Disclaimer: I do not own Chronicles of Narnia. If I did, there would be a lot more Lucy/Caspian going on. Which idiot came up with Susan/Caspian, anyway? It's worse than the Peter/Susan rampage!
Summary: Loyalty to kin and loyalty to yourself. Divided loyalties and lack of better options. There were times when she wondered if being royalty was really worth it.

Chapter One

It had all started when the five-year-old Crown Princess Vaneria had woken in the middle of the night, as was an unfortunate habit. Normally, she would drift off again fairly quickly, but tonight she had seen her mother's sister walking down the hall outside, hooded and cloaked, joined by a second figure.

This, of course, instantly banished all thought of sleep from her mind. People sneaking down hallways in the middle of the night, trying to remain hidden? A secret meeting? It was just like the exciting stories that her nanny would read to her, and what could be better than finding her very own adventure? Aunt Jadis was very strict, but she always made time to play with Vaneria, and adventures were always more fun with others than by yourself! Slipping out of bed and pulling on a little fur coat (Mother always insisted on wearing warm clothing in the winter, one of the few things she and Aunt Jadis agreed upon) Vaneria padded out the door and scurried on silent feet to catch up with her aunt.

If nothing else, Vaneria was going to have all sorts of new places for next time she played hide-and-seek. Following Aunt Jadis had led her down past the dungeons, through two hidden passageways, and down to what must have been a hidden chamber.

It was set up very much like her own little shrine, (Even future queens must show respect to the gods and their ancestors, after all) but it was also different, with magic markings and statues and other things that Vaneria had never seen before. The Royal Line of Charn had magic, of course, and Vaneria was to begin learning it in a few years, but so many of the things here were completely unknown to her.

Further into the room, Aunt Jadis had slipped off her cloak, as did the other figure, who turned out to be a sour faced man with cold eyes. Seeing him, Vaneria must have made some noise, because the man's attention, not to mention a throwing knife, flew to where she hid behind the door. Vaneria let out a tiny shriek as both of them ran over. The man pulled the knife out of the door and Vaneria instantly attached herself to her aunt's leg, trembling from head to foot.

Recovering from the surprise, Princess Jadis let out a sigh. "Only Vaneria, then. Her presence will prove no danger. Acaia will join us soon, Karai, so you may prepare to begin the lesson. Hush, now, 'Ria, everything will be all right. Take a deep breath and calm down."

The man, Karai, moved away, going to a previously un-noticed shelf and taking down several books as Vaneria bravely did as she was instructed, letting go of her aunt. "What lessons, Aunt? I thought lessons had to be taken during the day; Nanny always says that the night is for sleeping."

Jadis smiled, but it was a strange smile. "Not all lessons take place under the sun, 'Ria. Some take place in Shadow and Secrecy."

Vaneria's eyes shone with delight; this adventure only became better and better! Queen Yelena insisted that she not learn Magic for several years, but here was a chance to learn it now! "Can I stay and watch? I don't want to go back by myself. I promise to be quiet."

A cackling laugh made both aunt and niece jump. Spinning around, they saw an old lady, hunched and wizened. "Let her stay then. Balance must be maintained, and she will need to learn at some point."

Jadis did not look pleased at the old woman's statement. "That was not part of our bargain, crone. Keep the young one out of this until she is of a proper age. Besides, how do we know she can keep it a secret?"

Vaneria was a Royal Princess; even at five she knew the value of secrecy! She was just about to open her mouth and indignantly protest this fact when the crone's expression became stern. "Then the bargain has just changed, Princess; your niece has a destiny, just as you do. I will teach both, or neither of you."

Jadis looked even less pleased at this, but didn't argue. She turned back to the sour-faced man as the old woman led Vaneria off to the side. "You have a destiny about you, little princess, and I can teach you things beyond what you would normally learn, things that will help you achieve your destiny. It will be difficult, and must be kept in utmost secrecy. Are you willing to learn?"

Vaneria knew that she was destined to be queen one day, and she had always been determined to be the greatest of her line. If this would help her achieve that goal, then it was worth the cost of secrecy. Meeting the crone's eyes squarely, she nodded. The crone smiled. "Good. My name is Acaia, and I will teach you things that you could never have imagined."

As Acaia promised, she did teach Vaneria things that even the young girl's fertile imagination would never have thought of. Often, she would teach Aunt Jadis at the same time, things that Vaneria had trouble comprehending, but sometimes it would be Vaneria alone. At first it was simple things, like the theory behind magic, which Acaia insisted she needed to learn before anything else. "There are many kinds of magic, little one, and I will teach you most of them. There are little magic's, like disguising your appearance, or a spell to bring or ward off bad luck. There are bigger things, like defending yourself from an attacker, or using magic to attack another. There is Deep Magic, somethings never to be meddled with, some of which can shape the very principles on which our world is created."

Vaneria listened intently, even her young mind aware that this would be one of the most important things she would ever learn. "Is that why we meet in secret, because the more powerful magic can be dangerous in wrong or ignorant hands?"

Acaia nodded, "Very good. That is why I teach you the theory before I allow you to try the spell itself."

As Vaneria grew older, it became harder to sneak away, as her life was slowly filled with other things. When Vaneria turned six, her Aunt Jadis adopted an orphaned Countess around Vaneria's age. Sorcha was golden haired and brown eyed, charismatic and outgoing.

A direct contrast to Vaneria's black hair, grey eyes and more introversive and subdued personality, the two girls instantly befriended each other, getting along like a house on fire. As close as sisters, they shared nearly everything, except the knowledge that Vaneria was learning magic. That would remain a secret for years yet.

At the age of seven, her nanny left, to be replaced by tutors who 'specialized' in things that her mother, Queen Yelena, insisted that she would 'need to know'. Outwardly, Vaneria agreed, as there were many things that a Crown Princess would need to know. Privately, she decided that they must be holding a competition to see who could be the most stuffy and boring of them all.

Things like etiquette and courtly behavior quickly became boring, to the extent that Vaneria and Sorcha spent most of their lessons mocking the tutor behind their back. Honestly, when you learn something and refine the skill, is it really necessary to have someone beat you over the head with it even after you have perfected the ability?

History was interesting, though. It became a lot less dull if you viewed it as a story, and the history of the Royal Family was nothing short of fascinating. They were descended from giants on one side, which certainly explained why Mother and Aunt Jadis towered head and shoulders above everyone else, and why the royal family seemed a lot stronger than most others.

On the other side, they came from the Father Of All Humans, who was called Adam, and from his first wife, Lilith. Lilith had been created as Adam's equal, formed out of the earth, just as he was. But when she wanted to be treated as an equal, to not always submit to her husband, Lilith had been cast out of paradise, not yet knowing at the time that a daughter grew beneath her heart.

Lilith had many other children, not by Adam, but this daughter grew up, with the creed 'A daughter of Lilith submits to no one' and became the first Queen of Charn. Perhaps that was the second reason that Charn tended to be a Matriarchal society, having Kings only when there was no female heir. Then again, there was the fact that women did seem to have a slightly better track record in this area.

As one of the maids had put it: "If you can run a kitchen, you can rule the world."

At the age of eight, Acaia began teaching Vaneria in earnest. As she learned what was termed 'pattern magic'; a spell made stronger by using a pattern like weaving or dancing, however, Vaneria began to notice a more subtle one. "Acaia, I have been looking up the differences between the spells that Aunt Jadis and I are learning. Most of what I learn is loosely classified 'White' magic, while Aunt Jadis is learning magic that is very not, and could even be considered 'Dark'."

Acaia nodded. "I told you once that there must be balance. Your aunt seeks to rule and dominate; she has no interest in the more peaceful magics. You shoulder the responsibility of your heritage, and are willing to do your duty, but you have no desire to conquer or subdue others. The magic that Princess Jadis revels in would not work well for you."

Vaneria studied her teacher, who was refusing to fully meet her eyes. "That is not all, though, is it?"

Acaia sighed. "No." Her expression became the most serious Vaneria had ever seen. "Hear me now, and understand that there are some things that I will never teach you, some things that are better off forgotten. Karai has never possessed my restraint, and I fear that he will teach Princess Jadis these things. If that happens, I fear for Charn, so I teach you magic that will help you counter these things, or at least protect yourself."

Unwilling to believe that her beloved Aunt would do such a thing, but knowing that Acaia's 'feelings' were almost always correct, Vaneria only nodded, and delved deep into her studies, hoping that this particular fear would turn out to be only paranoia.

When Vaneria turned nine, they had to give up trying to sneak out and meet secretly at night. To Vaneria's considerable surprise, her Aunt Jadis solved the problem by having Acaia use glamour and introducing her as a possible Lady Companion and Magic teacher. Spending most of the day relatively alone together, Acaia would teach her the 'appropriate' magic in her role as tutor, then slip the more advanced magic lesson, little by little, into a seemingly innocent conversation, while teaching her to work symbols to protect or force truthfulness into her embroidery and painting, shaped by falling leaves or petals, or hidden in the shadow of a tree or spray of a waterfall.

It was also in this year that Sorcha managed to figure out by herself that something was going on, and found out about her adoptive mother's use of magic. For Sorcha, it was a large shock, and not a little hurt that they had not confided in her. For Jadis and Vaneria, it was a month of the 'Silent Treatment'. For Sorcha, it was eventually becoming a far more frequent visitor when Vaneria was alone with her Lady Companion. For Acaia, it was gaining another student.

Years passed in this manner, quiet and in relative tranquility. It was not until Vaneria's sixteenth year that things started to go terribly wrong.

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A/N: First chapter up! There will be references to my other fic 'A Reason For Everything' but you don't have to have read that first. Anyway, take a few extra seconds to review and tell me what you think. Constructive critisism is welcome, and flames are kept as a reminder that some people can be just as pointlessly rude as my sister. If you don't like it, then tell my how to improve, rather than wasting both our time with insults.

Thanks, Nat