Chapter 1 – The Cursed Child

First the death. Then the coronation. It had brought many problems on the island. Everybody had been under her charm. The White Witch, Jadis. The island had always loved her, adored her, they thought her a great ruler, so naturally her death had brought many problems on the island. Her death was bad enough.

But now the coronation of the Kings and Queens. Riots had flooded the island. Of course Ogni had never liked her, never liked the White Witch 'Queen of Narnia'. Being a hermit, surviving on roots, herbs and plants winter was the hardest time to live in. He never told anybody, word would have got round and he would have been killed.

But now it was over –and everything was set right – or so he believed. The kings and queens would sort the problems out. But for now the island would have to suffer the riots that followed and live through their consequences. Nothing had hit him yet but every day he expected his village the next one to burn down or the next one where rebels stole all possessions.

"Ogni, Ogni" a voice broke into his thoughts. It was Cora, the baker's wife. A chatty middle-aged lady who had been quite dainty and pretty in her youth but with old age had turned plump and all the more talkative. Ogni turned, smiled and waited for what she was going to say.

Cora panted and managed to eventually blurt out

"Somefin' bad 'as 'appened, very bad, come quickly!"

"What has happened?"

"There's fire on the island. Applebury 'as bin burnt. Most people survived, but there is one girl who is burnt and very badly."Applebury was the second closest town to Ogni after Mitchton which was where Cora lived.

"Whose is she?"

"She belonged to those mysterious people from Narnia last week. You remember they camped by the river and were just always sneakin' about. It is rumoured that they started the fire but they've gone now but they left 'er. I never noticed 'er before but now I dunno what to do with 'er, I can't take 'er 'ome if yer get ma meanin'. Nobody can survive fire, ya know. An' it's just bad luck brinnin' magic people, cursed people even into the 'ouse an' me 'usband 'e is scared of those kinda people. An' we thought ya know some medicine so we would bring 'er to ya. "

"I will see what I can do."

With this the hurried away past burnt houses chocking on the ash that filled the air. Here and there a dog would run past desperately looking for their owner. Confusion ruled.

In the distance he saw a small body lying on the ground with only a blanket over it. Cora's husband, Fron, kneeled beside the girl, careful not to touch the cursed child as she was come to known as. As Ogni came closer to the girl he gasped. She could not have been 10 years old but the whole of the left side of her face was burnt, her legs seemed to be completely black. But what was worse was that the whole right side of her face had been burnt to the bone. Her right eye had been burnt closed and nothing was left of her hair. The only part of her which seemed to be untouched by the fire was both of her arms. Looking down he noticed that in each of her hands she clasped what seemed to be half of a silver stick. Ogni gasped. How could she have come into possession of this? Before Fron and Cora noticed he snatched both pieces from her hands and shoved them into his satchel. His hands had a cold pain after touching them.

He picked her up as she seemed to weigh little more than a two year old would and walked slowly home

Ogni sighed. He was beginning to wonder what he would do with the girl. He could not keep her. It is not that he didn't want to; just he could not afford to keep her. He barely had enough to eat let alone for a growing girl. He went outside to the well and fetched a bucket of cool water to wash the girl's wounds with. After fetching a rag Ogni sat down beside the girl and started to wash her face. After dabbing some ointment on he went over to prepare a medicine. The rank smoke filled the room and made the burnt child wake up, shivering and coughing. She began to make gasping noises. The child not knowing where she was, looked around and fixed her one eye on Ogni. The child stared at him trying to breathe, trying to breathe, and trying again to breathe.

Ogni rushed over to the child, supported her head and poured the hot liquid into her mouth. She swallowed it without making a fuss, but she never took her eye off him. Ogni began to feel uncomfortable with the girl staring at him and finally he asked

"What is your name?" The girl appeared to mutter something but it was too quiet for Ogni to hear so he bent his head lower as she whispered it again.

"Tethat"

"You are called Tethat. What are pretty name," He said "and where do you come from, Tethat?"

"My family came from Archenland. But I ran away from them and went to Narnia with some men from my village."

"Why did you run away?"

"My parents beat me"

"And why did you come here, Tethat?" Ogni asked pouring yet another cup of the medicine into her mouth.

"The men needed to deliver something to the wizard who lives on this island." Ogni knew little about the Wizard Cal who lived on the western side of the island. He had seen his fortress, a grey, impenetrable looking thing. He knew that once the White Witch had visited this island, even though it was not part of Narnia, and when she had come she stayed some time at Cal's. She had of course visited the island and made many speeches, which gained her massive support from the island.

"What did he need to give to the wizard?" At this question Tethat suddenly sat up supporting herself by her tiny arms. She looked around her and looked at herself, finally realising her condition, she began touch her face. She felt her burnt face and winced when she touched but. Her hands brushed over her burnt eye, they passed over it again. She covered up her other eye with her hand to see whether she could see. She tried to cry for her loss but no tears came out from her dry eye. Pity ran through Ogni's blood but desperation for knowledge made him continue to question her.

"Tethat, you must tell me, it is important, what did the men need to deliver to the wizard." Her eye focused on him now and she stated now slightly louder than the whisper she had been using earlier

"Where is it?" She demanded. Ogni sighed and foraged in his satchel. He found the wand she had been holding when he found her and gave it to her. She moved it around her skin as its coolness seemed to ease her wounds.

"Do you know what this is, Tethat." She shook her head but managed to whisper

"The men thought it very important. Which is why I stole it. I wanted their attention, they ignored, only used me to steal things and I was hungry. I ran away" She pause and started up at the crumbling ceiling "But they found me but I hid it, they beat but I did not tell them where it was. So their leader ordered them to all leave and we were in the room together." Her voice was a monotone and she seemed to repeat what happened in a monotone "He forced me onto the bed and he started to lift up my skirt and pressed his body against mine and..." She trailed off. Ogni's hands clenched his jaw tightened and he wanted to cry out. But the small girl carried on her story "He dragged me into an empty barn – it was the barn where I had hid the stick and asked me one last time where I had hid it. I didn't tell him. He locked me inside and burnt the barn."

Ogni gave her one last dose of the medicine and shell fell back into unconsciousness. He quickly took the wand from her hands and hid it among his clothes. Feeling that he could not contain his anger any more Ogni rushed outside and screamed, and shouted, and cursed and wept. He wept for the poor misused child who could shed no tears of her own. He cursed and screamed and shouted at the unknown men who had done such vile things. He hoped they would die a most painful death and suffer for their sins. Oh how he hated them!