A King's Tale

Embraced

Aurora was still shaking when Henry guided her inside his bedroom. He embraced her waist while holding her right hand. “What happened?” He asked.

She was not responding. Aurora was shocked. Henry sat her on the bed and was about to leave to get her a glass of water. However, he failed to do so, Aurora pulled her back to her side. “Don’t go.” She said, the panic was obvious in her voice.

Henry looked at her, worried. He reached out to the string near the header of his bed. It was a bell connected to Silverio’s room located directly below his.

While he waited for Silverio to come, he tried to calm down Aurora by caressing her back. Her hands were freezing cold. Henry started massaging it too.

After a few minutes of waiting, there was a knock on Henry’s door. He knew it was Silverio. He shouted, ‘Come in.” Henry knew that he had to raise his voice to let Silverio in. Somehow he knew that Aurora wanted him by his side.

“Please head to Aurora’s room to see what frightened her,” Henry told Silverio who immediately followed. He was covered in a robe. Henry knew that he had sleeping clothes underneath.

He waited. Henry managed to leave Aurora to get the glass of water that he was supposed to get earlier. He handed it to her. He helped her drink, her hands were still shaky. After a few minutes, Silverio was back.

“There is a small fire close to her bedroom window.” He looked at Aurora. She was as pale as a ghost, he looked back at Henry. “I think lightning struck there. The fire was almost out when I went to the room. But by the looks of it, it created a huge flame earlier.” 

Henry can still see the shock in Aurora’s eyes while he listens to what Silverio has to say. “Thank you, Silverio. Please look at it again before you retire tonight. We need to make sure that the fire is out and it won't reach the castle walls.”

Before leaving, Silverio bowed his head to Henry and Aurora.  She looked like her thoughts were someplace else.

After Silverio left, Henry helped Aurora settle in his bed. She was definitely not herself. Maybe the fire was so big that it scared her.

Either way, it was his responsibility to ensure her safety. He placed a blanket overhead and sat beside her in bed.

He just sat there, hoping that somehow she would begin to calm down. When he thought she was already sleeping, he slowly got up. It would not be appropriate to sleep in the same bed with Aurora. Although he literally spent last night with her in bed, this time was different. It felt that he was taking advantage of her in such a situation.

He was almost out of bed when Aurora turned and pulled her hand. “Please, do not leave me.” Her eyes looked like she was about to cry anytime. She looked like she was just trying her best not to cry.

Henry went back to bed and lay by Aurora’s side. She moved closer to him, yearning for physical contact. Or maybe she was feeling cold. Maybe both. 

Somehow Henry felt awkward laying beside Aurora, he was unsure of how to move, or if he had to stay still. Aurora reached out for his left hand. She pulled it so it was embracing her. She moved even closer, prompting Henry to embrace her.

After a few minutes, their bodies began to relax. Henry was starting to feel the heat coming out from Aurora’s body. He looked at her hair, a bit of the back of her neck exposed. After a few minutes, Henry started to hear her weak snoring. Aurora was finally asleep.

It was only then that Henry started to feel the need to sleep. He closed his eyes and secured his embrace. He was blessed with another warm night in bed on an extraordinarily cold rainy night in the castle.

Aurora was reading her favorite book. Romeo and Juliet. It was a love story or rather a tragedy. She just turned thirteen. Her mom felt that she was mature enough to enjoy the book, a birthday gift she received during her birthday.

She was in her usual favorite sport in their summer home. Inside the library. Aurora was always fascinated with books. It was somehow her escape from the tall walls and gates of her home.

Aurora was rarely allowed to go outside. She has hidden all her life. 

But she never felt alone. The characters in the books that she read kept her company. They were the friends that she was not allowed to have.

Just like any other ordinary day, she was reading inside the library. It was a cold day, rain was mostly keeping their summer home extremely freezing. She sat close to the fireplace. It kept her warm.

But the cold weather somehow made her feel rather sleepy. Aurora was halfway through the book. She wanted to finish it as soon as possible so she could read it again, look for scenes and dialogues that she may have failed to pay attention to.

The cold defeated her. She didn’t notice that she fell asleep.

She lay there, beside the fireplace, sleeping quietly when a strong wind opened the window close to where she was sleeping. She was sleeping deeply and failed to notice it. The wind blew inside the library and somehow a bit of the charred coal in the fireplace was blown to the carpet where she was sleeping. The carpet was made from wool fibers and is easily burned. 

Her parents went out of town and she was alone in their summer home with a few servants. They were in the kitchen, cleaning up. They just had their lunch a while ago. 

With them busy inside the kitchen, they have failed to notice the smoke coming from the library. Flames started to engulf the carpet where poor Aurora was sleeping. As the books inside the library burned smoke started to reach the floor. It was only then that Aurora started to wake up.

When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to see the shelves of books burning inside the library. 

“Help me!” She shouted, but somehow the rain outside drowned her voice. “Fire, help, she continued shouting.

Aurora looked around. She could still see the floor area. Although most of the floor carpet was starting to burn, there was a path that led to the door. She can crawl towards the door.

She crawled using both of her elbows. However, as smoke began to engulf the room, it became harder to breathe. She had to cover her nose and mouth with one hand while she pushed herself forward, crawling close to the floor, avoiding the smoke and flames.

She was so close to the door when suddenly, the shelves of books on her right started to fall, she was going to be buried in burning books.

Aurora had to act fast. She rolled to her left, her arms protecting her face.

As she continued rolling away from the falling shelf, her clothes started to catch fire. She felt her back starting to burn.

“Help me! Help me!” She was crying, praying that someone would hear her. Aurora prayed that someone would save her.

As flames started to burn her back she felt someone pulling her hand. She was still conscious, but the amount of smoke that she inhaled made it difficult for her to breathe.

What she saw after were flashes. She saw the face of her parents. Her mother was crying as she was being carried away. 

The next time she opened her eyes, there were white walls around. Her father was holding her hand. “Aurora, stay strong.”

The next time she woke up, her face was on her side. She was inside a hospital. Then she started to feel the pain. Aurora screamed.

Aurora got up screaming. Henry woke, surprised and panicked beside Aurora. It was still dark outside, raining.

“What happened?” Henry looked at Aurora. She was crying.

“Sorry, I had a bad dream,” Aurora told him. She was wiping the tears on her face with the back of her hand.

“I am not the type of person who usually pries with other businesses but what happened in your room? Why were you so terrified?” Henry was more than curious. "A small fire will not make any lady shaking in fear? You were terrified. As if your life depended on it.

Aurora looked at her. “I am not very good when it comes to fire.” Aurora knew that she owed Henry some explanation. Maybe it was safe to share this detail of her life with Henry.

“I need to show you something,” Aurora said.

She turned to face Henry. Aurora began untying her nightgown.

Henry watched, he was curious. Why is this woman undressing in front of him? His throat suddenly felt dry.

After loosening the lace in the front of her nightgown, Aurora turned around so her back was facing Henry. She let her nightgown fall to her waist, exposing her whole back to Henry.

Henry tried to keep a calm face. He saw the scars at the back of Aurora. It ran several inches on her back. It was a rather oddly shaped scar. It looked like a dragon, catching his own tail. It formed a rounded shape.

“I was in a fire when I was a child. It was just a few days after my 13th birthday. Our library burned while I was inside. I fell asleep while reading and it was almost too late when someone realized when I was inside.” She started to pull her nightgown, her back still on Henry.

“The experience inside the fire still brings nightmares in my sleep. But what was harder was the memory of these scars being treated. I felt my flesh being torn away from my body. Morphine didn’t help.” She turned, facing Henry.

“All I wanted was to die then. Every day as the doctors treated me, all I wished was to die. I wished that I died inside the fire instead of having to endure what I did every day.” She was still teary-eyed.

“But you survived.”  Henry caressed her cheeks. “You are a survivor.”

“I know, but there are moments like this that bring back memories. It brings back the pain.” She looked at him and touched his hand that was caressing her face. “But life is beautiful. I am happy I am alive. If history will repeat itself, I would choose to live again, to survive. I would choose to live.” She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the warmth of Henry’s hands on her face.

It was hard for Henry to hear someone say that life is worth living. If they only knew how many lifetimes he had to endure. Living is beautiful, until the people you love dearly start to fade one by one. In the end, you are left alone, only to care and fall for the new people that entered his life, only to be left alone again.

But of course, Aurora was different. She only had one life. She was not an immortal like him.  She had no idea how tiring life can be. If only she knew how boring and ordinary life can be as the decades' pass, as the centuries pass.

But somehow, that thought didn’t matter at this moment. He doesn’t have to tell Aurora the bitter side of life, the disgusting taste of living. She deserved to enjoy the things, the good things this life offers.

“You need to rest. We can talk more tomorrow.” Henry suggested. He urged Aurora to go back to bed.

“Can I still stay here?” Aurora asked. 

“Of course, come here.” Henry pulled her back to bed. He embraced her, tapping her upper thighs as if he was urging a child to sleep. That was what his mother did to him when he was young.

He started to hum a song, the same song that her mother sang whenever she sings him to sleep.

Aurora was thankful that Henry didn’t ask more about her past. He respected her privacy. Maybe she’ll tell him the rest of the stories about her, the truth about her. Not today, but maybe soon.

“You are safe with me, I will always keep you safe,” Henry whispered to her ear.

Aurora closed her eyes. She knew that Henry would keep his word. She was indeed safe in his arms.