The passion

Ugomu returned shortly walking sneakily towards Ego where she sat on a mat.

Surprised at her, Ego asked inquistively

"Bia ogini" "Come what is it".

She chuckles,clapped lightly and sat next to Princess Ego.

Ego understood what the clap meant. she knew that Ugomu definitely had a juicy gossip to share.

"Biko ogini na afio" "Please what's going on".

Ugomu chuckled again, getting Ego more anxious.

"my Princess, guess what?"

Ego throws a haughty stare, Ugomu reticence immediately on sensing her anxiety and said

"Ifebuche is here at the palace"

Ego startled and said almost too loud.

"what?" then restrained her emotions, said faintly.

"what's he doing here? where is he now?".

Ugomu gives an insinuating remark

"he is with your brothers, at their regular spot". Ugomu replied

"what are they doing?" she said almost whispering.

"I don't know. I think breakfast but I am not sure what your brother Prince Ubonwa is having is breakfast" Ugomu replied,

Then a familiar voice called out loudly startling Ego and Ugomu.

"Ego you need to come with me now please."

It was Prince Ikedi, the third son of the king.

Ego stuttered "To where, to whom, how, why?"

"Ndewo Nwaeze" "greetings son of the king" Ugomu greeted

Prince Ikedi threw an insinuating stare at Ego, ignoring Ugomu totally

"you are acting weird and equally talking weird, very unlikely but father wants to see you".

Ego began to lament.

"Oh no. Not now. How did he say that when he barely talks. I really need my space, especially this moment. I just finished working and..."

"Ozigo nne. Ogini" "It is okay girl. What is it?" Prince Ikedi interrupted

"Is not like you go there to do basically anything. Please just come I beg you. Afere is waiting too". He extended his hand to Princess Ego.

Ego hissed knowing she had no choice than follow, especially when Prince Afere is involved. She stood, adjusted her dress, then took his hand and Prince Ikedi helped her up.

They both walked out, leaving Ugomu all by herself.

She sat there for a while then lays on her back for better relaxation.

Ego entered inside the king's hut walking timidly behind her step brother Prince Ikedi.

Prince Afere was sitting next to their father's oblivion body on a mat.

"Are you going to just hid at his back"

Prince Afere said to Ego.

She frowned, stepped forward and murmured

"I am not hiding"

Prince Afere smiled at his sister's behaviour

"Why are you even smiling. Odira ato mu ochi" "It is not funny to me". Ego snapped

"Kedu ife icho ka ogwa gi. O ya kpo gi" "What do you want him to say. Is he the one that called you?" Prince Ikedi replies.

"Then what am I doing here. Nna anyi is sleeping now" Ego yelled.

Prince Afere shunned her immediately "Shhhh.... he can hear you. Don't disturb Nna anyi".

Ego looked away in anger.

"Okpalaeze ka mu bia godu, kamu rie nri ututu" "Okpalaeze I am coming, let me have some breakfast". Prince Ikedi said to Prince and leaves. Okpalaeze is another name everyone called Prince Afere. It means The King's first son.

Prince Afere and Ego exchanged awkward glances before Afere broke silence.

"It is not your fault. Don't ever blame yourself for this" he said softly

"You have said it to me many times, more than the number of stars in the sky and my response will always be the same. I never blame myself for anything"

Ego spoke audaciously staring into his eyes.

Afere could sense the anger in her gaze but his manly demeanor played better.

"That's a lot of confidence playing out"

he said sarcastically, looking back sternly into her eyes, bringing her to conciliation. Ego looked away, he smiled and said calmly to her.

"How are you sister?" she ignored him. He stood and said again "I am leaving now. If you won't stay for long, send for me. Don't leave him alone with the maids or the guards".

He left.

Ego goes to sit where he was, then slouch over, running her palm over her father's face to see if could blink. She hissed at her feeble attempt, then leans back and began to think.

The king married three wives and her mother was the third. The first wife; Ijeoma, had two girls Ezinne and Ulonma.

The king panicked, he needed a son that would take over the throne, because only the men succeeds the throne in Igbo land.

He married the second wife; Anuri, she gave birth to another baby girl called Anayo and without hesitation the king took in another wife, Agbomma; the arrogant queen.

Not long after Ego's mother was married in, Queen Ijeoma put to birth and had Afere, the king excited by this, almost ignored his new wife.

Queen Anuri had Akudo and Ifedi after.

Agbomma took in shortily and had Obinwa. Queen Ijeoma took in again and gave birth to Prince Obiako.

Queen Agbomma's stubbornness caused the king to banish her from the palace, but he never knew she left the palace pregnant.

The very day Princess Ego was born, the king lost his sight and from that day onwards his health deteriorated. No one knew the cause of his blindness.

People thought it was because of Agbomma but even after the king took Ego and his mother back to the Palace, he still never got better.

Queen Agbomma couldn't bear to stay around the palace where everyone blamed her for everything that happened to the king, so she left.

Ego has remained her father's favourite ever since. Even in his sick bed, anytime he opened his mouth, he always asked of Ego.

Ego stared at her father in his vulnerable state, she always feel guilty for what is happening to him but she never showed it.

She hissed, already bored of the environment, crawled her knees to her chest and began to sing.

The princes; Afere, Ikedi, Akudo and Obinwa, gathered at their regular spot, behind a hut, to break kola. A plate of kolanut and alligator pepper and a keg of palm wine were served on a small mat at the centre, the prince sat around it on a small stool as they were surrounded by a good number of palace guards and servants.

The kola nut is usually broken and prayed with by the oldest man in every gathering. Women are not allowed to break kola except there is no male in sight, even if it a little boy.

Prince Obinwa being the youngest son picked the plate of kolanut and handed it to Prince Afere.

"Dalu rii ne" "thank you so much" he said to Prince Obinwa and then proceeded to bless the kola, broke the kola and gave it back to Prince Obinwa.

"Ngwa nwanne ke ezie ya" "You can now share it brother".

Prince Obinwa took the plate and passed it around for the princes to take, starting from the oldest.

As they were eating the kola, the servant served them some palm wine in their cups as they discussed and laughed in merriment.

Later the servants brought a bowl of roasted meat and served too.

Not quite long, Ego entered to their shock, everyone went silent at her presence

"O chim, why the silence" She uttered, went to sit on Prince Ikedi's laps.

Uncomfortable at everyone's gaze at her, she blurted out

"Ah ah this is awkward. Quit staring bikonu"

"The only awkward thing is that you are only woman in here. In case you haven't noticed Ego. This men'sgathering"

"E mee" she makes a satire gesture, stretched her hand and picked a chunk of meat. The Princes exchanged glances and smiled. They were used to their rude princess's intrusions.

It didn't sit well with Prince Obinwa, who has been looking at her with so much annoyance written all over his face.

"hmmm. which meat is this?" She asked as she chewed.

"Nchi" Prince Akudo replies.

"This is one of the reasons I miss obiako. Ever since he moved out of the palace, we rarely ear good meat like this. When will men learn how to hunt?" She said daringly, causing a disdainful gestures from the princes.

"Meaning? Do we look like hunters. If you have picked one of your suitors, you wouldn't be here" Obinwa snapped

"Please you are not even among the men here so don't even start" She blurted.

In fury Obinwa snapped

"I can see you are out of your mind. Now get out of here"

"make me" she responded.

Prince Obinwa made to attack her but Prince Akudo rushed and restrained him.

"Nwanne biko kwa" "Please my brother" Prince Afere begged, Prince ikedi held Ego off in a protective way.

Prince Afere then ordered Ego to leave.

"I will leave" She said in anger, she grabbed another chunk and stormed out.

"leave me alone" He yelled at Akudo who withdrew his grip and went to sit back on his stool.

"You need to calm down Obinwa. I mean it is Ego. We know how she behaves" Ikedi said calmly.

"exactly my point. You all took part in spoiling that girl" Obinwa blurted in anger, they all laughed at his behavior.

"Nwanne sit let's continue to merry and forget Ego biko" Afere said to ease the tension.

Ego could hear the sound of crickets as she walked towards her hut, ignoring the palace guards and servants greeting her as she passed.

Ugomu and Uchayi have been looking for her since, in every corner of the palace. Excitedly, they ran to her immediately they say her.

"Where have you all been?" She barked at them.

Her maids were surprised at her mood, they both echoed

"we have been looking for you"

"we taught you were still sleeping in your hut" Ugomu added.

"Oh really. my hut ugo" she yelled

"we are sorry" the girls begged. She hissed and walked off, the maids hurriedly walked behind her, wondering what was going on.

She suddenly stopped, turned to the girls and said

"can your believe that boy tried to hit me. He was even shouting at me" She complained.

"Who dared that my princess" Ugomu asked curiously.

"who else.That fat cow".

"Oh Prince Obiako" Uchayi chuckled

"You are so brave" Ugomu shunned her and turned to Ego and asked

"what did you do?"

Ego threw a disdainfully stare at her.

"I am sorry" ugomu snapped, not to anger her further.

"my princess don't mind the Prince. okay" Uchayi consoled and Ego nodded like a baby.

The girls know exactly how to handle her temper.

"By the way, it is tale time my princess. I know you will not like to miss it. At least to take your mind off all this". Ugomu suggested.

Ego nodded again,

"We are late I guess. let's go"

She adjusted her waist beads properly, then led the way. The maids walked behind, almost struggling to catch her pace.

It was a gathering of majorly royal kids and teenagers, who come around at every full moon to listen to an old woman's story.

The old woman has been telling stories since Ego was little, she so much enjoyed her tales, that she never stopped coming to listen, even at her age.

They gathered under a very gigantic gmelina tree, sittting a burning wood which waa a source of light. One of their oldest rumors in the palace, was that the old woman lives in that gmelina tree, because no one knows where she lives and that she is always the first to arrive and last to leave.

Ego and her maids sat at the back quietly not to draw the attention of the children, the old woman winked in greetings at her on her arrival.

The old woman was telling the tale of a stubborn little girl. Everyone listened in silence as the old woman spoke.

"She was a daughter of a very wealthy farmer. Her father owes a very big barn. The little girl had all she wanted but the only fault she had was that she was disobedient and stubborn. One day, her father came back with a very big soursop for her and her siblings. Her father warned his children not to swallow the soursop seed but because the little girl was stubborn, she swallowed a seed".

Out of curiosity, one of the children interrupted

"what happened to her".

Ego could sense the fear in his voice. She smiled at little one's question knowing he was just innocent and a naive.

"The seed germinated into a tree in her stomach and grew out of her mouth". The lady replied.

The children began to make buzzing noise.

"what happened to her?"

"is she okay?"

"how big is the tree".

The kids kept throwing questions. Ego got uncomfortable with the noise, she tapped her maids by their legs, signaling for them to leave, only to notice they were both fast asleep.