Arrogance of Destiny Ep.8 By XBX

ARROGANCE OF DESTINY

EPISODE 8: FESTAC

THE PALACE'S HAREM; BENIN KINGDOM

C. 1516
“I greet you, Iloi Idia. The morning bloom, the moon that is fair. Dews. Gold. How is your day going?” The Iyase (head of palace chiefs in the Oba's council) of the kingdom almost worship Ilio (queen) Idia.  He was rubbing his palms together, absentmindedly, as usual.

Almost all the King-Makers owed her a favour; she had even made the Oba married another wife for the Oshodi (Chief in charge of the Erie (harem)).

The chief guard of the Erie, the oldest eununch: Akpoka, was also in her bag. Iyase is not suppose to be visiting her at that hour but she knew her way. Plus it would soon be Igue festival and everybody was busying buying beads, harvesting coconuts and storing basket upon basket of kolanut.

“The big fool, Arhuan, had gone with few men to search for that little girl he was fucking. I want you to give the calabash chalk to Prince Osawe first during the festival, before the big fool, if he comes back before then.” Ilio Idia was wearing an oxblood big wrapper, tied firmly above her breast. She wore a top made of interlocking coral beads. Her hair was huge and decorated with coral beads and bead-earings.

Around here, it has been said that the first coral beads were the beads that Olokun (goddess of the seas) had spread out on shore to dry which the Oba Ewaure had stolen. It was a symbol of royalty, sacredness like cross to the Christians.

They were talking through a big hole in the harem's mud fence that Akpoka manned himself. The Queen covered her mouth with a piece of cloth as custom demands, so what she was saying was alittle muffled.

“My Queen let's leave tomorrow to the greatest One; the big hands that still picks needle from a well. You can--”

“Chief Agbontaen, Iyase, Do I need to remind you of what you owe me. Remember what you did to your daughter. So don’t make mistakes.” The queen had ears everywhere. She had a small cabin in the bushes where she kept food for the slaves of the chiefs. Some of them were sometimes not given food as punishment by their masters; they were are minions.

Queen Idia was the Ovbioha (newest wife) of the Oba for a long time; which normally means the favourite of the king. She had built a network doing favours, that seemed selfless at a distance but time revealed all the strings attached.

“Ilio Idia  I have heard, we don’t need to open our anus outside. But one thing is that I’m not sure of Oliha. He is like a snake. He is always quiet when we are discussing matters of succession. He seemed like he doesn’t participate in slap nor punch. I suspect him.” Rubbing his palms together.

“You don’t worry yourself about that one. The snail that something is pushing will surely forget to use leaf to cover.” She had given the Oliha (head of all the Dukes of the kingdom) direction to a very powerful native doctor in Yoruba land that helped cure his wife barrenness.
Politics is mostly not about what you see but what you don't.

 XbX