Thoughts of the convenant he made with Nyambe come to him like a revenge.
" If you give me just this one woman, who will accept me with the enormities I come with, I make a promise to you Nyambe my demiurge, that, I'll love only her. Even if i don't get healed from the pain that wrecks me everyday, I'll take only her until my demise. I prince Sepo, son of king Chani here on seals this promise with my blood"
He clasped both his hands on his head.
" What have I done?"
He sat on his bed, feeling dejected.
" Zae my wife..." Memories taken from him came flooding his head, he was in pain and so was I. He blamed himself. I was happy that he was himself, I could feel it. The warmth radiating from his heart and made him hate himself more.
Once outside Princess Mokomena slapped her maiden, obviously for show, because she had sent her to seduce her husband.
She could stand not being intimate with him but she couldn't stand him being in my room for whatever reason. She would rather have him be intimate with someone she could control. I walked past them and walked to my chambers.
It was only midmorning when I decided to go outside. The woman who had come to sake for her husband's healing had come and so Namakau came to wake me up.
I was not feeling well. I had a headache and the previous evening's events had added heat to my pounding head.
" This is the woman " Namakau pointed at her.
The woman looked eerily familiar, but I couldn't really point where exactly I remembered her face from. I had seen her.
" I have heard, you can heal all diseases" she said kneeling down before me.
" No, don't do that, please stand" I told her, helping her up.
" What is your name"
" My name is Pr...." she hesitated " Sepiso is my name."
There was something about her that seemed a little off but I had no cause to doubt the information she gave me.
" Am sorry but he couldn't come here, he is too ill. "She said crying.
" It's ok...let me prepare, I'll go with you".
I only noticed Prince Sepo who sat on a chair under the tree, and had witnessed the whole sceneafter I turned around to walk back inside.
I greeted him like nothing happened and he responded enthusiastically. There were no more words said between us. I walked back inside.
" She really is an Oracle." I heard him mutter to himself and chuckled.
He was still outside, when I came out.
"Where are you going?" He asked timidly.
" The village opposite the Naji river" Namakau answered him, I wasn't going to act like he was acting, it wasn't ok, he'd hurt me.
He looked disappointed that I wasn't the one who answered.
"I wanted to talk to you, can you let me know when you come back?"
I looked and rolled my eyes at him belittling him. It was an act worthy of a beheading but he deserved it, and was taking advantage of how he felt at the moment, embarrassed, a bad husband and just a joke.
********
We had walked for a long time and only reached the village around noon.
We went to the headman and introduced ourselves stating our business in their village. We where granted permission and accommodation for when we wanted to rest afterwards, after hearing I was Prince Sepo's concubine.
We walked some more to find a newly built hut almost at the end of the village. Two children that looked about six and seven sat playing.
" You can come in, my husband is inside."
A thin man lay on a reed mat, his chest was heaving abnormally, his breath audible.
" What is wrong with him?"
The room was dark due to the fact that it had no windows. Even with light from the door, the room was still dark.
" He has a wound on his chest and thigh"
" Help me take him outside". I told her.
Sepiso spread another reed mat outside. She came back and held her husband's shoulder, Namakau and I held his legs.
The man cried out as we lifted him clearly in pain.
His cheeks twitching.
That was when I saw him.
Yes even if it has been a long time, I can never forget his face. I recognised the man even before we reached the light outside.
" Wina?" I cried
Sepiso was shocked to hear me call out her husband's name.
He too was surprised that I knew his name but his surprise was for his wife thinking, she had told us about them.
"Is it because I have grown a little? it's me Prince Wina, Father's last born Princess Zae."
Wina attemped to stand, but he couldn't. I held his hand and placed it on my cheeks, it was getting wet from the uncontrollable tears streaming down my face and my head continued to pound.
" It's me Zae"
" You are alive Father's last born".he said at last.
His face was huggerd. He looked like a different person. If I hadn't played with him a lot back in Seke, I wouldn't have known it was him.
No wonder I didn't recognise Princess Tumelo.
I had hated her when she married my brother because, he had stopped playing with me like he used to after that, and I blamed her for it.
" How did..."
Yes, I had only counted five heads, one was missing, it was Wina. The scene of my family members' heads on poles, I had worked so hard to forget suddenly came flooding back.
I cried and cried... Namakau was confused.
" What is my lady's relationship with these people?"
She came and patted my back.
"Please, don't cry my lady, it's not good for you".
The pain in my heart was more than the little headache I had.
Where are you hurt, I asked, looking for his wounds. tearing the tunic he had on. Underneath, he was wrapped in a bloody dakanya. I untied it and spear wound from the right side, inches above his chest.
I held Wina's head, my forehead touching his, his face taking in my tears.
"I wish to take away his pain"