Oyinade Episode 10: “Strange House…”

Dear all, this is the last episode of this season as I mentioned yesterday. The next season starts on Monday, hope to see you here! Please tell me what you think about this series, use the hashtag #Oyinade on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

I appreciate you!

 

Oyinade and her maids were brought before Ajao in her father’s throneroom. When she saw him seated on it, eating a piece of chicken, she began to cry because she knew that if he wasn’t on it, he was dead. Her maids who had cried all the way from the bushes now began to wail when they saw their pillar of strength crumble.

“Why are you crying? Hmm? You miss your father?”

Oyinade bowed her head and shook it sadly. She never got to say goodbye.

“You’re crying because of your father? What do you think has happened to your brothers? Look to your left.”

Fearfully, she did as he instructed and saw all five of her brothers piled on top of one another like a bunch of vegetables. She fell to her knees and cried.

“Ah Adekunle! Adekola! Adeyomi! Adeniran! Adegoriola!”

Her youngest brother, Adegoriola, lay on top of the pile, his arms spread out like a cross. Oyinade began to tremble, thinking of the fate of her six sisters. What had happened to Olabisi and Romoke?

“Keep quiet!” Ajao yelled, getting up from the throne and walking towards her and her maids. “You father was weak but he managed to give birth to a beautiful girl like you. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you and your sisters so stop crying.”

Oyinade nodded and wiped her head. “Thank you!”

He shook his head and began to laugh his hysterical laughter, it made Oyinade’s skin crawl.

He stopped abruptly and walked out into the courtyard where the surviving townspeople sat in a wide circle.

“I’ve been in this place for too long, I want to go back to my home. This is what is going to happen. Oyeleke will be your king, he will do whatever my lord, King Adegunju of Kajola asks him to do. The land of Iluope is now under my Lord’s reign.” He surveyed the people and and looked back at Oyinade. “I am entitled to take spoils of war, so, I am taking Oyinade the beautiful princess.”

“No!” Oyeleke said, rising from his seat on the ground close to his family members.

“Shut your mouth!” One of Ajao’s warrior yelled.

“Are you yelling at a king?” Ajao asked unbelievingly. “Whip him!”

The warrior was laid flat on the ground and thrashed mercilessly with whips made from animal skin. The citizens of Iluope looked at one another in shock, wondering how their cruel attacker could suddenly turn on his own man.

“Enough!” he held up his hand. “This is what will happen to anyone who tries to question King Oyeleke’s reign. He is the king, whatever he says or does is right. He can take any woman he wants, married or not. The king has the final say.” He faced Oyeleke. “As I said, I’m taking Oyinade. But not to worry, since you have already paid the bride price, you will marry her immediate younger sister. Where is she?”

His warriors brought her out of the palace where the princesses and the queens had been held. Her eyes were red, and her face was swollen with grief. She gasped when she saw Oyinade kneeling along with her maids.

“My sister!”

She was prodded on towards Ajao who took such a long look at her that she averted her eyes.

“What is your name?” He said eventually, scratching his scar.

“Adeola.” She replied in a soft voice.

“You don’t look bad. You will marry Oyeleke. Your sister is coming with me.”

She got on her knees and pleaded on her sister’s behalf.”

“She will be my slave and my wife. Go to your husband.”

Adeola continued to plead.

“If you don’t keep quiet, I will take you along as well! What an ingrate! Is it because I have considered you all? Have I used your mother, or your other sisters?”

Adeola shook her head violently.

“Get out of my sight!”

The girl scampered towards Oyeleke and began to cry quietly.

Ajao looked back at the battered populace. “Bow before your king!”

The citizens and his warriors got on their faces and declared Oyeleke’s majesty. Oyeleke was furious, he glared at Ajao, knowing that even though he was king, he was helpless.

**********

Oyinade sat on the floor of the prison, her knees to her chest. She was tired of crying but her eyes won’t stop shedding tears.

Your father knows nothing. He sees nothing. See that you heed the woman’s call, it is for your own good.

Iya Ajike had seen this coming.

Your father has done so much evil and the land must pay for it…

And so had Iya Adigun. As Oyinade tried not to be afraid of the drunken voices outside the prison, she wondered about the fact that both women seemed to know something about her father that she didn’t.

“My father what did you do? What did you do to make us suffer like this? Was it worth it?”

She thought about her dreams and remembered how much Iya Adigun had begged her to allow her to wash her head. Now she regretted not listening to the woman and wondered what the future held in store for her.

Light streamed from her right hand side. Someone was coming, she tightened her arms around her knees and gazed at the door in fear. She had heard women screaming, some of them her maids and she could guess what was happening to them.

Ajao walked into the prison, holding an oil lamp in his hand.

“My beautiful princess!”

Oyinade averted her eyes and let out an unconscious whimper, not daring to respond to him. Ajao knelt in front of her and tipped her chin up.

“I came to see you.”

Oyinade couldn’t avoid staring at the ugly scar across his right cheek, she averted his eyes but he saw it and tightened his grip on her chin.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you.”

She cried out in pain and did as he said.

“You’re wondering about the scar on my face? Let me tell you how it happened. I was attacked by a lion three years ago, just as it was about to eat me I stabbed it with my knife. This one here.” he showed her a glittering knife hanging by his side. “But before I was able to kill it, it had bit into my cheeks and that’s why I have this scar. When we get home, you’ll see its skin in my bedchamber.”

Oyinade averted her eyes, embarrassed by the mention of his bedchamber.

“You’re embarrassed because I mentioned my bedchamber?” he laughed. “You will become very much acquainted with it.”

Oyinade cringed, horrified by the idea of being seduced by this ugly man with the smell of blood. Ajao noticed her discomfiture and became angry, he pinched her chin.

“Women like you are clamoring to be with me but you think you’re too good for me?”

“No! I don’t think so!”

“So look at me!”

Oyinade did, but not for more than a few seconds, she was repulsed by him.

He moved closer to her and whispered in her ears. “You will be mine, I will reduce you!”

She held her breath, utterly sickened by the man yet terrified of him. Ajao got up and stared down at her.

“They’re bringing you food. Our new home is far, so make sure you eat. And don’t think you will kill yourself, I will not let you die.”

As soon as he left, she threw up violently and began to appeal to all the gods she knew.

**********

Later on, someone else came to see her. It was Romoke.

“Romoke! How are you? Are you hurt?” Oyinade asked.

“I am very fine. Nothing and no one has hurt me, my brother is now king and my Lord has ordered him to make me the Iyalode. This is the happiest day of my life.”

Oyinade gaped at her. “Romo…”

“Don’t call me by name! We are no longer contemporaries! I am a chief, you are a common slave.”

Oyinade gasped. “We are friends…”

“Friends? How do you think you were found? I told my Lord where to find you. You think you are so special? Nothing can happen to me, I’m a princess! Isn’t that what you always said? Look at you now! I came to let you know that I was the one behind your capture and to see your face. You look so sad! Are you going to cry?”

Oyinade willed herself not to but as she stared at Romoke, she felt the tears slide down her cheeks. Pain, much more than that of the knowledge of her father’s death bore into her heart.

“Why?”

“It is your destiny to be a slave. You were always acting as if you were better than all of us, you needed to be taught a lesson! Good bye, make sure you do the wishes of your master.”

**********

The people of Iluope had been ordered back to their homes. They buried their dead, mourned them, and cursed their attackers. Women who had been violated wept inconsolably and people whose houses had been burnt to the ground began to rebuild whatever they could.

In Oyemakin’s compound, there was little to do. The few slaves who had been cooking and killed by the attackers were summarily buried and their blood covered up by sand. The surviving slaves packed up Oyeleke’s things and moved them to the palace.

In his hut, Oyemakin sat dejectedly and thought about all that had happened, trying to make sense of it all. Why had Ajao made his son king? Even though he realized that it would have been foolish for Ajao to make any of Adegbite’s sons king, he didn’t quite understand what had made his son the preferable choice. He wondered what the surviving chiefs would think of him, would they resent him for his new position as the father of the king? Oyeleke. He was afraid for the land of Iluope, he knew better than anyone else the kind of person his son was and he doubted that he could lead the town out of its present situation.

Oyeleke’s guards came for him and led him to the palace on the order of the king. In king Adegbite’s bedchamber, he found him seated.

“Excuse us.” Oyeleke said to the guards.

“What do you want?”

Oyeleke was taken aback.

“I told my guards to bring you here because I want you to be safe.”

“Safe from what? Do you think I’m afraid of dying? What am I living for when my king and his family have been killed and subdued?”

“You talk as if you don’t have another family. Your son is now the king, aren’t you proud of that?”

“No I am not. You can never rule well, I know you. You’ve never been able to accomplish anything in your life apart from killing small animals in the bush and running around with your useless friends who miraculously survived this attack.”

Oyeleke got up and towered above his father. “Do you know what your problem is? You always underestimate me. You say I have never been able to do anything…”

“No, you have never been able to do anything good in your life and I wish I never fathered you. They asked you to take your king’s place and you couldn’t object, you accepted it as if it was your right!”

“Do you think that it was a coincidence that I was made king? I have done more than you can imagine!”

Oyemakin stepped away from his son. “You planned this? You connived with Ajao?”

“Yes I did, although I didn’t want him to kill as many people as he did and I didn’t want him to take Oyinade, but what is done is done. I am now the king as I desired.”

“You are an abomination, a wicked human being! Anyone who sees you and sees a snake should kill you first. What did King Adegbite do to you?”

“Like Ajao said, he is weak.”

Oyemakin gaped at his son in utter amazement. “I should have let you be killed when you murdered that slave girl, it was the greatest mistake of my life! But I will put an end to this, the whole world will hear what you have done!”

“Don’t act foolish my father.”

“You want to kill me too? I am your father, if you do so, it will never be well with you.”

Oyemakin stomped out of the room and followed the guards who led him to one of the rooms in the palace.

**********

When Oyemakin woke up and saw Oyeleke standing over him in the middle of the night, he knew his time was up.

“Have you come to kill me?” He asked in a croaky voice.

“There’s nothing new under the sun, if you are as good as you say you are, you wouldn’t have treated that slave girl as if she was nothing. I am just like you, you made me who I am. And now, since you won’t keep your mouth shut, I must do what I must because I will reign until I am old.”

“It will never be well with you. Your children will bring you grief, your reign will not be…”

Oyeleke couldn’t stand to hear his father’s curses anymore, he clamped his hand on his father’s neck and strangled him. When he was done, he spat on him and tiptoed back to his bedchamber as the new royal family slept in a strange house.