Part 11 (5)
Governor Babida cleansed his massive body from all impurities with the clear water of Okunde's river before his eternal union with the most beautiful maiden of the Batang empire, Suzie.
While he was swimming in the stream, fishes formed a circle around him and followed him synchronously in all directions that he took as if it was a prepared choreography so marvelous it was.
The purification process lasted about a quarter an hour before the replenished woodsman got out of the river.
Surprisingly he found a brand new and sparkling military uniform that was hanging on the green herbs.
Amazed, the Governor of Okunde heaved his eyes to the sky and thanked the ancestors for their infinite favor upon him, and implored them to bless his marriage that was soon going to happen later in the afternoon.
Babida the lumberjack dressed up in his fresh outfits and looked so elegant that the grasses bowed before him and shifted on the right and left side to free the way out of the bushes.
The logger walked through the open space and the herbs returned to their initial position as he moved forward.
Finally, Governor Babida reached the lawn of Okunde's garden and spotted from a distance his bride Suzie who was observing the old and new troops building additional tents to be used for lodgings and the storage of food and also military and medical equipment.
"Young Miss!" The groom Babida excitedly called his bride Suzie.
She turned to her left and saw her husband-to-be at the other end of the garden.
"Oh my god! What a handsome man! Is that my groom?" The young maiden Suzie exclaimed at the sight of the most refined gentleman that could ever be.
The two lovebirds began to run toward each other to narrow the distance that separated them.
They raced in slow motion as if the clock had been delayed. The run seemed endless and the excitement of the meeting in the middle of the way got stronger as they reduced the inches.
Finally, the groom Babida and the bride Suzie bumped into each other and embraced under the incredulous eyes of the troop.
Governor Babida tenderly looked his wife-to-be Suzie straight in the eyes and whispered to her: "Now let's go and get married!"
"Yes, my love!" She replied.
In the meantime, General Dipi the occasional priest, and the henchmen Polo and Baba the witnesses, came up to the groom and bride. They looked with their new military uniforms as glowing as the future husband and wife, Babida and Suzie.
"Well, it's the time, Your Highness!" declared the senior aide-de-camp Polo.
"Now let's go to the riverside!" He then added.
The group of five hence moved toward the west side of Okunde's garden under the sad watch of the other imperial warriors who, given the ongoing crisis, weren't invited to the private marriage ceremony of their Superior Commander Babida, and the love of his life Suzie.
After a few minutes, the groom and the bride along with their entourage disappeared through the bushes, and the troops that could no longer see them resumed the construction of the new tents under a hot sun.
In a very short time, the group of five reached the coast of the Okunde river and a refreshing wind commenced blowing from the east side, making the branches of the trees and the grasses incline and pay the visitors respect.
The henchman Baba cut some roses and threw them on the sand in the form of a circle and they all stepped in the middle.
The groom Babida stood on the left side of the coast with the senior henchman Polo while the bride Suzie was placed on the right side with the youngster Baba.
As for the circumstantial priest General Dipi, he had his back turned against the river and stood between the two lovebirds.
"Ok, let's begin the ceremony now!" The special reverend said.
"We thank our forefathers for making this day beautiful as our two lovebirds here in front of me have expressed their intent to tie the knot forever." General Dipi then declared.
"Without any further ado, I am going to start by asking the beautiful maiden right here, Suzie, if she would like to spend the rest of her life with the gentleman Babida, right here." General Dipi, the occasional priest, questioned the bride while looking into her eyes.
"Yes, I do!" She powerfully answered in the affirmative.
"Yahoo!" Shouted her witness, the henchman Baba.
"Now, it's the turn of the groom Babida right here. Gentleman, the bride said yes and it was so sharp that I almost lost my ear. Let's see if you can do better!" reacted a playful General Dipi.
"Now I'm going to ask my question. Groom Babida, do you accept the beautiful woman right here as your wife for eternity?" The particular reverend asked the lumberjack who had a facial expression filled with seriousness.
Babida first looked at his witness, the henchman Polo on his right, then turned his gaze on the occasional priest General Dipi on his left before giving his full attention to the pretty woman in front of him.
"Young Miss, since the first time I laid my eyes on you in Ekule's forest, I have never been the same man again. You are the only one who gives a purpose to my life. Before all the witnesses present here today, I declare that I shall cherish you as my wife till my last breath." Babida the lumberjack made an emphatic wedding declaration.
The young maiden Suzie blushed so intensely that she was about to kiss the groom Babida even before the reverend had made the union official.
"Wo wo wo! Wait a minute, young Miss." cried out General Dipi as he stopped the excited bride.
"I shall hasten things because the bride can no longer wait to devour the lips of her other half." said the circumstantial priest.
"Well, witnesses, you heard the two lovebirds, they said they will tie the knot for life. So I hereby declare from now on Babida and Suzie, husband and wife. You may now kiss each other," concluded General Dipi.
Without wasting a single second, the two lovebirds exchanged the most passionate snog that could ever be to the extent that General Dipi had to beg them to halt and continue later in private.
The husband and wife Babida and Suzie hence broke the amorous kiss under the laughter of the witnesses Polo and Baba.
"Now it's time to go back to the barracks for a little collation. Congratulations to the newlyweds!" declared General Dipi.
And the group of five walked away joyfully from the riverside.
THE END…
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