A/N: Hi! I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter, which made me sad , and I'm hoping it's not because the chapter offended anyone...anyway, as one lovely reviewer correctly ascertained, you weren't supposed to like Aurelia. You weren't supposed to hate her, but you definitely weren't supposed to like her. THIS is the chapter when you (hopefully) decide that she's not all bad after all. Please, please review, I will give you cupcakes! (That's a lie. But please review anyway. Consider it your good deed for the day!) This chapter contains a sensitive theme.

"Aurelia?" Sonea knocked lightly on the door to the spare room where Aurelia had slept. Rothen's quarters had magnified since Sonea had explained to the guild leaders that she liked to stay in the same place as him, as he helped with Lorkin and her grief. Although Aurelia had her own rooms in the Novice's quarters, she much preferred to stay with her two mentors and young cousin, despite Lorkin frequently waking her in the night with his cries.

It was now quite late, and Aurelia still had not left her bed. Sonea was beginning to worry – Aurelia was usually an early bird, much like herself, and was always ready for classes in plenty of time.

"Aurelia, you're going to be late" Sonea said softly, opening the door and peering in. Aurelia was curled up in her bed, her hair tangled around her face and fluttering over the pillow. She did not look as if she would wake anytime soon.

"Aurelia!" Sonea gave the young woman a gentle shake on the shoulder. In her sleep, Aurelia smiled and reached out her arms. Then she woke with a sudden jolt, her eyes red and bordered by heavy bags and grey shadows.

"Goodness me, Aurelia, you look..." Sonea trailed off, not wanting to offend the delicate girl.

"Awful?" Aurelia supplied, "I feel awful. Oh, Sonea, I don't think I can face classes today"

Sonea nodded, "I thought not. I'll go and tell Rothen to tell all your teachers before he leaves for class, and then you can tell me what's wrong, okay?"

Aurelia nodded too. As Sonea left, she mentally prepared a series of weak and feeble lies in her head. She considered pleading a sick bug, an upset stomach, a touch of fever. But Sonea, as a Healer and Black Magician, would be able to spot these lies instantly. She would have to tell Sonea what was really wrong.

She rose from the bed slowly, pulling back the sheets to air them, and dragging a heavy dressing gown on over her nightwear. When Sonea returned, Aurelia looked much more composed, though still with puffy eyes and messy hair. Sonea pulled up a chair beside the bed, holding Lorkin on her lap. He gave his pretty cousin a gummy smile, and she squeezed his hand.

"You're not sick" said Sonea at last, after waiting fruitlessly for Aurelia to speak, "Something has upset you. If you're being bullied in classes, Aurelia, I'm the best person for you to tell. I've been there, I completely understand"

Aurelia shook her head, "Oh no! No, I have Elle for my best friend, and the others all seem quite nice. No, it's not that" she hesitated, "You're going to be disappointed. You might be angry with me"

"It can't be all that bad" Sonea responded gently, though she wasn't sure.

"I went to see Ambassador Dannyl last night - I, um...I kind of turned up unannounced, I mean, he didn't know why I was there, or anything"

"And why were you there?" Sonea was already confused.

"Because I'm convinced that he isn't a lad, and he doesn't believe me. So I wanted to...persuade him to believe that what I said was true"

"And how did you go about doing that?" she asked, though she was sure that she already knew.

"I slept with him" Aurelia barely raised her voice above a whisper; she could not meet Sonea's eyes.

Sonea sat very still for a few moments, frozen. Aurelia finally looked to her, tears in her eyes.

"Please don't be angry with me...I mean, it wasn't an accident, I knew what I was doing, and so did he, eventually, and I only did it because I'm sure he's not a lad and because I've really, really...fallen in love with him" she gabbled. Sonea groaned.

"Oh God, Aurelia. Not that I'm one to lecture you on age-gap relationships, but at least mine took place outside the guild. This is within these walls, you could so easily be discovered"

Aurelia snorted, "I don't think there's any worry to be had there. Afterwards...after we'd...you know...he told me to get out. He didn't want me anymore afterwards" her voice was bitter, and full of anguish, "I'm done with it now"

"It doesn't look that way. Oh, Aurelia"

"Are you angry with me?"

"I'm a little disappointed, but not angry, no. I understand why you did it, I'm just...confused"

"What about?" now Aurelia looked puzzled, and was wiping her eyes hurriedly.

"I really thought Dannyl was a lad, but if he did that with you...well, I just don't know anymore. And there's something else, too..."Sonea hesitated, reddening, "I mean, how did you know what to do? I always knew because it's the sort of thing you hear talk of in the slums. But in the houses, I didn't think people were so...open to discussion about it"

Aurelia looked away, her face turning pale, "It's a long story"

"Aurelia, we have all day. You can tell me"

Lorkin made a funny squawking noise, as if in agreement of this fact, and Sonea fixed Aurelia with her warm brown eyes. Aurelia took a deep breath.

"It's not something usually talked about in the houses" she agreed, "I don't know where to start"

"Wherever is best for you"

"Um...alright. I always think of it as beginning with my first memory of Uncle Akkarin...he came to see us one day, on a visit...I can't remember why, I think it may have been my father's birthday. I was only about three, and I idolised Uncle Akkarin from the minute I saw him. He's just so mysterious – or he seems it, when you're only three years old"

Sonea chuckled wryly, "He was mysterious however old and wise you thought you were, trust me"

Aurelia smiled feebly, "I can imagine. Anyway, I followed him around that whole day. And when he was about to leave, he crouched down to talk to me, he said it was a secret, and could I keep it. So I said yes, of course – what child doesn't think that they're the best secret keeper in the world? And then he asked me something very strange..." she paused awkwardly, "He asked me if my daddy ever came to see me when I was in bed"

Sonea's eyes widened in horror. She knew where this story was going, she'd heard of it happening before. But Aurelia didn't seem inclined to stop talking. Now that she'd started, she seemed to want to get it all out of her system. She'd obviously never told anyone before.

"I said no, because at that point in my life, he didn't. He hardly ever came near me, but then again, neither did my mother. And Uncle Akkarin said to me 'Well just be careful, sweetheart. Don't let him be mean to you when you get older'. So I promised that I wouldn't. Uncle Akkarin must have known even then what my father was like, but you can't explain something like that to a toddler. He didn't come to visit anymore after that – I suppose he thought that I was safe. And I was, for a time" another pause, "It started when I was seven years old. My father told me that it was what all fathers and daughters did, that it was a duty of mine, and that one day I'd grow to like it. I believed that lie until I was eleven years old, and my best friend told me that it wasn't normal. She never spoke to me again after that conversation"

"Aurelia, you don't have to tell me anymore" Sonea urged gently. Aurelia shook her head.

"No, I want to tell you. I trust you. It carried on until I was thirteen. I finally stood up for myself then, said that I knew it wasn't right, I didn't want to do it anymore. But my father...he told me that I had to do it, otherwise I couldn't go to the guild. And Sonea, you have to understand, the guild was always my escape. I knew that if I got here, I'd be safe. He said that I had to do everything I said otherwise I couldn't go. And I refused. So I had no escape, because although I wasn't being raped by him anymore, I still had to live in that house that suddenly seemed to small, feeling how much he hated me and wanted me at the same time. It was disgusting. I had no way out. I even tried to push to my mother the idea of me getting married, just so that I could get away, but I think she had known what was going on all those years, and she hated me too. She knew I wanted to leave, so she said no" a smile suddenly spread across Aurelia's face, "My father died last year. Someone killed him – it turned out he owed a few debts. I didn't do it, but I wish I knew who had. I'd marry them in thanks! As soon as I heard, I told my mother to apply to the guild for me. By then she just wanted me out of her sight. So she did it, and I was free. And here I am"

"Aurelia" Sonea had tears in her eyes, and she hugged the young girl fiercely, "I didn't know, I'm so sorry"

"It's alright" Aurelia's eyes were tearing up too, "But I decided that I wouldn't do it properly...you know, it...unless I fell in love. And I have. But Dannyl doesn't want me now, so it was a waste. I waited all that time, and it was a complete waste"

Sonea rose from her seat, "Will you take care of Lorkin for a minute? I need to go and speak to Dannyl. I need to tell him what he's done to you, and get him to make up his mind"

Aurelia opened her mouth to protest, but Sonea had already gone.

She marched down to Dannyl's rooms, her eyes smarting with tears over Aurelia's plight. She could tell from the girl's voice and the look in her eyes that she really loved Dannyl, and that was not a good thing.

Dannyl's door was not locked, and Sonea barged in without preamble. But there was no-one there.

When she opened the wardrobe, Dannyl's clothes were gone. He'd cut and run back to Tayend, without a word to spare for any of them, let alone poor Aurelia.

How was she going to break it to Aurelia?