They finally let the lanterns go, and they all stood there."Shall we all go drink?" Caspian asked.Everyone nodded, but she did not want to."Excuse me there is something that I need to do but I will join you as soon as it's done.""Do you want me to come with you Aurora?""There is no need Elliot, I will be there in a jiffy."They all went the other way and she walked the other way until she reached her tree and sunk down. This was her place,She did not know why it upset her that Caspian was holding Nadia in front of her. Where had all these emotions come from?She needed some air alone and doubted that she would go drink with them, he was a prince so why did he have to concern himself with peasants such as themselves.Her outfit compared to Nadia's one could not compare, she sighed. When had she become like this? She had never cared about such things until now.She couldn't confide in her friends as they were on duty, and she contemplated if she should go home?That would be the b
The next morning she arrived at the servant's quarters and her friends knew that something was up with the way she was.They had agreed to all meet in the afternoon outside during lunch as it would be warmer during that time.She went to Caspian's chambers and he was not there, she started to clean but she would get flashbacks from last night.She shook her head, she needed to be in the right mind but that proved to be difficult. When she was done this time she had taken some time.Aurora went to her tree and sat down, this is what she needed for her scattered thoughts. Lunchtime came and they all got their food and sat outside."What happened?" Evelyn asked.Aurora told them everything that had happened last night, from the festival to the kiss, and hiding inside the cabinet."' Oh wow," Agnes added."It's a great thing that you are exploring with a prince on top of that," Ella added."I know but I felt humiliated yesterday when I was hiding in the cabinet and his fiancé was in there
Aurora opened her eyes and she was at a loss for words, she was sleeping and Caspian was next to her in bed.She sat up and that woke Caspian awake,"Forgive me My Lord I have to go home."Aurora felt disoriented as she said the words,"It is very late, you can leave tomorrow it is not safe for you to return now."Aurora nodded as she could see he had a point, she thought about going to sleep on the couch as sleeping next to him was indecent.Caspian lay back down, "Don't overthink it Aurora, lay back down and I won't touch you I promise."Aurora lay back down cautiously and Caspian covered them both with his blankets, they were very warm.This was a million times better than what she was used to, the bed was soft from goose feathers and you sink into it comfortably not the one she had at her place, cold and hard.The blankets were soft from fur and Aurora could not believe the amount of comfort she was in, she curled up instinctively."Enjoying my bed?" Caspian asked her.Aurora felt
Aurora set out to work the minute she placed the laundry basket down, she could see that Nadia had left a lot of her things in there as if to mark her territory.She finally finished cleaning and left. Tomorrow was a long day and she would be going home very late as Nadia's father was coming to have a drink with Caspian man to man so that they could set the date for the wedding.She would have to serve till late, there were going to be a lot of maids and servants. The day finished and Aurora went home.Today they were allowed to arrive late as they would be serving into the night, it felt great to sleep in. When it was close to time she got ready and made her way to the palace.When she got there, they were all called by Madam Beatrice who gave them a list of orders and reminded them that they would be serving royalty.Night time came and everyone watched as Nadia's father came and the drinking started, they made sure platters were replenished, their cups full and Caspian seemed to be
Aurora put some of the wood and the fire became bigger and stronger, and she sat down by the log, Elliot plummeted beside her.The fire was magical,"We need to bathe." One of the men stated."There is a lake close by," Douglas replied.They all nodded and started getting up, Aurora did not know what she should do nor how she should respond.Would it be fine if she joined them? Probably not, she would have to bathe when everyone else was sleeping.She started to clean the mess that was left behind, when she was done Aurora sat by the fire and she liked the way it cackled.After an hour had gone by all the men had come one by one and they sat by the fire to warm themselves up.Elliot was also back and he was shivering a bit, they all spoke for hours to come, and when everyone had finally dispensed as they felt tired and went to bed.She took her bathing stuff and headed to the waterfall rather than the lake. She stripped on the rock overlying the water.She was left with her undergarme
Caspian wrung out a cloth and placed it on Aurora's forehead, there was a knock on the door and he wondered who would dare bother him."Come in."The door opened and it was Nadia,"I did not expect you, My Lady.""You seem tired, and I feel forgotten and neglected.""Not all seem to be what it is My Lady, as you know I am going on a hunting trip with your father so we can negotiate the date of our marriage."Nadia smiled, "Well then I am pleased."Caspian smiled, "So am I.""What happened to her?""She got shot by an arrow during the hunting trip that we had gone to practice.""Is there no physician to look after her, must you do it yourself.""She did it to save my life, I would not be here if it weren't for her. I don't mind caring for her.""She is your maid, technically her life does belong to you. So she did not do anything out of the ordinary."Caspian knew that Nadia had a point but when Aurora had been shot he felt a part of him was also shot.The thought of her being dead mad
Aurora got to Caspian's chambers with the tea, she knocked lightly,"Come in."Aurora walked with the tea and placed it in front of him, "Your tea My Lord.""How are you feeling?""Couldn't be better My Lord.""I told you to take your time, are you even fit to be back at work?""Yes I am My Lord, I am fully recovered."Caspian stood up, he sat on the bed, "Come sit here Aurora."He patted a seat next to him, Aurora blushed as she went to where he was telling her to sit. When she was seated and her back was to hum he unzipped the back of her dress and she grew flustered.He didn't go very and he was touching her wound, she now understood his intentions, yet it felt nice the way he was touching her skin.He was gentle and very careful, "Does it hurt?""No My Lord."Caspian zipped her dress and she was surprised when he lifted her gently and put her in his arms, she was seated on top of him with her hand around his neck.His hands went around her waist and he held her in a tight embrace,
As she was setting off, Elliot came next to her, "Let me help you.""You don't have to.""I feel bad about making the prince to come around and fetch you."" That's not your fault Elliot, I was the one that insisted for you to go."Aurora got a surprise when Caspian lifted her without saying a word and he didn't say anything as they reached his chambers.He sat her down on his bed, she saw that he had come back with a dish and a cloth, he started to take her shoe,"You don't have to My Lord. I can do it for myself."Caspian did not listen and he lifted her dress until it was on her thighs, she was blushing the whole time he was tending to her wounds.He wrapped a handkerchief around her leg, he put her dress back in place. Caspian stood up,"Thank you My Lord.""You must be mad at me Aurora.""Why do you say so My Lord?""You didn't spare me a glance, no-matter how much I kept on looking for your gaze.""I didn't want your date to go wrong with Princess Nadia and I am a maid, and I am
“I want this journey to not end if only we could keep going until we have explored everything.”“That would take a lifetime and even a lifetime is not possible to explore every area.”“That is the whole point Caspian, for this journey to never end.”“I did not think of it that way.”“I have always wanted to go to different places from where I was raised, even our journey back to the palace was a thrill for me as I had not been anywhere besides where I grew up.”“Do you believe that your father might be on the lookout for you?”“No, not all he has never acknowledged my existence and he is not about to start now. If was searching for it would be to execute me as he would have figured out that I helped you escape. I’m probably labelled a disgrace and a traitor.”“I’m sorry that you did this all to help me.”“It wasn’t to only help you Caspian, it was a way out for me, to have the freedom I have always craved and to be away. I was desperate that I would have gone anywhere but stay there,
Caspian had heeded Douglas’s words and he had told Rurina that they would not be stopping until they were in the clear.All he had was faith, and hope that he would find her, he felt sick at the thought of her not being where he thought she was.Only time will tell when he goes to the destination if she is there or not. The day progressed bit by and when noon arrived they were searching for an area where they could eat as they were famished.They stopped by a stream, and the scenery was spectacular, now he could see why Aurora had loved being out here, one did not want to leave.He knew by now that they might be looking for him back at the palace and he hoped that they would believe Douglas.He had left them notes, explaining to them that he needed to breathe as the palace was a bit suffocating for him. He had told his mother she was in charge of making the final decisions until he came back and resumed full authority.“Are you worried about back home?” Rurina asked him.“A bit, I don
Evening came and Caspian lay on his bed, but sleep alluded him. He could not find a sweet spot on the bed. He kept on turning but he was not finding a comfortable position.He was not finding it, he got up and got dressed. He went outside and he went back to the forest path that he walked with Aurora.The moon was full tonight and it cast soft light, the breeze was warm, how he would love to walk with Aurora during this moment, he wanted to share it with her.He remembered her words, as long as they were under the same moon they would find their way back to each other.He stood in the middle of the forest, he would never forget the moment when he had turned and saw Aurora walking down to him.Caspian came to realization that he knew where Aurora might be, why had he not thought of it earlier. He went raced back to his chambers and he took out a scroll, he was going to leave soon to go find her.He prayed that she would be where he thought she was. The next morning Caspian summoned Dou
Caspian waited for Douglas to come with Aurora’s friends, he could not go himself as that would raise a lot of speculation.It might also reach his mother and Nadia’s ear, he heard the door open as Douglas led them in, when they saw him they all seemed to be frightened.“You may leave,” Caspian said to Douglas as he went out.“You all don’t have to be anxious, I did not call you all to berate nor to punish you. I wanted to ask about Aurora, and you all don’t have to keep your heads down, you may look at me.”He could see them lift their heads, and their hands were clasped in front of them,“I wanted to ask if you knew where Aurora might be?”They all shook their heads in unison,“Do you have any idea where she could have gone to?”“No, My Lord, before she left, she was ordered to not speak nor see us.”“Who ordered you to do so?”They all were silent at his question and he knew that they were probably afraid if word got out they would get punished.“You do not have to fear anything,”
Caspian turned and Nadia stood there, “I thought you had retired to your chambers.”“I was waiting for you.”“Is there something worrying you?”“I have been meaning to have a chat about a few things on my mind,” Nadia replied.“Of course.”“Can we do this at your chambers?”“I would rather we go to your chambers.”Nadia seemed to be overjoyed with his suggestion, “I will lead the way then.”They walked in her chambers and he saw that it was different but he really would not know as he spent most of the time at his chambers or at Aurora’s.He sat by the table, and she sat too, “I know we haven’t had much time to ourselves as you have urgent matters to attend to as the king but I was hoping we could bond again.”Caspian was too tired for all this, why could they not discuss it in the morning?“How so?”“We can select activities that we love and we share them with each other,” Nadia replied.“That’s a sound plan.”“Do you have any suggestions?” Caspian could see that she was hopeful, did
Nadia’s parents arrived, and he, Nadia and his mother stood in the forefront as they were being welcomed.“Caspian, we never thought we would see you again.” Nadia’s father held him at arms-length.“It is wonderful to see you again Sir.”“No need for formalities, you are my son and I will make your father proud.”Nadia’s mother came up to him and smiled, “Thank you coming back to Nadia, we do not know what would have happened if you would have not been able to return.”“Thank you, I see who Nadia takes after.”Greetings were exchanged and they all made it to the dining area that was prepared, and mead was served as everyone got comfortable.“Before we all have a drink, I would love to raise a toast to my son Caspian who was given back to us and the time when he was most needed. A toast to Caspian.”They all raised their glasses after Nadia’s father’s speech, “Cheers.”The night set off, and there was so much chatter, the room was full of guests yet he felt alone, sad and the mead was
Caspian walked side by side with Rurina during the night festival, he looked around but he was very distant. His mind and heart were on Aurora, he really needed to be reunited with her.“Look! Look!” Rurina said excitedly.She was looking at some sweets, they had them in the palace but probably did not know about them. He went over to the stall and got her some which she stuffed her mouth.“So delicious.”Caspian laughed at her excitement, then the next stall ahead of them was one with beauty accessories.Rurina was having fun in selecting one by one,“Sire.”Caspian turned, and Nadia was standing there with the concubines,“I didn’t know you were attending.” Nadia carried on.“I wasn’t but Rurina wanted to come so I came with her.”“Rurina we are having a concubine lunch for you tomorrow at noon.” Nadia said to her.Rurina nodded, “Alright.”Rurina took his hand before they carried on talking and she was dragging him away, she was very strong, no doubt about that.They bought some la
Douglas got into his room and closed the door, he had calmed down after his meeting with his mother.“You look strained.”“How can I not be Douglas, did you find anything?”Douglas sat down, “Can’t even wait for me to sit down.” He teased him, and this made him realize that he was free.“I will after I……….”“I know Caspian, find Aurora.”“Did you find anything.”Douglas put down a scroll on the table and opened it, it had a lot of writing and drawings on it.“There are seven possible areas that Aurora could have gone and it happened a while back, so they are not many witnesses. The other matter is that Aurora left wearing a cloak most probable.”Caspian nodded, he would not give up, “Anything else?”“Aurora seemed to have not taken much, and it seems as if she just disappeared without a trace.”“When did you find out when she was banished?”“After some moons had passed, I had tried to look into it but those who did would be harshly punished.”“Did you notice anything unusual to the we
"No, she just left and you weren't here to protect her." Elliot snapped."When did she leave?""Two years ago, and no-one has heard from her." Elliot replied in a hurt manner."Do her friends know?""No, she was banished from interacting from us and they turned her into a servant. The last time I saw her, she had dark circles under eyes and did not look like the same Aurora I once knew."Caspian clenched his fist, he walked back to his villa. He would not rest until he found her, he would search for her himself.He sat there in so much torment, he had wanted to surprise her of his return after he looked a bit better so that she would not have to worry but that all was for naught.As Caspian sat he tried to not think of the worst that could have happened to her, all he wanted was for to be alive even if it meant she had rewed and had a new life.He just wanted to see her once, just once was enough for him to see her doing well. That was all that he needed.There was a knock on the door