IT ALL STARTED WITH A BOY

A Crest Of Honor And Blood

   
       The following week was Chima's funeral. More people than I expected were there. All dressed in white shirts, white suits with wine coloured trousers or skirts. I stood next to Mom in my all black attire. I couldn't comprehend why everyone else was dressed the way they were. Or why they acted the way they did. No one cried. There were no wailing old women and old men trying to comfort them. Even the weather confused me. The sun was shining in a kind of happy-go-lucky way. The birds sang gleefully. It was almost like no one cared. No, it was more like they expected it. Like they all knew he would die.
    The sermon was brief, and very few people spoke about the deceased.
The deceased.
I've always hated it whenever they spoke about someone like that. Being dead doesn't make you less of a human being.
But then life was cruel.
The man who took Chima's life was cruel and deserved to suffer. Not given the chance to die. He needs to beg for death and not find it.
"Chima was one of our finest." a baritone voice said. I raised my head to find a young man in his early twenties wearing all white standing on the small podium. He had short curly black dreaded hair and a small beard. He was tall with a slim body, brown eyes and dark skin He spoke with so much remorse and regret. Finally, someone who knew the same pain I did.
"He served the Arrows for years. Putting his best. Protecting this estate. This city. This country as a whole."
I frowned. Chima was just an ordinary librarian. What was this guy talking about? I looked around at the faces in the crowd. No one looked confused. No one seemed surprised. It was like they were all in on this sick joke.
"An ex-marshal in the millitary. Chima devoted his retired life to serving the Arrows till his death. He died protecting our secret. He died doing what was right. He died honoring the rose and arrow crest. Honoring his pledge of allegiance. Protecting our most prized treasure." he said, then let his gaze move over each and every face before they finally landed on mine. He stared at me for a long time, a sad knowing look on his face. I looked away. Why was he staring at me like that? What was going on? What kind of funeral is this?

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       I leaned on the strong mauringa tree as Mom spoke to Chima's wife, Amaka. I watched as everyone that went over to the grave placed a red rose on it. Some real, a lot fake. His tomb stone was decorated with several military medals and honors. All of which shone brightly in the sun. Like they were trying to shed more light on the fact that everything I knew about him, was nothing but a lie.
An ex-marshal!
He told me he had worked with books his entire life. That he had started working as a newspaper vendor at the age of nineteen as soon as he completed his secondary school education. Why did he lie to me? What was he trying to protect? If he was on some super secret spy mission, why did he get involved with me? Why did he make friends with me? He said he knew dad, was that as lie as well? I sighed heavily as I put my hands in my pocket. My fingers brushed over the crest and I pulled it out. It was a very pretty crest attached to a not so large gold brooch.
"That's a pretty thing you got there, boy."
I looked up and found myself face to face with the same tall dark man that had spoken so sentimentally about Chima. I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk to him. To anyone. I was too angry and confused to. All I wanted was to curl up in my bed and go to sleep. Maybe even finish reading the sci-fi thriller book I had at home.
"You must be Bejide. Chima said a lot about you."
My heart churned. Only two people called me by that name;Dad and Chima. No one else. What was Chima saying about me? Why was he talking about me?
"Jefferson." Mom said, approaching us. Amaka, Chima's wife was next to her, dressed in a wine colored dress, a white blazer and white heels. Mom looked at the man beside me and her face clouded with worry.
"Bamise."
"Yemisi, it's a pleasure to see you again."
Mom glanced at me, then at him. Bamise smiled at me.
"I'd like to invite you to my home tomorrow, Bejide. It would be nice to get to know you."
I raised a brow. Was this guy kidding? I have no idea who you are, you seem to have some kind of uncomfortable history with my mom and you knew one of my very few friends who just died and has been lying to me for a while and you think it's just okay to invite me to your house?
"No, thank you. I'd rather not."
Bamise's smile faltered a bit. He was about to speak when Amaka cut in.
"What Bamise is trying to say is, Jeff, there is something really important we need to tell you. And you need to know about it as soon as possible."
I stared at her them Mom. Mom loomed worried and....guilty? Amaka looked a bit grave, but then it could be because her husband just died.
"Is it really that important?"
"It's a matter of life and death, Jeff."
Those were the words that changed my life.

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    Chima and Amaka's home was a cute two bedroom apartment on the east side of Crystal Point. I would've gone into details if I wasn't so preoccupied with trying to figure out what was going on. We sat in the dining area, a mug of hot Milo in my hands. It was the only thing that soothed me.
"Enjoying your Milo?" Amana asked me, smiling. I nodded, narrowing my eyes at her.
"Hm. Chima told me how much you loved Milo. He said you two would make a kettle of it whenever you were working late."
I put the mug down and glared at all of them.
"What is going on? You knew your husband wasn't an ordinary librarian. You knew he was on some strange dangerous mission. Who was he? Who are you? And who's this guy? And what does all of this have to do with me?"
Amaka sighed as she stared at me long and hard. Mom was staring out the window, a faraway look in her eyes and Bamise looked like he was ready to whip a gun out of his back pocket.
"How much do you know about Crystal Point's history?"
I shrugged.
"Just what they teach us in school. It was once a mighty kingdom called Fadaka ruled by a king and six chiefs. After the king broke tradition and married a white woman, the kingdom was divided and the king was cursed." I crossed my arms. "But that's just some old legend. What does it have to do with me?"
Amaka smiled faintly.
"In order to restore peace to the kingdom, a descendant of the former king of Fadaka created a syndicate. Comprising of the most elite and ruthless indigenes, they spread out to find the immediate descendants of the six chiefs. After much debate, the six representatives agreed to reunite the kingdom, but only if they were apportioned their former lands and allowed to rule with little interference-"
"And let me guess, the great king's descendant disagreed? Typical."
Amaka's smile broadned.
"Actually,  he agreed to their terms. And the Chiefs took over the land in pairs. The Isoka twins and the Peteru family controlled the West side. The Okoye family and the Bamgbose family controlled the East side. The Adelaide family and the Ayeda family controlled the North side. And the South side was controlled by the Ogunlana and Imole families."
I raised a brow.
"That was a nice history lesson. But what does all that have to do with me?"
"The name of the king that ruled over Fadaka, do you know it?"
I shook my head.
"They never told us."
Bamise smiled and leaned close to me.
"His name was Oba Bejide Adelanwa."

Dum Dum duuuummmmmmm....
Cliffhanger!
*readers screams and throws writer tomatoes*
Ow! Ow! Okay stop, I'm sorry. I know I've been gone for a long time but come on! Girls gotta have some 'me time'.
Next chapter is up already! Go check it out❤.