Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 3 ~ Awake

Slowly blinking Aurelia opened her eyes. That wasn't her rooms white wallpaper. Unwillingly moaning she turned to the left side and suddenly she was wide awake. There was a giant window in the wall next to her and this view took her breath away: the sea was softly twinkling right under her. She lifted herself up carefully and slid closer to the window so that she was kneeing in front of the window. Very aware of every single move she put out her hand and sighed in relieve as her fingers touched glass. She inhaled deeply and drank in the beauty of the view.
Way to soon she had to turn away and examined the rest of the room. The sight of the books and scrolls made her heart skip a beat. Every wall was hidden behind bookshelves and she felt like she was in heaven. Only marginal she registered the sofa that was not too far away from the bed she was sitting on. Infront of the sofa was a small table and next to the sofa was a huge desk that – of course – had a stunning view over the sea, too. On the desk laid well sorted stacks of papers and documents.
She stood up in a rush and nearly tripped over the chair that someone put in front of the bed. As a child she used to fell out of her grandmother's bed every time she visited her because she wasn't used to beds made for adults. She shook her head to get rid of her childhood memories. Suddenly the world started spinning. Feebly she sank on the chair and closed her eyes. As soon as she lost the feeling of dizziness, she stood up a little bit more slowly and went to the closest bookshelf. Fascinated her fingertips moved over the spins, still indecisive which one to pick. Without propose she grabbed a book and opened it measured.
ANNALESQ.ENNIUS
It took a moment for her to understand what treasure she was holding in her hands. In disbelieve she was flicking through the pages. Without a break the letters became blurred before her eyes. Absolutely overwhelmed she closed the book just to open it again in the next second and started reading the first page. Her fingertip moved from letter to letter tenderly and stopped as it reached the end of a word. What would her Latin professors give in exchange just to study this comprehensive version of the Annales of Quintus Ennius? She dived into the old language completely so that she couldn't hear that someone stepped behind her. The more she got frightened as suddenly a voice said: "You are awake"
Alarmed she turned around and looked into the blank face of a young man. In that moment she started remembering everything: the cave, the tunnel and the angry man at the beach. It was him. Suddenly her legs started shaking, the book slipped from her fingers and everything started to spin again. Faster than she was able to follow he grabbed her and carried her back to the bed carefully. Surprisingly tenderly he put her down. As he turned around, she felt her panic rising in her chest. She managed to grab his arm and hold him back. He looked at her small hand in surprise that was clinging into his arm and his mouth twisted into the hint of a small smile. Slowly but certain he removed her fingers, took her hand in his, pulled the chair to himself and sat down next to her.
When the gaze of his eyes was on her calculating like he was trying to figure out all of her deepest secrets. The colour of his eyes reminded her of the colour of the sky on a stormy day. Timidly smiling she intertwined her fingers with his because he was already holding her hand and it was more comfortable this way. A small tone of surprise escaped his lips and her smile became wider.
Frowning he toched her forehead with his free hand and bursted into something that sounded like curses.
"Girl you are red-hot!", he muttered and she giggled. She wasn't a puella. In that moment she understood and sat up so abruptly that their heads crashed. He spoke Latin. Uncertain, because she wasn't used to speak Latin, she opened her mouth, closed it in the same moment she saw a wax tablet and slate-pencil. She grabbed it quickly and started to write: QUI ES?
He frowned again, looked at her for a moment and she forced herself to not turn away from his intensive gaze. Resolutely he took away the writing materials and put them on the desk behind him without removing his eyes from hers and without letting her hand go. He pressed her back into the pillows and whispered softly: "Sleep, Farmosa, sleep"
Slowly she shook her head, but he only pressed his lips together like he wasn't used that someone contradicted him.
"Tell me who you are", she required from him weakly. But before he was able to answer, she closed her eyes and drifted into restless sleep. From time to time voices came through her mind but she couldn't understand a single word. She was way too far away.

The next time she regained consciousness it was deep in the night. Carefully she sat up. Finally her eyes got used to the dim light and she saw that the stranger was sleeping on the sofa. Sleeping he looked like an angel: peaceful, soft and breath taking beautiful.
At the chair next to her bed was a cup. Suddenly she was very thirsty. She slowly took the cup and pressed it at her dry lips. The smell of different herbs found their way in her nose. For a short she hesitated but when she drank the cup. The cold liquid calmed her down immediately.
Exhausted she laid back in the soft bed and as soon as she closed her eyes, she fell into a deepand dreamless sleep.