Bride Price ✔

IV

When I find you,
Would I be blind to see
That you are my angel

-Gidi Love, Banky W

...

The title of the are-ona-kakanfo of the kingdom was no small matter. Since the times of the ancestors, the chief warrior was trained from birth. All the sons of a chief warrior were automatically warriors, training day and night, and going to war from the tender age of a decade and a half.

When the time was right, the god of war, Ogun, would pick the fiercest and most suitable out of all sons to be the chief warrior, while the others would join the army.

From birth, Tomori had only known two things: anger and courage. A warrior needed nothing else.

Chief warriors were known to be serious and fierce. They were often said to have hearts of stone. They did not listen to anyone apart from the Oba, and if the Oba was speaking against the gods, they rebelled against him too. They showed no emotions, happiness, sadness, remorse, and even affection.

Right now the only emotion Tomori could feel was anger.

Anger that he lost his first war. Anger that he got blindsided by the enemies.

Anger that he lost all his men. Anger that he survived.

Anger that he would not see Abebi again, and anger that he lost the courage to obey the laws of the land.

He was to kill himself.

He had been in the forest for the past two days, finding his way to Abebi's house to check on her one more time. He had failed his promise to her, and he would have to make sure she wasn't chosen by the King before he ended his life.

Then he saw a figure dressed in white, crouched by a tree. His blood ran cold in his veins. Had the gods sent someone to end his life? Or perhaps a messenger, to warn him about the consequences that came with disobeying Ogun.

Summoning courage, he held his spear in a threatening pose. "Who is there? Spirit or human, show yourself." The forest was pitch black, and the long trees blocked the light from the moon. "Show yourself before I kill you."

"Please do not kill me." He heard a trembling voice. A woman! And not just any woman! He would know that sweet melody anywhere. "I mean no harm."

"Abebi?"

"That is my name."

"It is I, Tomori."

"My Lord." The figure ran towards him and knelt down.

"Do not kneel before me, I do not deserve your respect." He said quickly.

"Nonsense! I would always respect you my Lord, whether you are the strongest warrior or the village drunkard." She replied, and his lips curved into a small smile.

She could not see his face in the darkness, and so she would not see his smile.

"Let us sit my Lord, I have an oil lamp here." She said.

Thousands of questions were running through his mind, but first he wanted to see her face. Did she run into the forest to look for him? Had her parents tried to join her to another man? Was she in trouble?

She lit the dim lamp, although it made a large difference in the dark forest, and they sat down on the dead leaves. Abebi studied his carefully chiseled face. His face gave no emotions, and he looked at her blankly, the way he always did. She on the other hand, had a large smile on her face. She was grateful to the gods for keeping him, and for allowing them to see again.