ADEDAYO
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          Having reached the palace, Dada leaves me at my quarters as I begin to take in all that has happened. Leaving the agbo the Olu Awọ gave me in my quarters, I head for the palace garden. When it's occupied by only chirping birds, the occasional rodent that manages to sneak in for food and the peacock that lives there, it is one of my favorite places to be. 

          On reaching there, I hear women giggling. Thinking it's probably some of the palace maidens fooling around in the garden, I step in with the intent to instruct that they leave me alone in the garden. Entering the center of the garden where the stools and benches are placed, I come to see my cousin with two women, most likely harlots, messing around on the bench with Láaróyè in the middle of both ladies. Seeing me, they immediately stop their fun as both ladies kneel down to greet while Láaróyè stares at me with his expression vacant of any emotion. After answering their greetings, I turn to leave then as I wasn't in the mood to tolerate company but Láaróyè calls on to me saying,

           “ We were just about to leave cousin so you don't need to go. I know you don't have the confidence to stomach the presence of women.”

           With the ladies looking conflicted as they don't know how to react to his statement, I greet my cousin while ignoring what he said.

                “ Ekaro-so…~ Good morn-afternoon….Láaróyè.”

         “ Ekaro- sooo Adedayo hahahaha…..shebi I said that he can't act properly in front of women.”  He replies, making fun of how I greeted him. He never ceases to miss an opportunity to mock me, especially in front of a female audience. 

         “ Bola, you have been to my quarters before right? Take Tomisin there. I will attend to you after I'm done talking to my cousin here.” He says to the ladies as I head for the bench at the far end of the garden while feigning ignorance to what he's saying.

             With the ladies out of the vicinity, he stills towards me wearing a  smug look on his face as he forcefully tries to initiate eye contact.

         “ So Irúnmölé abii?....heh heh you must be having sleepless nights.”

      “ I am fine with it, I spend my nights well slept.” I reply , making myself sound as nonchalant as possible.

         He scoffs as he sits next to me and says,

      “ Even me gan..that is more of a man than you sef. I will spend most of my time in fright if I wasn't given that task.”

               Using the little confidence my anger from his statement gives me, I look him in the eye saying.

        “ Or maybe I carry more bravery than you can muster Láaróyè.”

          He laughs in response to my statement as he playfully punches my shoulder.

       “ Ehh henn ... .So you have mind now. You that can't even talk properly in front of a woman.”

          Leaning closer to me, he says.

    “ It's not bravery adedayo. It's simply ignorance, you know little of your kingdom. Your own is to climb mountains and hide on top of them. How exactly would you know of the most dreadful place in all of Yorubaland.”

     “ Uncle Ogundele and the Olu Awọ have briefed me of what Irúnmölé is Láaróyè.” I reply infuriated by what he said.

    “ Of course they have. Your own life is morsel to mouth. No strife. Real men like us have to go out there and see how things are. Not to have everything hand fed to us.” He says as he gets up while gesticulating with his hand.

       “ But not to worry, you will soon learn what it means to work. Shebi you will be going to Irúnmölé soon, it's there you will know just being entitled to the crown won't give you everything.”

        My mind begins to flood me with words that will hurt him, remind him of the fact that he as well is also cut of the same cloth as me for he was also spoiled as well. But that kid in me that stayed solemn whenever he bullied me, stops me from whispering a word in response. A crown to my name and all my life, I just couldn't stand up to him.”

          Seeing how defeated I am by his words, he smirks at me and says.

           “ Hope you aren't angry at me for speaking against you when the Igbimọ had a meeting to determine your fate. Not that guy can do anything but I just have to let you know. Letting the kingdom fall to the hands of an incompetent king is one things but it being at that of an Olossi can't be tolerated.”

        Turning to head for the exit, he says with his back facing me.

       “ You are only heir to the veiled crown by right, not by worth. This whole Irúnmölé situation might as well be a wake up call to the fact that you simply can't rule as Aláàfin. If I were you, I would use this as an excuse to leave OYO territory and never return.”

             And with that, he heads out of the garden. Leaving me more troubled than I was before entering it. But one thing is for sure now, even though I can't lash back at him with words. I will prove his notion of myself wrong by taking this quest. His hypocritical self titles me unworthy of  the crown?

Well let's see if the crown is enough to honor a man that scourged the forest of a thousand demons and came back.