Light Eyes; DarK Eyes

Chapter 7

They went out, same as always, pretty early in the morning. Aiden was always awake when Aurora emerged from her room. Occasionally, she found him inspecting the large book case that was in the same room as the couch. He never touched anything, but stood with his head tilted to the side to see the titles. His sword had been returned to him, grudgingly, but she had never seen him touch it. That was probably wise, not to go armed into the market. It would only make him all that much more of a threat.
It was quiet this morning. The carts were fewer this morning, and people seemed tired. A mist was hanging over everything, making it more difficult to see details. Aurora and Aiden went their usual way, circling slowly around the entire market. They avoided the narrower streets, and people avoided Aiden. He had learned to more or less disappear into the background, allowing the Celestine people to greet the heir to their throne. He made sure to be within sight, though. The people no longer threw things anymore; he dodged them with too much accuracy for it to be very effective. Old women glowered, and curses were still heard, but he ignored them.
The mist was starting to clear up, and the carts moved faster, as the people started to become more alert. Aurora was talking to a breadwoman, trying to find out the cares of the population. He smiled a bit, thinking how different it was from his place of birth. A flash of red caught his eye. A child with a red tunic crossed the street. Coming the other way, a cart thundered closer. Several people noticed, and cried warning. The cart driver tried to stop his team, but it was too late. The child had frozen in shock.
Without thinking, Aiden grabbed the young Celestine child, pulling her out of the way quickly, falling backward. Gasps and shouts rose with the dust of the road. The cart thundered past harmlessly. Aurora rushed over. Aiden handed her the crying girl, and stood up.
“Is she alright?” He asked quietly, over the shouts. Aurora nodded.
“Just a little frightened.” The girl’s mother ran up, skirts flapping.
“Karri, thank the gods!” She exclaimed, tears running down her own face. Aurora handed her the child. “What have I told you about crossing the road without looking?” She asked, relieved that Karri was alright. She turned to Aiden, which surprised him.
“Thank you, sir. You saved her life.” She said, smiling weakly. Aiden looked embarrassed.
“Err—no problem, ma’am.” He said, uncomfortable with the suddenly friendly attention. When she bowed to him, he backed up a bit, holding up his hands, not sure what to do or how to make her stop. “Really. You—you don’t need to do that.” He threw a lost look at Aurora, one that clearly stated: What do I do? He obviously wasn’t used to this. Karri’s mother finally stopped bowing and went on her way, much to Aiden’s relief. Aurora smiled at him.
“See? I told you it’d get better.” She said. He winced.
“Who would just stand by and let a child die?” he asked rhetorically.
“It doesn’t matter who would. What matters is that you didn’t let her die.” He looked at Aurora indecipherably, letting the subject drop.
♠ ♠ ♠
It was worth the tomato.