The Emperor's Daughter

Chapter Fifteen: Caius & Aurelia

A scream tore out into the morning air, instantly jolting Caius awake. His hands reached for Aurelia before he could get his eyes open and when both found her safely at his side, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Aurelia's eyes were wide, her arms clutching around him. She was still naked from the night before, a fact that was making it hard for him to concentrate.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice so small and scared he pulled her closer.

"I don't know." He frowned trying to make out the time by the light only just beginning to fall into his room. It was early –too early for many to be up yet.

The sound of a tunic's skirt swished across the tile flooring in the hall as a woman's voice yelled for the guards. "The emperor's daughter is missing! She's not in her room!" a voice screamed –Laelia's voice.

Caius' hands gripped Aurelia's arms panicked. She met his eyes with her wide blue ones. The sheet fluttered in a burst of movement as he threw himself out of the bed, tossing on a tunic before searching for something to wrap around Aurelia. They had to get her out of his room and now. If anyone caught her-

The door opened without curtesy of a warning. "My lady is missin-" Laelia instantly froze, her eyes running from Caius to Aurelia naked in the bed. She dropped her eyes to the floor, looking ready to quietly leave the room and keep what she'd seen to herself.

Laelia was a good servant who knew the dangers of knowing too much.

"Laelia," Aurelia said quickly getting out of bed and wrapping a sheet she found on the ground around her body.

Caius looked from Aurelia to her servant, unsure what to do. Even if he knew though, it would have been too late; two guards rushed to where Laelia still stood frozen, their swords drawn. Unlike Laelia, they didn't freeze and neither did Caius. He grabbed up his sword, preparing for an attack.

He saw Laelia grab Aurelia's arm and yank her back out of the way. Aurelia was staring from Caius to the guards, her hands held so tightly to the sheet around her breasts they were turning white.

The guards only had to take in Aurelia in her state of undress in Caius' room to know what to do and Caius in his logical mind knew what he had to do. He tossed the sword to the side resigned.

"Caius!" Aurelia's voice broke the tension. He met her eyes but she seemed lost unsure what to do. Emperor's daughter or not, she couldn't command the guards. She might be able to bribe them into silence with money or threats like she could Laelia but surely one day it'd get out. And then. Caius –wherever he was, would meet his death at the end of a dagger. And Aurelia...well he didn't want to think what would happen to her.

The guards grabbed him, instantly seizing him and pulling him from the room.

"Caius!" Aurelia cried trying to follow after them.

Laelia grabbed her arm pulling her back, something Caius was thankful for. He didn't know what would happen, but he knew he'd never be able to stand it with Aurelia standing there with her heart breaking.

"It'll be alright," he lied.

"No! Please!" she cried trying to get the guards to stop. She yanked her arm out of Laelia's grasp, following into the hall.

A third guard came to help, securing Caius' hands with metal chains, a terrible dishonor that Caius felt instantly as the metal bit into his skin.

One of the guards went back to Aurelia. Caius could hear him commanding Laelia to take Aurelia back to her room, a command that was followed when he got impatient and grabbed Aurelia's arm and forced her to walk. Laelia went into the room, returning to quickly throw a veil over Aurelia's head for modesty.