Vulnerability

I shook my head, "No, I hardly know anything about you." I rinsed my hands with water and grabbed the cloth again to clean around his wound. "Well, other than the fact that you are in dire need of bathing." I jested, hiding a smile.

Aurelius gave a half-smile. "Well, my apologies, I did not think to bathe before you came out of nowhere."

I gave a little smile. "So, how did you end up here in Camelot?" I asked as I began to dress his wound.

"It was a few years ago. I was probably about nineteen or twenty at the time and Uther was probably sixteen. Father was very bent on the both of us being great warriors, so we trained relentlessly. I took to it much faster than Uther, but it did not matter when the time came. Our castle was taken over, I cannot even remember by whom anymore. They attacked everyone from civilians to our parents, we had no time to prepare or draw our forces. My mother forced Uther and I to promise we would do everything we could to get out alive. Because of that, We... I abandoned our home, allowing them all to be slaughtered. I never even got the chance to fight." Aurelius took a deep, trembling breath and closed his eyes. "We eventually found ourselves here in Camelot, which was in an uproar over their king. Uther and I, still upset at the loss of our people, took this opportunity and killed the king who had deprived his people of the necessities to live. We had seen enough innocent people suffer." Aurelius lay his hand on mine, which I had not realized was still lying against his wound, even after I had dressed it. His hand was rough and calloused, and his eyes appeared dejected and vulnerable in the fire's glow. "I've grown very weary of fighting and death." He whispered softly, as if it were a half-secret half-wish. "Yet, I would rather die than abandon another kingdom to destruction. That is why Merlin is of great importance to Camelot. He could save us from the things that destroyed my previous home."

I slid my hand out from under his and rested my hands in my lap as I sat against my feet. His eyes looked as if he had lived a thousand lives. They reminded me of Edgar and Merlin; They're the kind of eyes that had innocence stollen from them and had dreams crushed.

Aurelius sighed. "I am sorry, I should not be burdening you with such things, I hardly know you." He had a hint of a smile on his face.

"I hardly know myself either." I said, gazing downward. I appear as if I've lived years, but really I have only lived for a week, with the exception of the two years of unconsciousness.

Aurelius pulled his legs up to himself and rested his right arm on his knees. "Merlin did not speak much about you, all though he does love to talk. Are you from the same land he is? Zelix, was it?" He gazed at me curiously.

I froze. What had Merlin told him? Aurelius was so vulnerable with me before, he deserved my vulnerability in return, but what would happen if he knew I was an alien? Surely Merlin had not told him those kinds of things.

"I don't mean to be rude or pry. If you don't want to speak of such things that is all right. Perhaps I am just use to Merlin's chatty nature."

"I don't remember my home." I said quietly, shaking my head. "I left before I was even a day old."

"You don't say!" He exclaimed. "You appear so much older than a child. You should be what? Two? This does baffle me so!"

My heart began to race, he knew way more than I expected. I started to back away, but he quickly grabbed my arm.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He spoke softly and his grip on my arm was light. "I did not mean to frighten you I should have been more careful."

I looked into his eyes, fear still pumping through my body. "I..." I tried to talk, not even sure of what I could say. This man knew me about as well as I knew myself, and it frightened me. There is one question that has continued to haunt me ceaselessly: "Who am I?" Warm tears cascaded down my face and my body began to tremble.

Aurelius pulled me to him, allowing my head to rest against his chest, his strong arms holding me. "You're Fia." He whispered soothingly. "You are brave, because you have ventured here. You are patient, because you have put up with my brother and I. You are kind, because you have chosen to care for me when I was hurt and listen to my burdensome story. And you are lovely. In everything you do, you are just lovely." He rested his head on my own, no longer trying to soothe me with words, but simply with his presence, and I have to wonder how I ever thought he could be cold-natured.