Lovers End

Chapter Five: Part Two

She felt like she had been wandering for hours, but it had only been ten minutes until a maid finally stopped her after the 20th door she had opened, looking for a washing room.

"Ma'am, what are you doing? Let me take those," the woman laughed a bit, scooping the blankets up from Aurora's arms.

"I'm sorry; I was trying to find the washing room.... I didn't want to bug anyone." Aurora blushed, looking at a blood stain on a blanket, a bit mortified, but the maid didn't seem to notice just yet.

"You're Sir. Cooke's daughter; you're a guest here until he's well. You don't have to worry about anything." The maid bowed slightly to Aurora before walking off, leaving her feeling still awful.

Aurora stopped by her father's room to find the healer changing her father's bandages. He looked up at her with an indifferent expression before looking back down to his work. "I told you every two hours; luckily, it was just a test to see if you were competent. You failed, though I'll forgive you due to the circumstances. " He was cold with his words, which made Aurora's walls go up a bit.

"You're the healer, no?" She moved her way to her father's side, touching his hand before glaring at the healer as he looked up at her with a nod. "Then do your job," she warned before leaning to kiss her father's forehead.

She missed it, but the healer smirked slightly at her response to him before putting paste on Franklin's wounded side, seeing it was healing nicely. Though his head was healing as well, Franklin wasn't waking up. "I'm concerned," he spoke as if he was just talking to himself.

Aurora looked at him with a frown. "I'm going to need more than that."

The healer's hands moved to Franklin's forehead, gently pulling off its bandages, examining the large gash to his head. "I can only do so much. I've used everything I have - I fear we are left to the hands of time now."

Aurora closed her eyes for a moment at his words, gripping her father's hand. This felt worse than death. At least death brought peace. "Then we wait." She sounded hesitant, but what else was she to say? It was her father; she couldn't just walk away.

"Of course, and in the meantime, you and I will be working together... I'm in need of an apprentice, and you look like you're in need of something to do, since you won't open the tavern." He moved from the side of the bed to his bag, rummaging through it as Aurora scoffed.

"You know the more I spend time with you, the more I realize you may have been dropped as a baby." Aurora shook her head at the balls on him, but sadly he was right; she had been doing nothing. Emeric had already said he'd have someone handle the tavern if she wanted. Aurora wasn't sure if she could run it without her father; it wasn't the same.

"I don't even know your name." Aurora pointed out, earning a small laugh from the healer as he pulled a small satchel out from his bag.

"Well... no one knows my name, so don't feel special. This is for you; call it enticement." He tossed the satchel to her, catching it as it jingled.

She peeked inside, a brow raising at the sight of a handful of silver coins. "So you're bribing me... next to my ill father?" She looked up at him unamused.

The healer groaned, shaking his head. "You are the dropped one. It's called a job... one you get paid for. Just... meet me in the town square tomorrow morning."

Aurora took her leave after reluctantly agreeing to meet the healer. The sun was warm, but it didn't cut through the biting cold the air brought. The entire kingdom was quiet as she left the castle gates; the knights guarding it were already aware of why she was there. She gave them a small nod before making her way down through the streets.