Episode Twenty-Three: Reunion With An Old Friend

There were no stars in the sky, and it was as though even the moon was upset with Iludoyin, showing only a small part of itself, barely enough to illuminate the town. Villagers stayed indoors out of confusion, not sure what was going on or what to do. They were scared of becoming victims of this new King whom some considered a psychopath. He was like no one they knew; unpredictable and creating his own rules.

Chief Osi came out to find Iyalode at his balcony, just as his wife had told him. “Woman, why are you here so late at night? Are you not afraid? Who came with you?” he queried, but Iyalode rolled her eyes instead of answering. “This had better be important.” Osi said as he sat with her on the bench.

“It has been eighteen days now since that evil man invaded our town, planted fear in us with his ruthless killings, and sent the rightful heir into exile. Are we really going to sit back and do nothing? Will we let it be recorded in history that it was in our time that Iludoyin got ruined? Will we…” 

Osi cut her off before she could finish, lowering his voice and hoping Iyalode would do the same. “What do you really think we can do? Were you sleeping when Otun’s head was cut off like a goat?”

“Otun got what was coming to him. He betrayed the throne. He had been plotting all along. That is an untrustworthy man who does not deserve our pity. However, Adeyeri cannot be left in exile for too long,” Iyalode retorted.

Osi burst into laughter. “Woman, your imagination runs wild. What power do we have against the band of assassins that King Adeloye has put together to guard him and fight for his throne.”

Iyalode rose, her body shaking. “How dare you? His throne? You call him King? I bet our dear King Adeyanju is rolling in his grave right now at your betrayal.”

“What betrayal?” Osi demanded, rising to his feet too. “If his rolling body in the grave could not save his son, why should it stop me from protecting myself?”

Iyalode sighed, hands akimbo. “So you are saying that we should do nothing?”

Osi scratched his head, at a loss for words to convince her. “Iyalode, let’s just watch and see. Let’s not rush. Both of us and the Chief Priest are the only Senior Chiefs left in the village. If we die because of foolish plotting, then Iludoyin could be truly lost.”

With tears building up in her eyes, Iyalode forced herself to understand, and Osi patted her back to comfort her. “Adeyeri doesn’t deserve this. I wish we knew where he was so that we can protect him.”

“Forget Adeyeri for now. He brought this upon himself when he married his own Abobaku. The gods are angry with him. In fact, if you ask me, his abominable act brought this upon us.” Iyalode nodded in agreement. “It was a foolish act. I hate to say this, but thank God for Tadeyanju, Adeyeri would have been dead, and all hope would have been truly lost.”

“Tadeyanju’s reappearance was a huge shock. Do you think that was his spirit? Maybe the late King invited him to come and save his son.”

Osi shook his head in disagreement. “He was not a spirit. I strongly believe that he was there in the flesh. Something fishy is going on, but this is not the time to dwell on it. We first have to ensure safety for ourselves and our people”.

Iyalode sighed. “Tadeyanju! Who knows what they have done with him?” she asked rhetorically.

“That should not bother you at all. He is supposed to be dead already anyway. We have mourned him, and he no longer belongs in the land of the living. With the invasion he made, if he’s not yet dead, he’s most likely suffering a worse fate than death. And if you do not want to share his plight, I advise you to stop these late night trips, keep your lips sealed, and wait for a perfect chance to intervene. The time is not now!”

Tade rolled gently out of Adeyeri’s arms to avoid waking him up. She really needed to pray alone, to commit their journey into God’s hand. She felt a strong pull to go to the bush close by even though her preference would have been to go on a walk. She however needed to conserve her energy as well. They had a long walk ahead of them today already.

Before she could rise completely, Adeyeri’s hand grabbed hers. Eyes still closed, he said, “Why are you always trying to get away from me?”

Tade sighed in frustration at having been caught, but smiled at his possessiveness. “I just want to go and pray.”

“Can you wait till day break, and we will go together?” he asked, opening his eyes.

Tade patted his hands gently and pulled hers from his. “When day breaks, we can go out and pray together, but for now, I need to spend some time with my Father. Please, indulge me.”

“You are always speaking in parables. Which father are you referring to? The one that is probably dead and buried?”

Tade scowled in pain at the casual way he spoke about her father’s possible death, and Adeyeri noticed that he had hurt her feelings. He rose and sat up straight, scooting closer to her.

“I am sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that, but Tade, that man isn’t really your father. Birthing you doesn’t give him the right to that privilege. You are precious, he is a monster, and you know it.”

“Adeyeri!” Tade exclaimed at the harsh words.

“That man killed my father! No matter how much you mean to me, I cannot think about him kindly, and if I am not a bastard, I should be looking for a way to kill him and avenge my father so that he can rest in peace, that is if he hasn’t been killed already.”

Tade sighed sadly. She still had a long way to go with helping Adeyeri embrace salvation. His mindset was very different from hers, and the things he was okay with were the worst. She however didn’t say anything. It would be as though she was defending her father.

“I am sorry for what my father did,” she said instead of the chastisement that was on her tongue.

“My love, you have committed no crime to be sorry for. Don’t associate yourself with the beast,” he murmured as he cradled her face.

Tade sighed and smiled sadly. She then removed his hands from her face and rose. “You can sleep, Adeyeri. I will come for you at day break, and we will pray together.”

With mixed feelings, he watched her go. “Stay safe, Tade, And don’t go too far away,” he said, upset that she seemed to need space from him. 

Was she beginning to regret choosing a life with him?.

What did she mean when she said she wanted to speak with her father? Which father?

Alani looked around again to be sure no one could see him and the mercenary he hired to take his message to Queen Wuraola.

“I don’t understand why you keep looking around. I value my life. If this information can put me in trouble, I don’t want to be a part of it,” the man said.

Alani waved his concerns away. “You have nothing to fear. Just make sure that the message is delivered specifically to Queen Wuraola and no other person.”

“I got that already, and I will do so, but if you don’t mind me asking, why are you doing this? Everyone knows about Prince Adeyeri. He is loved by all across the seven kingdoms.

Alani scowled. “Give me back my money, you are clearly the wrong man for the job.”

“Haba! Are you angry? I am the right man for the job, and you can trust that I will deliver your message. I like money.”

“In that case, keep your mouth shut and focus on the errand.” The man nodded, not willing to part with his fees. Alani stared at him briefly,

worried that the man may be loyal to his perception of Adeyeri, and simply take the money without delivering the message. “My friend, you and I are the same. To rise in this world, we need to align ourselves with the powerful. In this case, Queen Wuraola and her son, Adeloye, are the winning team. Besides, Adeyeri is not loved by me. I am not part of the so-called ‘all.’ He is a spoiled brat who enjoys favours that he does not deserve, and lives as though he is greater than all of us. Worst of all is that my younger sister is under the spell of his charm, and we can’t seem to stop her affection for him despite the fact that he barely acknowledges her.”

The man nodded in agreement with Alani’s speech as though he could relate with him. “Don’t worry at all. I will make sure your message gets to the Queen.”

Alani smiled, finally convinced that the man was going to fulfil the assignment he just paid him for. He was so excited that rather than sneak quietly back into the camp, he whistled, thinking about how his value to the current royal family in Iludoyin was rising.

From under the tree where Tade sat, she saw him and couldn’t help wondering why he was so cheerful.

Where was he coming from?

Why was he so happy?

Those were the questions on her mind, and naturally, she almost rose to go and ask him, but she heard a rustling from the bush behind her and quickly turned back to look at what could be there, hoping it was not a wild animal. Who she saw shocked her. It was Brother Joseph, making his way to her, holding a roasted rabbit.

He saw her too, but he didn’t look shocked at all. “So this was why the Holy Spirit led me here,” he said, smiling widely.

If Tade doubted his presence or thought she was imagining it, the sound of his voice in his language, which he taught her till she could at least understand him and communicate loosely, reverberated in her brain.

“Brother Joseph, it is really you,” she screamed and literally jumped into his arms, excited to be reunited with her friend. “What brought you here?” she asked, impatient to learn everything about him in the time that they had been apart.

Adeyeri watched as Alani strolled into the camp and found his way to his spot. The sky was gradually changing colour, and the day was about to break. Where was he coming from? he wondered, but refused to stay wondering. 

“Where are you coming from?” he asked Alani, who staggered in fear at the accusation he could hear in Adeyeri’s voice. Banji also woke up immediately.

Thinking on his feet, he replied, “I think the meat I ate last night did not agree with me, I had to go into the bush to quickly relieve myself,” he said, and released his breath when Adeyeri nodded in understanding of his explanation. It was Banji who didn’t seem to believe him, but Alani convinced himself it didn’t matter because soon they would be busted.

Oblivious that there was a traitor in their midst, Adeyeri turned his focus back to thoughts of his wife, who had been gone for too long as far as he was concerned. He was irritated by the fact that she had left his side over an hour ago, and there was no sign of her coming back.

“I am going to take a walk of my own,” he said to both Banji and Alani, and began to walk towards the direction he believed that Tade went. 

As he walked further into the bush, he began to think about how he would go back to Iludoyin as soon as he could gather fighting men to support his cause. Tade gave him the will to make an effort to secure his future, and when they returned to Iludoyin, she would no longer need to go out on dangerous prayer walks like this alone. Even if she wanted privacy, she would still have her guards at a safe distance to protect her from evil.

Adeyeri was still deep in thought when he began to hear voices. He paused, wondering who it was until he heard Tade’s voice. She didn’t sound distressed or in panic. In fact, she was at ease as though she were speaking to a friend. Adeyeri couldn’t understand it.

Who did Tade know in this village? 

How did she arrange a meeting? 

Why didn’t she tell him? 

Was she truly with her father? 

Did Tadeyanju escape from Iludoyin?

Was she about to betray him?

All these questions raced through his mind at once as Tade’s laughter increased, but before he could take a step closer to find out what was going on, he saw her hands locked with a man that didn’t look like any man he had seen before; a man with a skin colour that he did not understand.

This man looked at his wife with affection, like he cared, Adeyeri found that he wanted to push the man for daring to touch his woman.

“What is going on here?” he asked, and Tade smiled, pulling the man towards Adeyeri, who couldn’t understand the reason for the affection he noticed between them. “Who is this?” he queried even though what he had on his mind was, “What is this?” The man looked weird.

When they got to him, Tade reached for Adeyeri’s hand, and held both men in different arms. “Do you remember Brother Joseph, my friend that I told you about? This is him. You won’t believe the story of how he got here. It’s indeed a miracle.” she said.

Brother Joseph nodded politely at Adeyeri, but the Prince couldn’t return his warmth.

This was the man that Tade was willing to marry.

This was the man that probably meant the world to her.

Adeyeri couldn’t help but wonder why his fate kept serving him the worst. From the way Tade was smiling into the man’s eyes, it was obvious that this man, who looked like a spirit, would share some of the space Tade was beginning to create for him in her heart.

“I don’t care if he is your brother, he has no right to touch you like that,” Adeyeri said, and pulled her away from Brother Joseph’s hold.

“Adeyeri!” Tade exclaimed, too shocked by her husband’s rudeness to think of the right thing to say.