Adaeze

The Chosen King

Adaeze stared at her wicked uncle who had just murdered her parents with contempt.

Adaeze shuddered in fear when Okenna threatened to kill her. Okenna raised his sword to strike her so that he would end his stepbrother's lineage.

She closed her eyes waiting for the impact of Okenna's sword but it never came.

Opening her eyes slowly, Adaeze was surprised to see her uncle struggling with his hand which was holding the sword.

It was as if a strong force was preventing him from killing Adaeze.

After a while, he was able to gain control of his hands again. He gave up on killing Adaeze as it seemed almost impossible.

Could she be a witch? How was she able to stop him from striking her with his sword without any physical contact? But his brother never mentioned anything about his daughter having supernatural powers. Or could it be a coincidence? Okenna thought to himself.

" You! I will deal with you later. Arinze take her to the maids' quarters." Okenna said after some moments of silence.

Arinze dragged Adaeze to the maids' quarters.

" Clear this mess," Okenna ordered his men to get rid of the bodies of the dead king and queen.

Adaeze sat quietly at the corner of the maids' 'quarters sobbing silently.

Her parents had been murdered in cold blood by her father's stepbrother.

How she wished they had listened to her. They would still be alive. Adaeze thought with a stream of tears running down her face as she recalled the gruesome murder of her parents.

Now she was been kept in the maids' quarters against her wish.

Okenna gathered all the guards together. " As you can see I am now your king. Anyone who disobeys me shall be beheaded. I own your loyalty. Serve me well and you will be rewarded accordingly." Okenna stated coldly.

The guards just nodded in agreement as they were scared to utter a word.

Okenna dismissed the guards and asked his men to keep watch on them.

He stood by the window and smiled to himself. He was king at last.

Ten years ago.......

" Okenna, Chibuike. You are all my children even though you have different mothers. I want you to love and cherish each other irrespective of who becomes the next king."

" As tradition demands, both of you will be going into Ojiri forest today to get the sacred staff. Whoever gets it will be the next king. May the gods of the land be with you." King Umueze said as he addressed his sons before they set out to get the sacred staff.

Okenna and Chibuike nodded and set out to Ojiri forest.

They walked deeper into the forest without seeing the sacred staff.

" Oh, I'm tired. Can't we just go back and tell father that we didn't find the sacred staff?" Okenna complained and said.

He was not used to tedious jobs. He always had the maids and guards to do his bidding. Unlike Chibuike who was self-reliant.

" What? How can you say such a thing? Don't you know that without the sacred staff, there will be no king?" Chibuike reprimanded and asked at the same time.

" It's okay I was just joking. I wanted to know if you know the laws of our land." Okenna said as he twisted things around to make it seem like he was joking. He was embarrassed that his brother was more knowledgeable in the affairs of the land than him even though he was almost a year older than him.

But Chibuike was no fool. He knew quite well that his brother had meant what he had said earlier. But he decided to let it slide.

Silently they journey deeper into the forest. Each one to his own thoughts.

' I will send Chibuike on exile as soon as I become king.' Okenna thought to himself.

Chibuike had always been the favorite child while they were growing up. He easily won the love of everyone through his kindness and selflessness.

Unlike Okenna who was rude and arrogant. He had maids and guards do his bidding. He always paraded himself as the next king forcefully commanding respect from everyone. Well except for the king his father.

" I've found!!! I've found it!!!" Chibuike screamed excitedly snapping Okenna out of his thoughts.

" What?" Okenna asked not believing that Chibuike had actually found the sacred staff instead of him.

" The sacred staff! I found it!" Chibuike replied excitedly.

He was too excited to notice the frown that was on his brother's face.

Though he was not interested in being the next king, he knew that the gods of the land had chosen him.

" Chibuike, you know that I am your elder brother and that I have always wanted to be the next king. So just give me the staff. I promise it will be between you and me. No one will find out. We will tell father that I found it. I will reward you greatly for this." Okenna said desperately.

How could he allow his brother to be the next king when he had already paraded himself as the next king? He would be a laughingstock in the village. People would make a mockery of him.

No, he would not allow that. Okenna thought to himself.

He made to take the sacred staff from Chibuike but Chibuike pulled it behind him.

"What's this? I thought we had an agreement?" Okenna asked in confusion. He thought Chibuike had considered and accepted his offer.

" What do you mean by ' what's this'? You know the laws of the land. The sacred staff chooses whoever is fit to be the next king. The sacred staff chose to be visible to me. This means that the gods have chosen me to be the next king." Chibuike refuted angrily.

Why was Chibuike so adamant when he was not interested in the throne from the beginning? Or could it be a prank to make him not see him as a competitor? That was it! And he fell for it. Okenna thought to himself. He nearly slapped himself as he realized what a fool he had been.