Royalty – Episode 8

ROYALTY Episode 8.
By Amah

The king was only told that Zuba slipped from the staircase and fell, just as Oche instructed to avoid escalating the issue that she have already handled, Zuba was totally healed up after some weeks,

Duni avoided Oche, and always run back ones she sees Oche coming, she was yet to recover from the shock Oche gave her, it was a day she will never forget.

Duni later fell ill and her neck suddenly becomes swollen and her eyes was blood shot, she stays more at her chamber to avoid people seeing her, she only have a doctor coming to attend to her, but her sickness keep growing worst, it got to a time she couldn’t see with her left eyes or even turn her neck, her neck was stiff, if she wants to turn her neck she will have to turn her whole body all together, it was terrible for her because she was in serious pain, the king even called a herbalist to come and attend to her but as the day goes no improvement, people wondered what could have happened to her probably the gods actually strikes her, Oche was only told that Duni was ill and she thought it was a normal sickness and said she will be fine , she didn’t know how serious it was.

Duni lay helpless on her bed she can’t turn by herself without somebody’s help, anytime she thought of Oche fear griped her, she started seeing Oche as a different person unlike before, the slap Oche gave her was not just a slap but the gods themselves strike her, Oche must truly be what the people say she was, a human goddess, Duni was having different thought running through her mind as she lay on her bed, “since Oche was that powerful why did she allow herself to be manipulated, why did she always appear weak and always apologise even when she knows she has so much strange power to do and undo, her mother was right when she said she doesn’t want to have anything to do with Oche, she told her anyone trying to hurt Oche is just wasting his or her time because she is the daughter of the gods, and the gods will fight for their own, they succeeded the first time, when Oche lost her baby because the gods allowed them for a reason best known to them, her mother has also told her to leave Oche alone before she runs into trouble but she should try to be her friend and she will have a lot to be thankful off in the future, she have hated her mother for saying that if she knows she would have listened, she couldn’t even tell the king what happened, shame and fear wouldn’t let her say that her illness started after the encounter with Oche, she just told the king and the doctor that she woke up to a swollen neck and a bloody left eye, it was after the encounter with Oche she fell sick, she even warned her children not to say anything to anyone about what happened, before something happens to them too

One day Zaka saw Zuba and Zuny sitting at the garden and decided to go and meet them, when Kuma saw him, she tried to stop him reminding him of their mother’s warning but Zaka went anyway later Kuma joined him, they sat looking at themselves without a word later Zuny spoke

“why is everyone so quiet, Zaka do you want to play? Zuba you are not saying anything to Zaka, Princess…what about you..you are also quiet…is boring when everybody act like this…

They all boast out laughing, and Zaka spoke to Zuba apologising for what happened, Zuba assured him it was fine, they all decided to take a walk around, Kuma was holding Zuny’s hand as they walk, why Zaka spoke of all the adventures he was planing on trying. And how he couldn’t wait to be king of Kuvi land, so many things he will do if he becomes a king after his father just as his mother has always prepared him to be, Kuma spoke of her mother’s illness that is getting worst everyday, Zuba told her not to worry that she will be fine,

They later returned back to the palace, laughing and feeling so happy, the King saw them and smile, he thanked the gods for given him a gift that cannot be bought with money,

When Oche learnt from her Children about Duni’s illness, that it was serious, she made up her mind to go and see her, she took her healing balm along with her,

When she got there, Duni was lying down and was facing the wall, so she couldn’t turn to see who came in, Oche sat beside her and placed a comforting hand on her neck, Duni immediately sense it was Oche, her hand was warm and she was massaging her neck with something that smells like an olive balm, she was treating her like a child, she was afraid when she noticed it was Oche but after sometime she became relaxed, and the pain on her neck disappeared suddenly, she tried to turn and found out she can actually move her neck freely, she quickly turned to Oche, who was smiling like always, without saying a word, she still have a blinded left eyes, that was blood shot and she couldn’t see well with it, Oche used the balm on it and said she should leave it there for 3days without washing it, and the eye will clear up,

She wanted Oche to stay longer with her because Oche’s presence was comforting to her unlike the day she slapped her, her presence was so terrifying that day and she doesn’t want to witness such again, she begin to wonder how she saw Oche as a threat all this while when she only means good, why does it take a slap from Oche to reset her thinking, for her to see that Oche only means well, Oche was a very loving person and understanding too, she wondered what was wrong with her all this years that made her to see the bad in people not the good side of them, she wished she has channeled all the strength she used in hating Oche to work with her and win the people’s love, Duni thought of when she felt sick after giving birth to Zaka, Oche could have allowed him to die but instead she cared for him like her own for five good months, even when she thought she lost him and after all the kindness of Oche which she has never even say a thank you to her, she wanted to ki*ll her and her sons, thanks to the gods for being with her, if not she would have died with her offspring and forgotten, and she will continue tormenting people who she hates without curse, she looked up at Oche who saw through her and knew what she was thinking, she placed a hand on hers like a little child, she tried to say thank you but the word got stock on her throat, the word “thank you” and “sorry”was very difficult thing to say, since she hardly say such word and it was never in her vocabulary, but she looked up at Oche again and mustered courage to say the word she has always dreaded, “thank you… For everything Queen Oche….and I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you…i can’t tell you how sorry i am…thank you so much…i…..

Oche told her not to speak again, Duni took Oche’s hand and placed them on heart, Oche understood and smiled, and then replied her, “thank you too Queen Duni for making me a strong woman….i never knew the kind of strength i got until i started living under same roof with you and have to overcome so many things… And i thanked the gods mostly for putting me in check if not i would have loosed it all,

They both laughed and Duni fell asleep in Oche’s care, Oche placed her hands well and covered her with a duvet, she stayed a little while before leaving her.

After three days Duni was fully recovered and she was always going to Oche ‘s chamber to spend time with her, they talk and laugh and every past pain was forgotten, Duni started calling Oche “my Queen or queen mother ” instead of her name she usually calls her before, Oche was like a mother to everybody in Kuvi, because of the way she cared for them, everyone in the palace started calling her “my Queen” just as Duni, and they still calls Duni “Queen Duni, Duni was done with jealousy and bitterness she was trying to emulate Oche so that she can be better than she was,

King Zume household was brought back to one happy family, he didn’t know what or how Duni and Oche became bestie but he so much thanked the gods for making it possible and making Oche to be a people person.

To be continued