Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.
Summary: After almost a year of conflict in both the North and the South, Narnia's borders are secured once more. Hope brightens as Narnia prepares for a year of peace. Yet, when shadows from the past threaten, will the light be smothered or shine all the brighter?
A/N: If you have not read the first eleven stories in the A Light in the Darkness main story arc (Awakened, Shadowed, Revealed, Concealed, Rekindled, Refracted, Reflected, Veiled, Unveiled, Eclipsed, and Obscured), I highly recommend you do so for the full experience. However, I have included a quick summary of the previous stories so if you want to give this one a whirl on its own, you can.
What's Gone on Before
Shot entering a courthouse in our world, a stranger comes to Narnia one year into the Pevensies' reign. This stranger, Katerina Alambiel, gains the trust of young Queen Lucy even though others suspect she might be a witch. Still, she is allowed to remain in Cair Paravel as a guest. Oreius begins to earn her trust as she earns his. When the evil sorcerer, Jannes, takes Lucy, Katerina Alambiel is accused of being an accomplice even as she crafts a plan to rescue the Valiant Queen. Infiltrating the sorcerer's lair, Katerina Alambiel leaves a trail for Oreius and the Kings allowing them to rescue Lucy. Katerina Alambiel pursues and kills Jannes with Oreius' aid (Full story: Awakened).
After six months of finding a niche in the daily life and routine of Cair Paravel (Full story: Shields), Katerina Alambiel is counted as a friend rather than a guest by the Four and by General Oreius. She accompanies High King Peter and Queen Susan on a trip, unaware that another sorcerer intends to frame her as the High King's assassin. Just before parting ways with Susan, dark secrets in Katerina Alambiel's past are revealed. A pair of assassins frames Katerina Alambiel in two attacks on the High King's life before she and a badly wounded Peter are captured by the sorcerer, Jambres. As he tortures them, Jambres reveals that Katerina Alambiel is part Human and part Narnian. Katerina Alambiel interferes with Jambres' attempt to kill Peter, taking the brunt of the spell herself before Oreius and the other Narnians rescue them. Aslan confirms to Katerina Alambiel that she is both Human and Narnian, and that her Narnian heritage is that of Nymph and Centaur due to her mother being the Nymph daughter of a Centaur, before charging her with the task of searching for the identity of her birth family, thereby unlocking the forgotten memories of her early childhood. Katerina Alambiel survives the spell with the addition of two white streaks in the front of her hair as souvenirs and Peter decides to knight her into his chivalric order for her actions (Full story: Shadowed).
Two years after being knighted Dame Sepphora of the Most Noble Order of the Lion, Katerina Alambiel is nearing the end of her search for the identity of her Narnian birth family. While her long-forgotten memories begin to resurface, she runs afoul of Count Hendrik of Sisemaal, one of Narnia's allies. Afterwards, Katerina Alambiel discovers that she was born Alambiel, daughter of Lew the last King of Narnia, and the only survivor of Jadis' massacre of the original royal family. Before Katerina Alambiel can decide how to handle the information, she and King Edmund go on a border patrol but are captured by the vengeful disgraced Count Hendrik and his cousin, Heikki, who leads a group of mercenaries employed by the Witch Medea. As Peter and Oreius lead a huge rescue party to find them, Edmund and Katerina Alambiel are tormented by Medea. Peter and Oreius rescue them just after Medea turns Katerina Alambiel over to Heikki and Hendrik and prepares to kill Edmund. Medea is defeated and her forces routed and scattered. Katerina Alambiel swears Oreius and the four other Narnians who know the truth of her identity to secrecy (Full story: Revealed).
Two and a half years after the incident with Medea and the Sisemaalian mercenaries, Werewolves and Hags plot to resurrect Jadis through the sacrifice of royal blood. While General Oreius and the Kings are on a diplomatic journey to Archenland, Oreius is forced to reexamine his feelings for Katerina Alambiel. In the absence of the General and the Kings, Katerina Alambiel and Queen Susan are ambushed by Werewolves and Susan is spirited away to be the sacrifice. Katerina Alambiel and her small party pursue the Werewolves but without the aid of the soldiers led by General Oreius and the Kings, Katerina Alambiel offers herself as a trade. With Katerina Alambiel now prisoner of the Fell, the remaining soldiers and Susan finally meet up with the Kings and Oreius. While the injured Susan is rushed back to the Cair and the healing power of Lucy's cordial, Oreius and the Kings seek to rescue Katerina Alambiel before the Fell ceremony on Winter Solstice and the truth of Katerina Alambiel's royal heritage is revealed to the Four. Oreius and the Kings disrupt the ceremony and aid in Katerina Alambiel's escape. Upon returning to the Cair, Katerina Alambiel presents the Four with an edict resolving many potential issues concerning her heritage, which is now common knowledge, but Oreius waits for a better time to reveal to Katerina Alambiel that he cares for her as more than a friend (Full Story: Concealed).
Almost six months after having her royal heritage become common knowledge, Katerina Alambiel travels as the Princess Royal with General Oreius on a diplomatic mission to the country of Zelaia. On their last night in Zelaia, Katerina Alambiel comes to the realization that she loves Oreius. However, before either one speaks up, they are captured by slavers and sold into the underground world of the Blood Games. Forced to fight by the man who bought them, Katerina Alambiel and Oreius teeter on the brink of despair. They finally escape with another fighter and return to Narnia. Once they recover from their wounds, Oreius and Katerina Alambiel confess their love to each other and are now courting in secret (Full Story: Rekindled).
A little over five months after Katerina Alambiel and Oreius return to Narnia, they travel with Peter on a diplomatic trip to Telmar. However, due to treachery on part of one of the Lords of the Council of Telmar, the three are forced to end negotiations early and attempt to leave Telmar. Before they can cross the border, mercenaries attack them. Oreius stays behind, allowing Peter and a wounded Katerina Alambiel to escape. Once Katerina Alambiel is in the care of healers, Peter sneaks back into Telmar to discover Oreius' fate. When he finally finds the mercenaries though, he is captured. Tormented by the mercenary leader, Peter is then forced to fight for his and Oreius' freedom. After winning their freedom, the mercenaries once again ambush Peter and Oreius but the fight ends with the mercenary leader dead and Peter gravely wounded. Receiving guidance from an unexpected source, Oreius carries the wounded and, at times, delirious Peter through Telmar and the Western Wilds until they finally return to Narnia. Once he receives the cordial, Peter becomes betrothed to the Beech Nymph, Thalia, whom he's been courting for some time (Full Story: Lion and Flower), while Oreius and Katerina Alambiel choose to wait to announce their courtship until Peter and Thalia's wedding (Full Story: Refracted).
A month after Peter and Oreius' return to Narnia, a diplomatic party sets sail for the Seven Isles to represent Narnia at the wedding of the Governor's son. Soon Edmund, Lucy, and Tarrin Peridanson are separated from the rest of their party including Oreius and Katerina Alambiel who are still courting in secret. The search for their missing charges leads them through storms and into the company of a questionable character. Meanwhile, Edmund, Tarrin, and Lucy are unaware that their situation is not all that it seems. When Lucy discovers the truth, matters take a deadly turn and it is a race against time to defeat their hidden enemy. Tarrin Peridanson sacrifices himself to save his King and Queen, but is revived by the cordial upon their return to Narnia. Oreius and Katerina Alambiel's courtship is forced into the open and then Tarrin Peridanson is knighted Sir Delos of the Most Noble Order of the Table (Full Story: Reflected).
A little under three months after Oreius and Katerina Alambiel's courtship becomes common knowledge, Katerina Alambiel is discovered unconscious and tormented almost to the point of death on Narnia's northern border. When she wakes with no memory, not even of Oreius and their love, the mystery surrounding her abduction deepens while Narnia's enemies plot to use her as the linchpin to destroy Narnia. Oreius and the Kings race to discover what happened to Katerina Alambiel and whether she can still be trusted when she cannot remember them. Oreius also makes the painful decision to conceal the evidence of his and Alambiel's relationship even to the point of letting her go entirely. Eventually Alambiel's memory returns and they rekindle their romance. (Full Story:Veiled).
After Katerina Alambiel and Oreius marry (Full Story: Fireworks), a battle between Narnia and Fell forces results in a sorcerer being confronted by Aslan and losing his magic. As Alambiel and Oreius adjust to married life, the sorcerer Markus must choose whether to turn his life over to Aslan or to continue in his destructive ways. The sorcerer's choice and his presence in Cair Paravel disturb many but Alambiel insists he is needed. As months pass, a threat greater than the former sorcerer comes to light and threatens Narnia's peace. Though Oreius maintains a cautious watch over the sorcerer, Markus gains ground with the Queens and grows close to the Gentle in particular. When the true nature of the threat is exposed, Markus regains his magic for one last time and Narnia is saved. (Full Story: Unveiled).
A little over three years since the events of Unveiled, Peter, Edmund, and Oreius set out on an inspection of the northern border after a series of raids by Fell Giants. Their simple errand turns to tragedy as Giants ambush their party killing all save the Kings and the General. The Kings they carry off with the wicked intent of letting two Harfang Giantesses pick which one will give them children in an effort to elevate the Harfang Giants above their kindred. But, Oreius is left for dead after being severely wounded. Meanwhile, Narnia prepares for the visit from Calormene crown prince, Rabadash, who has demanded that all Four royals be present or else. When they learn of the ambush, Katerina Alambiel, Thalia, and Lucy take the Greyback brothers and Peter's Tigers in pursuit of the Giants while Susan must find a way to delay the prince's imminent arrival. Oreius struggles to cling to life and the Kings try to escape or, failing that, delay the Giants as much as possible. It's a race against time to find their missing loved ones and the northern Giants prove themselves to be even more dangerous than expected. Eventually, the Kings and Oreius are rescued, though all are badly injured, and they return to Cair Paravel. But now Peter is determined to halt the Giant threat in the North. (Full Story: Eclipsed).
After the events of Eclipsed, Peter is determined to eliminate the threat of the Northern Giants. With Oreius, he leads a campaign against the Giants of the North. While Susan, Edmund, Katerina Alambiel, and Lucy must keep the peace as Prince Rabadash continues to visit their nation. When he extends an invitation for Susan to visit him in Tashbaan, Edmund decides to bring Prince Corin of Archenland along as a part of Susan's escort, never suspecting that their paths would cross with a long lost prince. As Peter and Oreius deal with the heavy toll of campaigning against the Ettin and Harfang Giants, some of whom had been responsible for Peter and Edmund's previous abduction, it is only the thought of their loved ones that gives them strength to keep up with the fight. Meanwhile Alambiel and the rest of the royals are required to defend both their own kingdom and that of Archenland against Calormene plots. With Cor's return, he, his brother, and those brave companions who had accompanied during his journey travel with Edmund and Lucy to dwell in Cair Paravel to learn how to live free lives in the North. After nine long months of campaigning, Peter and Oreius return home to find that everything is not as they had left it. (Full Story: Obscured).
A Light in the Darkness: Brightened
Chapter One: Beware…
Strange sounds and sights all around. This was not Narnia. It was not something recognizable. Yet…
An inexplicable sense of tugging, of urgency preceded a journey down a stark hallway. But, it was not the familiar welcoming and warm white marble of Cair Paravel. No, this was different.
There were voices ahead, a low buzz of anticipation. Caution dictated a slower pace now. The low buzz grew louder and louder until a corner appeared. A wary peek around revealed a group of oddly dressed people standing around talking…but not to each other. None, however, noticed the presence of a stranger who did not belong.
"Normally, state executions do not progress so quickly, but, in this case, the man known only as 'The Monster' has waived all appeals, effectively expediting his own execution." The stern voice seemed strange coming from such a short woman. Her hair was shorn close to her head and there was a hardness around her eyes and mouth. The hardness only grew as she continued, "The Monster is perhaps the nation's most prolific and infamous serial killer. He has admitted to killing twenty-two women every year for a period of ten years. His last killing grounds where here in Colorado and his last victim was an orphan who originally survived his game of torturing and killing young women. Katerina Alambiel was thirteen years old when she escaped the Monster only to be murdered six years later on the steps of the courthouse. The man she had been testifying against for years admitted readily to hiring an assassin to pick off the one who got away. Now, seven years later, he will finally pay the ultimate price for his crimes. His execution is slated to occur in two minutes."
Seven years… Had it been that long in this place? It was longer in Narnia since she had returned. But, there was no more time to wonder as the sense of urgency grew, compelling the stranger forward.
Down the next corridor, through a doorway, and then someone finally noticed the stranger in the room. Cold, cruel black eyes stared at the stranger. His mouth pulled into a snarling smirk as he held the stranger transfixed with his gaze. A somber man tightened the restraints on the man with dead eyes…the Monster. He stepped back from the Monster and another man asked, "Have you any last words?"
Dead eyes lit with an eerie hunger. A raspy voice emerged, giving the the sense that the Monster rarely spoke anymore, as he said, "I'm coming for you. I told you you couldn't escape death, little princess. I'm going to make you scream for me again."
The woman from before must have entered the room as well since her harsh mutter carried clearly through the sudden hush in the wake of the Monster's words, "Mad. As mad as he's evil."
The Monster laughed. "I'm coming for you, princess!" His laughter echoed through the room accompanied by a terrible sense of dread…
"Alambiel," Oreius gasped as he opened his eyes. She didn't answer. The nightmare's cold dread still clung to him as he shoved up on one elbow. She wasn't in bed. Where-?
He heard the door to the bath open and Alambiel's soft query filled his ears, "Oreius? What's wrong?"
Tell her that he had dreamed of her Monster? That he had dreamed of Spare Oom? That the Monster had once more threatened to kill her?
The mattress dipped slightly as she climbed back under the covers and knelt behind him, her hands cool against his skin, as she asked, "Chuisle? What is it?"
Oreius shifted so they were facing each other and immediately gathered her into his arms as he pressed a fervent kiss against her temple. "It is nothing, sweet. Merely a disturbing dream."
Alambiel leaned back and studied his face for so long that he feared she would demand more information, but then her expression softened as she placed a hand over his heart. "That campaign again?"
He shook his head. "Nothing tied to the real battles."
"Those are the worst. And, the hardest to counter." Leaning up, she kissed him. Her lips tasted of fresh mint. "Don't think about it anymore. You're home now and you are with me. Aaaaaand, I haven't exacted my revenge on your armory yet."
He chuckled softly as he laid back down, still holding her close. "You are most merciful, Wife."
"And, don't you forget it." She turned her head, resting her ear over his heart, and added in a sleepy murmur, "I love you, Oreius."
"And, I you."
Yet, the words his beloved spoke and her warm presence in his arms were not enough to banish the cold fear that had rooted itself in his heart. Why would he dream of Spare Oom and her Monster? Was it a warning? Or, merely the lingering ghosts of the nine months spent on campaign against the Northern Giants?
Oh, Aslan, how he prayed it was the latter.
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A/N: Please Read and Review! I'm baaaaaaack! With my twelfth entry in the main story arc of my A Light in the Darkness series. Wow, can you believe it's number twelve already? I can barely believe it myself. Anyway, this story is going to be...interesting. Yes, that's what I'll go with. Don't expect a lot of updates until probably this summer. Be on the lookout for some more oneshots between Obscured and Brightened and I'm also finishing up a couple of the shorter stories. I think you're going to enjoy this one (or hate me for my diabolical authorness, which is okay too). Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.