Chapter 3

Akiza's mother and Akiza with some of their house servants entered the grand palace of the King of Dodo. They waited for his presence. Shortly after the king appeared and both mother and son bowed their heads in greetings but their was a strain of anger in the face of the king as he took his seat, looked around and pointed straight at Akiza,

"You ungrateful son of your mother, did you not think it right to honor me?, you dishonor me by disregarding my daughter. Now you speak to her as you like, as if she is a commoner. I should have you pay for this!" Akiza's mother wasn't pleased with the manner the King had spoken to her son.

"With all due respect King of Dodo, if these two; your daughter and my son are going to have to marry each other we should learn to leave them to settle their issues by themselves. You have made this a routine; to call upon my son and disgrace him infront of your officials because of your daughter who has refused to grow up" The Witch wasn't sorry this time and the King felt challenged. He arose from his seat and detestedly pointed his sacred staff at the Witch and threatened to have her tongue if she didn't go down on her knees to apologise but the Witch wasn't ready to say sorry instead she turned to leave with her son but the King's men charged against them with their spears.

"It seems you have forgotten your place woman but I will remind you. You are still answerable to me despite the riches you have accumulated from the wealth of my land. Have you no shame, you visitor that eats what is not hers" Akiza's mother turned to face the king. "You tell your men to step out of my way. My son will have nothing to do with your daughter. Now let us pass" 

"You have refused to learn a lesson but I'm the King and I hereby strip you of all titles and wealth, I hereby pronounce judgement upon you; to go into exile and never return to this land. You and your son must never be seen anywhere near Dodo or your heads will leave your necks!" The King struck his staff to the ground to seal his word. Akiza was moved in anger and he tried to advance towards the King but the men in the palace pushed both of them outside and threw them outside the gate. Akiza and his mother returned home in anger. Shortly after they arrived their home they saw troops from the palace galloping towards their house and Akiza's mother knew they had come to take over what was hers. She stood her ground but when the soldiers came with a palace official they forced the woman and her son out of their way, entered the building and began to customise all the properties in the name of the King. Akiza with the mother stood outside and their was tears in his eyes. The palace official sent by the King of Dodo who led the troops walked up to Akiza's mother and standing before her he smiled wickedly, 

"You should be careful with your tongue next time. It baffles me and I have always wanted to ask my King, how a mere woman from an obscured place comes to our land and suddenly joins the league of the richest in Dodo. Now you have nothing you should return to the dirt whence you came" The official had his men seal the building with the King's color, ousted her and took with them the men assigned to her by the King and confiscated all her lands.

There was nowhere to sleep that night except in the home of the friends Akiza's mother made; her best friend. The rich woman welcomed her but with a warning; 

"You know that the King will look for you, to know if you have left the land or not and if he finds you here he may decide to have me share in your fate, a thing I wouldn't want to be part of"

"Thank you for welcoming me into your home Aromo my good friend but you must help me by allowing my son stay here with you and your daughter this night" Said Akiza's mother.

"What about you?" asked the woman.

"I will be somewhere very important, a place that I must be, but you must help me accomadate my son" Akiza's mother had wanted to move away through the door when Akiza held her by the hand and forbade her to leave without him.

"I promised to stand with you till the end to heed your words, till I take back what is mine. This might just be a way the gods are telling us it is time for us to go take back home and take back what is ours" Said Akiza but his mother wasn't ready to go to where she was going with her son. She held him by the shoulders and said to him; "You must stay here my son. I will return in the morning and then we will go home" The son didn't say anything further, he simply nodded, trying hard to prevent tears from his eyes. The mother turned to go but stopped, turned again to face her son and then gave him a dirty slap across the face."Shed tears again and you will bear my name while I bear yours" turning to Aromo her friend Akiza's mother asked for a horse.

Akiza's mother rode off into the darkness of the night. Aromo stared until she could see her no more then she turned to the young man standing beside her, "Are you a virgin?" She asked and Akiza didn't expect this as he shockingly turned to stare into her eyes. He was dumbfounded and unable to find words to say. The woman held him by the shoulder with her left hand and added, "Should we find out if you are one?"