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In the King's service (wolvenrogue and nightsorceress)

Lillian looked Robert as he spoke she never once interrupted him and the let the man speak his peace. "I want to first thank you for returning her home, and i must say to have her return just to be taken away again is my heart breaking then i think you can understand, however with that said her father and I will not stand in your way, if she does want to marry you. But I must stress to you it may not be for the best for her." she nodded her head towards Aurora who was dancing and having a good time. "She has been raised as a free woman, our kind does not do well under strict circumstances that your world offers. she end up depressed or worse and she doesn't even realize it at this time. She may never realize it until it to late. I want you to think about that, and think if that does happen can you live with that"
 
Robert grew sad, he had not expected such a choice and was not prepared for it. He sat for a second before speaking in complete silence. His heart tugging at him. Finally he spoke slowly, deliberately, carefully choosing his words. "If you love someone as I do your daughter, you must be willing to set them free. That applies even to a king. If I had wanted your daughter against he will, I could have kept her as my slave. Instead, I returned her to you. Here she shall stay unless by her own choice she leaves with me. I love her far too much to hold her captive. Whether I go home alone or not. Were she to go with me as my queen, I would hope she would bring with her a bit of joy from this place and add it to our world. I will stay here another day if I'm welcome, then return home with your daughter or without. The choice shall be hers alone. you and her father should tell her this. Not I. In either event, I will love her to my grave.
 
Lillian looked at him a moment. "You will talk to her, you are the one that is thinking marriage. You and her must talk." Lillian paused a moment. "If she does choose to marry you i do have a few request though. I hope that you two will visit often, it would break our hearts to never see her again. the other is something i am not sure if you can accommodate but i hope you can. If you marry, you will marry here"
 
Very well as you wish. I only thought you would prefer I not exert undue influence. I was leaving that advantage to Leam, but as you will. As to your request, a marriage joins two families, and in this case two cultures and two kingdoms. If Aurora will have me then we will marry twice. First here and then in my kingdom. I ask just one thing. I have journeyed to your kingdom to see it first hand and understand you and your people. I ask that you and Leam attend the wedding in my kingdom and do the same. My kingdom is not so dark as you suppose. Please do not forget, I returned your daughter to you. It was not my people who stole her.

With that Robert took his leave of her and went to find Aurora. He found her still celebrating with her friends. He placed his hand softly on her forearm and when she turned to him, he asked, "may I have a moment?"
 
Aurora had been dancing and celebrating with the people she had missed for so long. She had a new wildness about her. She looked so much more a live and free and happy then she ever did before. she felt a hand touch her and smiled when saw it was her love. She smiled and nodded. " Of course." She took him by the hand and lead him away from the party to a much quicker and private it spot near the river. "I am sorry my love that i have been neglecting you all night"
 
"Aurora, its fine that you wer having fun with your friends, in fact, enjoyed watching you, but just now, I have something important to ask you. You need to know first that I asked your mother and father for permission to marry you, and they have consented. However they have an important concern. First they want to be sure that you love me, and second, they want to be sure you will be happy living away from here in your new kingdom, my kingdom. After what I have seen today, that concerns me too. I told your mother that I loved you too much to drag you away from home if it was not your own choice. I would rather live and die a single man than have you be unhappy a single day. So now I have to ask you. Do you love me more than this beautiful place. Enough to live with me in my kingdom? Would you rather be with me than your friends and family? If your love is that strong, I will ask you to marry me, If not, I will say my goodbyes and go home to my country and my customs, fo as king I have no choice. Oh that I wasn't king and could but live here with you. Do you love me that much? The king was down on one knee before her, His eyes focused only on her.
 
Aurora felt like the wind had just been knocked out of her. She looked around at the place where they stood, the place she was captured. Before this moment all she could think about was being with him, but now she was face with the fact that right away she was be taken again. But this time she did have some say. "I um, I love you more than i can ever express, but hard to think about leaving again so soon after being back." her heart was pounding in her chest. "I just think whatever choice i make i am going to be heart broken either way." She bit her lip a moment and looked down at him. "If we marry how soon and how often can i come back to visit?"
 
"I don't know my dear", he answered honestly, not wanting to give her false hope. " but you don't have to leave, remember, I respect your love of family and home. It is what makes you who you are. Still ... at some point you must decide, and where you live will have to be your home, deep in your heart. If not our marriage will not survive. this wonderful place will be your birthplace, but not your home. Home will be my kingdom. As it should be. If you can't accept that I should not marry you. It is not fair to either of us. A tear ran down his cheek as he feered what he would hear next.
 
Aurora shut her eyes tears and run from her closed eyes. "Damn it why did you have to be a King" she said out of frustration. she didn't know what to do. Her heart felt like it was being ripped in two. She couldn't choose. "I...I don't know." She said softly before moving away from him and heading back to the house. she ignored the party and went straight to her room locking the door behind her.
 
Robert was devistated. He had tried to give her a gift, He had broken her heart. His wealth, his power, not even his kindness could help him here. He walked back up the hill to her home. He found Leam and asked to spek to him. He took him aside. Your daughter is crushed and so am I. She cannot choose. So it is my unhappy duty to choose for her. I am going home. Tell he for me that i love her more than my life, and can bear to hurt her no more. I am going home. I will send her the dresses she was to have for my court. She will have all my love always. But I cannot tear her from home. I will not. If she is ever ready to make the choice freely and with a full heart I will be waiting for her, lest I am dead. The king picked up his haversack, and walked back down the mountain to his carriage. It was late so he slept there planning to leave in the morning.
 
Lillian had tried to get to her daughter to talk to her to understand what happen but Aurora refused to open the door. And what little she could get out of from yelling through the door was not much help. With a heavy sigh she left the house hoping to Catch the king in time before he left. She was releaved to see he was still there. Lillian walked up to him. "What the hell happen?" Lillian said very bluntly
 
That was why I didn't want to ask her myself. She is torn. she wants to be married, but doesnt want to leave home. She simply can't decide. She ran rom me and won't talk to me. She has locked herself in her room. She doesn't know I'm leaving, but I asked Leam to tellher whenever she will come out. A married couple must have their own home. The home of the husband. I'n my case I can't even leave. I have a duty to watch after my kingdom.

Since she cannot choose, I must. I will go home and tend to my duty. I will be there if she ever wants me enough. I will never choose another. All this i told your husband and now have told you. My heart is broken. Pray leave me and take care of your daughter if you can. All I ever wanted was her happiness and all has come to ruin.
 
"Damn It" Lillian mumbled to herself after hearing Robert speak. "She has duty's too Robert, and I think that why she is finding it just as hard as you. She has her own kingdom her, she was to be queen one day. don't see if she choose to leave that is the end of our way of life. But more importantly she had only just returned here, now once again she is faced with leaving, i know it hard for you to understand because in your world you never have to make that choice, you can hid behind your kingdom. But in reality you and her are a like, unable to make a choice between kingdom and love"
 
"Lillian!" the king now spoke sternly and with all his kingly presence. "You are wrong! I made a clear choice, I have a duty to my kingdom and I have chosen to honor it! I resent your implication. That decision has cost me dearly, and so has love! Had I not loved your daughter, I could have had her for my queen, against her will and nothing she could have done would have changed it. I did not owe her nor your kingdom anything! Much less the sacrifice of my happiness. Now if you will excuse me, I will get back to a kingdom where the virtue of honest gratitude for a pure act of kindness is still alive! This is a wonderful fun place. But I'll not have you preach to me about the courage to make a decision. I love your daughter. She will be a queen, one way or the other. She must now choose who she shall have for company. Is there any man here who would have sacrificed as much as I have? Good Day to you, and the same to Leam. My offer to Aurora still stands." He turned and climbed in to his carriage.
 
"You can keep your offer than" A voice it seemed to cut through the air like a knife. Aurora stood now in front of her mother. "I would hate for you to sacrifice one more moment of your time on your slave girl. And i guess your right as well, you owe me nothing. Let a lone moment to make the choice you have already made. I would hate for you to sacrifice one moment of your happiness" Aurora used his own words in response.
 
"Aurora? did you hear all that your mother said to me? Decide how you wish, but don't do it in haste. You are angry and hurt. I have no anger for you, or your family. You owe me nothing either. What I have given was a gift, and no gentleman expects a gift to be repaid. Your mother in her zeal to protect you, has trampled on that gift. One given not to her but to you. You cannot give it back. Your freedom is yours. What you do with it is up to you. Don't any longer fancy yourself a slave girl and hide behind the pain it causes. You are a Queen either here or in my country. You must be one. My offer was given out of pure love, for which there can be no shame. My heart is empty without you, but I have done right by you. My offer still stands. You may ignore it if you wish, but I love you and I shall not withdraw it." "Lillian, he said softly, "you know better than to leave this as it is, for your daughter's sake set it right"
 
Aurora looked to her mother and then to Robert. "I hurt deeper than you will ever know Robert, I came down here to beg you for more time to make the choice you have already had the chance to make, but now I do not want it. Just go home, live your life as you were meant to live it." Aurora looked to her mother now "I do not want this life either mother. so both of you can just stop it" Aurora turned and started to walk away she made it to just inside the tree line and her legs could no longer carrier her. She was broken from the inside. She sob softly into the rich brown earth.

LIllian didn't know what to say to any of this any more she moved away letting her daughter have some time.
 
Robert got out of his carriage and walked over to where Aurora lay in the dirt. He got down on his knees and lifted her up. "My darling Aurora, where did you get the idea that I was forcing your hand? You locked me out. My offer was to give you forever to choose. If you had sent word the day i arrived home, I would have turned around and come back. Aurora, I love you for who you are and what you are. I want to share my life with you what ever it brings, good or bad. It is not for myself I go back but for a people who need me just as yours do. My people have no queen, and if I leave, no king either. At least yours have your parents. I chose to do my duty just as you did when you were captured for the sake of the children with you. You laid down your freedom, I laid down my heart. How can you tell me that was wrong? How long do you need to make your decision?"
 
Aurora felt him pick her up she was so limp in his arms. But as lifted her up her face fell against his chest and just cried. Her hot tears soaking his shirt. "I am so afraid to turn my back on my people and my family. If i leave, then once my parents are gone there will be no one here to take care of them. Who will watch over them, who will protect them from the same fate i endured. And who knows when and if i will ever be able to return here to visit them."
 
My dear sweet Aurora, your forgetting something. Our getting married, joins our kindoms in an allaince. My kingdom will protect yours come what may. And what of our chldren, who is to say where they shall reign. If We had been married before that Battle in which you were captured, it would never have happened. Do you think the barbarians that took you would have dared against my army? No one said you could never visit home. I only expect that our home will be your home, not that of your parents. That is part of being married. You may visit, hopefully often, but I did not want to lie to you. There will be time when you will not be able to. I was only being sure not to dissapoint you later. You didnt answer my question. How long do you need to think?
 
Aurora lifted her head slowly from his chest. Her eyes were very red and puffy, tears stained her delicate cheeks. she looked a mess "You mean all that you say?" She paused swallowing hard. "You mean everything you mean you will help to protect this place? and if our children decided to come here instead of follow in your foot steps you be ok with that? and i can come back?" her heart raced in her chest. "perhaps we should have talked all this through to begin with" Her hand touched her forehead a moment trying to think
 
"My dear Aurora, of course I do. Have I ever lied to you? Besides, these things are inherantly true of organised Kingdoms. Yes they may not be as much fun as here, but discipline does provide security. That is why it percists." "Lillian, I believe your daughter requires a bath and a good nights rest, and I'll be needing my room afterall." Robert carried the tiny Aurora back to her home and to her room. "Lillian, in my kingdom we would have a maid for this occasion what is your custome here? She will need some help.
 
Aurora laid her head on his shoulder letting him carry back to the house. Once inside her room she sat on the bed. Lillian entered the room with her "we look after each other. You can have the room across the hall way, I will look after Aurora" With that Lillian closed the door to tend to her daughter.

Aurora was so tired, she slept through the next into the next morning without stirring. Lillian knocked on Roberts door holding a tray of food for him.
 
Robert answered the door. "Good morning Lillian, Did I miss breakfast?" he took the tray from her. "Thankyou" he said "I hope you didn't go to any trouble. I don't require room service, but I do appreciate the effort. Is Aurora awake yet? I should like to speak with her when she is able."
Robert bowed to Lillian and set the tray on his bed table.
 
Lillian stood in the door way watching over the man, she didn't like him but she had little choice, her daughter loved him. "She hasn't come out of her room yet, you can check on her if you would like." Lillian turned to leave but then stopped and reached into her pocket she turned back around holding up a ring with a large diamond in the middle, surrounded by purple amethyst. "This was my mother's, my father had given it to her the day he asked her to marry him. He picked the ring because of the purple stones it reminded him of her eyes, just like my daughter." She paused again. "Perhaps today you can give it to Aurora as my father gave to my mother"
 
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