweh,” he whispered and felt an indescribable strength seep into him.

“What is going on here?” he demanded as he entered the throne room and saw his friends, Banji and Yemi, tearing each other apart, while Iyalode and Osi tried to separate them. Balogun held up a cutlass, and that was what finally did the trick as the men stepped away from each other. “Are we here to settle fights?” Adeyeri queried, and everyone in the room bowed down to greet him.

“There is chaos in the land,” Oluawo said in response. “Friends are fighting each other, and strangers are invading the land because our King has chosen to defy our gods,” he said, but Adeyeri ignored him.

“Banji, what is going on here?” Adeyeri asked his friend.

“Yemi wants my woman, and I will kill him first before that will happen!” Banji answered ferociously in a manner that was not synonymous with his character.

“Your woman?!” Yemi charged at him, and it took Balogun jumping in their middle with the cutlass for them to calm down.

“What is this nonsense? Atoyebi brought news of an invasion. Are we all awake before daylight has fully broken because two men are fighting over a woman. Is that the invasion?” Adeyeri asked, trying to keep his anger at bay for a clear head.

Balogun knelt before him. “No, Your Highness! There was truly an invasion. Two igbo men were found following a stone trail that the former captives set on their way here.”

“Hmmm! How do you know this; that they followed a stone trail?” Adeyeri inquired.

“After the last invaders, I decided to set up a sentry with leaders of the youth group. They were the ones that found the stone trail, and it leads up to 100 km into Iludoyin. It was suspicious, and so we remained watchful. I joined them myself on some nights as we took turns to ensure someone was always at the village entrance. At midnight, two igbo men, who are now in the dungeons, were caught. We would have waited till later to alert you, but the men were worried that more men were on their way, and we must act fast,” Balogun reported.

“You have done well, Balogun. Thank you for this service,” Adeyeri nodded in gratitude.

“I think we should scatter the stone trail then kill all the captives, including the first three that we are harbouring,” the Chief Priest opined, but before Adeyeri could respond, Banji slapped Yemi, and they began to beat each other.

“Banji, what is wrong with you?” Adeyeri called out to his friend.

“He wants my woman!” Banji bellowed.

“She is my woman!” Yemi roared back.

The Chief Priest rose in anger. “Lock these fools in a dungeon,” he commanded the guards.

“Sit down, Oluawo! It is not your place to command my guards,” Adeyeri declared then faced Banji. “What is wrong with you, my friend? Who is the woman in question?”

“Toriola!’

‘Since when!” Adeyeri inquired.

“Thank you, my King. He is trying to steal her from me. Everyone knows that Toriola is my woman,” Yemi insisted.

“She was your woman!” Banji fired back. “Everyone knows you are no longer together,” he countered.

“Who told you that? Just recently, on folklore night, she was in my bed,” Yemi proclaimed and Iyalode gasped, while Banji lunged to give Yemi a slap, but was caught by Balogun.

The Chief Priest rose again. “With all due respect, Kabiyesi, are we going to just stand back and do nothing while these boys tear themselves apart?” 

Adeyeri glared at him for a bit, aware that he had used the word “boys” intentionally, knowing that he was the same age as Banji and Yemi. “Oluawo, I will not be imprisoning them. Tell your guard to take your son home and keep him there,” he stated then turned to Atoyebi. “Lead Banji to one of the guest rooms and ensure a guard stays with him till I decide what to do about their case. We have a more pressing issue at hand.”

Oluawo bowed in obedience to the instruction, while Atoyebi rushed off to obey Adeyeri instantly.

“Balogun, instruct your men to bring the other intruders. Today, I will pass judgement on all five of them. I need to prepare my wife to join us here. Her help and interpretation will shed light on this mess. Let’s all converge again in another two hours.”

Adeyeri sensed in his spirit that a force was at play in the palace, and that the reaction Banji was having could not be natural, but he was so overwhelmed, he couldn’t attend to the issue yet, so he decided to take some time alone to put himself together and meditate on how to solve all the issues that had been brought before him.

Go to your wife!

However, when he got to the door of his chambers, he walked further away to the room he used when he was Prince, needing some time alone to breathe.

Go to your wife!

Adeyeri opened the door of his former room, and the air that greeted him was peaceful. It was devoid of the clutter in his life right now; a reminder of the carefree life he used to lead before the death of his father.

Go to your wife!

Unable to ignore the nudging in his heart, he decided that he was going to leave, but first, he sat on the mattress then leaned his head against the wall, breathing in and out to find relief. Soon, his tired body won, and he slept off.

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Two Hours Later

Go to your wife!

It was a loud whisper now, and Adeyeri woke up with a start, wondering how long he had been sleeping for, but as he tried to rise, he felt a leg on him, and he touched it, but it didn’t feel familiar.

“Who are you?” he asked as he rose to see Toriola smiling at him, her wrapper on the floor. “Why are you here?”

“My King does not remember?” she said softly, looking hurt, then rose to pick her wrapper and tied it.

“I remember nothing because nothing happened. So I ask you again, what are you doing here, invading my privacy?”

Toriola reached out to hold him, but Adeyeri jumped away from her hold. “We had a good time!”

Adeyeri scoffed. “You are mad, and I want you out of my palace this instant.”

“My King!” Toriola exclaimed. “Please, don’t do this to me! I promise not to tell your wife.”

The door flung open in that instant, and Tade walked in, staring confusingly from Adeyeri to Toriola. “You won’t tell his wife what?”

Adeyeri sighed deeply. “Please, ignore this fool. I don’t understand the nonsense she is displaying.”

Tade stared at her husband. “I have been looking for you. Atoyebi said you needed me to help you with an issue, and that the Chiefs are waiting for us. He thought we were together, so why are you alone with her here?”

“How dare you question our King?” Toriola said.

Tade smiled. “Our King is also my husband, and I can question my husband when I need to.”

“Get out!” Adeyeri bellowed to Toriola, who was so shocked by his anger, she obeyed, but on getting to the door, regained her wit.

“I am available to serve whenever you need me again.”

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Hmmm… Chaos

Did King Adeyeri truly cheat on Tade with Toriola… Or is this all a plot? What do you think?