Heir of the Underground

Chapter 6: Aurelia (continued)

After what felt like hours of tossing and turning in bed, and wrestling with her feelings, Aurelia finally reached a verdict.

Laurent was her friend. And he had been a good friend, and one that had always proven himself to be trustworthy. So if he said that he told Zachariah out of a place of care and concern, then she didn't feel right staying mad at him.

Besides, as awful as her confrontation with Zachariah had been, she had to admit that the outcome was rather nice. A life in Keddeirin was better than her old life in the church.

Still, even with her decision, Aurelia struggled to sleep. The urge to get up and go find Laurent kept returning to her, nagging her, poking at her and encouraging her to tell him that she forgave him, that she still wanted to be his friend, that she believed that he was just looking out for her.

But she didn't know what time it was, only that it was dark out, which seemed too late to get out of bed and talk to Laurent. And yet, she knew that if she didn't get up, she'd likely never fall asleep.

Grumbling, Aurelia sat up in bed and threw the covers off of her. She hopped up and onto the ground and made her way across the room, to the door, and then into the hallway.

On nimble feet, she scampered down the hall, barely making a sound. She took step after step, nearing his bedroom. Yet, she stopped herself before she could get there, and not because she had changed her mind.

Instead, it was because of chatter. It was indistinct, though clearly male and familiar, and it sounded somewhat heated. And interestingly enough, it appeared to be coming from a room several paces away from Laurent's room—Helios's room.

"How strange," she thought. Two frustrated male voices coming from Helios's room at an ungodly hour. Something had to be wrong.

She listened to the voices as best as she could, and in listening to them, she couldn't help but sense deep down that one of the men in the room was Laurent. And in one was Laurent than the other had to Helios, didn't it?

But what were they arguing about?

She knew that the matter was likely not for her ears, and that if someone caught her spying, she'd be in trouble. Still, she headed over to the door anyway, and pressed her ear to it. A little listen couldn't be too risky, could it?

Even through the door, the conversation sounded muffled, yet she could make out their specific words much better. And she could certainly make out enough to make sense of the cause of their argument.

"You're sending me back there?" Laurent's voice rung out first. "You assured me that if Prissayne married Magni, then I could stay here. I could be your advisor. Are you really going to disregard your promise?"

"You forget, brother, that Prissayne isn't married to Magni yet." It was Helios who spoke now, his tone rough and commanding. "So I have every reason to send you back to Rheolaeth until then. And besides, what makes you think that being my advisor is a good idea? We never see eye to eye. We'll just argue, and you'll find a way to contradict me in front of everyone, to make people doubt my leadership."

"Maybe that's a sign that you're not fit to be king then."

Laurent's comment hung in the air, having clearly stung Helios. There was a moment of stunned silence, and Aurelia pictured the two brothers staring at one another intensely.

"Father thought that I was fit to be king," Helios finally remarked. By the tone of his voice, Aurelia could tell that he was trying to remain calm. "He chose me, and not you. There is to be no further discussion on the matter. Tomorrow, I will be crowned."