Allerleirauh

by Chantal Gadoury

  “Yes,” I responded. “The stories are true. And there is more.” With a nod, I turned my gaze down to my hands, too terrified to meet Klaus’s eyes as I continued with my story.

  “Come here. Come . . .” My father’s voice echoed in my ears and once again, I could feel his fingers pulling down the corners of my nightgown, his lips tasting and kissing me; my hands fighting and clawing against him. I tried to focus on anything but the wretchedness I felt throughout my body.

  “Oh Aurelia, if only you had told me . . . told me everything . . . the truth,” Klaus murmured remorsefully. “I would have protected you from them. I wouldn’t have . . .”

  “Lord Crestwood discovered who I was just before he left. I made him promise to not say a word. I didn’t want . . .” I couldn’t stop the tears from beginning to gently roll down my cheeks.

  “I didn’t want to take the chance of being forced to leave. But he knew . . . he knew and tried to help me when he arrived with them today.”

  Klaus shook his head, swearing softly underneath his breath.

  “You told Lord Crestwood before me?” He asked as he wrinkled his brow.

  “I met Lord Crestwood at my father’s castle. I knew he’d recognize me. . .” My voice dissolved into silence as I watched Klaus shake his head.

  “Aurelia, I just wish . . . I wish I had known. I wish I could have better protected you from all of this tonight.”

  “These are my ghosts, my burdens. I enjoyed being someone else—being someone who could finally open up and live. Perhaps even being someone who might have been worthy of you. You gave me a freedom I’ve never known.”

  I touched his sleeve and bit my lip timidly. Klaus looked at me with perplexed eyes as he released another heavy sigh.

  “If there is more. . . what else happened?”

  I licked my bottom lip as I quickly tried to find the right words. I lowered my gaze away, feeling a wave of shame wash over me.

  “My father . . .” I began, “. . . took my innocence . . .”

  “Aurelia . . .” his voice cracked as he grabbed my hand. I shook my head and took a step back. I needed to tell Klaus the truth without interruption.

  “He took away any chance of making a good match in marriage. I knew because of what had happened to me, I would forever belong to him. I tricked him into creating what I hoped would be impossible gifts, which soon became real and tangible. The cloak, the dresses . . .” I tugged on the body of the dress to show to him. “They were all from him. They were all a part of a way for my escape.”

  “Tell me what you wish for me to do. Tell me to banish them. Tell me to . . . arrest them. Tell me what to do,” Klaus said angrily as he reached out and held onto my arms tightly. I could see the pain and confusion, the love and the anger in his eyes. He pressed his lips against my forehead as he whispered my name softly.

  “I won’t ever let them near you again, Aurelia. I swear it,” he promised as his grief-filled eyes met mine. “You must know I love you. It never mattered to me whether you were a princess or not. It matters not to me if you think you are soiled, because to me . . . you are more . . . You are more than what has happened to you, and you always shall be,” he said softly as his hand slid to my cheek. Carefully, his thumb wiped a tear away. “You are this wonderful, head-strong, and brave woman,” Klaus continued. “No one has any right to ever try to take such a thing away from you. It should only ever be admired and cherished.”

  More tears began to spill over my cheeks as relief flooded me. Klaus would not turn me away; instead, he accepted me. I rested my forehead against his shoulder, as I felt his arms slowly wrap around me.

  “Tell me what you wish for me to do, my sweet Aurelia, and I will do it.”

  “There is nothing you can do, Klaus,” I answered softly. “In the end, you will be married to the Princess of Foix de Lille and I will have no choice but to leave Saarland der Licht.”

  Klaus’s hands pulled me away, and tipped my chin so he could look at me. Deliberately, he shook his head as he tucked a small strand behind my ear.

  “I have no intention of accepting the princess as my bride, Aurelia. Not now. You should know this. After last night, I realized I could never go forward with the arranged marriage to the Princess of Foix de Lille. I wanted to try for the sake of Crestwood and my Königreich, but each moment I saw you from afar, my feelings became more apparent. I couldn’t lie to myself and to you.”

  I bit my bottom lip as I searched his face. I knew he was telling me the truth.

  “After last night?” I asked.

  Klaus smiled as he nodded reassuringly.

  “I always believed I found you in the woods for a reason, Aurelia. After our kiss . . . I suppose I finally had my answer.” He lifted my hands to his lips and kissed them tenderly. There was an echo of voices over Klaus’s shoulders as Lord Haven, the König, and Lord Crestwood appeared through the main doors of the castle.

  “I want my bride!” The König announced in a bellowing voice. Klaus took a step in front of me to stop them from coming any closer.

  “You will stay where you are,” Klaus replied with a scowl. My father smirked with self-assurance and clicked his tongue with a tsk.

  “Don’t toy with me, boy. She belongs to me.”

  “You will not insult Aurelia again. She does not belong to you or anyone else for that matter . . ..” Klaus’s seething voice bellowed all around us. “I have decided my choice regarding my arranged marriage, Crestwood,” Klaus began, as his eyes cut from Lord Crestwood back to the König. “If I recall, we spoke a bit of this new treaty today with the König of Tränen regarding the restoration of his kingdom. But now, I wish for something more in return if this treaty is to still stand.”

  Lord Haven’s expression changed from anger to astonishment. Lord Crestwood smirked as he crossed his arms.

  “Yes, Your Highness?” Lord Crestwood asked, doing poorly to hide his amusement. “If I am to help, I should wish for a marriage to be arranged with the Princess. Aurelia is to become my wife. In addition to her hand, I will be granted all the conjoining lands.”

  “You cannot be serious!” Lord Haven interjected astonished. “You cannot just take our lands.”

  “If you’re unwilling to give me the lands in this arrangement, then I will go to war. As it would seem, you have lost a great many of your men. You’d be fools not to agree.”

  Lord Crestwood smirked as Klaus turned to look at him again.

  “This is what I wish, Lord Crestwood.”

  The glares from Lord Haven and my father were full of shock as their eyes roamed from me to Klaus. Klaus turned back to look at me as he extended his hand.

  “Would this please you, Aurelia? Would you accept my hand as your husband? Would you do me the joy and honor of spending your life with me?”

  I could feel my knees begin to shake as my eyes darted from one face to the other, until I finally returned back to Klaus. I knew my answer. Yes . . . yes.

  “Would you . . . would you take me as I am?” I asked softly. This was all I had ever wanted since knowing my true feelings for him.

  He had become the very person I rose for. There were the sweet mornings seeing his face over breakfast, our outings in his boat and to the lake; the simple gesture of his fingers grazing over mine, his sweet and soft kiss in the corridor as he expressed his love for me. His extended hand in the forest, at my door, at the cottage, and now . . .

  “Gladly. Proudly,” Klaus stated with a firm nod. “Without a doubt, Aurelia.”

  He continued to hold his hand out to me as I took a step towards him. I lifted my own and reached.

  “No! Du bist mein, Aurelia,” my father said as my hand touched Klaus’s. You are mine. “Your mother’s wish! I promised your mother! We must obey! I have taken you in my bed. I loved you then just as I love you now. I’ll find you, I’ll always—”

  “If I ever find you on the grounds of my lands, I will not hesitate to order a guard to take you away,” Klaus t
hreatened as he glared at the men. “I would only wish for a swift and silent death for the horrid man you are.” I could see the disgust on Klaus’s face as he eyed the König before him.

  “You’re hardly a man, nor a König.”

  “Aurelia, listen,” my father continued, reaching out for me again. Klaus stood protectively in front of me.

  My father continued despite the obstacle, “You must come with me. We must obey your mother’s wishes. You are the only one who can fulfill your mother’s wishes! Do you not remember the good times we shared? The gardens? The dances? I showered you with everything you ever wanted.”

  I could feel the tears spring to life in my eyes. I never wanted to see any of it again.

  “What you’ve done to me is irrevocable and unforgivable,” I replied as I shook my head. “I did love you once father, as any daughter should. But that love you’ve ruined.”

  This was my shining moment—my time to say my piece to my father. I knew after this night, I would never see him nor speak to him again. My eyes turned to Klaus, who watched me carefully. He was the single strand of hope I knew I could cling to as I turned back to look at my father’s deformed face.

  “I had spent my life wanting to be loved by you, to feel admired and treasured,” I confessed softly. “. . . and when I finally felt this way, it was the wrong kind of admiration you bestowed upon me. I was naïve and still very new to the world of men. You stole it from me.”

  A single tear trailed down my cheek as I continued to speak.

  “You stole my innocence the night you invited me to your rooms. I thought you were angry with me for dancing with another man. And then when you began to . . ..”

  I could once again feel his hands upon me still, trailing down my skin, ridding me of the fabric I wore. My father’s eyes were wild with remembrance and I could see his hands begin to tremble as he reached forward for me. I shook my head and let out a soft cry. I had to get through this.

  “You tarnished any sort of love I ever had for you that night. You took something, which never belonged to you and left me to feel worthless. How could I ever delight in the ideas of marrying my own father? I am not my mother. I am not her,” I hissed as I glared at him. “I am Aurelia!”

  Klaus touched my back gently and I turned to glance his way. There was understanding and sorrow in his piercing emerald eyes. It was there in the safety of him, I felt a surge of freedom. The heaviness I carried with me for so long lifted from my chest.

  “I will not return with you and you shall never see me again. I will never come back to Tränen, and I will never be your bride,” I sneered at my father. My father lifted his hands, desperation and longing shaking his entire body.

  “You must!” He began to shout as tears trailed down his cheeks. “You must! You promised! You promised! You asked for your gifts and I appeased you! You must!”

  Lord Haven helped to hold him back as he reached out to me. Klaus put an end to it, placing himself to stand in front of me again.

  “This is over now. You are no longer welcome to Saarland der Licht. There is no room here for your treachery. If I ever see either of you near Aurelia, I will not hesitate to kill you myself,” he threatened, a real anger resonating in his tone.

  His voice was stern and he gestured towards Lord Crestwood, who had been standing beside the König and Lord Haven quietly.

  “Remove them, Lord Crestwood. Take them to the council room and draw up the appropriate papers. There is no need to continue with the sham of any other marriage arrangement.”

  Lord Crestwood nodded with a small, prideful smile and bowed, “Yes, Your Highness.”

  He gestured towards the door, beckoning Lord Haven and my father to follow him inside. We watched as they returned back inside castle, disappearing in the darkness. As soon as they were gone, I let out a piercing sob.

  Klaus took me and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I shivered and gasped, wanting to find release.

  “It’s over now,” Klaus whispered against my ear as he gently stroked my back with his fingers. I rested my cheek upon his chest and smelled the sweet musky scent of his skin.

  “It is never over, Klaus,” I whispered, burying my face into the crook of his neck. “I am always haunted by the memories. I am always haunted by that night and what he’s done to me.”

  “You are more than what he’s done to you, love,” he replied, brushing his fingers along the nape of my neck. His lips grazed against my temples and with a soft sigh, he slowly began to disentangle the both of us from each other.

  “I cannot undo what has been done, but I can be here for you and I shall,” he promised. Klaus moved his hands to my shoulders and began to travel up to my cheeks, cupping them between his palms.

  “Will you accept my proposal?” he asked, as his eyes gazed into mine intently.

  “What will you say to Princess Margrit?” I asked, gesturing my hand back towards the palace doorway. The soft melody of music coming from the ball wafted through the night air. I knew his presence would go questioned if he did not return soon.

  “Let me worry about Princess Margrit and Foix de Lille,” he said with a firm nod. “I shall speak the truth to her. I shall tell her I am in love with another. I will bid her back to Foix de Lille with expenses and gifts to offer to her father in apology, and with the hope she will be able to have the chance I was given: a chance in love.”

  Klaus brushed his thumb gently over my cheek with a smile.

  “Please accept my proposal, Aurelia,” he said tenderly. I looked down, away from his entrancing eyes, knowing I had already accepted it in my heart. I knew since the day at the lake I would, without hesitation, accept his offer if he ever requested it.

  “Yes,” I replied with a slow growing smile. Another tear trickled down my cheek and his thumb brushed it away.

  “Tears?” Klaus asked concerned as a breathless laugh escaped from my lips.

  “Joyful tears,” I explained. There was a soft laughter from the both of us as Klaus hugged me tightly and pressed a gentle kiss on my cheek.

  My fingers drifted to his face, hesitantly caressing his jaw and neck. It was then I kissed him again. The kiss was soft, warm and passionate; a conjoining of the two of us after all this time. Klaus’s fingers moved to rest against the small of my back, while my own rested on his shoulders. His lips were warm and familiar, and everything around me felt peaceful; Klaus knew the truth and still loved me.

  “Your Highness?” Lord Crestwood’s voice interrupted our kiss. I jerked back, though Klaus did not release my hand.

  “My apologies,” Lord Crestwood said. “The court awaits your announcement. He bowed formally to the both of us and cleared his throat. “The papers have been delegated and signed and I already have everything ready for the Princess of Foix de Lille.”

  Klaus smiled as he took a step towards his friend.

  “Thank you for everything, Crestwood. For tending to that situation,” Klaus replied. “Most importantly, for taking care of Aurelia.”

  Lord Crestwood smiled and bowed again.

  “I suppose now it’s up to me,” Klaus said with a slight chuckle. Lord Crestwood approached me as he carefully pulled his hand from his pouch, bringing to light a small trinket; a ring.

  “Aurelia, your father asked for me to give this to you. He said it was the Königin’s ring and wished for you to have it. A gift…”

  I looked at the ring tentatively. I did not wish to receive anymore gifts from him. As I lifted my gaze to Lord Crestwood, I shook my head.

  “Please send it back,” I replied. “I have no need for his gifts.”

  “As I assumed you’d say as much,” Lord Crestwood said with a smirk and slid the ring back into his pouch. “I shall take care of it.”

  Lord Crestwood turned on his heel and disappeared back into the palace. In the distance, the chime from inside the palace rang midnight. Klaus, who remained beside me, took my hand. Our eyes met as he leaned to press another kiss against my f
orehead.

  “Shall we, my enchanted princess?” Klaus asked teasingly.

  “Yes,” I replied with a smile, the word slipping through my lips like a sigh. The joy that suddenly filled me was overwhelming; I wanted to feel this way, always. Klaus paused and touched the sleeve of my glittering dress with a smirk.

  “I suppose I shall need to give you a new wardrobe,” he teased with a glint in his eye.

  “I think a white dress as beautiful as the fallen snow will appease me,” I replied playfully.

  Klaus chuckled with a nod as his thumb brushed over the tops of my knuckles.

  “Yes, as white as snow, meine Schöne, and any other impossible gown you can think of.” As we walked back into the corridor of the castle, I could hear Lord Crestwood’s announcement to the guests: The Prince of Saarland der Licht would be united in marriage to the Princess of Tränen. As Klaus pulled me into his arms to dance into the early morning hours, I knew I wanted to learn to move forward. I knew I was meant to be more than just a memory of Tränen’s history as ‘Allerleirauh.’

  I was meant to be more than just a woman who had been discovered and loved by a prince. I wanted to be a woman who chose to survive. Most importantly, brave enough to live.

  EPILOGUE

  I was surprised to see Klaus kneeling in front of the fireplace as I slowly entered his bedchamber. The wedding festivities had long since died away with the toll of the clock in the main corridor of the palace. As Klaus and I parted after the dinner and dances, I escaped to my own bedroom where Adelais waited for me.

  She drew a warm bath for me, smiling every so often in my direction. I could not help but echo the same sentiments. The day had been beautiful and memorable. While I sat in the large tub and washed myself, I tried to gather my courage for what I knew would come for the rest of the evening. But as my gaze fell upon Klaus’s face in his chambers, I knew I had nothing to fear; just as I had known as I walked towards him earlier in the cathedral.