The Conqueror Series

THE STORY OF REGA (EP 2)

Yara visited her best friend Thama and met her fighting with her husband. She asked her servant to take the horse back to her husband as she went in to separate the fight. She met the man trying to force himself on his wife and she picked a fork and threatened to stab him with. The man paused and at that very moment his wife Thama used a knife and buried it in his neck. The man stood up, staggered and ran outside with blood gushing out. He ran off. Thama threw away the fork and held onto Yara. "Calm yourself, please calm yourself" said Yara as she held onto her. Thama looked out the window and saw some men coming with clubs and sticks she immediately held onto Yara and began to scream. Yara was confused as she could understand why Thama was acting like that..The men stormed in and Thama began to scream and pointing accusing finger at Yara. Yara was dumbfounded as she tried to defend herself but the men seized her and called her murderer. Yara tried to defend herself but they slapped and kicked her and she kept mute. They took her away at once. Thama covered her face with both hands and cried even the more.

Rega was inside his barn when the servant ran home with the horse to announce that he saw some men dragging Yara to the King's palace. Rega left what he was doing and mounted the horse and they rode straight to the King's palace. When they reached the gate they were not allowed to enter.

"The woman in there is my wife" he explained to the gate guards.

"She is guilty of murder and you should find your way now" sad the guard at the gate. Rega got angry and forced his way in, running into the throne room as the guards all ran after him to stop him. They caught him while he as already inside the throne room with his wife already standing before the king with all the officials and the people gathered. Rega was struggling and the king stood up at once. "And who is this man!" he asked.

"I am the husband to the woman you are accusing of murder!" screamed Rega.

"She is not being accused, she actually murdered someone. She murdered the husband to this woman" said one of the officials as he pointed at Thama, who was there and sobbing.

Rega looked at her and realised it was Yara's best friend. He stopped struggling as he appeared confused.

"Your wife murdered someone and you did not come in here with respect rather you forced your way in. Arrest this man and put him in the cell" the king commanded and Rega was seized immediately and dragged away. Yara continued to cry as she pleaded not guilty.

"What do you have to say for yourself in this accusation?" asked the king.

"I did not do it. I did not kill anyone. I went to her place and met her fighting with her husband and it appeared he was trying to force himself on her and I threatened him with fork but it was his wife who stabbed him with a knife and he died of it" she said and the officials shook their heads disapprovingly. The king then continued, "Are you saying that this woman was being forced into her marital duties by her husband?" asked the king and there was murmuring in the palace. "Silence" said the king and Yara's tears could not allow her speak further. "I am innocent and my husband did nothing wrong to deserve what you are doing to him" She cried the more.

"I don't believe your story and you are guilty of murder. Take her away and put her in the cell to await judgement" the king said and not even Yara's tears could stop him as the guards took her away and threw her into the cell.

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At night the king sat in his throne room and sipping on his drink. The same official that came into his chamber the other day returned. His name was Mezie and he was an old man who spoke as someone who was scared of words. He looked at the king for sometime before he asked, "Did you have anything to do with what caused Yara to be in your cell? The king turned his face to look at him. He appeared angered by his statement. " I beg your pardon. You did not ask me that did you?".

"I am sorry my king. I was just wondering ; you said you would do anything to have her and that was just few days ago and now the same lady is in your custody. It doesn't add up" Mezie said and the king stood and went closer to Mezie.

"I respect you a lot because you were my father's friend but you must know that I'm a king now and no longer a Prince. You must mind the way you speak to me else you won't see another day" he said and sat back on his throne.

"I am sorry for annoying you" said Mezie before he bowed and left. The king continued to sip his drink.

***************

The next day the king paid Yara a visit in her cell. When the guard opened the doors of the cell and the king walked in Yara removed her face and looked towards the wall. The king smiled and sat on a log of wood.

"I don't like seeing you like this but you must also know that you have all it takes to be free from here" he said.

"Why are you holding onto my husband? He did nothing wrong other than coming for his wife. You locked him up for that tiny offence? You are wicked and mean" She said and removed her face again.

"You see, the gods are great. They know that you are my heart desire and they were willing to give you to me but you did not understand this. Now I want to tell you that you have the key to the chain around your hands. You can just say yes to my proposal and you will be free as a bird in the air"

"Yes to what? to married to a man while I'm in marriage. Do you think the gods will be pleased with me if I do that?" she was angry and the king could sense it.

"The gods give you to me. They are the one who are masterminding this. You are wiser than you think. You are more beautiful than any woman in this kingdom. I don't have a wife and I want to make you my wife, the Queen of Meha. Do you know the honor you will bear, the influence, the power, the authority. If you say yes and marry me I will release your husband and he will be a free man"

"My husband can not be free if you release him from that prison and he finds out that I'm married to you. He is my husband, don't you get it. I am a married woman and I don't need to marry another" she said bluntly. The king stood up.

"Very well then, your husband will remain in that cell until you say yes to my proposal and you will remain in here as long as I wish. I can choose to postpone your final trial for the next five months so choose and choose wisely beautiful one" the king said and left.

Yara remained in the cell for the next twenty days and she was growing tired and sick each passing day. Rega was missing his wife while inside his cell and he kept praying that the gods spare her life for him. He could recall the first day he met her. She was in her father's farm and he had come to check his trap. They had seen each other and had realised right there and them that they were meant to be together. Yara's father had made things easier for Rega as he excused them and Rega got to know Yara the more. The next day he took some of the animals his trap caught to her house and she was very happy. When he proposed to her her father encouraged her to say yes for the proposal happened in front of him. Yara got married to Rega on the mountains of Meha. There they shared their marital vows and promised not to leave each other. Rega had given her a slobbery kiss and had carried her all the way down the mountain.

As he recalled all these while inside his cell he did not know when he smiled. He continued to pray to he gods to save Yara.

Yara on the other hand was giving up and was now almost ready to say yes to the King's proposal. She didn't know when she slept off.