Chapter 8: Chapter 8
CHAPTER SEVEN
A month after, Prince Abeonego’s wife was delivered of a bouncing baby boy whom they christened Aenas, Prince Amadeus went to greet him at home with a keg of palm wine, roasted meat, some tubers of yam, and a live cock. “I’m sorry my brother, I have not been able to visit you after the birth of your son.” Prince Amadeus apologized after he was ushered into the living room and offered a seat.
“You are here now; thank God for that,” Prince Abeonego said with a smile as he shook his stepbrother’s hand fondly,
“I have so many things to thank you for, first of all for coming to my rescue from the hands of the evil Kambam warriors, I have not visited you formally to say thank you...”
“Come on, my prince, that happened more than a year ago,” Prince Abeonego waved it aside.
“Yes, it does but that doesn’t stop the fact that I didn’t do the right thing; that is why I brought this offering of thanksgiving for you and the baby.”
Prince Amadeus summoned one of the maids to get the cups to take the palm wine which the maid promptly brought, and he served Abeonego a cup of palm wine while he fetched non for himself with the excuse that he wanted to go and greet Adalia and Cynthia who were busy bathing the baby in one of the rooms. He took out of the meat and ate after which he hastily got up while Abeonego drank the palm wine happily and ate the meat.
After seeing the baby and giving his mother money which Cynthia accepted on Adalia’s behalf, Prince Amadeus took his leave and Cynthia came out from the room to meet Prince Abeonego eating and drinking palm wine. She became alarmed, “Abeonego, who brought this palm wine and bush meat you are eating?”
“Oh, Mama, it is my brother who brought them, the palm wine taste so nice.” He said with a mouthful of meat.
“Abeonego, how can you be so trusting?” she said nervously, “All lizards lay on their belly, do you know the one with a stomach-ache?”
Prince Abeonego paused and stared doubtfully at his mother, “Are you saying my stepbrother might want to harm me?”
“My son, you have to be very sensitive; it’s not everybody who rallies around you, who loves you. Imagine this your so-called stepbrother never came to greet you all this while despite what you did for him and now, he brought palm wine and bush meat for you.”
Prince Abeonego was sober, “He apologized for not coming all this while...”
“I might be wrong, but I have these misgivings that he doesn’t like you because he sees you as a threat even his mother’s body language depicts the same.”
Princess Adalia emerges then carrying her son, Aenas, “My husband, what your mother is saying is right.”
Cynthia nodded her head collaboratively, “What do you mean?” Prince Abeonego asked worriedly,
“He was pestering me for a relationship for almost a year before you came on the scene but owing to his attitude, I refused his advances but when I saw you, I knew you were the right man for me.”
“You see why he won’t be happy with you?” Cynthia asked,
“What kind of attitude does he have?”
“He was vain, boastful, overbearing, and arrogant; he expects everybody to eat from his palm because he is a prince and an only son to a wealthy man, all that doesn’t move me one bit.”
Prince Abeonego got up and moved closer to his wife, “Don’t worry my dear, he cannot harm me; at least not openly like this.”
“Don’t be in a haste to eat food received from outsiders; at least let us be sure it is not laced with poisons,” Cynthia warned,
“I won’t make such mistakes next time; at least I’m sure this one is not laced with poison, if so, he won’t have brought it by himself.”
They all heaved a sigh of relief while Cynthia ordered the maid to pack the remaining palm wine and bush meat away. At that juncture, Cynthia remembered her supposed good friend Shilat who encouraged her to give her consent to Prince Liam amorous proposal but ended up abandoning her when the chips were down. Shilat never visited her throughout her exile but now that King Liam came to ask for forgiveness and brought her to the palace, Shilat apologized profusely to her long-time friend and became a regular caller in her home. When she discovered that she was not welcome, she shamefully stopped coming.
●●●
The next morning, Prince Abeonego received the terrible news that his big cocoa and palm tree farmland which also contains his warehouse was gutted by a mysterious fire. He was devastated and he rushed to the farmland but was prevented from getting close to the farm because of the raging fire. People tried to put out the fire to no avail until the whole plantation got burnt to ashes. “I’m ruined!” he wailed, “That was a lorryful of goods which just got burned!”
“Come on, take heart, my prince; this is not the end of life.” They consoled,
“You are a brave warrior, my prince; warriors don’t betray emotions,” an elderly man said. “It is a trial, you shall overcome.”
“How can I overcome it? You know how much I have lost in that inferno?” he lamented,
“My dear husband, I don’t want you to give up, it is not over until it is over. Please, do not be discouraged, you will surely make it again.” Princess Adalia consoled her husband who was unperturbed.
King Liam became seriously sick and bedridden some days after the mysterious fire gutted his son’s cocoa and palm tree plantation, so Prince Amadeus and his mother Queen Celandine took over the throne. The first thing they did was to sack Prince Abeonego as the chief warrior and sent his mother packing from the house King Liam built for her under the pretence that she was responsible for the king’s illness.
When Prince Abeonego was stripped of his position as the chief warrior, some of the warriors who trusted in his leadership such as Mark, Banito, Mason, Sanjana, and two others resigned.
Prince Abeonego’s attitude suddenly changed, he became a drunkard and was always beating his wife at the slightest provocation. Things became worst to the extent that feeding was a problem; Adalia took to farming with her son and selling fish in the market. She did not want to go back to her parents because she loved her husband so much and she had promised to swim with him through thick and thin. Words got to her parents that the princess was selling fish in the market and her mother came to meet her there, but she refused to follow her mother. “Mother, this is my cross, please let me carry it.”
“Adalia, are you mad? If you do not follow us back to the village, I will ask the guards to bundle you on their shoulders and ...”
“Mama, I won’t abandon my husband at this point, let me be!” she insisted, and her mother had no option but to leave her alone.
“I know you will come to your senses one day.” her mother concluded as she left bitterly.
Things got so bad between the couple that Queen Celandine had to settle series of quarrels between them on many occasions. When Adalia couldn’t take it anymore, she ran to meet Cynthia in Kurinma and the latter accepted her with open arms.
Queen Celandine and her son introduced new taxes in the kingdom which required all traders and farmers to pay after every harvest and market day. This did not go down well with the people and Prince Abeongo instigated the young men and women to protest. Prince Abeonego and his friends were arrested and locked up in the palace cell for their rebellious acts.
Two weeks after their arrest, Queen Celandine called a community meeting, where she announced that Prince Abeonego wanted to kill Prince Amadeus because of the throne so because of that he would be incarcerated until she was sure he would not be a nuisance again. There were grumblings here and there among the people, but she was past caring. She knew nobody would want to argue with her; the people who would want to protest were already languishing in the cell, so she was confident of having her way.
Prince Amadeus went to see Princess Adalia in Kurinma, one of his guards sneaked into her house and said there was a message for her from the prince. Thinking it was her husband, she rushed outside to behold Prince Amadeus.
“Prince Amadeus, what are you doing here?” she asked, bewildered, and shocked at his appearance in her in law’s house at such an ungodly hour.
He ordered his guards to excuse them, “Adalia, I know you are surprised to see me, but I couldn’t help it; I just have to be here.”
“You locked my husband up in the cell and you expect me to give you audience. What an irony!” She snapped,
“Come on, Adalia, is Abeonego a husband? Someone who beats you up at the slightest provocation?” he asked irritably, “That is why I am here to give you another opportunity to make amends. Adalia, I still love you and I’m ready to marry you.”
“Prince Amadeus! Are you mad?” Princess Adalia retorted, “I’m your stepbrother’s wife for crying out loud!!” she rasped irritably, her eyes narrowed, and she added hastily, “Don’t you have any iota of shame in you? Do you think you can intimidate me into submission? You are mistaken; I will rather die than allow you to see my nakedness!”
Prince Amadeus clamped his teeth together, apparently stung by her remarks but after giving it a second thought he decided to let it pass as he smiled and said, “I’m going to be crown as the next king of Kuburin and I’m given you the rare privilege of being my queen...”
“Thank you for the shameful offer but I’m not interested; I will rather prefer to be a slave with Abeonego than live in a fool’s paradise!!” she snarled and turned on her heels and went into the house while Prince Amadeus watched her go with interest. He nodded piteously and left, wondering how best to get her to succumb to his overtures.