DIAMOND IN THE FOREST.
Episode 11.
Molero pe owalalafia (hope you
are fine)
“I’m fine my prince…
“Kilo sele lale ana…(what
happened last night?)
“Kosi omooba (nothing prince)
“Don’t be afraid Remi…tell me
what happened…
“You were drun!klast night…
and…you… you vomited…and..
nothing again happened…
“Oh by the gods…Remi, you are
stuttering st©p it, what really
happened…I knew I was drun!k
last night… I remember I asked
you to take me to my chamber
and you did, i got drun!k
because i… really wanted to
express my feeling for you
which i have been wanting to
do for a very long time…I know
I must have said all that and
even what I don’t suppose to
say or do as a royalty…but
that’s not the point, my
worries now is that I saw a
blood stain on my trou-ser…I…
have not being able to Leave
this chamber since morning…
I’m worried sick… thinking I
might have done something
stupid…Remi, mabinu bimo
base o, molero pe kosi wahala,
I’m sorry if I hurt you but I just
hope there’s no problem…
“Kosi wahala omooba, mo wa
lafia (no problem my prince,
I’m fine)
“No, you are not, The
blood…how come..oh by the
gods, Remi, wahala wa t©poju
fun…did I…I mean did
I..uhmmm… did I f0rç£fully lay
with you…did I make love to
you… this is crazy…I don’t know
why I can’t remember anything
else after I c@m£ into the
chamber…I felt like I did
something wrong to you…my
conscience is not at peace and
when I saw the blood stain my
worries doubled up…I can’t
remember Remi, I can’t…is as if
the gods wipe off my memory
of last night but my conscience
is troubled…help me, tell me
everything…
Remi was quiet not knowing
what to say, how do she tell
the prince that he defiled her
last night when he can not
even remember doing that, he
took her vir-ginity without even
knowing it and she did not
fight ha-rd enough to st©p him,
she l@ythere as if she was
glued or being remoted it was
after the deed was done she
knew that she was in serious
trouble, letting the prince
know about last night may put
him into trouble with the oba,
because Leja May testify that
the prince R@p£d her when he
was drun!k, Leja is re-ady to do
anything to hurt the prince if
he finds out that the prince
defiled her, it will be better to
keep quiet and not bring more
trouble to herself and maybe
the prince…
“Remi, ejoo damilohun (Remi,
plea-se answer me)
“My prince, such did not
happen… you were drun!kand
sle-pt off immediately you c@m£
into your chamber, the blood is
probably when I stumbled and
fell down, your vomit sli-pped
my feet off and I fell down and
sustained a little wound on my
th!gh, so…so… while I was
trying to help you… the blood
stained your trou-ser…
The prince moved closer to
Remi but she stepped away
from him. He breathed de-eply
as he kept on looking at her
“Am sorry Remi…so sorry, can…
can I see the wound…is it
much…I have Ori here…I can
use it on your th!gh…so that it
will heal fas-ter…
“I can’t show you my th!ghs…
that’s not right my prince…
“Hmm…I de-eply cares about
you Remi, I do, I’m not trying
to take advantage of you being
a maiden, I de-eply care so
much about you, and I feel
terrible, I’m ashamed of
myself…to have messed up the
way I did last night in front of
you, ma-king you to sustain
injury, hmmm…I hate myself
for that…Remi look up at me…I
can speak to Oba, my father
about yo…
“We were getting re-ady for
today’s p@rty when Leja c@m£
to inform me that you s£nt for
me…if I stay in here for too
long it may raise an eye brows
among the maidens, it will
look suspicious, so plea-se allow
me to run ahead… there are
things to be done out there but
I as-sure you there’s nothing to
worry about… last night was
just like every other night, the
only difference is that you
drank too much and sle-pt so
early…plea-se can I go now…
“Okay… okay… thank you for
helping me to clean up my
mess, I’m sorry about the
injury you sustained on your
th!gh, I thank the gods that is
not more than that, I thought I
did something terrible…I
wouldn’t have been able to
forgive myself if I had taken
advantage of you and
f0rç£fully defiled you…it would
have been really terrible… I’m
glad you are fine… despite I still
have this ill feeling inside of
me, but I’m fine knowing that
what I thought didn’t happen…
Remi greeted him again before
leaving.
She still nee-d to talk to
someone, Ope is not blood
related to her as Nike was, she
would have love to tell Ope
instead of Nike
But no matter how much Nike
disturb her to talk she kept on
prosponding it, until Nike gave
up, Remi wanted to tell her but
something kept st©pping her
from doing that, at the end she
did not say anything again.
The prince wasn’t so active like
before, he spend most p@rt of
the day in his chamber or with
the Oba, his father as they talk
and the Oba was teaching him
how to rule a kingdom, not to
be biased in judging a case,
how to be a good ruler to the
people, a good husband to his
future wife and father to the
children that the gods will
bless him with.
Nike tried everything for the
prince to notice her but he was
mostly too busy to notice
anyone and sometimes ask
Nike how Remi is doing, Nike
always feel jealous anytime the
prince specifically ask about
Remi’s well being and that’s
only when he comes visiting
his mother in her chamber
The p@rty was over and Remi
did not feel the nee-d to go and
visit her grandmother or the
nee-d to talk to anyb©dy again
She was fine and was trying to
put what happened behind her
as she continued her services,
nob©dy knows what happened
except her and it was better
that way
It was after a month when her
monthly flow cease to come
she started panicking but
decided to wait for another
month, maybe by then it will
come, she felt sick and throws
up anytime she eats anything,
Remi thought it was a normal
sickness and drank agbo for
malaria, (herbal medicine for
malaria) hoping to get relief
but on the second month the
flow still did not come.
Remi knew that she was
doomed, she started praying
and begging the gods not to
allow her to be pregnant, she
silently pleaded to the gods to
s£nd her monthly flow
When she couldn’t sto-re all
that she was going throu-gh
within her any more, she
decided to talk to someone.
Nike was the first person that
c@m£ to her mind as she ran to
look for her
“Egba mi oo… Nike…ki oluwa
ran mi lowo…(I’m in trouble..i
nee-d the help of the gods)
“Kilo sele gan (what happened)
“Aaaah, wahala wa t©poju fum
(am in serious trouble) Nike, I
think I’m pregnant…
“Kini…ewoooo (what) for
who…is it for Leja…
“Rara… omooba (no, the prince)
Nike opened her eyes in shock
as she looked at Remi as if she
just re-leased a bomb, it sound
unbelievable to her, she kept
staring at Remi like a ghost
“You know that first day,
during that seven days p@rty,
ehee, when I told you I have
something I wanted to
discuss…yes..so it was during
then that it happened… the
prince was drun!kand doesn’t
even know, he can’t remember
laying with me that night, that
is my main problem Nike, I’m
doomed…kini Kim se bayi?
(What should I do) I just
nee-ded to talk to someone
that is close to me…
“You said the prince is not
aware of it… that is a good
thing, you will have to re-move
it, I will get agbo (herbal
medicine) you will drink it and
flush it out, this agbo is very
strong and works like magic
and there’s no complication, I
ones la-id with Leja, nob©dy
knows about it too, I enticed
him into doing it and he did, I
wanted to have him to myself
after then but he was very
foolish, he didn’t stay for long,
when I noticed that my
monthly visitor did not come
as usual…I quic-kly ran to iyami
and she prepared agbo and I
drank it, everything c@m£
down…so you have to take that
agbo, is the prince that we are
talking about here… the future
king of this kingdom…he
mustn’t hear of this…
“I can’t, I don’t know Nike, but
I’m alre-ady two months gone,
and I feel terrible alre-ady,
commiting another sin upon
this will be deadly…I feel that
way…I can’t, the prince do not
have to know, I will resign
from this palace and go-to stay
with my grandma…but I just
don’t feel like flushing an
innocent tiny seed growing…
I’m the one that deserve to die
for laying with the prince not
this baby…I don’t know what
to do but I don’t have the guts
to hurt or flush the child…
“Is not yet a child Remi, is a
bad blood that will endanger
the prince and it nee-ds to be
flu-shed out…
“Are you more concerned
about the prince or my life,
Nike, I never planned for this to
happen, believe me, I did not
even un-derstand how it all
happened and I couldn’t st©p
him, I thought I was free and
nob©dy will know because
even the prince doesn’t know,
but after a month and then
another c@m£ I knew I was
carrying the prince seed, I’m
afraid, what I greatly fear is
this but the gods will see me
throu-gh… I can’t drink any
agbo or anything just to flush
this out…I can’t..
“Even the gods can’t help you
because you s£dûç£d the
prince and sle-pt with a drun!k
man that doesn’t even know
what he was doing, the gods
won’t forgive you, is an
abomination Remi, and you
have to take it off just as I took
Leja’s own off, it was just so
Simple, you have to do it…
nob©dy will know… trust me…
Remi stood up and walked
away from Nike as the whole
thing was almost tuning into a
fight,
Nike was more concerned
about the prince and insisted
that she flush the pregnancy
out but Remi couldn’t, she was
confuse on what to do, she
thought telling Nike will help
but it wors£n her situation, she
nee-d to see her grandmother.
Nike took permission from the
Queen after the talk with Remi,
Nike lied that her mother was
very sick and her permission
was granted, she quic-kly Left
to see her mother.
Episode 12.
Remi told the princess that she
nee-ded a day off so that she
can finally visit her
grandmother
The princess gave her two days
off instead, as she was leaving,
Leja saw her and c@m£ to meet
her
“Where are you going to…?
“Home, I’m visiting my people.
“Is there a problem…?
“No problem Leja, must there
be any before I visit my
people?
“Not really…just asking because
Nike, your sister also took
permission from the Queen to
visit hom…
Remi felt like throwing up as
Leja was speaking to her but
she kept holding it in waiting
to when she will move away
from Leja, she started walking
away slowly just for Leja to
leave but he followed and
continued to talk
Remi couldn’t respond well as
saliva filled her mouth, when
she couldn’t hold it in she ran
off with speed and vomited,
Leja stood watching her until
she was done
“Are you alright Remi…
I’m fine…is just the food I ate
this morning that is troubling
my stomach but I’m very
fin….ugrrrrhhhh
She started vomiting again.
“Remi, you have being
throwing up of recent, I also
saw you the other day and and
I thought is a flu…but it doesn’t
look so to me any
more…or…are you pregnant
Remi quic-kly stood up from
where she bent over to face
Leja
“What kind of talk is that…Leja,
how can you think I’m
pregnant… are you the one
that got me pregnant… plea-se
don’t ask me that kind of
question again…
“I’m only being concern that’s
why I’m asking you… and if you
are then I know who will be
responsible… the night of the
p@rty that the prince got
drun!k… the time you spent in
his chamber… the blood on the
prince wra-pper… the way you
were shaking all over… the way
you Walk with the invisible
injury on your l@p…the hidding
of the wra-pper in those over
grown plants… omooba took
your vir-ginity that night I’m I
correct?… st©p lying Remi…
everything is beginning to add
up…is all ma-king s-en-se
now…he f0rç£fully l@ywith
you…
“Is it same way you f0rç£fully
l@ywith Nike…no, the prince is
not like you…you are only
adding ru-bbish to your
head…snap out of it…the prince
is a noble man…i don’t owe
you an explanation Leja… leave
me alone…your problem
should be with Nike not me…
you two have being meeting
each other in secret…
“Are you jealous, wait… did
Nike told you that I f0rç£ her… I
never f0rç£d her… throu-gh out
the days we did It she begged
for It, it was only once… just
once I went to her…but the rest
she was coming to me… she
wanted it and I gave it to her…
why will she even tell you
when she promised to keep it a
secret… Nike is not trust
worthy at all… she swear and
promise never to tell anyone…
why did she have to tell you…I
wanted you Remi…I still do…I
seriously de-sire to have you
but you have never consider
me for once…
Remi started walking away
with speed but Leja followed
her and continued to speak
“…I swear by the gods that you
occu-py my mind even while I
was on t©p of Nike…all I see is
your face as I met with her…
“You are disgusting Leja… st©p
following me…leave me alone…
“I can’t leave you alone…I love
you Remi…plea-se… st©p doing
this to me… the prince can’t
love you as much as I do…he…
“What you feel is not love…you
made me t©uçh your man-hood
sometime ago because that’s
where your feeling for me lay…
what you feel for me is in
between your legs Leja…
“Remi…aah..ahh…how can you
say that…I thought you have
forgotten what transpired
between us that night…I
apologise and you said it was
okay…so if what I feel for you is
within my man-hood then what
of the prince…he looks at you
with de-sires in his eyes…he also
wants you as much as I do…
that’s if he hasn’t had you
yet…I still remember that night
and the blood stain wra-pper…
you can hide everything but
you can never hide pregnancy…
with time it will show up and
every one will have questions
that only you can answer… I’m
watching you closely
Remi…ever since that night…I
have being keeping an eye on
you and if what I think
happens to be true then you
will have alot of explanation to
do…I won’t forgive you or the
prince…
Remi st©pped at the gate and
face Leja who followed her
down
“We don’t nee-d your
forgiveness…neither do we
owe you one…live your life Leja
and let me live mine… serve,
because that’s what you are
called to do or better still focus
on Nike… st©p confusing
yourself… even if I happen to
be pregnant…is none of your
business…is my cross to bear..
Remi crossed the gate, Leja
stood and kept talking as she
walks away…
“So you are indirectly agreeing
to the fact that you are
pregnant…I just hope is not
true becau….
Remi couldn’t hear him any
more as she cross over to the
opposite side of the road and
quietly walked away
The prince have being
watching Leja and Remi as
they walk to the gate, Leja was
acting all angry as he speaks to
Remi, Remi st©p to reply him
and continued walking
towards the gate, Leja kept
talking until she walked out of
the gate before he finally
turned back
The prince wondered what
they were arguing about, he
wish to know what exactly is
going on between Leja and
Remi, he has seen them on
several occasions arguing or
talking over something
He was beginning to think
there was something going on
between Leja and Remi and he
will find out today
“Could it be that Leja and Remi
are in a relationsh!p, what is
really going on between them,
oh by the gods…why can’t I
forget this maiden, why has
Remi occu-pied my mind and no
matter how much I try to put
her behind I can’t seem to to
do that…
The prince stood by his
window as he thought within
himself, he decided to s£nd for
Leja
“Omooba you s£nt for me…
“‘yeah…i want to ask you a
question and don’t lie to me
just answer me… the truth only
Leja…
“I have never lied to you
before my prince…I won’t start
now…
“Is about Remi, my sister’s
personal maiden…who is she to
you…
Leja knew this was a good
opportunity for him…his
answer will either make the
prince to stay away from Remi
or draw him closer, Leja
decided to lie to the prince.
“My prince, I’m sorry that I
have kept this a secret for a
very long time, is mainly
because I don’t want to
endanger her and I also know
that you have a great interest
in her…Remi is my woman, we
are in a serious relationsh!p…
she love me so very much and I
also love her too…
The prince felt as if his heart
was thorn ap@rt, he breathed
de-eply and put his sweating
hands inside his pocket so that
Leja won’t see his discomfort,
he felt stupid for loving a
maiden who love another
“Leja…uhmmm… you should
have told me that you and
Remi had something serious
going on but there’s no
problem… I’m sorry for
showing interest in her which
you knew all this while
without saying a word… you
seem to be arguing over
something earlier…I watched
two of you from here… Treat
her well Leja… she is a good
maiden…uhmmm… that’s all for
now…I promise not to trespas-s
again… you may leave now…
Leja bow to him before
walking away, he was so
happy to have finally nailed
the prince, he saw the prince
discomfort even though he has
tried to hide it but it was so
obvious, the prince was in love
with Remi but everything will
start changing now that he
told him that he was in a
relationsh!pwith her. The
prince is a noble man and will
stay clear off another man’s
property.
Leja felt so happy that he
finally succeeded in separating
Remi from the prince, now he
will find a way to make Remi
to be his, he knows it will be
difficult but he will put More
effort
The prince sat ha-rd on his
wooden carved chair, he was
planning on how to ask Remi
to be his, after which he will
speak to his father concerning
her, Remi has being avoiding
him ever since the night he got
drun!k, he thought it was
because she felt embarras-sed
with his behaviour, he was also
trying to concentrate on other
royal work with his father.
The oba has engaged him on a
royal as-signment, how to
become a good ruler of the
kingdom, he has being so busy
and only thought of Remi
whenever he was alone or
when he sees her sister, Nike
attending to the Queen with
other of his mother’s personal
maidens, he has always s£nt
his greetings to Remi throu-gh
her sister Nike.
The prince has wish Remi will
be his but now he knows that
she belongs to Leja.
He now un-derstands why Leja
was eavesdroping on his
conversation with Remi
sometimes ago. everything
makes s-en-se to him now.
He will stay off now that he
knows she is for Leja, even
though doing so may seem so
ha-rd to do but he will focus on
other important things,
there are plenty of maidens
within the kingdom and
outside the kingdom, both
royal and non royal, when he is
re-ady to chose a Queen he will
ask the gods for their help, so
that he can marry a maiden
that will have same attributes
his mother, the pres£nt Queen
has.
Remi did not go to her
grandmother straight away,
she st©pped by to check up on
her mother and brother
As she got home, her mother
angrily confronted her
“Remi… Ki ni eleyi ti mo gbo yi..
(what is this I’m hearing)…I
was planning to come to the
palace today to come and fetch
you…
“Mami, kilo sele (what is it
mother)
“Se ni ooto lo ti loyun (are you
pregnant?)
Remi kept quiet, she wonder
how her mother got to know
“Remi… damilohun…se ni ooto
lo ti loyun (Remi… answer me…
Are you pregnant)
“Beeni Maami…(yes mother)
Ahhh..olurun mi…Remi o ti
pami ah ahh..(oh my God, Remi
has killed me)what did I do
wrong to deserve this…is this
why the gods chose you to go
and serve in the palace…ahh
Remi…
“Maami, imabinu (I’m sorry
mother) it was a mistake…who
told you… how did you know…
“I will sl@p that your stupid
mouth that you are using to
ask me silly question… Nike
c@m£ back yesterday evening
and told her mother and iya
Nike c@m£ to tell me… they
said it was a guard… Leja that
got you pregnant…but you lied
and said it was for the prince…
“Whaaaat… hmm…maami…
that’s not true… I’m carrying
the prince seed…I don’t have
anything to do with Leja…
rather is even Nike that…
There was a ban-g on the door,
“Iya Remi…bosita (Remi’s
mother come outside)
It was Nike’s mother that was
calling her, Remi and her
mother went out
Nike was standing outside with
her mother
“I am concerned about Remi
being pregnant…is a bad
omen… when Nike told me
about it yesterday i quic-kly
c@m£ to tell you… because of
how concerned I am I prepared
agbo for her today…it will flush
out the b—–d that she is
carrying… I’m just being
concerned…
“Iya Nike I appreciate your
concern but commiting an
ab-ortion is not a better way to
handle this, being pregnant out
of wedlock is enough trouble
but flushing an innocent
child…I totally disagree..
I’m not sure who the
pregnancy is for I was just
talking with her before you
c@m£… Remi can’t flush the
innocent child…I totally
disagree with that but thank
you anyway…
“Innocent child ke… hahahaha…
that thing she is carrying is
neither innocent or child yet…is
still blood…bad blood…your
daughter is very loose and too
wayward to have fallen
pregnant… I’m only trying to
help you so that she won’t
bring shame and disgrace to
you… She allowed a guard to
get her pregnant… because I
know the prince can’t fall for a
commoner like her… even my
daughter that now serve the
Queen personally do get to see
the prince often now and he
doesn’t have time for palace
maiden… so Remi should not
open that her stinking mouth
and say the abominable thing
she is carrying belongs to the
prince…
Remi spoke out of anger
“I don’t nee-d your help…iya
Nike, leave me alone, drink
your agbo or better give it to
Nike but I don’t nee-d it and
what I carry is the prince seed
I’m not mixing words about it…
st©p calling it an
abomination…or bad blood, is a
child…I don’t want the prince
but I do want to keep this
child, children are gifts from
the gods… the prince is not
even aware of it because I
refuse to let him know… st©p
pretending as if you are
concerned because I know you
are not neither is your
daughter… she has proven
again to be who she has
always being…
“You will flush that thing
Remi…you are not worthy to
carry the prince seed…you are
not worthy at all… even Nike,
my daughter that the prince
was beginning to pick interest
in.. has not cheaply thrown
herself at him, he even speak
and laugh with her so the only
person in this house that
deserves to carry the prince
seed is my daughter not
someb©dy like you…
“Is not too late… I’m not
st©pping her… she can go
ahead since the prince has
interest in her but plea-se
concentrate on her and stay
away from us…
Remi and her mother turned
and started going inside, Iya
Remi angrily rushed and
pushed Remi’s mother so ha-rd
that she almost fell face down
if not for Remi,
Remi quic-kly held onto her
before she could get to the
ground, after she lifted her
mother she charged towards
iya Nike and pushed her and
the woman fell down
Nike rushed towards Remi but
she flings her away like an
ordinary thing,
iya Nike was screaming and
acting up the whole place, she
took a wooden stick and fired
it at Remi’s mother but Remi
caught it mid way and instead
of throwing it back she broke
the stick
Nike and her a mother fired a
big stone at Remi, targeting it
at her stomach but she also
caught the stones and threw it
away before taking her mother
inside.
Nike’s mother knew the battle
line has being drawn, she
swore that over her dead b©dy
will Remi carry the prince child.
If anyb©dy deserve to be
pregnant for the Prince then it
should be her daughter Nike
not Remi.
Tbc…