Different incantations sprout out from the mouths of the eldest priest as he little by little let a drop of palm oil on the statue in the shrine. In the same motion the rest of the priests also continued to murmur their incantation to which the sneer of the witches now became obvious.
At the feel of the witches' presence, Okiki-osupa definitely became trembling as she continued to look forward, backward, left and right and her teeth continued to grind in terror.
Definitely, she had not witnessed something like this before as it became worse for her when the wind began to blow with anger and a quick earthquake almost swallowed them into the ground.
Even Osabiegun and Oranmiyan was not any different to the fear that caught them all of a sudden but to reveal their cowardice would be a disgrace not only to them but also to their forefathers as their mockery will not leave the mouth of the villagers who stood further distance to them.
Definitely, the people expected more from the king. As the culture demanded, if the king falls sick, the kingdom is sick or if the King was a coward, the kingdom is a coward and this mockery was what Osabiegun would never have let happen. To him, he rather wore his brave mask and hid his cowardice.
The chiefs and elders and even Osukapo who happen to stand side by side after Osabiegun, Oranmiyan and Okiki-osupa braced themselves in the thought that if something were to happen, they could easily escape in their dragon speed to which would lace their legs on their heads.
With the exploding laughter of the witches yet again, the villagers had equally been blown hot and cold that they began to waver between extremes of bravery and fears.
Surely, what braced them for the confidence they exhibit was Osabiegun and Oranmiyan at the forefront yet, haven't flicker a moment and for what reason shall they being the last sought into being cowards.
For all these traits had not been hidden from the witches in which they realized their cowardice mixed with bravery caused them a continuous round of laughter.
The moment their laughter becomes Shrinking, they take it up even more loudly. And the echoes of their names one after the other the eldest witch continued to call slowly as the rest of the witches all busted into laughter again.
The eldest priest who still remained with incantation in his mouth and the rest of the priests who now chant a chorus in response to every last word of the eldest priest suddenly shout at the top of his voice the name, mothers.
In his words, the mothers of ifa-ile were the ones who flew at night and ruled the affairs of men. For blood, they drink and flesh they eat with their teeth wide opened as they brace themselves for laughs.
That they haven't deserted them and everything they wanted, they must do. For not a person shall see eye to eye with the mothers and still wake up at the rise of the sun. For only the mothers chooses who to live and who to die.
That the mothers were the backbone of Ifa-ile for they told Ifa-ile not to fear and poke at any kingdom they wanted. For Victorious they shall always become again and again.
That the mothers were the bond between the spirit and the physical and for a bond they seek yet again their face.
With another round of loud and shrinking laughter they bursted out again as the breeze began to inject with multiple endurance.
Let them come forward were the words of the eldest priest as he gestured to Oranmiyan and Okiki-osupa even right from inside the shrine.
Slowly, Oranmiyan and Okiki-osupa looked directly at each other and step by step Oranmiyan and Okiki-osupa walked forward and the moment they almost entered into the shrine, a sudden halt the priest commanded.
A sheep which ignores the wrought of a burning coal shall get roasted in the agony fire and a bird which underestimates the sea shall drown to the bottom of the sea were his words as he let out a short audible smirk and walked straight to them.
For not a person who was not a priest can step into the shrine were his words again as the witches already made the shrine a more powerful place to not be looked down upon.
Quickly, the eldest priest held unto the hands of Oranmiyan and also Okiki-osupa even as they stood at the entrance of the shrine with then another episode of incantation he began to spill.
For a moment he let go of their hands but if Oranmiyan or Okiki-osupa thought that was all was a lie as he now brought out two small statues which he slowly and also with incantation began to tie together with their faces turned to each other.
Like the fishes cannot do without waters and humans cannot do without air. Like the trees cannot be but sunk into the earth and the birds had often fly in the sky shall the prince and the princess will not be able to do without one another.
The faster he loosened the rope, he slowly began to tie it again with yet another incantation against the forces which might try to separate Oranmiyan and Okiki-osupa.
Like the bitterness of the kola shall their lives remain bitter and like the tattered attire shall they remain tattered throughout their entire life were his words as he spitted on the kola three time, diving the kola into two equal halves and commanded both Oranmiyan and Okiki-osupa to chew at once.
The bitter expression both Oranmiyan and Okiki-osupa made was quickly condemned by the eldest priest to which he commanded them to keep smiling immediately.
According to the eldest priest, it is bad luck for a bitter expression on the day they are both united for if they express bitterness shall their whole life remain bitter.
With a gesture of the finger the eldest priest had called one of the young priests to bring one of the small calabashes filled with water.
According to the eldest priest, the calabash was not the one filled with ordinary water but the water of the witches to which in everything they do, as the words of the witches say, they will protect them.
Gently but instantly Oranmiyan gushed down the waters in his calabash and after him Okiki-osupa did the same.
Even though, the taste of the water seemed to them that it had been contaminated they couldn't have expressed their faces horribly instead showered to each other a beautiful smile.
After this, the drums and songs began yet again as even the atmosphere became pleased with them. In this likeness as everyone even in their dancing shoes bowed as they officially welcome the queen of the future.
With drums, dancing and eulogy of Oranmiyan, the villagers sang even as they now began to walk back to the palace. But even this had not stopped the gossip flying around among a few of the villagers.
Some claimed Okiki-osupa could only dance like a frog while they showed to one another how they believed she should have lifted her legs and arms to the rhythmic flow of the song and to the drums.
The further they walked in the street of Ifa-ile to the palace, the people fell on the ground to welcome Osabiegun as even Osabiegun had not stopped to wave his horsetail whisk and to which he prayed for them.
Ceremonies from the palace are what the villagers of ifa-ile do not like to miss as everyone who had encountered the King in the street of Ifa-ile laced their feet and also journey with the rest of the villagers to the palace of Ifa-ile.
At the palace, Osabiegun sat on his throne and Oranmiyan sat even on the ground by his right. The chiefs and elders were also seated on the ground before him both at his right side and his left side, with each side facing each other and the people of Ifa-ile who all sat directly facing before them at a little distance.
In the space created before Osabiegun, Oranmiyan, the chiefs and elders and the people of Ifa-ile remained Osukapo and Okiki-osupa who had been bid to keep dancing by the drums they had not stopped.
For only this, had more women of ifa-ile joined them even as among the men of Ifa-ile, palm wines and foods were being served by the royal slaves as according to the culture of Ifa-ile, a ceremony cannot be held and food shall not be served.
The men of Ifa-ile, who were amazed by the big rear end of the women as they kept dancing and to the ones who were not married, they pointed towards.
Quickly they finished their calabash of palm wine even in a gulp as they exploded more in a wide smile and to one another they asked which one was more beautiful.
One after another, each man stood up shamelessly only to pick a dance from the bottom of their feet and in disguise, they approached them.
That they were beautiful were the words they said and if they would have them as their husband were the questions they asked.