The Plead and the Gift

The instant Osabiegun raised his hands as a signal which instructed the royal bard to stop, the royal bards had already gotten to him with his words.

Definitely, the use of royal bard was an instrument to always make the King confident in himself, pacify the King and remind the King of the tales he had forgotten about himself or his father and father before his father. This was an ancestral practice in Ifa-ile to which every King held dear to himself.

The presence of the birth attender which came again before Osabiegun was an evidence of his calmness as he smiled to the birth attender and his horsetail whisk he had gently laid on both of her shoulders one after another.

If at all the chiefs and elders couldn't believe what happened, they couldn't show their concern as they also wore their happy smirks and a sort of quick sound it produced.

The question Osabiegun asked the birth attender gently as he lifted his horsetail whisk away from her shoulders caused her into a complete dilemma.

She wouldn't even wait before she fell flat on the mat before her. Even with her hunched back which was a hindrance for her to have laid straight on the ground but squeeze like a bent fish, she had not cared.

That the King granted her pardoned was what surprised her. Even if she hadn't done any wrong, it was still worthy of appreciation. Definitely, it was quite rear for this sort of thing to have happened in Ifa-ile especially in the reign of Osabiegun that anyone he wishes to execute, he does without any man being able to challenge him. Yet, he asked how she was?

Enough cowries which was the medium to exchange goods or service was given to her in large and five bags. Surely, Osabiegun had just made her one of the richest in the whole of Ifa-ile.

If that was enough, she definitely wouldn't have to work before she can feed for the rest of her days on earth but yet again she was given a good number of noble clothes and beads, and shoes which no one in Ifa-ile had in their possession and that among the villagers of Ifa-ile, she would be respected and where ever she speaks, people will have no other choice but to listen to her.

That she cannot be the only one to continue her profession as she had always done had Osabiegun in this likeness given her some slaves to whom she can do to them as she pleased.

The song of gratitude fell from her lips once again. Even that was not enough that she fell unto the ground yet again as she continuously rolled her herself even with great force as her hunched back was a hindrance to all of these.

Oranmiyan in his seat before his father commanded the rise of the birth attender as what she portrayed had been enough. The chiefs and elders who appeared to be dissatisfied hadn't said a word but their continuous hum.

The instant her slaves were instructed behind her, they gathered on their kneels with their heads bowed as a sign of respect and the bid of obedience towards their new mistress whom in this prompt had declared their freedom even in the presence of Osabiegun, Oranmiyan, the chiefs and elders and the priests.

A sudden exclamation which fell from the mouth of the chiefs and elders especially Balogun who expanded his jaws widely in total shock looked hideous at the birth attender for the audacity she had to do a thing of such.

Even Osabiegun who was dazed by the words of the birth attender sculptured away his surprise as he now carved a smiled to her.

To the chiefs and elders, a proper human will not declare the freedom of the slaves as he would use them as his hand and leg but an old hunched cannot definitely have this good thought.

If they had the boldness to speak to her face what they thought, even as they were chiefs and elders would have easily landed them in the dungeon as everyone remained quiet; carefully watching what will happen next.

The question that splashed like a rock which rolled itself with great force into the sea frozen the slaves; if they would want to work with her as a birth attender would be their choice and not a compulsion. But not even the slaves were ready to accept their release as they quickly accepted to work with her as their own choice.

Definitely, no slave with dare deviate from the command of Osabiegun lest have their heads plucked away from their necks. To the slaves they still remained a slave but to the birth attender, they were freed.

As she left the palace in troops of her given slaves who had carried all her gifts for her had the rumblings of the chiefs and elders became obvious.

To them, having her head plucked and hanged unto the branches of one of the trees in the village and her blood spilled at one of the shrines would have been a better gift.

That Osabiegun changed from his command to have granted her grace and yet again, enough of gifts would easily make anyone in the village trample upon his feet and expect him to feed them with honey.

But the silent words of the eldest priest conquered all assumptions for a mother who hadn't laid a finger on her unruly child but rendered love had not led the child astray instead brought him closer for trust.

The massive entry of the birth attender in the village as the day dawned crisp and clear served the villagers their own surprise. Even though what breezed from the mouth of a few was the question of why her head was not hanged yet. Others in their contempt, grew their dancing feet to rejoice with her.

They remained dumfolded as they learned of the gifts and honor Osabiegun gave to her which couldn't have explained the reason for her capture. Or, that the hunched back had used her powers even on Osabiegun remained what fussed mainly in their thought.

That she was a witch, Atejoku; the husband of the pregnant woman confronted her openly in his drunkenness which caused all the voices that before rose in a song to cease in their sudden quietness.

Even as his legs were not balanced on the ground which caused him to be easily shaken by the breeze, he had dared to touch the birth attender by her face and attempted to push her down to the ground but only caused himself to fall.

The instant he rose again, he poked at her and his words which called her a witch again even before he exploded in his sudden sneer raised anxiety in the heart of few of the other villagers.

That she was a witch was a gossip already flying around in the whole of the village but to have looked into the eyes of a deer and called it dangerous could have easily torn all of them apart by her deadly teeth.

Even as his drunkenness was his motivation to have said all of these, a good number of the villagers had flown in their fastest steps away to their separate homes. At least, if a crab crawled out of it hole and confidenly declared itself not to be a prey, thus captured away, let it be taken alone was their thought.

In his loudest voices, he asked for clarification for everything which had happened and had not made any type of sense. His dear wife who was pregnant was carried against her will to the palace, and by the mid night where all eyes had slept was; that she was carried against her will to the palace yet she, returned in a triumphant victory?

But the birth attender had only walked past him together with her troops of slaves. Even as she pitied him and wanted to say something if it was just for the sake of understanding, she couldn't lest get tattered by the claws of Osabiegun.

Atejoku Who will not take silence for an answer had quickly run to her face again as he poked at her yet again. The question for the whereabouts of his wife he yelled at her. Even so, he was disappointed again as she had only walked past him and her silence remained her words.

Few of the villagers who had the confidence enough to witness all of these walked slowly to Atejoku and carried him even as he remained shouting for what happened to his wife.

The words of a villager who penetrated into his ears had not even made any sense to him but the instant a couple of another had spoken, he kept mute as he accompanied his silence with sudden smirks.

As according to their words, a boat cannot confront the storm of the sea directly, instead it strategically conquers it lest, it gets sunk beneath the waters. The way for her death is not now but later in her own slackness.