A King's Tale

Captivated

Henry could not help but marvel at Aurora’s beauty. She looked like a princess, straight out from a fairy tale book. She was so beautiful it felt that it was unreal.

But he knew that she was real. He was just lying in bed with her earlier this morning. He felt the warmth of her skin on his. Henry listened to her heart as it skipped while he whispered and teased her.

Aurora was alive and living and somehow it made him feel alive too.

As much as she would like to avoid Henry’s gaze, it was impossible. And it was unpleasant to do so. He took her into his castle. She should at least be grateful for all the things that he did for him lately.

Aurora looked at the King, who was also looking at her. Did his eyes show adoration? Was the King captivated with her beauty? She did a curtsy when she saw that Henry was looking at him.

Henry instantly blushed when Aurora’s eyes met hers. He stood up immediately. “That will do,” he said, in the coldest voice possible. He stepped out of the establishment.

Aurora was a bit surprised and disappointed at the same time. Henry was doing it again. Just when she feels as if he was warm and caring to him, he would then turn cold.

Silverio saw the disappointment in her eyes. He smiled at her. “The King can be quite moody at times, but know that he is a good person.” He then took a small pouch from his pockets and gave a couple of gold coins to the seamstress.

“Come here child, I’ll help you out of the dress. Let’s get this boxed.” The old lady guided her back to the room to get dressed.

Silverio carried the box outside. When she entered the carriage, Henry was there, sitting silently, looking outside the window opposite the door. He looked like he intentionally didn’t want to look at her.

Confused with his sudden change in mood, Aurora knew that she could be the better person. “Thank you,” She tried to make her voice a little louder so she could be certain that he heard her.

Henry looked at her. He was having a hard time too. He was trying to calm himself. It was not appropriate for a King to look like a love-struck young lad in front of a lady.

“For the dress,” Aurora added.

Henry nodded and went back to staring at the window. As if something was more interesting to see there rather than to talk to her.

Halfway through the journey back to the castle, Henry suddenly realized that he was being rude to Aurora. It was not her fault she was so captivating that it made him blush. It was ungentlemanly of him.

“Sorry if I was rude earlier. I was not feeling well.” Henry said. He tried to add more sincerity to his apology by looking directly at Aurora.

Aurora looked at him, her face turned from sour to soft. “Are you feeling better now?” She asked, concerned. She reached out and touched her neck, an unconscious action that made Henry blushed again.

Henry touched her hand. He was supposed to remove it from his cheeks but it was so soft and warm. He held it instead. “I feel better now.”

Now, it was Aurora’s turn to blush. She gently took his hand away from Henry. She stared outside. The castle was just a few more meters away.

“Would you care to have tea with me at the library?” Henry invited her. “It still feels chilly outside. We could spend the afternoon there.” He was hoping that she would say yes.

“That would be nice.” Aurora loved books. Just the thought of being surrounded by books made her feel happy. Besides, she wanted to be around Henry. Dunnottar Castle was so huge it can be quite lonely to be alone in her room all day. Besides, her futon might not be available yet for her to use.

It was lunchtime when they arrived at the castle. They went straight to the Grand Hall where Diana served them while Silverio took their suits and dresses to their respective rooms. By the looks of it, Silverio was the only one around to be inside Henry’s room. He was his most trusted steward.

Lunch was awfully quiet. You could only hear the wind whistling outside. The rain continued to pour. It would have been so nice to be back in bed enclosed in Henry’s embrace once again in this weather. She blushed at the thought.

When they were done, Henry walked in her direction. “Shall we head to the library or do you want to rest?” He asked. “I am afraid your bed is still being cleaned.”

“I’m sorry.” She replied as she stood up.

“Sorry about what?” Henry inquired.

“For the inconvenience that I did last night?”

“Ah, it was an honest mistake on Silverio’s end. But in the future, I’ll be more cautious when it comes to drinking wine If I were you.” He said, a hint of teasing in his voice.

Henry offered his hand to lead her to the library of the castle. It was located upstairs too, at the first door after the flight of the stairs.

When they entered the room, she was quite surprised by how massive it was. And the collection of the books was quite surprising. She has never seen such a huge library in her life.

She turned to Henry and smiled. “Can I go?” She was asking permission first if she could touch the books. Some of it looked like rare editions.

“Sure, you can get anything you want.” Henry was delighted to see Aurora in awe with his book collection. If only he could share that he had spent centuries acquiring his book collection.

Henry was holding a book but he was only pretending to read. He was looking at Aurora, engrossed with every book that she touched. She was prancing up and down the book aisles to see books. She was surprised by every discovery.

He tried to hide himself smiling as he watched her gently turning the pages of the books. At first, he felt nervous about his collection. Some of the books that he had were more than a hundred years old. They were fragile, to say the least.

But those gentle hands of Aurora put him at ease. How he would love to feel those warm hands of her back on his cheeks.

Silverio arrived a few hours afternoon. He brought coffee and biscuits for them to enjoy. Aurora immediately returned the books back to their places in the cabinets before she sat back at the table. Henry was looking at her.

“Why?” She asked.

“Are you done reading?”

“No.”

“So why did you put them away?” Henry inquired.

“I don’t want to ruin them. Do you know that some of the books you have here are very rare? I believe I have found a couple that was thought to be lost in fires or simply destroyed during the crusades.” She was slightly whispering as if what she was saying was supposed to be a secret.

“My family have taken good care of these books, acquired them from different places, some are gifts from fellow Kings and Queens. We understand the value that these books offer to mankind. We treat them as if they were people, people who have crossed this world, experienced life. Books are people who never get tired of revealing their experiences, the life that they had lived to others.” Henry has such a strong affinity when it comes to books and history. Maybe because he himself was a history, a legend, a tale to be unraveled.

Aurora smiled at her. “I have never thought of you to be someone so passionate about books, Henry.” She expressed as she took a round biscuit from the plate.

“Why do you think so?” Henry was amused. It was the first time Aurora spoke her mind.

“You look like someone who would lead wars, passionate about hunting, or was into sports.” Aurora suddenly wished she didn’t share those thoughts but she already did.

“So you see me as someone who enjoys chaos?” Henry was not offended. He was curious about what other things Aurora had to say.

“It’s not like that.” Aurora had to choose her words carefully, she didn’t want Henry to think that she saw him as someone savage or cruel. “You look like you are capable of leading, whether it's in battle or doing recreational sports.” She paused and drank her tea before she continued. “You look like someone who can keep people safe.”

It is the truth. Aurora felt safe around Henry. She had never felt safe since she left her home.

“Do you feel threatened or endangered?” Henry was a concern, there was a sudden change in Aurora’s eyes.

“I am afraid I cannot reveal that to you at the moment, Henry.” Her voice was apologetic. “I will, soon, but I am not ready to talk about it now.” There was fear in his voice.

Henry looked at her. She was looking back at him, straight in the eye.

“Whatever makes you feel comfortable.” Henry finally said before sipping his tea. “But I would like you to know that you are safe here, you are safe with me.” His voice was certain. He then took a loud bite on the biscuit in his hand.

“Can I also ask you something?” Aurora said, thinking twice but she wanted to.

“Sure, speak your mind. I do appreciate honesty.” Henry encouraged her.

“Did I do something wrong? Or do I irritate you?” Aurora courageously asked.

Henry slightly smiled, “Why do you think so?”

“I know I am not in the place to ask for anything. You have already given me so much. But there are moments when I feel like you choose to be cold. You pull away whenever you start to reach out.” It was a risky question to ask but she was growing tired of second-guessing herself. The least she wants to do is to disappoint Henry. To cause anything that would make him decide that her time in Dunnottar Castle is over.

Henry took another sip of tea. He was looking for the right words to say. She had the courage to say how she felt, he might as well give her an honest answer.

“Forgive me If you felt that I was cold. But it has been years since I have been around women. Silverio is the only one I spend a lot of time with. It takes time to get used to having someone like you here.” He explained. “So please bear with me during moments when I fail to be at my best.”

“Someone like me?” It was a question.

“You add color inside the castle walls. What was once a dark, cold and gloomy castle felt likely again with you around here.” This was Henry being honest.

“But I have only been here for a few days.”

“Yes, it is true. Imagine if you would stay longer, how it would change the castle, the people inside it. Do you see how the servants look at you? It is as if they found a muse, something to inspire them.” Henry looked at him. “You have that kind of effect with people.” Henry smiled.

Aurora felt small butterflies flying inside her stomach seeing Henry smiled. He rarely smiles. She had to place her hand on top of her chest in fear of her heart falling out of place.

“Would that be enough to let me stay here?” She was asking too much but she wanted to know. This would give her time to prepare in case Henry gets tired of her. Or in case he finds a Queen that wouldn’t want her to be around the castle anymore. Why did she even think about that, Aurora told herself.

“You can stay as long as you like, you have my word.” It was a King’s sincere promise.

Aurora reached out to Henry’s hands on the table. She gently touched it and said, “Thank you, Henry.”

Henry decided to divert their conversation to the books that he had inside the library. After eating, Henry gave her a tour of his library. He led her to his favorite book, the oldest book that he had. He even shared how these books ended up in their family while being cautious to reveal the fact that he was the sole person who acquired all of these through the centuries.

They were so into their book discussions they failed to notice that it was dinner time. If not for Silverio, they wouldn't notice the hours that passed.

They continued talking about books during dinner. However, the rain outside continued to roar. It was difficult to hear the sound of the rain and thunder outside. Besides, it was already too late. They both need to rest.

Henry accompanied Aurora to her room and bid her goodnight.

Inside, Aurora saw that her bed was already cleaned and fixed. She cleaned herself and changed into a nightgown to sleep.

Lying in bed alone on this cold night felt even colder as she recalled how warm it was to be in bed with Henry. The sound of thunder made it even harder for Aurora to sleep.

She tossed and turned for several minutes, trying to sleep. When she turned facing the window, lightning struck a few inches outside her wall. It caused her to panic.

She swiftly went outside. It was dark in the hallways. However, she still remembered the way back to Henry’s room. She ran towards it. Before she could even reach the door, Henry was already coming out of his bedroom, he was holding a candlestick.

“What happened?” He asked, surprised to see Aurora standing by the hallway in her nightgown.

She ran towards Henry, still shaken. Henry welcomed her in an embrace with his free hand.

“What is wrong? What troubles you, my dear?” He asked.

“Can I stay here with you?” Aurora asked.