"My son, how did you know that your father would not agree to you leaving but would instead send your brother away?" Uye asked as they walked back to their side of the house.
"Mother, I didn't know," Osaze answered honestly. He had no idea why he had decided to trust Iyare's plan.
"You… What if your father had agreed to let you leave?" Uye could not believe her son had taken such a huge risk.
"Mother, do you think Osaro would have stopped or given up? While being the heir is important, staying alive is more important. Besides, the Towanda Kingdom always supports talent. The king even allowed the royal physician to take care of Efosa today. We have already gained some recognition," Osaze said. These were not his own words but those Iyare had used to convince him.
"You are truly wise, my son. It's as though our side of the family is cursed to have just one son. We must protect Efosa well," Uye said. She believed her son's words were true. If something happened to Efosa, their side of the family would truly be finished.
"How did you know that your grandfather would not let us leave?" Osaze asked his daughter after sending his mother back to her courtyard.
"Grandfather cares most about the family's reputation and future. He agreed to cover up Uncle's wrongdoing because of the potential impact it could have on our family's reputation. So, he would never let us leave because of the family's future. Grandfather often speaks of being able to face the ancestors every day. He would not hand over the family to Uncle simply because he is the first child. I believe that, back then, Grandfather used Uncle's mistakes as an excuse not to make him the heir," Iyare explained.
Osaze nodded when he heard this. His father always acted for the sake of the family—a simple truth he had failed to understand for years.
"Father, these days I can't help Mother because of my 'sickness.' Can you send the new maid to assist her?" Iyare asked. Although their grandfather had agreed to send the maiden to their side of the family, it was ultimately Osaze's decision who the maid would serve.
"You're right," Osaze agreed immediately.
Efosa, who had been feeling neglected, was angry. His father had rarely spoken to his sister before, but now the two of them were conversing as though they were father and son.
"You two go in and rest. Father is planning to take you to a training camp in a few days," Osaze informed them.
"Are we both going?" Efosa asked in a lowered voice.
"I'm not sure of your grandfather's arrangements yet. Just go in and rest for now," Osaze replied.
"You, come here," Osaze called to the maiden walking a few feet behind them. Since she was now a servant, she could not walk too closely to her masters.
"What is your name again?" Osaze asked. He vaguely remembered her mentioning it earlier but couldn't recall.
"Omoyena," the maiden replied.
"Serve my first wife well, and you will not be treated badly since you are still a child of our Towanda Kingdom. But if you dare to help my brother or anyone else cause harm, I will give you a slow, painful death," Osaze warned.
"I will not dare," Omoyena said, shaking her head quickly.
"Now go in," Osaze instructed, pointing to his first wife's courtyard.
Inside the courtyard, Efosa was recounting the events of the evening to his mother. Iyare sat quietly at the side, saying nothing.
"Those wicked people wanted to hurt my son. Thank the gods for keeping you safe," Uwa said, relieved that her son was unharmed.
"Mother, I also gained a maid from this situation. I saw how hard you work every day, so I pleaded with Grandfather and Father to assign her to you. This way, you won't be so tired," Efosa shamelessly took credit for Iyare's efforts to get her mother a personal maid.
"My son, you are such a good child," Uwa said, beaming with pride. Only the wives of kings usually had personal maids. In a household like theirs, the servants belonged to the entire family. Unless a wife came from a wealthy family, like Osaro's mother, who had been given a maid upon marriage, or if she was particularly favored by her husband, she would not have her own maid.
As the first wife, Uwa had never enjoyed many benefits over the years. But now her young son had already brought her such an advantage. This made her immensely proud. She felt her son was worth more than five sons combined.
"Come and pay respect to my mother," Efosa commanded Omoyena as she entered the courtyard.
"Good evening, madam. My name is Omoyena," Omoyena said, kneeling before Uwa. She could not understand why the Efosa before her behaved so differently from the one she had met in the bush. Although she had not heard the earlier conversation clearly, she knew it was Iyare who had requested the maid for her mother. In her house, her brother would never claim credit for her efforts.
Everyone praised Efosa for been skilled but a man who steals from a woman is useless in her opinion.
---
Days passed, and it was soon time for the training camp to begin. Every dry season, when there was little farm work, the king would open a camp to recruit young men to join the royal army. Edosa decided to take Iyare and Efosa for two reasons. First, he didn't want his grandson to stay idle and become lazy. Second, he wanted Iyare to train alongside the men and learn properly.
"But Father, we can't openly take Iyare to the camp," Osaze said. The women in the camp area slaves arranged by the king to cook for the soilders.
"Says who? The Medicine Mountain is not far from the training site. This time, Iyare will follow us under the pretext of visiting the healer on the mountain to cure her illness," Edosa replied.
"Father, you are wise," Osaze said, relieved that his father had come up with a suitable excuse. Only someone seriously ill would seek help from the healers at the mountain. This excuse was perfect for taking Iyare to the training camp without arousing suspicion.
"Go and inform your wife. In the next two days, Iyare must remain in bed to make everyone believe she is seriously sick," Edosa instructed.
"Father, I will do as you have said," Osaze said before leaving his father's courtyard.