Super Story: Dance Of The Virgin - Full Episode

[Mr. Babatunde]

EPISODE 19

‘How could you accuse me of murder’? Kamsi looked away, thankfully it was dark so he wouldn’t see her eyes.

‘I would get to the root of this and if you burnt Nai’muri to death, you shall die yourself’ he pointed a finger at her.

‘Why do you accuse me wrongly? I think Assura is judging your slave wife and her daughter for their atrocities’ Kamsi hissed angrily.

‘What atrocities’? Mazi Ekere snapped angrily.

‘They ate the new yam before the festival. You know the punishment is death or have you forgotten my husband? That Assura is a goddess of light and justice? She comes and goes in the fire’ Kamsi replied.

This thought appealed to him as he remembered the night he had sent Adoni and Nai’muri away. They had been caught by Kamsi roasting the new yam; fear gripped him as he realized that the goddess had come to take vengeance.

He returned to his hut without a word to Kamsi or Zabacha.

Their faces were blackened with soot; their wrappers smelt of smoke.

‘Do you think it worked’? Zabacha smiled at her mother.

‘Yes. Who would escape such an inferno’? Kamsi laughed and hugged her daughter.

Jaja Omiro was finally going to be Zabacha’s.

 He had taken the advice of his sister Analin and had decided to give his new adviser a chance.

At midnight, when the whole land was quiet; when everything was as still as a graveyard; Roka left for the prison in the company of his sister, Alistarin his adviser and some warriors.

‘Take the Hunani out’ he pointed at a sickly looking boy who was barely eighteen years old.

They all returned to the throne room.

‘Remember my lord, draw him to yourself’ Alistarin, his adviser whispered into his ears.

‘Get the prisoner food and water’ Roka snapped his fingers and few minutes later, his servants returned with steaming plates of boiled meat and corn and some wine.

The boy was hesitant at first as he scanned the faces of the people in the room; he understood their language as it was similar to that of Ozodo, the land his people traded with.

What did they want from him?

He rose to his feet and dragged the large tray containing all kinds of food to himself.

He had come with his uncle, Andol, the head of their clan; they had decided to explore the mountain and see what was beyond it, only to find a great land flowing with gold and honey pebbles.

Unknown to them, Roka, the ruler had seen them; he had launched an attack and he was the unlucky one; the rest fled leaving him behind.

‘Tell me your name…I swear by the gods, I would not harm you’ Roka placed his hand on his chest.

The Hunani boy saw this, the king had pledged to spare his life; the king had given him food and wine, maybe he wasn’t such a wicked man after all.

‘Bello’ he replied.

‘Bello? Where do you come from and why did your people come to my land’? Roka asked gently.

‘We are Hunanis. We are nomads and we like to move around with our cattle and trade’ Bello replied.

‘Hmm, trade’ Roka exchanged glances with his adviser, his mind went to the story she had told him earlier and he realized that she had not been lying.

‘Why did your people come here’? Roka watched the boy closely for any sign of reluctance or lies.

‘Curiosity, we just wanted to see what was beyond the mountain. It took us courage and perseverance to finally reach it’ Bello replied.

‘Courage and perseverance and maybe greed’? Roka raised a brow.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ Bello quickly looked away. These people were looking for information that he wasn’t willing to give; he was ready to die than tell them anything about the Hunani nation.

‘Alright. Tell me everything you know about the land after the mountain as I am sure you trade with them so I spare your life’ Roka’s tone switched from loving to stern.

‘Ozodo’? Bello called out.

Roka was about to say something in return when two warriors rushed into the throne room.

‘My lord, some men crossed the mountain, we have chained their hands and feet, they demand to speak with the king’ one of the warriors spoke.

‘What men’? Roka rose to his feet. His heart raced, had the beautiful maiden told her people about him? If so, they were doomed.

‘Bring them in’ Analin spoke up, noting the fear and confusion in her brother’s eyes.

‘Ozodo is the name of the land after the mountain. They are ruled by a woman, Jaja Nana, and her son, Jaja Omiro is the prince’ Bello described the terrains, cultures and family structure of Ozodo.

He was about to say more when the intruders were bundled into the throne room; he quickly recognized his uncle; had he come to save him?

‘Andol’! Bello jumped to his feet.

‘You know this man’? Roka asked.

‘Yes. He is my uncle’ Bello replied.

‘Why have you come’? Roka turned to the men who were dripping wet all over.

Andol had taken some of the Hunanis and they had traveled through the Ozodo river to the foot of the mountain; that was the route they had taken.

They had come for a purpose and they would rather die than not achieve it.

‘My king, I bow before your majesty. Your land is rich and beautiful, we have come to pay respect to you. We come in the name of our king, Segura Segura’ Andol bowed his head.

‘What does your king want’? Roka asked. This was the first time he was hearing about another king; he was excited because all his dreams of ruling and conquering other lands were finally going to come to pass.

‘An alliance with you, great one’ Andol bowed.

‘An alliance, how did he know about me’? Roka asked.

‘We told him after we discovered your land. We spoke of its beauty and riches and he was very pleased’ Andol replied.

Roka left his throne with his sister and adviser and they spoke in whispers.

‘Nothing goes for nothing. Your king must want something from me’ Roka said to the man. His adviser had warned him about believing everything the Hunani people said, they were untrustworthy and predictable.

‘Just an alliance. Lord Segura Segura, has a lot of enemies. He has a lot of wars to fight but he lacks the weapons but your land is richly blessed with mountain iron and he needs your help in forging these weapons’ Andol bowed his head.

‘So your lord needs my help’? Roka raised a brow.

‘You may say that’ Andol returned.

‘Tell me, Hunani, what can your lord offer me in return? I am well aware that you do trade with Ozodo; I have plans for that land, what can your lord do for me’? Roka asked.

‘You are a powerful king and you seek to possess and conquer the land of Ozodo which is ruled by a ruthless and vile woman. We want you to conquer her and her people that is why we risked our lives in coming here. My lord, Segura Segura, would provide a hundred men and fifty horses for the invasion’ Andol bowed his head.

Roka was stunned by this offer; he didn’t have a lot of men and this could go a long way in preserving the little that he had.

‘How do I know you are not leading me into a trap? How do I know that your men would not turn on me that day’? Roka stared at the man intently.

‘I will prove it by shedding my blood. Unchain me’ Andol called to one of the guards.

Roka nodded his approval and he was quickly unchained.

He drew a short dagger from his waist pocket and chopped off his index finger; the blood dripped on the palace floor.

Roka did not flinch, nobody did. The Hunani’s act was a very symbolic one and it showed they all understood each other.

‘When do we attack’? Roka couldn’t hold his blood and power lust.

‘On the day of the virgin dance’ Andol replied.

Roka briefly thought about the girl he had deflowered ‘Tell me about this virgin dance and the consequences for those who aren’t virgin’.

‘All the unmarried freeborn are to dance before the prince. He would pick the one his heart pleases; if a girl is deflowered and discovered, she could be killed’ Andol explained.

‘What a backward culture’ Analin smirked.

‘Uncivilized savages’ Alistarin, Roka’s adviser hissed.

‘It is their culture; my ladies’ Andol bowed his head.

‘I must save her’ Roka was more determined than ever. He was going to find her and he would keep her for himself.

‘One more thing, Hunani, if you betray me, I would hunt every one of you down and chop your bones bit by bit till nothing is left of you’ Roka’s was firm and understood.

To be continued…..

[Mr. Babatunde]

EPISODE 20

A week had passed since the death of Nai’muri; a week had also passed since the celebration of the New Yam festival.

It had been a colorful event as the seven faces of Assura, the masquerades danced in the market square; the people rejoiced and sang songs in praises of their goddess.

After all the necessary rites and rituals, the royal house, Jaja Nana and Omiro were the first to eat the Yam; it had been well roast and deepened in red oil.

After they had eaten of the yam, the people rejoiced and clapped their hands signaling the beginning of the yam eating season.

 Now the Yam festival was over, the next big event was the dance of the virgins; it was bigger than the yam festival.

The corners of Ozodo market were filled with Hunani traders who had gotten wind of the big event; they had come with fabrics, sewing needles and thread; earrings, beads and antimony.

‘I am so excited about this mother, I cannot wait for that day’ Zabacha hugged her mother excitedly as they approached the market square.

‘That is the more reason we have to beautify you, now that Nai’muri is out of the way, the Prince is definitely yours. Your father also told me that he putnin word for you’ Kamsi winked at her daughter.

“Come buy your fabric here, laced with magic to entrap the prince of Ozodo” a trader called to them.

‘What do you think about that fabric’? Zabacha pointed at the light-skinned woman’s stall.

‘Too dull. You need something colorful’ Kamsi grabbed her hands and led them to a bigger stall filled with variety of fabrics. ‘So how do you feel Jaja’? Jaja Nana asked to join her son in his dressing room, his servants were sewing for him a robe for the ceremony that was to hold the next day.

‘Nervous and ready for the war’ he smiled at his mother.

He still thought about the slave girl, Meekhabash and her beautiful eyes, once he was one choosing a wife, he would find her and make her his concubine.

‘Good’ Jaja Nana returned his smile, but it did not reach her eyes for she harbored a great hatred for him.

‘When last did you set your eyes on Andol’? Omiro asked his mother. He had searched the entire palace for the man but he couldn’t find him.

‘I sent him on an errand to bring us more weapons in preparation for the war’ Jaja Nana replied.

‘Why didn’t you tell me about it’? Omiro was surprised by her behavior. His mother never let him out of her decisions, something wasn’t right; her action meant just one thing, that she had no faith or trust in him.

‘Do I need to? I am your Jaja Nana, Queen of this land, I don’t have to answer to anybody’ she replied sternly.

‘You are also my mother, don’t let power intoxicate you, don’t let it blind you’ Omiro rose to his feet angrily. His mother was a very controlling person and he wasn’t comfortable with that; she always felt she needed to have her way but he wasn’t going to let that happen.

‘You know what? I would do as I choose, you cannot control me like you did my father’ Omiro stormed out of the dressing room angrily.

‘Come back here Omiro, don’t you dare walk out on me? I am the Queen’! She yelled angrily.

He said nothing; he kept walking without turning back.

‘Andol was right, he resents me and plots my downfall, but I shall not let him’ she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

On the eve of the dance, all the virgins were made to gather in a hut where they would be examined by the older women and given rules on the competition.

The girls were to wear their best attires, sing their best songs and display their dance steps to the Prince. ‘If you have found favor before his eyes, he shall rise to his feet while you dance and he would drop his crown on your head’… one of the women lectured the maidens on how they were to act.

‘That crown would definitely be mine’ Zabacha was all smiles.

‘Don’t be so sure’ her friend Galia cut in.

Zabacha rolled her eyes and laughed ‘I know you two have always been envious of my good luck. I was born into a noble home; I am prettier than you two combined together, so I really understand where your bitterness comes from. Nai’muri is dead and forgotten; nothing is going to stand in my way’.

‘You’re so full of yourself, pride goes before a fall’ Koqsi hissed and moved away from Zabacha.

‘Envious fool. I shall throw your whole family into the dungeon once I become Queen’ she swore under her breath.

“You should all get some sleep, it’s going to be a long day tomorrow” their teacher announced.

‘Sleep well Zabacha, I hope you truly win this contest’ Galia waved at her and left for her own mat.

‘If I don’t win, who will’? Zabacha retorted.

The town crier had sounded his gong and all the inhabitants of Ozodo had moved to the palace where the dance would take place.

Mothers were excited, they whispered and murmured among themselves about whose daughter will be chosen.

The faces of most fathers were neutral as many knew that the Prince must have already decided which maiden would be his wife.

The courtyard of Jaja Nana’s palace was large enough to contain a thousand people through the villagers were not up to that.

The palace was decorated with different flowers, a symbol of purity and fertility; the effigy of Assura, the river goddess was placed at the center of the courtyard facing the people and then there was a circle marked by white clay and charcoal, it was the circle where each virgin would do her dance.

The drummers and fluters were all dressed in white and had decorative and circular markings on their heads.

The air was a mixture of different emotions. Anxiety, fear, joy for some, hope, all these hung thickly in the atmosphere.

“Let the dance begin” the priest announced in a loud voice, which was immediately followed by the entrance of Jaja Nana and Prince Omiro who were both dressed in white.

Jaja Omiro, Prince and heir apparent, wore a white robe and seven red beads on his neck, his mother wore a white robe and fifteen red beads; a show of her superiority.

‘We invite Asurra to give us wisdom’ Jaja Nana raised her staff and all the people bowed.

“We are your children, Asurra, goddess of light and justice” the people chorused.

They only rose after Jaja Nana and Jaja Omiro had taken their seats.

“The first maiden to dance is, Okete, daughter of Tokwasi, the palm wine tapper” the priest announced.

The crowd cheered as a smallish dark-skinned maiden stepped into the circle and begun to dance.

Her steps were light and ungraceful, the people cheered her nevertheless but the Prince was not pleased.

‘How long is this going to take mother’? Prince Omiro whispered to his mother, Jaja Nana.

‘Patience son, we have a hundred more maidens coming’ her son’s attitude provoked a laugh.

To be continued…..

[Mr. Babatunde]

FINAL EPISODE

Seven other virgins came and did their dance but yet still, the Prince was not satisfied.

He decided to spite his mother by not choosing Mazi Ekere’s daughter as his wife; he prepared his mind to select another maiden other than her.

“The next virgin, Galia, daughter of Nkosi, the widower”  the priest announced.

Galia came forward, she looked confident; she was a very good dancer but she wasn’t from a noble home and her face wasn’t attractive as the rest.

After Galia, came Koqsi and two other girls yet still there weren’t chosen.

“Zabacha, daughter of Mazi Ekere and Kamsi, the great hunter” the priest announced.

‘This is the girl that I have chosen for you, you must present to her your crown’ Jaja Nana whispered to her son.

Zabacha danced into the circle; her eyes were focused on the prince; she wriggled her waist and stamped her feet; she shook her hips and everything in her. She was lost in this dance; she danced for victory knowing very well that the crown would be hers.

Her dance was the longest as she expected the Prince to rise towards her but he didn’t. Eventually, the drum beats faded and so did the sound of the flutes.

‘Omiro, give her the crown’ Jaja Nana whispered in a stern voice.

‘No mother, I shall choose my own wife’ he replied.

Tears welled up in Zabacha’s eyes; her head swirled as she stared at the Prince in frustration; what was he waiting for?

‘You have to step aside for the next virgin’ the priest whispered to her but she wasn’t listening, her eyes were fixed on Prince Omiro.

‘No, I am supposed to win this competition’ she felt like fainting, she couldn’t feel her legs.

‘Leave the circle honorably else I shall call the warriors to take you away’ the priest replied.

Other maidens had already started giggling and making mocking statements; Zabacha scanned the crowd for her mother but Kamsi quickly looked away and rushed out of the palace as the shame was too much for them to bear.

“I call on Nai’muri, daughter of Mazi Ekere, for her dance’ the priest announced.

At the mention of her name, the crown was thrown into a frenzy.

‘What is going on’? Jaja Nana rose to her feet.

‘My Queen, she is my other daughter, I don’t know what to believe, maybe she is a ghost as she died in the fire’ Mazi Ekere rushed towards the Queen to explain.

“Silence! Let the maiden come forth” the priest beckoned on the drummers.

‘Meekhabash’ Omiro rose to his feet as she danced into the circle.

‘You know her’? Jaja Nana asked.

He did not reply, he took off the crown on his head and walked towards the circle.

He watched as her whole body shook; he loved the way her waist beads jiggled on her waist; he loved the way her feet played with the sand as she tapped them.

He loved the smile on her face; her eyes were as beautiful as ever but he noticed her hair was gone; it was no longer the same but shorter but she was still as beautiful as ever.

‘Meekhabash’ he whispered a second time and signaled the drummers to halt.

‘Where have you been’? He asked.

‘The woods, I took refuge there’ she replied in a shaky voice. She had pondered on her father’s words on the road to the river; she realized she had been a fool for trusting Kamsi so easily, so she had taken a leaf which was known to cure all poisons. After chewing the leaf, she inserted a finger into her throat and vomited all the cassava porridge.

The night Kamsi had come to burn her, she had escaped from the window and she had come back for her final revenge, one that put her own life at risk.

‘Refuge from’? The Prince was curious.

‘Why did you lie to me? Why did you tell me that you were a slave’? He asked.

‘My mother was a slave’ Nai’muri replied quietly.

‘I declare her my queen, she would be my Jaja Nana’ the prince cut her short, raised his crown up and placed it on her head.

‘I adore you’ he was about to place a kiss on her face when he heard it.

It was a loud scream of a woman “Run! We are under attack”! And then he heard the galloping of a hundred horses.

His heart stopped as an arrow flew from the sky and pierced into him.

 

***********The END************