Chapter 24
"Aurora?" Darin came into the tent, his gaze searching for her.
"Yes?" She answered and stopped cleaning the swords. The kind Guinevere had ordered her to clean them. She had said that to learn the art pf sword fighting one must get to know your weapon. Aurora suspected this was bullshit. Guinevere just liked to mess with her.
"What is it Darin?"
"Melin would like to speak to you." Aurora sighed and stood up.
"I have wondered when this would happen." She said and earned a smile from Darin.
"I hope you not nervous."
"No not at all." She confessed. "I have been looking forward to meeting my enemy."
At this Darin's features became dark.
"I am joking." Aurora said and rolled her eyes.
Darin snorted and lead her the way.
"It is nice to see you so protective." Aurora said and starred into Darin's back.
"Protective?" Darin responded and looked at her curious.
"Yes, back there." Aurora said and smiled. "about you father." She added.
Realization was evident in Darin's face and he smiled and looked at the ground."I see Guinevere has been unable to keep her tongue."
"You didn't want to tell me?" Aurora enquired.
Darin shook his head. "We like to keep our secrets to ourselves." He studied her for a while. "We don't like to share them with the enemy."
Aurora laughed. "Ah I see, but I am suppose to tell your father everyting?
Darin eyed her and clenched his jaw. "I suppose it is a controversy." Darin stopped in front of the cave Aurora had seen the first day of her captivity here.
Aurora smiled and closed the proximity between them now when Darin had stopped.
"Yes, I dare say it is." She looked him in the eyes, he had green eyes. He was handsome she thought. She could see in the corner of her eyes that his hand was reaching for a strand of her hair. A memory flashed through her eyes.
Lancelot and herself on the wall back home. His hand coming to catch a lose stray of her hair. Eyes met, love began to form. The pain pierced her heart and she drew back form Darin, her smile fading.
"Is this the way?" She pointed to the cave. Surprised by her reaction Darin only nodded and then left her, his demeanor a little hurt.
She looked after him and regretted the smile she had given him. Who were she trying to fool? What was she doing? She shook her head and started to find her way among the rocks in the cave. It was dark and there was almost no candles lighted.
"It takes a while before the eyes to adjust to the darkness." She heard from the darkness which surrounded her.
"Merlin?" She asked in a low voice. She didn't like to feel so unprotected and not only was the cave dark it was damp as well. The air seemed to make her skin wet and sticky.
She could see human forms before her now but she could not see the persons features. She sighed of relief when she saw Merlin. Though perhaps this was not wise of her.
"Come and sit." He pointed to a blanket beside him and she obeyed. He studied her for a while and he had a little smile on his lips.
"I can see why Darin is so smitten of you." He said after a while.
"I don't understand where you all are getting this from." She said in objection and tried to find a position which was comfortable on the stone floor.
Merlin took a pipe and inhaled several times and finally breathed out a big white cloud of smoke. "This leafs, which I am smoking now, is called Eyrum." He told her and gave the pipe to her but she respectfully declined. "My parents were farmers and we used to grow these leafs and sell them, well other crops to." He continued. Aurora wasn't certain where he was going with this but she listened attentively.
"One day we got visitors. I was perhaps 12." He stopped and looked at her. "Let me guess." Aurora began. "They were romans?" Merlin nodded. "Yes, roman soldiers who were trying to scare the people into submission." He fixed his gaze on the pipe and continued his story. "They had heard a rumor that my father was involved in a rebellion. Who told them I don't know. They-"
"Stop it!" Aurora interrupted and stood up. " Why are telling me this? I can see where you are going but I can not change the past only because I am a roman!" She exclaimed and turned her back on him.
"I don't want you to and I am not blaming you, I just want you to hear this." Aurora turned around and contemplated what to do and then she finally sat down again.
"Continue." She said and Merlin nodded.
"The roman soldiers didn't want a confession from my father, they thought they already knew everything. So they went right to the punishing. My father was executed and my mother was taken as a slave and that was to be my fate as well. However the leafs rescued me." Merlin stopped and took an unburned leaf and laid it in Aurora's hand.
"How did they save you?"
"When the soldiers were burning everything my mother decided to sacrifice her life to save mine. She diverted the soldiers by throwing stones at them." Merlin smiled at the memory. "She knew she had no chance but it gave me the possibility to run and I did. I ran towards the fields where we grew the Eyrum. I knew the paths so well that the soldiers never had a chance to caught me. It was because I knew the surroundings that I survived. Because it was my home, my country."
"I am sorry." Aurora said and put the leaf back on the floor.
"You can not be blamed for your fathers doing. Yes I know who your father was. " He said to Aurora's frightened features. "But I will not tell anyone." She nodded.
"Why did you tell me this?" She gave him a curious look.
"I wanted you to know how you can win a war you are not suppose to win." Aurora laughed. "Why do you all speak in riddles?"
Merlin sighed. "I need your help." Aurora smiled knowing this would come. "I will not tell you things about Arthur." She said honestly.
"I will promise you things in return."
"A bargain?" Aurora blurted out surprised.
Merlin nodded. Aurora raised her chin and started to bit her lip a little nervous.
"What would you offer?" She asked.
"I would promise that Arthur and his knights would not be harmed." Aurora raised her eyebrows. "You can promise that?"
"Yes, I can."
"What would you want in return?"
"I would like information when the time arrives." Aurora pursed her lips.
"So I am to answer any question at any time?"
"For the price that you friends will not be harmed."
Aurora sighed and silence filled the cave.
"You can give me no inclination of what kind of information you would like me to tell you?"
Merlin shook his head and stood up. "You are to be our translator when the time comes."
Aurora shook her head. "This would be treason. I can not betray my friends." Or my husband, Aurora thought for herself.
"If you told the truth to Guinevere the sarmation knights is not our enemies."
"She told you that?" Aurora asked in an angry tone. Merlin nodded. "She to is loyal to her friends and kin." Aurora raised her eyebrows. "So I see. Still you can not assure me that the knights will not be harmed. Are you just gone let your people be slayed in battle?" Aurora laughed a little while she talked.
"Of course we would still protect ourselves. But no fatal injury would harm the knights."
"You don't know that."
"I will demand it and they will obey." Merlin said forcefully.
Aurora shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."
"The knights only have a year left?" Melrin asked.
"Oh, Guinevere really can talk."Aurora sighed. "Yes, thay only have a year left then they are free."
"Imagine if someone would die. After fourteen years and only a year left someone would not be able to enjey their freedom."
Aurora gave him a stern look. The thought of the knights not be able to live to the end of their servitude was terrible.
"You can prevent such an outcome. If you accept."
"Will I still be free to go when spring arrives?"
"That depends."
"Depends on what?" Aurora stood up to face him.
"Of what happens."
"And what will happen?" Aurora continued to push, her eyes demanding an answer.
"War."
Aurora cursed the snow when it fell to the ground. She considered the snow to be the walls which held her imprisoned in this place. However, even if she missed the people back home she could not dislike the people who were holding her hostage. Guinevere had become a friend, an annoying friend when giving opportunity to spite her often took it, but in the nights it was Guinevere who were there to wipe her tears. Darin was kind but his growing affection for her was becoming an nuisance. She felt cruel when she often tried to flee his gaze but she would not lead him on. Not when there was a man she could not forget. She sighed at the thought of Lancelot. A part of her ached for him, dreaming of him at night only made it worse. Another part still hadn't forgiven him for what he had done. A noise brought her back from her own world. It was the blacksmith who were making new swords. The rain was pouring down and Aurora was safe and dry inside the tent. Finally she got use to the sound and returned to her thoughts. Yes, a part of her longed for Lancelot, another doubted if she could forgive her but there was another part as well. There was a part of her which thought she would never return to Camelot. A part which contemplated if it would not be better, for her and for Lancelot, if she never returned.
"Are you sitting here again grovelling?" Guinevere came into the tent completely trenched. Her long brown her seemed to reach the ground now when the water made it heavy.
Aurora didn't have the time to respond because Guinevere continued. "You know, what you are doing are not healthy. Sitting here. I can see the energy drain from you." She stopped and Aurora noticed genuine concern in her eyes.
Aurora gave her weak smile. "I am fine, I just miss home."
Guinevere walked and sat beside her. "You can return home. We will not harm you." Guinevere added with a smile. Aurora nodded a little and put her hand on Guinevere's. "Oh Guinevere. That is just it. I don't know if I can return, if I want to."
Guinevere frowned her eyebrows. "What?"
"It is to mush that have happened. I don't know if I have anything to return to." Aurora tried to explain.
"But I hear you." Guinevere stated. "I hear when we go to bed. I hear you cry."
"I miss people but this does not necessarily mean I can return."
Guinevere shook her head and laughed. "I have thought many things of you Aurora but I didn't take you to be a fool."
"Pardon?" Aurora asked offensive.
"You clearly love the people you left and if I am to trust my woman intuition, I think you have someone special back home. Someone who has captured you heart."
Aurora smiled. "What made you think that?"
Guinevere sighed and moved some stuff before she answered. "Darin is quite taken of you but I have seen your reaction to this. You are not even a little interested."
Aurora nodded. "You are perceptive."
"You need to be if you want to survive out here." Guinevere snorted.
"Yes I suppose." Aurora said and fixed her gaze in the floor.
"Look. There you disappear again." Guinevere gestured at Aurora making her laugh.
"I guess I can't help it."
Guinevere shook her head and smiled a little. She suddenly stopped what she was doing and looked at Aurora.
"Who is he?" She asked making Aurora snap her attention towards her.
"Who is?" She asked frowning her eyebrows questioning.
"The man you left behind."
Aurora smiled a bitter smile.
"Tell me." Guinevere asked gently.
Aurora looked at her hesitantly. She had been here for nearly two months but was she ready to put herself out there? But Guinevere's kind eyes was hard to resist and Aurora longed to have someone to talk to.
"I am married." She said slowly awaiting Guinevere's reaction. Guinevere raised her highbrows and took a large breath.
"Wow," She said with a smile on her lips and sat down. "And you claim you have nothing to return to."
"Well." Aurora made a grimace. "It is complicated."
"Am I the only one who knows?"
Aurora shook her head. "Darin knows. I slipped my tongue." Aurora added with a low voice.
"And he still pursuits you?" Guinevere seemed shocked.
"I don't think he cares about my husband." Aurora began. "I happened to tell him some things." She confessed.
"Like what?" Guinevere enquired. "Tell me everything Aurora."
"Well, I ran away because of my husband." Guinevere's features became dark. "He didn't hit you?"
Aurora shook her head. She paced herself. Aurora knew what she had to tell Guinevere but it would not be easy. The pain was still heartbreaking.
"I" She started but stopped. "We, my husband and I, we had a child." She took a large breath. "Or we were suppose to but-" Another breath. "But I was in an accident and the child died."
"Oh Aurora. I am so sorry." Guinevere said and grabbed Aurora's hand.
"Yes, well after that things was complicated and I wasn't myself so my husband found his needs satisfied elsewhere." Aurora clenched her jaw.
Guinevere snorted. "Typical men."
"Perhaps but it wasn't just his fault."
"Of course it was. He was unfaithful."
"Yes, but only after I had said that I hated him." Aurora said and stood up. "You see I have been so stupid." Aurora exclaimed pacing around the tent. "I have put all the blame on him when I was the one who ended the relationship first!"
"But that doesn't excuse his behavior. If he loved you he wouldn't have.." Guinevere gestured with her face. "You know."
"Yes, I do know. Like I said, things are complicated."
"Perhaps." Guinevere said and stood up as well and walked so she stood right in front of Aurora. "But after what you have told me it is quite obvious that you have something to come home to." Guinevere put a hand on Aurora's shoulder.
"You do still love don't you?"
Aurora tore her eyes from the wall and looked into Guinevere's dark eyes and nodded.
"I think I will never be able to stop loving him."
Guinevere smiled. "Then when spring comes you will return."