Aurelia by Aurelia

Author:Aurelia
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-06-07T06:35:55+00:00

Chapter Eight

DEPTH

AURELIA MADE Her WAY TOWARD THE LIBRARY AT the back of the palace. she hoped to arm herself with a novel for the coming night's insomnia. It was not fair, she thought, that robert could go investigate tonight and she was left to battle the terrors of her own imagination.

A cold draft gusted down the open hallway, and she wrapped her arms around her chest to stave off the chill. This original section of the palace with its barren walls and ceilings was impossible to keep warm. To her surprise, the library door stood open. No one except her father and her ever came here.

"Father?" Aurelia peered through the door into the dim corner of the library. The patterns of colored glass in the lone window kept out most of the afternoon light. A gray head turned toward the door, then turned back, bending low along an overflowing bookshelf. The figure's weary eyes and strained face muscles did indeed belong to her father.

"yes." The word came out in a muffled response as he shuffled through layers of sewn book covers.

"I . . . I'm surprised to see you here," she stuttered.

He sighed. "I admit I haven't come here in the last several months. I always know I am in trouble when I am too busy to read."

"I could return later if you would like to be left alone." she edged away, her reason for coming paling beside the memory of the morning's confrontation.

"No." He tugged a thick book from a shelf and straightened to face her. "We should discuss the council meeting."

she lifted her head and stepped forward. "I'm sorry for speaking out of turn, but my opinion is as valid as anyone's."

"Not when you disrespect your stepmother," he answered.

Arguing with him about elise's merits was fruitless. Aurelia groaned inwardly, sinking into a dark chair with a curved back. The scents of dust and leather clung to the furniture. A silver lamp with a hollow wick sat on the table at her side, and she stared into the glowing glass tube.

Lately she felt as though she could not reach her father, as if an invisible wall stood between them. perhaps now, without others in the background, she could bring down that wall. she took the opportunity to tell him about the protest in the market two days before. "The guards should be reprimanded," she finished.

"Their rush to action could have sparked injury or even death."

The king set his chosen book down beside the lamp and rubbed his forehead. "The guards may have acted too soon, but they acted on behalf of your welfare. Could you not try to avoid such explosive situations for a while?"

For the first time, Aurelia realized the cause for the guards' overprotective behavior. They had feared another assassination attempt. she blushed, ashamed of not connecting the events earlier.

"do you still intend to enforce the market tax?" she asked. "Or does knowing it will harm the vendors change your mind?"

He sank down in a chair beside hers.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.