Heart of Stone (Jane Seymour x oc)

Chapter 7

Choices

It was yore ago that the sun was lamented from the ether. Now the stygian sky was bestrewed with stars.

Aurelia was coming to her quarters' door. Thinking.
She lugged the brown mahogany door open,
"Well, look who decided to show up," Said Lara, sardonically. "We were about to send the guards out to look for thou." Ilona said, earnestly.
"My apologetics," the tsaritsa mumbled.
She didn't mean to be harsh, but it seemingly did.
"Thee doesn't have to be so gumpy." Lara raised her eyebrow,(wondering what had her lady in such a draconian attitude).

Ilona's shocked, crestfallen face
and Lara's raised eyebrows and curiosity was enough for Aurelia to feel penitent.
"I am sorry. I didn't intend to be so chagrin," Aurelia abashed.

Ilona and Lara shared a look.
"You are not buoyant to be departing from England," Ilona and Lara say simultaneously. "Why is that?"
Aurelia sighed, her eyes were drew to the English oriel window.

Staring out in inky sky dredged with gilded hues...lost in thought.

"Lia? Aure-" Ilona started.
"Aurelia!" Lara shouted.
Ilona sent her a glare. Lara simply shrugged her shoulders.

But to Lara's credit, she did gain the tsaritsa's attention.
Lashing her blight amber robe around to face them once again.
"What was that for?" Aurelia eyes fixed on Lara.
Lara smiled just as innocent as a child when done something disingenuous.

Aurelia had seen that coy smile reams of times fore, Aurelia eyes cruised on her eyelids.
"Why is that you are not jovial to go back to Russia, home?" Ilona pressed.

Aurelia sighed once more and put her hands on the walnut writing davenport.
"To be truthful, I want to stay here." Aurelia eyes moved to the window once more.
"What!"
"Are you not sane?"
The two ladies in waiting now standing.

Aurelia turned slightly, putting her hip on the davenport.
"Girls, ye knows that I love Russia-I always will but..." Aurelia trailed off.
"Is this about love?" Lara inquests, cautiously.
"Yes- How did you know-"
"Oh! You know how such heinous the king is." Ilona cried.
"King? What are you taking about?
I certainly do not love a tyrant like himself." Aurelia was rather offended by that accusation.

"Ilona, Lara, I don't know what you heard, but
I do not love that oppressor." Aurelia was now fully facing them.

Aurelia glimpsed out the aperture.
"I know I have feelings for Jane." "The queen!" "Aurelia," Ilona called for Aurelia's attention.
"She is a queen, and she is married."
"Not blithely," Aurelia remembered all those times Jane would be so close to killing Henry.
"That is irrelevant." Ilona said, plaintively.

Aurelia was full of wrath.
Not at her ladies in waiting-but at Henry.

"We have to get you readied you for bed." Lara tried to spark up a new conversation.
Lara skimmed across the old mahogany floor to the hoary cordovan armoire.

Lara was examining through arrays and raiments,
Lara lugged out a white nightgown with thin lace on the bodice and chest.
Lara flatten the garment out.
"We'll go fetch the servants." Ilona stood up and made her route to the door. Lara on her heels,

Aurelia smiled, "Alright. Goodnight,"
"Goodnight." The two girls smiled in unison.
And then they vanished into the dark of night.

Aurelia was glaring out the window,
"Tsaritsa," The two servants came in.
"Hello." Aurelia walked over to the servants.

The two servants started to undress her.
They took off her amber vestments with gold accents.
And slipped on her nightgown.

Once they left, Aurelia stalked off to the davenport.
She knew she would not be getting any sleep tonight; so she sat there.

                                      •••

It was now morn. The ground dusted with meager of snow; it was now late November, elfin birds, bare trees, snow and amber, sanguine leaves alloyed together.

Jane was couldn't sleep;
She was thinking about what she saw:
Aurelia kissing Henry.

Jane didn't care about Henry-she knew he had affaires-but Aurelia?
Jane ne'er has this happen to her-she had a heart of stone. But Aurelia started to turn it to flesh.

Jane was wondering if she should let Aurelia tell herself what happened, or just stay in her chambers, wait till Aurelia leaves. And let her heart grow back to stone.
But the damage was done. All the stone parapets, turrets, buttresses, pinnacles, minarets, chancels, daises.

All of it...just dust now.

                                      ~~~

Aurelia's things were all in the caravan.
Now Aurelia was out on the courtyard with her ladies in waiting.
The ground was powdered with snow-that looked akin to a gossamer web.

Aurelia was waiting for Henry and Jane.
She just wanted to explain to Jane what candidly happened.
Aurelia knew it was a slim chance Jane would come but she hoped Jane would.

Aurelia was standing by the caravan, when King Henry came out of the palace.

With no Jane.

Henry came fore Aurelia, "Farewell, tsaritsa.
Don't forget the alliance."
Aurelia nodded not really listening.
"Where is Queen Jane?"
"Oh. I believe she is in her room." Henry sounded confused by this.

Aurelia opened her mouth to speak but the footperson-
"Your Grace? We are all packed, Sire."
The footperson said.

Aurelia had to make a choice: 

Other she will go to Jane and explain.

Or she goes back Russia.

"I am ready."
Aurelia glanced at the palace's windows,

Sorry for this sad chapter. But there is more to come
-Kat