The snake slips out, sliding back into the grass. Akia starts to breathe again, the rumbling in her stomach was no longer there.

"She was throwing up mercury." The guard said frantically to the king.

"Get the witch doctor, GET THE DOULA." The king said wrapping his hand around her back. Akia feels uncomfortable immediately.

The king stays there until the Doula comes. The doula places veiled hands on Akia's face. Pulling down the skin of her eyes to see her eyes easier.

She opens her mouth and sticks a gloved hand down her throat.

"She was poisoned." The doula concludes.

"Yes we could've told you that." The king said very irritated by the lack of additional information.

The witch doctor comes physically pushing the doula out of his way.

"I knew something was off, the balance between good and bad was breaking." The old man says, "look at me child." The man said to Akia who was avoiding eye contact by all accounts.

"How could she have been poisoned. She has 3 test tasters. With every meal I ensure their testing myself." The royal doula said.

"Akia, did someone offer you something?" The old man asked.

"Are you trying to say she did this to herself?, What insanity." The king said at her defense.

"Did someone offer you freedom?" The witch doctor questioned.

Akia looks away to the other side of stone rail. The black head of the snake that had just enter her was visible.

Her heart surges up. Frighten and confused she found herself speechless.

"Akia did someone give you this telling you it'd kill the baby?" The witch doctor said and Akia looks at him.

"The baby inside you would've never died from something like this, instead you would have died in less than a week.

Whoever convinced you that this was going to kill the child and get you out of the palace wanted you dead." The witch doctor said shocking Akia who immediately retorted with.

"NO," her reply shocks everyone.

"Mercury wouldn't gaze the sun king. He's much stronger than moon dust. He would've lived inside of your dead and decaying body until he was fully formed. Then he would've build sustained your body and then when he was ready he would've burst out Of your rotting fresh." The witch doctor said his voice low and sinister.

"He won't die, not even if you die. So don't waste your time." The witch doctor said.

"So tell me who gave you the mercury."

The witch doctor said.

"You said nothing would happen to the baby if she dies so let's torture it out of her." The queen finally spoke.

"Are you insane woman?

Surely something you must not know about children is that they follow their mother's lead always. If the child recognizes resentment in the mother he too will be filled with resentment to whomever has caused the emotion out of his mother."

"we kill her. We no longer need her for the child and it would stop the spread of propaganda to the child."

"It's not as simple as that either, without having his mother's nourishment the boy will be stunned emotionally. You know a mother teaches the man how to feel and the father teaches the man how to abandon those feelings when necessary. The last thing we want a man with such power to be is without empathy."

"The boy is my child I'll teach him everything a mother should." The queen says and the witch doctor laughs.

"Yes because the woman who's mother is currently awaiting to be beheaded is the perfect candidate for teaching stability and love."

The king was in shock.

"She tried to kill the baby?" He asked finally making words out of his thoughts.

"Yes king delayed, why not try and keep up."

"Why would she want to do?" The king asked a questioned that should've been obvious.

"You're asking me King and Queen power trip. Am I the one who sent her sister away to die in a war?, or stole Her away from her life and ambitions, rid her of any possible chances of a happy life with a man that she desires? Or trapped her in a room, grooming and feeding her like a pet rat?"

"Wow to be in such a horrid situation, oh dear how can she wake in the morning knowing how absolutely wretched her life is." The queen said sarcastically.

"When you have a child who grew up hating her mother and father and a child who grew up from the love of her mother and father alone. One feels more of a rip in her heart the moment you take that environment away from

Her. What was heaven for you, the start of your life was hell for her. The ending of her youth and all the hopes she had for herself."

"Garbage. She's weak and if it was up to me we'd kill her ourselves. Put her out of her misery." The queen said fixing up

Her dress as she prepares to walk away.

"That's why you're in charge of decorating." The witch doctor said.

"I'll have your head one day for comments like those Walter."

"Oh I know you will, I believe you are already on your way to such an event."

The witch doctor said eying the woman as she walked away.

"Well, it's up to you now your highness. You decide whether she lives or die. But I'll tell you something, the worst thing she can do with that child still in her is hate you. Oh and by the way Akia, you thank that siren that saved your life. They don't like when you aren't appreciative."