Fonjam
King Greda and Fonjam met one morning to discuss Fonjam’s feedback. The servants were all tip-eared as they tried to catch one or two rumors about all the excitement going on around the palace concerning the King’s new bride. Fonjam had sent for the five women he had gone and selected for the King.
“My King, I assure you that I picked the best of the land. In no time, you will be seeing them.”
“I trust you my friend.” The King seemed to have forgotten the other lady’s name. The one he had found at the stream during his royal stroll. He decided that he would go through with this selection first so he did not render all of Fonjam’s effort useless. But he had already found a bride for himself, and it was amazing that it was not his initial plan to get married any soon, but he was awestruck with her beauty and her flawless character and found her desirable as wife and queen. She had indicated that she was not married and that was enough for him. He had not let her know his true intentions, but he would soon enough. But let him finish with Fonjam first.
The five ladies walked in garnished from head to feet, trying their best to appear presentable. Each introduced themselves and performed a short display to please the King and boost their chances of being selected. It was part of the criteria Fonjam presented them for eligibility.
“So what do you think, my King.”
“Hmmm, it is quite difficult, my friend. You have outdone yourself. What can I say?”
Fonjam laughed.
Fonjam laughed.
“How many will you be choosing, my King?”
King Greda had only one in his mind. What was her name?
Fonjam’s teeth were glowing with excitement. King Greda on the other hand was concentrating on something very mind boggling. Fonjam was pleased, understanding that the King’s decision was a tough one.
“Fonjam.”
“My King?”
“What if I told you I have made my choice?”
The ladies begged with their eyes.
“Hehehehe, yes my King, a –“
“It is none of these ones…”
Fonjam paused, then strained laughter, “My King, it is only as you wish…”
King Greda called for one of the servants he had walked with the day he had seen the lady and sent him to find her in the market place.
“I know I have made you go through all the trouble, but trust me on this, she will be my queen. There is no doubt about that.” The other ladies were white in the face as King Greda spoke.
“My King! And I thought you did not have interest in finding a bride just yet.” Fonjam laughed wryly.
The King smiled. After a long silent wait at the palace, the ladies had sat down waiting to see who had beat them to the competition. As she walked in, and the sun directed her angelic silhouette towards everyone in the room. She knelt before the King to pay respect and he asked her to sit down. The King remembered her name.
“Dakumet, my dear, welcome.”
Fonjam’s heart sank.
Fonjam’s heart sank.
Dakumet
Dakumet was depressed again, and she could not sleep that night. She could not eat; she could not do anything as a matter of fact. The only thing she was doing, she did not want to do, but it felt liberating at the slightest. She sat up in her bed and sobbed silently. She had been angry at Fonjam for keeping her from the news which the King had sent him with; to search for a bride. When she found out from her gossip friends, she realized that he had intended to let her know, but he had hidden it because he had loved her. And when the King had approached her at the stream, she knew that was it. She did not know what to say, so she said nothing.
And now, right before the other women that had had equal chances of becoming the queen, and in front of Fonjam, the King had chosen her. She wished Fonjam would have said something, but he was completely broken when the King made the final declaration and asked him to start preparing for the ceremony in a few weeks. She looked at the pleasantries the King had sent her and had no desire whatsoever for them; small wooden foot wear suited specially for her small feet, some clothing made from rare plants, beads from the bones of a goat, carved and painted, and the most incredible gift any woman could have: white stones that could retain sunlight in them, tied to strings in two sets for her ankles. She looked over at the stones as they let off a subtle glow against the darkness of her room.
It was inevitable, she had come to conclude, even if people knew she was betrothed to Fonjam, as long as they not married, the King would have her. How could someone she had known for just a little more than a fortnight cause so much hurt to her now? She felt tied to Fonjam in a way she had never been tied to any man in her life. Dawn was breaking now and she had not slept.
Fonjam sat in the council meetings, yet absent in mind. The meetings ran by quickly as they ran over things the same way they had done for a long time now, and he found no reason to make a contribution or an objection, which, on the contrary, had been normal for him. He managed to notice unfamiliar faces speak up making new suggestions to the King, and the King had seemed to be in a very good mood. Fonjam was soon to be planning a marriage ceremony for the one he loved. He wanted to ask a private meeting with the King to let him know, but he wondered where he would start from.
A’aba, mi sara di kakata o’ Dakumet? My, King, I love Dakumet, unto marriage.
A’aba, mi sara di kakata o’ Dakumet? My, King, I love Dakumet, unto marriage.
Preposterous.
He had not yet planned to be married to Dakumet. Was he intending to? He did not even know. He had just met her and began to really know her in barely eight days. All he had was feelings that would soon die, he established. He would not be meeting the King to tell him about her. He buried his feelings.
Rekusa
There were five bored girls today; Rekusa, Lembu, Tanima, Oposaya and Um’mu. They were talking for hours and laughing, until,
“Come closer… I heard something very disturbing yesterday.” Tanima told the others.
“Tell, tell!” Lembu led the chorus of the others begging to hear the gist.
“It’s about the King… very frightening too… brace yourselves, and this must not leave your mouths…”
“Just tell us!” Said Um’mu, letting her impatience loose.
The information seemed so hot, being that Tanima had swallowed, then her smile bent flat then she started in a very low voice, “One day the King was found in the forbidden forest, from where he had disappeared shortly after.”
Nobody knew how to respond to that. They had contacted the stiffness of the information and seemed to be dumbfounded by it. Rekusa looked at Lembu.
“It… it, it c…could be anyone else…” Oposaya stammered.
“No, if it was someone else, we would have heard that someone was cursed. I believe it was him…” Tanima argued.
“But you know, it could be one of the Spokesman’s rituals meant for the King…” Um’mu suggested.
“What kind of ritual is that? And the Spokesman is not in the story either.” Tanima insisted.
Neither had Rekusa spoken, nor had Lembu, not much since her spark of interest at the topic of a rumor. They were glancing at each other from time to time, distracted by the facts of the rumor. And as the other girls kept arguing in disbelief, Rekusa broke in,
“Where did you hear that from?!” She sounded angry.
“I… uhhhh… I overheard some girls in the market talking and I put my ear in to listen…” Tanima responded.
“You shouldn’t have done that!” Rekusa barked.
Lembu’s head seemed to itch all of a sudden, as she backed out of the new conversation scratching.
“Why are you upset all so suddenly?!” Oposaya raised her voice.
“Because you girls would not keep your filthy mouths shut! Do you know how dangerous that kind of information is?” Rekusa was pointing fingers now as the atmosphere got hotter.
“Oh, so now you know that it is, eh?! And look who is talking! Your presence here is even contradicting your right to insult us!” Um’mu, the more muscular and dangerous looking girl raised her chest against Rekusa as Tanima backed away to shield herself from incoming scratching, because Rekusa’s fingers were poised in mid-air, hungry for flesh.
“Ssss…” Someone from the background was trying to say something but the girls were now jumping on themselves and scratching anything in sight and pulling against hair and clothes.
“Stop!” Lembu screamed.
They all landed with a thump on the ground and continued brushing themselves.
“I told someone! I told someone! It was me! I told someone! It was me! I shouldn’t have! I’m so sorry! Sorry I did it!”
With every word Lembu screamed, she was draining tears from her eyes with her hands and their fighting faded slowly as Tanima kept insisting, “You see! It is your hypocrite friend that you are looking for! You see! You come looking for other innocent girls’ trouble! Good for you! Stupid girl!”
Rekusa wanted to reach for Tanima again, but Lembu held her back, weeping hard. The other girls scurried off in anger as Rekusa turned on Lembu and began hitting her in tears as she begged for forgiveness. When she had stopped hitting, she was worn and crying too.
“Why did you tell? I asked you not to tell anyone! It was a secret! Now only the gods know where it has gone!”
“I’m deeply sorry, please forgive me. Please!”
“I will never tell you anything in my life! Never!”
“Forgive me!”
“In fact, I don’t want to speak to you ever again. I am going back to work, and I don’t want you coming to look for me! I can’t trust you anymore!”
When the last was said, that trees that witnessed the fight must have sang to themselves, “Five friends came here laughing. Four left either enraged or crying; one was left alone, feeling like dying.”
There were five bored girls today; Rekusa, Lembu, Tanima, Oposaya and Um’mu. They were talking for hours and laughing, until,
“Come closer… I heard something very disturbing yesterday.” Tanima told the others.
“Tell, tell!” Lembu led the chorus of the others begging to hear the gist.
“It’s about the King… very frightening too… brace yourselves, and this must not leave your mouths…”
“Just tell us!” Said Um’mu, letting her impatience loose.
The information seemed so hot, being that Tanima had swallowed, then her smile bent flat then she started in a very low voice, “One day the King was found in the forbidden forest, from where he had disappeared shortly after.”
Nobody knew how to respond to that. They had contacted the stiffness of the information and seemed to be dumbfounded by it. Rekusa looked at Lembu.
“It… it, it c…could be anyone else…” Oposaya stammered.
“No, if it was someone else, we would have heard that someone was cursed. I believe it was him…” Tanima argued.
“But you know, it could be one of the Spokesman’s rituals meant for the King…” Um’mu suggested.
“What kind of ritual is that? And the Spokesman is not in the story either.” Tanima insisted.
Neither had Rekusa spoken, nor had Lembu, not much since her spark of interest at the topic of a rumor. They were glancing at each other from time to time, distracted by the facts of the rumor. And as the other girls kept arguing in disbelief, Rekusa broke in,
“Where did you hear that from?!” She sounded angry.
“I… uhhhh… I overheard some girls in the market talking and I put my ear in to listen…” Tanima responded.
“You shouldn’t have done that!” Rekusa barked.
Lembu’s head seemed to itch all of a sudden, as she backed out of the new conversation scratching.
“Why are you upset all so suddenly?!” Oposaya raised her voice.
“Because you girls would not keep your filthy mouths shut! Do you know how dangerous that kind of information is?” Rekusa was pointing fingers now as the atmosphere got hotter.
“Oh, so now you know that it is, eh?! And look who is talking! Your presence here is even contradicting your right to insult us!” Um’mu, the more muscular and dangerous looking girl raised her chest against Rekusa as Tanima backed away to shield herself from incoming scratching, because Rekusa’s fingers were poised in mid-air, hungry for flesh.
“Ssss…” Someone from the background was trying to say something but the girls were now jumping on themselves and scratching anything in sight and pulling against hair and clothes.
“Stop!” Lembu screamed.
They all landed with a thump on the ground and continued brushing themselves.
“I told someone! I told someone! It was me! I told someone! It was me! I shouldn’t have! I’m so sorry! Sorry I did it!”
With every word Lembu screamed, she was draining tears from her eyes with her hands and their fighting faded slowly as Tanima kept insisting, “You see! It is your hypocrite friend that you are looking for! You see! You come looking for other innocent girls’ trouble! Good for you! Stupid girl!”
Rekusa wanted to reach for Tanima again, but Lembu held her back, weeping hard. The other girls scurried off in anger as Rekusa turned on Lembu and began hitting her in tears as she begged for forgiveness. When she had stopped hitting, she was worn and crying too.
“Why did you tell? I asked you not to tell anyone! It was a secret! Now only the gods know where it has gone!”
“I’m deeply sorry, please forgive me. Please!”
“I will never tell you anything in my life! Never!”
“Forgive me!”
“In fact, I don’t want to speak to you ever again. I am going back to work, and I don’t want you coming to look for me! I can’t trust you anymore!”
When the last was said, that trees that witnessed the fight must have sang to themselves, “Five friends came here laughing. Four left either enraged or crying; one was left alone, feeling like dying.”
Samthanasmuths
Samnas did not know what made the King so distracted lately, but it was good for him. He had probably forgotten about the red dust and did not seem to be the least curious about it. Samnas was grateful for that. He had exempted himself from council meetings and enjoyed the privacy of his new blissful thoughts and inspirations. He had read Rotyuk’s writings and by chance had found a writing Rotyuk had done concerning King Mogg’s rejection of the prophecy the first time. Rotyuk had expressed his agony at the Kingdom’s ignorance and he spent time absent from himself to keep contact with his visions. Due to all this, Samnas became reluctant in sharing his recent dream with King Greda. He would find the best time to do it. This time, however, was not the right time, because he had been summoned by the hitting of the gong to the palace by the King and the other elders only to be told about the King’s marriage ceremony. So that was why the King seemed so ecstatic! Ah!
Samnas did not know what made the King so distracted lately, but it was good for him. He had probably forgotten about the red dust and did not seem to be the least curious about it. Samnas was grateful for that. He had exempted himself from council meetings and enjoyed the privacy of his new blissful thoughts and inspirations. He had read Rotyuk’s writings and by chance had found a writing Rotyuk had done concerning King Mogg’s rejection of the prophecy the first time. Rotyuk had expressed his agony at the Kingdom’s ignorance and he spent time absent from himself to keep contact with his visions. Due to all this, Samnas became reluctant in sharing his recent dream with King Greda. He would find the best time to do it. This time, however, was not the right time, because he had been summoned by the hitting of the gong to the palace by the King and the other elders only to be told about the King’s marriage ceremony. So that was why the King seemed so ecstatic! Ah!
He smiled as he walked his way to the palace jangling his scepter.
Greda
The King was married to Dakumet, and they were supposed to live happily, but both of them were unhappy; for different reasons. King Greda grew to love the woman, and was loose in her hands. She had resisted him for a long time, but he had persisted and begged for her love and now he was beginning to wonder what was making her sad in the first place. Was it him? Was something bothering her? What was it that she could not share with him? She seemed uncomfortable every time he was near and he did not understand her even a little bit. She would not even turn to his side at bed and he did not force her to. He did not want to believe that her marrying him was the problem, even though he knew that it was so with Kings, especially when it was an arranged marriage that had not been tested with sometime of getting to know each other. They jumped into it and he decided that he would let time help their love grow; at least the one he had for her.
He became very sad, so much that he felt as though there was a large abyss inside his chest. The dreadful thing about the abyss was that it hurt him, to the most excruciating pain his heart could feel. Seeking to find a way to close the new void in his heart, he remembered something he had abandoned for quite a long time.
To be continued.. .
- Telsum Bini
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