Aura walked for almost six hours before encountering any true forms of civilization, and even that wasn’t much, just huts in a clearing. There were no visible means of transportation, or what she considered permanent dwellings, and the stench emitted by the hovels was overpowering. Having observed the living conditions, she decided to return to the cave, to think over what she had discovered. She had to accept the fact that she was no longer home, which presented a new set of problems, but she had no idea what to do about it.
Where was she? How in the world had she gotten here? These questions were primary in her mind. Her secondary concern was about obtaining a future food supply. Sure, she had a good short-term supply of edible products, so she would not be immediately pressed on the matter but the question would have to be addressed in the not so distant future. In the meantime she would have to keep an eye on what food was available, for her pets as well as for herself.
Aura remembered the old cook who had served as both friend and mentor, and silently blessed her patience, as she recollected the hours she had spent with her. The woman had taught her about herbs and spices, the culinary, as well as the medicinal qualities in each one, and how to use them to their best advantage. As luck had it, she had been an attentive and apt student, believing that no knowledge should be overlooked, in case it could be used to save a life at a later date. The cook had encouraged her in her hopes and dreams of becoming a doctor. She had also taught her how to cook. Cooking would be an immediate and important factor in her life, she needed to cook to eat.
As Aura had not met anybody on her explorations, she jogged on her return to the cave, lost in her thoughts, as she sought to make up for the time she had spent looking over the village. She had wanted to get back to the cave before dark, and the sun was descending already. She stopped when she heard the whinny of horses, and the sound of male laughter near her pond.
People! Should she make herself known? No, perhaps that was not such a good idea under the circumstances. What a joke, she had no way of knowing what her circumstances were. What if they were not friendly? She had to admit that she was very vulnerable to attacks of any type, for she had no knowledge of any form of self-defense.
With a stealth she had leaned by sneaking about the house trying to avoid her mother and step sisters, she made her way up a nearby tree, where she could watch and listen, to the men below. This was a way she could learn more about the new environment about her, and the people who inhabited it.
The men were dressed in heavy leather, cloth, and a type of medieval chain mail, the latter covering their upper torsos. Aura remembered seeing pictures of such artifacts in history books and museums of ancient times, and wondered about people wearing such items now. Could this be a movie set? No. She dismissed that particular thought. She had traveled too far for that scenario to be the case. Movies did not encompass six hours of walking in one direction. So who were these men? Where was she? She glanced over to the massive horses, which had carried the men, and felt that just perhaps, she had been wise to hide. These men, whoever they were, looked like warriors. Taking a moment she noticed their weapons, which were visible not only by their sides, but attached to their horses, and they were as primitive as their costumes.
She edged closer, to hear what they were saying to each other, wondering as she did whether she would even begin to be able to understand what they were saying. To her surprise she found she could, although it took a lot of concentration to do so, for they spoke a crude, guttural form of English.
"They raid again along the Eastern shores, where they do not meet any serious resistance."
"They are not supposed to though, are they?
The first man laughed at that, and, refusing to incriminate himself further, changed the subject, for this was not a time for trust or confidences, this was a time of war.
"I hear you have a new lady love."
"Yes, but not for long, I tire of her already. She clings and is beginning to speak of words of love." The man gave a snort and sneered. "As if I could ever love one such as her. She is no more than a peasant. Perhaps, being a friend, you would consider taking her off of my hands."
"It will not be necessary. If things keep going the way they are, you will be in a war soon, and she will turn to someone else more willing to bend to her will, and to bed her." The man chuckled, then added. "Besides, you know I have little or no use for mistresses."
"Well, it is not because you do not have an appetite for women. Your reputation, when it comes to sexual promiscuity is legend. The poor mamas at court are at wits end to know what to offer you to settle you down."
"That is because they are becoming desperate to hide their own wantonness. I would have been approached more than once, if my reputation with my blade would not have been better known than my womanizing."
"True, your dexterity with your blade is well known, but the rest I had heard nothing about."
"Nor will you repeat any of it. I do have a maid in mind to take as a wife, and in time, I will approach her brother for her hand."
"Her brother and not her father?' The man puzzled, then exclaimed: "Signi? You seek to court the incomparable Signi? Thorn would cut your heart out if he knew you lusted after her."
"Not if I did so within the bounds of matrimony. That would make it acceptable, even for the great Lord Thorn."
"It is risky, even the High King respects and seeks the Lord Thorn's counsel. He is no man to play for a fool."
"I agree, he is a dangerous man, but I am determined to deal with him in an open and honest fashion. It is the only possible way I can hope to win her hand and live. Signi is loyal to her family and their code of honor. You must admit, she is a beauty and well worth the effort."
"She has a dowry large enough to attract any suitor she wants, and they say her brother has promised her free choice. She will choose only a man she can love they say. Nor is the Lady Signi anyone's fool, as for the rest, I am eminently lovable but enough of this. It is time we moved on if we expect to make the next town by nightfall. I have no intention of staying in this town. The people here are too suspicious of strangers."
"They also have been informed of the raids, nor are we all that far away. I cannot blame them for their wariness."
As far as Aura was concerned, the men had long over stayed their welcome, despite their lesson in language. She was stiff from maintaining her perch in the tree, she was hungry as she had not eaten since morning, and she was beginning to feel chilled because of the setting of the sun. She could think of nothing, other than getting down so she could make herself something to eat and review what she had learned. She had a lot to think about.
To Aura, who was used to the finest of modern conveniences, the town she had seen was no better than a cluster of mud huts and hovels, and she was appalled at the living conditions. To her the cave was much preferable. She realized that she was going to have to be careful not to be seen.
Her clothing and manners seemed completely alien to what she had witnessed so far, and she feared what they might do to her if they found her. Primitive societies were not very understanding towards things they did not understand, and they would not know what to think about her. Nor did it help that she was female and this opened possibilities that she did not care to dwell on for too long.
She also understood that to run off from the area, without knowledge of what the true conditions were like about her, would be an act of a really ignorant person. She needed time, time to watch, time to find out where and in what time period she was in, time to decide how to adapt, and time to find a way to get back to where she belonged, because she certainly did not belong here.
CHAPTER VI
"They are breaking up." Duke Vernon yelled at Thorn over the clash of the battling armies.
"I know," Thorn yelled back as he met yet another warrior, and dispatched him with two swift lethal blows of his sword. "That means the chase will be on soon."
"Do not remind me," Vernon answered. "You
might like to run down the enemy, but that does not mean that I have to do it too."
"Admit it, you enjoy the thrill of the chase. It makes for an efficient ending."
"I do not have to admit anything, but as you are so happy about the challenge I will leave the cleaning up to you and your men. I am sure they will appreciate that every bit as much as I would."
"They know the way of battle and they will not hesitate to follow my example."
Nor would they hesitate to do all they could to make sure their Lord was safe. Vernon knew that and felt safe in teasing his friend about it. Thorn, being a strong and respected leader, attracted only the best warriors. It was a following that a weaker man would envy, though he, Vernon, only admired. As far as he was concerned: the stronger his supporting forces were, the stronger he was, and as Thorn chose to pledge his allegiance to him that made him even more powerful than most.
"Edmund, to my side." The signal was given and Thorn's elite fight guard fell into place. It was time to put the finishing touches to the battle. Thorn had found that after a battle, the less there was of the enemy to regroup, the less criminals there would be to patrol for, and the safer his people would be.
Another skirmish two miles further should have ended this particular exercise, but it did not quite work out that way. Confronted by the superior numbers and force of Thorn's men, the group split even more, and Thorn ordered his own men to do likewise, despite Edmund's objections.
"You are spreading your men too thin Thorn and thus leaving yourself open to attack. This could be just a trap to lure you away from the rest of us."
"Are you questioning my command?" Thorn snapped, though he felt no challenge from his brother.
"No, but you must admit, the possibility does exist."
"I know, but this is not the time."
"You are too well known Thorn, and too sought after. An ambush could happen at any time. I want to ride with you to protect your back."
"There are only two men brother, I need no one at my back. I send you with two men to bring down seven. Now ride, do as you are commanded, for until I move from the family estates I am still over lord." With that Thorn pulled on the reigns and spurred his horse in another direction.
Edmund tossed Thorn a frown then galloped after his own men. Thorn could understand Edmund’s anxiety, they were brothers and they were a close family unit. Edmund was the worrier, Thorn the one who moved forward, albeit not recklessly. Edmond knew this and he trusted his brother’s judgment, as did everyone else who knew him. He had proven himself over the years.
Feeling as if they were being pursued by the devil himself the men zigzagged through the forest that skirted the battle zone, yet each time they changed their direction, so did their pursuer. It was enough for them to pray that their over lord would soon join them, for they knew that if the Lord Thorn caught up with them before they reached help they were dead men.
"That man has a nose like a hound." One of the men complained to the other as they changed direction again.
"Save your breath in case he catches us, for the ensuing battle. He won’t give us a choice of what we want. If he defeats us, he will cut out our throats. Who got us into this in the first place?"
“If you care to remember at all it was you, thought why I am not quite sure. I think you wanted to impress the over lord if I am not mistaken. Well, he isn’t here. We are. Ask me if I am impressed.”
“Some form of help should be forthcoming, even if it is not from our Lord. Surely we were not the only ones who ran from that hellish battle. I am sure I saw a whole contingent of others leave with us.”
“Yes, and as soon as they saw who was chasing us they all scattered like leaves in the wind. It is just our luck we ended up with the Lord Thorn on our tail, in person. He could have chased after any of the others with my blessing.”
“I have fought him before, he always goes after the smallest group himself. It never fails.”
“So you say,” the other man puffed as he again changed direction, passing a couple of comrades as he did.
Thorn saw the men as their comrades passed them and pulled his sword in battle readiness. He knew the signs of an upcoming fight. He just hoped that he was not about to face the four of them together. There was only so much he could do on his own, despite his reputation. He hadn’t expected this.
As luck would have it, the two that he had been chasing kept riding as he clashed with their comrades. It didn’t take him long to dispatch them, for they were every bit as tired and winded as their friends had seemed to be. He thanked God for the soundness of his mount, and spurred back after the two that he had been following earlier. It was time to finish tying up all the loose ends.
He found the men three miles further into the forest, near a clearing. They were waiting for him, and they were ready.
CHAPTER VII
It had taken Aura almost a week to figure out her approximate location, but how she had gotten there remained a mystery. From what she could see of the layout of the land she had decided she had to be in the South East end of England, not too far from where she had lived. The lack of anything familiar told her that she was no longer living in the time period she had grown up in. She had no idea what year it was, just that there was nothing here that she could relate to. She was lost in a maze of time and space and all she could do was to try and survive.
The time passed quickly for Aura. Week after week went by and she managed to avoid discovery. She was afraid of being found. She was scared of what they might do to her. It was obvious to her that she didn’t belong in this time and place. She considered herself lucky, for although she had witnessed what she considered several embarrassing meeting, her own presence went unnoticed. She went about her solitary way learning what she thought she needed to know to survive in her alien surroundings. It seemed as if there were never enough hours in a day to pack all she felt she needed to accomplish, and she established a pattern to try to make it easier.
The pond below the falls had become a bathing spot for her, one she used with caution and discretion. She had always preferred morning showers, now she bathed after dark or very early in the day. The first order of business for Aura continued to be food, and the ways of procuring it. Her first kill; however necessary, had been followed by tears of guilt, though her wolf had seemed pleased enough about it. She had never killed anything before, and to see the poor creature in its death throws had been more than she could handle. It was something she had learned to overcome with the passing of time. She understood that her existence depended on gathering what she could from the land.
Both the wolf and Roger were growing, and while Roger seemed to do well on his own, it seemed as if Wolf was almost totally dependent on her. He ate as if he was starved. Aura could not hold it against him. He was such a lovable, cuddly puppy, and he was so much fun.
In the learning process she found that she had to implement many of the lessons she had been taught in her science courses, and she often wished that she had a few of her text books with her. She, however, had to be happy that she could remember as much as she could. Even then she found survival hard, and often feared she might starve to death. It took almost all of her efforts just to survive.
In the beginning she had spent a lot of time deciding how she was going to manage to make ends meet. She had made a mental list of things she was going to have to do before the winter weather set in. Though it had been months away at the time, she decided she had to begin as soon as possible for her efforts to be effective. She laid in a supply of wood, grasses, herbs, grains, and other such dry items, so she would not either freeze or starve, and although she had been unsure how she would manage to hide the continuous smoke, she had found a way. Then again, maybe nobody had noticed, or even cared that she was there.
Aura devised a system to keep track of the days, marking them off on the cave wall, just as her caveman ancestors had done at one time. She also used the surface to write on, as a form of journal.
In her imagination she could see some future archeologist studying her writings. They would never accept the truth of them. The memories she wrote on the wall would make no sense, not to a mind unable to deal with the reality she was living. She could barely believe it herself.
No one, in the era that Aura had come from, would believe the stories she wrote. She told how she had woken one morning soon after she arrived to find a rat in the cave. She had screamed and screamed. The rat had run for the exit, but it had not been fast enough to evade the coils of the snake its movement had attracted. Aura had declared her undying gratitude to Roger.
A whole new world opened up for Aura as she worked to fit into her new world. She had never had much to do with nature before, and it was an alien country outside. Chipmunks might be cute, she thought, but they were destructive. The light of her fires at night kept most of the predators at bay, but she could feel them watching her as she sat and shook by the flames. She had to work to get past her fears and prejudices, as there was no room for them. It was time to toughen up or she would never survive. A rabbit was food, sometimes, even squirrels. It no longer mattered if they were cute. She also needed to find things to keep her warm during the winter. She only had herself to depend on, and in this world it was the survival of the fittest.
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