AURORA

Chapter 14: Part II

            My eyes hesitantly open up and face the sky. I can feel rocks below me and water brushing under me and receding. I try to get up, but my legs ail me. I think the impact of the jump made them sore. I have no visible bruises, which is good. I try to get up and let out a groan. Ughhh. I take each step little by little. I land on my knees before getting up. Well now I have no food,water, or anything. Suddenly I can smell food cooking. I make the scent out to be sausages. Another forest lies ahead. It's plush and inviting. I painfully walk in the direction of the smell. On the way, I grab hold of any tree that is close to me to help guide me along. My legs hurt to stand on.

          I won't be able to go on without getting some proper rest. I begin to hear a young boy talking to someone. He's saying something, but I can't make it out. I'm still in and out of consciousness. I'm in pain and I haven't eaten anything. It's all taking a toll on me now. As I continue forward, I see a small cabin. Smoke shoots from the chimney. Firewood is piled everywhere and plants line the entrance. Nice people could live here. This could be a good place to rest. The young boy runs outside looking to do something. Instead, he sees me. He pauses and shouts, "Mom! There's a lady out here. She seems to be hurt. Mom!" Before I could respond, my vision begins blurring. I slowly fall to the ground and loses consciousness.

        I begin to regain consciousness slowly. My eyes open bit by bit and I can hear pots clinging against one another. The burning sausages fills my noise. I look to my left and spots a lady wearing a red apron and setting up a table. Her hair is short and her skin is yellow. She peers over at me. "Well Hello. How are you feeling?" I pull myself up to an upright position. "Ughhh hello. I'm Cara. Who are you?" Well Cara, I'm Helena. I'm a handmaiden. To be more specific, I'm Vera's; Queen of Avero's handmaiden. Vera is very young and new to the throne. I was her friend before she took the crown. I'm her first handmaiden. I'm head handmaiden. Avero is down the way, not far at all. It's one of the largest kingdoms in these lands." She gets interrupted by the young boy I saw before passing out stomps in the room.

           He runs into Helena's arms. "And this is my son Garrett. We come here after my duties for the queen are over. As you can see, it's quite peaceful here. His father died in battle a few years back, but we're doing just fine. Garrett give your greetings to Cara." He steps forward, shy as can be." "Hello Ms. Are you okay now?" "Hello Garrett I'm okay now thanks to you." he smiles and runs back to Helena. "May I ask what your business is in these parts Cara?" "Well I've been sent on a mission by the Queen Aurora of Dubar. She desperately seeks a woman named Amoura." I slip into a sort of trance as I speak. "She murdered my friends in front of everyone. She killed her lover. She even locked her own mother in the dungeons for months. She has this power to think of things and make them happen. Her powers beyond your comprehension. She locked me away too. I guess you could say I'm the root of her pain."

            She leans over while looking at me and then looks at Garrett. "Garrett go outside and play while mommy and Cara talks okay?" "Alright mom." "I do not know of this Queen Aurora. Powers? I have no knowledge of any magic unless we're talking about an act. I can't say that I believe you Cara." "Helena. If Aurora decides that she wants another kingdom as her own and finds out about Avero, she will come. She will effortlessly take over your lands and she will kill anyone who defies her. You must warn your queen so she can warn your people."

            She takes a deep breath. "Suppose what you say is true and there is some sort of evil queen. I can't just walk up to Vera and tell her about any of this. She'll think I'm mad. I don't know Cara. This is a lot to take in." She walks over to a table positioned off to the side and sits with her head laying in her hands. "I understand your reasoning. However, you don't have to tell Vera about the powers part. The least you can do, is let her know that there's a queen not too far who is dangerous and on the move. You, your son, and your kingdom's safety is on the line. If Vera is as young as you say and new, then she has no chance."

         "Yes, but Vera has a large army Cara. She could send them to Dubar and get rid of her." "She would only be starting a war. One in which she will not win. If I could find this Amoura woman, she could possibly help us. I don't know what Aurora wants with her, but she could possibly hold some valuable information. Amoura has to be someone of importance to Aurora otherwise I wouldn't be here. I know this might be too much to ask of you, considering you have a son...but will you help me Helena? Please?"

          She releases her hands and stares out the window. I can see the distraught in her face. She's thinking of her son and herself. She looks over at me and softly exhales. "If you're looking for someone, they would be in Avero. The population is very high there. I will help you. It's not every day that you get to help someone on a mission." "Thank you so much Helena. You would only be taking me to Avero. I wouldn't dare ask you to aid me on my mission further than that. You need to be here for Garrett and you will be." "Right, well I observed that you have no bag or any supplies. Here, you can have this satchel. Inside, are two holsters for the daggers I found on you. There's also a canteen to capture rainwater. It will be of most service to you." "Thank you Helena." She nods her head. "I made some sausages and eggs. I also have loads of buttered bread. Would you like some?" "Oh yes, please." While she prepares my plate, she strikes up another conversation.

        "So, if I may ask. Why did you say that you were the root of Aurora's pain?" I sit back and slouch in my chair. I look at the window and pulls myself together. "A few months ago, I met a young man named Daniel. He was charming and handsome. We began seeing each other after a while. I didn't know that he and Aurora were together. She told me she saw us under a tree. I believe he had taken her to that tree before, because there's no way she would've known to go there. This was when she was a good queen. She wasn't bad. She just was trying to play the role of queen, but things got out of hand." She turned around quickly and places her hand behind her on the ledge. "You were with the queen's lover? How did you not know they were together?" "I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention to the world around me. My mistake obviously. She sent me on this mission as punishment." I took a very long pause. 

"She murdered my friends as I was restrained and forced to watch in horror. She ripped each one's heart out in front of me and the entire kingdom. She held their hearts while drops of blood seeped through her fingers. She had turned so dark so fast."

        Helena was appalled. "My God. You have to be a monster to do that. I could never do such a thing. She sounds ruthless and frightening." "Oh she is Helena. You may have met some bad people, but you've never met Aurora." I wanted to tell Helena about how we ended up here, but that would be too much. She would think that I was insane telling her that I'm from the future. I think it's enough for her to know that there's an evil queen and she's out for blood.

            "Aurora is a terrifying character. Her eyes are oddly bright red. Her hair is also red, which is a rarity in itself. She wears this bird-like cloak that strikes fear in your heart. She even has a raven that has golden armor on him and a golden crown to match." "If all of this true, then we really could be in danger. Every other kingdom could be at risk as well. Well, we must find this Amoura woman. I will do my best to help you." She swiftly walks over to the table.

          "Here is your plate. Eat up Cara. Finding this lady might not be easy. You're going to need all the energy you can get." She joins me at the table and talks in a serious tone. "I'm definitely scared. I mean, just yesterday I was picking out dresses for Vera and now I'm told of an evil queen? I will do my best to aid you Cara. You will find Amoura and you will succeed on this quest. Now, I'm going to go check on Garrett, so gather some strength and we'll be heading to Avero upon my return."