MAIDENS

MAIDENS 16

Father's smile lasted only as long as a minute before he stood up and left after asking her to give him time. He returned with his hand still empty making her wonder what he had left to do or get initially but she remained silent until he spoke.

"The king calls him Olùrànlówó, our helper."

"Olùrànlówó?" She had heard the name in passing but nothing in the open. It did not matter. "How do I meet him?"

Father smiled again. "When you want to meet him."

"But I am ready now."

"Then you can meet him now."

Wura waited for him to explain and when he did not, she asked again. "Father?"

"Olùrànlówó is the helper the king asked us to ask for whenever we needed his help. You see the king in his wisdom knew that though his son had defeated Olóròógbò, he would keep coming back so before the prince came, he announced that when he got back to his palace as per his father's instruction, he would set up a new office and set Olùrànlówó to man it. Olùrànlówó, the king's right hand accepted the offer and since then that is how we, the people of Aiyélojà have been living- with his help."

This was getting more interesting. The king thought of everything. Just one problem. "When I am far in the bush like you were, how do I call him? How did you call him?"

"He answers to his name. He hears you wherever you are but he always waits for you to call him. One mention and he answers."

"But he did not answer you when we were at the path of Pàkúké today. I did not see anybody and what if more than one person calls him at the same time?"

Father smiled again. He was enjoying himself. "Olùrànlówó is not like us Aiyelojians. He is of the King's people himself and therefore is not limited to one place at a time. He assigns different kinds of help than you can imagine. Many times he does not answer the way you expect but he always does what is best for us."

"I want to meet him now, father."

"You will. You have the right to him because you are not only a Vassal but because you are Aiyelojian."

"I do not think many people in our kingdom know about him, Father I have hardly heard about him before now. If he was so good, he would have been talked about everywhere."

"I think that is our fault too." Father's smile finally dimmed. "When there is a season of peace, many tend to ignore Olùrànlówó until trouble comes which should not be. With the increase of Eku-Emó everywhere, I think everyone should be made aware of him again so that we don't fall into error." Father stood. "It now falls to you to introduce him to the maidens under your care like I am doing with you now."

"But I have not met him yet. Why are you delaying?" Wura whined without meaning to.

Father burst out laughing and reached for her hand. "I was testing your desire to see him. Only those that really want him, get him. First, you write an application to the King to connect you to Olùrànlówó." With that information came fear. "Father, what if King Adélòwò refuses to allow me near the office? Or Olùrànlówó does not want to accept my application?"

Father touched her hair lovingly, something he had not done since she was younger. "None of those options are possible. The king does not lie. If he says, he wants to make your life easier then he does and I have not seen anyone that did not meet Olùrànlówó when they applied. Stand now and go to your table. Let me help you write the application."

An hour later, they were finally done and Father placed the letter at the Adura point. This was the wooden platform every Aiyelojian was required to create in their houses. Many streets had these boxes too to help with the ease of message distribution from the king to the people. The king's messengers always knew when new letters had been dropped and came to pick them up.

Wura stayed up all night checking if the letter had been picked up until she slept off. When she opened her eyes in the morning, the letter was no more and in its place stood a white one with the signature of the king boldly written on it. Wura screamed before even reaching for it. Her father came running in wearing only white shorts and a wrapper thrown around his shoulders.

"What happened? What happened!" He asked looking around dangerously.

Wura kept screaming and pointing at the letter. There was laughter mixed into everything she was trying and failing to communicate to him. Her father saw the letter in her hands and shook his head adoringly. "Open the letter, Wura before screaming your voice away."

"It's the king's signature! I can see it up close!"

"Wura," Father was smiling, "better than the king's signature are the king's words. You are allowed to feel this excited but then you will need to learn along this course you have been called into that more important than the king's signature are his words."

Her father's words succeeded in calming her but she was still smiling as she opened it.

Dear Wura,

I received your letter and I was happy you wrote to me today.

Keep doing so.

Your request is ACCEPTED.

Olùrànlówó will listen to you whenever you call.

King Adélòwò Adénúgà.

The words were written in a simple and elegant scrawl. Wura knew she would hang it on her table to look at it every day. Her eyes misted. The king bothered himself to write to me personally and he must be so busy. Father watched. "You know, the more you write to the king, the longer messages he will begin to send you."

"Really?" Wura's eyes widened.

"Yes.."

"Don't you want to read it?" Wura offered the letter but Father. "I already know what he wrote and I can't touch your letter."

Wura remembered. "Yes, Adelola's letter burned me when I tried to touch it."

"Our king makes his letters like that because he wants every one of us to write to him personally."

Wura smiled, "That's smart."

"It is. Our king is very smart."