Hathour's Princess ✔️

04 || The Birth

I was confined to the bed the last months of the pregnancy.

The healer didn't allow me to continue my studies or stress myself in the slightest. At first I was okay with the restrictions, my child was nearly lost to me, and I wanted to do everything possible to keep it healthy enough for a safe delivery, but after months of staying in bed and only being allowed to go for short walks at a time, I was almost desperate to get this baby out of me. My belly had grown a lot by now, I couldn't even get out of bed without Lillian or Sethos assistance. I couldn't even see my own feet!

One of the good outcomes of my imprisonment in my own bed, was Lillian. She was a God send, that's certain. She would do her best to entertain me when I was feeling bored, playing board games with me, reading to me, telling me the gossip of the palace. I even got to know that she started being courted by one of the guards posted outside my door. Apparently she must have made quite an impression on him. He was the same guard that had help her when she was tending to me on my poisoning.

My poisoning...

Father launched an investigation on the Palace, and he managed to find two servants who were responsible for poisoning my tea. But someone had to have made them do it. Sethos himself interrogated them, trying to catch the real perpetrator behind the poisoning. He's committed to catching the person that had try to cause such harm to his family. It took more time than he wanted to get them to confess, but when they finally did, the answer was not the one he was expecting.

When it was reported to the Pharaoh, rumour has it he stood silent. His posture that of a predator wanting to catch his prey. When presented with the evidence of the claim, he himself made sure to be the one to confront the perpetrator.

The news came at a shock to me as well. I cried in the arms of my husband when he told me. How could she do this? Why would she do this? To me? Her own sister? What harm have I ever done to her, that she tried to kill me and my firstborn?

My own sister. Amarat. The Second Princess.

That very same day, she was sent to the dungeons, kicking and screaming, but no one moved to save her. It was the Pharaoh's decree. The court was shocked by the news. One of their own Princess had tried to kill the Pharaoh's first grandchild, their own nephew or niece, and it almost took the life of the Third Princess as well.

That was a great offence. Many wonder how the Pharaoh would react. If it had been any other person he would have been executed immediately for trying to assassinate the royal family, but Amarat was his own flesh and blood. Would he execute her? Exile her? Keep her imprisoned in the dungeons?

Before my father passes judgement on my sister, I requested the Pharaoh for me to see her. I had to know why. And she wasn't talking with anybody, perhaps she would open up to me. Sethos and my father refused at first. Rest, they said, I must rest. But I was never going to be able to rest while I lived with such uncertainty. I asked the healer and even though he didn't want me to move, he consented to the visit on the condition that I would have someone with me at all times, and that I would not push myself. It had only been two weeks since the poisoning at the time, I was still weak, but I knew this was something I had to do.

Sethos and my father relented and allowed me to see her. But it had to be a quick visit. Sethos helped me make the walk to the dungeons. As agreed he left once I was settle in front of my sister's prison. Lillian, and two guards stayed near to assist me in case of need.

There wasn't much light in the dungeon, only a few torches allowed me to see the path. Slowly, with my hand on my baby bump and a fast beating heart, I call out to my sister.

"Amarat?"

She does not respond but I hear shuffling, as if someone was moving. I hear small steps and then I finally see her. She looked nothing like her usual self. She was dirty, her hair out of place, and her clothes unravelled.