Aurora's hands hurt. She had worked all day in the fields, thick calluses the only thanks she received. Her father would insult her, finding a new excuse to hit her. Her mother would join in, fearful to become the victim instead. As she had become of age, turning into a proper woman, her mother hadn't looked at her the same. How could she, the one who raised her, treat her with such jealousy? Better than her father, though. He hated his life, having achieved nothing of true value, including her.
But she would stomach their dislike of her. Not long, and she would be free of them. Tonight was the midnight mass, and Jonas would be there. His eyes had followed her for the last months, and she returned them each time. Once the Bliss had taken hold of them, she would go to him. He would become hers. She would feel his skin on hers, his kisses on her legs, and…
"Crown Princess Aurora,"
A knock followed, ripping Aurora out of her trance. She sighed, her vision fading, transforming back to her room. She sat in her recliner. After experiencing the hard labor of this pleb girl, the cushion greeted her like Harras himself, cradling her in clouds.
"What is it?" she called back, putting down the marriage ring that belonged to the girl.
Fidelis cleared his throat, hesitating. Aurora knew her assistant was wringing his hands, shivering. "It is… his Highness. The Emperor is… unwilling to leave his room. But we need to discuss tomorrow's meetings and ceremonies."
Aurora groaned. "Did he drink again?"
"Y… yes."
"Harras help me," she whispered to herself. "I can't get a moment for myself."
She nudged herself into her recliner one final time, wondering what Jonas' touch would feel like. Or his love. "Fidelis, I'm coming. Give me a moment, and I'm there with you."
Fidelis let out a breath, all tension leaving with it. "Harras bless you, princess. What would we do without you?"
Aurora scoffed at that, standing up. "Indeed," she said to herself.
The Silvermoon had vanished behind the horizon, and the acquainted havoc of the castle had cooled off. She knew her day wasn't over. They never were, really, but she had hoped for more peace. But Father had another one of his episodes. Since the vision, they had worsened. Unsurprising, considering their content, but he never cried out Liron's name or cursed his own demise. Something else haunted him.
Her vast room, filled with the greatest riches the Empire had to offer, was cast into shadow. All the beauty and riches, hidden away. They had no meaning to her. The marriage ring did. Aurora walked over to her wardrobe and put away the ring with the others. Objects that once belonged to the people who had passed a long time ago. Their life and their secrets, Aurora had lived through them all. Anna's life was a simple and hard one. She had carried burdens unknown to Aurora. Ones she needed to know as princess to the Empire. How could she lead her people if she didn't understand them?
Though, she didn't do it for them alone. Who doesn't enjoy a short escape from one's life from time to time?
She looked into her mirror. A grand thing, even for her standards. Its frame was forged and crafted by the best Lorsos had to offer, a personal gift from Hugo Lorraine to her. Aurora cared little for it. She focused on her reflection alone. Slumped shoulders and a weary expression. Even her emerald green eyes shone dimmer. She could have blamed the darkness ruling her room, but why lie? Where else is she to be truthful than in the safety of her own space? Where else could she be her own person?
Piece by piece, she reconstructed herself, fixing her posture and demeanor. She kept her white hair open. Only trusted servants occupied the castle at this time of the day. They knew what was behind the mask she and her family wore. Drom's spit, they were the ones to put it on for them.
Mending away the last hints of her true self, she became the princess her castle and Empire knew her for. The one they had to believe in. She nodded towards her reflection, easing her mind. At least Sister was on her side.
Aurora opened the door, and Fidelis lowered his head. Her assistant wore the finest garments, signifying him as part of the royal court. Any highborn would have died of jealousy if they had seen him. Gold and red, the colors of the Emperor. The greatest honor for a man of his station. Unlike the clothes of the different realms and their nobility, Casares and the Emperor dictated looser fabrics, similar to the dresses highborn women chose. Little difference between men and women; they alone wore the pieces that once Harras Himself had chosen for Himself. What greater honor could there be?
Aurora had grown tired of them. Beautiful they were, but nothing compared to the ones the Lorraines had. Even the House of Assassins had a more intriguing dress code than them. Theirs was so sterile and plain, lacking the abundance they surrounded themselves with otherwise.
"Shall we?" Aurora asked, taking the lead.
They walked through the great corridors of the castle, each adorned with the paintings of Aurora's ancestors and their heroic deeds. The royal Alchemists had ensured her to appear as these women, no difference between her forebears and her. Should one see them for the first time, one could believe they all depict Aurora. Why bother painting new ones when they all looked the same?
A foolish question. One Aurora knew the answer to. The Empire was a beast of tradition and processes, granting it life.
Aurora kept her back straight. Any sign of weakness or flaw was buried underneath her mask. As soon as she had left her room, she had ceased being a person. Now, she belonged to no one but her role.
"What is the schedule for tomorrow?" Aurora asked.
Fidelis rummaged through his papers, struggling to find the correct one. "Ehr… ah, here! Tomorrow, Julius Kraft has requested royal blessing for his new legion of Wrathlings. He asked for you."
Kraft. While below Joan la Marshall, he struck her as the most trustworthy among the Divine Generals. Joan was too closely linked to her Father, Nihil was beyond her comprehension, and she would be damned if she ever trusted Fugner. Aurora nodded. "Tell him I will be there. He's the pride of our army."
"Of course, of course. Lesiar has demanded a meeting with you. She is very displeased with your behavior during the last mass. She has prepared a… thorough presentation of your… Ehr… many shortcomings."
Dreadful woman. One could think she was royalty the way she ordered her around. "I understand. I didn't lower my head enough for my father, correct?"
"... yes… besides other things…"
Aurora grinded her teeth. "Very well. What else?"
"A new diplomat from Aras has arrived."
"Interesting. How is he faring?"
"Already better than the last representative the Tos sent. He's the son of a chieftain. He should be strong enough to endure longer. But he's also… confident. He wants to negotiate a higher compensation for the prisons as well as stronger trade routes."
"And Janloo?"
"It seems he and his people aren't in favor of the merchants…"
"They want more control. I understand. I shall talk to him. Any news concerning the Fae and the Alder Expanse?"
"No. The Fae's Well has cooled down and the skirmishes have ceased."
"Good. We don't have the resources to aid the Druids in their battle. And the Ravenspawn? What has happened in Kupferrang?"
Fidelis cringed, rubbing his neck. "We have received confirmation from the assigned Inquisitor's apprentice that Liron Sturm and the Resistance's agents have successfully fled the city. They are on the Flying Islands."
A boy of fourteen, two years younger than her. Impressive. "May he suffer Drom's embrace. Janloo has made a deal with the Resistance after all. What is with the Inquisitor? Has he fallen? And what has happened with the city? We had no news for days."
"The Inquisitor Adenius Klang is still alive and has infiltrated Janloo alongside the Ravenspawn. But…"
"What is it? Speak, Fidelis."
"We have no further insights on the city. The Inquisition has declared it an area of their responsibility and refuses to give us any further details."
Cursed Inquisition. As a core pillar of the Empire, they were outside the direct control of her and her family, operating on nothing but Harras' holy words. Even her father would be hard-pressed to get anything out of them. The Inquisition acted on their fanatic logic, and they would never bend to her word. Forcing their way in would create nothing but further friction, which would prove lethal in the current situation.
"Find me anything you can," Aurora said. "The Inquisition is trying to hide what happened to Kupferrang. And this Adenius, I wanted everything there is on him. I have heard his name before."
"Yes… he… this isn't the first time such a thing has happened."
"I see," Aurora said through clenched teeth. "What's with the Resistance? Have their attacks stopped?"
"Not fully, but as we received news of the Ravenspawn's escape, they have loosened the pressure on us. No realms report further assassinations, public unrest, or skirmishes. But Sannara is… a different topic. The Qilesh are still thirsting for our blood thanks to the Resistance. But with the return of Julius Kraft to the battlefield, we should gain control back over the lost territory."
Aurora didn't respond. There were no words for the thousands that had drenched the dunes red. "What public appearances are planned for tomorrow?"
"Ehr… only one. You and your brother are to bless a general who has reached the right to retire."
As Aurora wanted to ask about the general, a voice cut her off from behind. "Sister, I found you."