UPDATE!
Here is chapter 16, hehe.
Chapter 16
The days went by, soon the days became weeks and before Aurora knew it, a month had gone by and then another. Aurora had occupied herself with chores, she had helped Vanora, however not to watch the children. She had helped at the bar in the days, watched over the domestic problems that occurred at the castle. Much to the servants dismay, who were used to have the control. She liked being occupied but she noticed that she was becoming more tired for every day that went by. If this was because of the pregnancy or her longing for Lancelot, she did not know. Perhaps a bit of both.
The knights had been away for two months know. She smiled, Lancelot would be surprised to see how much she had grown. She was three and a half months along but her belly had grown quite a bit.
She was picking flowers with number five,on the fields outside the village. Or actually they were picking colored leafs, red, yellow and brown, because all the flowers were dead now in the end of October. However, five insisted that they were flowers.
"How can they be so pretty and not be flowers?" she wondered. So Aurora agreed with her and therefore they were picking flowers in October.
"I can see you miss him" five said suddenly, catching Aurora of guard. She looked at the little child and smiled.
"You are very perceptive" she answered.
Five frowned and looked confused.
"Percptive" she tried. "Perceptive, what is that?"
Aurora went on picking leafs. "It means you can tell things, notice things, peoples emotions without them telling it to you."
"Like when mama is angry at papa and she throws something at him?" five wondered with a smile.
Aurora laughed. "Yes, something like that." Five nodded.
Suddenly Aurora felt a kick in her stomach which made her drop her balance.
"What is is?" five wondered, looking at a rather dumbfounded Aurora, sitting on the ground.
"Oh, I just" There it was again. A kick, Aurora smiled and put her hand on her stomach. Her child's first kick, god how emotional she felt right now.
"Why are you crying?" five wondered, "Are you alright?"
Aurora nodded. "Yes, yes I am fine" she said and stood up and dried her tears. "We should return to the village."
"But I don't want to!"
"Come on now, you mother is waiting for you" Aurora insisted.
Five pouted and took Aurora's hand.
When they arrived at the fort, Aurora followed five home and spoke some words with Vanora. She then returned to the castle. The air was chilly on this afternoon, the fall was colder then usual.
When she arrived at the main door at the castle she heard some commotion, put she didn't have the energy to care. She walked up the steps on the big stone staircase, that lead to the big door, or gate perhaps you should call it, to enter the castle. She remembered when she had been drunk and Lancelot had walked her home, it was around a year ago. She was almost ashamed when she thought about the things she had said that night, but never mind. She had won him over after all.
At the top of the stairs were a plateau, which was the final step on the staircase. This was where the commotion were coming from. Three guards were arguing about a man, which one of the guards were holding. It appeared to be a thief, caught in the kitchen, probably trying to steal food she thought, poor man.
"What is going on?" She asked and the four men looked at her. Because she was roman she had allot of respect, due to that most guards were roman. But she was also Lancelot's wife and Arthur's friend, so this had a rather large impact to.
"My lady" the guards said and bowed. She returned the favour.
"Tell me, what is happening here?"
"Well, my lady, this thief was caught trying to steal food and we are not quite sure what to do, we have different opinions." he answered. Glancing a look at his fellows.
"What is your opinion?" she wondered, directing the question to the guard who had spoken.
"I believe he should sit in jail until Lord Arthur returns and so does Mikael" he pointed at another guard.
"And what do you think?" Aurora asked the third guard.
"I think we should just cut off his hands, which is the punishment for stealing." At this the thief's face became pale as the moon and Aurora, who was in a fragile emotional state, was appalled.
But she did not have the energy right now to scream.
"Just, put him in jail, until Arthur returns. At least he will have food there." she said and started to go inside.
"No!" the thief screamed and tried to fight his way out of the firm grip the guards had on him.
"Calm down!" Aurora said loud, "No harm will come to you" she said trying to reassure him, but in vain. The thief had now gotten a hold of a knife and guards had to draw theirs swords.
"For heavens sake!" She screamed at the men. "Can you never be more civilized?"
She started to walk between the men, to try and stop them.
"This is to no use, someone will be hurt!" She said and looked at the guards and the thief who seemed to listen, because he dropped the knife and nodded.
"Sorry mam," She only nodded and turned her back to him."You three" she pointed at guards. "Drop you swords!" They obeyed.
But just when Aurora thought she had diverted so that nothing bad would happen, the thief tried to escape and the guards rushed forward to try and stop him. The only problem was, which none of the guards seem to think about, was that Aurora was standing right between the thief and the guards. When all three of them rushed forward they accidentally ran into Aurora, who lost her balance.
"Oh no" she said, right before the guards ran towards her. She fell backwards and landed on the stairs, and continued to fall down the staircase until she eventually landed on the ground.
She was not unconscious and several people ran to her side, Vanora had showed up to, and had seen what had happened.
"Are you alright?"
Aurora nodded. "Yes, I believe so" she said and sat up.
"Come," Vanora said and gently helped Aurora to stand up. "We should get you to the healer." Aurora only nodded.
She had just stood up when she felt first strike of pain. The pain was everywhere and she could not hold back the screams.
"What is happening?" Another guard asked, who were holding Aurora by her arm. Aurora tuned to look at Vanora although she were in pain.
Tears begun to fall down her face.
"No, no!" she said to Vanora who could only look at her with empathy.
"Don't give up yet" Vanora whispered to her. "We must hurry" she said to the guard.
Another strike of pain came through her body. This can not be happening Aurora told herself. This is just a dream, I lying in bed, I am sleeping, it is just a dream.
Then the pain was overwhelming, and all went black.
"She lost the child, there was nothing I could do". The healer said.
"But how, I have fallen while being pregnant, and I have not lost the child I was carrying." Vanora's tone was desperate.
"The way the lady fell was very unfortunate. I heard she rolled down the stairs, and if this is true, it explains why she lost the child. The stomach suffered many blows and sometimes the child survives and sometimes it does not."
"She will be devastated." Vanora muttered.
"Yes, but this is not her fault. The power of life and death, can only be govern by God."
"She will blame herself."
Vanora watched the sleeping Aurora. The healer became silent for a while and studied his patient too, and then he focused his attention to Vanora once again.
"I understand the father is sarmatian?" he asked a little hesitant.
"Yes, Sir Lancelot. Does this matter?" Vanora asked annoyed not taking her eyes of Aurora.
"No, I just thought that the guards who pushed the lady, not should reveal who they are. The knights are known to be unpredictable."
"I can assure you." Vanora said and turned her face so she could look at the healer. "That this is no ones fault and the knights will know so. It was tragic accident." She continued.
"Yes, It certainly was." The healer agreed.
Aurora rolled her head away from the conversation. The soft worlds of Vanora and the healer was not what she wanted to hear at the moment.
How could she ha lost the child. Tears formed in her eyes. This is her fault, she had promised Lancelot to protect their child and she ha failed him. She had failed them both.
"Honey, are you awake?" Vanora asked.
Aurora turned to look at her, her eyes red, her face pale.
"I am truly sorry, if I could do anything to help you."
"You can't." Aurora said rather bluntly and harsh.
Vanora nodded.
"Do you want to be alone?"
"No! Stay!" Aurora could not bare to listen to the silence.
"I was meaning to tell you" Aurora started. "Today when I and number five was picking leafs, I felt him kick. I was so chocked by my own feelings. I loved this child so much!"
Her voice cracked but she could not cry. There were no tears left.
"Shh, I know darling, I know" Vanora said comforting.
"The worst of it all is that it is ALL my fault. I shouldn't have gone to stand between them. I shouldn't have done that. I killed my child. I killed Lancelot's child!" She was becoming hysteric by now. The sorrow so evident in her face, Vanora's face was wet with tears.
"This is not your fault, Aurora. It isn't"
Aurora nodded. "Yes it is, and there is more. When I watched you children I was afraid."
"We all are afraid in the beginning."
"Yes, but when I got home, I said, that I wished I never had children and I was already pregnant! I killed my child because I didn't want it!"
"No you didn't"
"Yes I did, I am a murderer."
"No, darling don't blame yourself, this was an accident." Vanora tried in vain to cool Aurora down but in vain. Aurora was just getting more and more hysteric by the minute.
"No, it wasn't. I broke my promise, and I do not deserve to be forgiven."
Vanora looked at her, with sadness in her eyes. Aurora could not longer face the sympathy in Vanora's eyes, so she looked away.
"I must go, the chil.." Vanora stopped, and looked nervously at Aurora.
Aurora looked at her. "It is alright Vanora. Go home to your children, I need some time anyway to think"
Vanora nodded and leaned to kiss Aurora's forehead.
"Take care."
Aurora nodded and watched Vanora leave.
She sighed, I wished this was a dream. And that I will wake up from this nightmare, she said to herself.
The healer came in and gave her something to drink. To help her sleep and she gladly accepted, all she wanted was to escape from this grief.
She watched the sun set, "The light washed away from my body, consumed by darkness, in darkness I shall live"she whispered.
And alone in darkness she fell asleep.