The Legend Of Dayo…
AARON ANSAH-AGYEMAN
THE LEGEND OF DAYO
SEASON 5: THE ONE
CHAPTER 5
The Keepers were in their ceremonial dresses sitting sombrely around the huge oval table. The fluorescent lights were shining brightly even though it was still a few hours before sundown.
When Temi entered with Prosper Freeman, they sat up higher and looked at the cold-faced prince with varying looks of misgiving and hope when he finally came to a stop.
“Welcome back, Prince Temidayo,” Ayaka Nsugbe said with a smile. “It has been quite hectic since you vanished. I don’t know if you’ve been informed, but the Seer wanted us to wait the mandatory five months after which a true leader will be given us. Alas, we all assumed it would be a matter of time before Daniel became the official heir because we thought you were demised. We were informed that the White Kombas attacked you.”
“You have defeated Daniel, quite astonishingly,” Emma Tobi said in a bitter voice, his eyes cold as he glared at Temidayo. “We still don’t know what happened between the time you vanished and your return, my Lord. However, as conclusive as your victory over Daniel might be, we still need some answers. For example, about that peculiar mark on the right side of the chest, the Seer spoke of…”
Temidayo fixed his cold eyes on Emma Tobi, and the Keeper’s voice trailed off.
“I see Sage Agu Samuel and Shemen Persis are still not a part of you,” Temi said coldly.
Ayaka Nsugbe shook his head uncomfortably.
“It is true they helped you, prince,” he said sadly. “But still, the Sage Agu betrayed his Keeper’s Oath by granting you favours, whilst Keeper Persis saw your nakedness. Alas, by breaking the laws, they cannot be admitted back to the fold of the Keepers.”
“And yet you keep this man here with you?” Temi asked coldly, pointing at Emma Tobi. “A man who has sold his honour and conscience to Daniel for a juicy position?”
“I take offense to that!” Emma Tobi shouted indignantly and jumped to his feet, pointing a quivering finger at Temi. “I demand an apology now! For we all know Daniel could still be our king…he has the mark on his chest!”
Temi’s eyes were cold orbs of fury as he rounded the oval table. Alarmed, Prosper reached out to him as if to halt him.
“My Lord!” Prosper said, afraid of what Temi might do to the Keeper.
Emma Tobi cringed, holding up his arms and bowing backward in anticipation of an attack from Temi, who stopped near the Keeper and spoke with cold fury.
“The Seer wasn’t referring to a mark, you greedy man. He was referring to the hearts of kings of Dayo. Do you know that the kings of Dayo are different, that their hearts are on the right side of the chest? Here, feel it!”
He grabbed Emma Tobi’s hand and ripped his own shirt open, and then he pressed the Keeper’s hand to his right breast…and indeed Emma felt the thundering beat of fury in his palm.
He took a faltering step back, almost tripping on his chair, and fell on his knees in front of Temi with a stunned, expression on his face.
“Forgive me, my Lord, for my impudence!” he whispered tremulously.
Temi turned away from the grovelling Keeper with disgust and saw that all the other Keepers were on their feet.
“We didn’t imagine that what the Seer spoke of was the position of your heart,” the Chief Keeper said. “That is the last confirmation, my Lord. Forgive us, for going astray and not according to the words of the Grand Oracle the necessary depth it deserved. Indeed, we do apologize to you.”
There was silence as Temidayo looked at them still without words.
“I move, if indeed I can be permitted to, that we do admit our brother Agu and our sister Shemen back to our midst,” Keeper Assana said, her voice not quite steady.
“That won’t be necessary,” Temi said, a bit calmer. “I don’t plan to usurp the laws of Dayo simply because I’m the heir and future king. Sage Agu and would be given other capacities to serve. You can replace them in the Circle of Keepers. However, I will not suffer any further punishment to them, because they indeed helped me.”
“It shall be done, my Lord,” Ayaka Nsugbe said piously.
“Good,” Temi said. “With all that out of the way, we can now concentrate on the problem at hand.”
There was a slight murmur amongst the Keepers, and Ayaka held up a hand quickly.
“My Lord, there is a little case to consider,” he said quickly.
“My ears are yours, Honourable Keepers,” Temi replied, making the Keepers smile.
“Well, the circumstances surrounding your disappearance is still a matter of grave concern to us, my Lord,” Ayaka said. “There have been talks, and suspicions too, that you might have run afoul of a betrayal. We do not understand, and we need to clear it up. Was the warrior Rose Amaefule in any way responsible for harming you in any way? Were others involved in any way that might have caused you pain and stress? If indeed it is so, then they should face the stiffest punishment if you can point them out.”
Temidayo looked at Ayaka Nsugbe levelly.
“Nothing happened that wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said quietly. “I am back now, and from this moment only the freedom of Dayo matters. Nothing else is of any import.”
The Keepers were stunned, and none more so than Emma Tobi. They stared at him with respect now, and Prosper smiled under his hand held to his upper lip. Looking at him, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the boy had become a man, and that he was ready for the weight about to be placed on his young shoulders.
He still needed direction and advice, still needed support and a sort of leash now and then, but he was far from the bumbling, confused, weak and emotional boy he had been a month previously.
“So, we are now on course, and our plan still holds sway,” Ayaka said carefully.
“We are,” Temi said quietly. “I plan to set up a tactical team with Commander Prosper and Warrior Daniel Godwin, and apprise the Keepers of a succinct direction of action within the week.”
There was a stunned gasp from the Keepers, and their faces were more than horrified as they gazed at the prince.
“You want to work with Daniel, still, after everything that has happened?” Ayaka asked, completely shocked. “We were of the view that you would take rather punitive actions against him.”
“You had the wrong view,” Temi said calmly. “He’s kin, he’s experienced, he’s valuable and because of that I need him. My prime concern now is to free our Grand Oracle from the Rock of Redemption, for he expires quickly, and then we will also tackle our main focus of freeing Dayo. I’ll need all the help I can get, so if Daniel wants to work with me, he will be given the chance.”
“Indeed, you’re our king,” Keeper Ayamah said in awed tones.
Ayaka Nsugbe smiled and made a sign at Temi.
“You have indeed brought a feeling of hope to us all this afternoon, Prince Temidayo Dayo,” he said calmly but with a happy resonance to his voice. “Honourable Keepers of Dayo, are we all in agreement that we have been given our Heir Apparent, or there is somebody with a dissenting voice?”
Almost in unison, all the Keepers kept their hands down, signalling their agreement to being given their Heir Apparent.
“Welcome, Prince Temidayo David Dayo, Heir Apparent of The Dayo Empire!”
“All hail the Chosen One!” the Keepers said, rising to their feet, and applauding.
And none applauded louder and longer than Emma Tobi. They came to him, one after the other, and hugged him happily, with the three women shedding tears. Prosper Freeman hugged him the tightest, and he did have tears in his eyes.
“One more thing, Prince Temi,” Ayaka Nsugbe said. “Because of your new status, you will now be moving to the Prince Quarters near the lake. It has been empty because we didn’t know who was going to be the Chosen One. Now that we are sure, you will move to occupy it.”
“Thank you very much, Honourable Keepers,” Temi said gently. “That is not unwelcome news. How many rooms are this Quarters, if I may humbly ask?”
“It is a modest place, my Lord,” Ayaka Nsugbe said. “We needed to be careful with land space, so it has only ten sleeping rooms fitted with personal hygiene facilities each.”
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