The Agony (Wahala) of King Zontaba II

By Dalous Gabriel Yaw

When Princess Zorka set out on a mushroom hunt with her maids, she did not know that she would not return to the Kingdom of Nzorkor for the next five years. Years go by with no sign of the princess. The warriors of Nzorkor search everywhere in the Evil Forest but are unsuccessful in finding her. King Zontaba II, afraid that he may be responsible for her disappearance consults a sorcerer. Will the princess be found? What secret is the king keeping from his loyal subjects, and what will happen once he is forced to reveal this secret? The Agony (Wahala) of King Zontaba II is an African folklore set in the fictional Kingdom of Nzorkor and is a fascinating look into the traditions and beliefs of a kingdom where supernatural beings influence human life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dalous Gabriel Yaw
• Release date: May 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781773025704

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The Agony (Wahala)

of King Zontaba II

The Battle Of Powers

Dalous Gabriel Yaw

Table of Contents

THE AGONY (WAHALA) OF KING ZONTABA II

CHAPTER 1

The Vengeful Prince Zontaba

CHAPTER 2

Prince Zontaba Plans His Revenge

CHAPTER 3

Prince Zontaba is Crowned King

Chapter 4

The birth of Princess Zorka

Chapter 5

The Dwarfs Capture Princess Zorka

Chapter 6

Maids search for Princess Zorka

Chapter 7

Princess Zorka in the Dwarfs’ cave

Chapter 8

Princess Zorka’s disappearance gets to King Zontaba II

Chapter 9

Warriors Search for Princess Zorka

Chapter 10

King Zontaba II Consults a Sorcerer

Chapter 11

Sorcerer Meets King Zontaba II

Chapter 12

Zanaa to Rescue Princess Zorka

Chapter 13

Princess Zorka is Rescued

Chapter 14

The Last Warning for King Zontaba II .

CHAPTER 15

The Death of King Zontaba II

Chapter 16

Princess Zorka Crowned Queen of Nzorkor

Copyrights

This book is dedicated to my four beautiful children: Sandra, Ruth, Gabriella and Gideon.

Many thanks to everyone who made it possible for this book to come out. I appreciate the support I received from all of you.

THE AGONY (WAHALA) OF KING ZONTABA II

CHAPTER 1

The Vengeful Prince Zontaba

His Majesty King Zontaba I of the Kingdom of Nzorkor was the most powerful king Nzorkor had ever known. His wealth and power went beyond Nzorkor. Unlike his father, Your Majesty King Zontaba, King Zontaba l was a king of peace. During his reign, the Kingdom of Nzorkor made peace with all its neighbours. The people of Nzorkor admired and had great reverence for him. All the members of the Council of Chiefs and Elders were hoping that one day when His Majesty King Zontaba I joined his ancestors, the son who succeeded him would continue with the good works of his father.

King Zontaba I had three sons from his two wives. The eldest, Prince Maduku, and his brother, Prince Ndelle, were the sons of Queen Willaama, the first wife of King Zontaba I. The youngest son was Prince Zontaba, the only son of the second wife of King Zontaba l.

By tradition, Prince Maduku, the eldest of the three sons was the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Nzorkor. The next in line was Prince Ndelle. Prince Zontaba was in a distant third in line to the throne because he was the youngest. There was also the Council of Chiefs and Elders who helped the King in the day-to-day administration of the kingdom.

The Council of Chiefs and Elders was made up of leaders of the different clans that form the Kingdom of Nzorkor. The clans are made up of different tribes. The tribal heads are the elders of their respective tribes. These leaders are part of the royal and ruling clans of the Kingdom of Nzorkor. They are chosen by their clans and tribes to become chiefs and elders. You could say they are the ministers of their clans in their time in history. That is how important they were to the king of the Kingdom of Nzorkor.

Even though Prince Zontaba was the youngest of King Zontaba’s sons, he was, nonetheless, the smartest. He was also very handsome, charismatic, brave and very ambitious even to his father’s discomfort. On numerous occasions, King Zontaba had cause to invite him to his secret underground chamber to talk to him alone. He was the king’s favourite son, and that was why he decided to name him Prince Zontaba.

As a result of Prince Zontaba’s charisma, most of the members of the Council of Chiefs and Elders liked him. Some of them wanted him to become the king and succeed his father in the future, but they all knew that was against the traditions and customs of the kingdom. There was no way anyone, not even the King, could go against tradition.

Chief Makosa was one of the elders who liked Prince Zontaba very much. Chief Makosa was also a very close friend of King Zontaba. Even though he was just an elder, he was much closer to King Zontaba than many of the chiefs. That is why they referred to him as Chief Makosa even though he was not a chief. He was a warrior. Chief Makosa had a lot of influence in the king’s palace because of his closeness to the Royal Family.

One day Chief Makosa invited Prince Zontaba to his house and revealed to him a family secret.

My Prince, I have invited you here to tell you some things that have been hidden from you since you were born. I just need to get it off my chest. Can’t keep it any longer. Chief Makosa began to tell Prince Zontaba about his late mother.

"You were just six years old when Queen Mariam, your mother, died. She was not sick. Your mother was the kindest queen we have ever had. She was very caring and compassionate. Everybody loved her. Unlike your stepmother, Queen Willaama, your mother did not use her position to mistreat anyone. Instead, she brought people together. Your Majesty loved her for her ability to unite people.

But on that day in question, our favourite queen complained of a simple headache. Before anyone, or Your Majesty, could do anything about it, Queen Mariam, your mother, was taken away from us without warning. Your mother died suddenly to the shock of the whole kingdom. Her death was a mystery to everybody in Nzorkor, but to those of us who were so close to the palace and to your father, it was obvious that there was more to your mother’s death than was apparent.

What do you mean, Noble Chief? asked Prince Zontaba.

What I am going to tell you is top secret. Only the king knows about it. Not even your elder brothers have any idea about it, Chief Makosa further explained. I am telling you this because I like you very much. You must never forget that.

Just tell me what it is that you want me to know. I don’t really have the stomach for gossip. Prince Zontaba cut Chief Makosa off. He appeared to be irritated.

All right. Listen and listen well. Your mother’s death was not natural. Your mother did not die of natural causes. Her death was caused by the witchcraft of your late stepmother, Queen Willaama. She hated the fact that King Zontaba, your father, married a second wife. She hated the fact that your mother agreed to marry your father, and she hated the fact that people loved your mother more than her. She thought your mother was taking her position. She wanted to be the only queen in the Kingdom of Nzorkor. She saw your mother as a threat to her position. That was why she used the power of her witchcraft to eliminate her, so she would be the indisputable queen of Nzorkor.

You said this was a secret, and only my father knew about it. How, then, did you find out about this? Prince Zontaba questioned Chief Makosa, unconvinced about what he was being told.

It is because I was the one who your father sent to bring the sorcerer to the palace. The sorcerer revealed this to your father in my presence. I swore an oath never to tell anyone about this. Chief Makosa managed to convince Prince Zontaba about what he was telling him.

So how did my stepmother die, then? Prince Zontaba wanted to know if his mother’s death had anything to do with his stepmother’s death considering everything that Chief Makosa had told him.

The death of your stepmother was caused by the gods because she betrayed the trust of your father, Your Majesty, Chief Makosa further revealed.

Prince Zontaba was shocked at this revelation. He sat quietly in a sombre mood with his chin resting in his palms. After thinking about it for a while, Prince Zontaba raised his head and asked Chief Makosa, So what do you want me to do with this information?

I am not asking you to do anything. I just wanted to let you know the truth about your mother’s death. What you do with the information is totally up to you. Chief Makosa tried to extricate himself from any actions Prince Zontaba might take, should he decide to do anything about it.

Prince Zontaba thanked Chief Makosa for the information and decided to leave. He was led out to his horse and went home. Chief Makosa observed that Prince Zontaba was very upset. What he could not say was what Prince Zontaba was going to do.

CHAPTER 2

Prince Zontaba Plans His Revenge

Prince Zontaba returned to the palace with many thoughts on his mind. He had difficulty in processing what Chief Makosa told him.

Alone in his room Prince Zontaba asked himself so many questions.

Is it true that my stepmother had a hand in my mother’s death? But why will my father hide the truth from me all this while? Could it be that my father is afraid of what I will do if I know the truth? Prince Zontaba sought for answers to these and many other questions racing through his mind.

Unable to control his anger any longer, Prince Zontaba decided to avenge his mother’s death.

Now that I know the truth about my mother’s death, I will not let it go unpunished. I will avenge my mother’s death on my brothers, the sons of my late stepmother. If