Rakar's Second Chance

Chapter 9: Love Heals All Wounds

1 month later...

     Rakar was looking over some papers in his chambers. In the month since the wedding, he had been restored to his title of lordship, and Aurora had been given the title of Lady Aurora. She was sitting on the bed, which was not far from his desk, trying to read, but she couldn't concentrate. She kept remembering that awful day twenty-seven years ago...

   Rakar looked up and noticed the slightly distressed look on her face. Standing up, he went over to the bed, sitting down next to her and putting his arm gently around her shoulders. "Something wrong?," he asked. She replied," I'm fine. It's just..." She couldn't continue. Rakar stated," There's clearly something bothering you. What is it?" She quietly replied," It's been 27 years to the day since my parents died."

   There was silence for a little while, then Rakar said," You don't have to tell me if you're not ready." Aurora took a deep, shaky breath, then whispered," They were killed." She paused. After a moment, she continued," Rakar, you know that secret I have, the one that I said I would most likely take to my grave untold?"

"Yes..."

"I... I want to tell you."

... "I'm ready to listen."

She took another deep, shaky breath, then began her tale.

    "My parents were named Kaeran and Aeralia. They were... the king and queen of a small kingdom called Borealium. That's part of why I was named Aurora. You know, 'aurora borealis'? My kingdom was once famous for the beautiful displays of the Northern Lights that happened every year. People came for miles around to see them. Anyway, my first few years were uneventful. I did what most little girls did. I sang, I danced, I argued with my parents about bedtime, all that good stuff."

    "But, when I was six, I could tell something had changed. Everyone was really on-edge. The tension was so thick you could've choked on it. One night when I was six-and-a-half, my parents and I were sitting down to dinner when the doors to the dining room were thrown open. I promptly hid under the table. Some strange men came in, but all I could hear was the sound of their boots. I was too young to know at the time, but they were revolutionaries, and they had come to take the throne of my father.

   The next thing I knew, there was a strange whooshing sound, and then my mother fell to the ground and started thrashing around. My father screamed. I wanted to leave my hiding spot and go to her, but I was afraid they would kill me if I did. A few seconds later, the sound of my mother's thrashing abruptly stopped, and I knew she was gone. The men yelled a few words at my father, although I can't remember now what they were, then I heard that whooshing noise again, and he also hit the floor, thrashed, and died. I heard them approach the table, and I was terrified that I would be discovered. There was some soot on the floor, so I put it on my white stripes, curled in a ball, shut my eyes, held my breath, and prayed. When they lifted the tablecloth, all they saw were shadows.

  After a little while, I heard them leave, and the dining hall grew silent. I let out my breath, and cautiously crept from my hiding place. I listened for any sounds that they might be coming back, but the only sound was my terrified breathing. I turned around and was greeted by the sight of my parents' bodies. I wanted so desperately to go to them, to indulge in my grief, but my terror that the killers would come back and kill me too overpowered that desire, so I left them where they lay. I managed to sneak out of the castle without being discovered and went to a good friend of my mother's, a golden-red fox, a healer, named Marisia. I haltingly told her what had happened, and then I cried.She held me until my tears stopped, then she bathed me, helped me get into a clean nightgown that belonged to one of her younger daughters, and gave me a drink to help me sleep. My sleep that night was long and dreamless.

   "The next morning, we packed a few things and left Borealium. Marisia said I could never return home; that it would be too dangerous because of the coup. We went to Cosium, since i had some relatives there. But no one wanted to take me. All my relatives already had children of their own, and they didn't want to take care of one that wasn't theirs. They also didn't want to risk the revolutionaries coming to find me when I got older. For two years, i was shunted around like a sack of potatoes, until I ended up in Cosium Town. You know the rest."

   She stopped for a moment, tears glistening in her eyes. " I didn't get to say goodbye. I didn't even get to make sure that they got a burial that was deserving of their rank. Marisia went back to Borealium about a year after I got settled, and she said she found my parents' remains in a ditch not far from the castle. She buried them together, but she wasn't able to mark the grave because she was almost caught burying them. It's been so long, I probably wouldn't be able to find the grave even if I could go home." She sniffed. "I know you know what that feels like, but you had your parents for sixteen years. I only had mine for six."

Rakar replied," But my relationship with my parents was formal at best. What kind of relationship did you have with your parents?" She smiled sadly. " They loved me. Even if they were busy, they would always make a little time for us to spend together." Her smile fell, and a few tears traced their way down her cheeks. Rakar pulled Aurora to his chest, and then she began sobbing. He held her tight and stroked her tear-streaked cheek with his left hand.

   Unconsciously, he caressed her soul, pouring all his love for her into it, sending her pain to the back of her mind. Rakar focused back on Aurora, and saw that her sobs were slower and quieter. After a little while they stopped completely. He wondered what had just happened. Had he... actually done something good with his gift? Was this what it was meant for? As these questions flew through his mind, he heard Aurora say," Rakar, I think I'm okay now. Thank you for listening." Rakar smiled at her. "It was my pleasure, Rory darling." She blushed.

   Suddenly, something dawned on him. "If you're a Royal, then does that mean-"
She cut him off. "Yes, I have a Royal Gift. It's called 'Strengthening Ties'." Realization hit him.

"You used it on me the first time I kissed you, didn't you?"

She looked down. "Yes. I saw that you had a little love in your heart, and I wanted you to feel love at its strongest, in case I didn't make it."

He lifted her chin. "I'm not upset. I love you too much to stay angry with you."

  She smiled. He smiled back at her, then began to kiss her passionately, which eventually turned to mouthy kissing. He slowly pushed her onto her back, then began to plant kisses down her neck onto her collarbone. He then kissed back up to her lips and began to undo the buttons on the front of her dress.

   As the dress slid from her creamy shoulders, Rakar finally understood to a point what  Mortesen had felt for Athena, how love could transform everything, make every moment feel like an eternity, when he was with her...