She began to sweat with the heat and the building up of anger was contributing.
I opened the door to go out of the room, she held my hand and pinned me to the wall, with her arm on my chest.
" You don't know who you are messing with, I can squash you like a bug and no one will do anything, even Prince Sepo".
"Princess Mokomena, It is my belief that you where embodied in the teachings of royalty. Good manners are essentially for a royal"I said, my face unfazed by her actions.
She was almost Prince Sepo's height, taller and stronger than me by far. I felt the impact of her pushing me to the wall.
"You will let me go right now, looking her in the eyes. It was an experimental decision but
I felt her loosening the grip and stretching her back. She felt the pain she was inflicting on me. She was becoming uncomfortable with the hold on my chest, the more she held me in that position, the more uncomfortable she became.
"What are you?"she asked me furiously.
"I am someone, you can not much up to."
It was my first time to see Princess Mokomena, seeing her only brought back feelings of hate, and revenge. Both our faces were clouded with resentment.
Her dark eyebrows creased incredulously.
She took a step backwards.
"I find you quite lacking in respect concubine."she grunted.
" Respect is something that comes naturally to me except when I meet an equally disrespectful Princess, I immediately reserve it for civil mannered commoners."
" Even if you are sleeping with the Prince, you will never be Queen" She sneered.
" I'll make it so that it is the case for you too"...
Princess Mokomena's blood was rushing to her face. Although she was bigger than me, I seemed to dominate the altercation by sheer force of personality, I was King Yanga's daughter after all.
I ignored her vicious glance and quickly left the room.
I wondered to my self , how I seemed to use the gifts Nyambe had given me as an Oracle but wanted nothing to do with using them for the sole purpose they where given to me, But then again I didn't ask for them.
*******
"If we don't have the rains in the next few days, our people will starve to death and so will the animals" the King told his courtiers.
"My King, I suggest, we call the Oracle"
"Yes" another one added, she can ask why the gods have forsaken us, sacrifices will be made and we will have rains."
" Have the Oracle brought here" he whispered to his aide.
It wasn't long but the Oracle stepped into the audience hall. She must have been informed about this sudden call from the King by the gods, such was a life of an Oracle you bring news from the gods to the people, different from the mess, Kuku had me in. She had come with a tail of about twelve humans, all covered from head to toes with black linens.
She made obeisance and stood erectly with her stuff made from a Musamba tree and addressed the courtiers.
" I greet you all"
"My King the gods have already informed me of the reason I was summoned here".
" What has the gods said is our solution?" the King asked calmly.
" One of your courier has committed an abominable act. The land will need cleansing"
" Who amongst them has committed such act that interferes with the gods sending us rain?"
" My Prince knows that better than I can explain it"
Prince Sepo was surprisingly calm.
" I don't know what I have done that the gods consider an impious act."
His gaze was tranquil.
"Because the gods must know, it wasn't my intention to marry Princess Mokomena, neither do I remember marrying her"
The hall broke out into murmurs and chief courtier Mbau kani, like always was the first to speak out.
" My Prince, we where all there when you married the Letuyako Princess, how than do you not remember, it has even been a full seven nights".
Prince Sepo, ignored Mbau kani and continued.
" Are the gods upset because I married my concubine first before Princess Mokomena ?" he asked the Oracle.
The court was in chaos.
"He married a concubine"One said
"Then does that make a concubine Queen after the King's demise?"
"How can he do that? no wonder we are in this problem of near drought" said another.
The King was speechless, he looked at Prince Sepo and rested his head on his palm.
The gods punish with blood, and if they were punishing everyone because of a single person's deeds, he will pay with blood for it. Most of the time, it is one's own blood.
"What is the solution?" Mbau kani asked.
"We will need his concubine here"
" Why?"Prince Sepo asked standing up
" Its not for you to ask and neither is it mine to explain?"the Oracle replied.
"Have her brought here."she demanded.
I was having breakfast after my altercation with Princess Mokomena, when Namakau came to inform me, the King's guards where outside.
I was surprised but I thought maybe, it had something to do with my becoming Prince Sepo's concubine. I walked outside and found the grim looking guards with spears.
" You are to follow us to the audience hall". I was scared but the fact that i couldn't be killed or hurt by a human being was enough solace to walk with them.
I was embarrassed at my clinging to the benefits of the work I had no intention of doing.
The guards let me walk in the hall by myself. I made obeisance to the King and his courtiers and saw Prince Sepo's worried look. I was looking at him hoping to get some kind of explanation on his face but there was non.
The King looked at Prince Sepo as if asking
"Her?.. you married this girl, we are in all this trouble, you can possibly die because of such a girl?"
But he didn't pay attention to the King, his eyes where locked on me, the woman he had to protect from everyone and anyone, at this point even the gods.
" Is this the reason we are here?"the king asked the Oracle.