1

RECOGNITION

The day I became the princess of Danhomè Kingdom began like any other day. I tried to dodge my task of sweeping the compound. “Mama, I’m tired of sweeping! I swept just a day ago!” I shouted.

Mama wagged her finger. “Amelia, what if I also told you that since I made you breakfast yesterday, then I don’t have to make it today?” she shouted back.

“Mama! I am a growing child of thirteen, I need to be fed!”

“Well then, the compound needs to be swept. You have very little to do as it is. You’ll probably disappear for the rest of the day once you’re done,” she said curtly and walked away.

I hurried off to get my broom behind our hut. Akaba waved to me from the next hut.

“Come here,” I whispered, pointing behind my mother’s hut. In no time he was standing beside me, watching as I dug up from the soil our agenda for the day.

“What is it?” he asked, bending down beside me.

“Help me dig first and I’ll tell you,” I said in a subdued tone.

Akaba dug fast, shoving the dirt out like a dog burrowing in the ground. Soon, the object was in his hands.

“What are you doing with this?” Akaba asked, his voice trembling with anger, holding up the object.

“I found it. I need to know what it is,” I said, tongue in cheek.

The object was a brown rectangular box spanning about the length of my hand. He looked at me in disbelief. “Amelia, you’re lying. Tell me where you got this from,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Amelia!” Mama sounded very impatient.

I turned to go, but Akaba pulled me back. “Amelia, tell me now!” he demanded, his voice getting louder.

I placed my hand over his mouth.

“Yes, Mama! I am coming!” I shouted, picking up my broom.

“Let us meet at our usual place!” I whispered to Akaba. He rolled his eyes.

“Amelia, I am not going to be caught for stealing. Tell me now,” he demanded.

“Shut up, Akaba! Just go and wait for me,” I whispered back. I pushed him out of my way and ran to meet Mama before she made up her mind to come look for me.

By the time I made my way to the back of the family shrine that stood at the end of Father’s property, I could tell from Akaba’s face that he was ready to leave.

“What took you so long?” he asked. The box was not in his hands.

“Where is it?” I asked.

He sighed and reached under his wrapper tied around his waist. He shoved it in my hands. “Good luck, Amelia. I will not be a part of this.” He started walking away.

“Are you scared already?”

Akaba stopped in his tracks. “Scared? You know better than that. What I’ll not be associated with is theft,” he retorted.

We heard footsteps and ran behind the shrine. It was Father. He approached quietly, but did not go in. He seemed preoccupied. A man of average height, he exuded an authority that only royalty possessed.

Soon, we heard footsteps approaching the shrine again.

“Kondo,” a female voice called out.

“You’re welcome,” Father said.

My heartbeat raced. It was Kamlin. She had visited only a few days ago. Kamlin was one of the wives of my grandfather, Glele, King of Danhomè. She was an enigma in our land. She was tall and elegant. Her complexion was lustrously dark—the type that glistened. Her hair was woven intricately with beads down to her neck. Her eyes were shaped like a cat’s—small and slanted, the type that could see into the soul. She was a commoner when she married my grandfather many years ago. Her influence had grown in the palace due to the favour she had with Grandfather.

She glided silently over to where Father stood and put her hand on his shoulder.

“It is almost time,” she said, smiling.

Father nodded, looking at her.

“You must be ready anytime you are called on,” she continued.

“I understand,” Father said.

She undid the knot at the end of the wrapper tied tightly to her chest. “Here. Rub this on your body tonight,” she said, handing something to him.

“Thank you,” he said.

She nodded, and then suddenly, turned and looked in our direction. I moved back, pushing Akaba behind me.

“What is it?” Father asked.

My heart was in my throat. We would roast if Father caught us eavesdropping. There was a long pause.

“Nothing. It must be your wife’s chicken strutting around.”

Soon after, we heard them walking away and relaxed.

“That was so close, Akaba.” I turned to my brother, my breathing laboured.

“Forget that! What is this box?” he asked, lifting it from the ground, and opening it before I could respond. The top portion was glass, but the bottom was filled with white sand. It was the strangest thing we had ever seen. Kamlin had arrived with it a few days ago when she came to see Father with Adandejan, Father’s cousin. I had been with him, like every other evening, when he told me stories about Danhomè. They had gone into his inner chambers to discuss some private matters when I took the box.

When I finished my confession, Akaba could hardly contain himself, jumping from one leg to the other. “You stole this from Kamlin? Are you crazy?” he screamed.

I had heard people say that Kamlin meddled in the supernatural and could not be touched. I was more interested in how she was able to wield so much power. This could be an answer to that. I shrugged, taking the box from him.

“I am not crazy, just curious. By the way, what was that all about?” I asked, trying to distract him.

“Oh, between Father and Kamlin? Silly girl, like you don’t know Grandfather is dying, and the struggle is on between his sons to see who will be the new king. You remember Sasse Koka, who died mysteriously while trying to amass support at the palace?”

I shook my head.

“But you remember his mother, Na Vissegan, who heads the palace household. She is the Tononu,” he said.

I shook my head again. Akaba sighed in exaggeration. “Well, Kamlin is here to make sure Vissegan doesn’t win and Father becomes king.”