Chapter One

The Prophecy

Aboiye

The Kingdom of Mordu was an incredible home for everyone. At all times, it was safe and peaceful, filled with much joy and excitement. The king always catered to the needs of his people. Their diversity was highly celebrated for to them, diversity was not to be seen as a medium of competition but of unity. There was a genuine appreciation of the beauty of mankind. 

The king made sure that every child was well-fed and provided with the opportunity to have an education. Every adult stayed busy with some initiative or work that tended to bequeath many benefits to the people of the Mordu Kingdom.

Mordu was characterized by its lush greenery, reflecting the kingdom’s commitment to celebrating the natural world. The use of natural materials in everyday life was highly valued, with a focus on sustainability and avoiding the use of machines that brought pollution. Despite their diverse backgrounds, the people of Mordu maintained a strong sense of unity, building a society where it was nearly impossible to distinguish between the poor and the rich.

Agriculture was paramount to the daily affairs of Mordu. Due to its fertile soil and a rich sense of agriculture, neighbouring kingdoms always sought help from her in farming. 

In the quest to promote agricultural activities, every household contributed to the overall growth in this sector. Everyone participated wholeheartedly. They planted and harvested as a family. With this, there was always enough food to feed everyone irrespective of one’s economic status. 

The king had a beloved daughter by the name of Sanra who was always by his side. She understood all the traditions of her people. To preserve the traditions, folktales, and fables of the kingdom, she put them into songs. These songs were meant to teach courage in the face of adversity, calmness in the state of anger, and strength in the face of weakness. 

As a child growing up, Sanra was fascinated by the legends of the past. She was a passionate reader of history and philosophy and tried to understand how the past can help us understand the present. This interest led her to learn the stories of her people and she would tell them to the children in songs when there was a campfire under the moonlight. Even during leisure time, she would sing to the children as they played different games.

Sanra had learned how to play the kora. The kora was the instrument the ancient storytellers used while singing. The users of the kora had always been the best storytellers. They had excellent skills in the use of language and the play of words. They always sparked every ceremony with laughter and joy. A moment with the kora player was never a dull one. Their songs were of praise and motivation. Everyone admired Sanra for her kora playing and her incredible memory as she sang about past warriors just as beautifully as the ancient storytellers.

It was another warm evening and the king decided to walk about his kingdom to gaze at his beautiful gardens and various cattle. He was excited that his wife, the queen, had given birth to a boy child after 10 years of marriage. But sadness quickly took the place of joy as the queen breathed her last breath upon the delivery of her son. 

The kingdom mourned the passing of its queen. 

 Finally, the king announced that his son’s naming ceremony would be early the next morning. There would be an incredible celebration for all his people. His guards immediately went from house to house to deliver the king’s message that all the people of Mordu were invited to the celebration of the birth of the prince.

On that morning, the kingdom’s hall was jam-packed as some people danced, others sang, and others performed tricks to entertain the attendees. As always, there was enough food and drinks for everyone. Everyone was full of indescribable joy.

As the chief guide announced the advent of the king, there was total silence as everyone rose to welcome him. He wholeheartedly began by extending greetings and expressing utmost appreciation for his people. To the delight of the people, the king named the child Aboiye, which meant ” son of royalty”. 

As Aboiye grew, he loved to play more than the other children. He preferred to spend all day playing without doing any other things. While his friends would leave and go home after playing, he would continue playing all by himself. Despite all efforts to persuade him to stop, it was to no avail. 

At the learning centre, Aboiye had the most difficult time learning compared to the other children. He had a speech impediment and he struggled to speak at a tender age. His father, the king, had provided him with all the support that he needed to help him as he would soon inherit the huge responsibility of ruling the Mordu Kingdom. 

Despite being a royal, Aboiye was bullied for his speech obstacles and for not paying heed to anything. For him, everything was an amusement. He always had a smile on his face and took nothing seriously. While his tutors helped him with his speech, they were of no help in getting him to settle down and stop playing. It took the intervention of Princess Sanra to bring about immense difference. Whenever she sang the ancient warriors’ tales, they sparked his interest and kept him genuinely listening. With his sister Sanra being his sole tutor, things gradually began to change for him, and he greatly improved under her tutelage.

Aboiye had quite curious eyes with a welcoming face full of hope for a better society. He was handsome. His hair was black, and he was dark in complexion. 

When Aboiye turned 16, he entered the royal chamber. The room was bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun, casting long shadows that seemed to whisper untold secrets. His heart pounded in his chest as he approached his father’s bedside. The king, by now a frail figure lost in a sea of silk sheets, clutched a sacred artifact, its gems reflecting the fear in his eyes.

“Aboiye,” the king murmured, his voice weak but insistent. “You must listen carefully.” 

At these words, the king told Aboiye of the Prophecy:

In realms entwined by darkness’ might,

A hero is chosen, shining bright.

Destiny’s whispers guide their way,

For in unity, they hold the sway.

Threads of fate weave their lives as one,

From diverse realms, their journey began.

Through trials and tests, their spirits rise,

Igniting hope beneath shadowed skies.

Within their souls, dormant powers reside,

Awakening strength, a chosen hero’s stride.

Arwe’s doom they’ll herald, his reign to cease,

Restoring realms with valour and peace.

A tapestry woven with courage and might,

Their unity shines through darkest night.

In their hands, the realms’ salvation gleams,

As the chosen heroes fulfill the Prophecy’s themes.

So onward they march, bound by their call,

Heeding the Prophecy, embracing it all.

Through battles fought and trials untold,

The chosen heroes’ legend, forever unfolds.

The words hung heavy in the air. The Prophecy had been spoken with an urgency that made =Aboiye’s  blood run cold. The Prophecy foretold the imminent destruction that Arwe planned to unleash upon their world. As the magnitude of the Prophecy hit him, Aboiye felt his world shatter. He was just a prince, still learning the ways of the court, and yet the fate of his kingdom and all the other realms depended on him.

Aboiye wanted to deny it, to tell his father it was a mistake. But the look in the king’s eyes stopped him. His father had never been more serious. In his final moments, the king had imparted his trust, his hopes, and his fears onto his son. And in the silence that followed his father’s last breath, Aboiye was no longer just a prince; he was their last hope.

Aboiye’s heart ached, not just from the loss of his father, but from the colossal responsibility that now rested on his shoulders. Yet, he felt his resolve harden. Fear, doubt, and grief would have to wait. He had a prophecy to fulfill, and he wouldn’t let his father, or his kingdom, down.

A cloud of sorrow and grief hung over the Kingdom of Mordu. As Aboiye moved through the familiar corridors of the palace, the faces of the palace staff reflected his heartache. On one such walk, he noticed the cook, an elderly woman who had often sneaked him extra sweets when he was a child. Seeing her then, with her eyes rimmed red from weeping, Aboiye couldn’t help but offer her a comforting smile. “We will get through this together,” he promised. His words were a gentle reassurance that reflected his kindness and concern for others.

A sudden memory flooded his mind,a moment from his childhood. Aboiye and his sister had found a wounded bird in the palace gardens. While Sanra had wanted to keep it as a pet, Aboiye insisted on letting it go after it healed, arguing that it deserved to be free. The memory of that long-ago moral dilemma served as a testament to his inherent sense of justice.

The weight of his father’s death was heavy in his heart, and Aboiye found himself seeking solace in his father’s room, a place that once throbbed with life but was now steeped in an echoing silence. He looked at the king’s empty bed, the cushion still bearing the imprint of his father’s presence. A single tear escaped his eye as he allowed himself a moment of vulnerability, revealing his sensitive side.

In the hushed stillness of the royal chamber, Aboiye had stood by his father’s bedside, his heart heavy with sorrow and anticipation. The frail figure of the dying king had imparted upon him the knowledge of Arwe’s wicked intentions. His voice, weakened but filled with urgency, had revealed the depths of Arwe’s resentment and the scope of the malevolent plans that loomed over their kingdom.

As Aboiye listened to his father’s words, a mixture of awe and horror washed over him. The weight of the prophecy had settled upon his young shoulders, revealing the daunting task that lay ahead. It became clear that the fate of not only the Kingdom of Mordu but also the interconnected realms hung precariously in the balance. The survival of their world as they knew it rested on Aboiye’s ability to navigate the treacherous path laid out before him.

Aboiye found himself burdened with a profound sense of responsibility. His father’s passing was more than just a personal loss as he discovered the truth behind the tragedy. With the revelation of his father’s final words, Aboiye was thrust into the depths of a prophecy that foretold the imminent destruction that Arwe planned to unleash upon their world.

When the time came for him to face his father’s prophecy, Aboiye accepted the revelation with bravery. The imminent doom planned by Arwe called upon Aboiye to step into a role he was not prepared for. Yet, he swallowed his fear, setting his jaw in a determined line. “I will not let Arwe destroy our world,” he vowed, revealing his bravery and unflinching sense of duty.

The responsibility bestowed upon Aboiye was immense. With his last breath, the king had bequeathed upon Aboiye the daunting task of protecting their realm from Arwe’s destruction. At that moment, Aboiye’s resolve solidified, and his determination to fulfill his father’s prophecy was born.