The Sword And The Lovers

Chapter 8

Kote began to tell her mother what happened in the palace but unknown to her that nothing ever serious as what happened happens without the Queen's knowledge. The Queen already knew about Chere and how Kote her daughter tried to rescue him and how the father sent Chere away to be killed by his men. The mother then held her hands and said, "I know you hate to see blood my daughter. I know that you do not like to see your people being killed but Chere's own story is different. Let me tell you what will shock you then, wipe your tears very well".

Kote wiped her tears and adjusted herself to listen to what her mother had to say to her.

"Chere is not dead. He was meant to be but somehow something happened and he was saved. As I am talking to you now those sent to kill him are nowhere to be found and the one that managed to return with just one hand said the being Narati came to the rescue of Chere as they were about to kill him. As you can see my daughter your father has decided to beg the people or should I say the Seers of Bara land. His ego has fallen believe me and you and I know why; the Narati! That ancient being of Justice that is believed to be fighting for the people of Bara land. I do not believe that the being fights for only the Bara people but if it is what it is said to be then your father who has annoyed you so much will soon return from going to beg the Barans for their forgiveness. I know that they will forgive him because I trust in your father. I know that he will not disappoint me and..."

"Wait a minute mother...are you saying that our men are dead because of that boy? if so then what is the point? I care a out human life being wasted when I felt bad over Chere's ordeal but to have because of him loose my father's men I have to stop feeling pity for him" She rose when she had stopped speaking and turned to her mother, "You said that Chere is still alive? Good, if I ever set my eyes on him I will kill him myself"

The Queen stood up and walked up to her, "You are yet to understand what I mean do you daughter mine? Stop talking about this" she left her.

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In the Baran land the Seers of Bara; those considered to be greatly favoured with leadership and power were the ones inside the Square with the king of Kojo, Onochie and some of the King's most important men. The king then sat after the greeting had ended and after a while one of the Baran elders cleared his throat and looked up at the king and smiled wickedly.

"King of our land you are welcome to the great and poor land of Bara. Your dominance extends to this land and so here is still your land. You are our king. Even though I have said this it is still wise that you remember that the Barans are the first in existence before the Kojons. The Kojon was the younger brother to Bara but Bara was the quite one, peaceful one but more talented. I do not know if you have heard about the story of Kojo and Bara. Do not say I insult you with this but you are young. I am the same age with your father when he died and I was there watching you curl up to your mother for consolation. Your father knows the history of the Barans and the Kojons very well and that was why he even though knew that the Kojons could crush the Barans at any given time never did so or thought of doing so. Here is the story of Bara and his younger brother Kojo and after listening to this story maybe you will understand why you should feel forced to apologise to us but you will do it because you have understood why it is necessary to do so"

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The story of Bara and his younger brother Kojo was an ancient story of a father who gave birth to two sons but his wife died at the spot. The man lived at the South and there was war at the South. He had to flee from the South with two of his sons. The gods must have been with the sons for they were just born newly yet. He escaped from the South and headed North. When he arrived in a village called Oso he saw a lonely hut and decided to nest there. He took the boys inside and laid them down. He did not know what to feed them and to his greatest shock the babies were not crying. He got some banana leaves, sprayed them on the ground and placed the babies on them then laid beside them to rest. When he had closed his eyes he saw in a dream while a young lady entered the hut, sat beside the babies, picked them up and placed them on her laps and then began to breastfeed them one after the other. After she was done she placed them back to where she picked them from, pulled out a wrist band from her hand and placed it on the forehead of one of the babies and then called him Bara and left the hut. After she was gone the father opened his eyes from the dream and looked at his two young babies and realised that one of them had the wristband on his forehead and he was shocked. He immediately jumped up and went closer to his sons, bending down over them he picked up the wristband and then the baby started crying for the first time. He put the wrist band on his forehead and he stopped crying immediately. He then was shocked to the brim. At that point he remembered the name the young lady called him in the dream, "Bara" he then turned and looked at the baby and called him Bara. when he called him that the baby smiled at him and then he picked the wristband and wore it on his wrist, picked the baby up and picked the other one, then left the hut.

When the man had traveled far into the North he realised that he was very hungry and if he did not eat anything he would die. He then placed both babies before the foot of a big tree and then went into the inner bush to hunt for meat. After his hunt he returned but could not find his babies. He was alarmed and so he looked around the whole bush. She was still looking when he saw the back of a lady who was seated on the ground with two of her legs stretched in front of her. She looked like she was holding something and her back looked like the back of the lady he saw in his dream. He then began to carefully walk to her front. When he had come to her front he saw it was the same lady he saw in his dream and that she was also carrying her two sons. He kept watching her and even though the lady was paying no attention to his presence she was breastfeeding the children with her two breasts at the same time. She then had to stop and then stood up, lowered the two babies on the ground and turned to look at the man.

The man was the first to speak, "I know that you are no ordinary human. I know that you are a scared being and so I am not going to ask you questions instead I would like to know what you want me to do".

"Good way to speak son of the South. You travel because of war. You are hungry and need food. There over there before that tree is food wrapped up and waiting to be devoured but before you go for your food hear this; I will not return to you because I am through with my assignment. I will not come back to breastfeed the babies because they are now well fed and won't go hungry again until they are both fifteen in age. I know it might sound silly to you because you are a mortal, flesh and blood but for the gods there is nothing impossible and you will see it and believe. They won't go hungry again for the next fifteen years and your work is to make sure that you take them not to the North or to the West and not back to the South but to go farther into the East where rain falls everyday. When you enter the land of the Eastern tribes they will welcome you because they know you and the children you carry. Listen again, the children you carry are fathers and founders. They are going to have their names written in the hearts of every man and every child because they will give birth to nations. Listen again to this other truth I am about to reveal to you now; The one with the wristband he is the one that came first before the one without the wristband and so he is the elder but then he is going to be like a slave to the one without the wristband because he won't be rich. The one without the wristband will be very wealthy and very powerful and will give birth to a nation that will rule other nations but then he will lack the spiritual strength like the one with the wristband. The one with the wristband is ordained by the gods. He was chosen right from the time he was still in his mother's womb. His coming into the world was not a child's play and that was why the life that brought him was taken. Your wife died giving birth to them because of Bara. Bara is his name and the name of the one without the wristband is Kojo. Both of them will know where they function well and how not to cross each other. They will grow and make you proud. You will live for another forty years and then die" The lady then disappeared.