Aurora stopped pacing as the door to her room slowly opened. Her father stepped through,
propelled by a hand on his back. The hand left his back, grasped the doorknob and firmly shut
the door. King Thomas and Aurora stared at each other as if they were strangers meeting for the
first time. He broke contact first, turning to walk to a chair near the fireplace. Sitting, he gestured
toward the chair on the other side of the fireplace. Aurora thought about resisting him, but he was
her father. So she slowly walked across the room and gracefully dropped into the chair. She stared
at him, silently daring him to speak. The defiant lift to her chin brought the memory of when the king
had first meet her mother to his mind. She was the very image of her mother. A tear came unbidden
to his eye and he forced his thoughts back to the present.
"It has come to my attention that you have been training with my knights," he said with a
disapproving tone. "You know that is forbidden. Apparently the whole kingdom but I and your
brother knew about this. Meaning you have caused my knights to break my laws as well. Can you
tell me why I should not banish you for doing so? And lock my knights in the stocks for aiding you
in your crime?"
"I did not know that the knights knew!" Aurora exclaimed. "I thought I took such good care to
hide who I was from them. Please do not punish them for what I have done! As for what I have
done, do what you will! It is not like you care about me. And you would finally be rid of the
daughter you never wanted! I will not grovel and beg for forgiveness. I can take care of myself if I
have to."
"I have no doubts that you can," her father answered softly. "You have won the hearts of my
people, much like your mother did when she first came here. It is my fault that I knew nothing about
this. I turned my back on you after your mother's death. You were just moments old and I hardened
my heart toward you. I wrapped myself in my grief when I should have seen the gift she bore me. I
focused on what I had lost and not what I still had. I was selfish and could not see that you had lost
her as well. I at least got to know her and love her. You lost your mother shortly after your first
breath. You never got to feel her arms around you or to know her love. Never did you get to hear
her lovely voice sing you to sleep. A mother's love was denied to you by her death. And I denied
you a father's love as well. No, you do not need to beg for my forgiveness. It is I that should beg
you for your forgiveness."
The King knelt at Aurora's feet and tenderly took her hand in his. She stared at him with shock
and confusion in her eyes. He gazed at her with tears in his eyes. A silent plea shone in his eyes,
touching her wounded and broken heart. With a sob, she sank to her knees and embraced her
father. All the pain of her love-starved childhood came pouring out of her as tears flowed down
her face. She buried her face in her father's shoulder as he pulled her closer. His tears mingled with
hers as they shared the pain of losing one wonderful woman and all the years lost to them.
Wrapped together in their grief, time stopped. Each could feel the other's pain and they held each
other closer, trying to drive the pain away.
"Why now?" Aurora questioned, raising her head to look at her father. "Why do you suddenly
care after all this time? All those wasted years when I needed you to love me. I spent so much time
trying to get you to look at me, touch me, love me. All I had to do was start training with the
knights? I have been doing that for three years now. What made you notice all of a sudden?"
"Let us just say that your grandfather knocked some sense into me," he replied with a raised
eyebrow. "He could not hold his tongue any longer. His love of you won out over my being the
king. And I'm glad he finally said something to me. I was being a fool. I missed out on so much
of your life. He managed to raise you better than I could. From what he tells me, you are a very
amazing young woman. I see so much of your mother in you. You look just like her. That has
made it hard to look at you and I am sorry. I should have been the father you needed but I was
a coward. Every time I looked into your eyes I saw your mother. Instead of fighting the pain, I
gave into it and turned my back on everything that reminded me of her. Your brother and sisters
take after my side of the family, so I don't see much of her in them. But you are your mother's
daughter. Not just in looks, but you have her fire and love of knowledge also. But you are your
own person. Your grandfather says you have a love of animals. And that you spend days
roaming the forest. Bridget didn't like animals and hated the woods. He told me that you love to
tell stories and read. All she wanted to do was be a fighter. You are more well-rounded than she
was. I wish I could say I had something to do with that."
"You could have," Aurora replied. "How do you know so much about me? I thought you did
not care if I lived or died. When we talked it was about the weather or if I needed new dresses.
You never asked me about what I wanted to be or how my day was. It was like you were too
busy for me."
"Your grandfather gave me weekly reports about you," he said. "I admit I was a horrible
father. I have made so many mistakes. Hopefully, you will let me make that up to you. Will you
let me be the father I should have been to you? I will understand if you don't want anything to do
with me. I have treated you worse than I treat my enemies. Just tell me what you want me to do
and I will do it."
"I want you to be my father," she answered as she looked into his eyes. "Show me that you
love me. Tell me that you love me. Ask me about my day and what I want to do. Let me show
you what I can do with a sword. Don't make me give up training with the knights. Tell me about
yourself. What plans do you have for me?"
"First of all, you can continue training with the knights," the king answered. "I think they
would rebel if I ordered you to stop. No need for anything to change there. Secondly, I'll
answer any questions you have about me or your mother. Within reason, of course. We can
talk whenever you wish. I will try my best to be a better father to you. I have had several offers
for your hand in marriage, but the final choice shall be left up to you. The same goes for your
sisters. I know they think I'll just pick the men I want for them but it will be their choice. I have
plenty of land and allies. I could always use more of both but I would rather see my daughters
happy. Speaking of which, King Arthur of Camelot and some of his knights shall be here in a
fortnight. Maybe you or one of your sisters will find a match with one of his knights. What do
you think about that?"
They talked long into the night about many things. The bond between father and daughter
began to grow and strengthen. When they finally parted to seek their beds, each was reluctant
to go. But we all must have rest and so they went their separate ways, knowing they would see
each other in the morning. Together, they had torn down the walls of hurt and pain. A bridge
had been built between them. So, snug in their beds, they each dreamed a fiery-haired woman
that smiled at them, happy that they had finally managed to work past the pain and find each other.
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