Click play to listen to the narration of the chapter by the Trillionaires of the Trott Bailey Family
Click to play. Scenes from Mwebele Kingdom

Prince Zolokhan stayed at the Mwebele tribe for another month.
During those precious weeks, he would walk around the Mwebele tribe lands. The tribe was vast covering the land far and wide. It supported thousands of goats, cows, zebras, and pigs. Hundreds of large families called it home. To the left of the land were fruit trees of Zumi plums, Okabu oranges, red cherries, watermelons, figs, mulberries, loquats, and many more. Plantains and breadfruit trees were also plentiful. Adjoining those were fields of corn, wheat, vegetation, and ground provisions like yam, turnips, potatoes, carrots, peppers, and more.

When he questioned Katya about watering the fruit trees and other vegetation she showed him hulled tree trunks pieced together and sealed with tree gum secreted from the Grunga tree. This system of tree trunks ran from the highest point of the Wengua River down to several catchment areas near their fields. Water was then doled out into large clay pots, and transported attached to large yolked oxen’s. When these pots were delivered, each owner of their fields would take water to irrigate their farm.

She went onto tell him of salt being taken back to the tribe every couple of years, after the tribes migration to the coast. This they would use to preserve their meat.

When he was strong enough to stay up for longer hours, Zolokhan got to know as much about Katya as he could. He spent whole days going out with her and listened to her many stories. Her pink elephant Quanza took to him immediately. It would use its trunk to rub Zolokhan’s face and grab his hands. The big elephant loved to eat the mulberry fruits and bush. He was always getting into mischief in the fruit gardens. So katya decided to build him his own fruit gardens and trained him to only eat from his section of the grove.

click image to play video.

This piqued Zolokhan’s interest so much as he loved to tame wild animals. He peppered her with questions of how she was able to train Quanza.

“ Well I spoke to him and explained everything,” she chuckled and said

“What do you mean you spoke to him?” a baffled Zolokhan asked.
“Quanza and i have been speaking to each other ever since we were little. He was a gift from the Pink Elephant clan after my trial through the Wengua River. He is royalty just as I am royalty. He came to live with me permanently when I was three. When his mother left him with us he was very sad for many days. I too felt very lonely so I began talking to him all the time. One day he answered back, in my spirit i could understand exactly what he said. We have been chatting ever since. When I reach my sixteen summer, he and I will travel to the mountains in search of his elephant clan, so he can see his family and possibly find a mate. ” She finished.

“It’s astonishing that you even have a pink elephant, they are rare and elusive. How will you even know how to find the clan or even get to their mountain home? The prince asked.

” This is only something that Quanza will know and be able to do. Hence when the time comes I will follow his lead” she answered.

It was very cool as they sat under the mulberry trees watching Quanza eat and prance. Zolokhan felt so happy, so content that he truly did not wish to return to the Kezmizi tribe. He could not believe that he felt this way but it could not be denied.

“Have you ever thought of our marriage?”
Zolokhan asked.
Turning her back to him she made it as though she were busy observing a trail of large ants.
” I don’t want to think of our marriage until I have to” she quietly answered.

Sighing Zolokhan replied

” It will symbolize even greater unity between the two tribes but it also means several changes. After all, the Mwebele tribe will only accept the rule of their Chieftess. What happens when there is a King? Where will we live? Your tribe or mine?” These are questions I ask myself.” Zolokhan’s strong voice spoke out his thoughts.

After a time, looking and observing the ants. She said,
“These ants are orderly and faithful to their queen. Each knows it’s role and function leading to peaceful days, in the same way
The Mwebele tribe must accept your rule as well as mine, for you are my husband and my other half. The Mwebeles people being faithful to you is them being faithful to their Chieftess. I do not want any fight for power between us so as not to hurt our tribes causing disaster.”Katya answered.

Prince Zolokhan looked at the young girl and marveled again at the wisdom that was packed into such a beautiful vessel.

“Since you have given me this type of answer then I will tell you my heart, I would like to live here more than in my own tribe.” Zolokhan confided.

Turning to him with a big grin on her face she responded,


“Well observe My prince,  two of your biggest concerns have been put to rest. All is well and everything will be alright.” Katya looked directly into his light brown eyes, oozing confidence and determination.

An hour later they began their walk back to their tents, however this time Katya took him to a new route.

“We’re going to get some honey. Kimbe is in charge of honey cultivation. The bee nests are far out beyond the grasslands into the forests. He and many of our young boys travel in groups once every few weeks or as they feel like to gather honey.”

After they collected the honey, Zolokhan carried the hefty pot on his shoulders. Out of the blue Katya asked him.

“Zolokhan, what kind of ruler will you be? Must your people love you and hail you for you to be content? Could you stand to lose everything and not care?” At Katya’s direct questions Zolokhan felt annoyed.

“Which king doesn’t want the love of his people? Doesn’t your tribe love their Chieftess? Zolokhan asked with a perplexed tone.

“Very little that I do is to gain their love, my adventurous acts which they boast to the neighboring tribes about are all things that I genuinely enjoy doing. I believe in having an easy and carefree life so I try to find ways to make my life as easy as possible. Given my responsibilities, if I make their lives easy then less time listening to their complaints and more time for me and Quanza to go exploring.”  Katya explained to Zolokhan.

“He is going to be my husband, better he knows now how I think”, Katya reasoned within herself.

“And when we are married, will you do anything to gain my love?” Something in Zolokhan wanted to provoke her cool exterior.

She stopped mid stride and turned to him with the most cheeky and superior look on her face and said,

” Zolokhan, You already love me “,

A speechless Zolokhan could only look at Katya.

All the way back, as they walked to his tent he thought up all the comebacks that he could of, should of said but couldn’t. He even tried to drum up some manly ego and anger but could not.

“Well we should say goodbye here for today Zolo” She chirped.

“This is my last day Katya, I think I will return to my tribe tomorrow,” he responded impetuously.

“Mhmm, as you wish Zolokhan. If I am not there to see you off then let me wish you Agderee, it means everlasting peace in your life. Goodbye, my friend” nodding her head she turned and left. Quanza grabbed his hand to say goodbye too and then followed behind her, his master.

He was such a coward the prince scolded himself, running away from a girl, much less his future wife. Palming his forehead he went into his tent and called it a night. Thoughts of Katya filling his dreams.

Back home in the Kezmizi Kingdom, King Titan and Queen Nebuli argued heatedly.

“It’s not like our tribe is against a King having several wives, Titan!” Queen Nebuli shouted at her husband.

“Are you hearing yourself, woman!” King Titan shouted back.

They had been arguing for the past month over several issues. First it was about the postponement of the festivities due to the Prince’s injuries, then it was about the King suspending the Prince’s punishment and now it was about getting an additional wife for the Prince. This time the Queen’s prime candidate was her niece Sefirah.

Her relentless cajoling, prodding and downright shrew like behaviour was getting on the last of the King’s nerves. He had only married her because many of the Elders were her family members and leaders in the army. There were so many days when hints of her true colours would show. The King regretted in his heart having married this woman. Oh how he wished Zolokhan’s mother was alive. He missed his Queen Lovela!

“ Nebuli, the agreement was made between the tribes that the Kezmizi King would only marry the Chieftess. No other wife or concubine would be accepted! Any going back on this agreement would break the promise and would breed resentment from the Mwebele people” King Titan reminded her again.

“You can always do it a couple of years after the Chieftess marries Zolokhan. Then you can explain to the Mwebele Elders that you did it to increase the number of sons being born” Nebuli continued not giving up.

“It would be an insult to their Elders and Chieftess to do such a thing Nebuli, not to mention I would be going back on my word! This is an agreement bonded in blood not some verbal commitment to be wiggled out of” said the King

” Do not interfere again or even bring this up to me. You have not even considered that Zolokhan would not agree to this either!”

“Who cares what Zolokhan agrees to or not you are the king!’ Nebuli shouted.

“I truly think you have gone mad over this issue, you are not thinking straight! Remember this Nebuli, I can hand the Kingdom to Zolokhan whenever I decide so any day he can become your King. So watch your mouth how you talk about my son and your future King.” With those parting words King Titan stormed off into his private quarters.

Depiction of Queen Nebuli. Image by Oye Diran of Artista Imagery.

“We will see King Titan, we will see!” Having no children of her own Queen Nebuli was bitter that she would have to see that half-sister bitch Lovela’s son on the throne. Having thought it over for years she had come up with a plan to control the Elders and the army by promoting as much of her family members as possible and extracting loyalty through bribes or by force when needed.

‘The final piece that she needed to control was Zolokhan. To do that she needed to be in control of his wife. How much easier it would be to control her own niece!” She fumed in her mind.

“My Queen, news of Prince Zolokhan’s movements.” a servant girl named Biju hurried in.

“Tell me” Queen Nebuli responded.

“He has planned to return home tomorrow. It’s two days journey at usual speed, three days if the Prince takes it slow” Biju summed up.

“Mhmm, you may go”. Queen Nebuli commanded

Bowing the servant girl quickly exited.

This Queen Nebuli was a cruel and jealous woman. She had schemed her way into marriage with the King. Now she sat and plotted for hours refusing sleep. She plotted how she could get her niece married to Zolokhan.

She hated him for being Lovela’s son, hated him for the sin of being so excellent. He was a shining star which she wished to rip out of the sky! With no children of her own she already had to bear the stigma of barrenness. Now with Lovela’s son being the tribes hero, Lovela was embedded in their hearts as a beloved Queen. It was too  much!

She wanted so badly to humiliate Zolokhan. She thought of breaking the marriage agreement by having the Mwebele Chieftess raped and defiled. Surely Zolokhan would not marry her then. She would have to get men from outside, this was a grave sin that no Kezmizi man would be willing to do. She had some vagabonds in her network. She would sneak in two, let them stay a few months learning the lay of the land, wait for the right opportunity. The best time would be at the upcoming festivities, even being caught alone for too long with a man could lead to a girls reputation being damaged. She would use Biju her servant to get the girl alone somehow.

She would then have the rumours spread far and wide.

“That Mwebele Chieftess will never marry into our tribe.” With this plan in mind, the queen finally went to sleep with a satisfied smile on her lips.