Family dinner (2)

Regina laid back on Aurora's bed while Aurora changed out of her dress with dirt stains from the garden. She closed her eyes tired from her class. Why couldn't she just stay home with Aurora? Her family had enough money to bring as many tutors as they would like to the home.

"You better not be going to sleep Regina. We have to go down for dinner now. Sleep afterward," Aurora called from behind her fabric divider. She hurried to change her dress so Regina wouldn't be scolded by Rachel for being late.

"I miss when we were younger and spent all of the time in your room. I used to sneak in here after my mother put me to bed in my room."

"And I got scolded as the one inviting you," Aurora said remembering those days. They always accused her of being the one making Regina do bad things but Regina had always been devious.

"That's why I stopped. I felt bad when you got scolded and smiled at me each time telling me it's okay." Regina felt deeply sorry for her older sister.

"I didn't mind being the rebel child. Their scolding only lasted a little while. We would have so much fun afterward. How do I look?" Questioned Aurora stepping from behind the divider to show Regina the pink dress she changed into.

Regina sat up and eyed Aurora from head to toe and said, "Beautiful. If you go to the parties all the men would try to take you as their wife. You're the only person I've seen born with white hair and blue eyes."

"It makes me wonder about my mother. I don't have at least one painting of her but everyone says I look just like her," Aurora said sitting on the bed beside Regina. She felt like the odd person out in the family because of her appearance and no one had one belonging to her mother for Aurora to know what the woman who birthed her was like.

"Then she was a beautiful woman and I'm glad she gave me my sister."

"You would be stuck with Samuel," Aurora teased her younger sister. Even though she knew so little of her mother, it was thanks to her Aurora was alive and had her family. The circumstances of Aurora's birth were just the bad part.

"You better not leave me," Regina said, holding out her pinky finger to make a promise. Aurora was her sister and also her best friend. No one understood her better than Aurora. No matter how old they got or how different their lives become in the future when they start their own families, Regina needed her sister close by.

Aurora wrapped her pinky around Regina's making the promise. "You better not leave me either. I also don't want to be stuck with just Samuel," she grinned.

"Girls!" The faint call of Minnie's voice could be heard in Aurora's room. The room went silent before they started to laugh.

Aurora wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "For a woman her age she sure is loud. We should go before we get in trouble again. She complains about her feet but I think she would be able to run upstairs and pull us by our ears back down."

Regina stood up and walked ahead snickering at what Aurora said. "I would pay a lot of money to see Minnie run after us."

"Aurora!"

"Yes," Aurora answered Regina but her sister turned to look at her puzzled. "Did you just call my name?" she questioned. It was soft but she heard her name called and only she and Regina were in the room.

"No, you might be hearing Minnie."

"Maybe," Aurora thought out loud. Her mind could just be playing tricks on her. "Let's go."

Reaching the large dining room their father Nathaniel, Rachel, Minnie and Samuel were all waiting at the table for Aurora and Regina to arrive.

"Could you two please hurry up next time? Some of us are really hungry," Samuel said with his knife and fork already in his hand. He spent a long day sword fighting and just wanted to eat but had to wait on his sisters.

"When are you not hungry?" Aurora questioned taking a seat beside Samuel and Regina sat beside her. Her seat would be facing her father while Minnie sat at the head of the table.

"I've heard him talk about food in his sleep. Too bad you can't marry food Samuel," Regina said, joining in to tease her older brother. "All the women will need to throw food on their clothes just to impress you."

"They will not!"

"Aurora, Regina, stop pestering your brother. He is growing up and needs to eat," Nathaniel said, listening to the children speak while he read the daily paper.

"Thank you father," Samuel said glaring in the direction of his sisters.

"I do believe you will need a lady to present you some sort of food to entice you. Just because we have money doesn't mean I want to spend all of it on your eating habits. Get it under control or bring in more of your own money," Nathaniel advised his son. He gave each of them an allowance and would not be offering more money than that each week.

Coming to her son's defense Rachel said, "He's been training a lot lately to continue being among the best sword fighters our town has to offer. If he didn't need to follow your steps and manage the family business he would be selected by king Darius to be a captain or much more. On the other hand, the girls could benefit from eating less. There's too much flesh in certain places.

"Then lead by example and go on a diet with them, Rachel. I've noticed things about your body as well but out of respect kept them to myself. We must act on our words before telling someone else what to do. I think you're beautiful as you are Rachel. Don't you agree?" Minnie questioned sticking up for the girls.

Rachel wouldn't be able to speak back to the head of the house so she kept quiet.

Minnie winked at Aurora and Regina when Rachel did so. "Enjoy the food to your heart's content, girls."