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Ready for chapter five? Here it comes!
Chapter 5
...~*~...
The tavern was busy this night and Aurora was surprised that so many people could fit in this small area. It seemed as if all the people in the town were here, that might explain why the town had been so deserted, Aurora thought. She wondered if it was like this all nights or if it was just today, because she wouldn't know, she had never been there before.
She hesitated a little, what were she thinking? What would she do there? She would probably be punched for being a roman, but she wanted to challenge herself. So before she changed her mind, she walked into the tavern.
She diverted from men who were rumbling around and girls who were serving ale. There were a fire where a big pig was being roasted and everywhere people were laughing and in some cases fighting.
She managed to get to the bar without being punched or pulled down in someone's lap, while she tried to find someone she knew but there were so many different people. Then suddenly Aurora felt someone who tugged at her dress and found a child looking at her.
"Hello" Aurora said, smiling.
"Hello" the child responded.
"Are you looking for someone?" She looked away from the child and into the eyes of a woman.
"Gilly, there you are!" she exclaimed, gesturing to the child to get behind the bar.
"Is he yours?" Aurora wondered.
"Yes" The other woman eyed her suspiciously before returning to cleaning mugs.
"He is, on of ten" she added.
"Ten!" Aurora responded.
" Yes" the other woman smiled, "My lover can't keep his hands of me". The woman looked at Aurora for a moment, as if she was waiting for a certain response. She didn't seem to get what she had expected though cause she gave Aurora a surprised look.
"Are you looking for a job?" She wondered.
"A job?" Aurora wasn't prepared for this. She couldn't work at a bar, her father would never allow her..her father. He wasn't here anymore. He was dead. But anyway, Aurora shook her head, she could not work at the bar.
" Are you?" The woman asked again.
"No" Aurora finally said, "Not right now." she added with a smile.
"Hmm, pity. You seemed nice and there is a place open."
"Thank you, but I just came for a drink" Aurora smiled.
"Fine, I think I can solve that problem" the woman said giving her a glass. " Win or ale?".
"I think ale". The woman nodded and pour ale into her glass.
Aurora tasted the new liquid, she had never tasted it before. It wasn't custom for women in Rome to drink this. Actually, she thought, it wasn't custom for anyone.
She sat there by the bar zipping at the ale. In Rome her presence here would be inappropriate. Her rank and her sex made this unwelcome behavior, not to mentioned she was suppose to be locked away mourning her father. Here however no one cared, it was so liberating, she could actually live!
When she sat there contemplating her new life she heard screams and whistles. She looked at the main door, if you could call it that and saw the sarmation knights.
A weird sensations went through her body. The knights were clearly feared and popular because everyone looked at them. Some men had respectful looks, others seem to either hate or idealize them . The women, yes they seemed like they all had seen something they wanted or perhaps already had had and went to attack.
The knights were really heroes in a sort of way. They went to a table which was empty. Aurora wasn't surprised. They seemed to be regular customers and it was only obvious that they would have their own table. It wasn't like anyone would like to be in their way.
" Look at them, showing off". Aurora turned her gaze to the woman again, who were gesturing at the knights.
" Yes, they seem to feel at home here" Aurora said.
" At home" The woman laughed. " Yes I would imagine they did. They spend every night in this tavern" she said laughing. " Anyway, my name is Vanora".
"I am Aurora, pleasure meeting you".
" Likewise" Vanora responded. " Is this you first day at the fort?" Vanora asked.
Aurora was about to answer when another person cut in.
" No, she has been here for quite a while" It was Bors coming to great his lover and while doing so whispering something in Vanora's ear.
" Oh my" she said. " I am sorry Aurora, I didn't recognize you" she looked at her with honest eyes.
" I just never meet you in person, but of course I know who you are, and if a am to be frankly, I didn't expect you to be here!"
" It's okey" Aurora smiled. " And if I am to be frankly, you are not the only one who thought that", Aurora said gesturing at herself.
"Well, it is nice having you here" Bors cut in smiling. " Vanora darling, bring us some ale will you?" he said before walking back to the table.
Aurora followed him with her eyes and when he finally sat down her gaze met the gaze of one special knight, Lancelot.
He had already a girl in his lap and a mug of ale in his hand. He looked straight at her a little puzzled before showing signs of fury.
He stood up, knocking the girl of his lap. She didn't care much but continued to Galahad who gladly wanted her attention.
Lancelot walked then straight at her.
" What are you doing here?" he said a little angry.
" What?" Aurora asked puzzled.
" You shouldn't be here. It isn't.." he stopped when he saw her angry appearance, but then continued. "..the right place for you, for someone like you" he added.
"For someone like me? What! A roman?" Aurora said upset looking away from him, staring out at the tavern.
Lancelot was surprised by her mentioning of roman but ignored it for now.
" No, for someone.." What was the world he was looking for? "..virtuous like you".
She snapped her head back to look at him. Aurora didn't know what to say, so she began to laugh instead.
" Virtuous?, you got to be kidding with me..Sir knight".
" No, My lady" he said to counter her ceremonial and stiff attitude. "This is a place for people, who.."
"Who what?" Aurora wondered.
"Who doesn't have your high status" he said content with himself for solving the problem. At the same time Arthur walked in.
" Oh, do you say" Aurora answered with a raised eyebrow. " Then I guess Arthur shouldn't be here either" she said gesturing at him.
Lancelot looked rather annoyed by his friend's bad timing and was to distracted to have an reply.
" I think I can manage" Aurora finally said.
Lancelot admitted he had lost this battle and simply shrugged his shoulders when she went to great Arthur.
" Is she giving you an handful?" said a voice behind him. Vanora smiled " It would be a first time".
" Not the first" he said looking at her. Vanora seemed rather proud by this and returned to serving ale.
Lancelot looked at his mug. He knew he shouldn't have treated Aurora like this but it felt wrong that she would be here, at a bar, drinking with loud men around her. He sighed, why did he bother anyway. It was her life, she had the right to live it.
" You better watch over her, because your fellow knights just invited her to join them" Vanora said breaking Lancelot's trance.
" What?"
Vanora gestured to the knights table where Aurora had seated herself between Gawain and Percival.
Fools, he thought. They should know better. Aurora seemed to like this however cause she laughed like he never had heard before and she had already drunk two mugs with ale or wine. Which Lancelot did not know.
"I just hope she knows what she is doing." he said to himself drinking the last of his ale, before ordering a new one and returning to the knights table.
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