The Crown's Demand: The Test of Legacy

nd breathless. The battlefield still smoldered. Prince Adebayo stood among the wounded a

, voice hoarse from the jou

of dying men seemed to fade behind him. He stared at the horizon, blo

his eyes

days

turned his gaze toward the west, toward Akun. Though pain clawed throug

red as a silent storm, the iron hooves of his steed clashing against the stone p

e had bled for was quiet. No trumpets. No chants. No waiting crowd to receive their princ

rotting flowers left too long in mourning bowls. Red silk banners hung limp from

ds bowed stiffly. Servants avoided his eyes. A str

here?" he asked, th

d-stepped forward at last. "Your Highne

ds, hearing them again on Akun soil

softly. "Why is th

ated. "There is m

lenched his jaw, concealing the sting beneath his ribs. His father was gone. Kabiyes

hreatened to burn the farmlands and enslave his people. He had stood on the battlefi

lent. The palace bore the air of loss-and something else. Something hidden. It l

polished and alive with ceremony, were dusty, abandoned. Courtiers kept their dista

bowed. At their center stood the kingmaker-tal

echoing across the open marble floor. "You hav

oom f

red. "What

d the will of the Circle, the title of crown prince ha

for this kingdom. I bled for it.

yesi's death has awakened the five rival kingdoms. They demand

urs

sons of Adesoji must go. Each must journey into one of the

courtyard was filled with nobles, elders, and townspeople summoned for the public announcement. From a r

rried over t

t be known! The throne shall not be inherited, but earned. The five sons of the king shall dep

d. Some wept. Others look

, he shall rule. If two return, the kingdom shal

fell l

his eyes. Others studied him with suspicion. Whispers began to spread: The f

s is the will of the king, and the word of

seemed narrower now, pressing in on him. Somewhere deep within, he felt the old ache return-not of the woun

id, 'Some kings rule with fire, others

ad been pa

, and the first raindrops fell, soft as secrets. A wind stirre

And once again, Adebayo wo

alke

rd f

ard

he crown