The Lost king

Episode Fifteen – "The Last Stand"

Scene 1: The War Tent – Yemi's POV

The tent was heavy with silence.

Smoke from the fire pit curled around the wooden beams, dancing like spirits above the heads of kings and warriors. Yemi stood still, arms folded behind his back, the weight of a thousand decisions hanging on his shoulders. This was not just about war now. This was legacy.

He looked each of them in the eyes — the chiefs from Ibadi, Irebi, Owulo, Ondolu, Ayo — and finally his brothers-in-arms.

> "This is not just a battle," he said, voice even. "It is the last page of a long story... written in blood. Let us write its final lines with honor."

Heads nodded. Spears tapped the ground once in respect. The men did not cheer — not because they lacked faith, but because even hope had grown quiet in times like these.

And that, Yemi knew, was what made them ready.

---

Scene 2: Chief Alade's Grave – Bayo's POV

The soil was dry, the stone simple.

Chief Alade's grave bore no crown, no gold, no lion's carving. Just his name, and beneath it, the words: "Ẹni tó jà fún aláàánú kò kú láláàfià."

(He who fights for the helpless never truly dies.)

Bayo knelt. His fists were clenched, nails digging into skin. He had no right to speak to the dead — not after what had happened.

> "I should've listened to you... Baba," he whispered.

Footsteps behind. Bayo turned — Yemi.

For a moment, they were just boys again. No kingdoms. No blood. No war.

Yemi placed a hand on the grave, then slowly on Bayo's shoulder. His words were few.

> "He never stopped believing in you. Neither will I."

Bayo didn't answer. He simply stood, and embraced him.

It was not forgiveness. It was something stronger — understanding.

From the shadows, Adeola watched.

He approached, silent. Laid his hand on both their shoulders. And for once, none of them carried the weight alone.

---

Scene 3: Moonlit Stream – Moremi's POV

The moonlight shimmered on the blade she held, her fingers tracing the sharp edge, her thoughts on Wale... on the past.

Moremi did not cry anymore. Not because the pain had faded — but because she had sharpened it into steel.

Footsteps.

She turned.

Adeola.

> "You should rest," she said.

He walked closer.

> "I can't. Not until I say something."

His voice was soft. Honest. She lowered the blade.

> "I love you, Moremi."

The words caught her off guard. She stared — unsure if her hands were trembling from the cold or from what she'd waited too long to hear.

> "You shouldn't say that now. Not with war around us."

He stepped closer.

> "All the more reason."

She looked at him, eyes heavy with all she had lost, all she feared to lose again.

> "And if you die?"

> "Then let me die knowing you heard me say it."

Her fingers found his. They stood in silence. Then, she pulled him close — their lips meeting under the moonlight, a kiss forged in battle, held in fire.

> "I love you too," she said.

And this time, it was her hand that trembled... not in fear, but in hope.

---

Scene 4: Training Ground – Damilola's POV

The staff cracked against the wooden pole. Again. And again.

Sweat dripped down her back. She didn't stop. Couldn't stop. In war, you don't cry. You fight.

A shadow appeared beside her.

Femi.

He didn't speak. Just watched.

> "You here to give another speech?" she asked.

He smiled awkwardly. "No. Just... watching."

She threw one last strike, then sat, panting. He sat beside her.

> "You saved me," she said.

> "You've saved me more times than I can count," he replied.

She laughed — short and dry.

> "Still. Thank you."

A silence hung between them. She leaned against him — just slightly. Just enough.

> "You're not so bad," she whispered.

He said nothing. But his smile said everything.

And in that quiet, a soldier and a survivor found peace.

---

Closing Scene: The Calm Before the War

A fire crackled at the center of the rebel camp. The final night.

Soldiers ate in silence. Mothers hummed old songs to restless children. Chiefs murmured prayers to gods that had long stopped listening.

And in the middle of it all... Yemi, Adeola, Moremi, Bayo, Damilola, Femi, and Akimule sat in silence — warriors, lovers, leaders, and broken hearts.

No war horn sounded yet. No drum beat.

Only the stars watched as the dawn of destiny approached.