Jeanne burst into the clinic with Xena in her arms, followed closely by Nneka.
Morena, the healer, looked up from her work and her eyes widened in alarm at the sight of the unconscious Xena.
“Quickly, lay her down here,” Morena instructed, pointing to a nearby bed. “I’ll take care of her.”
Jeanne gently placed Xena on the bed as Morena went to work, checking Xena’s pulse and feeling her forehead. Morena’s eyes widened in shock as she tested Xena and confirmed that she had lost her pregnancy.
Morena’s mind raced as she tried to imagine how it could have happened.
Queen Nneka had tasked her with administering infertility medicine to the palace women to prevent any heirs from being born. Had she made a mistake? Has someone else interfered? The possibilities raced through her mind as she worked to save Xena’s life.
Morena’s mind raced as she examined Xena. She couldn’t help but wonder if the infertility medicine and the antidote she had prepared had caused this. She clenched her fists tightly as she imagined the repercussions of her actions.
For months, she had been waiting for a day like this. A day when one of the king’s women would confirm her pregnancy. She knew the immense pressure the king was under to produce an heir, and she had taken it upon herself to ensure that only she would remain in power.
But now, as she looked at the lifeless body of Xena and the lost child, she couldn’t help but feel the weight of guilt and shame.
She had gone too far in her pursuit of obeying the queen’s orders just because she believed Nneka was right by stopping other women from having an heir for the king.
She did this because of the tragedy she had experienced before.
Now it resulted in a tragedy that would undoubtedly have severe consequences for the entire kingdom.
Jeanne’s eyes darted to Morena’s face, and she immediately sensed that something was wrong. It was clear to her that Morena must have known that Xenia had lost her pregnancy, just as the medicine man had predicted.
Trying to feign ignorance, she interrupted Morena’s thoughts. “What’s wrong?” she asked, pretending not to know the gravity of the situation. “Is Xenia going to be okay?”
Morena hesitated, unsure how to break the news to her. “Jeanne, I’m sorry, but Xena has lost her pregnancy.”
Jeanne’s face contorted with rage as she turned to Nneka. “You did this! You finally killed the king’s heir!” she shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at her friend.
Nneka’s expression turned grave as Jeanne’s accusation hit her like a ton of bricks.
She remembered giving Morena explicit instructions to mix the infertility drugs with the palace women’s food. She had been convinced that it was the only way to keep the king from producing an heir with one of his concubines, and ultimately preserve her power.
But now, with the news that Xena had gotten pregnant, anger boiled up within her. She felt like tearing Morena apart right where she stood, but she knew that she had to maintain her composure, especially with Jeanne present.
“Jeanne, please,” Nneka pleaded, tears streaming down her face. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I just wanted to protect my position.” She tried to fake innocence.
Jeanne’s anger was palpable as she turned to Morena. “We have to tell the king about this,” she said through gritted teeth. “He needs to know what the queen has done. She pushed concubine Xena!”
Morena’s eyes widened in shock upon hearing this. She had hoped that something like this would never happen, but deep down, she knew that Nneka’s actions would have severe consequences.
With a heavy heart, Morena finally nodded in agreement, knowing that the news of the lost pregnancy would not only impact Xena’s future but also potentially the stability of the entire kingdom. She could feel the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders as she braced herself for what was to come.
Jeanne rushed out of the clinic to go report to the king about the Queen’s actions, Nneka’s angry eyes landed on Morena, demanding an explanation.
“What happened?” Nneka asked, her voice laced with anger.
Morena hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. She knew that Nneka had instructed her to mix infertility drugs inside the food for the women in the palace, but she had hoped that it wouldn’t come to this.
“I-I don’t know,” Morena stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe the medicine didn’t work for her.”
Nneka’s face twisted in anger as she raised her hand and landed a hard slap on Morena’s face. Morena recoiled in pain, her hand flying to her cheek as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.
“How dare you lie to me?” Nneka shouted. “You know exactly what happened. You deliberately went against my wishes, and now look at what has happened!”
Morena’s eyes narrowed as she contemplated retaliating, but she quickly remembered that she was the queen, and she couldn’t act impulsively. She took a deep breath and tried to reason with Nneka.
“I did what you asked me to do,” Morena said, her voice calm but firm. “I mixed the infertility drugs in the food just like you instructed me to. I don’t know how Xena got pregnant, but it wasn’t because of me.”
Nneka’s eyes narrowed as she considered Morena’s words. For a moment, it seemed like she might back down, but then she spoke again, her voice cold and menacing.
“You went against my will,” Nneka said. “And for that, you will pay the price. You will leave the palace immediately, and you will never set foot here again.”
Morena’s heart sank as she realized that Nneka was serious. She had never felt so alone and vulnerable before, and she knew that her life would never be the same again.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the tense exchange between Nneka and Morena, coming from outside the clinic.
“And who ordered that?” the voice demanded, causing Nneka and Morena to turn in surprise.