Chapitre 351: All of Us
By the time the Empress awoke the following morning, Anna had returned from the decoy bedroom for Aurora to make the switch back. It would be a tedious charade for the next week, but it seemed the safest solution for everyone involved.
With help, Aurora prepared to leave, placing the new veil over her face as she got ready, when her eyes fell on the magical mirror. In all the excitement, she had yet to check on Mairwen herself.
The fiery-haired woman sent off a quick message to assure the princess that she was alive and recovering. The Empress neglected to mention her difficulty walking and the purple ooze that was bringing her pain. There was no reason to worry the princess about it for now.
Sitting in her wheeled chair, Aurora's fingers drummed the vanity as she debated whether to wait for a reply. It turned out not to be a necessary worry as the mirror lit almost immediately.
"Mother! I have been so worried, but I was afraid to bother you. I am so happy to see you. Renat wants to know why you are using one of his wheeled chairs. Was your leg badly injured? And why are you wearing a veil?" Mairwen's eyes in the mirror were full of concern.
Aurora could see Renat in the background trying not to stare at the glass as the princess left the message. He seemed embarrassed to be questioning his mother-in-law and leader. The Empress also noticed that both of them were on horseback riding alongside what seemed to be a riverbank.
From Devrim had told her, Aurora had assumed the princess would be staying with Alaron in his home. Why were they out riding in the forest?
Considering her answer, the Empress made her reply. "No need for concern, my dear. The Emperor just wants me to heal more quickly. You know how he sometimes fusses over me. The veil is merely a precaution as well. I will be fine soon, I promise. Are you not with the person who you went to visit? You seem like you are out in the wilderness."
This time there was a longer pause before the next message, but at last it finally came. "I hope you heal quickly and have no lasting effects. As for the Guardian, he is with us."
The mirror shifted to show a man in a brown cloak whose face was obscured by a hood. He waved awkwardly as he rode his stallion, unsure what else to do. When the mirror did not shift away from him, he added a haphazard, "Hello."
Mairwen moved the glass back to her face, but the scenery that passed before Aurora's eyes during the motion seemed quite far from her son's tiny cabin. "We will stay together and away from the palace as instructed. I know what you are thinking. We couldn't stay at his cottage. Among other things, it was too small..." The blue eyed woman paused and looked away nervously. "Is there any news about the mysterious attackers?"
Aurora saw the deflection for what it was. However she was doing her own amount of deflecting as well. "No news that would be helpful to you just now." She breathed deeply. "I do not know what it is that you are not telling me, but it is probably best that I do not know what you are up to or even where you are. I hope we can have a more frank conversation soon. Perhaps next week?"
By then the Empress would be in the land of magic and more able to communicate without fear of being overheard by a traitor. And hopefully by then, she could honestly say that her wounds were healing. Even now she could feel that her bandages needed to be changed.
The response came after a few moments. "I look forward to it, mother. I hope you will be honest with me too at that time. Whatever happens, I love you and stay safe." Mairwen's face faded from the glass and Aurora's eyes filled with tears.
"I love you too. Please stay safe and stay out of trouble!" As she lowered the mirror, the Empress knew the last part of her plea would fall on deaf ears, yet she made it just the same. Her heart was always troubled for her family especially when they were out of her protective reach.
Aurora would have preferred that the ladies be able to speak openly, but both had their reasons for holding onto the information they possessed. If Mairwen knew the extent of the injuries—or Nanny's for that matter, the princess would come back in an instant.
But as neither she nor the princess liked keeping secrets from one another, the Empress was sure that they would bring everything to light when they could speak more freely.
In her heart, Aurora was slightly grateful for whatever had distracted Mairwen. At least it would keep her busy.
"Things were much simpler between us when she was little," Aurora sighed.
In that line of thought, the woman's mind rushed to Colvyr and she summoned Anna from the outer room.
Surprisingly, it was Devrim and the doctor who entered the Emperor's bedchamber before the lady-in-waiting had a chance to respond. "I heard you were awake and went to fetch the physician myself," Devrim said as he bent and kissed his wife on her veiled cheek.
The doctor bowed deeply. "Glory to the Empress." He held out another cup of healing water. Aurora took it and drank without complaint. It helped ease her aching pain considerably.
"How are you feeling?" The Emperor asked anxiously. He pulled back the veil gently to look at the woman's bandaged cheek.
"About the same. The only thing that seems to help is the healing water." The Empress answered.
Anna entered the room, "Your Majesty?"
"Please bring the prince to me. I want to see with my own eyes that he is well." Aurora ordered. Anna curtsied and left without a word.
Checking the wounds and changing the dressings, the doctor had to agree with the Empress's assessment. "Your wounds still have that purple tinge. It may be slightly less, but the difference is not significant. I am sorry. I had hoped to give better news."
"I would rather have the truth than flowery words, Doctor." Aurora lowered her dress and spread it around her legs, covering the last of her wounds. "Healing cannot happen if the problem is not addressed. That is a hard learned lesson. So, bad news is better than false news... Speaking of news, how is Nanny?" Aurora adjusted herself in her chair, trying to find a comfortable position. When she failed, she replaced the veil on her face that had been removed and sighed.
"Nanny has been moved to a private room befitting the status she held in your heart," Devrim comforted the Empress. "She is resting."
"I am glad she is no longer in the infirmary, no offense Doctor. Did she awaken?" The Empress bit her lip.
The Doctor shook his head slightly. "Only for a moment here and there. And by waking up, I mean she screams random words. I was hoping you might visit her and see if you can get through to her. I would love to be able to ask her some questions if you can get her lucid."
"Are her wounds healing?" The fiery-haired woman could tell by the men's faces that they were not. "I see."
Just then Anna, along with Colvyr and his nursemaid Velia, entered the Emperor's bedchamber.
Velia looked around nervously. She was not used to being the one in charge of these types of errands. Her foot was casted in plaster and she limped, but somehow was still able to walk and carry the prince. The nursemaid had insisted on carrying on her duties. She did not want to lose her position in the palace.
"Your Majesties," she dipped an awkward curtsy as Colvyr squirmed his way out of her arms.
He toddled along the ground and climbed up in his mother's wheeled chair. Aurora winced as he rubbed against her injured leg and arm.
"I'm so sorry!" Velia rushed to retrieve the child, but Aurora held up her hand.
"It is not your fault, and my child is worth all the pain." Aurora gave a pained but sincere smile.
Sensing his mother's discomfort, Colvyr pushed up on his knees in his mother's lap and turned to face the woman. His blue flecked eyes mirrored the woman's as he teased back the cumbersome veil.
Aurora flipped the cloth back across her hair and smiled at him. Colvyr, seeing his the Empress's face more clearly, hugged his mother's neck.
"There there, my love," Aurora gently kissed his forehead. "How would you like to go visit Nanny?"
Colvyr nodded and closed his hand repeatedly in a 'come' motion as he babbled, "Nana Nana!"
Aurora tried to calm him. "We will go, but you must be very quiet. Sh!" She touched her finger to his tiny mouth. He mimicked the shushing action and covered his mouth with two fingers, unable to hold up only one. "Very good."
Pulling back down her veil, the Empress motioned to her husband that she was ready. "Shall I call Nurlan or would you prefer I push you both to Nanny's bedside myself?" Devrim asked.
Helping Colvyr sit more comfortably in her lap, Aurora considered her options. "Please get Nurlan. I need someone to catch this little one when he tries to jump at the first opportunity."
With a squeal, the little prince laughed as though his mischief had been discovered. He gave a toothy grin.
Aurora looked at the faces of those with her. "Well? Shall we go?"
Velia curtsied. "All of us, Your Majesty?"
"Yes, all of us." The fiery haired woman confirmed.
Velia gulped. She wasn't sure how she would handle seeing Nanny. Afterall, she had only nearly escaped the same fate herself. Reluctantly, she followed the group, limping harder than she was before.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone