DIAMOND IN THE FOREST Episode 5 – 6

DIAMOND IN THE FOREST Episode 5

Written By Amah’s Heart

Leja walked to where the Prince was and greeted him

“kilo fa ija lan re awo omodo yi… (What caused the fight between the maids?)

Leja was thinking within himself “you caused it all, it was all because of you, among all the royalty in this kingdom you did not see them is my own woman that you decided to pick interest in, and she will fall for you because you are a prince and I’m just a guard, if I know I would have left you in that stream that day to drawn, it could have being better if you are no more than for you to take Remi from me, see his big flat head like the hand fan used in fanning the king, he is not even as handsome as I am or maybe he is but I’m far more stronger than he will ever be, if you have focus on other royal maiden and leave my woman alone there won’t be troub….

“Leja…soro…(Leja speak) you are not saying anything…I asked you a question…what caused the fight between the princess personal maid and the palace maid?

“I mabinu omo oba… (I’m sorry my prince) they had misunderstanding…they are step sisters…

“Being related doesn’t give them the right to argue or fight in the palace you know that already Leja, you were suppose to calm the situation before it escalated, but you were there and the other girl almost died…what if the one that passed out died at that spot….you will be held responsible because you are the chief guard here, you are suppose to station your men at every corner to monitor the environments and to pacify unwarranted situations like that…

Leja bent his head in respect as the prince spoke to him, he kept thinking to himself “why is he even blaming me for the problem he caused, everything is me, anything that goes wrong here is me, nobody else will be blamed, Leja this Leja that every time, now the gods decided to compensate all my effort with a woman like Remi and he wants to collect her from me, I can’t wait to finally leave this palace and start a family of my own…if I know I would have done everything possible to stop Remi from working here…in that way I will get to have her to myself but the kingdom chose her and I don’t have any power of my own to do anything, every power lies in the oba’s shoulder and his selfish son, I wish Remi will not have to come back here again an…..

“Leja, se ofe ti soro mi rara (are you listening to me at all)

“ beeni….imabinu omo oba…(yes, please don’t be angry)it won’t happen again…it was all a mistake which I will make sure it doesn’t repeat here again…

When Leja finally left the Prince presence he make sure he was far from him before realising a very loud hiss for the prince.

Remi knew that her mother will be very angry with her and it was just as she thought

“Don’t you have common sense Remi, you went to the palace to disgrace me, how can you be fighting in the oba’s palace are you an animal, don’t you have sense, even Dami your brother can not be that stupide, I raised you better than that…my mother is alive, well respected and in good health because I did not disgrace her or bring shame to her, I did not kill my mother Remi …so you will not kill me let the gods bear me witness…

“Mami, she was insulting you… saying you are a mother of a witch…different bad names, you know she has being doing this and it has become normal for her, she insults me anywhere and even slap me sometimes before we were called to work in the palace, now being at the palace she started again, there’s a limit every human being can take…she pushed me to the extreme…I couldn’t hold it in any longer Mami, she insulting me was fine but also bring the insult to you is what I coul…

“gbe ne sun….(shut up that your mouth) did I ask you to fight for me…did I send you to go and fight for me, it was me she was insulting why not leave her to be, you know her mother is very troublesome…now she will come with another of her trouble and I have being trying everything possible to avoid them….see I hate trouble and I learn to forgive and overlook things through the help of my mother, your grandma, and the best way to win is by keeping quiet and ignoring them…she slaps you or do anything to you let the gods fight for you Remi…the kingdom did not chose you to go and fight in the palace….don’t be a useless child, she push you don’t push back just walk away…

“aaah Mami I can not do that one o….infact whatever they want from now onward am so ready for them…we have being keeping quiet for too long and instead of them to leave us alone they will keep fighting us…you are not dragging anything again with them, after all Baba (father) is dead so what is iya Nike’s problem, and also Nike, she is among the royal worker just as I am so what exactly is their problem that they want to frustrate us…that nonsense must stop Mami, oto ge (enough is enough) she has to learn ho…

“Iya Remi…iya Remi bo si ta (Remi mother…come outside)

Nike and her mother were outside Remi’s house, banging on there door, iya Remi went outside with Remi, she knows it was full trouble awaiting to happen, she dreaded any trouble with Nike’s mother but Remi has dragged her into it and she has to go and beg them.

“Iya Remi….wo oju Nike ati arare (look at Nike’s face and body) …wo nkan ti aje oloshi omore shi fun omo mi (look at what your useless witch daughter did to my beautiful child)….do you see how you people have started looking for me and my daughter’s trouble…

“e joo…Imabinu iya Nike…mo ba wi ki oto gbemi (please, don’t be angry I was just scolding her before you called me)…pele Nike (sorry Nike)….ma sun owo iwosan (i will pay for her treatment)…Imabinu ejoo…

Mi bi nu oo (I’m not angry) but the gods will deal with you and your daughter…for ganging up against my beautiful daughter….Nike is a good child and was on her own, doing her work as she was sent to do and the Prince and others were already commending her and your wicked daughter got jealous and attacked her…do you see, The gods hope you have seen the injustice done to me and my daughter please fight this battle and deal with the cuprite in your own way because if you fail me… aaah…i will have to deal with them myself…

Remi watch as iya Nike lifted her face and started calling the gods to deal with her, Nike was relaxing on the wall and angrily snapping her finger towards Remi and her mother, Remi mother never stopped pleading to them to let it go, Remi watch In disgust as her mother plead which did not pacify iya Nike or stop her from insulting them, she was getting irritated with the whole thing, she wish she can return back all the curse and insult that Iya Nike was raining on them but her mother will be very angry,
when Iya Nike wanted to go she pushed Remi’s mother carelessly to go and get the money for Nike’s treatment and iya Remi almost fell down but Remi rushed to her side and held her,

Remi tightened her fist and started breathing hard to subside the rate of anger clouding her chest, she was trying not to get angry because whenever she is angry at someone and react to it is always disastrous, for the sake of her mother and her younger brother who was standing around and watching the whole thing, Remi tried to calm herself, she will beat Nike’s mother and Nike, nothing will happen, they won’t do anything but she was wise enough to take her mother inside, her mother counted some money and came outside to give to Nike’s mother for her Nike’s treatment, Iya Nike roughly dragged the money out of her hand and counted it, as she tried to push iya Remi again Remi came to stand in between her mother, daring Iya Nike to touch her, Nike’s mother looked her over and snap her finger to their faces,

“ ko si wahala (there’s no problem) we shall see” was her last word to them before she took her daughter, NIke inside

The following day Remi went to stay with her grandmother for the rest of the two days, she told her grandmother everything that happen

“Remilekun…do you know that anger labels you a fool,

“ko ye mi Iya…(I don’t understand grandma) Nike deserve what she got…I don’t feel bad about the whole thing rather I feel relived…her mother will be next if she doesn’t stop insulting and pushing my mother…they are just good with trouble but I’m fully ready for them…

Remi kept talking and the grandma was watching her without a word and after she was done, the older woman breathed down deeply and look out straight at nothing in particular, she wore a frown and was deep in thought before she repeated herself again

“Remilekun, do you know anger labels you a fool, you have kept it in check for too long and bottled up so much inside of you so realising it on Nike must have felt sweet, it must have felt so good to you, but it only makes you a fool, I told you anger is your biggest weakness and you must overcome hate with love, don’t let anyone to run you down because your race with them is totally different, don’t opened up the door way…

“iya, what exactly do you expect me to do…I can’t watch her insulting me and mami and also pushing me around as if I’m a pieces of furniture, am a human being you know that…

“And you are special child, you are not like your mother or Nike, you have the ear of the gods and you must act according and don’t give in to evil emotions, you can be destroyed through that…open your palm…I said open up your palm and show them to me…

Remi quickly obeyed and open her hands to her grandma’s face, the old woman spit into them and asked Remi to rob it together, Remi put up a disgusting face as the grandma asked her to rob the saliva in her hand together, she obeyed after which the woman told her to take the dust from the ground and also rob it together with the saliva, Remi did and the grandma later asked her to go and wash her hand and return and she did exactly as her grandmother instruct

“What does it mean Iya…robbing your saliva and dirt together and washing it off, are you blessing me or what…

“hahahaha…blessing ke…you are already blessed my child, the gods blessed you from the womb, listen, in life people will spit on you and push you around and do all manner of things against you…that is what the saliva and the earth you robbed together stand for but you washed your hands and they are clean again so never allow any human to have glory over you, wash up and keep wining, dust off, smile over it, put it behind you and move just ahead, no one can stop what has being predestined…your anger is deadly and if is not well managed it may destroy you…I’m not saying you should be a fool or quiet like your mother who is always afraid of trouble….we are born into trouble, some trouble comes unplanned for and unexpected, to overcome, you have to endure, be patient and over come all things with love…you still have a long way to go…so listen my child and be wise, I have live a very long life here and I have seen so much evil than you can imagine, but the gods kept me till date because I never allowed evil to overcome me, before your mother was born, I told you it took us time to conceived, people called me names, some will deliberately push me in the market place, they will laugh at me at the stream, calling me a witch that I ate up my children and charmed my husband from getting another woman, a lot of things was said and done but I survived it, i could have gotten into a fight and probably kill somebody in the process, how many of them can I even fight, I could have done something bad to them but I said no, I was not going to let their word or action get to me, I did not allow their spit or the dirt to stain me, I washed up and dust off and I am still here…waiting for the day the gods will say is time for me to kiss the earth goodbye…anger labels you a fool because you allow people’s word and action to affect you, when you respond to their insults you became a fool but if you ignore you make them look like a fool, they push you to the left and you go left and they push you to the right and you follow… don’t let evil overcome you…don’t let that happen my child…brave up and keep your head above the water…

“am not like you Iya…sometimes I can’t just help it…I become another person entirely when I was beating Nike…but I was enjoying myself, iya…you are stronger than I am…I am not like you…there’s a limit I can take from people…I can not do all this…because I’m far from perfect…I will never be like you although I wish to be but you seem to create a perfect word of your own…

“You are just like me, the only difference is in your mind…overcome hate with love, you are called to serve so serve with all sincerity and love my child… two will want you only one will have you and then disaster will struck…you will be in-between and the gods will take you away…far away with the seed of crown…

“I don’t understand anything, iya, stop speaking in riddles because your word scares me…I know that Leja and maybe the Prince are interested in me but the Prince has not said anything like that, but aside that ko ye mi (i don’t understand)

“You will understand when the time comes”

After three days their punishment was over they returned back to the palace.

DIAMOND IN THE FOREST Episode 6.

“Two will want you, only one will have you then disaster will struck and you will be in between… the gods will take you away… Faraway with the seed of crown…far away with the seed of crown…

The echo was so deep, her grandmother’s voice was echoing repeatedly in her dream, she toss and turn in her bed that night untill she finally woke up.

Remi sat up from her small bed that was beside the princess big bed, she looked around, everywhere was still very dark except for the lamptan oil light that was burning at one corner of the princess room.
The princess was sound asleep on her big comfortable bed
Remi breathed deeply and try to go back to sleep but sleep wasn’t forth coming, she wondered what her grandmother meant by those words, does it mean she will die, her grandmother has said “…then disaster will struck and the gods will take her away…faraway with the seed of crown…

The gods taking somebody far away only means that the person will die, so will the gods take her Life with the seed of crown and what exactly is the seed of crown…

“I don’t like it when iya speaks in riddles… she scares me…seed of crown… the gods will take me faraway…aaah…I don’t want to die… not now… invisible God…I don’t know if you are listening to the trouble in my heart…if you are real and you hear The silent cry of your people then save me and don’t allow my grandma’s riddles to come to pass because it only means death if the gods take me away…faraway” it sound like the grave…I don’t want to go faraway…not now… maybe when I’m as old as iya. invisible God who watches over the land and over the people of this kingdom, please help me to serve well with all sincerity and love, don’t allow anger and hate to control me but rather help me to overcome it all in love, I don’t want to run into trouble again in this palace…I know grandma said we are born into a troubled world and our days are filled with trouble but God of our land and of our ancestors save me from any trouble that Will consume my life an…

“Remi…Remi o sun..o in kun…(What are you mumuring, you are not sleeping)…what are you whispering to yourself…or are you sleep talking…

Remi was startled to hear the princess speak to her, she has thought the princess was deeply asleep, she quickly stood up and pretended she was just waking up

Se o gbodo ma sun ki otu ma Soro, princess mi, pada lo sun (I must be sleep talking, I think I was talking in my sleep…sorry about that my princess please go back to sleep).

The princess nodded and went back to sleep, Remi covered her up from the night cold and later went back to her own bed, after sometimes she fell asleep she found herself back home, she was crying as she held her brother in her arms who was vomiting blood, she started calling her mother to rush down

“Mami… Mami, ewa Dami ti n bi (Mami come Dami is vomiting blood) where are you…Dami is vomiting blood…Mami…

She kept calling her mother but her mother was nowhere to be found, she later left her brother lying helplessly on the ground to go and look for her mother,

she search for her in the rooms but she wasn’t there, she ran to the backyard still crying and calling her mother
Remi was hearing somebody silently crying in the backyard, she followed The voice and was shock to see her mother in the pull of her own blood, her mother was also vomiting blood and was covered up in the mess.

She screamed and awaken from her sleep, she was breathing heavily as she sat up, she looked around, everywhere was still dark except for the lamptan, the princess was sound asleep, she sat on her bed thinking of the terrible dream, it has felt so real, she felt something cold on her cheek and touched it, it was tears, she cried from the dream to real life
Remi breathed deeply, she was afraid to go back to sleep.

She stood up and quietly walked to the window to check if dawn was close at hand but she couldn’t tell how far the night has gone, she wish for a day break.

Remi walked to the door and quietly opened it, she sneak out of the room without making noise, she didn’t want to wake the princess up,
She quietly closed the door and walked through the quiet long corridor, there were lamptan at the both side of the passage

She wanted to sit outside to avoid sleeping back, she was afraid that if she go back to sleep she will have another bad dream
When she got to where she can sit , in the open air sorrunded by flowers, it was a long bench sit, hanged like a swing between two chains, she crawled up there and sat, she was swinging the chair as she look straight ahead.
The night cold was much, her night wear was a simple free wear which can’t hold the cold but she covered herself with her thick Shaw.

She was there when the cock Crow, she looked up hoping for a sign of day break, she hard a foot sound coming towards her direction, she sat still and tried not to make a sound

” ta lo wa nibe (Who is there)…who is sitting at the swinging chair…

Remi knows that she has being caught, no hidding place, The person was coming towards her with a torch light, she can tell from the voice that it was Leja, he stood tall and bare chest as he approach the bench where Remi was

“Emi ni (“Is me)…is me

” Iwo tani, se oni oruko ni (You who…who are you, don’t you have a name…)

“Emi ni Remi, Leja, emi ni oo (is me Remi, Leja is me) is Remi the princess personal maid…Leja is me…

“Kilo n se nita, hi iwo yii (what are you doing outside here by this time) you are suppose to be sleeping inside…

Remi was silent as Leja came, he flashed the torch all over her as he wondered why Remi was out in the open air by the early hours of the morning,

Remi who was already on her feet didn’t know what to tell Leja who was standing very close to her and pointing touch at her

Leja still has his torchlight on her he didn’t bother putting it off, he was happy to see Remi alone which was a good opportunity to express his feeling for her

Remi’s Shaw fell off from her shoulder and she quickly bent over to pick it and immediately she bend down to pick up her shaw, her cleavage was exposed through the night wear she was putting on
When Leja saw it, he stiffened and swallowed hard, he wish he can have her to himself, he wish she will agree to come and warm him up in his room, he wish he came cuddle her and hold her so close to himself

Remi quickly covered up but Leja’s mind was still on how he will get Remi close to himself considering that the night was cold

“Remi, my beautiful maiden, The woman that caught my heart… so beautiful like the morning sun, her eyes Shone so bright like the stars, her hips moved in every direction calling mighty men to follow, her smile is so captivating, her voice sound like The godess of the riverline, her breast is so socullent, a fresh apple from the garden that can make a man hardened, her lips is as the flo…

“Leja…Leja..stop, enough of all this praise, to what do I owe this early morning praise…

Leja walk past her and sat on the bench, Remi who was still standing did not feel comfortable with Leja’s presence but later sat down, giving space between them

“Why are you outside here beautiful one…is there a problem…?

“No problem, I had a night mare and I was afraid to go back to sleep so I decided to come out here,. I was here when the first cock Crow, not long ago…

“That was not the first cock Crow that was the third one, this was my second night watch before the day finally breaks, I wake up three times every night to go check the compound, it was the noise coming from this swing that got my attention, I knew somebody must be on the bench, I’m happy to know that you are the one… now we got to be together before dawn…

Leja move closer to Remi

“Stop moving close to me Leja…

“Don’t you like me, don’t you want me as I want you, Remi please forgive me if I have offended you in anyway, I need you in my life…

Leja suddenly grabbed Remi’s hand and place in his manhood, Remi was shock as she pulled back her hand

“What kind of nonsense is that Leja… why will you do that…

“I just want to show you how much my body yawn for you, my bladder is calling your name… can’t you hear it Remi…my body is harden and only you can soften it up… is on fire for you my beautiful one…please let me in just ones so that I can quench my tasty soul…Remi ejoo… consider me please

“Mtcheeew…I’m going back inside… it was a mistake to have come outside here , if I know I would have remained inside…

Remi made attent to stand up but Leja held her back as he deliberately brushed his hand towards her breast, Remi slapped Leja and stood up but Leja wasn’t letting go of her

“Yes, slap me more Remi…please slap me again, I need your touch…be it hard or soft touch just do it…

“kilo de to ofi sebe Leja(why will you do that Leja)Something is wrong with you Leja…you are not okay, if you touch me one more time you will see what I Will do to you…

“Remi. arewa omo odo mi (Remi my beautiful maiden) mofe Rio gege bi olotu femi (I want you, my body yawn for you).

“O serious rara, otu Kuna to o ba mo (you are not serious at all, you are so unfortunate) nonsense…

As Remi made attent to leave again Leja tried to grab her, but with her one hard push, Leja found himself on the ground, he hit his head on the bench and silently cry out in pain
Remi left him there and went inside and stayed awake till the following morning

Nike came up with a plan to try and get Remi’s trust again, she plan to beg Remi and to start acting as a sister to her so that she will be able to know what was going on with her and to gain her full trust

As Remi wash the princess cloth in the wash room, Nike came to meet her.
Nike apologies to her and ask if she can help her in washing the cloths,
Remi was surprise at Nike, she told her not to worry about helping out that the princess cloth wasn’t much

Remi kept watching Nike’s as her attitude changed, she was acting all nice all of a sudden

Leja who felt embarrassed after the incident with Remi, anytime he see’s Remi coming he will hide or follow another way,
No maiden has ever rejected him or embarrassed him like Remi did that night, he felt ashamed of himself anytime he remembers it

The prince was looking for an avenue where he Will get to sit down and talk with Remi again, ever since she returned back to the palace he has not been able to speak with her

Remi totally forgot about the dream but the only word that echos in her mind which she wish she can understand is her grandmother’s words

“Emi meji yoo ma wa nkan nkan, yoo si pada bosi owo enikan nigba na ni yanpon yan ri n yoo wa sele, Iwo ni oma wa ni arin, orumila a si mu o lo si ona jin jin pelu eso ade.

“(Two Will want you, only one will have you then disaster will struck and you will be in between, the gods will take you away… Faraway with the seed of crown…)

She thought within her, the two that may want her is either the Prince or Leja, but every other thing in the riddle was confusing to her, she does not understand but wish she does so that she will know what the Future holds for her.
Does the “two” that will want her really means the prince and Leja or is her mind playing tricks on her
What exactly is the full meaning of the riddle
Remi wondered within herself.

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