Aurora and Eleanor bowed their heads as they passed in front of her and felt as if her heart was shattered into a million pieces.
To make matters worse, she knew they had seen her but they walked past her. When they went past she was frozen in place.
Aurora swallowed a lump in her throat,
"Eleanor did they just arrive?"
Eleanor looked afraid to respond to her, "No, My Lady they arrived yesterday noon."
Aurora nodded and smiled, but she felt far from smiling. She carried on walking and sat by the sun. Her mind kept taking her back to Caspian and Nadia walking hand in hand smiling.
A few days passed and tonight it was the dinner with all the concubines and she dreaded it. They were all seated, and Caspian and Nadia walked in hand in hand.
She could see that the other concubines were laughing and sneering at her, Aurora was glad that she had sat at the end close to the door.
Food was served and everyone was chattering but no one wanted to talk to her, she tried to not let it bother her.
Caspian had not acknowledged her and no matter how much she tried to make eye contact he did not look at her.
The minute the last dish was served, she stood, "My Lord and My Lady I will excuse myself."
"You may go ahead," Caspian replied to her and she heard snickers. She stood up and left, when she arrived at her chambers she immediately went to sleep.
It was noon when she finally woke and bathed. Aurora snuck away and went to the stables and Elliot smiled as she approached but his smile dropped when he looked at her.
He opened the gate and she got in, they sat on the outside bench,
"Are you okay Aurora?"
"I just wanted to sit with someone if you don't mind."
"Not at all, you can tell me or you don't have to. You can do as you please."
Elliot's kind words had dropped her guard and she began sobbing uncontrollably and Elliot pulled her into his arms.
She leaned against him as she felt all her power drain from her.
"Aurora!"
She turned and saw Nadia, her maids and some guards walking toward her.
"I would let you keep up your pity party but I have to arrest your friend for touching a concubine."
"It's not his fault!"
"Are you saying you are the one that is at fault?" Nadia replied.
"Yes I am."
Elliot seemed to want to stop her but she gave him a stern look and he stopped.
"Take Aurora."
The guards came up to her and tied her hands and they went with her. She was taken to a dungeon and seated on a chair.
"Confess now that you were committing adultery and you will be spared." Said Nadia harshly.
"I did not, does the prince know about this?"
"Yes, Aurora he gave me permission to discipline you all and it is my duty to. Show her,"
A maid came with a scroll and rolled it in front of her and surely there it was written and the stamp of the prince was on it.
She felt a whip hit her and her back was stinging from pain, after an hour of touch she could barely sit up.
A cloth was put over her face and water was poured on her and she struggled to breathe. They kept on adding more cloths on her face, the more she could not breathe.
Everything went black, she woke up to water being poured on her,
"I guess you are innocent." Said Nadia, "You may release her."
Aurora walked limping with so much pain, and she was damned when she saw Caspian coming down she could see that he had spotted her and he seemed to be concerned as he approached her she walked past him.
He tried to talk to her but she ignored him completely and she could tell that Eleanor was afraid that she had walked past the prince and had not acknowledged him.
Aurora did not care, if they wanted to torture her some more they could. She was shocked when Caspian had come back and picked her up.
She tried to resist but he would not put her down but carried on walking to her chambers and he sat her down.
"Aurora I......….."
She did not know what had gotten into her but she slapped him,
"I deserve that."
"I want you to leave, I don't want to see you."
"Aurora let me explain."
"You mean your sugar-coated words that you manage to coax me by."
"I can explain."
"I don't care about explanations, I can't carry on living like this. I can't...…"
"Tell me who did this to you."
"Nadia it was Nadia."
Caspian was taken aback,
"Even the first time it was her and I refuse to do this all the time. I just am done with all this, I am okay going back to being a maid."
"Aurora look at me."
"Look at you for what?"
"I am sorry when the right time comes I will make them pay."
"That's nice but I do not care, I want to leave before irreversible damage is done."
"I….I can't let you leave me."
"It's your own selfishness that you want me to stay, are you going to do something about this?"
"I will speak with Nadia."
"Don't you will make matters worse for me, I do not care what you two do."
"Yesterday and the night of the dinner I had to look away, my parents and Nadia's parents want you out of the palace and it's all my fault. HOW MUCH RESTRAINT DO YOU THINK IT TOOK FOR ME TO WALK PAST YOU AND NOT ACKNOWLEDGE YOU! WHEN I WAS AT NADIA'S HOMETOWN ALL I WAS THINKING WAS GETTING BACK TO YOU AND BEING IN YOUR EMBRACE!"
"GUARDS!"
"Yes My Prince."
"BRING NADIA IS THIS INSTANT!"
"Right away My Prince."
"You don't have to...….."
"SHUT UP AURORA AND LET ME HANDLE THIS. I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! IF I LOSE IT ALL THEN I LOSE IT ALL."
"My Lord you...….."
Nadia could not even finish her sentence when she saw Aurora was also present in the room.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO AURORA?"
"Sire I only followed protocol as I found her in the arms of another."
"WHY DID YOU NOT CONSULT WITH ME AT FIRST NADIA?"
"It's matters that I oversee, I was lenient with Aurora as I wanted to arrest the man she was with but she offered herself rather than him, so what would you have me? If this behavior is not checked then anyone would think they are above the law."
"I get that but don't you ever lay hands on Aurora ever, if there is a problem with her, let me know and I will deal with her personally, do you understand?"
"Yes Sire, I understand. I would not want anything to ruin the intimacy we had in the last few days."
Aurora wanted to vomit at her words, she had told Caspian that she was fine if he slept with Nadia but now thinking about it, was she really okay with it?
Or was she trying to trick herself to think that?
"You are dismissed, Nadia."
"Thank you, Sire."
"What man is she talking about?"
"Elliot, he was comforting me as I was crying."
"Do you always turn to him?"
"No, I had not seen him for a while and his kind words made me cry."
Caspian pulled her into his arms, "I don't care anymore, all I want is you."
Full completed book up on -> www.inkitt.com/taniashava