Marie moved on the bed and winced when she felt a pain in her lower abdomen. She slowly opened her eyes to adjust to the light emitting from the lighted candles in the room. She tried sitting up but fell back and grasped the bedspread with a groan. Her head hurt so badly that she wished she could detach it from her body and take it away. Marie took in a deep breath and opened her eyes. Her hand let go of the bedspread when she took notice of her surrounding.
It doesn't seem like a hospital.
The room was decorated with golden statues that one won't be able to take their eyes off. She managed to sit up and that enabled her to take a good look at the strange room. It was decorated beautifully, but it looked like those rooms she does see in movies of kings and queen centuries ago. She removed the bedspread a bit and her eyes widened. She wasn't lying on a bed as she thought she was, but on some feathers like animal fur.
No wonder it was so soft when she grasped it earlier.
"Where am I?" she asked, looking around, wondering how she got there.
Just then, a lady walked in, dressed in a white transparent linen gown.
Her under pant and b**bs were visible, and she felt undisturbed about it. She wore blue jewelries around her waist and neck. Her hair was at shoulder-length and in locks. She had no makeup on, but she looked beautiful even without it.
She walked in steadily trying to protect the jars on the tray she was holding with so much care from falling, but immediately her eyes met with Marie's, the tray fell to the ground breaking the jars into pieces.
"Prin.....prin....prin....cess Satiah." she called. Her eyes widened. "Princess Satiah is alive." she cried out, running outside.
Marie kept staring at the entrance, wondering why she ran out like that, calling her princess Satiah. But what was that lady doing here? In fact, why was she here? She is supposed to be at the hospital, not in this strange room. Maybe this is how the Egyptians hospitals are. Relieved a bit, she fell back on what she laid on and winced in pain.
"My head." she placed her hand on her forehead and moved it over her hair but halted. Her eyes opened as she clutched her hair.
With great difficulty, she stood up from the bed and went to the mirror.
Her face dropped, seeing the face in the mirror. She slowly touched her cheeks and her eyes widened.
"My face? What happened to my face?"
She looked at her dressed. She was dressed in a light linen white dress which was full length with a silt which started from her thigh to the length. It wasn't as exposing as the other lady dress was, but some part of her body was exposed
She looked at the mirror with the world spinning round her, "What is happening? This is not me. Did they do a plastic surgery on me that I am not aware of? And why would they put me in a room like this? What did they do to my face?" she looked around. "Doctor." She called. "Doctor." She rushed out of the room. The environment doesn't look like a hospital, which got her panicking. Was she kidnapped? No, that can't be.
She rushed to a golden door and without thinking, opened it and rushed in. The stares she got made her frozen at the spot.
Some older looking men were seated on the floor round a fire. They all stirred at her as she looked around confused. One of them stood up and walked to her. He was shirtless and only had a white skirt on and a heavy neck collar.
He stared at her intensely, wondering if she wasn't obvious of what was going on, or she wanted to embarrass him. His hand clenched into a fist, fighting the urge to push her out cause of the elders present there.
"What shame is this?" he finally asked in a baritone voice. "Dressing like this and showing yourself to the elders and priests?" he yelled, pointing at her cloth, but Marie paid no attention to what he said as she stood glued at her spot trying to understand what was happening around her.
The woman, who ran out of the room earlier, rushed in with an older woman and held her hands. The older one stepped forward and stood before him with her head bowed.
"Accept my apology, my lord, I should have stopped her. She just woke up and ran out of the room. I guess she is still confused. I will call the physician immediately." She said.
"Take her out this instance." He commanded with an authoritative voice.
The older woman looked at her husband and sighed, "As you wish, my lord." With the help of the younger maiden, she took Marie out.
Marie was helped to her bed as she remained frozen, not making a move.
"I am sorry mistress, I never knew she was going to the priest's court." the younger maiden said, not daring to look at her mistress face.
The woman looked at her and patted her shoulders, "It wasn't your fault." She looked at Marie who was staring elsewhere, with a lot going on in her mind, "My daughter just woke up. We should celebrate. We thought she was dead, but she is back." She said as tears flow down her eyes. Marie was not listening to the two women conversation as her mind was still wondering about.
"I should be celebrating. I should be happy she came back, but my heart is heavy. I feel pained as if I lost someone. I feel pained as if I lost my daughter. My heart bleeds."
"Mistress, don't say that, Princess Satiah is right in front of us, alive."
"I know, but seeing her makes my heart bleed, and I feel terrible for that." she said clutching her cloth tightly trying so hard not to burst out crying.
Marie/satiah finally looked at her. "What is going on? Where am I? What is happening?" she asked, staring at the both of them. "Did you two kidnap me? Do you want to use me for some sort of rituals?" she asked, confused.
"What are you saying, Satty? What is kidnap?"
Satiah/Marie stood up hastily. "I will make sure you two rot in jail if you don't let me go this moment. I will call the police to arrest you." She threatened.
"Princess what are you saying? What is a police and what is a jail?" the maid asked, getting scared.
Marie/Satiah attempted to rush out of the room but was stopped by the women. "Princess Satiah what are you doing?"
"I was at the hospital, did the doctors sold me out?" she asked, trying to free herself from their grip.
"Calm down princess. What is going on?" the older woman, her mother, asked.
"I am not a princess, I am Marie."
"Mistress what is going on with her?" the maiden asked the older woman holding Marie/Satiah tight.
"Quickly, get the physician." The maid ran out of the room, while the older woman held Satiah. "Princess, calm down."
"No...no.... I can't." Satiah/Marie said now finding it difficult to breathe. The older woman sat her on the bed worried. "I... I...just want to go back." she said and slowly lost consciousness.