A/N: I AM SO SORRY! I do have a very valid excuse, if you would wish to hear it, but you probably won't – it's not that interesting. Um, anyway, sorry! Thank you so much for all the reviews, I LOVE you all for writing them, please write more! Though I miss you, Azlira, we need to discuss Les Mis! Please review, thank you for reading, hope you enjoy it.
"Aurelia! Aurelia!" Dorrien was hammering on Aurelia's bedroom door, waking her from a fitful sleep. Was she late for lessons? No, no, she had an hour left yet. So what did Dorrien want?
She washed quickly and pulled on her robes, tidied her hair, ignored the slight bulge of her belly that marred a figure that had always been impeccable. She wanted the baby, she wanted Dannyl – she didn't want to lose her figure, vain as it sounds.
"What is it, Dorrien?" she slipped out of the room and smiled pleasantly at Dorrien, hiding the mild annoyance that she felt at being woken up from a ridiculously difficult night's sleep. His face lit up when he saw her.
"It's bad news" said Rothen, stepping in as he noticed that his son was now incapable of speech. Aurelia's face fell. She noted that Sonea, too, looked worried, and was cuddling Lorkin tightly, though he squirmed.
"Has something happened to Dannyl?" Aurelia asked, her voice shaking, "Has he been hurt?"
Dorrien scowled and muttered, softly but sourly, "Dannyl, always Dannyl!"
"No, no, it's not Dannyl" Rothen hesitated, "The Higher Magicians have found out about your pregnancy"
Aurelia froze. For a few moments she could not speak, think, move...she swayed, and Dorrien gripped her arm tightly. She composed herself and extracted her arm from his grasp.
"Ok. What happens now? Are they...are they going to get rid of me? Because I can't go home. You know that. I can't" tears welled up in her eyes, "My mother...she hates me. She won't...she... I can't, Rothen"
She was looking at her mentor, her father figure, with such pitiable eyes that Rothen felt on the verge of tears himself.
"We know that, of course we do. And I'm sure they won't send you away. They've written to Dannyl, organised a hearing. It's this week"
"You mean...like a trial?" Aurelia hovered, eyes big and brown and uncertain. Dorrien put his arm around her, and although she thought that she should, she didn't shrug it away. She hoped it wouldn't encourage him.
"Yes, exactly like a trial. Like Akkarin and I had for practising Black magic – except you won't be exiled, of course" Sonea added hastily. Aurelia looked at them all – her mentors and friends, her little cousin...the man who now claimed to be in love with her. She trusted them above anyone, and if they said it would be fine, it would be fine.
"Ok" she repeated, then squared her shoulders and looked bravely between them, "Let's make a plan. And we need to hope Dannyl gets back soon – he needs to be in on it"
"You have lessons, Aurelia" Sonea cautioned. Aurelia laughed bitterly and shrugged her bony shoulders.
"You think they'll care if I turn up or not? They won't be expecting it, not after this"
"Did you tell them, Tayend? Did you tell them about me and Aurelia and the...baby?" Dannyl was looking accusingly at his...well, he didn't know what to call him anymore. Their relationship was stuck in limbo, Tayend determined not to forgive him, Dannyl desperate to be forgiven. Sometimes Dannyl would say or do something that would make Tayend laugh or smile, and he would quickly wipe it away and once again be scowling at Dannyl, desperate not to relent. And this was the last straw in a fortnight that had already been strained and difficult and tasting of desperation.
"No, I did not" Tayend replied indignantly, but he did not look Dannyl in the eye. Dannyl sighed. He was angry, and scared, and worried about the outcome of the hearing, but all the same he couldn't blame Tayend for blabbing. All the same, Tayend had been wronged in the worst possible way, and he was entitled to some revenge. Aurelia and the others wouldn't see it that way, of course, but he understood.
The letter trembled in his hands. He looked at Tayend.
"I'm going to have to leave. Today. To prepare" he hesitated, "Will you miss me?"
There was a very long pause. Tayend sipped his wine, "I might. Maybe when you get back, things can go back to normal. Maybe"
This hope was more than Dannyl had expected, and part of him wanted to leap up and down with joy. Instead he leaned down and, very tenderly, kissed Tayend's cheek. Both of them hovered in this position for a moment, unsure...and then Dannyl, sensing that now was not the time, went away to pack.
The day of the hearing came around quicker than any of them had anticipated. Aurelia had missed lessons for a week to prepare herself, and Elle was falling behind too, having spent a lot of time after lessons to help out rather than studying. Rothen's marking for his Alchemy lessons lay untouched on his desk, piles of scribbled Alchemy essays whose ramblings he was just not in the mood for. Lorkin had sensed the tense and hectic atmosphere and it had upset him – he wailed almost constantly, leaving Sonea run ragged and exhausted. Dorrien was working tirelessly, thinking that maybe if he helped her enough, Aurelia would wake up on the morning of the hearing and think, 'Hm, maybe I do love him after all'.
Of course, this hope was dashed when he noticed how her face shone with delight on Dannyl's arrival. Although they had agreed to be friends, and were now getting on fairly well (though the hearing was putting considerable strain on this new relationship) it was clear that Aurelia wanted more, and always would want more. And she would not want Dorrien.
But now the hearing was here. They had all offered to speak – himself, Sonea and Rothen, and of course Dannyl and Aurelia had to speak. Elle had offered, but when Aurelia had asked her what she might say, she had looked so blank that they'd judged it best to leave it be.
Aurelia was pale and weak, suffering frequent dizzy spells that Dorrien frequently rescued her from. She was called up first, and the Higher Magicians sat to judge her and Dannyl. Although the affair had become guild scandal, only Balkan, Vinara, Sarrin and Osen were to preside, and she was thankful.
"Novice Aurelia, please step forward"
Rothen, Sonea and Dorrien looked encouragingly at her. Dannyl smiled feebly, wringing his hands in anticipation.
Aurelia took a seat on a chair that had been set up for her. Osen was questioning her. Sonea had told her that he was a good man, a kind man, but she could see none of that in the solemn set of his face. She shivered and put her hand on her stomach.
"You are here today because you have behaved in the most inappropriate way. You have indulged in a liaison with a Guild Ambassador that has resulted in your pregnancy. Is this correct?"
"Yes" her voice sounded thin and reedy in the ridiculously large room. She felt like a child. She remembered how weak she had been when her father had been cruel and stern like this as a child, and tried to fight against the weakling she had once been. It wasn't working.
"You understand that what you have done was wrong?"
"Oh, yes, of course" Aurelia said quickly.
"Would you please explain to us what happened between yourself and Ambassador Dannyl, Novice Aurelia? In full detail, from the beginning"
So Aurelia told her story, as they had rehearsed. She told the full truth. She took blame where the blame was hers; she confessed to all that she had done of her own devices, and she blamed Dannyl only for that last time they had slept together. She answered that yes, she did indeed want to keep her baby, despite what consequences this could have on her career as a novice. Lady Vinara's eyebrows rose at this.
Then it was Dannyl's turn. He, too, answered completely truthfully, and once even smiled slightly when describing Aurelia's fierce determination to be loved by him. Despite the situation that they were in, he had never stopped admiring her drive.
"And do you accept the blame for the most recent...incident, between the two of you, the night that you discovered Aurelia was carrying your child?" Osen asked sceptically.
"Yes" said Dannyl firmly, "Yes, I do"
They had kept from speaking of Tayend, conveniently forgetting the mention that he had arrived and been broken hearted. It wouldn't help his case if the Higher Magicians received concrete proof that Dannyl was a lad.
Rothen spoke next. He talked about how he had practically raised Dannyl, and had grown to feel a fatherly affection for Aurelia. He said that Dannyl was a good Ambassador, Aurelia a good student, and above all, both of them were good people. They had fallen into mistakes as many others of the guild had, but both of them regretted these mistakes deeply.
Sonea spoke less kindly. She was fiercely defensive, as if daring the Higher Magicians to contradict her. She cared for Aurelia very much, and Dannyl was a good friend, and she would not see them exiled as she had been. They had already ruined one member of family Devlon's life...they had taken away Lorkin's father. It was their fault, partly, that he was dead. Could they do that again, could they truly bring themselves to ruin Akkarin's niece, who was a good, kind girl who had been through so much? This, as the group had planned, prompted the judges to ask what Sonea meant. And so Sonea told them about Aurelia's horrific, troubled, torturous childhood and at one point Vinara's eyes were wet.
And then came Dorrien. He spoke about what he knew of the matter, and most of all, he spoke about Aurelia. He didn't care what happened to Dannyl, part of him hated Dannyl now, but he cared deeply what happened to Aurelia. This mess wasn't going to ruin Aurelia's life. Not if he had a part in it.
They were allowed to take a break while the Higher Magicians passed their verdict. As soon as they were out of the room, they began to discuss how they thought it had gone. Aurelia sidled away from Rothen, Sonea and Dannyl, who were discussing Sonea's speech, and over to Dorrien, who was standing alone, looking thoughtful.
"Thanks, Dorrien" she said, smiling, "You haven't known me long, and yet you defended me so strongly! You're such a good friend!" she squeezed him in a fond, childish and above all, friendly hug.
"It's ok" said Dorrien heavily, knowing that she didn't yet realise why he'd done it, "I'd do anything for you"
She beamed, and returned the group. He followed, scowling.
"Novice Aurelia, Black Magician Sonea, Ambassador Dannyl, Lord Rothen, Lord Dorrien. Please come inside. We have decided on what must be done"
Aurelia took a deep breath, and grabbed Dorrien's hand.