Disclaimer: I do not own Tortall, or any of the Tamora Pierce characters- obviously. Only characters a hard core fan doesn't recognize are mine- IE Aaurie, Branic and Illean.
Aaurie woke up to find the infirmary dark, but noise all around her. She could here to voices arguing with a third- Duke Baird.
"Lads- you'll need to wait until morning, she need's her rest." Duke Baird tried.
"What do you mean? Have you heard the rumors the pages are spreading around? We want to see her now!" Aaurie recognized Thom's voice and nearly cried. What rumors? Oh god, what is Rurik saying?
"Milord, please-" Aaurie called out. She heard Duke Baird sigh and move aside, the boys racing past him.
"Mithros, what happened Aaurie?" Thom breathed, feeling the healing that had been cast on her and noting the still visible and healing cut to her cheek.
"I-" Aaurie bit her lip, shutting her eyes against the flood of tears.
"Mithros Aaurie- tell us. Are you alright?" Darien asked, reaching to touch her cheek. Aaurie flinched, nearly falling out of the bed in her sudden attempt to escape his touch. Darien's eyes widened as he snatched back his hand, watching her chest heave as she righted herself.
Thom looked at her in horror, noting her reaction and the hand prints across her neck her sudden movement had revealed.
"Aaurie who did that? What happened?" Thom demanded. Aaurie choked back a sob, cradling her head in her hands.
"You can't tell anyone- I had to lie to them- I couldn't," Aaurie sobbed almost in hysterics.
"Aaurie, you can tell us anything." Darien said quietly.
"He- he ra- hurt me. I tripped and my leg just gave out. He-he threw me on the bed and, and groped, and hit me…Mithros I can't. It's all my fault." Aaurie sobbed.
"I heard Duke Baird and Alanna talking- he said that there was no way that they'd find him guilty. They'd just say I was some Scanran whore and I deserved it," Aaurie cried.
"He? –Rurik?" Thom growled. Aaurie clamped her eyes shut.
"I'll kill him," Darien growled, jumping to his feet. Aaurie yelped, grabbing his arm. She had just lied to her best friends- if they were this mad thinking he'd only beaten her badly she couldn't imagine their reactions if she'd told the truth.
"Please, please don't. I told them I didn't know. The trial- they'd tear me apart. I'd have to tell them everything- I couldn't…Please, I want to forget… I'm, I'm a squire. I'm supposed to leave tomorrow with Sir Nealan, I- please," Aaurie begged.
Darien looked to Thom. The other boy looked torn, he knew she was right- this would be the perfect excuse for the nobles to tear her apart and worse, Rurik would get away with it.
"We won't say anything Aaurie, but if he touches you again- we'll kill him," Thom promised. Aaurie smiled weakly at him and Darien, wondering how she would survive without them if there knight masters should travel in different directions.
"Thank you- I love you both more than you could know," Aaurie whispered.
"We love you too Aaurie. I just hope this decision won't come back to haunt us," Thom replied. He wouldn't be able to protect her after tomorrow; Prince Roald would make a tour of the forts, starting far from Giantkiller. Darien and his knight master would be going with him. Aaurie would be alone with the dreadful rumors.
"What are people saying?" Aaurie said quietly, not forgetting Thom's earlier comment. The redheaded youth flinched, looking to a nervously shifting Darien.
"The pages, Rurik and his lads really, are spreading rumors that you were caught with some lads from the city. They're saying that you've been- been bringing them to your room for a while now. They say the blokes got angry when you said you'd be leaving tomorrow and roughed you up a bit after you'd- well," Darien stopped. The rumors had been much worse, much more graphic and negative.
As the boys had heard it in the halls, Aaurie had been having sex with as many as three lads at a time- all boys from the city or servants in the palace, sometimes for fun and other times for money. One of the pages said that after having sex with the boys that day, Aaurie had told them she'd be leaving. The boys had insisted that they'd paid her for several more 'encounters' and when she'd refused to repay them, they'd broken her nose. Looking at her, Thom realized that her only remaining visible wounds would only help confirm the story.
He could still see the fading bruises down her neck and arms, the dashed scar on her cheek, and the slight ridge where her nose had been broken. By tomorrow, with the healing done, ridge and scar would be all that remained. And with no assault charges being brought, it would be like Aaurie's own confirmation of guilt and truth in the rumors.
---
Keladry of Mindelan frowned, staring at the curtain that hid her from view as the three youngsters drifted off to sleep. She'd meant to come speak to Duke Baird about having Aaurien kicked out for inappropriate behavior and wanted to hear her account of her relationship with the boy.
Now she felt ashamed for having doubted the girl, hearing the strength and resolve in her voice. Maybe this girl wouldn't be such a bad knight after all. Maybe.
---
"I wonder if she's sleeping with the boys then too," Aaurie heard the voices before she opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep in the infirmary, Darien and Thom asleep in the chairs beside her bed.
"You think they go one at a time or all at once?" One of the giggly serving women whispered.
"Do you mind!?" Thom growled, awakened by the women's gossiping. Aaurie opened her eyes to see the women scramble out of the room. Thom looked at her and gave a weak smile.
"First day as squires," Darien said quietly. Aaurie sighed.
"First day as the palace whore," Aaurie grimaced meakly.
"It will be fine Aaurie. Darien will go with you to get your things; I'll go find some food for us before we set out with out knights alright?" Aaurie nodded, giving Thom a weak smile.