Aura.

"Signi is having problems carrying the child. I do not know what to do to help."

"I have not seen either of you for over a week. You could have sent a servant for Aura to attend her." Thorn stated bluntly.

Sillgrim did not want to say it but he was beginning to resent Aura. She had a way of making everyone seem inadequate and Sillgrim realized that although he might have wanted her at one time, there were moments now when she did no more than irritate him. He hated what he thought of as her superiority, without understanding why. He looked at the two men before him and frowned as the thought crossed his mind that they were going to insist that Aura check on Signi.

As it turned out it was not Aura that ended up helping Signi, but Elizabeth. Aura sat back and watched as Elizabeth rea.s.sured Signi of the normality of her fears and they talked about common shared experiences and feelings in relation to their pregnancies. Aura eventually grew tired of the conversation and retired to a room where she had set up to work on her tapestries.

Aura sat looking at the sewing she had done and chuckled to herself. She remembered when she thought that such work boring, now her crafts occupied a good portion of each day. The men, who were roaming about the house looking for something interesting to do, came upon her.

"Where are Elizabeth and Signi?" Thorn asked as he led the other men into the room.

"Either taking naps, or still talking about their up and coming births. Elizabeth has been good for Signi, she has settled some of her fears and she is much more relaxed than when she arrived."

"I thought you would help her." Thorn replied. He had forgotten that she had told him that she wanted the two women to meet alone together so they could talk in private about the upcoming births.

"I have never had a child Thorn, she will feel much more comfortable getting her information from one who knows first hand what she is talking about."

Sillgrim stared at Aura in stunned disbelief. He believed she thought of herself as an authority on any subject. This insight into the workings of her mind considerably changed the way he thought about her. Perhaps Vernon and Signi had been right. Perhaps she did only help where she could.

Edwin laughed at the thought of the two women napping, as part of what they had to go through while pregnant and teased his brother.

"Perhaps with a bit more effort on your part, big brother, Aura might have felt more comfortable with the other two. You need an heir."

Thorn smiled and countered. "We are but newlyweds Edwin, allow us some time for ourselves. I enjoy our life as it is, there is still time for a family."

"Really? I would have thought you almost too old for a young wife and family."

"I do not hear Aura complaining." Thorn countered.

Sillgrim surprised them by defending her. "It would do little good if she did complain. A woman"s lot is to serve her Lord. She has no rights of her own. Especially not after she has been wed."

Aura agreed with Sillgrim and it set off a debate, with the two brothers laughing as they took one side, and Sillgrim and Aura banding together to defend their views. It eased the monotony of the afternoon.

CHAPTER x.x.xV.

A couple of weeks later, Edwin and his family left to return to their home. Aura found the void left behind by the lively family hard to bear. She had grown used to having her house filled with the sound of children at play. She had been careful not to mix the reality of her present with her memories from the future. She knew that the things she a.s.sociated with Christmas would not fit in with this world. The spirit of the season was what she worked on creating. Now, where there had been sounds of gaiety and the smells of sweets baking, there were only the empty sounds of echoing chambers to remind her of the absence of their guests. She turned to Thorn to fill the void, and he was more than happy to offer her the warmth and comfort she sought in his arms.

The winds of winter brought back memories for Aura. She remembered how it had been in the cave, the lack of light and the cold she had fought constantly to keep at bay so she would not freeze. The constant battle with the elements, she noted, was a never-ending ch.o.r.e, but at least in Thorn"s home there was light. She filled her days with making things to keep them warm and comfortable, and as for the nights, there was Thorn.

Thorn spent his days finishing off his fortress and helping Sillgrim build his home. The winter was harsh and brought with it many sorrows. Sid was found frozen, curled up in a snow bank. No one knew how he had gotten out of the building, but he had. Aura sighed at the loss, but did not mourn. She had found something more precious to take his place.

As spring began to show signs of breaking Signi gave birth to twins, boys. Aura was enchanted with the flaxen haired babies and spent every spare moment with Signi and her family, making clothing for the children and helping her care for them. Sillgrim was called to war by Vernon. Thorn decided to stay home with his wife, and sent a small contingent of warriors with Sillgrim to show his support.

Two months after the birth of the boys Sillgrim announced the completion of their home and Aura helped them pack their belongings. She spent a day crying on Thorn"s shoulder after seeing them off, feeling as if a large part of her life had gone with them.

Thorn held Aura as he tried to comfort her. They were alone and he knew it would take her some time to adjust. She had been so disappointed when she had continued to remain barren. Signi taking the twins meant she would need Thorn"s support even more. It was something he felt capable of doing, so he refused to let it worry him. For now they could share their need for comfort, for it would not only be Aura who would miss them. He had also gotten used to having Signi and the babies around, and although they would get to see each other often, it was not the same as seeing them everyday.

Thorn watched the changes in Aura after the move, with increasing worry. She kept more to herself and there was no more humming and singing. She seemed to need to sleep more and more, and she was losing weight in a noticeable fashion. It was weight she could not afford to lose. His concern grew when one day he walked into her sewing room and caught her in tears. He had held her in his arms, settling her on his lap, until he thought she had calmed, only to find she had fallen asleep.

She had given no reason for her depression and Thorn had not asked. The reason seemed obvious. Aura was taking his sister"s move too hard and to compound the problem she still missed the children. He looked at the sleeping woman in his arms and decided to have a very serious talk with her. He carried her up to their room, where he undressed her and put her to bed.

The next morning Thorn woke to find Aura watching him as he slept. She lay beside him with a soft smile across her face and he wondered what was going through her mind.

"What are you thinking of love?" He asked as he gently tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

She gave a dreamy smile as she answered. "When we first met. Roger, Wolf and how much you have changed since then. Do you remember much of those days in the cave?"

"There was not much to remember. I was a different man then. At the time you were no more to me than another woman. Granted, I sensed something special about you even then, but I had no idea what it was."

"Really, why?" Aura wondered.

"You haunted my memories and my dreams. I had never been so affected by a woman. At the time I supposed it was because I had wanted you and you had eluded me." Thorn admitted, half ashamed to admit to such thoughts.

"And when we met again?" Aura asked as she ran a forefinger up the outside of a bare bicep.

"I will always remember being with you at Vernon"s. You taxed me and I swore I would have you." He replied. His body was responding to her tender caresses and he pulled her closer to himself.

"As I remember," she purred as she placed her arms about his neck and teased. "You did."

His smile widened as he caressed her back with his hands, feeling the softness of her body beneath his touch. "I must admit," he spoke in husky tones, as he ran his lips over her face, "I was not disappointed. But the following year of my life was a living h.e.l.l. I swore I would hate you forever for putting me through that, even though I knew I never could."

He kissed her drawing the sweetness of her lips under his as she opened her mouth to his demanding invasion.

Their lips parted and she spoke, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "And do you hate me Thorn?"

Between kisses and their climbing pa.s.sion he answered. "I could never hate you, not as long as there is breath in my body, or a star shining in the sky. I found that out the moment I saw you again. I could barely wait to get you home."

He caressed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with his lips, licking at them, drawing the pa.s.sion swelled tips into his mouth to suckle them as he moved his hands down to her legs to part them. He stroked the nub between her thighs, with slow tantalizing movements, feeling her arousal in the swelling of her feminine parts, the wetness of her welcome and hearing the raspy sobs that came from her.

"I loved your present the day of our return, it quite took my breath away," he continued to tease her in his husky voice as he moved over her to kiss her again.

She met his kiss with one of her own and moaned as they joined. Her legs moved about his hips as he thrust into her and she arched towards him.

"Oh yes Thorn," she breathed into his ear, as they clung to one another, their bodies merging in an age old dance as he slid in and out of her, each seeking then finding their release within and about the other.

Neither retained enough strength after their bout of lovemaking to even withdraw from the other and they remained joined until their breathing returned to normal and he found the strength to move from her. Thorn held on to her, pulling her closer and sighed in deep satisfaction as he cushioned her body against his.

Aura smiled, contented and sated by the act they had just shared and purred. "And so what do you think now?"

"Now?" Thorn asked, bewildered by a question that could mean anything.

Aura laughed and added. "Yes, now. Now that you have everything a man could want of his mate and love. What do you think now?"

"I think you are trying to tell me something, but, at the same time, you are waiting for me to guess what it is."

"Perhaps," Aura teased, giving him a smug evasive smile.

"I can think of only one thing that would make you so happy and pleased with yourself at the same time. Aura, do you carry my child?"

Aura nodded and laughed in glee as Thorn crushed her to himself, kissing her long and hard as he did.

"How long have you known?" Thorn asked as he raised his head from hers.

"Not long," Aura admitted. "I suspected, but was afraid it might not be true, but it is, I know it is."

"What now?" Thorn asked.

"Now I feel totally free to live out my life with you, without being afraid of losing you again. Thorn do you have any idea how hard I have prayed that I might be given this gift?" Aura blurted out.

"Probably as hard as I prayed I might find you in the first place." Thorn answered as he kissed her again then asked. "Should we tell the others, or should we wait?"

"Let them wait. I think I would like this kept between us for a little while. Let us cherish the moment on our own."

They were quiet, as they lay embraced, lost in their own thoughts, until he broke the silence.

"So what do you think now, now that you feel truly safe and fully protected."

Aura smiled as she answered. "I wonder if our son will grow up to be as dark as his father, with shoulders as wide and his body as hard. I wonder if he will be loved by the woman he chooses."

Thorn laughed, pleased with her answer and countered. "I wonder if our daughter"s eyes will be as bright as her mother"s, reminding me of the sky in the setting sun. I wonder if she will sing songs to the children in the village with a voice as clear and light as a lark."

Aura sighed, but said nothing. She was content to wait and find out, for now she was certain of her future. She would stand at the side of the man she loved, and together they would raise their family.

CHAPTER x.x.xVI.

Aura and Thorn stood together at the window as they watched their three sons joke with each other and torment their sister. They teased her that they had found her a husband, while she argued back that she was too young to marry. The boys, barely men themselves, razzed her in their fondness and told her that at fourteen she should have little thought of anything other than marriage. The girl soon realized that they only were teasing her and she smiled at them as if she knew something that they didn"t. Aura smiled, she was so very young, so very full of spirit. Thorn had turned down many offers for the hand of his only daughter. He wasn"t ready to part with her yet.

The young girl knew what her parents thought of her, Aura and Thorn hadn"t kept their pride or love secret. She had lived a life surrounded by the love of her family, as had her brothers. Thorn had trained his boys well, as he knew they would need his skills in life to survive. Aura taught each of their children what she thought they could use of her skills. Their daughter was best at following in her mother"s footsteps. She had learned well the art of making medicine and healing those in need, both on the battlefield and off. All of the children knew how to read and write as well as do mathematical equations.

Thorn felt as if his life had been blessed. He had a wife and family he loved with all his heart and soul and he was happy. Life had been good to him when he had been granted his heart"s desire, Aura. He couldn"t have asked for a better wife, and he knew she loved him every bit as much as he did her. It hadn"t been an easy life, war and living conditions kept them busy surviving, but there had also been happy times when friends and family would meet in celebration. He could see that the future would be better for his children and he felt he had Aura to thank for that, as she had brought knowledge and light into their home.

The twins, Sillgrim and Signi"s only children, came into view, riding hard across the fields to join their cousins. Compared to Thorn and Aura"s children they often seemed wilder than their cousins. There were several differences as where their children had dark hair, Signi and Sillgrim"s flaxen haired boys shone like the light. Thorn and Aura remembered how the young men had fought at their father"s side during a battle not too far from their homes. The cousins had fought as a unit, and they had done well. After the battle had been won Aura had told Thorn that on the field there had been little difference between their sons and their cousins. It had been a battle that had proved them ready to defend their King and country, and they were all ready to ride off at moment"s notice.

Their readiness to ride off to war did not sit well with Aura, but there was nothing she could do about it. These were the times she had chosen to live in, nor had she regretted her decision. She sighed as she leaned back against Thorn"s solid body and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders as he rested his head against the top of her head. She felt loved, secure and happy. He dropped a kiss against the side of her head and leaned to murmur into her ear.

"I want you to know that if I had to do it over again, I wouldn"t change a thing. I love you Aura."

Aura smiled and reached up to give him a kiss in return. "I love you too, Thorn. But would you really want to live through the winter of my absence?"

Thorn thought about that for a moment, then replied philosophically. "It is the things we lose, then have to fight to retrieve that we seem to value the most. I find you the most valuable possession I have."

"Possession, Thorn?" Aura asked.

"As you possess my heart, I possess yours. We belong." Thorn replied confidently.

Aura smiled. She was at peace with the declaration. It was true. They did belong to each other. They had been granted a precious gift in their lives. Impossible as it seemed they had come together in a time where they should never have met. They had lived, loved, and spent their lives in a time hundreds of years before she had been born, and they had found happiness in doing so. This, she decided, was what life was supposed to be like.

THE END.