Heart of Stone (Jane Seymour x oc)

Chapter 16

Jovial Child

Aurelia was a puny child. She was short, thin, playful, humorous, irresponsible, and full of zest, child. It was reputable for the young tsarevna to be in trouble. Or outdoors.
To the sultry temperature to the brumal air, she would be out and about. She would climb trees(most of the time, to fall off), horse back(again to fall off. Most of the time, she would came home submerged in mud), secretly play with the stable child(or what she thought she was being secretive).
Most things children would do.

But unlike most children she held a responsibility. It would be very remote chance of her, ever getting out of her training.

And when I say training I mean: the young tsarevna's governess teaching her to be tsaritsa and 'lady'(whatever the latter meant).
Her governess, Svitlana, (which means shining, light. It was ironic because the woman was anything but happy-at least she didn't act like it). Svitlana was a strict, old woman-but in no way feeble. She was a smart, bright woman. She was as well the scion, tsarevna's, professor for the child's studies. Svitlana was a petite woman with silverly locks and a compressed, elfin bun.

The young tsarevna and Governess Svitlana were on the seat oriel window, studying geography(she was the tsarevna. She needed to know everything about geography).
"Think of longitude and latitude, like a ladder-" the professor halted in the midst, of her sentence.
Young Aurelia was gawking out of the oriel window.
"Tsarevna!" Aurelia plummeted out of her seat, to the rug floor. Svitlana sighed dejectedly. Still she ascended a hand to the young girl on the rug, and pulled her up.
"Tsarevna." The old woman stared intensely at the girl, who did anything but make eye contact.
"You are supposed to be paying attention."
The girl looked at her hands in her lap, woefully.
Sighing again, "Tell me: what is on your mind, child." The governess commanded.
The tsarevna's eyes lifted to the window once more.
"What is marriage of state? I know what marriage is. But what is 'marriage of state?'" Aurelia looked at the professor, curiously.
Svitlana sighed,
"A union betwixt two members of different nations or internally, betwixt two power blocs, generally authoritarian societies." The older woman felt somewhat bad for child, at this young age, for having to know this.
The younger girl nodded.
"Charles V will be here on the 10th." Svitlana informed Aurelia.
Aurelia turned her head to the glass.
As much Svitlana would deny, she hated seeing the young tsarevna glum(which was not often). And if not for a ethical reason, Svitlana would chastise the young tsarevna. But the young girl had a brill reason for being gloomy.
"How about you going on horse back for a bit?" The professor tried to cheer her up, covertly. "Really? Will you come with me?" Aurelia forgot all about their past conversation.
"Oh no. My horse back days are long over." Svitlana held in a chuckle, but still kept a stone visage. No matter how much Svitlana was cold Aurelia wouldn't show the old professor ceaseless kindness nor pipe down the young girl's zest. 
Aurelia leaped up and capered out the door, of her chambers.
Aurelia dashed down the bright summer halls,  of windows. She flew pass servants and windows. Coming to the immense(at least to her) doors which lead to the stables, the guards opened the doors for the tsarevna. And Aurelia wasted no time to fly out the door, when they did.
The long verdant grassed lea with a stable on it, and one side of the moor was an arable. Aurelia went through the brown abraded doors, she went to a sorrel coloured horse with an almost black mane. Aurelia came to the horse, serenely. She quietly talked to the sweet horse.
She was about to mount when-
"You shouldn't talk to yourself." An older boy came fore her, and almost made her lose her balance.
"I am not talking to myself. I'm talking to Aleksei, Mikhail." She said matter-a-factly. "Same thing. You don't want people to start gossiping, do you?" Mikhail teased.
Mikhail was Aurelia's older brother and tsesarevich.
Suddenly he turned grave, "Have you heard about Charles V?"
"Yes. I over heard mother and father discussing him." Aurelia turned dour.
"Yes, I thought I saw you." He commented.
"How come Professor Svitlana let you come?" "I think it was because it was of Charles."
"Oh yes. I didn't think that old beldam had grown soft since she was my governess." The 13yr snickered.
She shook her head disapprovingly; still she let out a snicker herself.
"I'm going riding. Are you?" She enquired, narrowing her eyes.
"Wish I could. But father and mother say 'how would that look on the family?'" He said the end of his sentence, mimicking their "grown up" voice with ridicule. This time she did fall off the horse in a fit of giggles.

Two important things to know:
Charles V will be(or was) born in 1510
Aurelia was born in 1513.
-Kat