Onochie felt like he'd been dunked in the Oyii stream early before the sun yawned and stretched out its radiant arms on a cold, Harmattan morning. The Oyii stream was the largest of its kind in Zoro and the only one surrounded by crags and precipices. This meant the rare occurrence of a body of water infrequently seduced to warmth by the overhead lord of the day. The sun seldom moved it to heat up, which made swimming in it an icy experience in the cool months of the year.

Comparing the effect of his mother's words to having more than a drop of the dreadful waters on his body was to say that he was in a state of absolute, racking shock. He did not even know when his body sank into a seat at his legs refusing to hold him up. Marriage? In a week? It all was a foreign concept to him. He'd known he had to get married, but never did he think it'd be so soon.

Even after the dowager queen had returned with the blessings of the Wise One of the king in his process of finding a wife, Onochie had judged the event to be one for the future. And in all possible ventures, the farthest future.

Marriage was not a thing he wanted to rush into. He needed to give himself enough time before he committed to a woman in that manner. Granted, he had changed from his once-upon-a-time cavorting and womanising to become a man at least half-deserving of a woman like Ozioma. Yet, that did not change the fact that he was not ready.

Onochie had to be frank with himself. The truth was he had not lived enough, done enough or become enough to have a family. Considering becoming a father brought him unsoiled terror like nothing else. He wasn't even much of a man yet. How could he be a husband or father a child? The thought made him want to retch and vomit and be sick. 

He wished he could do all that his system bade him to, but his mother was watching him intently like a hawk. If he started, he wouldn't be able to stop, and he was certain he did not have any explanations to give the dowager queen on why the thought of marriage was so appalling to him.

She would not understand how he felt. No one would. Or could, for that matter. To others, marriage was a cause to rejoice and be joyful, but Onochie was everything but those. He felt like a noose was tight around his neck with a long rope attached to the leg of a horse spurring for take-off. Indeed, it was as if he was being dragged to his doom.

Moreover, who would be pitiful for a king who was expected to do the duties allotted to him. His obligations were not fur pieces or cloaks that he could shirk off his shoulders in a lone minute. They were much more permanent and binding. Everyone had their cross to carry, and this was his. If only it was not so heavy that it threatened to run him down into the ground. Would there be any of him left by the end of this matter? He wasn't so sure.

"You have not answered me...my son." Onochie noted the pause in his mother's statement, and he knew that she was still trying her best to acclimatise to not calling or referring to him as his subjects did. She was his mother, and he wished for her to act like she was so without any fears.

"Can I think about it then tell you my decision, Nne'm?" He asked as he propped his head up with a fist under his jaw. The thoughts in his head must have ladened his head, as he could not keep it up any other way.

"The next Afor market is in six days. If you are to think about it, I advise you to take a day or two, my son. We need more than three days to prepare and spread the news. It is good that I have seen to propagate rumours about your marriage in the nearest future to most of the village."

"Mother!" Onochie scolded, regarding her with averse awe. His mouth was agape as he viewed his mother in a different light.

The woman smiled at him, an innocent, open-teethed grin. "What is it, my child?"

"Why would you do that, Nne? I had not agreed to your plan before you started spreading tales."

"Oh, but I knew you would." She declared confidently, and Onochie had to smile. He loved that she was becoming more self-assured and assertive. As so, he would let this issue go this once. After all, he knew her actions were for his good. Thus, he felt up to assuring her that he would make the right decision. "It is time for you to secure your throne, my dear son. It is better earlier than later."

Onochie nodded his understanding. She was right. Anything could happen to him, and he needed to be prepared for the worst to secure his throne. Moreover, he knew he cared for her. She was the only family he had left, and he was all that was left of hers. Perhaps it was time for him to extend his family, carry on his father's line and bring more blessings to his kingdom. 

Evidently, what was being asked of him was an obligation that belonged only to him as the sole heir to his father's throne. If he did not take such as task seriously, there was no one else who would. And on his last check, he had to honour his father's legacy. He could not afford to do otherwise.

"I am amazed you have this strong faith in me, my mother. I will give you my answer soon enough. Give me a day to think about this. I promise you do not have to worry about me. I shall not fail you."

"You do not have to assure me of that, my son. I know you will not. I knew you were destined for greatness from the day you were born. My belief has not changed one bit since that day." She reached for him, and he made his way to her, bending into a squat at her feet. 

"N'nem..."

"My handsome son..." she hummed as she pressed her palm to his chin, patting his scruff. Her hand was soft against him, and Onochie drank in her maternal warmth and comfort. If it were possible, he would never leave the spot on which his feet were firmly planted. "My dear child, that has brought me only the purest of joys."

"I have not always brought you joy, Mother." He countered truthfully, recalling what he'd done in the past. His action had yielded a result that could neither be revoked nor reversed. 

What he'd done had been covered up in a hush-hush manner, but the consequences of that day would forever live with him. Would always haunt him, so much so that the nightmares that plagued his night were a normal part of his life. He could not remember a juncture at which the dreadful terrors were not a part of him as they currently were. 

It didn't matter that the man had not been blameless. Onochie could not stomach that he'd ridden a family of its head. It had not been in his place to do so, not his responsibility. But to save those who were important to him, he had taken on the burden. And honestly, he could not imagine himself regretting his actions that day, despite the outcomes. He never would.

"You are my delight, Onochie. You are the reason that I live. I know I have not shown this to you enough, but I have my reasons." She looked away, pain burning in the shades of her eyes. Onochie swallowed, his throat dry and constricted. But it wasn't hard to breathe. It was merely so to not shed tears as he was impelled to. 

"I am sorry for all the times I was not present in your life. Yet, I want you to know that I have not once failed to think of you, my son. I have always been on your side. I will always be on your side, my dear one. I pray that you do not doubt me for a moment, for I adore you more than anything in this short life."

"Thank you, Mother. Thank you." He held her hand in his and lay his head on it, fervent adoration leaking out of him from every pore. The truth was he did not know what his mother's reasons were for the gulf she had let span between them, but it pacified him to learn that at least she had one. In the future, if the gods permitted it, he hoped he would come to know her motivations. This was only the beginning, and he was hopeful for a better tomorrow.

"I shall leave you to prepare for the festival." She stood, and Onochie followed her to the door. "Ready yourself. There is someone I will introduce you to."

The king arched an eyebrow at the tiny woman. "Who is that, Mother?"

"You will see soon." She patted his shoulder and took her leave. Onochie was apprehensive of whatever plan she had in mind, but he shook his head and gently closed the door. 

He was glad that his mother was back to her normal self, unlike the woman who had battled a convulsion attack some days ago. From the eyes he had watching her, he'd gathered that she was eating enough to sustain her being. He likely would have to get used to more of her interventions, but he preferred it more than having her in danger, her health in peril. He reckoned he would have to wait till the festival to meet whoever she wished to acquaint him with.

"My lord!" There was another knock and call for him. Onochie sighed exasperatedly. The wood of the barrier would likely wear out by the end of the day. Maybe, he would have a new door installed too.

"Who is it?" He returned at a louder volume than he ordinarily would have if this weren't the thousandth time his peace was being disturbed.

"Your Majesty, it is I, Kamalu! I must speak to you, my lord. It is important."

Onochie's brows shot up into his hairline as the urgency communicated in those words propelled him to pull open the door in a fluid motion. He had been unable to pick out the familiar range of the voice from behind the wooden plane, which had stood as a shield that damped the chief guard's vocal sounds.

"What happened?" He demanded as Kamalu breezed into the room with a gloominess shrouding him. 

"There has been a change in the arrangements, my lord." The guard was tense; his face was stretched taut and unsmiling. Onochie could not derive a reason for the solemn mood, which was gradually rubbing off on him.

"What arrangements? Why do you appear grim? The expression you wear is so grave it strikes me with fear."

"Arrangements for the celebrations at dusk, Your Majesty. The queen mother has decided that her attendants will partake in the festival alongside the servants from the main palace."

Onochie stared at him in disbelief. Was that the problem? Was that why he'd been so strung up as if a war were upon the kingdom? "Why has such an insignificant detail called for alarm? What is wrong with my mother's people serving at the festival? We need as many hands as is available, do we not?"

"Yes, my lord. But, might you have forgotten that Ezinwanyi is now the queen mother's favourite attendant? I believe Her Majesty plans to introduce her to you during the merrymakings."

Once again, Onochie felt like he was submerged in that frigid body, his head tens of feet beneath its stirring surface. "Introduce her to me? That cannot happen! I did not even contemplate that she could well be there." He rambled, panic seeping into his being. What was he to do? He was nearly hysterical at imagining that she caught in him in acting, right in his role as king. What was he to say if that happened? Envisioning the reality shook him with terror. It was not an actuality he wanted to stay conceivable. He couldn't let it come to pass.

"What shall we do, my lord?" Kamalu paced from one end of the large room to the other in fewer seconds than should have been viable. "Do you suppose we tell her the truth?"

"No!" Onochie snapped, awakening from his realm of deep contemplation. "Never. She must not know of my true origins. She will despise me if she does." He could not bear that. On more occasions than he'd remembered to count, she'd admitted that she harboured a great grudge towards those who were born to nobility, specifically the male gender. 

She'd explained curtly that she'd faced untold hardships in her village because of the royalty and a particular man who had prompted her to flee. It had not taken much for him to piece together the parts of her story that she refused to utter aloud. A royal had tried to defile her. So, he had not doubted her when she'd revealed that she detested those who were highborn. 

If she found out that not only was his bloodline noble but that, worse, he was the king, she would hate him more than she already did. He was convinced that she would loathe him, and for some unknown reason, he could not stomach the idea of her doing so. 

Perhaps it was for his selfish motives. No, it was for his greedy desires. He was fully aware. It was unpretentious to pinpoint that one of the problems from Ezinwanyi unearthing his genuine identity was her coming to abhor him. However, that was not all. More importantly, he was more scared of losing the only person who saw him as a human outside of his crown. 

When he was with her, he did not have to be a king. All he was was himself, Onochie. He could not remember when last he was called by his name by one who was not his relation. It probably was more than ten years ago when he had no clue of the burden that would be his for life. She unknowingly eased him of that load, permitting him to be himself. It was a gift no one had given him—not even Ozioma his love—and he was grateful for the special blessing. It would be foolhardy of him to lose it. He could not let go when he had found something so precious.

Filling his lungs with the stiff air in the enclosure they shared, Onochie cleared his throat, having reached a decision. He knew what to do. "We must take all measures to keep my identity a secret. During the entire festivities and worship for Anyanwu, I will wear the decorated crown with stringed coral beads that shape a curtain over my face. Even while we call on our ancestors, I will not take it off; I will keep my face concealed."

"But Your Majesty, the god of the sun expects that we present ourselves as honest and open as possible. Concealing your face might not bring us good luck, my lord."

"I do not care!" Onochie shouted, stunning both himself and his only confidante.

Kamalu blinked, seeming stumped by the unexpected outburst. "Forgive me for going too far, Your Majesty." He sloped his head in a respectful apology. 

"You did not... You did not go too far. It is all my fault." Onochie heaved a sigh as he ran a hand down his face, dragging on his lower lip with slightly quivering fingers. "I am sorry, Kamalu."

"It is nothing you should apologise for, my lord. I understand that this is a difficult issue to resolve. Please let me know however I can help. I will do anything I can to aid you, my liege."

"Then, let me trouble you with this favour, Kalu." He called his friend by the nickname that was his from a younger age.

The taller man was rapt, willing to meet the needs of his master. "Anything, my lord. I will do it."

"I want you to keep an eye on Ezinwanyi." Onochie could not meet Kamalu's eyes as he made his request. He was embarrassed as he was exposing too much about the extent to which he cared for the woman from a foreign land. But his discomfiture did not stop him from pressing forward. 

"Keep her from drawing near my throne without cause, Kamalu. Distract or occupy her if you have to. I shall request for more designs to be patterned on my face to offer another layer to my disguise, but you must play your part in this to perfection. Otherwise, my efforts will be in vain."

"You can count on me, Your Majesty." He bowed, and Onochie expressed gratitude to his trustworthy companion before giving him the approval to depart.

"No matter what you do, you must protect her, Kamalu. Keep her safe always. I trust you to not fail me." He admonished the chief guard and winced as the truth abruptly crashed on him. 

Onochie realised in a stupefying wash of shock that he'd told himself lies all along. The reason he did not want to marry so quickly was not because of his fear of the future or of not enjoying his singlehood to the fullest. No, it was not any of that. Rather, she was the reason.

Ezinwanyi.
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