A/N: HELLO! WELCOME TO THE FIFTH AND FINAL INSTALLMENT OF A NARNIAN TALE!
I know it's been ages since I wrapped up the previous story and I promised I would start the new one but as usual my horribly busy and unpredictable life got in the way, but i'm back, and i'm so excited to start this story! As i've mentioned, this is going to be my last story in this series and it's going to be the biggest story i have ever done so yeah, mega excited but also nervous haha, hopefully it goes well and you guys like it!
If you are visiting me/this story/this series for the first time, I highly urge you to start with the first story in the series; A Narnian Tale, Part 1: Dancing in the Rain, and read all the stories leading up to this one, because obviously it would make sense to read the stories from the first to the last in order right haha, this story would also make more sense then. So yeah, do check it out!
If you're a reader who has stuck with me throughout the series, I just want to say a massive thank you for continuing to support me even with my crappy updating skills, I really do appreciate and love y'all and I really hope I don't let y'all down with this story! You guys are the reason I keep writing and publishing my works, so I urge you to please continue to have faith in me that I will deliver my very best to y'all, it's the least I can do in return for your incredible support!
Gosh I'm rambling, okay, without further ado, here is the prologue to- A Narnian Tale, Part 5: The Last Dance!
Prologue
Blood is a funny thing.
Crimson red, thick and sticky. A liquid, much like what, that is essential for our survival.
It is something that fills us all, pumping through us every second, giving us life. It's in our arms that we use to hold things and hug and fight. It's in our legs and feet that we use to walk and run and kick and jump. It's in our heads that we use to think and speak and experience.
And right now, it was on my hands.
The hands that I used to murder, a mere few minutes ago.
I knew the others were coming; I could already here alarmed voices and distant running footsteps. I wasn't really surprised, people tend to react in distress when they hear shouts from someone being killed.
I didn't have time to clean off the blood from my hands, and at the moment it was not a priority either. I looked back at the lifeless body on the floor, now in a scarlet pool that was slowly growing. Shocked, olive-green eyes stared back at me, almost accusingly as if they were berating me for my crime.
But I sensed no guilt.
If anything, it gave me satisfaction to see my victim lying there like that.
Cold, and dead.
I wiped the now-stained dagger on my dress and placed it back in my sheath. The voices and footsteps were getting louder, which meant they were getting closer, and I was running out of time.
I darted to the windows and pushed them open, greeted with a gust of wind. Glancing back at what I did, I could not help but smirk as I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Jumping out of the window which was on the second floor, I skillfully landed on my feet. My trusted stead was already there and waiting for me, just where I left her.
It was a good thing the room was in the back part of the castle, facing an open courtyard that had an exit right into the forest. Unfortunately, some guards on duty had already spotted me and were running towards me, commanding me to not move.
Fools, thinking they could command me.
I swiftly mounted Nurisa and gave her a sharp kick which sent her into a full gallop. Within minutes, we were out of the castle and in the forest, and the guards had no chance of catching up to us.
I knew where I had to go next, and I recalled the words I was told that would give me direction to my destination.
"Follow the trees to the darkest edge of the land, where nothing but shadows exist, and you will find a cave as black as death."
Only one area came to mind, the only possible location that fit the description, so without a second thought I tugged the reigns and steered Nurisa on towards the Southern tip of Narnia.
I had ridden through these forests dozens of times, but this was the first time I was riding through them with such an intention. I could feel the fire in me burning, the spark that drove me on and fueled my endeavors and purpose.
The darkness in me burned brighter than ever, and that sensation felt incredibly good.
After riding for what felt like, and probably was, hours, the forest began to get thinner and thinner, and not to mention darker and darker. The trees were losing their bright green hue and were instead starting to appear more grey and brown, and there was more dead foliage than live greenery.
Finally, we reached a clearing and I tugged on Nurisa's reigns to slow her down, which she very much appreciated since she was exhausted from galloping at top speed for so long.
The cave was right in front of us, so round and big and dark that it looked like a literal black hole in the forest. It was at the base of a mountain that had collapsed a long time ago to just leave ruins all around it, and with the sharp rocks around it, it looked all the more creepier.
I got off Nurisa and approached the cave, wondering if I should just enter it straight away or call out from the outside or somehow make a torch to go in.
Finally, I decided to just enter the cave. It was a magical chasm and I was sure one way or another I would be able to see. Requiring a makeshift torch or calling out from the outside were too cowardly approaches to take.
And I was definitely no coward.
As I entered the cave, it took some time for my eyes to adjust to the utter darkness. There was also a rapid drop in temperature, and I could not help but shiver as a chill went down my spine. But I ventured further into it, slowly, with caution in every step.
Finally, there was a weak scruffy voice resonating from deep within the cave.
"Who's there?"
I was not going to be foolish and let out my identity without even knowing who I was talking to, that would put me in the more vulnerable position.
"Why don't you come out and see for yourself?"
There was silence after I replied, and I knew whoever had asked me the question was considering what I had said.
After a few moments, there was a flash of bright light which made me squint uncomfortably. Once it had toned down a bit, and my vision could adjust to the sudden brightness, I saw him.
The goblin.
He was much shorter than me, he probably only came up to my waist. He was round, almost like a ball, and his face looked like some sort of rough, disfigured green mask, almost like it was melting off his head. He had long pointed ears and a hooked nose that were such prominent features one would almost forget to notice his eyes, which were like black gems glistening in the bright light.
He looked up at me, and a look of recognition came over him, to which I smirked.
"What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
The goblin was clearly flustered, and I could understand why. Seeing someone like me after hiding for centuries, was bound to make him a bit tense.
I let out a breath through my nose as my smirk widened.
"Relax goblin, I mean no harm. I am here because I need your help."
He arched a hairy grey eyebrow and frowned, tilting his head.
"How do I know you're not here to hurt me? How could someone like you need my help?"
I knew he was still skeptical about me, from the way his whole body was tensed up and the way he was looking at me closely.
I straightened my back, looking down my nose at him, and responded in the most serious tone.
"I want my family dead."
It took him a moment to process what I had just said, and he looked as confused as ever. I knew he was trying to put everything together to make sense, and I decided to be a little helpful, save him the trouble of taxing his mind too much.
I held up my blood-stained palm, and he gasped both in surprise and realization. As he examined it closely, his expression changed from one of perplexion and suspicion, to one of understanding and delighted wickedness.
"Well, in that case, I am now at your serviceā¦"
He lowered his head in a bow, which I appreciated, before looking back up with an open smirk, revealing his sharp yellow teeth.
"Queen Lucy."
A/N: And there you go, The Last Dance has officially begun! Stay tuned for the next chapter by following this story! I'm going to try my best to stick to a weekly update pattern, so please have faith in me haha.
Have a nice day, live well, and REVIEW! :D
