Hard Times - A Flashback
Aurora was sitting in the wagon holding her little sleeping son close to her. She was on the way back to the Hadrian's Wall with a small army of the Romans. She was afraid of coming back to the Wall but also felt relief at the same time. The last two years had been horrible for her.
She had been living at the Wall, when a small group of the Romans wanted to take her with them back to Rome. She should be a "present" for their general Marcus in Rome. She couldn't believe that but they took her with them. She had hoped that one of the knights would have done something just to hold her there. But they didn't. She had been very upset and confused when Tristan hadn't come to say good bye but Galahad who wanted to know whom of the two ( Galahad and Tristan) she was really loving. Aurora had taken by surprise at his words, but she couldn't say. Her heart couldn't decide between the two knights. Aurora had felt that Galahad had been very sad about her words and had left him. It was as if she had destroyed all she had built up before within seconds. With confused and crazy feelings she had left the Wall, but she still was sure that the two men loved her. And that she would going to meet them again.
That fact and her son, born soon after her arriving in Rome, were the only things that kept her alive in these years. The Romans had raped her again and again on their way. But when they noticed she would gonna have a baby they stopped. When they arrived in Rome their general wasn't really happy about this, but didn't release her. She had to clean all of his rooms. Aurora had nothing against this decision, because so she could have enough time to look after her son, whom she gave the name Alexander. So she was cleaning Marcus' rooms all day and reared his son with the help of her new friend Iulia.
After almost two years staying in Rome a new group of Roman fighters was going to be sent to the Hadrian's Wall. Marcus wanted to see Aurora and during their meeting he told her that she wasn't be needed anymore. She could go whereever she wanted. So she asked if she could join the group. Marcus didn't agreed firstly because she would hinder his soldiers but as there were also some medicine Romanes joining he allowed her to join.
And today she would arrive at the Wall. She was wondering how Tristan and Galahad would react. Tristan would hide his feelings as good as he could, except for this one night and Galahad...she can't imagine how he would react. She hoped that Galahad wouldn't be angry at her anymore.
She noticed that Alexander was going to awake and she reached for some water and bread. She thought who could be Alexander's father. She wasn't sure if it was one of the Romans or perhaps one of the knights. He had her blue eyes and dark hair, but sometimes she had the feeling that he has this special look in his eyes one of the knights mostly had. She really hoped that it was one of the knights. This would be better than a Roman. Her thoughts were interrupted by a Roman who looked in the wagon.
" We will soon arrive at the Wall. Get your stuff packed."