The Legend Of Dayo…

AARON ANSAH-AGYEMAN

THE LEGEND OF DAYO

SEASON 3: THE RIVALRY

CHAPTER 8

A Reckless Prince

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The Author

Prosper Freeman took a deep breath when Temidayo eventually came out of the bathroom, admitting to himself that indeed the young man was a very handsome man.

Tall, broad of shoulders, finely-muscled, body absolutely proportional, his face chiseled by a master carver…a strong, beautiful face. He looked like his father, but without the harshness of life’s edge that had touched his father, this young man seemed to be a shade more composed, finer, more dominating and more charismatic.

“Come on, Temi,” Prosper said tersely. “We must make it to The Haven as soon as possible.”

Temi scowled.

“The Haven?” he asked.

“Yes, the place I’m taking you to,” Prosper answered. “The place we’re hiding, me and a few people who were dedicated to your father, King Demi, and who have death prices on our heads now. Come, I’ll explain later. Right now, we need to make haste.”

Temi followed Prosper to the corridor beyond where a grim-looking Mickey King was leaning against the wall and waiting.

“We move, Mickey,” Prosper said brusquely as he headed down the corridor. They descended to the clean reception area where the manager was behind the counter, and some few guests were at the bar. Temi moved to the window and looked out.

The carnage of the night before had been cleared, and some servants were now scrubbing the floor clean of the blood of the horses.

Once again he was assailed by a great sense of loss and turned from the window with a melancholic expression.

“Gentlemen, you’re leaving early,” the pleasant-faced manager said. “Wouldn’t you care for some breakfast first?”

Prosper smiled with civility and shook his head with reluctance.

“Indeed, the food was quite tasty last night, and very tantalizing!” he said. “Nothing could have prevented me from sampling another soul-inspiring plate from your kitchen, but alas, we must make haste. At another time, my dear friend, we’ll call again. In the meantime, please accept our deepest indebtedness to you.”

“Ah, always nice to meet a gentleman, Mr. Tomusi,” he said and extended his hand, and as they shook hands Temi scowled.

“Why is he calling you Mr. Tomusi?” he asked, and as the manager looked up, startled, Mickey King planted himself in front of Temi and spoke angrily undertone.

“Because no one has to know who he is, you moron!” he hissed fiercely, and then he turned and forced a smile.

“Oh, my dear Temi, Tomasi happens to be my great-grandfather’s battle name, of which I’m proud to bear,” Prosper Freeman said with a smile, but his cold eyes were fixed on Temi’s face. “Now, please, shall we?”

“My coach driver will take you to the train station, Mr. Tomusi,” the manager said suddenly. “For a very small fee, if you don’t mind.”

“That, my friend, is the greatest news I have heard this morning,” Prosper Freeman said with genuine relief. “Come, name your price.”

A young man stood up from the bar and began to walk toward the front desk, yawning as he sipped a cup of coffee. He was bulky with muscle and lumbered along like a great gorilla. He was massively bearded, and his eyes stared at the handsome Temi with bleak dislike.

“Excuse me, sir, for a moment,” Temi said to the man.

The huge man stopped and took a sip of his coffee.

“What you want?” he asked dourly.

“There was a maiden the other night, came to my room,” Temi said with a sweet smile. “Said her name was Chioma. Do you know where I can find her?”

The huge man’s face became bleak with sudden fury and hatred that shocked Temi. In a flash, he dropped his coffee cup, took a step forward and bunched up the front of Temi’s shirt in a great fist.

“And what the hell do you want with Chioma?” he shouted with great fury, and then he threw Temi down heavily on the floor.

Temidayo fell hard and seemed dazed for a moment, and then he sprang to his feet angrily.

“Tunde!” the manager shouted. “Cut it this instant! They’re our honoured guests!”

“What’s the matter with you?” Temi asked the man called Tunde indignantly, his face filled with fury as he looked at the young man. “She brought me food last night! She also…”

“Shut the fuck up, Temi!” Prosper Freeman screamed as he came toward them.

“She also did what?” the man called Tunde asked belligerently as he took a step toward Temi, his hands balled into fists. “Chioma also did what, you bastard?”

He smashed a blow into Temi’s jaw, dropping him hard on the floor again.

“Tunde, damn it!” the manager screamed with fear. “Stop that madness! Apologize to the young man this instant! What devil has come over you this morning?”

Tunde raised his right foot, to stomp down on Temi’s head, but Prosper Freeman pushed the furious man back savagely. Tunde growled and made as if to rush at Prosper.

“It will be the biggest mistake of your miserable life!” Prosper said acidly, his cold eyes boring savagely into Tunde.

Tunde looked at the tall, furious face of the former commander, and slowly he relaxed, but he pushed out his chin pugnaciously.

“Your boy spoke foul of my wife!” he said furiously. “No one disrespects my wife!”

“Sorry about that, I really am,” Prosper said coldly. “But you had no reason to hit him. You know, of course, that if this incidence comes to the notice of the authorities that you were violent in the Aradise and attacked a man, you would be kicked out, and your father would lose his business?”

Tunde suddenly realized his folly, and his face changed rapidly from haughty fury to sudden fear. He looked at his father desperately.

The aged manager placed a hand on Prosper’s shoulder.

“Perhaps, I can forfeit the price of the coach ride, Mr. Tomusi,” he said with fear in his voice. “I will give you a free ride to the train station, and perhaps you and your friend will have mercy on us and not report us to the Governing Council of Aradise.”

Prosper Freeman smiled and reached down for Temi. He dragged him up. Temi was bleeding from a torn lip, and Prosper removed his handkerchief and pressed it against the flow of blood.

“Ah, do not worry, my dear friend,” he said to the manager. “This is just an altercation between two hot-blooded young fools. It is forgotten, my friend.”

“Thank you, my brother,” the manager said with great relief. “Come, I’ll show you to the coach.”

Temi was staring furiously at Tunde.

“What’s with you?” he asked behind the handkerchief. “Chioma touched…”

Prosper suddenly grabbed Temi around the throat, and his face was so clouded with a fury that Temi shut up, afraid Prosper would hit him.

“One word, Temi, just one more word, and I promise I’ll personally beat you to a pulp!”

He turned Temi round and shoved him toward the door.

Temi sulked all the way in the coach ride to the train station. And, much later, as they bought tickets and the train was on its way, with the three of them in a private cabin, Mickey King stretched out on the upper bunk bed and looked at Temi, who was sitting by the window and watching the land passing by rapidly.

Prosper Freeman was sitting near the closed door and writing in a little black book.

“Say, Temi, what were you going to say to Tunde?” Mickey King asked with a little chuckle.

“What?” Temi asked, seemingly distracted.

“Back at the lodge, you were going to tell Tunde that Chioma touched something,” Mickey King said. “What did she touch?”

Prosper Freeman stopped writing and looked at Temi, his eyes twinkling with amusement for a moment.

“She did the most amazing things to me last night,” Temi said, sitting back and looking at Mickey with innocent eyes filled with wonder. “First she took off all her clothes, and I took off all my clothes. She touched my amu with her hands and with her mouth, and it got hard like my arm!”

Temi held up his arm for emphasis.

Mickey King burst into uncontrollable laughter and sat up suddenly on his bunk, holding his stomach as he laughed uproariously.

“And what happened after that, Temi?” he asked, barely able to control his laughter.

“She put my amu into her otu,” Temi said with a wolfish grin. “And she moved her waist fast, and I was sliding in and out. It was such an amazing feeling, and something white and sticky and plenty kept shooting out of my amu! Felt like the ground was shaking and I was dying. Quite amazing!”

Mickey King was now rolling on the bed with laughter as he gazed at Temi with wide eyes streaming with tears.

“Oh, dearest me, dearest me!” Mickey roared. “Was that what you were going to say to Tunde? That his wife put your amu in her otu?”

And that made Prosper Freeman burst into laughter too, and Temi looked at them with mounting anger and incomprehension.

“And why are you two laughing?” he asked, a little crossly. “We both liked it! It was great! She was moaning too with obvious enjoyment! So what’s wrong if I told her husband that his wife put her otu on my amu?”

“You got a fool, boss!” Mickey said, roaring with laughter and pointing at Prosper Freeman. “Are you sure you really got a prince? This fool just banged up someone’s wife, goodness me, and felt proud enough to want to tell the husband about it all!”

“Shut up, Mickey,” Prosper said, wiping tears from his eyes. “He’s just an innocent young man. He’ll learn. Yes, he’ll learn. What Chioma did was very wrong, Temi. It is called adultery! It is a great taboo! If you had mentioned it, I’m afraid both you and Chioma would’ve been stoned to death.”

Prince Temidayo stared at both of them with sudden trepidation on his face, realizing just how close to the danger he had come to.

“As I said, you will learn, my prince,” Prosper said, still chuckling.