Ring Of Fire

Ring Of Fire 11

It was the prince's right to choose how the Queen of Bami tried him. And so he made his choice. He was a known fighter and everybody thought Kaka stood no chance of winning him in a single combat that involves no spiritual strength but Kaka was a fighter too. Nobody knew Kaka but he grew up from a village known for fighting. He released the prince and dropped the knife. The Prince equally disarmed himself. The Ikotu soldiers dropped their weapons. The demons backed off. The wizards from Afu stepped aside to watch this combat. The princess walked out of the palace confused on what was going on. Her mother went to embrace her as she asked. "What is about to happen?"

"The law of the royalty" said the Queen

"What does it mean?" Asked the princess.

"Your father's killer who happened to be the war wager against the people of Bami and killed vulnerable soldiers of Bami is the prince who equally had interest on you. Now he demands a trial by combat. This trial will determine our fate; whether we will pardon him and let history record his name as a conqueror or have him beheaded just like he did your father. Kaka is our champion. He fights with him" said the Queen.

The princess looked around, seeing the army of the demons, the soldiers of Ikotu, the wizards from Afu and finally resting her eyes on the wizard who caused the whole tragedy from the very first time. His betrayal revealed many things. It revealed the heartlessness of the prince of Ikotu who held his own father prisoner, killed her father and the vulnerable soldiers of her land. The princess shook her head, approached Kaka where he stood and said to him, "I saw you kick those men to the dirt. Those men that acted like animals and wanted to defile me in that forest. It was easy and I believe in your strength. Right this wrong. Kick the Prince to the dirt and I will give you a priceless gift"

Kaka smiled and nodded before saying aloud, "no spiritual interference in this combat. It is fist to fist"

The wizards from Afu nodded in understanding but in the heart of the wizard who was being held as prisoner by the Queen, he knew he was going to aid the Prince spiritually to defeat Kaka easily even if it meant risk doing that from the midst of the demons who were holding him hostage.

The soldiers of Ikotu, the wizards, the demons, the Queen and the princess all cleared the grand palace to enable the prince and Kaka to have the fight.

The bell was struck and kaka and the Prince began a fight that would be forever remembered in history.

The fight began to last longer than expected. The soldiers of Ikotu were wowed by the moves Kaka was displaying. The prince was slower but stronger while Kaka was faster and cleverer.

The princess was tightly holding her mother's hand as she was wishing the Prince death. Kaka wasn't expecting what became of him. He began to loose strength and honor wouldn't allow him to use magic. He suddenly became slow. The Prince noticed this and started taking advantage of that. Kaka and nobody else would imagine that the wizard being held as prisoner by the demons could be aiding the Prince in the field of combat by weakening Kaka before everybody and in the midst of the fight. He knew that if he didn't use magic the Prince would win and if he won it meant the Queen would drop all charges against the Prince and leave Ikotu with her army, thereby giving the Prince the liberty to celebrate his triumph. The princess was particularly angry with the prince for faking his love for her all these while.

Suddenly the Prince hit Kaka to the dust and the princess was shocked. It took Kaka a lot of time to get up on his feet. The wizards from Afu suspected that something was wrong somewhere. The prince took a glance at the wizard who was aiding him before giving Kaka a kick that some him flat on the ground. The prince had won.

The soldiers of Ikotu shouted in jubilation as they carried their prince up. The princess looked at her mother and her mother looked away before she said, "the prince had won. We lost. We must return home"

"Which home? The one he had laid to waste? We will never be safe in Bami, not after all that happened" the princess said this and went closer to where Kaka was lying and helped him up on a horse, mounted on the horse and while the Queen's attention was on the demons the princess rode away with Kaka.

The Prince approached the Queen and said, "it is an honor that you obeyed the rules of the old by allowing me choose the manner of my trial. Meanwhile, I don't want your princess anymore. Just like my father said; many princesses of this land die to be my wife. I see no reason I should waste my time desiring a princess who has lost her kingdom" the Prince mocked before turning to continue celebrating with his army.

The Queen turned to the wizards from Afu but couldn't find them. She commanded her army out of Ikotu and to Bami. She felt she had a little part to play in the survival of Bami. She knew that killing humans with demons certainly wasn't the best way. Maybe Kaka was right. Maybe he was meant to do something great with her daughter" the Queen thought as she shook her heard.

The wizards from Afu went back to Bami to await the Queen of Bami to arrive. They were amazed to see her returning alone and without her army of demons. She told them she had dismissed them back to their world and she wanted to rebuild her husband's kingdom.

"What about the wizard who is aiding the prince?" One of the wizards from Afu asked the Queen.

"I let him go too. We lost the right to torment anyone in Ikotu immediately Kaka lost to the Prince on that combat" said the Queen.

"What will become the fate of your daughter as she has rode of with the unconscious Kaka?" One of the wizards asked again.

"Let my daughter choose her path. If she believes so much in Kaka that she had to choose him over everything else then I will respect her judgement. It is not my destiny to bring peace to these lands. Kaka was right. We can't continue with wars" said the Queen as she went and sat down on her husband's throne.

"You should be Queen of the people of Bami. We will protect you while you raise a new army from the people and for the people" said one of the wizards.

"The prince will try to come to comb this city. I will count on your protection oh! wizards of Afu" said the Queen as the wizards responded in unison, "we will protect you in the honor of Kaka as we await his healthy return and the heir to Bami!"

The Queen shed tears.

Outside Bami and Ikotu, the princess stopped the horse near a stream, came down and dragged Kaka down from the horse and dragged him to the stream side. There she let him lie beside the still water while she sat beside him and sang sorrowful songs.

After a while she stopped and started talking to herself, "I didn't know who you were. I was led to believe you were mad but I believe now that your love for me wasn't out of madness. It was real. Kaka it was real. We can do this. I will believe in what you believe. Let my sincere love for you heal you, thereby convincing me that love conquers all things"

Kaka opened his eyes immediately and said, "love conquers all things. And hatred destroys all things. The hatred the prince has built will destroy him. We will win"

The princess smiled and kissed him.

In the palace of Ikotu, the prince arrogantly visited the cell where he kept his father prisoner.

"You v'e grown old inside this cell father. And you are sick and dying. Why not sign the papers and let the prime minister crown me the King?"

The father laid there, skinny and hungry. The Prince thought him vulnerable and opened the cell and went inside it. Bent down to touch him but his father quickly opened his eyes and buried a knife in the prince's throat. The prince held his throat, staggered back and fell heavily on the ground. Blood filled his neck and nose as he dies painfully.