So, super short "chapters" annoy me, and now that I actually have chapter one written to my satisfaction, I'm combining them. So my apologies if that throws anyone for a loop.
Prologummary
"Lady," said Caspian, "I hope to speak with you again when I have broken the enchantments." And Ramandu's daughter looked at him and smiled.
The annals of the kings of Narnia chronicle the lives and stories of the great kings of old. But they contain little or no information about the women that they married. Why did the star's daughter smile? Why did Caspian and his crew trust her so implicitly? Was it simply her good countenance and exquisite beauty? Or was there perhaps a deeper connection that only she recognized? Like all historical tales, there are often untold stories buried deep within legend. This is the story of Ramandu's daughter, and how she came to be at the Beginning of the End of the World…
Chapter One: En Medias Res
It all started with one disobedient girl and a father's prayer for her safety. Arrani had sailed away from her father's home at the Beginning of the End of the World because she wanted to see the lands her father had watched over as a star for herself. Ramandu tried in vain to put a stop to her fantasies about Narnia and Archenland and Ettinsmoor and Calormen, but to no avail. She would not be swayed. At last, one night, she crept aboard the old vessel left by the three sleeping Lords of Telmar and turned its sails to the west, sailing away from the sun and the land of her birth.
Awaking and finding her gone, Ramandu called desperately for Aslan's aid.
"I am here, Star Ramandu," Aslan's voice replied gently.
"Please, O Noble Aslan," Ramandu begged, "my daughter has sailed for the Westward Lands. Do not let any harm befall her and bring her back safely to these shores."
"Peace, my son," the Great Lion replied, "I will not return her to you by force. She, as all my children, has the right to make her own decisions. A great journey awaits her, from which she will learn much about herself and about the world in which she lives. Fear not, Ramandu, you have taught her and trained her well. She will be able to take care of herself."
"But, will I see her again?"
The Lion regarded the anxious Star with loving understanding. "She will return to these shores soon, my son, though she will not be the daughter you know now."
"No?"
"No, she will have risen to fill the shoes she is destined to fill, and she will be a great woman, worthy of great blessings and happiness. Peace and patience, my son."
The Lion departed, leaving Ramandu seated weakly on a chair near the Three Sleepers, his silvery head resting in his aged and wrinkled hands. He knew that Aslan had spoken the truth, but he cursed the tempestuous turn of temper that took his Arrani away from him. She hadn't even bidden her father farewell, but left as a thief in the night, stealing away on a stolen vessel. Raising his head to greet the first rays of the sun; Ramandu watched the familiar flock of white birds streaking toward him from the east with their fire-berry that would take a little more of his age away from him. Almost absently, he wondered where Arrani was now…
The ringing clash of steel on steel rang out through the Shuddering Wood, accompanied by the heavy breathing of two young men and the shrieks of a young girl. Caspian ducked under the strange blond-haired boy's lunge and heard the satisfying thunk of the other boy's sword in the tree behind him. Kicking out hard, he slammed the stranger away from his attempts to dislodge the sword and Caspian used his opponent's recovery time to tug the sword free. Whirling it around expertly, he pointed it at his fallen opponent and braced himself for the downward strike.
"Stop!" a small feminine voice cried out suddenly. He looked to his left and saw a small figure in a crimson gown emerge from the bushes, her expression angry and desperate. Reluctantly, Caspian relaxed his stance. Dangerous as this strange young man might be – his fencing skills were certainly testimony enough of that – he, Caspian, would not murder in cold blood in the presence of a lady, however small she might be.
Regarding him with icy blue eyes, the other boy slid himself out from under the sword's tip and into a sitting position. Caspian snapped his attention back and redirected the sword at his throat. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"PETER!" another voice echoed through the forest as a lovely young woman and another dark haired boy emerged from the forest behind the first girl. Caspian blinked in astonishment as the fifth and last figure emerged, panting and wheezing from having to sprint after the long-legged children with him. It was Trumpkin! But why…? Caspian froze as he surveyed the figures before him more closely. They were clothed in gowns and tunics of exquisite make and looked, well, surprisingly regal for their ages. Two boys, two girls. The oldest girl carried a long, elegant bow and red-fletched arrows in a quiver that matched the horn resting in a pouch at his side. A tingle raced up his spine. It wasn't possible! Almost fearfully, he glanced down at the hilt and pommel of the sword he now held in his hands. Sure enough, it had a red leather grip and the pommel was a gold-plated lion's head.
"You're… High King Peter?" he gasped, not really believing his eyes.
The other boy raised an eyebrow, clearly saying, it's about time you figured it out. "Yes," he said slowly as he got to his feet, "And you must be Prince Caspian."
Caspian nodded, still staring agape at the person in front of him. He had almost killed the High King of Narnia!
Peter regarded him keenly. "You seem surprised."
"Well, I was expecting someone a bit more… well, you know… older."
"We can leave and come back in a few years," Peter suggested, making as if to leave.
"No wait, I didn't mean – it's just that you aren't what I was expecting."
"Well neither are you," the High King replied wryly.
Caspian grimaced slightly, feeling again the ineptitude he had experienced ever since his escape from Miraz's castle. "I suppose you'll be wanting this back," he said, turning the blade in his hands so that its hilt was toward Peter.
Peter took his sword back and slid it back into the sheath at his side while Caspian bent to retrieve his own sword from the grass a few feet away. "If we are going to be helping you," Peter spoke, looking around skeptically at the motley conglomeration of Minotaurs, Fauns, Talking Beasts, and Centaurs that had gathered around them, "we'll need weapons, supplies, and a defensible location."
Caspian grinned gratefully. "Come with me."
First chapter up and done. Aren't you proud? It's even the same day that I posted the story. Thank you to my speedy reviewers, you have no idea how good that makes me feel and how much that motivates me to keep going. Please, by all means continue your reviewing. Don't let me get in your way.
Elena
