At dawn, at the crawl of the cocks, Osabiegun opened his eyes for the worries that slept with him throughout the night.
That they must adhere to the utterance of the witches lest, witness their birds fly in the day. He gulped down a saliva again as he turned to the other side of his chamber with the thought that brought him into reminder for the witches made him accept a captive as a queen and glittering stones they made him not lay a finger on.
With Oranmiyan in his chamber, Okiki-osupa rested above his shoulder. After a lot of wailing in the night for the intentions of Oranmiyan to pick another queen after her.
Though she came into Ifa-ile as a captive the love of Oranmiyan filled her heart since the first time she set her eyes on him as he passed through the river of Olomitutu was her words in a confession to Oranmiyan.
And if by following her heart, the rest of the armies of Efon remained as captive in Ifa-ile's dungeon and the people of Efon shall hate her, she was ready to sacrifice everything for Oranmiyan and everything she asked was only for Oranmiyan to not take another queen but her alone.
Oranmiyan, who never interrupts her words as she speaks, waited until she said everything she needed before he only began his own. For her love filled his heart also and everything he thinks about remains with her.
But the sole command of the witches he cannot deviate lest, the day shall become the night and the smiling yellow sun shall become the red sun to which the whole of Ifa-ile will suffer for only his grave mistake.
A promise he made to her irrespectively that no matter how beautiful the other queen might be, his own crown prince shall come from Okiki-osupa, and he would always love her more and cherish her more.
Little by little as the dark slowly chameleon's into day and the moment the sun peeped from the sky, all the chiefs and elders were already gathered at the palace.
This hadn't left the whole of the priests excluded as it remained the culture that the eldest priest remains the one to join the prince and the princess together as one.
Osabiegun by the royal slaves was braced into a new attire which remained bigger than the ones he had always worn before. On his head were his beaded crown as always and around his neck and wrist were new beads and beneath his feet remained a new shoe.
The chiefs and Elders who were seated on the ground outside of the palace before the throne even in the absence of Osabiegun remained gossiping about Okiki-osupa.
According to one of them, who knows if she was a witch and made the rest of her coven to make her the queen of Ifa-ile as he cannot make sense of her likeness for Oranmiyan and what kind of princess abandons her subjects only for the sake of self deceiving love.
Even though the eldest priest heard him, he had not said anything against it as everything he did was to remain steadfast on his feet as he awaited the entrance of Osabiegun into their midst.
Oranmiyan in his chamber who had now been separated from Okiki-osupa had braced himself into one of his newest attire and also beads which accompanied around his necks and wrists.
According to the culture of Ifa-ile, it was bad luck for the prince to see his future queen before his marriage with her. With only this reason Okiki-osupa remained in the chamber of Osukapo the moment the day broke into even a faint lightness. Osukapo who had not stopped to tell her the tales of Ifa-ile and how she became a queen of Ifa-ile even as she continued to dress her slowly.
Certainly in the reign of the father of Osabiegun as the then King of Ifa-ile and in the reign of her own father, Elesho as the King of Olugbo was an agreement even before their birth that if they both give birth to a boy and a girl shall they have them tie a nut.
As children who knew not their right from their left, the blissful love was beautiful because their destinies had been told to them. But the moment they were old enough, they realized they both wanted different things.
And as much as they tried to fit together, they couldn't but for the sake of the promises their fathers made to each other, they could not be separated as their love grew to be a thorn on their flesh.
Who would deviate from the command of the King? If Osabiegun had done so, could have been sent out into exile, and if she had done so to her father, could have been stripped of her title and sent out of the palace for the sin of disobedience to the command of the king.
And for only this Osabiegun and herself only decided to stay in their zones even in their marriage and had only copulated ones for the sake of a child.
But a child remains a blessing and for the smile radiating on the cheeks of Oranmiyan even as an infant baby grew her affection for Osabiegun that she had to compromise in everything only for them to fit.
Osukapo as she talked further let out a sign and also at the same time gently pulled Okiki-osupa's head to check out herself from the water's in the calabash to which she looked even more beautiful.
But if Osukapo thinks Okiki-osupa looks will put a smile on her face she was only disappointed as Okiki-osupa only gulped down a saliva.
That she shouldn't worry, for the story behind Oranmiyan and herself was different was her word which gave a quick solace. Definitely, what she feels drove her this far was her love for him and him, his love for her.
That their love shall grow even more intensely as the fact that Oranmiyan shall take another queen as made compulsory by the witches will not count and only her shall Oranmiyan seek to see again and always.
In the midst of the chiefs, the elders, the whole number of the priests and the villagers who had presented themselves at the news of the marriage they had, Osabiegun entered as everyone fell on their faces to welcome the King.
That they begin, he commanded by the gesture of his hands. The drummers and singers among the villagers began with their dancing steps to which they raised a song.
In a chorus everyone responded to which they all accompanied the song with a dance except Osabiegun who remained seated on his throne with fierceness and the priests who remained steadfast on their feet.
Oranmiyan who couldn't be more happy at the thought that his heart was fulfilled sonorously sang along with the rest of the people and the chiefs and elders who danced with a contemptuous heart still find a way to gossip among themselves.
Their dancing steps continued stronger at the sight of Osukapo who brought out Okiki-osupa and the troops of slaves who followed closely behind them.
Definitely, Okiki-osupa's beauty shone into the eyes of Oranmiyan as she sighted her at once even with the bigger leaf shook into her head tie to cover her face.
With the eldest priest who led the way and the rest of the priests who followed closely behind him walked straight down to the shrine for the bond they must create with the prince and the princess.
Osabiegun with the gesture of the eldest priest who indicated that everyone was to follow closely, stood gently on his feet and walked gently after the multitude of the priests.
Behind Osabiegun were the chiefs and elders who walked gently as according to the steps of Osabiegun to which they hadn't walked past him and not too far away from him.
Oranmiyan who hadn't stop dancing to the beautiful voices of the villagers and the talking drums to which accompanied every melody braced Osukapo equally into some serious dancing.
The further they went, Oranmiyan, Oskupo, and Okiki-osupa whose sadness quickly perished at the glare of Oramiyan who couldn't have been happier continued to brace themselves in a dance.
Definitely, it was not about the happiness in the marriage for some villagers if not for the food they have come to feed their eyes. If certainly, the captive princess was getting married to the prince.
Perhaps Oranmiyan had been bewitched was their words to one another even as they have not stopped to move their body in rhythmic steps.
At the shrine, the eldest priest held his hands up in the highest sky as everyone braced a stop and the drums which were before exploding in the air were suddenly conquered by silence.
The eldest priest with his head bowed down entered into the inner shrine with the rest of the priests as everyone else including Osabiegun and Oranmiyan and even Okiki-osupa who were to be bound as one held their rigid halt outside of the shrine.