Chapter 42

" Yes, can I help you?"

" My name is Yansi, I am from the village close to here. I saw you with the Prince today along the road and figured you are the healer. I am a herbalists but am unable to heal my little son who has struggled with a skin disease that made his skin itchy making him develop sores.

" Let me see."I commanded.

She unbuckled her sleeping son and placed him on her lap.

" I have herbs for this." I told her..."Namakau go and bring my herb basket.

The woman looked at me for sometime attempting to say something but deciding otherwise.

When Namakau came , I got a root from a Mukuyu tree. "

Grind this into a powder, add a little animal fat and make a paste. Smear it on his body, he should be fine."

The woman was happy and gratefully thanked me. She was about to leave when she stopped and said,

" I hope, I won't offended my lady but due to my knowledge and experience as a herbalists, I can't help but ask....is my lady aware that she is pregnant?"

Namakau clasped her hands over her mouth and beamed like a little child.

" Is my lady really pregnant?"

" Shhhhhhh"I said looking around to see if someone heard the conversation.

" Please, don't tell anyone, if anyone finds out, I'll know it's you and I'll come for you."I threatened her.

" Don't worry my lady, I won't tell anyone."

She thanked me again and left.

" Why do you not want people to know my lady?"

" Because I don't know if I want to keep this child or not."

" But, The Prince will be really happy to know, he has always looked forward to having a child."

" We have time to still have another child but I only have this chance to go after the Letuyako, this child is in my way."

*****

Prince Sepo and I left for the King's chamber after bathing. I wore a red musinsi, with a black chali and a black baki, while Prince Sepo had on a red toga.

The King's chamber looked diserted with a few guards at the gate, no maidservants in sight.

The King's aide was nowhere in sight so we decided to go inside. The King's chamber door was Locked and the place emitted a smell muffled by herbs without actually succeeding.

Let's go to Queen mother's chamber. The Queen mother's quarter was lively, like usual attendants moved up and down. The handmaiden announced us and we went in. She was sitted on a couch wearing a lioness animal skin inside out.

" Queen mother, what happened?"

" My Prince."

The Queen mother started crying.

"The King is dead my son....He died , the day you left for the war."

Prince Sepo was taken aback at first, disbelieving, but the stench that came from the King's chamber, when we went there compelled him to agree with what the Queen was saying.

" I wish, I was here when he was dying... parents always want to say something to their children before dying."He said with clenched teeth.

Fighting to keep the tears from falling.

" You can't blame him or yourself, my Prince. There are forces greater than ourselves that drives us through the world, just like the wind makes light feathery objects go dancing on the air stage. To submit to the wind that took you to that war was no folly."

It was your destiny to go to that war and come back alive. Your father must be proud."the Queen added.

" Your father died in the peace he had pursued during his last days.

What am I to do now, he asked dejected.

" First, the courtiers will tell us how the burial procession will be and then , you will be consecrated after seven days.

********

It was five out of the fourteen days allocated for the  King's funeral when I met Queen Maliwa along the corridor of the audience hall.

It was early enough for only sunlight to hold  dawn tints in the air.

" You must be happy, that Princess Mokomena disappeared and you will be Queen."

" Well, I can't say am crying over it...Queen dowager."

" Queen dowager??Such mannerless creature...Am still Queen and You will not be Queen unless you give my son a son, I'll make sure that is what happens." she hissed.

" I will be Queen, and when am Queen ,I'll dictate to you what you eat, how you eat and when to disposal what you have eaten."

"Am not the Zae you think you know, I won't give your evilness any satisfaction to gloat."

" You are a disrespectful child just like your mother."

" Speak ill of my mother again and it will be the last word that comes out of you."

The Queen's blood rushed to the face making it a dark brown beneath her light brown.

" My son will be Ki...."

" And my husband will be King." I cut her sentence short​. " You gave birth to him and I'll give birth to his son... You should know when to retreat."

My inclination, however was to love this woman like my mother when I came to Kele but her evil heart was non that I could fathom.

" You have no respect for your elders , Kele doesn't need such a Queen." She said near tears.

" If Kele had a Queen like you, and did just fine, that's not going to be a problem, it will flourish with me as Queen."

" You will pay for your​ wickedness​, I swear, you will wish you where buried with the King in nine days...You will wish for death but even that will desert you."

The Queen was taken aback. She was literally shaking with fear from my words.

I had neither respect nor compassion for her. She was a woman who had killed and used people, for her gains​ and thrown them afterwards​.

I saw the truth within her. Lying beneath the beautiful face was rotting human flesh.

" You killed your husband, my Queen?"

" What are you talking about?" she demanded looking around us.

" How can such a person born from the womb that bore my father, have a womb that bore my Prince, be such as you are my Queen?"

Face ashen, eyes wide in their sockets, breathing hard from the fury, grief and shame.

" He was dying anyway, it disgusted me, visiting him everyday, acting like the sad, grieving Queen, I was tired...I couldn't do it, my child please don't tell my son."