It was a listless wait before the light bloomed in its due form before Ugegbe. She found the delay primarily bearable as all she'd done was keep her eyes on the saving grace thrown to her while chained fathoms below in her abyss of guilt and transgressions.

As the amber glow drew nearer, so did the voice. One she recognised as most familiar to her ears. It was a balm for her healing, a salve for her wounds. His hoarse vocals were tender to her listening, soothing her nerves, placating her tremors.

Onochie. She noted internally, incapable of producing any word at a decibel higher than the volume within her consciousness. She was too feeble and enervated. The gut-churning, harrowing experience had sucked the vitality out of her. What energy she had before was extinct. She was fatigued and exhausted than she could say.

"Ezinwanyi! You are here." His lips split into an enchanting smile. Ugegbe felt its warmth stab at her heart, then at her bones, unlocking her stiff joints. "I have been searching for you. Assumed you would have returned to my—" he paused, then instantly backtracked at breakneck speed. "What I was to say is I showed up at the queen mother's palace, searching for you. There was no report of your arrival. Why are you here?"

"I..." she started but could not finish as her knees knocked together, and to the ground, she plummeted. Fortunately, a firm grasp on her wrist prevented her from tumbling down too quickly. She ended on the floor but on her butt and with less of a sting in the affected area.

"Gods!" Onochie swore as he crouched to join her on the level her delinquent bones had dropped her to without warning. She shrank away from him hurriedly, hiding her sore cheek, which she suspected would call for his attention. "I am sorry, Ezinwanyi. I should have caught you, but it was not my expectation that you would fall. Are you alright?"

Ugegbe shook her head, then nodded, confusing the man before her, whose brows skittered up, nearly into his hairline. "You perplex me, Ezinwanyi." He disclosed to her, lips tightened in reflection of his frown. "What do you reply with? A nod in affirmation or a shake in a negative response."

Ugegbe was quiet. Her tongue had since failed her, and even if it had retained its function, she wasn't so optimistic that she'd succeed at expressing herself clearly in her state. She'd given him two answers. The enthusiastic head-shake that sent the beads in her unwound hair into commotion was a response to him swallowing a good chunk of the blame for her fall. On the other hand, her nod had been to acquiesce that she was quite fine. It was impossible to inform him of this distinction when her mouth was sealed shut.

Onochie must have realised that she was stuck in a dilemma of her own as he pressed forth. "I shall ask again, but distinctly. Did you escape hurt?" A bob of the chin. "You are well?" Again, another. "I am glad." A sigh must have exuded out of Onochie's pores, as his relief was perceptible through his body's verbiage with the salience of a wave breaking into a sea's still.

"I have been in distress because of you." He pushed the hilt of his lamp into the ground. It broke into the beaten sand with an ease that was not from a place without potency.

"Distress?" It was her first word to him since his entrance, and she'd had to force it out just to keep from not contemplating his handsomeness.

"Indeed." He sat across from her but so unnecessarily close that if Ugegbe braved moving an inch, their limbs would become as if physically linked.

"Why?"

"You worry me. I was alarmed when you fell back without warning; it could have been worse. Even now... Can you walk?" Onochie's concern was palpable, a screen that had palled over his cast, yet, all Ugegbe could think of was how lovely his face was with this slight proximity between them.

She hadn't noticed before, but his nose was smaller than most she'd seen. Indeed, it was tinier than hers by a stretch. Yet, it was a faultless fit for him. It did not emasculate his face or make it too dainty. Instead, it blended in with his other features. One of which she found irresistibly appealing caught her eyes as his tongue glided over it, wetting the soft flesh to glisten. She mused that his nose must have been made small to make more room for a full, fleshy mouth. His dark, sultry lips were ripe for covering another's—hers.

"Ezinwanyi?"

"Yes?" She was back to studying his allure again.

"Can you walk?"

"I do not know." Why was he this prepossessing? No! She could not continue beholding him, or she would lose her mind and kiss him.

Hurriedly, Ugegbe peeled her eyes from his face. With nowhere else to go, she shuttled her hungry watch to his chest. A huge mistake. His pectorals flexed, and her jaw slackened as an unhinged hatch. She might have drooled like a canine. Her hand instinctively stretched out, itching to touch his skin, the hue of the coat of dark locust beans; it called her to have a taste.

The progress of her sneaky fingers was only impeded when her senses snapped back into place. She scrambled away from him like he was an evil she needed to avoid by all means.

"What...what is wrong?" He was thoroughly bewildered. His frown had dug a groove between his brows. Ugegbe hated herself for admitting that she had never seen a man so charming with a scowl pulling his features. She wanted to gape at him for an eternity and a half and simultaneously avoid him for the rest of her existence.

"You examine me with so much distaste." He remarked as he peeked at her through long, curled lashes. "Why do you hate me so, Ezinwanyi?"

"I do not!" Ugegbe asserted forcefully, puzzled at how he could have reached such an impossible conclusion. She liked him too much, and that was her problem. How could she hate him when he caused her heart to throb by simply existing?

He did not have to utter a word or do a thing, and there was warring within her, zealous, lusty passions earnestly plaguing her with the spur of a chariot. If she were ever to pair the sentiment of detestation with him, it would only because she desired him far too much for comfort. She suspected this possibility was becoming the case with how her body longed for him and had leapt with joy, escaping from its anguish and inflicted agony, at his call for her.

"Really?" His beautiful skin was taut, tightly knitted as he begged a confirmation of her. "You do not hate me truly?"

"You have not given me cause to. In all our relations, you have been an honest man, respecting me without fail. I cannot hate a good person." She declared in a flourish. Onochie was no man like Ifediaso. He did not seem quick to anger or hurt others. His countenance was gentle, a mellowness she was considerably appreciative of. She could tell that he would not be a savage who'd hit his wife like she were a beast of burden but would be humane in all his dealings with the woman as he had been with her to date.

Ugegbe was glad he'd somehow achieved finding her. His presence ironed out her fears, which had been like wrinkles in a cloth before it was starched. He was her starch. She saw him as a solid pillar that could be dependable if given a chance. His appearance today had renewed her hope, rousing her from the pitiful slumber she had allowed to take her without any assurances of letting go.

Absolutely clueless of his actions, he had saved her, extending a branch into her bottomless pit. Ugegbe was grateful. With him around, she unearthed reasons to not remain submerged fathoms deep in guilt.

She no longer had time to waste contemplating her past actions. Not when she had to devote that energy into keeping her traitorous body from doing things she, or he, would regret. Even now, he was a walking, breathing hazard. That aside, he gave her reason to want to trust somebody other than herself. She had the strength to consider the notion because of him and Kamalu, though the latter did not plunge her into a well of yearning as Onochie did.

"It pleases me to hear that from you, Ezinwanyi." He would not meet her eyes, so Ugegbe was not sure what his emotions were. Was he sincerely grateful for something so insignificant? And why did he care if she viewed him in a positive light or not? Before she could ask any of the queries circling in her head like hawks searching for prey, he commenced emitting his sentiments.

"Your actions in the past have not exactly been welcoming. I assumed that you hated or did not trust me. Or both..." Onochie cocked his head at an angle, piercing browns of a fermented cocoa pod, drilling into her without a cautious tone to them. Ugegbe felt unusually exposed to his taking under the surveillance of those striking orbs. "Do you fear me, Ezinwanyi?"

"Why should I?" She snapped, suddenly irritated by the turn of questioning. It was all too similar to the rubbish Ifediaso had spouted moments ago that it triggered a harsh response from her. "Who are you that I should fear you? Are you not just a man? A human with arms and legs as I do? That eats and drinks as I do?" Her stare grew shrewd as she let it constrict on him. "I would hope you are."

"Of course I am! I am no less human than any person you've had relations with or even your loved ones." He blazoned emphatically, and it sucked out a wad of forbearance from Ugegbe to not let her pain show at the mention of her loved ones.

Only one of her family was left, and she'd abandoned him in her escape. If he came to harm due to her actions, she was certain forgiveness would never be her portion. She already had one too many blots on her soul. If another were to arise on account of her father, life would have no meaning.

"I am sorry if I have offended you by voicing my views."

"You have not," Ugegbe assured him in a clear, steady voice. "You are right. I may have been rather cold to you. However, you must know that you have done nothing to merit it. I have found it hard to treat you as I would others because..." because what? She stopped short of selling herself out.

What could she tell him? Confessing that she found him attractive was not an option. Yet that was all she had. She rolled out a sigh as her temple pinched into a groove. That was the truth, and she was fast learning that it was impossible to come up with a lie when he was gazing at her so intently with eager curiosity splayed over his features.

"You need not appear so stressed by what you are to reveal, for you do not have to divulge it to me. I can see that you have grounds for avoiding me and how else you have regarded me. That alone is reason enough. Knowing that you do not hate me gladdens me as well."

"Why do you care about how I feel of you?"

Onochie shrugged, then turned his sights on the misty sky. Ugegbe joined him in goggling the countless tiny stars, dimming then burning brighter, as she had deduced that he must need some time to decide what to say or maybe, whether he wanted to apprise her of it or not.

"I think I have just always cared. It has been the norm for me. I need to care about what others think of me to know if I am doing my job well or not. I have no standing if I fail to win people's approvals or favours. Another man can arrive and easily cart away all that belongs to me. You see, it might seem childish, but it is a fear that suffocates me even in my respite. Perhaps it is even worse since I have never felt like I belong in this position that has been handed to me."

"Maybe that is the problem. You do not believe in yourself. Has anyone once told you that you have not done a good job?"

"No. But they could harbour it in their minds."

"I still do not understand why that should be your concern."

"Because...because maybe that is the truth. What if I am doing everything wrong?"

"So then?" She peered at him like he was pulling her legs. It was beyond her why a man like him had so little faith in himself, which saddened her greatly. She considered him, and all she saw was a broken man who found it difficult to place trust in himself. Despite that his tone was light while he related his fears to her, there was a darkness that mantled the twinkle in his eyes and broke her heart for him.

"Onochie, everyone makes mistakes."

"Yes, but that is allowed only when few people rely on you."

Ugegbe bounced her head while concealing the grief that seared into her at his confirmation of having more people than most depending on him. It so verified that he had a family. She could not continue fooling herself. He would never be hers because he belonged to another.

"You were on your way to the dowager queen's palace, were you not?"

"Indeed." Her tone was flat, lusterless, as she resisted admiring him since the new information she'd gained.

"I heard you helped our queen mother oppose her disease."

Ugegbe wrinkled her nose as the faint stench of animal dung wafted in her direction. The moo of a cow from afar alerted her of what she was sensing. "It is not your place to thank me. Should that not be what the king ought to do?"

Onochie turned away, a sentiment similar to remorse imprinting on his face. "I agree that he should, but until he does so, I thank you on his behalf." A loud yell startled him as he was about counting more to his statement. "These men... I imagine some guards are fighting again."

"Are they?" She made the mistake of looking in the direction of the racket from behind her, as her entire face was illuminated by the burning flame that Onochie had brought. His fingers met her skin, provoking her to vault to her feet. He pursued her closely, launching up, unrelenting in his probe of her wounds.

"Ifediaso did this to you? He hurt you this much?"

"It is nothing." She inserted her hands as a wedge between her and his scrutiny.

"Nothing?" He bellowed, displeasure transforming into ire as he grabbed his torch and waved it before her. Ugegbe could not help but flinch as she tensed up in anticipation of a blow or a hit out of the blue. Onochie paused in his tracks as he realised what she was doing. "Why?"

Slowly, Ugegbe convinced herself to drop her arms and relax her winded muscles. "Why what?" She was as confused as he was downcast.

"Did you think I would hurt you?"

She did not like the tone with which he'd tendered his question. It was almost as if he thought her reaction unfounded when it was not. "I do not trust men to not inflict damage on the women around them. I am sorry if this weighs on you wrongly, but the truth is you are a man, and you are one I am not certain of his countenance when angered."

"As you said, and I presume Kamalu must have notified you, Ifediaso is the perpetrator. He struck me without justifiable reason and numerously today. He constantly makes my life a living hell. I thought to involve the king and plead for his intervention, but he refused to see me. If you believe my suspicions are baseless, then you are wrong, for most men I have met have failed me and twisted my perceptions of their gender."

"You misconstrue my reaction, Ezinwanyi. How could I judge you, knowing what you have gone through? I simply wished you would not be afraid of me. I would rather die than bring you to hurt."

"Do not say things like that. It is not proper. We ne'er are betrothed, nor are we in a courtship. You need not profess allegiance as so to me. I am but a stranger to you. At most, we are acquainted. Nothing more."

"I have not once complained about who you are to me, have I?" He asked, his attention still riveted by her injuries. She'd given up on trying to shroud them. With how persistent he was, trying to do so would have been a waste of time and her energy. "Have I?"

Ugegbe budged reluctantly, stiffly conceding that he hadn't. He obviously did not care that she was a stranger or acquaintance. Whereas she did. She was not his partner, and what he'd professed were words husbands spoke to their wives.

"Ifediaso will pay for what he has done." He vowed, and Ugegbe freed a small sigh. This was the second man promising vengeance for her, but she was convinced it would amount to nothing. Kamalu was the royal chief guard, and even he'd not succeeded in reigning Ifediaso.

Onochie was a mere palace attendant, according to Kamalu. What could he do? What change could he make with his meagre position? She hoped he was aware that the vulnerable and weak in society were those not protected by money or title.

"How?"

"I will bring him to justice."

"That may be possible, but I highly think it not. Ifediaso is strong. Not many can defeat him physically. If only you were a king...perhaps you would have had the power to order him to do your will. Currently, both you and Kamalu cannot punish him for his sins."

"You render me speechless always, Ezinwanyi." He pronounced aloud, and Ugegbe shivered as a tempestuous thrill wrecked her system. He was staring at her so tenderly that she could hardly draw in air. She rendered him speechless? Ha. What jest. She was the one who had her tongue in a jam, crammed down her throat, solely from his searing gaze.

Inhaling more than a gulp of oxygen, she managed to regurgitate command of the organ and push it to shove out her objection. "Y-you confound me with your comments, Onochie. It is not right that you do so."

"Right? I am not confident I have knowledge of what is right or not, Ezinwanyi." He shared quietly, his expression that of a troubled man upset by circumstances out of his control.

"How can you not know what is right?"

He fixed his lovely browns on her, anguish and despair tinting them a darker shade. "I pray you, tell me, Ezinwanyi, would kissing you be right?"
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