Lovers End

Chapter Four: Part Two

All of the men in the room stopped speaking when the out-of-place voice rang through. Their heads turned abruptly to face her, while Emeric's eyes widened in horror to see her. He took in a deep breath and exhaled to remain calm, not wanting to appear emotional in front of his men. "You're dismissed," Emeric spoke abruptly. His generals did not linger, walking out of the room in order, past Aurora, though her eyes never left Emeric's.

Emeric looked towards Theodore. "Give us a minute," he told him in a quieter voice. Theodore nodded, following the same path as the others did, though he paused next to Aurora, who glared up at him, holding up a hand to stop him from saying anything. Both of her friends had been keeping secrets from her, and she didn't want excuses. Once the door was closed, Emeric stepped towards Aurora. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out..."

Aurora took a step back from him, shaking her head. "That you're a prince! Good God, Emeric... why wouldn't you have just told me? Why... Why suffer alone? Why make me suffer alone!" She was truly lost at the idea he'd keep such a thing from her. She turned away for a moment, trying to keep her tone in check. It was a lot to take in at once, but she understood that he was grieving the loss of a parent. "You didn't even come to me, Emeric... no word, no nothing."

Emeric could feel the cracks in his heart breaking further when she stepped back. He had imagined this moment a thousand times over the years - awaiting the day he'd finally tell her the truth, that he was the prince. He had hoped to make her proud, but he knew through the hurt present in her eyes that he had disappointed her. "I couldn't. I wasn't allowed to, Aurora, you must understand. No civilian was allowed to know my identity until I became King," he desperately tried to explain himself.

Aurora turned back towards him, his words holding a sting behind them. "But it was me... not just... some civilian." Her voice cracked, biting her lip while she ran her fingers over her hair to smooth it out.

"It's not that I didn't want to, Aurora, believe me." He took a few more steps towards her, desperate to hold her but not touching her just yet. "I've been so worried about you, missing you... it drives me mad, but I couldn't get away, and I couldn't face you." Emeric's voice faltered for a moment. "All of this was my fault." A pressure grew in his chest; the emotions he had been suppressing around others couldn't be bottled around her.

"Stop..." She tried to silence his words, but he wouldn't. Her heart was breaking at his words. "D... did you tell your father to take him on that hunt, Emeric?" She didn't want to know the answer, but she couldn't hide from it. If she was going to continue her love for him, she needed to know.

He swallowed hard at her question. It was hard to look her in the eyes when he answered this time. Instead, he looked to his feet, "I asked my father to marry you... he said yes, but after your father denied us his blessing, my father suggested bringing your father along on the hunt to convince him. It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't told him... No apology would ever be enough for the trouble I've caused." His eyes watered a bit thinking of his father.

Her eyes closed for a moment while a small breath left her. It was awful to feel such relief at his answer. "Oh, Emeric.... you can't think like that. Please." She finally stepped towards him, closing that distance between them. She wrapped her arms around him, bringing his face into the crook of her neck as she hid hers in his shoulder. "This burden shouldn't be yours alone. They both made a choice."

"I must because it's true—" his voice was hoarse when she began stepping towards him. He was afraid to look at her, so angry with himself. "If I had been more deserving of you, your father wouldn't have been so disapproving, and this never would have happened. My father would still be—" A sob left his lips, unable to finish his words. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, burying himself into her shoulder. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He kept repeating to her as he had been in his head for so many days now. "Everyone's gone mad without their king, and I can't fill in his shoes..." he didn't like looking so weak in front of her, but as he breathed in her familiar scent, he hadn't felt so complete in a long time.