HIS ROYAL BRIDE

CHAPTER 49

CHAPTER 49
[UNEDITED]

[NARRATED]

When Kurhula arrives at Chief Baloyi’s home to pay him a visit concerning his brother and the chief’s daughter, he finds him playing chess with Kuli’s uncle. He greets both with firm handshakes.
‘Son, sit down. This coward is about to leave because he can already see how dire his future looks on this board’ the chief jokes and they all laugh. Uncle G was already on his feet.
‘You like playing this game with me because you know I don’t like it, which always increases your chances of winning’
‘Just admit that I always win fair and square’ Baloyi argues back. Uncle G shakes his head and says his goodbyes.
‘Let me go see those men before they lose their patience’ he says.
‘No problem. We’ll do this some other time’ the chief says in a less playful tone this time. His brother leaves and Kurhula occupies the outdoor chair across his father-in-law. He silently moves a pawn.
‘Oh you’re challenging me?’
‘Are you afraid of a challenge?’ Kurhula respectfully asks with a smile on his face. The chief laughs.
They start playing.
‘What are you doing here, Edward Junior? I know this is not just a plain visit’
‘Can’t I spend time with my father-in-law?’
‘You’re a busy man and it is written in your eyes that there’s something you want to say? Is it related to the rumours I hear about you taking a second wife?’
Kurhula tries to package an answer.
‘I will not react, son. You think a man of my age, who is a custodian of our culture and tradition would stand in the way of you living up to your birth right?’
‘That’s the thing. I wasn’t ready. I had no intention of hurting Kuli in this manner’
The chief sits back.
‘I’ve been married a couple of times and I can tell you now that no woman would just accept this with their arms folded. Some just cry, some might put your life in danger’
Kurhula laughs and says nothing. This wasn’t what he came for but he appreciated that he could vent to his father-in-law.
‘Royals do not speak about love. It’s an ephemeral concept to us. I wish I could sympathise with her but that would just make me a shameless hypocrite. Her only sin was being the daughter of a chief. This is all part of her growth. She is spiritually gifted, heavily so. There was no way her life was going to be easy’
He moves a piece.
‘In all this, I trust that you know how to handle your own wife’ he says and raises his eyes so they meet Kurhula’s, who nods.
‘What’s the worst that could happen if I reject an ancestral wife?’
‘You’d be turning away a huge chunk of your blessings. See, when we say we are nothing without these women, we mean it. Most of our wealth, monetary and otherwise, usually arrives with them and when they leave, they take it with’
Kurhula lifts a brow.
‘You will understand someday. I might not be around to applaud you for finally getting it’ – he laughs – ‘But the most important thing here, our gods do not take kindly to being ignored and having their instructions disregarded. They’ve lived before and all their lives, they were the ones making the rules. They were never subordinates to anybody. What happened to the life you had set up in Pretoria?’
‘Things were just not going my way’ Kurhula answers even though he does not understand what this has to do with the topic.
‘Do you think that was a coincidence? Your life falling apart when your father was on his deathbed?’
‘But it has been established that I’m not the one who’s supposed to be king?’
The chief huffs and picks up his box of cigars. He offers one to Kurhula and he takes it out. ‘You have a role to play. Not everything starts and ends on the throne. You see that man who was sitting on that chair?’
‘Uncle G?’
Baloyi nods. ‘The next time you see him, ask him what his role is with regards to the wealth of this family. Specifically the cows that we own. For now, let’s focus on the board’
He says before gently knocking off and capturing one of Kurhula’s chess pieces.
‘I appreciate the conversation we’ve just had however, I am here on a different matter’
‘Let me guess. Your hooligan of a twin brother?’
‘He’s nothing like that’
‘We both saw what he did to my daughter. Do not speak like you weren’t there’
‘Khalanga, you’re the father to the woman I love and that makes feel honoured hence I respect you as such. In this case, I need you to understand that Fikani was not at fault. My aunt knows very well what she did that made him react in the manner that he did’
‘You speak like the two of you grew up together’
‘The bond is natural. No third person would understand it except for the two of us. We might be different but at the core of our beings, he is me and I am him. That’s what I’ve gotten to learn’
The chief sits back and stares thoughtfully, while puffing on his cigar.
‘Different how? In that you haven’t laid a hand on any of my daughters?’
‘And won’t. It was never supposed to happen in the first place and he regrets it each time he remembers. Have I not proven myself to you?’ Kurhula asks.
‘You have but I don’t understand what that has to do with Mabontle’
‘If you truly believe that Kuli is in safe hands, then please believe that I wouldn’t be here speaking for Fikani if I believed he has no control over his anger. If anything, he’s the calmest of us two. And this is the man who made sure that there was nothing incriminating your daughter on that fateful day’
The chief sighs, looking around to see if they don’t have company.
‘You are provoking someone who holds the future of your father-daughter relationship with Kulani. And if she finds out that I knew that you were involved all along, I’m a dead man walking’
‘Are you boys blackmailing me?’
‘Not at all. All I’m asking from you, with all due respect, is for you to give their relationship a chance. They clearly love one another. And if you won’t do it for Kuli, so that she never finds out about this, then do it for Mabontle. She will never forgive you if Fikani marries someone else. Which he will if you don’t give him the go ahead to marry the love of his life. Let this be the once in a lifetime event where a prince and a princess want to marry one another without anyone being forced into it. Checkmate’ he says after cornering the chief’s king on the board and standing up – preparing to leave. Baloyi stands up as well and lets out a heavy sigh, accompanying him to the gate.
‘Son, I don’t know whether to feel disrespected due to the fact that you drove all the way here to give me an ultimatum or to feel proud to see how much of a man you are, sticking out for your blood in this manner. As someone who was once stabbed in the back by their own brother, I have to applaud you for this’ he offers him a handshake and Kurhula obliges.
‘You’ve made solid points and because I trust you…’ he goes silent. The anticipation keeps rising in Kurhula.
‘That is my baby girl – one that I was never afforded the opportunity to raise my way. If anything happens to her in the hands of that boy, the two of you are going to pay dearly for it’
Kurhula has no idea whether to process this as approval or a threat. His hand was still tightly held by his father-in-law.
‘You can send your men. Come well prepared because I’m not happy with this’ he says with a subtle smile. Kurhula laughs.
‘I see us going bankrupt because of you’
‘I make drop-dead gorgeous kids. That’s what you get for wanting to pick expensive flowers in the same garden’
Kurhula gets into his car and leaves after they’ve cleared the tension between them.