Egyptian Timewave

Chapter 48

The moment the doors close behind them, Anippe seems to lose all her sense of decorum and rushes at Abayomi, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Abayomi nods. "I think so. No one's going to kill me, at any rate."

"What happened while you were held? They wouldn't let me see you."

A shrug. "They mostly just locked me in an empty room, but Prince Amenhotep did come and interrogate me." She sneaks a glance at said prince, and finds him staring at her, though he seems to be just far enough away that he can't hear them easily. "He was really adamant that I was controlling you somehow."

Anippe sighs. "I know! He talked to me after your arrest - I was actually made to stay in his rooms until the trial instead of going back to mine - and he wouldn't believe me when I told him that you weren't. There's something off about him, he's not acting quite like he used to, he won't even listen to me."

Abayomi frowns. "Really?"

"Yes. Maybe he believed that you were dangerous and was just stressed, but I don't know. Something just doesn't seem right."

"Well, I hope everything works itself out. Perhaps before he refuses to accept Pharaoh's judgement and comes to murder me."

Anippe snorts. "I'm sure he wouldn't do that."

Abayomi isn't so sure. He already threatened to cut out her tongue, after all. Still, she probably shouldn't tell Anippe that. She isn't sure if the princess would try to murder her uncle for it. She's about to change the subject when she feels someone come to a stop just behind her, looming over her shoulder. She turns. A guard is standing there, and he bows slightly when he notices Abayomi's attention.

"It is time for me to take you to your temporary chambers."

Abayomi nods and waves at Anippe. "Come visit me when you can? I'm sorry that I can't serve you at this time."

Anippe nods. "Of course, I wouldn't leave my favourite handmaiden to complete solitude. I'll bring my nai."

Comforted by Anippe's promise to visit, Abayomi lets herself be led away from the audience chamber. The guard, of which there is only one now instead of the two that had escorted her everywhere after being arrested, is much kinder than the others. Which she supposes does line up with her having been acquitted, but it is still the case.

He moves to touch her only once, and when she flinches away and asks for him not to, he doesn't try again. He stops before one room that has a guard already standing next to the door. So it seems she will need two guards, although fewer escorts. The guard at the door opens it and waves her inside.

Abayomi has barely stepped through it when the door closes behind her. If she needed to be reminded that she is still technically imprisoned, that is all she needed. No one would have closed that door that quickly unless they were trying to trap someone on the other side of it. Still, she supposes that she would rather be trapped here than in the cell from before.

This room looks to be far more comfortable. It's several rooms, and even just this first one is larger than the cell she was in before, if smaller than Anippe's rooms. But she isn't a princess, and these rooms are also meant to be temporary, so of course they're smaller. She doesn't have a window, but there are plenty of lights in here.

Her gaze strays to the room she can see through the doorway, where she can see a bed. A bed. So much better than the stone floor of that cell. It's practically inviting her to go sleep, and she was woken up rather abruptly this morning. At dawn, no less. Sure, yes, she's used to waking up around then for prayer, but normally she can go back to sleep if she's really tired.

Abayomi also isn't normally woken by people grabbing her. She walks over to the bed and sits down on it, then flopping back onto it at how comfortable it is. She can't help but close her eyes. It feels so nice, and she's so tired. She'll just close them for a minute, she won't fall asleep. But then again, her body decides otherwise.
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We're going to pretend I posted this chapter yesterday, ok?

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter(in five seconds)!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out