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King Ike was sitted at the dinning table eating a hearty breakfast alongside his lovely wife. The table had the princely build of perfect mahogany. It was also littered with all sorts of mouth-watering dishes. In between bites of food he let out words to his latest queen whom he married some five years before. The queen for her part made delicate responses in between nods and shakes of the head.
"I am going to receive the King of Elumelu kingdom in my Palace in three days time," he bellowed in deep vibrant voice, something akin to a lion's roar. "So I want all necessary preparations made on your part. I have already informed my first queen of this arrangement."
Queen Ola disliked it whenever her husband, the King, referred to his first wife as 'my first queen' it made her bosom boil with jealousy like a furnace. Even now there was a frown playing on the silvern, glittering features of her beautiful face.
"I suppose, my king," she ventured gracefully. "It's about the marriage of your 5th daughter to his son, their crown prince."
"Yes." replied her husband.
The king motioned a butler who poured him wine in a tall slender glass. The precious liquid danced in the glass as the king had his last sip of the breakfast.
He has almost retired from the table when a servant rushed in hurriedly. Obviously he had bad news to deliver the way he saluted and bowed deeply before the king.
"Your majesty," he began. "We took the young prince to the stream as you requested but, but..." the servant stammered confusedly.
"Get to the point." the king pressed impatiently.
He always preferred to be given bad news straightaway, he hated all the unnecessary beating about the bush common with palace servants especially in situations like this.
"The young prince, your majesty just vanished like that."
The King glared with imperial anger at the servant. He felt the anger rising in him.
"Did you have eyes on the young prince, your lord, all the time as I instructed?"
"Yes, your majesty. Except when he forced us to excuse him for a swim in the stream."
"Against my command, and you accepted?"
The stammering frame of the servant was already trembling before the king.
The queen who had been enduring anguish and anger spoke.
"Of course you had to let him out of your sight, you preposterous and incautious bug. I will have you and all yours thrown to the alligators if he is not found within 2 days."
The servant knew better than to reply.
The kind now spoke after some moments of deep thought
" Summon me all the chiefs and elders within two hours. And call me the captain of the guard. I have an important errand to send him on."
" Yes, your majesty." and the servant departed with the fast-footedness of a hare.
The chiefs and elders cane as summoned and after a lengthy deliberation that took the better part of the day the decision was to send a party to search for the missing prince. And also more servants to inform the kings of neighbouring Kingdoms of the tragedy that had befallen him.
But in spite of all efforts no headway was made and the little prince, named Afamefuna remained missing and he was the only heir to King Ikenna's throne. The entire kingdom languished in the pain of the loss of its only heir.
Some twenty years after this unfortunate incident, the king, sat peacefully in his palace soaking in the freshness of the morning like foam soaks water, and enjoying a glass of white wine, while having a discussion with one of his daughters, when he was visited by a group of chiefs accompaniedby the kingmaker. After the usual greetings and refreshments, the king's visitors got to the object of their visit.
"Thank you great king for the warm welcome," began the eldest among them. "We have come to the king with a most important issue at such a time. The king is well aware that it is customary for the King to announce a heir to his throne after 4 decades of rule. And indeed the King has ruled well. Your benevolent and wise rule has illuminated our land like the golden rays of the midday sun illuminates the earth. But you know, my king, the laws of the land must be obeyed. So, my king, you must name a successor.
The old chief paused and looked around him.
"Do I speak your minds, O chiefs and elders of our land?"
"Indeed you do." chorused the elders in unison.
The king smiled majestically, cleared his throat and began :
"I have heard you elders of our great land, and I do not wish to question your request in any way. But as you know, I cannot respond to that which you ask presently. I ask that you give me 8 market weeks and I shall send you my reply."
The elders agreed to the king's request and departed.
But King Ike was troubled sorely. His only surviving heir his son Afamefuna had gone missing some 20 winters ago. The rule of the land was that if any king couldn't produce a heir during the appointed time, him and his generation will forfeit the throne.
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But the trouble of this Kingdom was even more complicated. There had been a prophecy from the Oracle that if the Achagbunam Dynasty ( King Ike's forefathers) ceased to rule, that Nri Kingdom would be conquered by fierce nomad armies from across the great river and cease to exist. All things ever predicted by the oracle had been all fulfilled. So every man and woman in the kingdom of Nri knew there was something in the wind. For something cataclysmic was about to happen to the kingdom, and many feared it was something evil.
4 days to the time given by the King to the chiefs, something happened. A young man surfaced in the village. He had come with a group of chiefs to the kingdom to visit the King. It wasn't long before people began to notice his striking resemblance to the King. He had the swaggering height of the King. He well built, tall and very handsome and there was something very noble about the way he talked. His face radiated peace and splendour like the blue evening sky. And he was clad with georgous apparels like primroses are magnificently clad in winter.
Prince Afamefuna had been in the care of the King of Amaelu kingdom, situated some 300 miles south of the Nri kingdom. The King of Amaelu had bought Afamefuna as a slave and raised him as his own son to replace him on the throne for he had no child of his own. But the oracles of the land had revealed who Afamefuna truly was and the King of Amaelu had to return him as the oracles commanded.
King Ike welcomed the royal party in his palace and could not hide his joy at the return of his long-lost son. He encircled him in a deep embrace and his mother, the queen had wept like a girl at the return of her son. A huge and generous feast was thrown and the week-long celebrations began.
One of the elders on his deathbed confessed to having a hand in the abduction of the prince many years ago. He named the kingmaker as the mastermind who want to end the rule of King Ike to avail the throne to his own bloodline having been blessed with so many sons. With the uncovering of the wicked plot, the offenders were brought to justice and king Ike set about the task of making his heir replace him by ascending the throne.
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Prince Afamefuna later got married to the only daughter of the King of Amaelu who was previously raising him to be his replacement on the throne and out of the two kingdoms a large, prosperous and magnificent empire was born. To this day the Achagbunam (King Ike's descendants), dynasty still sit as it's kings.
The End.
Thanks for reading.
