Chapter 9

The towering gates of Gao, usually bustling with merchants and travelers, were eerily quiet in the mid-morning sun. Dust, disturbed by the wind, swirled around the heavy wooden doors as I pulled our horse to a halt, the exhaustion of the journey suddenly weighing me down like lead. Nala slumped against me, her injured ankle throbbing, her face etched with pain and apprehension.

 I needed to get her to a healer and fast, the palace could wait a while.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A sharp voice cut through the stillness. Two guards, their spears lowered and crossed, stepped out from the shadows of the gatehouse. Their eyes, narrowed with suspicion, scrutinized us two disheveled dust-covered women clinging to a single, exhausted horse.

"It is I, Gimbiya Amira, daughter of Askia Ishaq II," I announced, my voice was hoarse but firm as I was trying to project the authority my appearance surely lacked.

The guards exchanged a disbelieving glance. "Gimbiya Amira?" one scoffed, his gaze raking over my torn tunic and sweat-streaked face. "The princess is in Kano, preparing for her wedding. You lie!" The other guard leveled his spear, its sharp tip glinting menacingly. "You're a spy, or worse! We'll take you to the dungeons!"

I felt a pang of despair, then understanding. I had always been a shadow in the palace, rarely seen outside the royal compound or my grandmother's quarters at that. Most people in Gao had never laid eyes on me, I had always been the Whispered Princess, a name known but a face rarely seen, a royal enigma cloaked in the quiet compounds. The rumors of my journey to Kano would only solidify their disbelief. I couldn't blame them. My appearance was hardly that of a princess.

How exactly do I convince them then. Is this really the beginning of my Karma? The repercussions of not being close to my people?

Just as the situation teetered on the edge of outright hostility, a new voice, laced with authority, cut through the tension. "Stand down, fools!" A burly man with a weathered face and the distinctive markings of a captain strode forward. He paused, his gaze sweeping over me, a flicker of recognition dawning in his eyes. 

"By the Ancestors... Gimbiya Amira?" His voice softened, etched with concern. He immediately lowered his spear and bowed deeply, his men quickly following suit, though confusion still marred their faces. He remembered the young girl who, against court custom, would sometimes sneak out to watch the Masu Jikin Karfe train, her spirit too vibrant to be contained. 

"Captain," I said, relief washing over me, "Thank the spirits you recognized me." I gestured to Nala, who was barely conscious. "My friend, Nala, is gravely injured. She needs a healer, immediately."

The captain's brow furrowed with alarm. "Of course, Gimbiya. Two of you, take her to the royal healers at once!" He barked orders, and two guards swiftly moved to assist Nala, gently lifting her from the horse.

"Gimbiya," Nala whispered, her eyes fluttering open, "Be strong. You are Uzazzu." Her words, though faint, were a potent balm, strengthening my own resolve.

I squeezed Nala's hand, a silent promise in her eyes. "Go, Nala. Rest. I will handle this." Thank the heavens we had made it in time. I have no idea what to tell Aunty Zariya if you hadn't been strong

I turned to the captain. "And you, Captain, lead me to the palace. To my father."

~~~

The walk to the throne room felt endless, each step a prelude to the seismic shift about to occur. The familiar grandeur of the palace now felt stifling, almost ominous. When we finally entered, King Askia was still on his throne, his advisors gathered around him. The air was thick with the usual courtly hum, which abruptly died as I, still covered in dust and grime, with my torn clothes, hair disheveled, was led in. The Silence so heavy and unnatural, descended, it felt like the exact moment Father had bethrowed me to the Sarkin Kano… Sickening

The tiled ground reflected my torn shadow as I limped forward. Eyes followed me like a curse whispered down a corridor. King Askia's eyes widened, first in shock, then alarm, at my unexpected and desperate appearance. He half-rose, a question forming on his lips, but I cut him off before he could speak.

"Father," my voice cracked, raw with exhaustion and the weight of my confession, 

"The alliance… is broken. The Sarkin Kano... he planned to betray us. He meant to enslave the Masu Jikin Karfe, to overthrow you, to conquer the West under Kano's banner."

 I swallowed hard, forcing the next words out.

 "He said your dynasty would be unnecessary. He... he came to me last night, drunk, demanding submission. 

He tried to... to force himself on me. 

And I... I struck him. With a gourd.

 I think... I think I killed him."

The words hung in the air, shattering the silence like thrown stones. I watched as King Askia's face drained of all color, his eyes widening in a mixture of pure shock, then disbelief, then a terrible, burning rage. The court was a tableau of frozen horror.

"Killed him?" the Waziri finally managed to stammer, his voice a strangled gasp. "Killed the Sarkin Kano? Impossible! You must be mistaken, Gimbiya!"

"How? Why?" King Askia finally roared, rising fully from his throne, his voice echoing with fury and a profound sense of betrayal. His gaze flickered between me as I sat up and his bewildered advisors, unable to comprehend the scale of my pronouncement. "Explain yourself, child! This is madness!"

And the court erupted. They bickered amongst themselves, their voices rising in a clamor of fear, outrage, and disbelief. "A full war!" 

"This cannot be true!" 

"The princess is distraught!"

"She is confused and tired. Our Gimbiya does not know what she says!"

 "The treaty, ruined!"

King Askia slammed his fist onto the armrest of his throne, the sound cracking like thunder. "Silence!" he bellowed, his authority temporarily quelling the uproar. He turned to me, his face a mask of furious concentration. "Amira," he said, his voice now dangerously low, "You have spoken. Now leave. Go to your quarters. My men and I will discuss this... calamity."

I hesitated for a moment, as my eyes scanned his face. But his gaze was no longer on me but on the troubles that laid ahead. The troubles I had brought knocking on Uzazzu's doorsteps. 

I Expected more.

Maybe he would scream, rain curses upon me or even punish me but letting me go? 

He didn't even look at me. Just... at the throne, at the advisors, at the walls of a kingdom I may have just doomed. I was invisible again. Dismissed. Not as punishment—but as a burden too heavy to bear aloud.

 A deep fear for what punishment he had for me coursed through me. I wished to stay. To explain myself or better still finally join the court and formulate a plan to save our people… But I had to obey the decree, seeing the immense burden my news had placed on my father, I knew the dismissal was not a question. So I turned with a heavy heart, and left the throne room, the frantic murmurs of the stunned court already rising behind me like the ominous whisper of an approaching storm.