The news of Queen Abeyi's death struck everyone.
Oofun particularly.
Although she was from Abo, she spent most of her time in Ocholuje.
She was training under a healer in Ocholuje.
Ijeuode.
She and her talkative best friend, Obieyi.
No one actually knew Oofun was from Abo. Ijeuode just thought she was from Ocholuje.
"Did you hear what happened to Queen Abeyi ?" Obieyi asked.
Oofun shook her head "No, Obieyi, I don't. I am sure it's one of your gossip things."
"Actually, the whole kingdom knows. She was killed when she was making her pots." Obieyi replied shaking her head sadly.
"Really? Wow...how did she die?"
"She was shot with an arrow. Just like the guard... we still don't know who shot it or where it was from."
As they walked through the market place, all anyone could talk about was about the Queen's death.
Oofun and Obieyi walked all the way to Ijeuode's house.
They greeted her two children.
Two year old Eje, the older brother and his baby sister, Elakehje.
They entered her hut.
"Ah. Perfect. Come in girls." Ijeuode said as they approached her.
.....................
The night of the attack on Abo drew near.
As the King, his general and the army set out, the King Oche , normally known as Odaleku, gave an address to the people of Ocholuje.
"Our Queen is dead. And she must be avenged. We are setting of to Abo. Where her killers lie."
Loud gasps were heard in his audience followed by murmurs.
The King and his army set off to Abo. They had torches and spears and arrows and any other primitive weapon you could think of. As they approached Abo, they started sing their chant of war.
" Olomi choluse worrana geminin! Olomi choluse worrana geminin!"
Which meant
"War is coming, no one can beat us! War is coming, no one can beat us!"
As they passed through the forest, the ones at the back spotted Akajo, the executioner. Who was also on his way to Abo, his hometown. He was going to meet someone.
A guard filled him in on what was happening and told him to go back to Ocholuje.
Akajo being the ever humble person, returned to Ocholuje with a heavy heart.
...........
Oofun was asleep in her assigned hut in Ocholuje unknown to what was happening to her people.
The King stood back and watched his men slaughter all of Abo. They spared no life as they fought with all their might.
After destroying Abo, they scavenged around looking for lost valuables.
The King heard crying in the distance. It was a baby's cry.
He looked and looked until he found the source.
Under all the ashes and dead bodies lay a baby.
The King looked at the baby boy carefully and something struck him.
He did not know what, but he picked up the baby and gave him to a guard.
"Take him back to the palace. Along with everything else."
The guard nodded and took the baby.
The King looked at Abo-or what was left of it- again. He sighed heavily.
"What have I done"
...
The next day, Oofun woke up to the sound of her best friend calling her name. She groaned as she sat up on her plank bed.
"What is it ?"she asked,rubbing her eyes.
"Ehee o!" she practically yelled, which meant 'oh my goodness'.
"Can you imagine ,the king has finally destroyed Abo!"she squealed happily.
Oofun shot up from the bed like a rocket. She blinked a couple of times as her heart raced.
"W-what?"
"Didn't you hear me? The king has taken his vengeance !" She jumped up and down.
Oofun's eyes were bulging. She started breathing heavily. All sorts of thoughts ran through her head.
Her family.
Her friends.
Her home.
Obieyi looked at her expression.
"Oofun? Are you okay? You look like you have seen a ghost."
Oofun shook her head so as to not risk getting exposed. She did not know what the kingdom will do to her if they knew she was from Abo.
"No no. I am just sh-shocked."she replied.
"Oh. I even heard they took some escaped Abo boys as prisoners. So sad. Just teenagers the four of them."
Oofun wasn't even listening. Wow. She couldn't believe that her entire home was destroyed in a matter of hours.
It wasn't fair. She was going to make sure that the King would pay.
She didn't know how, but she was.
................
That night,, the palace was anything but quiet.
Wails and cries were heard throughout.
The King sat up and rubbed his temples.
"Moochi!"
Moochi was his wife. The first one who only had a daughter which could not be the heir because it was forbidden for a woman to rule a kingdom.
Moochi rushed into the King's chamber with a servant carrying the crying Abo baby.
