Who gon' pray for me?
Take my pain for me?
Save my soul for me?
-Pray for me,
The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar
...
Beads of sweat formed on Oba Eniafe's forehead as he watched the Ifa priest perform his magic.
The Ifa priest, the only one who the great Ifa, the god of divination, spoke to, was a lean man. He lived in a fearsome hut just on the outskirts of the kingdom, and only visited when he was needed urgently. His face and body was decorated with chalk marks, those marks could only be worn by him, and his head was shaved apart from a clump of hair in the middle. The priest was dressed in nothing but a linen cloth tied around his waist, and the Oba suddenly realised why.
The hut was so steaming! Carved images of their powerful gods adorned the room, looking vicious, especially to one that didn't know so much about them. The priest sat on the mud floor, a white animal fur spread on the floor as he shaked cowries in his hands, muttering incantations and enquiring from the gods.
The Oba waited impatiently for his answer. He should have done this since. Instead of getting married to all the beautiful women in the kingdom, he should have just asked the gods to show him th one that would bear him a son.
His very own Aremo.
He had made various sacrifices, gone to the evil forest to appease the gods once, slept with all seven women for seven days, even sacrificed the first born son of the poorest woman in the village as a priest once told him, all for this son.
If Ifa didn't know what to do, then there would be no hope.
Seven wives, and not one male child! All daughters that he had no use for. Daughters could not rule the kingdom, they could not fight wars or make peace. They were all there for no purpose at all.
But after this, he was so sure that he would get the answer he needed. Perhaps he just needed to make a sacrifice to Oshun, the goddess of love and fertility, to bless one of his wives with a son; or to ask Obba, the goddess of marriage, to pick a new wife for him.
He just hoped that there would be a solution.
"My king." The priest finally spoke up, looking at the Oba piercingly. "The gods have given you an answer."
"Great be the gods of the land." He replied dutifully.
"None of your wives are destined to give you a crown prince. However, there is a virgin maiden in this kingdom, one that would get pregnant immediately you lay with her, and with a crown prince." The priest said.
"And how do we find her?" The Oba asked eagerly.
"Patience my king."
Patience? He was already six decades and eight years! He wasn't getting any younger, without a crown prince his lineage would end with him, and another family would take the throne. He couldn't let that happen.
It would be a taboo for him to be the first king who's throne was taken so easily.
"You would organize a beauty pageant for all the virgin maidens in the kingdom. I would be there to show you who the chosen girl is. You must marry her immediately, and lay with her if you want to secure the throne for your lineage." The priest finished, rolling his white animal fur and putting his cowries in a leather pouch before placing them where they belonged.
"After all these, I would get a son?"
"Yes my king." The priest replied. "You find the girl, you get a son."
The Oba stood up, muttering his prayers of thanks to the gods before leaving the hut, the priest paying no attention to him. Once outside, he called on to one of his guards.
"Fetch the town crier, and bring him to the palace. We have important news to deliver to the people."
...
Hello and welcome to Bride Price!😆
Thoughts and suggestions are always welcome!
What do you think about the Oba?
Banner on the side was made by me😊. Banners are welcome people!
Advice, suggestions, criticism, they are welcome. Let me know what I'm doing wrong or right.
Don't forget to:
Vote - You! Don't leave here without pressing that star button 😉
Comment - Let me know what you think. I'm a writer in training.
Follow - i'll follow back. I promise
Share - tell your friends and tell them to tell their friends.
Keep on being amazing my loyal subjects 👸
- Olori Timi
YOU ARE READING
Bride Price ✔
Historical Fiction"You know I cannot commit such atrocity my love. I cannot sleep with anothers wife." Tomori stressed, looking away as she moved to untie her once white wrapper. It was now brown and dirty, showing all she had to suffer just to make sure there was no...
