There was a time I would have thought this was impossible. That another mortal can engender this flame divine that burns in my heart. That the vessel of a man's heart could known such peaceful waters in the harsh tempest of life. With sails billowing in the winds of fortune, this brave vessel bears me on into the unknown with a prayer for fair weather on my lips.

I have rifled the basket of the gods and taken their most treasured gem – a lady beautiful in form and bearing – a pair of eyes that hold the stars; dark tresses, cascading like a waterfall to frame a lovely face; a gait that flows with the liquid grace of a sylph – an outward form which was a true reflection of an equally beautiful soul.

Heaven I pray grant us good speed to our habour's rest.

***

But that prayer was never to be answered – at least in the affirmative. Our joy was not to last. My world came crashing the very next day. In my joy I told my father – the king. And after a brief consultation with some of the palace courtiers, the sentence fell – she was from the lineage of an Osu so she would not be suitable for a prince. I pleaded, I remonstrated, but all to no avail. Then I fell to silence – silence was the last arguement to which I could resort.

Who is an Osu? How are they any different from so called freeborns? Does not the same warm red blood course through their veins? Is the beat of their heart any less appealing to the ears of The Creator when compared to ours? Why must men draw a line of seperation where the Almighty has not. The Creator is all-seeing, all wise with depths of knowledge beyond fathom. We are in no wise pawns in his hands. Options are laid bare before us and He bids us choose. Let no man say, he has no right to choose for in every man lies the potential for the making of something that exceeds mere earthly brute. Yet men choose to spite their neighbours because they were born under different circumstances. And I am told to turn my back on my love because of an accident of birth.

They are lowborn?

What does that mean?

Did they like us not come into the world from between a woman's parted legs? Did they too not ride the cry of labour pains.

And what is it to be a freeborn?

What does that mean?

Like them, are four limbs and a head not our lot, we who prance, who scorn and who never dare to see them as peers; though Death and Deity proclaim us so.

I am a prince and he is a slave!

I am rich and he is poor!

We are freeborns and they are Osu!

One man cries one thing, another cries the other – but in essence what are we all but exalted dust – some are not as privileged in life as others but that is no reason to make their already difficult life impossible.

We flatter ourselves with titles and appellations, we bloat our egos deriding our less endowed colleagues. We forget in our vanity that the day comes when we will be beaten back to the dust from which we came.

I met with Ifeoma on several occasion – secretly of course. The more I saw her the greater was my conviction that we were not destined to be apart. She shared my beliefs about the equality of all men but at a point her resolve weakened. She was willing to part ways with me for the sake of peace. Tradition was adamant in this case and she did not know if she could put up a never ending fight against the displeasure of ancestors past, the reproach of those living and the scorn of posterity. And at such times I did my best talk her back to my or should I say our side. Peace in not necessarily won by shrinking from battle. Such a peace as we would achieve by parting ways would not really be peace – it would only be a relative calm – the deceptive calm before a thunderstorm. Ours is only the first of several chains that have been forged – more would follow. And what would the others do then – withdraw for "peace sake" – that would not do. We must stand on what we believe – because it is right. We must not bind ourselves when heaven has proclaimed us free. We are up against a long standing tradition and it doesn't seem that we stand a chance but we will keep at it – for no matter how thin an arm is, there is always bone in it – we must wedge our resolve firm in our hearts – perhaps the tide will turn, perhaps it wouldn't, but we would not be guilty of remaining silent in our chains – such a life cannot be so sweet to be purchased at the price of bondage.

And if this place that we call home cannot afford us the privilege of being free to unite our love in wedlock then we must find our home and our fortune elsewhere. We must live all behind – we must brave it into the world – we must elope.

It was a painful decision to make but what other option was left us. Parting was not a consideration – it would be unbearable. Let heaven and our ancestors bear witness that we do this in all good ernest. We cannot…dare not…do otherwise.

***

We agreed to meet were it all first began – by the riverside – to meet there at the very first stirrings of day light. From there we would make our journey across the body of water by boat. Downstream would bring us to a neighbouring town of Ukueze. From there we could continue our journey by road. The option of making the journey by road from our own town would not be a good one because you are bound to bump into a townsman who could betray your intention before they fructify.

I had waited there for some time when I saw her approaching. I watched her descending that slopy terrain – the same way she had done some two months ago. Borne by fresh, cold breath of morning she came towards me.

We quickly boarded the boat and pulled away from the land. The vessel launched forward bravely, our hopes its only sails.

No sooner had we done that, than I heard it – the unmistakable sound of running feet. The bushes along the shore began to stir actively. About eight men came out of the shadows of the woods going towards the river. They shouted instructions intermittently for us to stop. I recognized them quickly. They were my father's guards – palace gaurds. How were we found out? Who told them about our bid? Those were questions I knew would not be answered in a hurry. We must get away from them. If we are captured and taken back to the palace, I could not bear to imagine what would happen. It was not for myself I feared – I was still a prince. But my beloved – who knows what they would do to her – her life wouldn't matter a bit to them. I would never see her again.