The crowd was completely absorbed in the story. Some people were already moved by the prince’s suffering and wondered why someone so kind had to endure such a fate
“But there was one way to return the prince to the person he used to be,” the storyteller continued. “Only one. And that was the day he set his eyes on his twin.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd as people began whispering among themselves.
“Does the kingdom in this story world even allow the birth of twins? Especially among royalty?” one man asked from the gathering.
The storyteller looked in the direction of the voice. “It does not allow the birth of twins among royalty,” he replied. “That kingdom forbids it. So on the day this prince was born, the matter was handled the way such things are usually handled in kingdoms like that. However, very few people knew they were not just twins. They were actually a triplets of two boys and one girl. It was something the kingdom had never seen before and did not know how to handle.”
“One of the boys was killed, as the law required. One was spared, and he became the prince you now know in this story. As for the girl, whose existence was erased from every record, she was secretly taken far from the kingdom and hidden in another part of the world, so that no one would ever know she existed.”
The storyteller slowly turned in a full circle, exchanging glances with a few people in the front row before continuing.
“Now, for the prince to be healed and returned to himself, it had to happen on the day he set his eyes on his surviving triplet,” the storyteller said. “But it was not a simple thing, because if the female twin ever returned to the kingdom and the people discovered who she was, they would not welcome her kindly. Some people in that kingdom are deeply rooted in their beliefs, and they believe that a twin born into the royal family is a curse, not a blessing. They would take her life without hesitation.”
“So she remained in hiding?” someone in the crowd asked.
“She remained in hiding,” the storyteller confirmed. “Protected by the person who had kept her safe all those years, with one purpose before her. One day, she would be brought into the very kingdom she had been hidden from, to stand before the sick prince, and that meeting alone would help him recover.”
“But that is not the end of it,” the storyteller continued. “For the prince to live fully and completely, this royal girl, who had spent her entire life hidden from the world, would have to give up her life in exchange for the prince.”
A long silence followed.
The storyteller slowly looked across the crowd. “How many of you could do it?” he asked. “To spend your entire life separated from the world, denied everything the rest of us take for granted, only to return in the end and give up the life you were never even allowed to live, all for someone else?”
Nobody answered.
“How many of you?” he asked again. But the crowd remained silent.
“You do not have to answer,” the storyteller said. “Because in this story, the girl made her choice. And on the final day of this festival, I will return to tell you what that choice was. I will tell you whether she chose to give up her life for the prince, or whether she chose to live freely like every other person in the world.”
While the activities continued, a young boy about Wura and Ife’s age walked into the gathering. He was well dressed in expensive attire, suggesting he came from a noble family.
He stood nearby watching the performer with them, but Ife’s loud excitement made him glance over to their side, curious about who was reacting so openly like it was her first time.
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“Have you both been here long?” he asked. “It’s a good year for the festival, and the performers are better than last time.”
The moment he turned fully toward them, he froze as his eyes landed on Ife. His sudden strange reaction made Wura turn to look at him as well.
“Is something wrong?” Wura asked.
“I am sorry,” the noble boy said. “It is just that… she looks exactly like someone I know. A very strong resemblance.”
“I am sure you are mistaken,” Wura replied.
“No,” the boy said quickly. “The resemblance is exact. She looks like my friend, the crown prince of this Olumiri kingdom. I have been with the prince many times before his predicament, and I can tell you for sure it feels like I am staring at him right now.”
“You must be mistaken,” Wura repeated firmly. This time, she pulled Ife away quickly, leaving no room for further discussion that could expose them.
The young noble opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could, Wura took Ife firmly by the hand and led her away.
———
They had not gone far when one of the soldiers searching through the crowd stopped nearby. He had just finished showing the portrait to an older man.
The search had been going on for almost an hour in the gathering, yet they still had not come across Ife or Wura.
The first real chance of contact had come earlier, when Wura had hurried in to pull Ife away from the group of boys she was playing with. If that moment had not been interrupted, a nearby soldier might have gotten a clearer look at her.
The soldiers were growing frustrated. One of them caught sight of the backs of Wura and Ife as they moved quickly away from the noble boy and the crowd.
The soldier saw only a boy and a girl leaving, nothing in the portrait suggesting they were the ones being searched for. He watched them briefly, then turned back to the crowd and continued the search for Remi in another direction.
———
Happy celebration to my Islam brothers and sisters. Send my meat.
Dead And Living as One.
Episode 61.
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