Nocturne

☼ Chapter Eighteen ~ Aurora ☼

Aurora woke into a room of bright white.

No other colour was present. Only sterile, perfect, white.

It was warm and cool, pristine and pure. She knew immediately where she was.

The sick wing? She hadn't been there in a long time- since she was 10 and sick with a fever. Diurne was by her side the whole time despite being equally sick herself, refusing to sleep until a nurse forced her.

The sun shone brightly through the windows, just as it had all those years ago. It was probably noon, or somewhere thereabouts. She sat up- or tried to.

A nurse rushed in, dressed in the same pristine white as the room. He had a golden sun embroidered over his chest, indicating his position as a royal medic. "You can't sit yet! Lie still and rest!"

Aurora grudging allowed the nurse to push her firmly down. The nurse stared at her scoldingly. "You know you shouldn't have done that!

"Now, we couldn't find any burns, so you're lucky, but you've been unconscious for the better part of four hours." Aurora blinked. "What-" He was unfazed. "Now you're awake, we'll need to call the prince. He brought you here- he seemed worried, so perhaps you won't get punished too badly."

"Punished-?" Oh.

Aurora realized what that must have looked like. Grabbing the sword who burned all who touched it and passing out? She must have looked extremely unworthy.

But she wasn't unworthy! She was the only one who was worthy! How could she make them recognize that?

She remembered Sol's words. You'll be able to sense the sword at all times and summon it pretty easily.

She felt it, deep in her chest. The same pull that had brought her to the sword the first time, but this time it came from inside instead of out.

Left.

Coming closer.

Carried.

Aelius.

The double doors opened and in strode the prince- holding Chrysos, just as Aurora had thought. He wore thick gloves and had wrapped the hilt in cloth, but Aurora could still sense the blade's anger at being touched, even to take to its mistress.

His face was unreadable, even in the bright light. Too many emotions flickered like dancing sparks across his handsome features for Aurora to decipher. The nurse rushed out of the room, wisely not drawing attention to himself.

Aelius slammed the sword on the table. The bandages burst into flames as soon as they were released- the sword's way of venting, Aurora guessed.

Prince Aelius tore off the glove and dropped it too, although it didn't catch fire.

"How? How did you escape being burned?" It was more a demand than a question.

Aurora sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. This time, no one scolded her.

She held out a hand and Chrysos leapt eagerly into her grasp. She looked at the prince and stood.

Aelius' jaw dropped, but he quickly composed himself. "Are you going to pass out again?"

Aurora smiled. "Nah. That was a one-time thing. Just claiming."

He reached out and hovered his bare fingers just centimeters away from Chrysos' blade. "So this is Chrysos?"

"That is its name, yes."

"So it's true?"

"That I am Aditya, the chosen of Sol, and High Priestess? Yes."

"Explain. Please?"

And so she did, as much as she remembered.

Far away, in a forgotten city, Nocturne stepped out of the shadows.