Enjoy!
Chapter 7
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"Wake up! Wake up!" Aurora heard someone scream at her. What? She thought, she just wanted to continue to sleep.
"Were you drunk last night?" She heard again. "It smells like a brewery in here".
I wish I never have to wake up, Aurora thought. She moaned when the pain in her head reached her conscience.
"I hope you weren't drinking to drown your sorrows." What is that? Who is that? she thought. Suddenly Aurora was wide awake when she felt cold water be thrown in her face.
"What are you doing?" She opened her eyes and sat up and saw her sister with a bucket in her hands, smiling.
"What sister, you need to be awake." Sarah said shrugging her shoulders.
"You could have been more gentle about it."
"If you drink you can blame no one but yourself." Sarah responded with a harsh tone.
Aurora stood up from her bed, taking a towel to dry her face and some of her hair.
"You don't have to waste time drying yourself. I have had a bath drawn up for you." Sarah said watching Aurora sit down on her bed again.
"Thank you." Aurora said with sweet smile on her face.
"Well it wasn't only for you, like I said before; You smell like a brewery." Sarah said walking to the window.
Aurora grimaced when the curtains were drawn from the window. But it wasn't that light outside.
"Oh, Sarah, why did you wake me? It is not even dawn, I could have slept longer."
Sarah stopped what she was doing." Actually you can't because today is our fathers funeral."
Aurora once again grimaced. What was it about her forgetting it all the time. Her father was dead and what did she do? She forget it and drank ale with the knights. Thank god we are not in Rome, she thought.
She wasn't up for a funeral today. Not when she was feeling like this. Why did she have to drink so much last night. It is just typical.
In Rome it would have been at least a week before her father would have been buried but here you did it as fast as possible. It didn't bother Aurora though. She wanted closure and a funeral gave just that, she just wasn't prepared to feel like someone had hit her head with hammer.
"I am going out for a walk." Sarah said bringing Aurora back to the present. " But the water is hot so try to hurry to bath before it gets cold."
Aurora looked at her sister, all grown up. It wasn't suppose to be like this, it should be the other way around. She was the eldest, she should look after her sister.
"Thank you." she said earning a nod from Sarah before she went out the door.
Aurora stood up and walked to the bathroom. She took off her cloths and gently lowered her body into the tub. "This was nice." she said to herself.
It went almost an half an hour before Aurora moved a muzzle. She just laid in the hot water and thought about everything that had happened this last year.
It is weird, she thought. These last days more things have happened then in the whole year she had been here.
She thought about her sisters marriage and the life she was beginning. Then she thought about her father and mother and at last about the tavern last night.
Suddenly she took her hands and covered her face.
O no, she thought, last night. She hadn't thought about what had happened at all until now. The drinking and then the walk and conversation with Lancelot.
She remembered that she had mentioned rather intimate things about herself. That she could think of sharing Lancelot's bed and of course that she didn't "lack the experience".
She laughed, at least he had been surprised at this.
A maid came in and helped her wash her hair, dry herself and to help her with her cloths.
"What dress do you want?" the maid asked.
Aurora looked at the dresses her sister had chosen for her.
One dress was black but she didn't like the cutting, then there was a blue one but she thought perhaps that it would be inappropriate, she finally chose a darkred dress.
The dress was made of a soft cotton fabric. It was draped like typical roman style and the arms only rested on her shoulder, they did not contribute to that the dress stayed up. Under her chest was a golden belt which long endings hang all the way down to the floor.
She actually wore boots under this, the British weather didn't not seem appropriate for sandals. She had gold earrings and her the front of her hair was tied back with hairpins while the hair in the back hang loose down her back.
"Do I look okay?" She asked the maid while spinning.
"Yes my lady" The maid said, while she curtsied and started to walk out the door, pumping into Sarah, who were coming back from her walk.
Her sister then bowed her head to the maid respectfully and stopped when she saw Aurora.
The simply stood there watching each other for a little while, preparing for what was to come.
"It is time sister" Sarah finally said.
"Yes" Aurora answered. She took her cloak incase it was cold and held her hand out to her sister.
"Ready?" She asked.
Sarah only nodded and took her hand.
Aurora didn't cry during the funeral. She held her sisters hand tight and spoke soft words when her sisters eyes was filled with tears.
Her sister had told her she didn't cared about their father being burned anymore but Aurora thought she didn't understand why Aurora had chosen it.
The priest had spoken words which Aurora hadn't listen to and Arthur too had said something. Arthur had hold the torch which would light the fire, he had walked up to Aurora asking if she wanted to light it. She had accepted. Soon there was nothing left but ash and the people who had been there, it had mostly been her, her sister, Arthur and the knights and some other people, started to leave.
Soon she was the only one left, her sister had left with Arthur.
She didn't know why she couldn't leave, but she wanted to say good bye and show her respects.
"Are you alright?" she heard a voice ask her and she turned to see who it was.
"I think so, I just..I just can't leave yet."
Lancelot walked up to stand beside her.
"You didn't cry during the funeral" He said looking at the ash before them.
"No" Aurora simply answered.
Lancelot turned to look at her.
"Did you love him?" he wondered.
Aurora was a little taken aback at his question but answered truthfully after contemplating for a little while.
"I respected him." She answered, "We had very different believes and thoughts, but he was my father, he was blood."
Lancelot was a relived when he heard that they had differences when it came to believes. He confess, he didn't want her to be anything like her father.
"He was a good soldier." Lancelot said trying to find something he could say to honor him.
"Yes, but nothing like you." Aurora said looking at Lancelot. "I doubt he was as brave as you."
Lancelot turned to look at her finding that she already were watching him.
"Why did you leave Rome?" He asked wanting an answer for what he had heard before.
She looked at him puzzled. "Well my father was sent.."
"No, not that" Lancelot said holding up his hands to stop her. " I meant, why don't you want to go back to Rome, why stay here?".
"Oh, I don't know" She said turning to watch the ashes.
Lancelot looked at her features. He wondered what she was thinking of, what her reason was. He watched her appearance. She wore a beautiful dress, she was beautiful, magnetic in a way.
"I heard you before" he said. Her head snapped up.
"When?" she wondered,
"When we were talking about the burial arrangements, you said Rome wasn't you home anymore, that you didn't fit in" he said watching her, then he added" then you said you never had fitted in".
She looked at him realization dawning on her face.
"You heard that" she said with a soft smile.
"Yes, I did"
She sighed and turned her body against his and looked at her feet.
"Well, I guess I never have felt at home in Rome. It is so stiff and boring and yes my family has the money but I have never felt the taste of freedom" she said passionately.
"Freedom" he said, tasting the word." Neither have I".
She looked up at him and her hand raised to rest on his jaw.
"I guess I must sound like a spoiled girl" she said. Lancelot raised his hand and put it on hers, which was still resting on his cheek.
"No" he said " you don't".
She smiled and he returned it.
"But is it not more to it?" he enquired.
"Yes, I have always wanted adventure and to feel alive and I never got the chance in Rome and now when my father is dead there I nothing that bounds me to Rome."
"Nothing?" He said, " No relatives, no betrothed?" He said looking at her.
"No, all my relatives are dead or they simply don't care and I am not betrothed to anyone."
She smiled , she liked that he was interested in if she had someone special in her life.
"I want to live my life Lancelot, not fade away slowly which I would have done in Rome, of being bored perhaps " she added with a laugh. But then she became serious.
"Look I will tell you the whole truth Lancelot and I have not mentioned this to Arthur" she said while Lancelot gave her a perplexed look but nodded.
"Rome is corrupt and I don't feel safe there anymore."
Lancelot took her hands in his to give her comfort. Aurora appreciated this.
"It feels like anyone can be judged as a heretic and burned. There is no longer a fair trial but merely the word of the emperor and the pope."
She took a breath and continued.
" I was born a Christian but I don't agree with what the religion is doing to the people. Especially women. It felt like I was living in a cage and when we moved here it felt like I could breath again".
She looked at Lancelot who had closed the proximity between them and now they were so close that she could feel his heartbeats.
"I know what you mean" he said, " But I promise you, you are safe here".
She smiled and looked up into his eyes. He was so handsome. Her heart were racing and she was sure he could feel it.
The distance between them didn't exist anymore and when their lips met she stopped breathing.
She felt so safe and calmed, his lips were soothing and helped her forget all her troubles. Her hands went around his neck and her fingers gripped his hair.
Suddenly she broke away from the kiss, catching her breath and so did Lancelot.
" I...I got to get back" She stuttered looking at him. She started to walk away when she felt a firm grip on her arm.
"Don't go away from me" She heard Lancelot say, and she turned.
He looked at her so intensely she had to look down at her feet or she would not be able to deny
him; anything.
"Why did you stop?" He wondered.
She looked at him. He was breathing heavily.
" I can't do this Lancelot" She said. " I am not ready".
She started to walk back at the town once more but Lancelot wouldn't let her.
" I thought you had a lot of experience" He said, she turned to see a smirk on his face and a charming glint in his eyes.
She sighed.
"A kiss can not be so new for you" He said walking up to her.
She looked away and started walking again but stopped and turned to him once more.
"I didn't shield away because I lack the experience" she said. " it is because I am protective of my heart", and with that she headed to the town once more and once more she left a puzzled Lancelot staring at her back.
Well, I hope you liked it, and stay tuned! :)