Amanirenas has gone to join her ancestors but with a big question of if she will be accepted into the ancestral realm or not.
In olden days African, it is believed that one is deemed deserving to be accepted into the ancestral realm is he or she has lived their lives in accordance with tradition and custom and not but solely following the desires of the heart. Most ancestors are believed to be locked up in a space of transitional cage since it is recalled that their lives lived did not go in accordance with tradition, and when this happens, the ghost of the person is said to be roaming relentlessly wandering with no path to a resting place and their offsprings are meant to suffer or pay the consequences of their parents acts. This goes the same in the customs and tradition of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
Massive preparations have been done to commemorate and lay Amairenas, known as the leopard, to her final resting place hoping she gets a pass to the final realm to join her ancestors. Both men and women, from far and near, all came together in her remembrance, but still lots of people having these infantile thoughts of her deceiving the entire kingdom into believing that her originally conceived girl child was being portrayed as a male child just for the greed of power.
This news travelled widely to all part of other kingdoms which some rained their dis-pleasantries and curses on the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Akinidad on the other hand is being locked up preparing to face the court of the land in regard to the punishment to be given to him so as to serve as a lesson to whoever trying to portray such mischievous act against the land.
The princess is also being locked up in the same prison as her cousin which begins to raise tension between the two siblings.
The king is left heart broken not only by the death of his sister but also with the unsolved puzzle left for him to find the answers by himself. This has begun to ne more frustrating that he actually expected and gradually making him loose himself and his strength, as well as the trust of the people he has been ruling since the demise of their mother, who entrusted everything into their care but finally feeling like he has failed not only the memories and sacrifices of his mother, but of the entire ancestors.
The chief pries of the land have been summoned by the authority of the king to commence the burial rites of his sister, Amanirenas. The chief priest was met with his demands to be able to commence the burial ceremony of Amanirenas and then begun the incantations.
The burial of Amanirenas Linette Duah of the Ptolemaic Kingdom, ruler of Azurethra, has finally been given her farewells and has been buried. The kingdom has gone to sleep waiting on the day Akinidad will be brought to book to face his own punishment for conniving with his mother in hiding his true identity. This has been considered as a great abomination against the kingdom, but will he likely be pardoned?
Days has passed yet the dwellers of Ptolemaic Kingdom seem not to forget the tragic incident that has taken place on their sacred durbar ground and have been waiting impatiently for the day Akinidad will be made to face the wrath of the gods.
The king has called upon all chiefs and elders in the kingdom to the palace, as well as the chief priest to confirm to them what the gods has finally decree upon Akinidad. As the villagers all gather at the palace, the king orders the guards to summon Akinidad, his nephew, before him and the chiefs for the final verdict from the gods.
King: Guards!... (Shouts out to them) Summon before me my nephew and the princess at once.
The guards quickly rushed to the cells and brought back with the princess and her cousin before the king and the whole kingdom.
King: You both should kneel before me out of shame and wait for the verdicts of the gods.
Chief Priest: My king, the gods are very angry yet have not decreed any punishment unto thy children. The gods wish to let the king give his final verdicts in regard to the fate that awaits the princess and her cousin.
King: The wise one has spoken. (Said the king to the crowd) I will first of all pronounce my verdict in regard to my nephew. Since his true identity has been revealed and the only one holding the answers to this mysterious puzzle surrounds him has joined the ancestors, I would like to decree unto him… (Looks at Akinidad) my nephew, your true identity has been and has saved you from the lies of my rebellious daughter. You are free to go.
Akinidad jumps up in excitement
King: Do not celebrate so soon child. (Pauses) You shall be freed on the condition that you…
1st Elder: I protest. (Interrupts immediately) and I do so most vehemently! She shall not go free…neither shall she be pardoned under any condition. For if we, the elder, the custodians of the customs, that bind our people should sit back and allow tradition to be set aside, our ancestors who watch from underneath, and the children of the children's children whose mothers and fathers are yet to be born, shall never forgive us.
Elders: That is true. That is very true. (A chaotic murmur of approval from the crowd)
1st Elder: (Continues) Are we deliberately pretending to be ignorant of that age old law?
A law as old as the great Oracle of the Kingdom which says,
"If any woman sits for a single instant on the judgement stool before she had been ABSOLUTLEY enstooled and sworn an oath of allegiance in the presence of the people, SHE SHALL DIE"
Have you all suddenly forgotten?
If you have through no fault of yours forgotten, I have refreshened your foggy memories. And on behalf of the people here, I ask that justice be allowed to take its natural course. (There comes a great cry of approval from the people)
King: (Turns back to his niece again) My dear niece, how I wish I could jump over the wall of custom and rescue you from the anxious jaws of imminent death.
But I can not.
I do not have that power, even though as king. it weighs down the heart within my chest to pronounce on you tis sentence of death by the demand of custom and tradition. How I wish you ambitious mother was here today to take this punishment on your behalf, for I know you were naïve and thus went ahead with the plans of thy mother to please her. Innocent you are in all this puzzle set by thy sister and the only child left to commemorate her remembrance is to face the punishment of thy selfish ambition.
Akinidad: (Starts to sob hardly) Oh uncle…Oh good people of this great kingdom… Can't thy be forgiven for her innocence? I have no hand in all these just it was the complete ambition of my mother. How I wish time could go back so I refuse taking the plan.
At this point, Akinidad had come to the realization that there is absolutely nothing his uncle could do to save him from the pronounced judgement but will rather have to wait for the executioner to do what he is assigned as written by custom.
Princess Nala begins to weep.
Princess Nala: (Getting frantic) No…no…Father… I shall die too.
If my cousin should die through no fault of hers but mine, then I shall die too. I shall die with her. (Continues to sob)
The king begins to get furious to the statements made by his daughter. If not for her rebellious and wayward actions, his nephew, no, his niece would not have been in any trouble as of now.