Lovers End

Chapter Five: Part One

The morning sun bathed the room in brightness, leaving no shade for Aurora and Emeric. Aurora stirred from her sleep, attempting to turn her body over, only to find a strong arm keeping her pinned. She blinked, looking up at her sleeping prince. Marks from the previous night still adorned his neck, and she couldn't help but smirk slightly as she admired him—truly, a beautiful way to wake up. As she turned, he shifted a little closer, seemingly undisturbed by the sunlight.

Their peace seemed unbreakable...

Suddenly, a furious knock echoed from the door. "Your majesty!" Gretchen, the head maid, called out, causing Emeric to jolt up in a panic at the all-too-familiar voice. Emeric swiftly pulled the blanket over Aurora as he answered, "Yes!?"

Aurora stayed hidden under the covers, frowning as she mulled over her question from the previous night: 'Are we OK to be here?' Next time, she resolved to ignore his answer.

"Oh, thank goodness! We've been looking for you all morning! Breakfast with your mother ended fifteen minutes ago!" Gretchen shouted. Emeric swore under his breath.

"I'll be out in a moment, tell her I'm coming," Emeric instructed. Gretchen didn't sound happy; she really disliked speaking to him through the door, but today, she had a good idea of what might have transpired the previous night, so she didn't mind.

"Yes, your majesty!"

Emeric exhaled in relief as she left, and he sank into Aurora's body once again, his forehead against her shoulder. "I can never have a moment of peace in this place..."

Aurora pulled the covers down. "Well... today is a difficult day," she said, bringing her hand to caress his messy hair. She had no words; the loss of a parent was not easily comforted. "Will you be alright on your own today? I wish I could be by your side."

Despite the hectic wake-up call, Emeric adored waking up with her. "You will be by my side," he corrected her, looking into her eyes sincerely. He brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "I only wish your father could be there too... Father really was fond of him."

Aurora sighed as he corrected her but smiled softly at his fingers brushing her hair away. "You know what I mean." She didn't like that she wouldn't be able to hold his hand. Not only was he burying his father, but everyone would know the truth of who he really was.

Emeric forced a gentle smile and leaned down to peck her lips. "It will be a long day... but at least I got to wake up with the most beautiful girl in the world..." He didn't want to think about the day ahead; he wanted to stay here forever.

She laughed at his words, looking up at him. "Did you learn all of your sweet talking from your father? It couldn't have been Theodore."

Remembering all the cheesy things his father would say to his mother, Emeric didn't even realize that at some point he caught on. "Perhaps... and are you saying Theodore sweet talks?" He asked curiously. "We must be talking about different Theodores." Emeric shifted in his place a bit.

"Theodore doesn't have to sweet talk to get girls to like him. Just his choice of women is distasteful." Aurora laughed, moving to sit up and stretch her body, still aching from the night before.

He ran his fingers through his hair as he laid back down, finding himself too lazy to get up and do anything else. "Just a few minutes more."

"I'll have to tend to my father; I've already upset the healer. I can feel it," she groaned, knowing he had asked her to be there next time he came in to show her more things. She had asked to be shown things to help her father, but the healer had seemed to assume she wanted to learn his trade.

She moved to get up, but his arm came to wrap around her waist, pulling her back in. "Emeric...we can't," she smiled at his plea. It was already late in the morning, and he had things to do. "We can lay all we want tonight, my love... I have to go get new clothes," she groaned, trying to slip from his arms.

He groaned impatiently and let go of her. "Alright, alright..." Trailing his fingers along her naked back before she stood, he licked his lips and nodded as he came to terms with the day. He stood up and kissed her forehead before gathering his clothes and hurriedly putting them on.

"I wish it could be longer; my heart aches for it," she assured him as he groaned. He was a strong man; she knew he'd handle the day well enough, but it was his mother she worried about. She struggled with the strings on her corset, turning to him. "Would you help me, love?"

He pulled up the cuffs around his wrists before he took the strings into his hands. Aurora gasped as he pulled the strings too tight. "Darling, you'll make me faint if you leave it that tight," she laughed, looking back at him.

"My apologies..." Emeric said with a soft laugh. "I don't have much experience with this, clearly." He loosened it a bit for her, leaning down to her ear, "better?" He asked in a mischievous tone.

"Clearly," she teased, turning back once more, keeping her hair pulled over her shoulder so it stayed out of his way.

A more relaxed breath left her as he loosened the corset, feeling his breath against her ear causing her cheeks to grow hot. Turning to look up at him, "Much better..." She had to stop herself from saying that she wanted him to stay.

"I'll see father before I leave. Please don't push yourself so hard today... promise?" She gently smoothed his shirt, looking up at him with a worried expression.

He smiled softly it comforted him to know that she cared for him. "Only if you make the same promise to me." He brought her into a close, tight hug.

"I promise," she gave into his compromise, her face buried into his chest as they shared one last hug.

"I love you..." he kissed the back of her hand

"To the moon," she whispered, pulling away to smile widely up at him, chuckling at his kiss. "Go on then," she pushed him away lightly, rolling her eyes as he left.

Once she was alone, she looked at the mess of blankets, sighing. She folded all of them even though they needed to be cleaned. Lifting them, she struggled to keep them all under her arm as she left the room.

**Heya everyone, this one was a bit lame but ughhhhh they are so cute i love them!!! The funeral is going to be rough. Vote/comment/follow**