Balogun

KING MUREWA

"There is no real ending. It's just the place where where you stop the story."
     - Frank Herbert.

                                      xXx

Abike felt someone shake her awake.

She groaned and tried to slap the hand away, but it persisted, gently shaking and tapping her softly until she opened her eyes.

She met Murewa's gaze immediately and frowned.
The room still looked a little dark, so why was he awake?
And why was he waking her?

She scrambled to sit and then looked up at him.

A quick glance at the overhead clock told her it was six a.m. 

"Olu."

"Mama..."

She scooted closer to him and held his face in her small hands.
"What's going on?"

"I'm going to be King today," he said like it explained everything.
Abike knew they had a lot to talk about. She was finally ready to hear it.

"You don't look too happy."

"I am." He leaned down to press a soft kiss to her cheek. "It's just...I don't know if I can be a good one."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at my father," he said in a low voice. "He was a good King, moral and very calm; but look how everything turned out. His Ministers betrayed him, the Grandfather..."

Yes, the Grandfather.
Abike hadn't seen him at dinner and had wanted to ask Murewa about it.

"The Grandfather was absent at dinner."

"He is going to be absent for a lot of dinners because he is dead."

Abike reared back in shock. "Oh God, I am so sorry," she said, putting her arms around him.

"I think I need to start from the beginning, so you won't feel sorry about his death..." Murewa answered with a small smile. "I wanted to tell you last night but you fell asleep."

"Don't blame me, you wore me out," she said with a chuckle.
"I'm ready to listen. What happened, Olu? Why did I have to go away? What happened with Amu? And the King and Queen —why do they suddenly like me?"

"Slow your horses, woman." Murewa laughed. "Sheesh. You sure do have a lot of questions for someone who didn't seem interested in listening to what I had to say."

"What? I was interested." Abike pouted. "I was just more interested in other things, but now that we have gotten those out of the way, shoot me."

"Shoot you?" Murewa laughed. "Okay. Here is a bullet: you had to go away because the Grandfather was out for you and the baby."

"I don't understand."

"He wanted our baby. For himself."

"Olu..."

"Here is what happened..."

Murewa told her everything.
From the hidden letters, to the Grandfather's criminal activities, to the death of his brother.

As he spoke, he saw the emotions flicker across her face and wanted to stop talking.
The hurt, the pain, she was feeling it all and he knew how deep the pain ran for him.
He didn't want her to have a part of it.

He told her about his father's sickness and how he almost lost the man.
He told her about Habibah and how she lost her babies.

Everything.