Women Of Steel | ✔

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My fury burns hotter than the fire before me. I sit before it, watching the smoke rise up to the trees and rub my hands together, seeking warmth. I'd say we only have a few hours left until dawn, only a few hours to come up with a solution and plan to send the princess back to her brother.
The Omolara I knew would be staring in distaste at the fire or wrinkle her delicate nose at the smell of smoke. This Omolara does not look concerned about sitting in the dirt and staining her beautiful clothes. This Omolara is blank faced and sad.

I consider all the torture she might have gone through in the past week, predicting the forest king's method of torture is not hard, he would have started by breaking her mind. He would have taunted her and turned her into a blubbering mess, then he would have resulted to breaking her body. I shudder at the thought, unable to decide which fate is worse; a broken mind or a broken body. As women, we are taught to keep our bodies sacred, it's the only thing that attract suitors and a defiled woman is worthless forever.

I flick my eyes over her body as if searching for the scars.

"What did they do to you?" I finally ask, ignoring the warning look Tobiloba throws my way. He is not a bad man and I don't like him, but too morally uptight, his mother trained him well and it is a shame he will not be king.

Omolara does not speak. I repeat my question harsher.

"Cut her some slack, it's her choice to speak." Tobiloba snaps.

"Then she should not have come here, knowing the dangers. If she isn't prepared to toughen up then she should be prepared to die a coward's death." I say angrily. I'm taking out my fury on her, when instead, I pity her. I want to take the lives responsible for her suffering. I want to make them wish they had never been born.

But I have gone so long without caring that it is hard to show concern.

Brief anger flickers in her brown eyes, the first emotion in those dead eyes.

I lean further. "Have they made you mute, Omolara?"

"You are every bit as wicked as they say you are." She mutters quietly.

I laugh. "Did your bastard brother tell you that?" I am tired of pretending and babying her, her naivety put her in this mess in the first place.

The spark of anger burns brighter and she sits up, leaving Tobiloba's protective embrace.

"My brother is no bastard, you are a stone hearted bitch." She screams at the fire. I quake in anger, half glad I am not seated close to her or she'd be sporting a red mark to match the bruises on her face.

"I have no time to argue with a child." I dismiss her.

"I am tired of being treated like an infant, you are only five years older than I am." She argues, ignoring the prince's words telling her to calm down. I stare at her, almost fascinated by the flame that burns bright in her. I had the princess pegged for a prissy, I was half wrong.

I tilt my head to the side to observe her, her chest rising and falling harshly with anger. Omolara's face is still pale and eyes still haunted but the anger distracts her.

"Then why did you come here, except for your childish desires." I taunt, it does the trick. I can see the tight lease of control snap and her words spill.

"Your kingdom is in trouble." She snaps. I raise an eyebrow, I despise having an eyebrow raised at me, the act is condescending and I only learnt it to stare at others like that.

"It is your brother's kingdom, not mine." I tell her, poking a stick into the fire and savouring the cracking sound of the wood.

Omolara shakes her head, eyes suddenly sad. "It should be yours."

Tobiloba cuts in before I can speak. "It is your brother's rightful throne by blood, princess." He says slowly like one would speak to a daft child.

She turns her snarl to the prince. "I am not a child. Don't talk to me like one."

"I am no queen, you are delusional." I shrug.

Omolara lets out a grunt of frustration, a very un-princesslike behaviour. I almost snicker.

"A king who could not love, and a woman who would destroy the kingdom with her fury," Omolara whispers the curse like a spooky bed time tale. "The woman destined to destroy the kingdom is it's saviour too."

I rise, having enough of her nonsense. "That woman is not me."

"The solution to the curse has been mulled over for more than thirty years and it manifests during my brother's reign. You are not stupid woman, Egbon Mi. What does this tell you?" She shouts.

"You know nothing Omolara, don't dabble in things that don't concern you." Tobiloba rebukes but I'm already lost in Omolara's words, at the glaring truth in them but still half in disbelief.

"I heard the chief priest talking of it with Oloye Babatunde!" Omolara exclaims. "They spoke of winning you the throne."

I snort. "There is no throne to win, if this true. Ile Wura is doomed, I'd rather not rule over a dead land. I don't want to be queen or king." I want revenge, I want Tadenikawo to die. I want to avenge my mother's death and I want to see all my years of torture paid in the blood of my enemies.

"So you will not come back with me, to save your kingdom?" Omolara asks, defeated. "There have been several plagues, our river is now blood. I love my brother with all my heart but my duty is to my people, like it should be to you."

My expression hardens, twisting into a bitter frown. "I refuse to save a kingdom that did not try to save me or save my dead mother." I say. "I wish them well, hence this death mission, but I will not be their ruler and they don't want me either."

Ile Wura was my home, but no longer. The village watched when I was beaten and battered, my naive of cries of help fell on deaf ears. They learnt to hate me as I learnt to despise them. A part looks at the village with fond nostalgia but nothing more. If it falls for the sake of my revenge then so be it. My feelings are not one of love, not even hate like I said, but indifference.

"We will perish without you." Omolara attempts again. Tears well up in her eyes and in that moment, I see a brave woman who would sacrifice her own life to right all wrongs, still it does not stir my cold heart.

"Then perish you shall. Go home princess."