To Be A Queen✔️

Prologue

The moon was up in the sky but still emitted no light. No stars shone tonight to accompany us in our journey.

My steps were beginning to get wobbly but I pushed on. I could feel us getting to the boundary, or was it just exhaustion and desperation to get to our destination? It was raining heavily which made it more difficult to walk properly in this stony path.

The fact that it was past midnight didn't help matters as well, but we have come this far to turn back now. I didn't mind the fact that I was soaked. I didn't mind that I was almost losing my breath due to my health condition. I had only one goal and that fueled my desperation to get to our destination, nothing else mattered.

I have seen wars and fought them. But I don't think it prepared me for this predicament that had brought me to this stony path in this bad weather. I had ignored my friend/companion who had suggested that we wait for the rain to subside under a shed he had found earlier. I had pretended that I couldn't hear him in the rain and continued walking. But being my friend for years am sure he knew I had blatantly ignored him. He had being giving me accusatory looks each time I stumble on a stone. I had only one mission in mind and time was running out and it's not like I had any left anyway. The journey finally felt longer than it should be now that we were getting to the boundary.

Finally, I saw a figure ahead and almost cried in joy. It was as we approached the figure that I finally realized that the rain has subsided for I could see a bit clearly from a longer distance. As they came closer I could finally make out that they were three in number.

There was no reason to ask which tribe they were from. Their mode of dressing gave them away and the marks on their right arms showed they were the men that will take me to see who we had travelled so far to meet. I was relieved that my messenger arrived to this land earlier like I planned for it will help save more time.

With a slight nod they led the way. It was when we started walking that I realized that they had no torches with them. It was not surprising. A warrior must master all the layout of their lands, besides they grew up here anyway. Who knows, they might have played along this very path as kids. It was a different case for my friend and I. We stumbled so many times so as to hold their pace. My friend almost fell but he was quick to right himself. He would have fallen face first if he wasn't trained to hold his ground.

My friend immediately shot me an intimidating glare daring me to laugh. If it were to be in a different circumstance I would have laughed until my lungs felt weak but It wasn't in a different circumstance. The one behind kept on urging us to walk faster in a not so respectful way. It's not like I could understand him but the slight and almost harsh nudge he gave me with the blunt side of his sword was enough to know that he wanted us to walk faster. I could help but sigh. The things I do for my loved ones.

After walking a long distance I noticed that they had changed to a remote route. I knew that my companion will become alert all of a sudden so I was not surprised when his hand went to the hilt of his sword. I gave him a disapproving look but that didn't stop him from holding the hilt of his sword which was in a scabbard tied to his waist, he was a warrior after all. I was also alert even thou I trust him to take care of things if it becomes necessary. I thought of the reason I was doing this in the first place and prayed to the gods that this meeting would go according to plan.

The sound of greetings brought me back to reality and that was when I realized that we have reached out destination. I could see from the corner of my eyes how tensed my companion was, for he was still holding the hilt of his sword but this time he held it so hard that I feared he might break it. He better not because we might be needing it if everything goes bad. I didn't blame him thou for we were out numbered and in a foreign land.

The warriors were twelve in number. It didn't take me a second to identify their "Obong-Ikpaisong" the King as we call it in our language or "Igwe" as they call him. Even thou he wasn't dressed in his regal attire. He was dressed as the warriors did with only a cloth wrapped around his waist leaving his torso bare so as to disguise himself. He wore neither his crown nor his beads. Years of experience in battle have taught me to distinguish people by the aura the emit, besides it takes a King to know one.

"Greetings" one of the guards said in our dialect. It wasn't surprising as it was common for Kings to have an interpreter for meetings beyond their lands. One of the reasons why I took my friend/ companion Mfon . Yes, I brought an interpreter even thou I knew the will have one. I wasn't a man to trust people that they haven't met or in this case just met.

Mfon knows to listen and alert me once they start conspiring against us. And he knows not to alert them that he could understand their language. "I am King Anayochukwu I received your message two nights ago. Now I would like to know why you will risk so much just to schedule this meeting."

I wasn't here to waste any time, besides I was a man of few words. So I looked directly at the true King and answered " I need your help." To say they were stunned that I could identify the King even thou he was disguised and being the first time I was meeting him was an understatement.

The warrior by his left drew his sword to strike but was stopped by the King. The King stepped forward, his aura becoming intimidating. But I wasn't fazed by it, am used to it. He opened his mouth and started speaking, when he finished the interpreter started talking ( the rest of the conversation went this way. The King talking in his dialect and the interpreter explaining)
"What made you believe that I won't order my guards to kill you this instant. With how desperate your messenger sounded am quiet sure you didn't tell your warriors were you were going. No one would know what happened to you".

I heard Mfon draw his sword from his scabbard but I raised my hand to stop him. I know King Anayo wants me to feel agitated and make a mistake that will result in violence. He didn't trust me and I wasn't surprised, I wouldn't trust myself either if I was in his position. This might be our first meeting but we both knew of each other's reputations. "I heard you are a man of your words" I responded. "What am about to tell you will help both Kingdoms stay strong in the future." Most of the guards snorted. "And what is this you believe you know or have that could help my already prosperous kingdom to prosper?"

I smiled, at least his listening " An heir"