by Aron Lewes
For the second time, Aurora felt a wave of nausea creeping into her stomach. Their superfluous sweet-talking would have made anyone nauseous. However, she couldn’t deny they were a attractive pair. The princess had posies in her hair, the complexion of a child’s doll, and a pink dress to match her rosy cheeks. She was, in a word, adorable. And Lyric, though downright annoying, was also disgustingly handsome. With his chiseled cheekbones, intense dark eyes, and thick mahogany hair, it was no wonder the princess was smitten with him. To think that such beautiful people were also rich and royal—it was completely unfair!
“Lyric...oh!” The princess’ gaze fell on his bare chest, and she took a few steps away from him. For the first time, she noticed her beau’s lack of clothing. “What in the world are you wearing?”
“A towel.”
“I see that it’s a towel, but why in the world are you wearing it? What happened to your clothes?”
Lyric wrapped an arm around the princess’ shoulders. “That would be a long story, Rachelle. I don’t want to bore you with the details.”
“Any story that explains how you ended up with barely any clothes could hardly be boring!” The princess’ gaze slid over to Aurora. “Excuse me...who is she?”
“My cousin!”
“His cousin.”
Lyric and Aurora shouted their answers the same time. At least they were corroborating their stories.
“Oh. Well, Lyric, get inside! I can’t leave you standing out here like this! I’ll have a tailor come at once.”
“Aurora. My cousin’s name is Aurora.”
“Okay. She can come inside as well, of course. Any family of yours is welcome in the castle.” Rachelle coiled an arm around Lyric and steered him into the castle. As they stepped inside, Rachelle barked an order at the guard. “Show the cousin to one of the guest bedrooms, if you please.”
Arm-in-arm, they left Aurora behind. Lyric didn’t bother to look back at her, not even once. Maybe, at long last, she was truly rid of him?
“Will you allow me to escort you to your own chambers, miss?” It was the same guard as before, the one who heckled the emperor. Now that Aurora was a guest in the castle, his demeanor completely changed.
“Um... sure.”
She barely had a chance to soak in the castle’s lavish interior before she was accosted by a cluster of maids, eager to do her bidding. They followed her down a long corridor, spewing questions along the way.
“Some refreshments for you, miss?”
“Can I get anything for you, miss?”
“Will you be dining with the emperor and princess tonight, miss?”
“Uh, uhhh...” Which question was she supposed to answer first? “Um, refreshments? Some tea would be nice. And maybe some cake?”
One of the maids turned on her heel and fled.
When the maid was gone, Aurora wondered if she should have asked for a full course meal, as it had been a long time since she had one. Cake, as silly as it sounded, was the first thing that popped into her head.
“Can I get anything else for you, miss? Anything at all?” Another maid chimed.
“Well, a bath would be nice. And maybe a clean dress?”
“I’ll get right on it, miss!” The second maid was off in a flash.
Aurora looked over at the last maid and raised her eyebrow. “What was the last question?”
“Will you be having dinner with the emperor and the princess, my lady?”
Aurora shook her head so fast, her neck popped. Dinner with those two lovebirds
was hardly her idea of fun.
HEAVEN COULDN’T BE much better than this. The bath was just the thing she needed after everything she’d been through, and the soak in warm water was just the beginning. The maid filled the bathtub with rose petals, and candles floated on the surface of the water. The mattress in her bedroom was the softest thing she ever lay on, and the canopy was swathed in extravagant red silk. Her closet was filled with the most beautiful dresses, hand-selected for Aurora to wear.
Being the emperor’s faux cousin was certainly worth it.
Aurora devoured a slice of black forest cake and slipped beneath the blankets for a nap. However, her peace was disrupted as soon as she closed her eyes. Someone was knocking on the door. Without thinking, she ran to the door and flung it open.
In her nightgown.
The sight of Lyric’s face on the other side of the door made her remember her modesty. She closed the door half-way and peered out. “Um... hello.”
Lyric’s eyebrow was raised so high, it was almost comical. “Hello. Excuse me, why are you hiding?”
“Well, I’m not exactly decent.”
“Are you serious? Have I not been walking around in the nude for the last six hours?” He made a gesture to the clothes he was wearing: black tailored pants and a white poet’s shirt. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“What’s amazing?”
“Clothes! I’m actually wearing clothes!”
Aurora cracked a smile, but she stayed hidden behind the door.
“Well, anyway, I’m here to personally invite you to dinner.” Before she could be touched by this friendly gesture, he added, “It wasn’t my idea. Princess Rachelle insisted that my cousin should join us.”
“Oh.”
“So, will you come?”
“I already told the maid I wasn’t coming.”
“Oh, come on! You should come!” Lyric pressed. “It might be the first and only time we get to have dinner together.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, right... my last supper before I go into the stockade.”
“Well, I might pardon you. I’ve been in a better mood since I arrived at the princess’ doorstep.” Aurora started to close the door on him, but he wedged his fingers between the door and frame before she had a chance to close it. “No one refuses an invitation from the emperor, nor does the emperor dole out invitations very often. You should be honored.”
“This girl should be honored to accept the invitation of an emperor who refers to himself in the third person?” With a sigh, she added, “Alright, I’ll come. But you’ll have to give me a minute to get dressed.”
“Very well. I will wait outside your door.”
Aurora closed the door. It seemed she would be dining with the lovebirds after all. With a groan, she went to the wardrobe and randomly selected a dress. It was midnight blue with a veil of silvery gauze over the front of it. When she put it on, she felt like she was draped in moonlight. The dress was so beautiful, it seemed more suitable for the likes of Princess Rachelle.
That’s what she thought—until she met with Princess Rachelle in the dining room.
“Oh, I remember that dress. It’s one of my cast-offs,” she said, scrutinizing Aurora from head to toe. “It’s so outmoded. Could they find nothing better for you to wear?”
Rachelle’s snobbery was like a fist to the gut. The dress was probably expensive enough to feed a family of four for an entire year, but the princess had the nerve to insult it? Somehow, Aurora found the strength to hold her tongue. “This is fine, thanks.”
When they were all seated, a string of cooks descended on them with an endless tide of silver platters. There were only three people at the dinner table, but the meal could have easily served twenty. There was roast duck, roast beef, grilled salmon, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, and a soup with odd-looking string beans floating in it. Aurora made a mental note to skip the soup. As hungry as she was, she wasn’t feeling that adventurous.
However, she piled heaping portions of everything else onto her plate. When she compared her portions to Rachelle’s, she felt a bit sheepish. Oh well, she thought to herself, and proceeded to shovel food into her mouth.
As her fork hovered tentatively over her plate, Rachelle watched Aurora. “Your cousin’s table manners leave something to be desired.”
“Yes, well...” Lyric chuckled. “She was raised in the country. What can I say? Her mother is the black sheep of the fam
ily, I’m afraid. My aunt ran away with a farmer when she was sixteen years old.”
Aurora lifted her head and glared at Lyric, then she turned to glare at Rachelle. She wasn’t going to let the princess’ criticism stop her from enjoying her meal. She skewered a giant slice of roast beef and stuffed the whole thing into her mouth.
“You never told me about that!”
“Yes, it’s true,” Lyric shook his head, as though ashamed. “There’s an entire branch of my family that I’m embarrassed to call my own.”
Aurora clenched her fork so tightly, she nearly bent it—which was no small feat, as it was probably pure silver. She had never encountered such rudeness in all her life! They were talking about her as if she wasn’t there, and Lyric was making up lies on a whim! If not for the guards standing at the doorway, she would have been tempted to plunge her fork into his arm.
The princess couldn’t take her eyes off of her beau long enough to take a bite. “Oh, Lyric,” she cooed. “You’re so, so handsome!” She reached up and ran a hand through his short, dark hair.
“Why, thank you.”
“Being near you sets my heart aflutter!” she declared. “I’m sure your cousin doesn’t want to hear all this, but I can’t help myself! Even she must realize what a beautiful man you are!”
Lyric gingerly took a bite of his fish. Unlike the princess, he seemed more interested in food than flattery. “Who knows?”
“You have such searing eyes. It’s as if they’re looking straight into my soul! What color are they, anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever noticed. They almost look green... or silver.”
“Brown,” he corrected her.
“Oh.” She ran her hand along his arm, caressing him like she owned him. “You’re so strong, too. So masculine!”
Aurora almost spat out the wine she was drinking. Masculine? She begged to differ. She’d heard enough of his whining to know he was far from masculine.
“You have such a strong chin.” Rachelle touched his jaw, but he hardly seemed to notice. He just kept chewing.
“Thanks.”
“And perfect lips.”
“They’re perfect for kissing, if you’d like to try them.” Though he was clearly extending the offer to Rachelle, he looked up at Aurora and winked.
“And a perfect nose... perfect ears... perfect cheeks.” Rachelle tapped each of Lyric’s body parts as she named them.
Aurora decided she’d heard enough. If she had to listen to Rachelle any longer, she would likely vomit the food she was putting into her mouth. She stood up and said, “I’m feeling a bit under the weather. Do you mind if I take my dinner to my room? It seems like you two would rather be alone, anyway.”
Rachelle’s eyes were fixed on Lyric, and it didn’t look like she would be tearing them away any time soon. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Aurora, not even for a second. “Oh... go on.” The princess waved her off with a flick of the hand.
“Goodnight, cuz,” Lyric said, winking at Aurora yet again.
“Goodnight, idiot.” As she walked by, Aurora laid a hand on his head and gave his hair a ruffle.
Rachelle drew in a sharp breath as soon as Aurora was gone. The princess puffed up her chest and shook her head in disgust. “How dare she talk to you like that? She’s not even royalty, is she? Did she really call you an idiot? Aren’t you going to do something about that?!”
“Nah.” Lyric brought another piece of fish to his lips. “We’re family. I guess we just have that sort of relationship.”
IV
AURORA WAS SHAKEN FROM her sleep by a sound so shrill, skeletons might have risen from the dead in search of earplugs. She tried to smash her pillow against her ear in an effort to drown out the noise, but it didn’t help. After three minutes of non-stop squealing, she got out of bed to investigate.
The source was none other than Princess Rachelle, who was howling like a banshee from the bowels of Hell. She paced the hallway with her knuckles curled, as if searching for someone’s neck to wring.
“Um, Your Highness?”
Rachelle didn’t stop to acknowledge Aurora. She was too caught up in her own misery to notice anything around her.
“Princess Rachelle!” Aurora reached for Rachelle as she walked by, nearly clotheslining the princess with her outstretched arm. That got her attention.
“What?! What do you want?!”
“I’m just wondering what’s wrong. You sound like you’re in pain.”
“Not pain. Distress.”
“Was it Lyric? I bet he did something to upset you, didn’t he?”
“Goodness no, it’s not Lyric! He’s the greatest man in the world! He could never do anything to upset me!” Rachelle insisted. “No, my problem has to do with...my bed.”
“Your bed?”
“Yes. I believe there’s something under the bed, but no one will come and help me!”
“But you’re a princess. You have a lot of servants, don’t you? I’m sure there are plenty of people who could help you.”
“That’s the thing... I think they’re all asleep! They won’t even come when their princess calls for them!” Rachelle laid the back of her hand against her forehead and threw back her head, as though mentally distraught. “I cannot believe the incompetence of the people in this castle!”
“Well...” Aurora looked both ways down the hallway. No one was coming, but no one could have possibly slept through all the yowling. Aurora didn’t blame them for ignoring the princess’ distress call. Rachelle didn’t seem like she would be a pleasant girl to deal with. “I can help you, if you’d like. You said you think there’s something under your bed?”
“Uh huh.” Rachelle pouted and nodded at the same time. “More specifically, I think there’s something under my mattress.”
Aurora walked toward the princess’ bedchamber, which was across the hall from her own. “Under the mattress?“
“Yes. Something was poking me! I have such delicate skin!”
The princess’ bedroom was huge, equal in size to Aurora’s entire cottage. At the center of the room, there were several mattresses stacked on top of each other, reaching halfway toward a dome-shaped, mural-covered ceiling. “But there are at least four or five mattresses here,” she quietly observed.
“I know! There’s something under one of them!”
“Okay, umm... can you help me lift off the first one?”
“Alright.” With a tremendous sigh, Rachelle seized the mattress. “But I shouldn’t be forced to move heavy objects. I am a princess, you know. I’m not fit for this sort of labor.”
Before Rachelle had a chance to complain some more, Aurora grabbed the first mattress and shoved it off the bed. “There’s nothing there.”
“Keep going!”
“But you wouldn’t be able to feel something that wasn’t under the first mattress!”
“Keep going!” Rachelle screamed. She grabbed the second mattress and gave it a tremendous shove.
Nothing.
They moved the third mattress.
Nothing.
Finally, after moving the fourth mattress, Rachelle gasped. “There it is!”
Aurora’s eyes scanned the length of the fifth and final mattress, but she didn’t see anything.
“There!” Rachelle repeated, pointing to a tiny round pebble on one end of the mattress. “Look at that! How did that get there?!”
Aurora picked up the pebble and held it between her fingers. It was barely the size of a pea. “I have no idea. But this couldn’t possibly be the thing you were complaining about. There’s no way you could feel this under all those mattresses.”
“Yes... I did feel it!” Rachelle crossed her arms. “You don’t understand because you’re not royalty. I’m used to luxury, and when anything disrupts my comfort, I’ll know it right away!”
“Wow.”
“It’s completely unacceptable! I’ll have to reprimand my servants for this, but I guess it can wait until tomorrow.” Rachelle yawned. �
��Arrange my mattresses as they were before, if you don’t mind.”
Aurora certainly did mind, but she didn’t protest. The last thing she needed was another stuck-up royal threatening to put her in a stockade, so she opted to do as Rachelle commanded. “You and Lyric make a perfect couple, you know,” she spoke to Rachelle as she heaved the first mattress back on the bed.
Rachelle grinned, tickled by Aurora’s assessment. “Really? You really think so? Oh, I hope you’re right! I think we’d be a perfect couple too!”
Perfect couple... and perfectly spoiled rotten, Aurora’s mind completed the thought.
AGAINST HER BETTER discretion, Aurora joined Lyric and Rachelle for breakfast the next morning. The croissants and jams were delicious, but Rachelle’s constant coddling of her beau was disgusting. Aurora could hardly hold down her food as Rachelle continuously combed his hair, caressed his face, and babbled baby talk in his ear. Lyric was obviously loving the attention, too. Every time he took a bite of his bagel, he seemed to grin from ear to ear.
When breakfast was over, Aurora was ready to leave—not just leave their company, but leave the castle entirely. She planned to go into town and ask if anyone knew how to get to Avalon. But Lyric had other ideas. He caught up to her in the hallway, impeding her escape.
“You... girl. Come here for a moment.”
With slumped shoulders, she turned around and walked toward him. “When will you start calling me by my name?” With any luck, the answer to that question would be never. After today, she hoped she would never have to see his face for rest of her life. But the emperor was like a shadow on a sunny day. It was impossible to shake him off.
“I’m leaving the castle,” he told her.
“Good for you. Does your girlfriend know?”
“Girlfriend?”
Aurora rolled her eyes. “I’m talking about Rachelle, obviously.”
“Now, now... that’s not my girlfriend. I’m just one of her many suitors. Many men are vying for her hand in marriage. Too many to count.”
“I’d say you’ve already won.”
