The Prince and His Slave [REWRITTEN]

Chapter 4 - [Return]

– Arius –

The reactions I got from the people I passed as I rode Neshny through the city of Thebes and in through the gates of the palace, was exactly what I had imagined.

Shock.

Pure shock.

I couldn't blame any of them, though.

They had spent the past two weeks thinking I was dead.

But I wasn't. I was alive, and despite the slight sharp pain in my abdomen, I was fine.

No one stopped to question me as I rode pass them. Even after I passed through the gate and handed Neshny to the stableman, no one spoke.

Everyone just stared.

And that was good because all I wanted to do was walk right into the throne room and see the look on my uncles face. Though... I wasn't exactly blaming him for anything just yet. I thought that maybe seeing his reaction would give me a clue as to whether or not he had anything to do with what those soldiers did to me.

So as I walked past the guards and straight into the throne room, I stared my uncle right in the eyes when he looked up at me.

He blinked, narrowed his eyes for a moment and then blinked again. "Atumankhkare."

Tabia, one of the royal court members and also my cousin, didn't hesitate at all when she saw me.

"Arius!" She shouted as she ran towards me, not caring at all about the fact that she was to stand still and stay silent while in the presence of the Pharaoh.

She jumped into my arms, making me wince from the pain in the abdomen. I could feel her tears on my shoulders as she thanked the gods that I was all right.

Despite being my cousin, she was like a sister to me. Plus, we were the same age so we were close.

"You're alive!" She said through her tears. When she pulled away, she kissed my cheeks and held my face in her hands. "We thought you were dead! Your guards said you were stabbed!"

I looked at her. "I'm fine, Tabia. I was saved."

She let out a laugh, still in tears, "clearly!"

"Where is Akhen?"

"He's in his room... he hasn't come out since he heard the news..."

I nodded. I would go see him next.

When I looked past her at the other court members, all of them looked relieved to see me. They were not as reckless as Tabia was, so they simply stayed in their positions and smiled warmly at me.

"What on earth happened to you?" My uncle asked, lacking the kind of smile and warmth that the rest of the court members had.

"I wasn't killed by bandits, that's for sure."

"I can see that," my uncle responded. "I am asking what happened to you. The entire kingdom thinks you're dead."

Unfortunately for me, his cold expression said nothing.

"Where are the soldiers who were accompanying me?"

"At one of the Eastern Forts," my uncle answered. "Why?"

"They betrayed me," I said, shocking the court members. Tabia, who had one arm around my waist, gasped.

"One of them stabbed me while the others watched," I said. "I want them all to return here so they can answer to me."