Aurora was generally successful at staying away from her mother. For three years she was more ghost than girl around the palace. She completed her studies for her tutors, but as the Empress did not ask after the princess's studies, the tutors felt no need to push the girl to excel. She hid among the tapestries, under tables, and among the many plants that lined the halls. She was either tolerated or ignored by the court and castle staff whenever she was discovered, but those times were few and far between. Some forgot she existed altogether. Only Aurora's Nanny did a little to help the girl's lonely life. Nanny was always kind, and she told wonderful stories.
Occasionally, Aurora's father would visit the princess's suite of rooms, but never very often for fear he would arouse Zephyra's suspicion. The Emperor was terrified that he wife would find out and punish their daughter, so he usually came when the powerful woman was asleep.
When Elias came, he would bring sweets, a toy or some other treat and give his daughter a few kind words. It was nice, and Aurora appreciated the gesture, but it was far from the constant parental love and support she craved. The night before Aurora's tenth birthday, Elias crept past the castle guard and Nanny into the girl's room. This would have been more difficult if the soldiers had been vigilant and Nanny less hard of hearing. As it was, he met no resistance as he approached the child's bed. The Emperor stared at the small sleeping girl for a moment and marveled at her dark hair and creamy skin. His daughter had her mother's beauty. Perhaps that was one of the reasons Zephyra could not look at her. She felt threatened.
Finally Elias woke her from her sleep with a gentle shake. "My daughter," he said gently, "I have brought you a gift for your special day. The empress has requested my presence in meetings all day tomorrow, so I will be unable to attend you. I am very sorry. Please accept this early gift." There was a sadness in her father's eyes, and Aurora could guess that Zephyra merely wanted to keep Elias from his daughter on her birthday. It was cruel, but Zephyra only cared about herself. The princess nodded and smiled.
"No need to apologize, father. I am happy you came at all." The child took the gift from her father's grasp. It was small, and Aurora could hold it easily in her hand. "What is it?" she asked, her dark eyes brimming with curiosity.
"Open it," he father answered.
Pulling back the colored paper, Aurora gasped as she removed the fine gold chain from it's wrapper. The delicate strands were so thin that they were almost impossible to separate from the whole. Each strand wove into the others creating a delicate pattern resembling a braid. "It's beautiful!" she cried. "Where did you find it?"
"I bought it on my last tour with the Empress. The man who sold it swore it was created by the Fates themselves." Elias took the chain and draped it around his daughter's neck gently. It was probably too big and fine a gift for one so young, but Elias knew deep down that she deserved this luxury.
The mention of the Fates caused the child to groan. The little girl rolled her eyes upward. "Oh Father, I'm not a child. I know the Fates aren't real."
Her father held his hands to his lips. His eyes grew wide as he gasped softly. "Don't say such things! You never know if 'they' are listening." He winked at the girl and smiled.
"Do you think the Fates are real?" Aurora wanted to know. In her heart she hoped it was so, but all her teachers were people of science and seldom gave any thought to fairy tales.
"I think we cannot control nearly as much as we would like to think," He told her seriously.
"But Her Majesty controls everything!" Aurora responded indignantly.
Elias's gaze became far off, "Dear Zephyra has no control over the thoughts of her subjects, least of all the one in front of you." Her father pointed to himself. "Somewhere deep down she knows this and tries even harder to hold me in her grasp. I'd love her, if she would let me," he said sadly. Snapping from his reverie, the king smiled warmly at his daughter, "I suppose that leaves all my love for you, sweet girl." He gently touched the edge of the girl's nose, causing her to giggle.
"I'll take all the love you'll give!" Aurora bounced from her bed and embraced her father. She knew this moment was rare, and she would not let it go to waste. Elias returned her hug and his breath hitched knowing he would have to leave soon or risk discovery.
"I brought you one more treat," he told her with a joy that was bittersweet. He pulled away and gave her a conspiratorial nod. Aurora's eyes brimmed with excitement. Out of thin air, Elias produced two gorgeous pieces of cake. They were chocolate and covered in decadent pink icing. "I swore the cook to secrecy. Now, shall we eat?"
Aurora nodded her small head repeatedly. "Yes please!" She received the cake on a piece of parchment paper. There was no fork, so the girl was unsure how to manage the food. She watched her father curiously.
"Happy birthday, Aurora!" the emperor said as lifted the whole piece to his mouth and took a large bite. He encouraged the girl to do the same. The cake was moist and silky. The cook had done a superb job. Aurora shivered as the sweetness filled her body with a spark of sugary energy. It was like nothing she had ever tasted.
"Thank you, Father… for the cake and the gift." She touched the necklace with a sense of pride. "I love it!"
"And I love you. Don't you forget it," he told her. They ate in silence for a moment, simply enjoying each other's company. For a short while, everything seemed perfect.
Aurora woke the morning of her tenth birthday with a sense of dread. Nanny hadn't woken her as usual, and her suite of rooms was eerily quiet. Usually in the morning she would hear the sounds of her bath being drawn and her breakfast being delivered, but today there was nothing. 'Something is wrong' the princess thought as she became fully alert. Her ears strained to hear anything, and finally she could barely discern the shuffle of feet outside her room. Nanny opened the door and came over to the bed hurriedly. "Get dressed, child," she said with an urgency that Aurora had never witnessed. The girl obediently stood, rubbing her eyes. Together they dressed Aurora in a blue gown with a white sash—the royal colors. "Is something wrong?" The princess seldom dressed properly in pretty dresses. She loved the look and feel of the gorgeous gowns, but they restricted her movement. Usually the girl opted for a loose shirt and trousers, which was far more common for boys
"It was a piece of chocolate cake." Zephyra's words echoed through the room. "I was poisoned by a piece of cake? But I haven't eaten any cake." Elias asserted. He intentionally did not look at Aurora, knowing the look of horror that must be on her face. The Empress brushed his comment aside, "Everyone knows you occasionally fancy a late night snack. I refuse to let you lie to me about such things." "Very well," Elias agreed easily, "I have a sweet tooth. That's not a valid reason to poison a man." "You ate two pieces of cake, husband?" There was a threat in Zephyra's question, but Elias seemed not to hear it. Instead he laughed, "You caught me, my dear. Perhaps it isn't poison after all; I simply overindulged in cake. It was delicious!" "And deadly," the Empress added flatly. She let the matter drop. Clearing his throat, the
The funeral for Elias was held three days after his death. The morning was rainy, matching the gloom that the princess felt. Watching her father be entombed in the Valley of Kings, Aurora felt hot tears mix with cold rain on her cheeks. She was the only mourner. The Empress had forbidden anyone from attending the burial, but the dark-haired girl ignored the decree. Zephyra had managed to keep her daughter from the ceremony, saying that it was not an appropriate place for children. Hiding in the wings as the final eulogy was spoken, the princess had followed the pall bearers through the city and to the sacred cemetery. The pall bearers did not want to disregard the Empress's orders, but in the end they could not bear to keep a child from saying goodbye to her father. As the rain ran down Aurora's cheeks and mixed with her tears, she felt utterly alone. What would become of her now? Her mother already hated her, and now there was no one to speak on the girl's be
Again screaming could be heard from inside the Empress's chambers. This time, it was different. The Empress was in labor. Nine months and two days after her husband's passing, the Empress woke with a start. She called her maid and spoke only two words through gritted teeth, "It's time."As the morning wore on, many midwives and physicians arrived at the palace to attend the Royal birth. Each had their own advice about what Zephyra should and should not do."She should walk around to let the baby come more naturally," one said."Your Highness, take these herbs for the pain," another offered."The Empress needs to rest," a third argued. "The hard work will begin soon."They began to bicker, each asserting that their way was best. The room spiraled into chaos as the arguing grew fiercer."ENOUGH!" A voice rose over the noise. Instantly, there was silence as a woman in white robes approached the Empress's large bed. She was clean and pale, her s
There was a knock on Aurora's suite of rooms; Nanny scurried to answer it. Although Aurora could not make out the words, she could hear the rushed tone of the conversation. When Nanny returned, she looked at a loss for words. "Child," she began. "I have news. Your siblings have been born...""That is wonderful! Was a girl or a... wait did you say siblings? I have more than one?"Nanny nodded, "Yes, a girl and a boy. They are safe and healthy.""This is excellent news, Nanny! My joy is doubled. Why do you look so sad?"The large woman looked at the ground. "There's more. Your mother....the Empress. Something has happened to her.""What do you mean?" Aurora did not understand her words."The Empress's midwife has disappeared, and the Empress is unconscious. No one can wake her.""Did the midwife do this to her?" the girl was worried. Midwives were supposed to help, not hurt."I don't think so. It just happens this way sometimes.
The Council consisted of twelve members plus their chief. After a long night of discussion, they sat once again around a long rectangular table with a tall backed chair at one end—for the chief—and a throne at the other end. When Aurora had been directed to place herself on the throne, she reluctantly complied. Her legs dangled awkwardly as she sat on the edge of her seat, trying to remember each Councilman's name. Cafer she had seen many times, but the others wisely chose to keep a low profile for fear of incurring Zephyra's wrath."We welcome the future Empress to the Council." Cafer announced."Glory to the Empress!" the Council responded in unison. They all stared at the girl, waiting for her to speak.Aurora shifted in her seat. "Thank you." She responded, unsure of protocol. Her tutors had taught her court etiquette, but none of them had actually prepared her to 'be' an empress. And the Council of her advisors were completely differ
The boys all stood in a line looking around with great interest. An envoy from the palace had arrived at their school only an hour before, and had plucked them from their studies. From age seven to fourteen, all of Valiant's children were encouraged to attend classes on history, language, mathematics, art, physical fitness and politics. After this time, it was up to parents how to further their child's education. The poor would generally select a trade to apprentice, while the wealthy had more options. The boys now standing in the hall were well-born and approved by the council for their manners and excellence in different areas. Although the children had no idea what was happening, they could sense something important was occuring."What do you think is going on?" a tall muscular boy whispered."Sh!" The boy next to him hushed him. "You could get us in trouble.""We'll find out soon enough," a third chimed in.A boy with grey eyes nodded. From the far en
The nursery was quiet as Aurora and Devrim entered. Having recently been fed, the twins were being cared for by nurses and other attendants. Nanny stood in the middle of the nursery overseeing the work. The princess was surprised, "Nanny, what are you doing here?"Nanny curtsied and chuckled lightly. "Hello, Your Majesty! I am taking care of my new charges.""What about me?""The new Empress does not need old Nanny here. You will be receiving ladies-in-waiting later today.""Oh," the girl said sadly. The thought had not occurred to her that she might have to give up her Nanny. Her small lips quivered for a moment. "Take good care of my brother and sister! I'll be checking on you.""Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you." Nanny bowed her head. Aurora hugged her caretaker for the last time. It was a tender moment, and Devrim felt like he was intruding. He cleared his throat awkwardly, bring