The Pharaoh's Concubine (Completed)

CHAPTER FIVE

Nebu bursts through the door, his sword held high. 

"Your Majesty?! Are you okay?" Nebu shockingly asked to the Prince.

When the prince doesn't respond, Nebu turns to me.

"What's wrong with him?! What happened?!" Nebu asked to me.

"He got bitten by a snake!" I said to Nebu.

"A snake?! You were the one that was saying-- one of the OTHER concubines wanted to kill him with a snake!" 

"And that was completely true! Velis WAS trying to kill him with a snake!" I said to Nebu.

"But it is YOU that ultimately set one on him!" Nebu said as he hurries to the prince's side and rubs his fingers over the bite mark.

"No, you're wrong! I didn't do anything--" 

Nebu cuts me off impatiently. "Tiola! Are you out there?"

After a little patter of footsteps, Tiola peeks into the room, and her eyes go wide. 

"Oh! What happ--" Tiola was cut off by Nebu.

"There's no time to explain! The prince will be dead unless we administer an antidote to the venom immediately. There's a viper venom antidote in the storeroom." Nebu ordered Tiola.

"I'll get it right away!"

"Yes! Hurry!" Nebu said to Tiola and Nebu turns to me, and I can see that he's livid. "As for you, I'll be escorting you down to the palace prison cells, where you belong."

Oh my goodness! He's going to lock me up! What should I do?

"Okay, take me to the cell." I said to Nebu.

I hold out my hands, and Nebu ties my wrists together tightly with a piece of thick rope.

"Ouch! That hurts!" I said as I felt the pain.

"No more talking." 

****

I don't know how long I have been locked up in this cell, but it's feels like forever. The only company I have had is a few Beatles.

How am I going to get myself out of this mess? And what about the prince? What is he dies because of me...

Suddenly, I hear heavy footsteps approaching.

"It's time for answers. Who are you working for?" Nebu asked to me.

My eyes widen in shock. "Working for?! Nobody! I'm innocent, I swear! Is the prince okay?" 

"That's none of your business." Nebu said to me.

I feel my heart hammering away at the thought of the prince in his injured state.

"Please! I'm begging you, just let me know if the prince survived the bite!" I said to Nebu.

Nebu takes a deep breath. "Tiola was fortunately able to administer the antidote in time, and the prince is now recovering." Nebu said to me.

I sink to my knees in relief. 

"That doesn't mean you're off the hook. You're still the one who released that viper to attack him." Nebu said to me with an angry brows.

"I didn't, I promise! Why won't you believe me?" 

"Because you have no proof. If you can prove to me that you're innocent, then I'll release you." Nebu said to me.

There has to be a way to prove my innocence and get myself out of this prison! Wait-- Tiola knows that there was no snake in my veil when I left her, and the prince knows that Velis attacked me on my way to his room. If I could just go and speak with them both together, they would see that the viper had to have crawled into my veil during my confrontation with Velis.