The sound of pounding herbs filled the air as Morena worked on her latest concoction inside the clinic. Aurora sat on a wooden stool beside her, watching her work with a smile on her face.
“So, Morena, tell me,” Aurora started, breaking the silence. “Do you use the infertility drugs for the women in the kingdom?”
Morena stopped pounding for a moment, looking up at Aurora with a small nod. “Yes, I do. I’m currently pounding another batch inside the mortar.”
Aurora raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Wow, you’re always working so hard to help your Queen and put the other women in a problem. Moreover, how do you ensure that the infertility medicine won’t affect them for the rest of their life”
Morena smiled, happy to share her knowledge with Aurora. “. I use an antidote once a week to counteract any negative effects of the medicine. Since you expressed your concern last time, I considered it. Even though they can’t get pregnant now, it won’t affect their fertility in the future when the Queen decides for me to stop or when she gets…” pregnant ”
“Morena smiled as Aurora expressed her curiosity, “I sometimes wonder why you love the queen when it seems she’s not friendly to you.”
As they continued their conversation, Morena mentioned how the mere mention of Aurora’s name had healed the king.
Aurora felt her cheeks flush with excitement, and she couldn’t hide her smile any longer.
“How is the king doing now?” Aurora asked, her curiosity piqued.
He’s doing much better, all thanks to you,” Morena said with a genuine smile, her eyes lighting up with gratitude. “When he was in excruciating pain, I mentioned your name, and he seemed to relax and breathe easier almost instantly.”
Aurora felt a strange sensation in her stomach as she heard Morena attribute the king’s recovery to her. It was as if her heart was trying to burst out of her chest. She couldn’t help but pat her cheeks, smiling stylishly to hide her sudden rush of emotions.
“I see you’re happy the king still loves hearing your name,” Morena teased, a playful glint in her eyes.
Aurora felt a pang of guilt at the thought of the king’s love. She knew that he despised her and that he would never feel the same way she felt for him. “No, I’m not,” she lied. “I know the king hates me, so my name can’t possibly make him well. It was just a coincidence.”
“Okay, Aurora, when you finish deceiving yourself, let me know,” Morena quipped, her tone light and teasing. The two women shared a laugh, momentarily forgetting the gravity of the situation they were in.
Aurora took a deep breath and gathered the courage to confess. “Okay, time to tell the truth,” she said, raising her hand to silence Morena’s teasing. “I… I did like the king. Very badly,” she finished, her eyes downcast and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Morena’s teasing expression melted into one of empathy as she saw the pain in Aurora’s eyes. “Oh, Aurora,” she said softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
As they both fell silent, Aurora’s mind wandered to Xena, who was still imprisoned. The thought of Xena popped.
So she grabbed the opportunity wanting to change the topic likewise.
“Do you know why the king hasn’t released Xena yet?” Aurora asked, breaking the silence.
Morena stopped her pounding and looked up at Aurora. “The king is trying to teach her a lesson. The King cares for Xena and believes that she needs to learn from her mistakes.”
“Cares for her?” Aurora repeated, a hint of jealousy creeping into her voice.
Morena noticed Aurora’s reaction and asked, “Are you jealous, Aurora?”
“N-no,” Aurora stuttered, but her nervous tone gave her away.
“Don’t be,” Morena reassured her. “The king doesn’t love Xena. He feels indebted to her because she was his late mother’s maid, and he believes that she served his mother truthfully.”
Aurora nodded, relieved that there was nothing between the king and Xena. As she gathered her things to leave the chamber, she remembered that it was already late and she needed to find Evans.
“I should go now, Morena. Thank you for the information,” Aurora said with a smile.
“Of course Aurora, take care of yourself” Morena replied, resuming her work.
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Jeanne walked along the hallway when she overheard a group of maids gossiping about the King’s recent activities with Aurora.
“Did you hear? The King was seen with Aurora in the garden last night!” one of the maids exclaimed.
“And they were kissing!” another added.
The maid even mentioned that the King had bought Aurora a necklace and kissed her.
Jeanne’s eyes widened in disbelief and anger where she hid.
What are you saying? Did you see the king kiss Aurora?” Jeanne demanded, her voice shaking with anger.
The maid who was speaking looked nervously at Jeanne before admitting, “Yes, I saw them kissing. And I heard the king gave her a necklace.”
Jeanne stormed away, her mind racing with anger and betrayal. She made her way to the royal prison where Xena was locked up. Xena looked up at Jeanne, noticing the anger on her face.
“What’s wrong, Jeanne?” Xena asked.
Jeanne explained what she overheard the maids saying. Xena’s eyes widened in shock and anger. She couldn’t believe that the king would betray her like this.
Xena’s eyes widened in anger and hurt. She was the King’s favorite among his women, and the thought of him kissing another woman made her feel like she was being replaced. “That can’t be true,” she muttered. “The King would never buy jewelry for another woman.”
But Jeanne was certain of what she had heard. “It’s true, Xena. I heard it with my ears,” she said.
“I can’t wait any longer,” Xena said, her voice shaking with rage.
“I need the medicine now,” She yelled.
Jeanne reached into her pocket and pulled out a small package. “The medicine man said that once you take this, within a few minutes, you’ll start to bleed. When the test is done, they’ll confirm that you’ve lost the pregnancy.”
Xena took the package from Jeanne, her hands shaking with anger and jealousy. “Thank you, Jeanne,” she said with a hint of malice in her voice.
Xena knew what she had to do next. She had to make sure that Queen Nneka took the blame for the miscarriage. She looked at Jeanne and said, “It’s time to bring the queen here.”
Jeanne nodded in agreement before turning around to leave the prison. As she tilted her head and looked back at Xena, she reminded her of the importance of seizing this opportunity to regain the king’s favor.
“Make sure you play this game very well, Xena. Use this chance to make the king care for you as he did before,” Jeanne advised before walking away.