DIAMOND IN THE FOREST (episode 17)
DIMOND IN THE FOREST. Episode 17
Nike knew it was time to start executing her plans, she checked the content in her hand again and nodded to herself, Nike wrap it up into a paper and hide it within her cloth, she started talking to herself quietly
“I must become the next queen of this kingdom…whatever it will take me but I must be the next queen of this kingdom and Iyami has said that there are two obstacle to achieving my aim…Remi and the Oba himself and she is right, if the Oba remains in power for so long the prince can not rule, he has to die or step down for the prince to take over the kingsh¡p…if the Oba is off from the seat of power then I can focus on the prince…I thank the gods I have access now to the Oba eating room, since I’m a personal maiden to the Queen mother I can sneak into the Oba’s eating room and drop the content in his food and sneak back out before he comes in to eat…let me first of all observe movement and know how to go about my plan…power must change hand…I must become the next queen by fire or force but whatever that must happen for it to come to reality I will make sure it happens…I will tell Leja about my plans in taking the oba off the throne so that Omaoba can take up the seat of power and with time he will fall for me and marry me and I will become the next Queen…oh how interesting it will be if all my plans works out…first of all I have something else to do to that fool called Remi…Iyami will take care of Remi’s mother, Leja will have to make sure the prince gets drunk and I must watch movement around the Oba’s eating room and know how to start up….hahahaha…my enemies are in hot soup…they are in serious trouble…
The princess was walking around with Remi, she told Remi not to stress herself in doing most of her chores again because of her condition, and there were other maiden attending to the princess so that Remi can have much time to rest.
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t convince my brother…I told you he can be difficult sometimes and I wish he will believe you and take you as his wife, you are worthy of the title and I will be so please to have you sit right next to my brother as his wife and the future Queen of this great kingdom, no one else deserve such title as you are…
“I’m not asking him to marry me all I wanted was for him to know that the pregnancy belong to him and not to Leja as he claims…but we tried and you also tried your best to convince him it did not end well, so let’s leave the rest for the gods…thank you for speaking up for me princess…
“yes, let us leave all for the gods…I silently pray that my brother will do the right thing…I and Tunde will be married if the gods pleases and I will give birth to both male and female… I will teach my children never to run away from a mistake or to deny a fault rather they have to be strong and take responsibility for their every action, I will instill this teaching on every male child given to us by the gods…they will have to be humble, respectful and never to sweep a wrong under the carpet…Remi, I can’t wait to get marry to Tunde…and start a family with him…aaah…Tunde will make a good husband and a great father…I can feel it…I love him…I have this funny feeling anytime he comes around…and I feel shy when he looks at me or hold my hands…sometimes I wish he will stay all day but he still have to go…I just wish he will hurry up with the traditions and marry me so that we can be together for ever…
“Yes he will…and is obvious that he loves you too…your marriage will happen after all preparation is done which will start next week…just a little patient my princess and your marriage with Tunde will happen soon and you can start a family with him…
“I’m happy to hear you say that…sorry if I’m acting stupid right now…I’m just love struck…after everything is done and marriage ceremony is over you will be free to go home except if the Queen mother decide to keep you, and I know very soon the Queen will find out that you are pregnant, don’t be scared my mother is very understanding and loving, she may not be please you got pregnant this way…just like every mother but she is very understanding… wherever you are make sure you visit me sometimes when I finally settle with Tunde…and I will also be coming around to visit too…the Oba and the queen will be so happy to have grand children…and I can’t wait to give them that…I wish my brother took responsibility of your pregnancy, you would have being the first to give them a grandchild it would have been so good…having you as a sister in-law will be great don’t you think…
“haa….that will be too much to ask from the gods…being a commoner doesn’t give me any chance to compete with the royal maiden of this land who your brother the Prince maybe interested in, but…I will take that as a compliment my princess, it doesn’t matter if I bear my child without a father…I will bring him or her up in the right way and just like you said earlier…I will teach my child never to sweep a wrong under a carpet but rather take responsibility for every action.
The prince walk round his chamber and Leja came in with drink and served him which he has already mixed with the grinded leaf that Nike gave him, he put just a little since is just to weaken the prince.
“I can see you are so tensed today my prince…take some drink so that you will feel good again…there is an adage that says alcohol makes you see better and forgets your sorrow…Omooba drink up so that you will feel at ease…
As the prince drank the third cup as Leja continued to fill his cup whenever it gets empty, he told Leja he doesn’t want to get drunk so he shouldn’t pour much drink for him again but Leja kept on filling in, he wanted to get the prince drunk so that he can sneak in Nike into his chamber and in that way the prince can lay with her, just like he did with Remi, and he has being waiting for the time or day when the prince will be troubled over something and he will convince him into drinking to stupor, him and Nike need to start executing their plan so that they will be able to achieve their aim, the prince pause from drinking as he looked at the filled cup that Leja just poured for him, the drink was stronger than his usual, it taste as if it was mixed with something, he was already getting tipsy as he blink severally but his senses were intact
“do you want to get me drunk Leja…the last time I got drunk i landed into a serious trouble…and Is same trouble that I’m trying to get away from…your woman…Remi bringing your pregnancy for me to claim it as mine, you told me the pregnancy was yours and she told me so clearly before that I never touched her, now suddenly she is claiming I laid with her, and I can’t even remember such happening, Leja you have serve in this place for so long and that was why the Oba made you a chief guard of the wh0le palace…just because you are trust worthy, you have never disappointed me, you saved me from getting drown in that river, it may feel like it was what you suppose to do for me but I believe you did it more because you care about my welfare and everyone else here, I believed you when you told me she was your lover and when you said that she was carrying your child, but she came here again and boldly said…that she was not afraid of the Oba or me…she even sent my sister to come and beg me to accept her…she said couple of other things…ca
n you imagine the madness, so crazy…she is strong willed and I kind of feel she has a presence moving with her…I wonder why she was trying to blackmail me with a pregnancy that is totally yours so that I can settle with her…that is insane…don’t you think…and I thought she is a good maiden…I will certainly tell the Oba…she will have to come and repeat herself in the presence of the Oba…
Leja saw that the drink was gradually taking effect, he was waiting for him to drink up the last one in the cup so that he can pour another for him, he was happy that he added little of the grinded leaf that Nike gave him, it will weaken the prince and makes him sleep for a very long time. he thought within himself “ if Remi can not be mine she will never be yours too, I will not only poison your mind towards her I will also make you lay with Niki and that is where your down fall will start… for picking interest in the woman I first met, defiling her and getting her in with a child that was suppose to be mine…
“My prince, Remi is a liar and a cheat, don’t ever listen to anything she says, her sister Nike is better off than her, her sister is sincere and truthful, but Remi is after the wealth of the palace and after you, she is carrying my child and claiming that is yours…that is not good at all…knowing well that you did not even touch her…Remi is not to be trusted, she is not what she think she is…very dangerous maiden
The prince drank off the last shot and Leja poured in another one, Leja tried to poison his mind the more and he drank another cup before standing up, he told Leja that his head was pounding, that there was something else in the drink that weakens him at every cup he takes, Leja asked him to lie down and he did.
Leja waited for him to sleep off before going to Nike, he waited for darkness to come before sneaking Nike into the Prince chamber.
Iya Remi checked her food that she was cooking at the backyard that night, she stirred it properly before going back in,side with her oil lamp
It was the opportunity that Iya Nike who has being waiting patiently for her to leave the pot of food and go away, she tip toed quietly towards the fire place with the wrapped content in her hand.
It was time, her mind was made up on this, and there was no going back. She needed to be fast before Iya Remi will return to the pot
Iya Nike was happy for the tick darkness that covers up the wh0le place and her cloth was also black, she will not be easily seen.
Dami, Remi’s brother was coming from another side of the back yard but Nike’s mother did not see him because his cloth was not bright.
he was quietly coming towards Iya Nike’s direction.
To be continued…