In This Life And The Next

Chapter Chapter Six



Aurora opened her eyes slowly, she was sore everywhere, her mouth dry and her eyes sticky with sleep. She wondered if she could sneak in a couple more minutes of sleep or if Phil would start-

All at once she was awake, the events rushing through her like a river across a dry creek bed. The last thing she remembers are the knights helping her down off Prince Alec's horse.

Aurora slowly turned her head to the side.

Prince Alec was fast asleep, right next to her. His mouth open slightly and so close Aurora could count every raven colored eyelashes. Her eyes fluttered down to Alec's full mouth and even further down, to where she could see the Prince's bare shoulders and a small scar lining the right one.

"Like what you see?" Prince Alec teased, causing Aurora to jerk back suddenly with a start, only for her face to turn bright red when she realized she was without a shirt too.

In fact, she was naked as they day she was born.

"Oh god- I- Your Highness- I apologize-" Aurora stuttered, wrapped the blanket around herself,

"Hey, it's okay," Alec reassured her softly. "I was only giving you a hard time, you haven't been much company the past two days."

Aurora shot up the sheet falling from her as she looked around the room her eyes wide.

"Two days?" Aurora repeated, slowly.

Alec pulled a pillow over his head, hiding his own red face. "You've been sick. My mother, sister and I have been taking care of you," Alec explained, voice muffled by the pillow. "I didn't want you waking up alone."

"Umm, thank you..." Aurora trailed off awkwardly. "I- uh, what do I do now?"

Alec removed the pillow from his face to smile at Aurora. "Your are a guest of the royal family, Aurora. The world is your oyster."

"I don't understand what that means." Aurora muttered, covering herself up again when she realized why Alec was covering his face.

"It means," Alec started, covering his face again with the pillow. "I for one, would like to go back to sleep."

"But-" Aurora said, then stopped herself. If the Prince wanted to sleep, then he could.

"What?" Alec asked.

"It's morning." Aurora pointed out.

Alec pushed the pillow away once more and looked at Aurora for a long moment, until she laid back down.

"Sleep," Alec murmured. "And when it's actually morning and not the ass crack of dawn, we'll have breakfast."

"Okay." Aurora whispered.

But Aurora couldn't sleep, in fact she lay on the bed, her hands neatly folded on her chest and listened to the prince breathing, whilst staring up at the ceiling.

This isn't how she thought this was going to go.

First of all, she's surprised to be alive and in the prince's bed? The thought clouded her mind and made it hard to think clearly.

Aurora must've dozed, because when she heard a noise that made her open her eyes again, Alec was sitting up, his legs over the side of the bed and the princess was looking down at her.

"Morning." Princess Hazel greeted cheerily, smiling down at Aurora while she continued to blink up at her. "How you feeling?"

Aurora furrowed her brow and looked away, the royal family was blessed in many ways and their beauty was foremost among them.

"I'm thirsty," Aurora finally managed to say.

Hazel waved her hand and a young woman came in and set a pitcher of water down on the bedside table, Alec stood a moment later and Aurora glanced away when she realized that Alec was just as naked as she was.

Which reminded her as to why she's naked, did something happen between them she doesn't recall?

The princess seemed completely unconcerned by her brother's lack of clothing. Aurora relaxed when Alec reached for his robe, covering himself.

A young woman, Jess, helped her sit up and drink small sips of water while the others brought in breakfast, hung clothes up for Alec and baths were drawn for them both.

There seemed to be an open door policy on the prince's room, with the amount of people coming in and out, leaving and taking things, speaking to the others while setting up the table with food.

Jess urged Aurora to swing her legs over the side of the bed to help her stand, but stopped and everyone seemed to straightened up when a woman with tanned skin and clever eyes walked in, Jess paused her ministrations for a moment.

The Queen walked in just after the elegant woman as she passed by each group, they bowed, curtsied, murmuring respectful greetings.

"Your Highness." Aurora greeted when Laura stopped in from of her, she tried to drag the blanket up over her chest, but her bare ass was already in danger of flashing those that stood behind her.

The Queen scoffed, "Aurora, I have seen you naked more times than I can count over these past few days."

Aurora floundered in her head for something to reply with, stopping when she looked around. Everyone was clearly restraining their laughter. And she felt hot flash of shame and bowed her head even further.

"If it pleases you, Your Highness. I can leave, I jut need some clothes-"

"Whatever for, Aurora." The Queen interrupted, amusement lacing her voice. "Is there somewhere you need to be? Someone you need to see?" She asked, setting down on the bed beside her. The Queen picked up Aurora's arm, looking closely at her elbow where Phil had burned her.

"I- uh, no?" Aurora stuttered. "If you want me to leave-"

"Nonsense," The Queen shushed Aurora. "I was only teasing. Your self-consciousness is amusing, only because I've seen you without clothes on so many times over the course of two days." She turned to Hazel and murmured something and Hazel turned and nodded at the four young woman waiting for her. Everyone turned to their tasks as Laura stood.

"Come, Aurora. Let's have a look at the wound that's cause you so much pain and get you into a bath."

As Aurora edged to the end of the bed and two men took Laura and Jess's place, she didn't have time to be embarrassed as they lifted her up of the bed, it was a good thing they took their places because as soon as she tried to stand, she found her legs wouldn't support her.

She looked apologetically at one of the men.

"I had a fever for three days and when I tried to stand, I brained myself on a table." One of them said.

"It would have been funny if he hadn't been so near to death." The other man muttered. "I'm Ben. I was at the house."

Aurora smiled softly at him, "I remember."

"I'm Sam," The other man said." Come, the Queen's waiting."

They walked Aurora into a lager room that had tiles that were warm under her bare feet, the whole room was just as warm and Aurora felt bad for the knights dressed in all those layers. There was a large tub in one corner of the room and another behind a screen. Alec was scrubbing himself in one of them.

The Queen was joined by Hazel, Sam and Ben helped Aurora over to them. Jess came in with a larger towel, wrapping it around Aurora, much to her relief.

"It looks less inflamed," Hazel informed Laura.

"It does, tell me. Aurora, does it still hurt?" Laura asked, running her fingers over the skin around the wound, her fingers feeling like sandpaper against her skin.

"It's sensitive." Aurora admitted.

"Better than it being in pain." Laura said, she sighed and put her one of her finger to her chin. "I don't think she should sit and bathe." She finally said. "It'll only worsen it."

"What do you suggest?" Hazel asked. "She won't be able to stand."

"A stool and a bucket." Laura said, after a moment.

And so Aurora sat in another tub, this one empty, while Jess poured warm water over her whilst Ben helped her stay seated. Another young woman was brought in to scrub her clean, much to her embarrassment. How many more people were going to see her naked?

Jess helped Aurora get dressed and by the time she was finally seated at the table for food, she was tore between wanting to eat and sleep all at once.

Alec tapped the bowl in front of Aurora with a small smile. "Eat, then you can sleep again."

Aurora nodded, giving him a grateful smile before digging into the ham and hard boiled egg. The Queen pushed a bowl of fruit at her, cut into small pieces.

The woman with tanned skin handed her a mug, "It doesn't taste good. But it'll help you sleep, and that's what you need right now.

Aurora did as she was told and drank from the mug, the woman was right. It tasted terrible but she could feel her eyes sliding shut immediately.

***

Alec barely caught Aurora's face before it hit her plate of eggs. He glared at Chloe, who looked just as surprised at how quickly the drink worked on her.

He heard Sam and Ben approaching, but he pulled Aurora close and lifted her up easily from the bench and went over to the bed. The maids had already changed the bedding as they've done everyone morning since Aurora arrived. One of the girl servants laid the blankets back for him and shifted the pillows around behind Aurora's head when it lolled dangerously. He gave the girl a sliver coin and she delighted before returning to her seat by the bed.

"I believe I should adjust that, for the young woman." Chloe finally said.

"You think." Alec grumbled as Liam and Caspian came in.

"Here you all are." Was what Liam said, kissing his mother on the cheek before sitting down and heaping things onto a plate.

"Good morning, sister," Caspian greeted, kissing Hazel on the cheek. "Mother." He added, doing the same. He squeezed Alec's shoulder and took Aurora's vacant seat. He looked from the half eaten plate to Aurora on the bed, raising his eyebrows at Alec.

"Go on." Alec chuckled.

Caspian began shovelling the food into his mouth whilst Laura complained about how much food they all went through.

"How's our guest?" Liam asked around a mouthful of food.

Alec pulled a face at Liam whilst saying. "She was well enough to take a bath and put some clothes on." Alec answered. "She ate a little and then Chloe put her back to sleep."

"Will she be okay?" Caspian asked softly, looking at Aurora.

"Yes." Laura said, "She just needs some sleep. Tomorrow, we should try and get her to walk a bit." She paused to take a bite of a slice of apple while looking at her oldest son. "What are your plans?"

Alec paused, his cup half way to his mouth. "What do you mean?"

"With our guest." Laura prodded.

Alec blinked at her.

"I don't need explicit details," Laura said with a sigh. "I just- why is she here? Why her?"

Alec looked over at Aurora, asleep, her hand clutching one of the pillows. She was thin and scarred, she looked like she hasn't rested, truly rested in a long time. She needed a haircut, several good meals and a friend.

"It could've easily been one of us." Alec answered truthfully.

When he looked back to his mother, her eyes were kind and understanding. "Be kind to her." She warned.

Alec nodded.


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