Camilla returned to the mansion late after her day out and made her way upstairs. She reached the top and turned down the hallway, heading to her room. She passed by a few maids who were whispering among themselves.
She barely heard the words "Lady Aurora" and "sick" before she turned and rushed off towards Aurora's room, startling the maids. She ran up the stairs to the 3rd floor and turned the corner, stopping hard in her tracks before she collided with Sasha.
"L-Lady Camilla? What's wrong?" Sasha looked at Camila, who was panting slightly from her haste.
Camilla placed her hands on Sasha's shoulders, looking her dead in the eyes. "Tell me what happened to her."
Sasha looked down dejectedly, "I-Im not sure myself…she…refused to say anything about it. Just that she wanted to be alone."
"Tch. That fool, always trying to handle everything herself." She turned and marched off to Aurora's door, knocking a few times before she slowly opened the door. She stepped into the room and looked up, catching a glimpse of an angry expression on her friend's face, one that immediately vanished.
"Camilla! You're here!" Aurora leapt into her friend's arms, giving her a long hug. Camilla shut the door behind her and dragged Aurora to the bed. She gave her hair a small ruffle before pulling it apart.
"Aurora, please tell me what's bothering you. You can't fool me by acting cheerful." Camilla frowned towards her while she simply giggled.
"Whatever could you mean? It was just a dream. Don't you worry your pretty little face about it," She reached out and poked Camilla's nose as she spoke. Camilla could only sigh at her answer.
"I see, well, if you decide to truly talk about it, just… don't forget I'm here for you. Ok?" Aurora's smile faltered for a moment at her words. She leaned her head on Camilla's shoulder, her expression softening.
"I know that, thank you, Camilla. Is Sasha still outside? I doubt she went far, knowing her."
"Do you want me to go get her?" Camilla massaged Aurora's shoulders gently.
"If you don't mind. I need to get changed into a new dress." She motioned to her sweat soaked front.
"Alright. Then I'll take my leave since you seem to be fine now. I have swordsmanship training early in the morning." She turned to leave before pausing as if she remembered something.
"By the way…" She turned her head back, her lips stretched into a thin line, "Happy birthday, Aurora." She left the room immediately after, and Sasha entered in her place, quickly performing her duties to help Aurora become presentable again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two figures sat next to each other at a long table littered with plates of food. A fire-glazed roast drake rested in the center, surrounded by platters of herb-crusted venison, buttered root vegetables dusted with crystal salt, and loaves of warm bread steaming in the candlelight. Bowls of jeweled fruits shimmered like treasure, honeycakes dripped with golden syrup.
The woman, Aurora's mother, sat elegantly while occasionally taking sips of wine. She had dark red hair with blue highlights at the ends, striking purple eyes, and long pointed ears. A testament to her pure elven ancestry.
She wore a deep purple silk dress that clung nicely to her lithe figure, black gloves that went up past her elbows. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun, secured with an ornate hairpin with a wolf head on the end.
Next to her, at the head of the table, sat a middle aged human male. His face was framed by short cut, light blue hair, matching Aurora's, and a well trimmed full beard. His brown eyes glared at the door straight ahead of him, elbows resting on the table, his chin resting on top of his hands. He wore a white button-up shirt with a black vest and a red overcoat.
The door finally creaked open after what felt like an eternity, revealing Aurora in her new snow-white dress. Her redone makeup made her eyes pop. She walked up next to her chair and curtsied, raising her dress up on both sides.
"Mother. Father. I apologize for the delay in my arrival. An unexpected situation caused me to have to change clothes." She stood back up and slowly slid into her seat. A few moments of awkward silence followed. She shifted occasionally as she rubbed her palms together under the table.
"Aurora." Her father's gruff voice cut through the silence, causing her eyes to snap up and meet his.
"Y-yes, Father?"
"Explain to me what happened a few hours ago." His eyes narrowed at her, causing her to freeze up.
"E-explain what, exactly, father?" Her voice came out shaky, not wanting to talk about her random nightmare.
"Haaa…Alaric, really? Don't you think that's enough teasing? Dale already made his report of the incident. Why bring it up again?" Her mother's exasperation had reached its peak, leading her to scold her husband. Once she had given him an earful, she turned back to her daughter.
"Aurora, shall we eat before we talk about your future? Now that you've come of age, there are a few different paths you can take."
Aurora blinked several times before rubbing her ears. "I'm sorry? I don't think I heard you correctly. Aren't you sending me to the academy? But I'm-" she cut her words short when Alaric raised his hand.
"Well, that is certainly a choice you could make, and one I'd recommend to you. We never planned to force you on that path. Sabri-. I mean me and your mother decided to give you the freedom to choose how you'll live long ago."
"But won't it affect how the nobles here view you if I don't attend? All of their children are going…" She looked down at her empty plate, her stomach rumbling silently.
"Hahahah!" Sabrina, her mother, broke out laughing at her silly worries. "So that's…that's what worries you? It won't affect us one bit. After all, we've never cared for our "social image," unlike these backwater nobles."
"But-" Aurora tried to respond, but the words refused to come out.
"No buts, Aurora. Our reputation is our own problem. There is no need for you to worry about it. Just live for yourself." Alaric's expression softened as he spoke those words.
Tears slowly started to form in her eyes, feeling overwhelmed by her parents' unconditional support. Hic hic. She placed her face in her hands as the tears started to fall, an action that caught her parents by surprise. They looked at each other before nodding to each other, their expressions hardening.
Sarina stood up and walked over to Aurora, pulling over a chair next to her and sitting down. She then wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her into her embrace, resting her head against her chest.
"There, there." Sarina ran her hand in a slow rhythm across Aurora's head. "Go ahead and let it all out."
Several moments passed before Aurora finally calmed down and dried her eyes. "Thank you Mother. Father. I apologize for my poor display." She bowed her head forward, causing her parents to frown.
Alaric's voice was firm as he spoke, "Stop that. You have nothing to apologize for!"
"He's right. We should be the ones apologizing." Sarina had moved back to her original seat.
Aurora quickly waved her hand before they erupted into a war of apologies. "No need! No need! Let's eat!" She started piling food on her plate, wanting to move past the somber mood.
Her actions brought a smile to her parents, who followed in preparing food. Aurora was about to place a bite of the drake into her mouth when Sarina dropped a surprise topic on her.
"I guess it's time we talked about your future marriage, huh? Is there anyone you are interested in?" Aurora nearly choked on her food, coughing a few times before taking a drink of her wine.
"P-pardon?" Aurora just stared at her mother with a blank look. Marriage?! What brought this up?! I only just came of age today. "What brought this up so soon, Mother? Isn't it way too soon for me to even be considering that?"
"Huh?! If not now, then when? You aren't planning to make this old, frail woman wait centuries just to have some grandbabies to spoil, are you?" The pout on Sarina's face caused Alaric to try not to laugh out loud.
"You want me to have children already?! And what do you mean by frail? You aren't anywhere near as ancient as the elders!" Aurora couldn't believe what she just heard.
"Of course I do! What? You think we have all the time in the world to sit around peacefully?"
Huh? What does she mean by that? Is something going on? She immediately thought of her nightmare as a possible reason, but quickly dismissed it. It couldn't be that. Foresight isn't something I'm capable of after all.
The dinner dragged on through the night until Camilla arrived.