MAIDENS

MAIDENS 8

The distant bleating of hungry goats offered enough soundtracks to the two whispering shadowy figures in the house framed by a tall old tree. One peeped out of the window, surveying as the other let herself down the short distance to the ground carefully.

"Don't forget your promise," the one moving away whispered strongly.

"I would never. I will see you in class," the one by the window answered as she turned back into the room to begin pacing.

Wura was worried. She had made that promise in the heat of the moment. True she was angry but maybe she should have waited before making promises. Knowing Adelola...NO. Waited for what? Waited for who? I was the one called. Who would have given me the answers? I have read the Iwe-Mimo and seen what my duties are. I would have to make the hard decisions. She had done the right thing by standing by my friend. That was final.

*****

Wura prepared slowly, washing her skin, wearing her white ankara, packing and re-packing the hair which she should have braided at Adelola's house yesterday but for the unplanned fainting event. She had been too busy learning and committing to the mandate given to her without knowing it was a sinkhole. Well, she would fix it. Wura was on her 11th repacking when she heard the main door open and her father's heavy footsteps heading in the direction of his room. She grabbed her school bag and ran out to intercept him in their shared corridor.

"Father!"

Her father turned to her with a smile on his face that froze when he saw her. Wura felt a twinge of guilt for being the reason for that. He looked tired enough from his all-night meeting. He should be resting not answering her questions, but he looked ready for whatever she had for him. He always did.

"What has happened, Wura? I left you in a better mood than this yesterday."

"Baami, e kaaro." She said, forced by years of grooming to show respect before any form of tirade could even begin.

"How are you?"

"I am fine. Father, I waited to tell you that something is seriously wrong and it's either from the King himself or the Royal Marriage process." Father's eyes opened wide at her blunt declaration of the King's error but Wura held his gaze unflinching. "Yes, I stand by what I said."

"That is one error you do not want to get into this early in this mission, Wura: thinking that the King is wrong."

"He is and I stand by it."

Her father leaned on the wall. Maybe from tiredness. Maybe from exasperation. "So what about it is wrong?"

"He is an unfeeling person. These maidens are not children but are people who have built emotions and structures as babes till now and he thinks he has the right to uproot them from it? Does he think it is so easy? He has no right to do so. If he were so smart, why not get them from when they are children and know nothing about life so he can groom them to be unemotional like himself?" She felt the earlier heat wave start from her heart and begin to swell. With it, the line of her boundaries slowly reduced.

"What audacity does the king have to say they will be replaced if they do not adhere to the instruction? Those are not the words of a smart king...sorry to say."

Father blinked at her, obviously weighing the situation before speaking. "Seems to me that you have spent a lot of time thinking about it. Do you have time now?" It was Wura's turn to blink. She had not been expecting such a reply. She had thought he would flare up and they would have a verbal match. Perhaps that had been her secret wish - to poke him for her friend's pain since the king was so far away.