The morning was still young and a pack of dogs around the eastern corner of the kingdom, kept barking in unison as they echo the call of a cockerel who announced the beautiful Tuesday morning. Women were up doing the chores they are permitted by tradition to perform on a Tuesday in anticipation of a fun filled day. The series of events that ensued in a parallel manner in Adako however dried up the wind of peace and ultimately changed everything. Four palace guards run out of the palace in different directions. The first guard went to the chief priest whilst the others went to other very important elders of the kingdom. In a moment, the palace court was packed with elders awaiting news from King Kaleta who was still in his chambers at the time they got there. The sharp wind of suspense that was drifting intensely through the court was sharp enough to cut open a horse in one strike. Unknown to the elders, the kingdom's most renowned gossips were instrumental in being the catalysts of diffusion and have successfully diffused the tension to other parts of the kingdom. They have successfully circulated their own versions of the reason behind the sudden summon of the elders and the chief priest even before the reason was revealed. After a while, the queen invited the elders and the priest of Agumenu to come into the king's private chambers.
Even though the bed in the center of the room was covered in feathers, one could clearly see the stern bamboo stands upon which the weight of the bed rests and the raffia that entangles beautifully around the bamboo stands. On the bed was the most majestic figure in the entire kingdom; King Kaleta. The king who has ruled with a strong hand, the king whose army boasts of the greatest warriors and has never tasted defeat. The King who is feared even by the most ruthless warriors of neighboring kingdoms. At first, he looked pale and motionless but after a while, his mouth twitched and the words finally flowed out.
"One moment I was strong and the next, I am dying. I want to know if Agumenu want to take me now. Tell me wise one."
There was a very long pause and the elders exchanged glances of utmost shock.
"I can see through the walls of time but even I could not see both ends of the string. Who can say which is first to wake up at dawn among the hen and the cockerel? Who amongst us knows which sleeps the earliest among the two in the evening? Is it not just the 'crow' and the 'cluck' that the mortal ears hear? When the clouds gather, we perceive rain but what happens if the rains did not come? Only the gods know what was before and what the end holds. My horizon ends at the feet of the gods oh king of Adako." The wise one responded.
"Tell me o wise one! What then do you see?" Kaleta retorted.
"I see the Cheetah thinking itself a squirrel, gold mixed with dirt and a tear in the wind being patched with a needle." He responded.
"Can you please talk in the language of mortals oh wise one?" An elder pleaded
"You worry because you do not have a son to carry on your lineage and your daughter the princess is yet to receive a suitor worthy of the throne. You worry because you realize how quickly the light of life can diminish and give birth to the darkness of death. You feel you have walked past the equilibrium point of life and death and you want to put your house in order but hear me o Kaleta the great one: The gods call every seed of the okro by name when the okro is still but a flower. Everything will fall in place even in the storm and in the calm. The gods have spoken." The wise one said. He raised his staff and shook it so violently that the bells and the gongs played a different kind of tune that sent chills down the spines of all the elders present. As he walked jerkily away from the room, he laughed and murmured out loud "the cheetah does not set traps for it's prey."
The king turned his head in the direction of Fiato and said: "you know what to do" and before long, all the elders left the room and went back to their various homes. Fiato who is the most respected elder in the entire kingdom however, stayed behind to talk to the King about the only way to salvage what is at risk now. On their way home, the other elders wandered the streets of their own imaginations as they wonder what could have caused the king's sudden illness. Even though they discussed their fears with utmost caution and discretion, their long faces somehow 'confirmed' the stories of the gossips and the naysayers who had already propelled false news. As they dispersed; every elder to his home, the beautiful Tuesday morning air quickly turned into an air of doom and even the dogs and the goats were in utmost silence.
In the heat of the moment, Ami stepped out of the palace as if to get some air. She felt lost and helpless and her soul scavenged the ruins of tomorrow for a solution to her father's predicament but to no avail. In her state of deep thoughts and as if possessed by a deity, Ami walked towards the village, stopping now and then to admire the beautiful marriage between her people and nature. It was then that she saw Ganyo skilfully finishing a stool he had made and she drew close enough to admire the skill. After a while, Ganyo raised his head and turned around and lo, standing right behind him was the princess of Adako. "O Ami! Beauty born on Saturday, the beauty that defies human comprehension and attracts the admiration of even the gods. What brings you to my humble home and where are your maids that you stand here all alone?" Ganyo asked.
"How many questions will you ask a lonely princess before offering her a seat? I asked my maids to stay behind and I was just passing by when I saw you working skillfully so I drew nearer to admire your workmanship. I hope that is not a crime." replied Ami.
"Oh am sorry princess, please do have a seat." Ganyo retorted. Both smiled and continued to talk. The princess who has never seen Ganyo, inquired of his parents and was saddened when He told her everything about his parents. They talked about a lot of things, about life and about death, about war and about peace, about freedom and about slavery, about good and about bad and the princess was marveled by the vast knowledge displayed by Ganyo. Even though just a young man, Ganyo discussed some of the most sensitive topics like death, war, slavery among other things with utmost calmness and wisdom. The princess who has always been an outspoken person and not a very great listener, was for the first time listening with all attentiveness and admiration as Ganyo lectured her on life. Their conversation lasted till their shadows were beneath their feet and the sharp stings of the sun reminded them that time is perhaps their master and not slave to be caged. Ganyo got up and reminded the princess that she had been absent from the palace for a long time and that it was about time she went back. The princess got up from her sitting place and before Ganyo could resist, gave him a very big hug. Fetri Yawa who had been watching Ganyo and the princess all this while, sneaked back and ran helter-skelter from Ganyo's hut to the major path and towards the palace. At the entrance of the palace, she looked one of the guards in the eye and said to him: "I need to talk to his royal majesty for I have seen gold mixing with dirt and I can not keep that from our king."
"Gold belongs to the king and the king's gold is at the most secured place in this kingdom. Where then have you seen this gold you talk about Fetri Yawa? Are you here to fabricate lies or tell tell tales of your hallucinations? You may be renowned for being a loudmouthed gossip but you already know the consequences of lying to the royal household. Come with me." the guard warned.
As she followed the guard, she vehemently assured him of the importance of the message she carries as she pants heavily.
Sitting in the court on the stool beside the throne was the Queen. Despite her royal glow and and elegance, her eyes betray her desperate attempt to conceal her fears. Every clear headed person could have seen this but of course Fetri Yawa is a gossip who does not really pay much attention to detail. Yawa as she is popularly called, threw herself on the ground and lay prostate before the queen as if she was mourning the death of a warrior and said: "My Queen, I have seen the gold of this kingdom, mixing with the dirt. Ganyo and the princess have been hugging and laughing as lovers since sunrise and I will not keep this from you and the King."
Yawa who was so busily describing the incidents she had witnessed and exaggerating them as much as she could, did not see the queen get up from her stool abruptly.
"How dare you come here to fabricate disgusting lies about my daughter the princess of this land?" The queen roared. Yawa, startled by the queens sudden anger, got up and knelt before the angry queen.
"If I find out that there is any iota of fallacy in everything you just said… which I will do, just know that I will make you curse the day you were born." The Queen turned to the guards as she said this and continued: "Take this slanderer to the dungeons and lock her up." She turned to one of the guards and ordered: "…and you, go to Ganyo's hut and bring him here." After everyone left her presence, the queen thought to herself: "There is only one man in this kingdom who is qualified enough to marry the princess. How on earth could she be with the exact opposite of that man? No! this must be a lie, my daughter must marry the greatest warrior in the land, a man capable of unifying and expanding the kingdom." She shook her head as if to shake away the possibility of Ganyo and the princess ever knowing each other. She tried to seat but got up as if she was prompted of the presence of burning coal on the seat. Gazing hungrily at the ancient beads that hang from the raffia ceilings of the court, she wandered from one end to the other in anticipation of some good news yet praying fervently against the worst.
Ganyo who could not let the princess walk to the palace all alone, offered to accompany her to the palace or at least to the entrance. As they walk and talk about other things, both of them became more and more respectful of each other's level of comprehension which indeed is remarkable. After a while, they loosened their guard a bit and even prattled about their own personal lives. Ami kept stealing glances at Ganyo yet could not look him in the eye. Her heart beats very fast anytime she steals the glances and she could not understand her own mind at this point. She is definitely not in control of her own emotions. What could have been happening to her? Why does he make her feel this way? These and more questions hurried through her mind and she drifted away once again into deep thoughts. This time however, they were beautiful thoughts of the future. It was from this deep thoughts that she was awakened by the hoarse voice of a palace guard: "What are you doing with the princess of Adako you coward? You must come with me at once to see her royal highness and answer for this abomination." The guard said.
"Abomination?" Both Ami and Ganyo exclaimed in unison
"What is abominable about talking to or helping the princess of my land?" Ganyo continued.
"Oh you even have a mouth to rant. Let's see how you will do when you are facing the queen of this land to answer for your actions. I have my orders and you are coming with me either on your feet or on your back, dragged all the way to the palace." the guard threatened.
"I am a man of Adako, I will never refuse to respond to the call of the royal house." Ganyo responded
The guard stepped aside to let both Ami and Ganyo pass and after they have passed, followed them. He then urged them impatiently to walk quickly and continued issuing threats.
At the same time in Ametefe's compound, two adults were having an altercation. Ametefe who was called from his hut around dawn by Fetri Yawa with news of a sudden summon of his father by the king, spent the earliest hours of sunrise worrying. When he got tired of waiting, He went into his hut, put on his 'ade-wu' (a regalia won only for war and other war-related activities) and was about to leave for the palace when his father returned. Ametefe quickly demanded to know the reason behind the abnormal summon but got no response from his father. Both father and son have since the father's return, not lived in peace.
"How can you say I am too young to understand certain things? I am the greatest warrior in the entirety of this kingdom. Father you must tell me what is going on. If another kingdom is planning to evade our land, you know I do not shy away from war but if you refuse to tell me, how do I prepare?" Ametefe stated.
"Do not sing your own eulogies to me son. I am Fiato! I am the one they call Lavu; the dog that killed a pride of lions right in front of their own den. If I say you are too young to understand, then you are too young." Fiato the woodcutter responded. At this point, Ametefe was too tired to continue arguing with his father. He went back to his hut and sat on his bed in utmost solitude. Unknown to him, his friend was about to face the full wrath of the entire royal household. It was during his moment of solitude that he realized how much he needed to talk to his friend and that Ganyo had not visited him as usual that morning. His reflexes took control of his body and he shot up from his bed like an arrow. Without wasting any more time, he left for Ganyo's compound.