CHAPTER 1
The sun, barely rising over the horizon, cast a golden glow over the Ashanti village. The air was still, as if holding its breath, awaiting the return of its warriors, as the excited villagers. Among them was Ame. She waited not in anticipation but in trepidation, hoping against all hope that just this time, she was spared, and he… didn’t return.
Just then, her neighbour Efia caught sight of her and approached, “Ah, I’m sure you can’t wait”, she said sardonically. Scared she must have voiced out her silent prayer, she tried to explain, but Efia was faster “ For the return of your husband” ” she laughed “ I’m sure you must thank the gods everyday for such a blessing to be hand-picked as a wife when others would have used their war conquest as slaves” Ame didn’t miss the envy in her tone at that last bit. She nodded and smiled, moving away from Efia.
If only she knew.
If only Efia knew that she would gladly trade places with a thousand enslaved people than be married to… at the thought of the one Efia called her blessed for, her inside trembled and froze.
Suddenly, she felt the need to run, to escape. Anywhere but here. But she knew she couldn’t. His instructions had been clear: “You Must Always Come To Receive Me After Every Conquest with A Smile”.
Although no threats were made, the warning was apparent as he cleaned the blood from her battered back. Lucky indeed, she thought.
The villagers suddenly started chanting, singing and shouting, which notified her that the warriors were there. They looked battered and subdued, but for word of their victory, she would have suspected a defeat. She looked among them for one Warrior in particular, the one who bore the mark of leadership bestowed by the King. The one who enjoyed the war as much as the glorification after, but he was nowhere in sight.
“Where is Kofo?” Elder Yofi asked the question she had in mind.
The villagers began murmuring and searching, but Nana was nowhere in sight.
Ama knew it was evil of her, but her heart leapt, and she closed her eyes, praying. Praying for the answer would free her. But her prayer today, just like many others before, went unanswered by the gods. For to her dismay and hurt, she heard—
“Here I am” Ama turned and found her eyes captured in the cold eyes of Nana Kofo, Head Warrior of the Ashanti Kingdom. The Fiercest across many lands. He was most revered and feared — even by those who loved him, and rightly so. The bane of her existence and others who he crushes in ruthless abandon, Her Husband…
Her displeasure must have slipped through because his eyes went stony. Fears ripped through her as he leaned in and whispered, “Smile, Wife. One would think you Prayed for My Death.”
CHAPTER 2
For more time than she could remember, Ama went outside that night to check if the voices she heard belonged to those she expected. But it wasn’t
They’ll come tonight. They always do, especially with the rumours that they’d almost lost.
Ama chided herself for letting her emotions slip. A tremor rose within her as she remembered the encounter at the border. He had told her to “go home”, but she wished she were brave enough to defile him and stay. That way, she would have studied his aura. But as always, weak and cowardly, Ama did what she knew how to do best.
Cower.
Now, she was stuck here, dreading the inevitable. Oh, how lucky indeed this war captive was. She didn’t want to be lucky. That luck was the reason for her pain. The reason why her village, family, friends and all she knew and called home burned, but she lived. That luck led her to be rescued by Nana as she fled. That cursed luck made him marry her only to make her an object of pleasure for him and his friends. Oh Yes, that luck still kept her alive after several batteries and horrors later.
One horror, the deepest, actually flashed through her mind. She remembered trying to run away when she had beaten her so hard for getting pregnant. She had decided to run away to save her baby, only to run right into warriors faithful to Nana, who delivered her back to him.
As punishment —for her guts— as he put it, he invited his friends over. That night, they each took turns at her. Her horror and screams had only made them more gay. Her child hadn’t survived the hideous day. But Yes, Luck again! She did. And thankfully, since then, no child has graced her womb. Lessons learnt: never run away. She swallows back the tears the memory always evokes. Steeling herself, she goes back inside.
Hopefully, the punishment for her brief and stupid show of emotion would be so severe that it grants her freedom to be with her family and baby in the afterlife. She prayed.
CHAPTER 3
Ama runs, but he is faster. He laughed with an evil glee at her struggle to escape. Effortlessly, he catches her and pins her to earth. Then he lifts his favoured war blade and says, “Let’s see whose death comes first” She screams as he’s about to deal the final blow.
***
Ama wakes up with a start and finds herself in her room. She lies paralysed as the memories of the previous night come flooding. He hadn’t come back last night. Strength surges through her as she gets out of bed. She checked her hand for the place he had cut but found nothing.
It had been a dream.
She must have fallen asleep while waiting for him.
She wondered if he had returned and rushed out to investigate.
As she exits her hut, she sees Mensah—the youngest warrior in Kofi’s group.
“Good Morning, Nana Kofo, ” Mensah greets her respectfully, addressing her by her husband’s name.
“Good Morning, Mensah. What brings you here this early?” she asks, not trying to conceal her curiosity.
“Word from Nana Kofo,” the young warrior said, “He said to tell you he’ll be home this evening.”
This was new. Trying to wrap her head around what was happening. “Did he say why?”
At her question, she saw him move uncomfortably. “No one questions Nana.” Then, quickly murmuring something else she guessed was a greeting, he removed himself from the compound.
She didn’t know what to make of this, as it had never happened before. First, Kofo didn’t return home last night, then he sent word to inform her when he’d return. What had happened in that war? Or could this be a trap?
The Cock crowed, snapping her out of her thoughts. Back to Her reality. And her reality said she’d better get to the day’s chores before he returned.
***
Ama screamed in pain as the hunter trap she had mistakenly stepped on in her haste to the house pricked her skin. Her eyes began to well up, but she knew it was more for what awaited her than the pain from the trap.
She had gone and fallen asleep by the river.
Ama had begun the day with her usual routine, feeding the goats with the grass she had cut from the little farm behind the compound where they grew vegetables and fruits. Then, she fed the chickens before letting them out. She swept the compound and went to Nana’s room to ensure nothing was out of place. She hadn’t felt like eating, and with no one to cook for, she was soon done with chores.
The day had seemed longer than usual. Although that should have been a good thing since it meant more time in peace without him, she soon felt choked and bored. It was moments such as that that she missed selling in the market with the other women. He had stopped her before his recent war quest when he realised she had kept some of the cowries she made from sales away from him.
Forcefully shutting down what had ensued that day, she decided to go to the stream to do some washing that she had planned to do the next day. She finished washing and took shade under a tree that captured the stream beautifully. While watching the playing and free children, she fell asleep, only to wake up to find the stream deserted and evening upon her.
Now, as she draws close to the house, she tries to conceal her limp from the injury sustained by the thorn lest he use it against her. Nana would not stand for the disrespect of coming home and not meeting her, or his food. When she enters the compound, she finds it silent, but the absence of the animals she had let her in the morning tells her he is home.
“You had better have a perfect reason for this disrespect”, she heard him say, and her blood turned cold. A scream escaped her, and she lost her balance. The last thing she saw before she slipped into oblivion was the wicked blade that had cut her down in her dream in his hands.
CHAPTER 4
Feeling as he did was alien to Kojo — he didn’t even know how to describe it. What had he just witnessed? He had cut down more men than he had lived. He was ruthless even when provoked. But never had it ever crossed his mind to strike a woman, even during the worst provocations.
Why had Ama looked at him with such fear as though she had seen the seven-headed forest beast?
Yes, he had been angry at her, and his anger must have been visible but not enough to warrant such a strong reaction from her. He couldn’t describe it, but it made him feel vile. The evil in him must be so obvious. He grimaced at this thought and pushed it aside.
As his eyes caught the fire, he remembered the hot water he’d been boiling for Ama. The blood on her leg had drawn his attention to the injury under her foot as he carried her into the hut. Thankfully, he had been able to revive her.
Kofo took some of the boiled water and headed back into the hut. As he got in, he realised she had fallen asleep and sighed in relief. It was better this way, he thought. He wasn’t ready to confront her, and for the life of him, he couldn’t say why.
He set the wooden bowl containing the hot water on the floor and gently moved the low stool to the foot of the bed where her legs lay. Kofo saw a piece of old cloth on the wooden shelf on the wall and snatched it up. He needed to leave before she awakes.
Kofo deeps the cloth into the hot water and gently takes her leg… but the moment the hot cloth touches Ama, she suddenly jerks away.
He watched in horror as she recoiled to the wall opposite the side of the bed where he sat.
“Please don’t hurt me… I’m sorry for not being here when you arrived, I…,” he couldn’t believe his ears, but he had seen the look on her enough on the battlefield to know what it was … fear. But why…
He tried to rise but stopped as she screamed and quickly ran for the door, but her bad leg prevented her smooth escape, and she fell to the ground. Groaning in pain.
The way she tried to crawl as he approached her made him feel like a predator. Was this the bold and wicked woman his brother spoke of?
Seeing her at the border, he had judged her on sight. He hated her when her emotions had betrayed her and showed that she would have rather he’d — his brother, been announced dead. Oh, he had thought himself righteous and blamed her for the death of his brother — for the pain she had caused him when he was alive.
How wrong he was. His brother had lied. He had been the one to cause her pain, not the other way around.
“Please do not be afraid. I’m not trying to hurt you,” Kofo said softly and raised his hands to convey the truth of his words. He quickly added, as she eyed him and the door dubiously, “I was only trying to clean your wound… look, this is the cloth, and that’s the hot water in the calabash.”
Ama’s eyes quickly scan the room to confirm his words. Seeing the vapour coming out from the calabash and the abandoned pieces of cloth beside it. She relaxed.
Kofo takes advantage of her distraction and quickly sweeps her up. She stiffens and tries to break free “You’ll come to no harm, I promise”, Kofo whispers into her ear. His words must have convinced her because she stopped struggling, although the stiffness remained.
How stupid he must have been to let his brother play him for a fool all this while. Now, everything began to make sense.
CHAPTER 5
“I know what you’ve been hiding!”
The axe almost slipped from Kojo’s grip at Ama’s words, but either she was too distracted to realise the slip or his quick reflex covered his tracks.
Kofo continued cutting the wood as she approached, acting like he was not torn between fear and curiosity. What did she know? How much did she know…
When Ama was close enough, he stopped working and rose to face her. His pulse began the wicked race it had suddenly started to make since some fortnight ago. It happened whenever he saw or felt her.
Ama was a beautiful woman, but this wasn’t about beauty. It was about the way he responded and took in her beauty. The way his eyes led his will and followed her hip’s gentle sway. Or how her eyelids gave the impression that her eyes were small, but he had seen them bloom on rare occasions, revealing their depth. Or how he knew her nose made her lips so inviting and the urge to trail those noses and then take those lips until they were swollen from pleasure. The image it evoked had him surging with a fierce need.
With every moment he spent in her company, he was gradually losing his mind, and he didn’t like it. He had enough guilt to last him a lifetime, including lusting over one’s brother’s wife — no matter how deceptive that brother had been, was not one he wanted to add to that list.
His emotion must have shown on his face, and Ama must have misinterpreted it because she began stuttering, “I..I’m,”. She coughs and continues, “I’m sorry for …, she stopped and sent a helpless look at the hut where she’d come from—her intent of escaping clear.
It had not been easy these past few weeks trying to get her out of her shell, and he didn’t want her to return there. It was no fault of hers that he was attracted to her.
“Easy, I’ve told you already. You have nothing to fear for me,” he said kindly. Just how much damage had his brother done to this woman?
“I thought right. You’ve changed.” Her statement was laced with shock, and her eyes widened in that beloved way that made his heart skip a beat.
She was getting too close. “What are you referring to, woman?” he said sternly, not caring if it made her cower. He couldn’t expose himself.
Ama silently takes him in, not saying a word.
Besides himself, he found his body responding to every look, wondering what was happening in her head. Wanting to know, wanting to feel…, he cleared his throat. “Speak, woman or leave me to my work,” he said and pretended to go back to cutting the wood.
“You’re ill, aren’t you?” Ama asked softly and moved towards him.
“What in the god’s name are you talking…?” he barked, turning abruptly. Words failed him as he found her standing very close to him. She raised her hands to touch him, and he was happy when she stopped — He could trust his reaction if she had.
Kofo puts some distance between them. “What illness are you talking about?” Kofo asked
“The strange illness that has you acting strange since you got back. You took care of my injury rather than inflict pain on it. You let me sleep on the bed while you slept on the floor. You cooked while my leg healed— I didn’t even know you could cook. You haven’t visited your friends, nor have you invited them over. Just the other day, I heard you sending a message to the King that you couldn’t resume your duties until I was okay…”. Ama paused and wiped the tears dropping from her eyes.
She Continues. “ You know…” she smiled bitterly “…at first I thought it was all an act to catch me unawares so you could… punish me, but now I’m more than convinced it isn’t an act. I’ve provoked you today more than I’ve ever dared in my life, but your hands haven’t been raised against me, just—” Ama gasped as he pulled her towards him.
“— Just what kind of man do you think I am?” Kofo demanded. But what he really wanted to voice was: What kind of a man had my brother been?
CHAPTER 7
“Just what kind of man do you think I am?” This question by Kojo has plagued her for weeks. Since the event of that day, he avoided her like a plague.
Try as she might, she couldn’t shake the emotion that enveloped her when he had seized her abruptly that day. At first, she had been afraid that she had unlocked the monster she was used to. But she realised that though his grip was firm, his eyes blazing, they didn’t frighten her as they ought to.
Ama couldn’t describe it but felt an inexplicably strange but exciting recognition. She didn’t know what spirit possessed her to touch him. Even more shocking was her reaction. She must be insane, she thought because only madness could describe her response to touching him.
She remembered her shame and hurt when he backed away from her. His repulsion was apparent… and his words were even more explicit: “You will not bring this up again if you do not want the monster you paint me to be to show forth itself.” It had strangely stung then, and now stings even more. For some reason, she couldn’t tell. She felt he was hiding something—something he didn’t want her to find out.
Since that day, he had stayed out of her way. He resumed working with the soldiers, and when he wasn’t out working, he joined his labourers at the farm. This sudden busyness was new and unlike him.
If she was honest, Everything about him lately had been unlike him. An answer even to her prayers to the gods, but… for the life of her, she wasn’t happy. Ama was confused and unsure of how to deal with these changes. It was one she prayed for, but It made her lonely. Made her remember the loss of her child, for—
A splash of water revived her back to her environment. She noticed the source of the splash had been the children playing in the stream. The joy and excitement they radiated were so infectious that Ama couldn’t help smiling. She shook her head as fond memories of her youth kissed her sad heart. Who would have foreseen that the innocent little child she had been was destined for such a life, such as that which she had lived so far?
It was a good thing Kojo stayed away, staying out until very late in the night. It was good that he slept on the floor rather than on his bed, and he warned her off him. These changes confused and scared her, but they were good—better than the brutal way he treated her before.
Her mind returned to the day she summoned the courage to ask him if she could reopen her stall at the market. For something that took her days of summoning courage and failing, he had just said, “Do as you please, woman. It’s your time and not mine.”
Then he had casually left the house as though he didn’t just consent to letting her reopen the stall. Something that would have had her thoroughly beaten and locked up for days.
She had re-opened her stall at the market, and till today, he has not complained or asked that she hand over her proceeds.
Ama’s eye catches sight of the playing kids and laughs with them as they all playfully attack a much older kid who went down in a fake surrender to them.
“Yes, I’ll laugh. This answer from the gods, I’ll enjoy it rather than question it,” Ama said determinedly. She lifted her water pot, placed it on her head, and walked home. “I’m sorry, Kofo, may this illness of yours continue—“
CHAPTER 8
Kojo wondered why the King wanted to see him. He had tried avoiding this meeting, but he knew it couldn’t be avoided.
Kofo would have known what to expect, but he —
He was an imposter.
At these thoughts of his brother… he felt… sad and angry. Kofo told him things that conflicted with his reality. Being identical to him, he had taken pity on him and had been the one to fight the wars in his stead while he took credit for him. All because his brother, knowing his prowess, had asked him to, and he had because it was a request from his brother. And he — Kojo, wanted something that linked him to his origin. To be needed rather than rejected.
Having that life by pretending to be Kofo, he was realising things about his brother that shook him. These wars he had made him fight could have been avoided. So far, he has discovered that his weak and gentle brother — as he had thought, was a mighty force of fear among the people. That the wife whom he had said tormented him and favoured other men was a victim of…
“Ama”, he whispered painfully. He couldn’t face her. The mere sight of her evoked emotions he didn’t want to visit and truths he couldn’t dare consider—
Kojo felt some movements behind him. He turned to see the chiefs coming in.
“Kofo, you’re here already?” one of the Chiefs whom he found out was Chief Kwame, the head chief, said.
“Yes, My Chief,” he bowed slightly. At lifting the older man’s brows, Kofo wondered if he had made a blunder but relaxed when Chief Kwame nodded and took his seat.
He exchanged greetings with the other chiefs as they filled in, each taking their seat. At that moment, the King walked in, and everyone rose in respect.
“You’ve been a hard man to find”, the king said as he took his seat on the throne. His voice was laced with his displeasure.
Kofo knew he had kept this meeting for way too long. The issue of Ama, if truth be told, had been an excuse he had quickly grabbed at — because it was easier playing the dutiful husband than facing the expectations of this facade he had taken on. He couldn’t stand another baseless war.
He felt a pair of eyes watching him and realised he hadn’t responded to the King. “Forgive me, your Majesty. I couldn’t serve my great king without first taking care of my home,” he said, bowing his head in remorse. “ I am here now. Give the order,” he slightly drew out his blade to cement his words.
“I said it, Chief Nana. This wouldn’t work, see —” Chief Kwame gets cut by Chief Nana, a pot-bellied man with chubby cheeks that reminded one of a child.
“I say it will. It has to. How long do we keep cutting down men like some depraved barbarian?” Chief Nana said, a face surprisingly rigid for the gentleness his appearance gave
The tension in the room was palpable. Kojo wondered if he had said the wrong thing as he watched this exchange. He tried to rack his brains for conversations with his brother that could have revealed what this tension was about… but he couldn’t find any. Kojo schooled his expression to hide his confusion.
The King spoke in time to stop the argument already brewing, “ Silence, we move with wisdom, not with bickery”. Turning to Kojo, “I called you here to keep to my end of the bargain. You fought the war and prevented the invasion. Words we got said you almost lost your life in that war… you can have…”
The rest of the King’s words were lost to Kojo as he wondered what bargain the king was talking about. Kofo hadn’t told him anything about a bargain. Was that why he had gone to fight this war without informing him, as always? The words of Chief Kwame pulled him out of his pondering…
“… a stranger can not be made King. The people of Kete will fight this” — Turning to glare at Kojo, “Kofo, can you not rethink this request? Kete has been a most loyal ally to this kingdom. Forcefully taking over their kingdom just to…”
“Chief Kwame, patience. I know your son-in-law is from Kete, but you don’t expect the King to go back on his words,” Chief Appiah consoled.
“We both know this isn’t about the King’s word, but Kofo’s vengeance against me for rejecting his suit for my daughter”, Chief Kwame raged.
“Enough… I say enough. Chief Kwame, you’ll control your emotions or face my wrath,” the king said in a word that quenched any protest or resistance.
Chief Kwame took his seat—a defeated and defenceless man.
As Kofo took all this in, the truth about who his brother had been was too much to take. He felt suffocated. The realisation that he couldn’t continue with this facade hit him. He had to leave…
“My King, Please, if I may,” he said in a controlled voice, void of his turmoil. The King nods in approval.
“I am sorry to defile you, and I will accept any punishment you choose to give”. The King and Chiefs exchange confused looks at Kofo’s words.
Kojo kneeled before the king“ My King, I refuse your kind offer. I do not want to be King over Keke or any other village. Please permit me to remain your humble servant”.
“Are you saying what I think I just heard?” the King said gently for clarity.
The excited Chief Kwame responds in his stead, “ Yes, my King, you heard right, we all heard him say…”
“Chief Kwame, let the young man speak for himself,” Chief Nana queried, interrupting Chief Kwame.
“Yes, my King, you heard right. I relieve you of your promise,” Kojo said, looking straight into the King’s eyes. The terror of Kofo ends here, Kojo silently vowed.
CHAPTER 9
As Kojo found himself in front of Kofo’s compound, he felt vile, claiming anything attached to his brother. He wondered how he had arrived here. He was glad the compound was far removed from other compounds, giving him the time to think outside without calling any unnecessary attention to himself.
In his suffocation, he had murmured something he couldn’t remember and had promptly escaped the celebration his rejection of the kingship of Kete had caused.
He had planned to leave from there back home. Back to his real life, home in the forest where he had always masked himself when he went out. Home to a hut without… Ama.
Kofo squeezed his eyes, sighing helplessly, standing out of the compound like a stranger — If he was candid with himself, he knew the escape he had needed was a person. A person, living and breathing just a few feet from where he stood. But he couldn’t have her even if he desired to. Not with all he had let happen to her, not with all his brother had done… “It was better to leave…to disappear”, Kofo whispered painfully.
Staying himself, he moved to leave when he heard a piercing scream from the hut. “Ama,” he thought and quickly rushed into the hut.
Kofo froze as he saw Ama being down by two unfamiliar men who were struggling to gag her to stop her scream. Her clothes ripped
As the men turned to see him, one of them. They both smirked, looking unbothered. “Can’t wait to have a taste?” One of them said
“Let’s have her in place, then you can have a taste as her husband, then Dafe and I will go in”, at the words of the second man—a rough and stout fellow. Dafe, the first man to have spoken, licked his lips in a way that made Kojo’s stomach churn and Ama scream.
All the demons within Kojo came alive as the rough fellow raised his hand to hit her. Without thinking, he drew out his blade, and within seconds, his wrist was severed from his body, and the man screamed in pain.
***
Ama fastened her hands over her lips to silence the scream escaping her at the sight of Anah’s served hands on the fall. She watches in cold and paralysing horror as he falls to the ground, whispering like a castrated dog.
She sees the menace play in Kofo’s face as he charges at Dafe, quickly recovers from his shock, and tries to defend himself. Dafe’s defence was no match for Koko, who moved with the ease of a seasoned and bereaved with reason-blinding anger. Every punch inflicts the desired pain. In no time, Dafe was down, defeated, blooded and whimpering.
Ama had seen Kofo use his strength on her bust; she’d never seen him the way. Mad in rage, wild, uncontrollable and forbidden. Her heart falls as she remembers the dream of his blade ending her. But for the fear of attraction that rage to herself, she would have made her escape.
She shivered as Kofo smiled dangerously as Dafe struggled to crawl away. He easily catches him and throws him back. The weight of the fall knocks out Dafe.
Ama could not help but feel pity for these men who had hurt her and tormented her for years.
As Dafe lies lifeless, Kojo turns his attention to Anah “You’ll pay with your life. You imbecile for laying your vile hands on what’s mine”.
Ama was filled with a flood of thought as his words clarified the situation. He was defending her! Kofo was protecting her, not punishing his friends out of jealousy. She didn’t realise it, but as every thought filed in and out, the tears flowed out.
Kojo draws out his blade. He strode towards Anah, his intention clear with the resolve in his stance and the dark cloud in his eyes.
“Kofo, what are you doing? It’s me, Anah, your friend. Why… why are you doing this to me… to us?” Anah’s said amidst his pain. Sitting in the puddle of his blood”. “You said we could share. You always allowed us to share. We didn’t think you’d mind now. You didn’t invite us over since your return… we got impatient… we were eager to… please don’t kill us,” Anah appealed.
At Anah’s words, Kofo stops in his tracks. Ama couldn’t explain the array of emotions on his face, but one she had seen far too many times to miss — rage. Without flinging, he took his blade and cut down Anah.
Ama screamed in horror as Dafe, having recovered, tried to sneak out, but Kofo, sighting him, threw his dagger. The dagger was faster and found its mark, embedding itself in the Dafe’s throat with a sickening thud.
He froze, a strangled gasp escaping his lips as he staggered backwards, clutching at the dagger protruding from their neck. Blood slid down his hands, staining his cloth crimson as he collapsed to the ground.
The last thing she remembers before losing consciousness was Kofo coming towards her, his blade in hand.
CHAPTER 10
“Don’t go?” Ama said softly
Kojo had thought she was still asleep. He had planned to sneak out quietly… out of her life. It had been many fortnights of horror for her.
He had wanted to leave even though he knew that would be better and a relief to her, but he couldn’t, not with her burning up and shivering all day and night. The nights… her screams and torment as she fought some unseen demons. This was all his fault.
As he took his seat beside her on the bed, he saw her stiffen and pull back. Sitting away from him, “Even my presence repulses…” He sees her shake her head, trying to deny it. “Don’t, don’t deny it. I know it does. It’s for the best. I just stayed this long because of my guilt… to ensure…” his voice broke. He cleared his throat and tried to rise —
“Stay,” Ama said firmly as she bravely held his hands despite their tremor.
He snatches his hands away in repulsion. As he turned to see her, he saw something close to hurt in her eyes. The repulsion, however, was directed not at her but at his response to just an innocent touch from her. He really must be as depraved as his brother, he thought.
“You don’t get, I can’t. I’m too much of a coward to face the consequences of what I… I let him do it to you,” Kofo blurted out.
“Him? Are you referring to… Anah and Dafe,” she swallowed and gripped her wrapper. His heart went out to her as he saw that she still struggled. Then and there, he decided to tell her the truth.
“… Not Anah and Dafe but… Kofo,” he said slowly. Looking into her eyes.
He saw the confusion there before she spoke, “Kofo? But you’re Kofo”, she said, looking at him like he was crazy.
“No, I’m not Kofo but his imposter twin brother Kojo,” he said
“A twin… but.. how? Where is Kofo? Is he… is he coming…You’re joking, right?” she stammered, her gazes fearful.
He rushes to her, but with all her strength, she pulls away from him. “Tell me you’re joking, please tell me you’re joking. Does that mean that Kofo… is… is on his way here as you leave?” she said hysterically
“Kojo is dead,” he shouted. Taking advantage of her shock, he takes her arms. “Look at me…” he said, gently turning her head to face him, but she kept her eyes shut. “ Look at me… Ama looks into my eyes,” Kofo said firmly. She hesitated but gently opened her eyes. The piercing of her nail into his skin revealed her discomfort at looking into his eyes.
“Kojo is dead. He died in the war, and even if he didn’t, I’d take delight in tearing him apart limb for limb, cut after cut for the horror he made of your life. I told you before you have nothing to fear from me. Now, I make you this promise today: for as long as I live, no harm shall ever come to you.” He vowed to her.
Whatever she saw in his eyes must have reassured her because she closed the distance between them and hugged him, then broke into tears.
At long last, she was free.
Epilogue
“This your husband adores you too much. Everybody is talking about it,” Efia said
“Everybody or you’ve been gossiping about it. Efia, you still haven’t changed,” Abina interjected earner, a glare from Efia.
“Are you calling me a gossip… I will not stand here and be insulted,” Efia hissed and stormed back to her stall in anger.
Abina bursts out in laughter and is joined by Ama – the person Efia was initially speaking to.
“Abina! You shouldn’t have,” Ama chided, admits amidst a giggle.
“Someone had to friend. She’s such a gossip,” Abina scoffed.
At the word “friend”, Ama smiled. How changed her life was now that the past was so blick and almost forgotten. Abina was the second Daughter of Chief Kwame, who had rejected Kofo’s suit. They had met when she opened a stall close to Ama’s in the market. They had immediately taken to each other and started a friendship, much to the delight of her husband.
At the thought of her husband, her face bloomed in a smile as she rubbed her belly. He’ll be elated when she tells him.
“Efia was right about something?” Abina said, breaking Ama from her thoughts.
“About?” Ama quizzed
“Your husband adores you, worships you. If I’m not catching him preparing your food, he’s paying people to fill your water pot or sending them to bring your wares to the market when he can’t bring them himself. Or how he looks at you when he thinks no one is looking or finds a reason to whisper into your ear?” Abina finished with a sigh.
“Some even say you’ve cast a spell on him, but do you know what’s so amazing? They know to keep it forever a whisper lest they invoke Kofo’s wrath and the King’s in extension,” she whispers.
It was no news that the King and Chiefs all valued Kojo highly, although his twin identity remained a safe secret between them.
Her husband has used this influence to bring a change in the evil practice of killing twins. This, as he had told her, was to prevent any child from the horror he had had to bear living in the forest when his parent had sent him there, unable to hide him anymore. And also to preserve twins’ lives, especially if the gods bless them with one.
He had wanted to resign from his position as a head warrior, but following the summon of the King who had implored her to speak with him. Ama had convinced Kojo that his powers could be used to protect the ones he loved and bring about peace. Kojo had taken her advice. He was currently on a peace assignment for the King, and she couldn’t wait to have him back. She sighs in longing, missing him.
“Already missing me, my love?” She shivered in pleasure as her best voice on earth whispered into her ear. Her love, her husband, the father of her child, her peaceful warrior, was home to her.
