"Father, this is my fiance, I hereby present him to you in fulfilment of my promise few weeks ago", Princess Adeola told his father, the king of Alayeye town.
The king looked around in confusion, and thereafter asked, "who are you really talking about?"
"Papa you heard me, Olowoyo is my fiance, I love him!" She chuckled.
"An ordinary messenger in my palace?"
"He's a human being too! He deserves to be loved", the princess said, frowned.
"No, that will not happen in my lifetime", said King Fadegboye, and later faced Olowoyo, "and you, let this be the last time I would see you with my daughter, ok?"
"Yes, Your Highness", Olowoyo answered, shivering, and disappeared in a jiffy.
Olowoyo was a messenger in the palace. Though he was very brilliant and vibrant, but that wouldn't change his status. The king refused completely and vowed to do everything in his capacity to see that the proposed union didn't see the light of the day.
Despite the king's refusal to give his consent, Olowoyo and Adeola did not stop their relationship. When the king knew about it, he ordered his guards to arrest him.
Few days after getting the poor slave arrested, King Fadegboye pronounced death sentence on him which must be carried out in seven days.
"Kabiyesi, please release Olowoyo, he's innocent", the princess pleaded.
"I must confess that you are a disgrace to this royal family, and I'm sure that if your mother is alive today, all these wouldn't have happened", the king responded.
"He's the only man I love, and I can never substitute his love for anything," Adeola confessed.
"In the whole of this town you couldn't get any other person to marry, except a slave?"
"But Papa, you can change his story, just for my sake! You can empower him!"
"No, I will not", the king rebuked. "There are many wealthy families in this town that their male sons would love to marry you!"
Despite her pleas, Fadegboye remained adamant. On the seventh day, they took Olowoyo to the shrine of their god for execution, but as the chief guard was about to behead him, a loud voice was heard.
"Stop, stop, do not kill him, he's our king, he's our king, do not kill him", an old man cried, rushing in in a company other 40 young and strong warriors.
"Who are you, and what do you want from us?" King Folagbade queried.
"We are from Aje town, and our gods had revealed to us that our recently dead king intentionally sold Olowoyo and his father to slavery about twenty years ago so that they won't be able to contest against his children and grandchildren in future for the throne. But after the death of the king, the gods rejected all his descendants, and thereafter led us to Alayeye to bring Olowoyo and his father home to occupy the throne of their fathers", the old man explained.
There was a big and uniform sigh from the crowd. It was indeed a touching story!
"But when we got to the palace, we were told that Olowoyo's father had died six years ago, and that Olowoyo is on his way to be executed. That's why we are rushing down here. We are not here to fight, but to plead with you. Please, Kabiyesi, forgive him any sin he might have sinned against you, and release him for our sake", the old man from Aje town pleaded.
Folagbade sighed deeply, eyed each of the warriors from Aje town suspiciously, and later released Olowoyo for them. Olowoyo thereafter showed his appreciation to the king, and used the opportunity to humbly plead with the king to approve his marriage with Adeola. This time, the king did not hesitate to give his consent to the request.
But sadly, when they returned to the palace amidst songs and drums, so that Olowoyo could take his lover in an elaborate way with him to Aje town where kingship is already waiting for him, the princess had already committed suicide by hanging herself, because she thought Olowoyo would have been killed.
That was how King Folagbade lost his only child due to discrimination and pride. He wept profusely, but his tears wouldn't bring back the deceased.
"Haaa, if I'd known, I would have allowed him to marry her. Now I'm the loser", the king wept painfully.
It was a huge emotional injury to Olowoyo too, but he didn't have any other choice than to return to his town and occupy the royal position of his ancestors in grand style.
THE END
LESSONS:
i. Say no to discrimination.
ii. The poor deserves to be loved too.
iii. The era of choosing husbands and wives for children has passed. Let them make their own choices.
iv. Add yours.
Story written by Odunayo Ogunmodede.
isaacodunayo35@gmail.com, 07033504020
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