Aurora by Beth Ball

Author:Beth Ball [Ball, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grove Guardian Press

Chapter 5

Evening rain lent its cadence to Dorric’s thoughts of Emelyee. He imagined petals falling from the flowering trees of Aurora, coating the ground in a pattern unique to this rainstorm alone. The next morning, as the sun emerged and dried them, servants would come and sweep them to the side. Others would crush them beneath their feet. They would brown and join the earth once more. Why did she allow herself to remain so unhappy?

Her delightful presence inspired him toward a better version of himself, a Dorric who was braver, more forthcoming. It was only right, he resolved, that he attempt, for Emelyee’s sake, to bring that better elf into being. The next time he saw her, he would speak honestly. I should dearly love to see you enjoying the—no, that wouldn’t do. Dearest Emelyee . . . Was there a way to address the issue that wasn’t brash? Or was he simply presuming to know what was best for her, as he sensed Calderon did? Why besides his own feelings should he assume that he knew better?

These doubts clouded Dorric’s mind the next morning as he and Lady Amastacia met for their walk deeper into the woods. He was determined to let her speak as she chose and to give her a reprieve from the expectations placed on her by her life inside the court. Anything further would be advancing his own agenda rather than responding to her needs and desires.

Emelyee was quiet on their walk to the forest edges, her mood perhaps dampened by his. They walked through the trees, following a faint path that wound its way through the woodland. The trail narrowed, and Emelyee stepped ahead of him, reaching back to take his hand in hers. Dorric’s heart thrummed in his chest, sonorous enough to scare away any creature that prowled nearby. She asked for more details about his childhood, what life had been like in Invae Alinor, the white marble city sheltered entirely by the cave from which it was carved.

Dorric diverted her next set of questions about his travels to ask after her experiences. What had it been like to be a young noblewoman in Linolynn? Where had she visited across Caldara, and where else in the world would she go if given the chance?

After some encouragement, Emelyee detailed her life in Io Keep and her favorite aspects of Linolynn’s culture. She had a great curiosity for the future direction of her nation under the prince once he was crowned king.

“From what you told me yesterday,” Dorric said, “your family’s heritage connects to this estate, does it not?”

“Yes, Aurora has been part of the Amastacia holdings since before Linolynn was a kingdom.” Emelyee glanced back at him.

“If I may be so bold, then, why is it that we have a King and Prince Arontis and not a Queen Amastacia?”

Emelyee laughed heartily, shaking her head. “That wouldn’t do at all, Dorric. My mother was not in the line of succession and, besides, she would not have enjoyed being queen.

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