Balogun

SETTLED

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

xXx

Murewa was still in a sour mood the next morning and Jamal was officially fed up.

When was this going to end? He wanted to ask the Prince but he knew that question would be met with anger, so he stayed quiet.

Jamal refused to say a word to Murewa, so they remained silent as they walked down the stairs together, on their way to the campsite.

He suddenly felt Murewa tense beside him and looked up to see Abike at the foot of the stairs, about to climb up.

Jamal prayed for a miracle.
For one of them to act sensible and speak up.

Abike took the stairs as they went down.

Murewa was in front, his shoulders hunched, his back as stiff as a board and Jamal knew he wasn't going to speak to her, his ego wouldn't let him.
He tried to catch Abike's eyes but the girl's head remained down as she walked past them.

Murewa didn't stop or look back until they were out of the main door and Jamal saw his shoulders droop.

"Wow." He shook his head as they walked towards the back gates.
"Why didn't you talk to her? She was right there in front of you."

"Talk to her for what?" Murewa asked. "I don't need her or anyone else. She can go to hell for all I care."

"If you don't need her then prove it. You are miserable, don't you see it? You love this girl, don't you?"

Murewa was in front of him in a flash, staring down angrily into his eyes.
"Love? I can't deal with that emotion. Love turns you into a simpering, vulnerable fool. It's practically you giving someone else power over you."

"That's exactly why I said you love her." Jamal pushed Murewa away from him.
"You just described yourself. Reevaluate," he said angrily and walked off, leaving Murewa behind.

                                   xXx

Abike didn't work with Adenike today.
She worked with another girl called Bimbo who just slept throughout.

Bimbo's room didn't take her too long to clean and as Abike walked back to her room to sleep, she almost did a happy dance that she had about two hours off before she had to resume again.

In her excitement, she didn't see Mrs. Jamila and Iroko turn the hallway in time to hide.

Now, they were coming towards her, Mrs. Jamila's eyes narrowed in her direction.
Abike stared back.

"Good afternoon, mistress."

"Head to the kitchen," the woman responded as she walked past without stopping. "The meeting in the Great Throne Room would start in a minute and the chefs need all the help they can get for food preparations."

Abike groaned as the woman walked away with her thug.
All she wanted to do was sleep.
Oh God.
How was she so unlucky to encounter this woman this afternoon?
The woman was hell bent on making her do all the work she had missed while working with the Prince.

Abike hissed and turned towards the kitchen. She could only hope they wouldn't take much of her time there because she was really tired and needed to rest. 

                                        xXx

When Murewa told Jamal that he would be attending another Throne Room meeting with him that afternoon, Jamal didn't have any complaints.
The last one he attended went well and everyone seemed to be okay with it.