The door to the throne room burst open and a guard stumbled backwards into the room.
He hurriedly retreated before the old man as he angrily strode in. The guard hastily turned and
rushed to where the King sat on his throne. The old man's blue robes flowed around him like
an angry river. His blue eyes flashed with purpose as he advanced toward the throne.
"I tried to stop him, Sire," the guard stammered. "I told him you were talking to the Princesses.
He said that he did not care and he had urgent matters to discuss with you. Then he just barged his
way in. Forgive me for failing you, Sire." The guard knelt and bowed his head in submission.
"Oh, do get up, Scott," the king said with a wave of his hand. "My father does things his own
way. When he is focused on something, it is hard to stop him. You are dismissed. Go and guard the
door. And this time, don't let anyone in."
The guard flew from the room, bowing to the two princesses standing in the corner. The taller
of the two shot him a smile of encouragement. The other princess hid a grin behind her hand. They
shared an amused glance as the door closed behind the hapless guard.
"What is it that you wished to see me about?" the king asked his father. "I was just telling Grace
and Charlotte about the offers I have for their hands in marriage. Quite a few good matches, if I
do say so. They will both be well taken care of. And I will gain two powerful allies, no matter which
match strikes their fancy."
The princesses rolled their eyes at each other. They knew their father loved them but it would not
be their choice as to whom they would marry. Their only hope was that the men they would marry
wouldn't be too old and didn't beat them. Princesses didn't marry for love, they married for duty.
"That is all well and good," the old man answered. "But what about Aurora? Have you given any
thought to her future? She deserves a good match also. Or do you even care? You do know you
have three daughters, don't you?"
"Choose your next words carefully," the king replied in a warning voice. "You are my father and
I respect you, so I give you leeway but there is a limit. Be careful that you don't cross the line."
"I beg your pardon," the old man said sarcastically as he bowed low. "I would not dare to raise
your ire, but my granddaughter suffers at your hands. She thinks you find her ugly and lacking the
refinements of her sisters." He waved a hand at the two girls. "She thinks you would not care if she
dropped off the face of the earth. And that you blame her for the death of her mother."
"How can she think that?" the king asked in a subdued voice. "I don't blame her for Bridget's
death. Many women die in childbirth. I think every woman fears she may not survive the birth of
her child. And why has Aurora never told me this herself?"
"I think I can answer that," the tall princess said as she crossed the room to her father's side.
"You do treat her different. You never look at her. When she talks to you, you don't pay attention
to what she is saying. Do you even know she dresses up as a squire and trains with the knights?
They don't let her know that they know who she is of course."
"Grace, I don't think you should have told him that," the other princess said as she crossed the
room. "You are just going to get her in trouble. Training with the knights is the only happiness our
sister has in her life. Don't get that taken away from her."
"Be quiet, Charlotte," Grace retorted with a toss of her long dark hair. "The knights didn't know
who she was at first. They pressed her hard, like they do to every new squire. She held her own
and began winning matches. When Grandfather found out and told them who she was, they were
going to back down. Then Sir James challenged her to fight. He won but not by much. Aurora won
his respect and he is her champion. He told the other knights that he would discharge them if them
started to treat her differently. One by one, she won their respect. They don't pull any punches with
her. She has fought all of them and beaten most of them. William cannot say that. They treat him
as if he is the heir to the crown. Aurora can fight better than William. Mother would be proud."
"Why am I the last to know about this?" the king exploded in a rage. "Father, how could you
let this go on? And why didn't you tell me about this?" he directed at the princesses as he began
to pace the room. "I have given that child everything she needs. I clothe her, I feed her, I keep
a very nice roof over her head. And how does she repay me? By dressing as boy and playing
at being a knight! If the other kings found out, I'll be a laughingstock. They would never respect
a king that cannot keep his daughter in line. The marriage offers will dry up. Nobody will want
their son to marry the sister of a girl that fights like a man. The kingdom will be ruined."
"Just listen to yourself," the old man admonished the king. "All your fears are for you and
the kingdom. Or for Grace and Charlotte. What about Aurora? Don't you care about her?"
"Grace! Charlotte!" the king barked at his daughters. "Leave us! Your grandfather and I
will talk about this in private. And what you heard in this room does not leave this room."
Charlotte and Grace quickly exited the room. It took a lot to make their father angry but
when he was, heads would roll. Hopefully, it would not be Aurora's head on the chopping
block. Grace gave her grandfather's hand a firm squeeze as she passed him. The door closed
firmly behind them, leaving the two men to do battle.
"Now Thomas," the old man said soothingly. "There is no need to get upset. No one
outside the kingdom knows about Aurora. Those in the kingdom that do know would never
betray her secret. And most of the kingdom does know. I think you and William might be the
only two people that didn't know."
"That is such a comfort," the king spat out. "My youngest daughter thinks I hate her, trains
with my knights and I did not know a thing. That is just wonderful. How did it come to this? I
should have paid more attention to her. When she was first born, I avoided her because of my
grief. When she got older, she began to look more and more like her mother. looking into her
eyes, I can see Bridget so clearly. It pierced my heart every time I did. What kind of father cannot
look his daughter in the eye? I could see Bridget's fire and determination in her, even when she
was a small child. I should have embraced her but I pushed her away. This is all my fault."
"You have a daughter to be proud of," the old man said as he laid a comforting hand on his
son's shoulder. "She can take care of herself. Aurora may take after her mother, but she is not
Bridget reborn. The fire is there but there is a gentleness also. Her intelligence is tempered with
humor and compassion. She wishes to make the world a better place but honors our traditions.
You need to get to know your daughter, Thomas. She is a wonderful person and she needs to
know you care for her. She needs your love."
"She has to stop training with the knights," the king said decisively. "It is unseemly for a woman
and a princess to fight with a sword. It has to stop."
"No," his father replied. "That would kill her. You cannot take away one of the things that brings
her joy. I know what I am saying is not normal," he said as his son tried to interrupt him. "But I
know Aurora. If you try to stop her, she will still find a way. And the knights respect her so they
would help her. First of all, you need to sit down and talk to her. Really talk to her. Make up for
lost time and get to know your daughter. She might just surprise you. Aurora is a special person
and will make the right man a good wife. But you must get to know her so you can make the best
choice for her."
"I have a few offers that I have been thinking about for her," the king admitted. "Arthur and his
knights shall be here in a fortnight. Maybe one of them will be a good match. Having Arthur as an ally
would be a good thing for our kingdom. But, first things first. Take me to my youngest daughter. I
have much to make up for. Too much time has been wasted. I need to find out what kind of woman
she is. And I need to know what I have been missing by pushing her away. I hope she will forgive
me for being such an idiot for all these years."
"I'm sure she will," the old man laughed as he embraced his son. "She is a very forgiving person.
A trait that she got from me. Now let us go to Aurora's room and I shall introduce you to one of
the most complex and interesting people I know."
The two men left the room, closing the door behind them. They walked down the hallway and
went up the stairs. The king's mind raced with a million thoughts. He was going to truly talk to his
youngest child for the first time. Why had he been so foolish and blind? He drew a deep breath and
squared his shoulders as he stood outside her door. He reached a shaking hand toward the doorknob.
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