VI
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Arc VI Chapter 19
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30th Ignis Lunar X AAC 753
The moon stood tall, and the stars stood proud. Once again, night had arrived, and yet slumber continued to elude a certain cute, lively doll who failed to fall asleep despite the lateness of the hour. A long day had passed, yet the land of dreams denied her entry in the most unreasonable of manners, leaving her stranded in the world of the wake.
Restless, little Aurora turned and shifted on her pillow. Left. Right. Left. Left. Right. Left. Right. Right. Right. Unfortunately, to no avail. No matter what, her mind stubbornly refused to succumb to the temptations of slumber. In the end, sleep was not meant to be.
“...” Little Aurora groaned, a heavy sigh escaping her. This was going to be a long night, wasn’t it?
Time moved slowly, at a glacial pace. The hours, the minutes, the seconds passed, yet each felt like a small eternity. The world had come to a grinding halt, as if it was conspiring against her.
Thus, little Aurora was left placed in her bed, her body situated beside her impromptu mistress, safely nestled beneath layers upon layers of cosy blankets. The latter were a more recent, yet most welcome addition and acquisition as the days grew colder.
Her mistress’ devious plan had succeeded. Through means of cuteness, persuasion, and bad conscience, other Aurora was able to procure an additional set of blankets for the coming winter, lightening Lambert’s coin purse in the process. Judging by his exasperated expression and the annoyance on his face, it was a rather common occurrence. Yet he yielded, much to his disgruntled displeasure. ‘Edelgart’ was his precious, little princess. And a little princess could not be allowed to freeze, but such considerations were secondary at the moment ...
“...” Little Aurora rested on her pillow, her glassy eyes staring at the uneventful ceiling above. Sturdy lumbers supported the wooden ceiling.
All this day, there was an unanswered question that bothered her ... And there was only one person able to answer her ... Said person was slumbering right next to her, enjoying the sleep of the just.
“...” Little Aurora moved her head, her gaze falling onto her mistress, her companion, the other Aurora, in the hope of breaking the silence that enveloped the room. Her delicate porcelain fingers touched her mistress’ cheeks. It was a silent plea for attention, for conversation. If only her pleas were heard in the darkness of the night, ...
“Oh my~, whom do we have there~?” A tender, gentle giggle interrupted her. A pair of shimmering, purple orbs watched her, observed her with a hint of concern. Her mistress had awoken from her slumber. “Is something bothering you perchance~?”
Kindness filled her voice and her heart now that their fates were intertwined. A kindness genuine, different from her usual façade of saccharine smiles and faked politeness. Yet even her most genuine smile belied an indiscernible coldness, a suffocating darkness lurking deep within her. Kindness and darkness. This was her true self, the true Aurora that she had come to know, the one hiding behind her smiles and masks.
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“...” Little Aurora merely nodded., her little head moving vigorously. “Yes, there is ...”
“He~he~he~he~ ...” Aurora chuckled, amused by her confirmation, but not in her usual derisive, sardonic way. Her mistress’ hand reached out for her, gently patting, ruffling her hair. Aurora treated her with kindness and affection, both of which her heart longed for. Her warmth ... Her tender touch ... They made her feel ... better ... They made her feel ... appreciated ... They warmed her heart in these trying times.
The girl named Aurora beamed, her tender lips brighter than the stars themselves. “Then tell me~, what is bothering my cute, little, sweet, Aurora~?” Her finger poked her tiny porcelain nose, tickling her skin ever so slightly. Her mischief achieved the desired result and caused her quite some predicament.
“...” Little Aurora blushed ever so lightly, her cheeks turning cherry red. Her resolve floundered and her hands were fidgeting as usual. Even the words on her tongue crumbled like freshly baked biscuits. How evil of her! This wasn’t fair!
Fortunately, though, she was able to repel Aurora’s advances and regain a semblance of countenance. “Well, ... Well, there is something I was wondering for quite some time, ... Why ..., why ... are you acting like this?”
“...” Her question amused her. Aurora tilted her head with a smile on her lips and a question mark hanging over her head, one of her favourite gestures from her repertoire. “Acting like what?”
Nervous, shy, reluctant, little Aurora averted her eyes, avoiding her mistress’ probing gaze. “Well, ... you see, ... There was this boy today. His name was Erich, I think.”
Aurora raised an eyebrow, looking half confused, half mildly annoyed at his mention. “Yes, ... Erich ... Troublesome fellow, to be honest. We already ... had some history together. So what about him?”
“Well, ...” Little Aurora pondered her choice of words. “Remember how he talked about you living in your own little fantasy world. He said that life isn’t just a silly game. He said that you need to grow up.”
“Oh, did he?” Aurora furrowed her eyebrow, her voice bored and the sarcasm strong. Despite her nonchalant attitude, her slight irritation was more than apparent. So she did care, after all.
Little Aurora nodded. “Yes, the thing is ... I think ... that Erich has a point.”
“... ... ... Does he?” Aurora frowned, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, yet her reaction proved less hostile than initially anticipated. Quite the contrary. She listened, even when annoyed. “How so?”
“Well, ...” Little Aurora hesitated, her hands unsure. “The more I think about it, the more I start to think that Erich is right ... You are childish. Or rather, we are childish.” Her head sunk, and her gaze lowered under the weight of expectations. “You seem to like dolls ... I like dolls ... You like cute and fluffy things ... I like cute and fluffy things ... You like hot chocolate ... I like hot chocolate too ... You like mischief ... Well, I don’t like mischief, but that is beside the point, I guess. What matters is that he ...” The sadness in her voice was palpable, the feeling of insufficiency. He sounds just like Brother. Or Father. Or Friedrich ... Or Maria ... Or Geralt ... Clarissa ... Or Stahl ... Or the professors at the academy ... Or everyone else for that matter ... They all said that I need to learn to act my age. That I must take responsibility. That I need to fulfil the expectations placed upon me. That much is expected of me. That I must make my ancestors proud. That I must be strong. That I must carry myself with honour, dignity and decorum. That I must honour my duties as a noble lady. That I must not dishonour my name ... That I must not bring shame to the House von Schwarz ...”
...
...
...
Aurora’s gentle hand interrupted her, once again ruffling her silken hair. It was a calming, touch, tender and reassuring, one that radiated strength, fortitude, confidence. All things she lacked. Yet Aurora was here, caring for her.
“...” A smile graced Aurora’s lips and her words were spoken softly. “Aurora ... You are such a good girl. Though, you still have much to learn. Know that life is short ... It is thus unwise to live one’s life bereft of joy, forever bending to the expectations of others, when it is yourself that matters ... So tell me this, why should I care? Why should I care what others think about me? I shouldn’t. And nor should you. It is something that I have come to realise far too late.
We are fourteen, Aurora, ... fourteen tender years, our petite appearance aside. In the eyes of the world, we are nothing but a child, a cute little girl with her doll, suffering from delusional fantasies, and an unhealthy passion for hot chocolates and sugary sweet confectioneries in general. Yet the years will pass and the flower of youth will eventually wither.
There will be time aplenty for us to ‘grow up’, to act ‘mature’, to ‘take responsibility’. So, let’s savour our time as long as it lasts. Because we will never regain it again.”
...
...
...
“... ... ...” Little Aurora had fallen silent, her eyes wide, her gaze fixed on the girl, a girl standing so much grander than life. An indiscernible feeling, potent and irresistible, gripped her heart, banishing any semblance of doubt like the rays of the dawning sun the darkness of the night.
Aurora responded with a benign smile after tucking her in beneath their blanket. “Anyway, I think that it is time for both of us to get some sleep. The night is already fat spent and tomorrow will be a long day, or rather today, to be precise.”
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