Part Six
Magic Moments
He remained sitting on the benches, his eyes scanning the training grounds, looking over the beams, and the spinning devices, seeing nothing out of place. An eerie silence fell over the training grounds, he knew should be full of knights, being tutored or training, instead there was no one, and the grounds were silent.
Looking in the direction of the weapons room, he remembered some of the troubles he had with Aurelia a few years later of her training with them, when he had first discovered her in the weapons room secretly trying to train herself but unsuccessful.
Flashback868 – 13 years old.
"Nope, forget it, I'm not going to wear that" pointing to the dress on the chair, tying her hair, and smoothing out the creases in her tunic.
"Aurelia. For me" he pleaded.
"Nope" she replied "Unless it's a social event or something special I will not wear a dress, or do anything ladylike".
"I never brought you up to be like this" he muttered.
"You know you're absolutely right, you never brought me up to be a lady" she replied smug and walked out the room.
"Where did I go wrong?" he asked defeated and turned to his friends for help.
"You might as well face it. She's never going to be what you want her to be" Gumlittle said."And it's all my fault" he replied "Ever since the day she first started training with us".
"Well you offered, mon ami"
"I know" he replied looking as though he truly regretted agreeing to train her.
End flashback
He stood from his place on the side benches, and walked across the training grounds, passing the beams and spinning devices, and out the gates to the courtyard. It did not do dwelling in the past, but then looking around him, he knew he would never be able to escape it, for she had after all lived here with him for ten years. He knew it was no use, trying to escape, for every corner he turned, every room he entered, she had been there, and his eyes fell on the small garden they had in Gummadoon.They had often come here, seeking for peace and quiet, usually when Aurelia was troubled or when they preferred to be alone in their thoughts. It had also been here when he had first taught her how to dance, and would often pluck a cherry blossom from one of the trees and place it in her hair.
Shaking himself from his thoughts he walked over and sat down under the trees where they always sat, and he found himself remembering one night after a feast they had disappeared from the hall, and appeared in the gardens to be alone, away from the crowd, as Aurelia would put it.
Flashback869
Musical laughter echoed in the night sky, and Aurelia a teenager of fourteen ran out of the great hall, and along the corridors her guardian, Sir Plucki hot on her heels, and she rounded the corner, and squealed as he grasped her around her waist, and swung her around in the air.
Laughing, the two walked into the gardens, and under the trees where he plucked a cherry blossom, then strode over to Aurelia, and placed it in her hair, then kissed her forehead and she embraced him, he returned it.
Pulling away, Aurelia seemed to be giggling uncontrollably at him, and he did a mock bow, then said "May I have this dance tonight, milady"
Giggling hysterically, she calmed down then nodded at him "You may".
Taking position, and linking hands, the two danced to melodic music drifting from the great hall, and they began to move round the garden, oblivious to everything, only happy to be alone. The only thing witnessing them that night was the full moon.
End flashbackSighing, he closed his eyes in remembrance. He and Aurelia had often done that at the end of the feast, disappearing from the hall, when nobody noticed, then danced in the garden until late at night, then make one last appearance in the hall, surprisingly not gaining any suspicious or questioning looks from anyone, except for his friends before they used to retire for the night.
He smiled at the memory. That had been one of the many things the two had enjoyed doing, dancing at night after a celebration.
The gong sounded in the distance and he knew the evening meal was being served, and he stood from his place on the ground, where he had previous sat, and started his journey towards the great hall.
TBC…
Please tell me what you think?
