A young man, Alani, in his late thirties, dressed in silvered-line Buba and Sokoto. He was the one that often lucidly spread King Ajisafe's messages around the village. He would boisterously hit a thin and short metal in his right hand against the wide and long one held in the other hand as he trekked persistently around the village. And as the tools tingled and his trumpet later blew, villagers would stand at their doorways. Some would honour the emissary with a look through the wooden windows. Others would have sprinted out of their huts, standing against the walls of their compounds. Old men and women would have been helped on a long bench placed against the walls as they all set to listen to the errand man. No one loved to miss a message from Alani through whom the aged king communicated. Children often surrounded Alani while he was out on a walk. They wanted to compete against one other in a dance. The happy kids had assumed that Alani was a friendly and good drummer. Sensing the glee on every child's face, Alani would coherently beat his tools and blow his trumpet, at the end of his speech to villagers, to entertain the train of children.
"Alani?" Oba Ajisafe called out, turning to the lane on which he knew the young man would trend.
"My lord," Alani responded, his hands placed together and his head bowed like a constable standing before his Majesty.
"Summon Simon Aduke, daughter of Pa. Simon, my secretary, for me,"
"Yes, my lord," Alani bowed.
"Be sure you go with the staff,"
"I will, my lord,"
Alani did not enter the compound through the gate when he arrived at Pa Simon's compound. He preferred to stay outside along the road which led to other topics. It was not his first of visiting, and it was not his second either. He knew mongrels, fierce mongrels, we're guarding the premises. He feared the mongrels would feat on him as it lacked familiarity towards him as it did towards its owners. He recalled that time the mongrel almost bit off his penis the first time he visited. That mongrel, Alani had said, was too ferocious to be an inhabitant of the earth. He banged the ironed-gated door slowly. No one opened it. He hit the gate a second time, he was again honoured with silence. The third strike against the gate earned him a noise from the wild animal whose tongue was apparent and a set of teeth ready for a bite. As Alani heard the persistent bark, his heart shortly jerked. He strained his ears, expecting to hear sounds of footsteps drawing near him, yet he was disappointed in the end. He peeped through the keyhole. He saw no one except the protective mongrels. He was about to turn away with a grumble of a let-down when suddenly the gate was set ajar.
"Whom do you seek?" Aduke asked in her musical, soft voice that could melt a heart. She did not go to work as she was on a two-day leave.
"I seek Aduke, the daughter of Pa. Simon,"
Aduke would rather have asked, "where are you from and who are you?', but the staff the emissary was holding stopped the questions.
" I am Aduke. How may I help you?"
"The king would like to have a word with you,"
"Tell the King that I would come in soon," she said sadly.
The errand man hit the foot of the staff to the ground, turned back and went away.
Later in the day, when the sun was no longer as hot as fire, Aduke honoured the palace with her presence. She was ushered to the chamber by one of the maids who had a striking sense of humour.
"The king will be with you soon," the maid said immediately after the guest had sat down.
She muttered nothing. Only a nod was applied in acknowledging the maid's announcement. She was rather too paralysed to speak. Why always her? She hoped the King had not invited her because of Adeolu's case. The king was too preoccupied to dabble in such an irrelevant talk, she concluded. She was still gesticulating when the empire walked in. She suspended it, stood up, and went down to greet the King.
"May you reign long, Your Highness," she prayed, still kneeling.
"Ase!" Oba Ajisafe chanted and asked her to take a seat. She did.
"Aduke!" the king called.
"My lord," she answered.
"Do you know how old I am?"
"No, Kabiyesi," she responded, wondering where the king was driving at with his strange question.
"I clocked 97years old last year and would be 98 this year. That confirms I will soon join my progenitors in the world beyond. Only my son will take the crown from me," the king coughed.
"Sorry, sir," Aduke said, her heart filled with tears as the king spoke.
"We betrothed to him a Princess. But for a personal reason, he turned down the girl. When we insisted on knowing the reason, he responded that marrying her was like roaming in a chariot of fire. He prefers just you, only you,"
"He told me about it, my lord, but it is too late. I mean I am already into someone else, someone I began the mission of love with right from adolescence,"
The king oddly sighed. Didn't he foretell it months back? He did. Now, Adeolu had rejected someone in the hope of being into someone else while that someone, to whom he nursed deep love, had also rejected him. Was it not unfair how fate worked in a way human beings less expected? The king knew that to further persuade Aduke, after her response, would belittle his prestige.
"May it be well with you," the old man prayed.
"Ase!" Aduke chanted, glad the king was different, simple, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness,"
•••
"Adeolu, it is high time you looked for a woman of your dream, not Aduke," Oba Ajisafe erupted, standing and almost running amok when Aduke had left the palace that evening. Adeolu folded his hands in disbelief. He had not expected the king to relinquish the struggle, "I invited Aduke you clamour to marry. She came. She had humbly made it known to me that she is into someone else. So, why do you waste your time waiting for a damsel whose life is racing on? Should yours be stagnant over her? Ponder on it, I am asking you, Adeolu, to ponder on it," the king stood like a sculpture as he felt cold.
"I am sorry, my lord,"
"Sorry isn't what I demanded of you, boy. I asked you to fetch me a wife since you rejected the one betrothed to you,"
It was right there that Adeolu was as mad as a bear with a sore head at Adigun. He pictured him as the only stumbling block for his access to Aduke. He planned to land the teacher in trouble that would put an end to his career and his deep relationship with Aduke.
"I am sorry, my lord. Please, give me a little time to do the finding,"
"I don't care if you bring in a slave. You are not getting younger. Your mates and even siblings are ahead of you,"