Chapter One
In this grey spring morning, the songbirds sang a different tune. They were mourning, pleading in some way. It was cloudy. It was said in the books that all of them could talk, some of them were even spies for the Witch. Those stories were always fascinating.
He hadn't been here last night, I'd expected it. The bed was cold.
He must be in another chamber, dealing with the politicians, playing a game that he had no say about any single thing. But maybe he could be in the garden, looking over the entire kingdom, being terrified as he always was. I hoped he was in the garden.
So the uncle turned out to be more than a knight appointed by the old fair king, but also a secret king maker. And a boy was made, not destined nor fated, a king.
I got up, found a dress on the desk with a card. Damien wrote the card himself, apologised for not staying. The raven dress was the compensation. I put it on and set off to find Damien.
The corridors were dark, lit by fire torches. People in armour came and went, nodding. The brick was cold, and I opened a window. There was nothing but Sire Jordan's army out in the ground, training with swords and blades. It was sad to look, so I walked away.
The dining chamber was empty. Damien was not here. I went up to the towers where the library located. It used to belong to the old king's professor. It was the first place Damien found after we moved in, and it was his safe heaven.
There. He was sitting in front of the desk with a quill in his hand. He was scribbling fast. The light was landing on his jet black hair from the window.
"I am going down, I am," he said without looking up.
"I can bring you breakfast up here," I said.
"Nah, I'll just be there soon, honey," Damien said, "Sire Jordan wants army permission, he thinks the giants are planning something and he wants to attack first. I honestly don't think the giant from the West would do anything, unless we attack them of course. And Sire Oscar wants to raise taxes on the people, I've said no for more than three times last night . He's been persisting."
"I will bring you breakfast up here," I said.
"No, just," Damien put down his pen and looked at me. His eyes were very red. "I want to eat with you. I haven't spend any time with you for the entire week, and I think I'm going insane."
I smiled.
"Come and sit with me," Damien said. We sat down on the couch. His arms were around me, his face pressed against my neck."You're very beautiful in this dress."
"Thank you," I said.
"Last night was mad."
"Every night is mad," I said. He kissed me.
"Sire Oscar is more impatient than I thought. He had his eyes on me for the entire night, and eventually invited his daughter to dance with me. She has the genes of the trolls, and she stepped on me for more than twenty times for just a dance," Damien said, "when
she kissed my cheek when we were walking in the garden, and I was like - " he made a sound of vomiting. I laughed.
"I think you should marry her."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Damien replied. He didn't speak for a while and I thought he'd fallen asleep.
His voice was hoarse when he spoke again, "this is just terrible. And I miss you."
We went back into the dining chamber soon, and breakfast was put neatly on the table. Damien handed the signed papers to Nigel, or Nathaniel, I could not remember his name.
Damien continued to make to some complaints about Sire Oscar and how his daughter was trying to eat him up the previous night. Sire Oscar was a beefy man who invited Damien to his daugher's birthday party last night. Damien had no choice but to go since Sire Oscar had provided lots of man when they were chasing the old king away.
He held my hand when he ate, and I caught him studying me. He put the mushroom in his dish to mine, and just smiled at me before resuming his speech.
"He would do anything to have me married his daughter," Damien said, followed by a heavy sigh.
I nodded, patting his warm hand.
"But you know I won't say yes," Damien gawked at me, "I'll fight, and I won't stop fighting until there is a way that I can marry you."
"You're the king, whatever you say," I said. I lived in the castle with Damien. I grew up with him and his mother, who died some time ago before Uncle Jordan found us.
"Where do you reckon he is?" Damien asked, "I've always been thinking about it."
"The maids said King Caspian the Tenth fled into the woods where they're protected by many. You surely won't go after them?"
"If I can help it," Damien said. "You know how I feel about it."
We, they - Sire Jordan started a revolt and overthrown King Caspian with the help of many sires and troops. The Narnians were exiled again. They fought in the name of Damien, a nobody who became somebody within one night.
"He will survive," I said, "he is Caspian the Tenth, he fought battles with the Old Kings and Queens."
"I know," Damien said. He looked at the table edge, playing with the table cloth. "I have to marry you. This is so much, you're like, like the only person who has not got insane in this time."
"I do not care about that," I said. "We'll be happy. You've only been put to throne for two weeks, it will work out. You're just not used to life in the castle. You've been very quiet these two weeks."
Damien smiled, "You always say the right words, honey. I just didn't know what to say when we first arrived here. Living in the castle! That's still mad for me."
He leaned in to kiss me when someone knocked the door. Damien turned and glared at the servant who burst in.
"What is it, Nathaniel?" he asked, trying to master his impatience. Being King changed him, he used to be - frankly, I did not clearly remember how he used to be. The wars and this bloody revolt bothered me too much lately. I remembered the smell of the sea though, always.
"Sire Jordan wishes to see you" Nathaniel said. "Right now."
"Ask him to wait," Damien said, picked up his fork again.
"He said it was urgent," Nathaniel said in a frightened voice."He said some of his men had spotted a girl in the woods."
"He and his men spot many girls everyday and I do not wish to be bothered," Damien said casually.
"But this is no every girl -"
"Speak up!" Damien paused, pulling himself together and sat up. "I am sorry for my rudeness, I had a weary night."
Nathaniel went pale.
"Please speak up," I added. "It's okay, he's not normally moody."
"Sire Jordon's people spotted a woman with the ancient Narnian bow and arrows, given evident that she might be the Old -"
"Nonsense," Damien said, "they've gone. Aslan said they were not coming back. I was in the square."
"Sire Jordan would like to explain in detail," Nathaniel said.
"But Sire Jordan knows this is ridiculous as well, right?" I said. "They're not coming back. The books, everybody say that."
"At least the High King and the Gentle Queen are not returning. I was very young when I saw them walk through the tree," Damien said.
"I am sure you can put up with one more nonsense," I said to Damien, "and then we could go somewhere, maybe to the orphanage?"
"One more, just one more," Damien said. "Send him in."
After Nathaniel went out, Damien asked me if there was anything I wanted to do on my seventeen birthday. I didn't have any plans so he suggested going to picnic. He was very happy with this idea and suggested all kind of locations.
"It will be a surprise," Damien smiled, it lit up his face.
Sire Jordan came in. He was a skinny man with grey hair and hawk eyes. You'd never know what he was thinking, and he was always thinking. Damien was not scared of him, he would say so when the sun was up. But he was terrified. He would talk about him at night before I fell asleep, and he'd tell me his worries in a shaky voice.
"It's too easy for him to start a new dynasty and a new rule," Damien said one night. "I am sitting on the throne but in the end of the day, he'd decide if I could wake up the next day. Nothing he creates is real. Nothing he makes lasts. And I am -"
Of course Damien could not bring himself to talk about what could have happened if Sire Jordan got bored with him.
Sire Jordan's beady eyes dotted at me as he positioned himself in front of us. He didn't like me, it was a common knowledge between us. But he was also the one who insisted I should stay in the castle with Damien.
"Good morning, Uncle Jordan," Damien greeted. "And, why in Aslan's name do you have to see me so early in the morning while you've known how tiresome last night went? Do you have joy seeing me suffer?"
He did, I was sure.
"We are facing an absolute threat and my dear king is still in his dining chamber with his beloved! That woman held bow and arrows and killed one of my men. She is Queen Susan, my men recognised her very existence. She was in the woods when we found her," Sire Jordan exclaimed.
"Did she get away?" Damien asked.
"Unfortunately yes," Sire Jordan's voice was calm and soft again. "Next time, she would not."
"Well, many people fled to the woods, including young girls and women. You cannot be absolutely sure about -"
"She blew her horn and replied by many howling of wolves. Moments later, the wolves were surrounding my men!"
"Meaning?" Damien poked the food on his dish.
"Meaning the Old Kings and Queens are uniting with the force of Caspian, and at the moment, they are hiding in the Western Woods. I'd say we should attack right now, to prevent more loss of men." Sire Jordan said.
I snorted, "You've spotted a girl and you claim she is the Queen. There is no evident they're building any secret army."
"You'll learn some respect before you speak again!" Sire Jordan snarled at my honesty. "After all, I am the one who allowed you to stay in the castle and have you being treated as a lady."
"Uncle Jordan," Damien said in a loud and stern voice, "I am appointed the King of Narnia. I suppose you remember the law I made day I've arrived? You will pay the equal respect to the Lady of Cair Paravel as you pay to me," Damien said kingly. I wouldn't have said any more words if he was looking at me like this.
Sire Jordan crinkled his nose before lying his eyes on me again. The great amount of hatred and despise was absolutely visible.
"Well, well, well. Of course, my dear nephew," Sire Jordan said. "My apologises, my lady."
"You shall leave until I call to see you again," King Damien said. "Leave us in peace, uncle. There will not be any detecting work on that woman. How old is she?"
"About your lady's age," Sire Jordan licked his dry lips. "she is a threat, and if she hurts our men again, I will capture her."
"Leave us."
The room was quiet once again. Damien continued to poke his food with his fork.
"He's going to find her."
"He won't let it go."
We spoke together as the pacing of Sire Jordan died away. Damien covered his eyes with one of his hands for a moment before looking at his food again.
"You can leave the food there if you don't want to eat," I said.
"Nah, I'll just - I don't trust him," Damien said. "I want to believe that girl though."
"Who? Queen Susan?"
"If it's really her. Like, if they are here, they will have a way to end this," Damien said. "They could find a way to, I don't know -"
"You must not say this again!" I said. "Do not let anyone hear you say this, you don't know who are Sire Jordan's spies in the castle. If he knows, or he suspects you or anything, he will kill you. You are King of this land right now, Damien!"
"I know," Damien said. "I am just saying those Kings and Queens will know exactly what to do. They've brought peace to Narnia twice and maybe they're the only people who knows how to rule this kingdom fairly with justice. Don't you get it? Aslan chose them. People love them, the Narnians did! And people here obeyed to King Caspian so naturally. They are the real royalties. I should go back and live in the forest."
"Damien - "
"I could be dead any moment! Any moment as long as Uncle wants," Damien stood up, walking away to the window. "I don't ever get to choose, do I?"
I heard Damien's heavy breathing, and later realised he was panting. I put my hand on his shoulder, turned him around and saw a scared boy with water in his raven eyes.
"Why doesn't he just take the throne himself?" He was trembling.
"Because he doesn't want to be overthrown himself?" I said. "A king maker can always make hundred kings without having himself overthrown. But you're more than this. You're - "
"I've been thinking about something," Damien said, his hands were on my face, "we immigrate to the Lone Island. Just the two of us. Away from these and we don't have to be scared every night."
"We can't," I tried to keep my voice firm. "You said it yourself that we are the only people who can protect those who cannot protect themselves. We are the last defence. Think about all those people. How would the tax be without you trying to stop Sire Oscar?"
"I don't want to stay here," Damien said.
"Don't worry about it," I hugged him.
When he pulled back, something was very different on his face. "I have to tell you something. It's about what happened that night."
"What - oh, the night when Sire Jordan trooped into the castle."
"I've been meaning to talk about this," Damien paused. "I just don't want you find out that night from the maids or anyone. I don't want you to think like I seized anything that doesn't belong to me, 'cause I am not, and I need you to know the truth of what happened. I thought keeping myself occupied could stop myself thinking about it."
"Did it work?"
Damien smiled briefly before looking at me, "not exactly as well as I've planned."
"I was," I tried to remember that night, I remembered some stars. "I was sleeping that night, wasn't I?"
"I suppose so," Damien said. "Uncle Jordan called me to his room, and Sire Oscar was there. 'Here comes the man at the moment, the new Narnian king' he said. The knights there, those man who gained King Caspian's trust and betrayed him, stood there around the table. And there was this loud horn sound and the man roared. The knights got back to the field and I saw many men in armours. They rode to the castle. I didn't want to, I tried to run away. Sire Jordan tied me to a horse and rode into the city with me. We rode and kept riding.
"When we arrived, King Caspian thought it was the nobles and knight's gathering - he opened the gate for us! There were children and women and old people. There were torches and fire then. I remembered those, those," Damien grabbed my hand very tightly, "blood, and screaming. I was scared, it was messy there. I lost Uncle Jordan then, and I got off my horse for some reason, but I kept it with me. I've found a dungeon, and I stayed there. I offered Caspian the horse.
"The next day, somebody found me. When I went out, it was - there were bodies of everyone. And there were kids like Nadia, many of them, crying. They shouted 'Long Live King Damien' but I didn't even know what was happening! I couldn't go out for the past weeks. The city and everything...people died and, and I think I am going to any -
Damien stopped speaking. He was shaking. I held him when he cried, and I realised how much I wanted that woman to be the Queen so she'd come and save us.
I looked at Damien, stroked his hair.
"You will die in my bed, surrounded by your grandchildren. That's the only thing I believe."