Chapter 1
My name is Avaris. I lived in a little village, not far from Anvard. My father and I didn't get along, because my father was a drunkard and he was abusive when he was drunk. And he got drunk regularly. So I was constantly trying to keep out of my father's way and keep a cordial tone with him.
Well one night, I didn't clean the living room the way that it should have been, and my father hit me on the face, on the legs, on my arms, and he kicked me in the ribs and my stomach repeatedly. Then when I had uncurled myself from the fetal position that I had positioned myself in, I found myself lifted from the ground by my neck.
He had almost suffocated me, when he let me go. I guess he figured that he would loose his slave if he killed me. When he had finally passed out, I left my childhood home. I ran to Anvard, not easy to do when your ribs are bruised and broken, and went to King Lune's castle. The Narnian kings and queens were there and I interrupted their feast.
"Excuse me, sire," I said, gasping out the words, as they burned my throat. I tried to curtsy, but it was too painful, so I inclined my head a little bit.
"My child, what happened to you?" King Lune said coming over and checking me over with concern.
"My father," I said massaging my throat.
"I wish I would have brought my cordial with me," Lucy said in a whisper. The kings looked furious and sympathetic in their looks.
"Your father did this to you?" Edmund said, in an angry voice.
"Yes, sire," I told him, bowing my head. He abruptly stood up.
"You must stay with us!" he said.
"But, Your Majesty, I couldn't possibly impose upon your hospitality," I told him. High King Peter stood up and hugged me. I gasped.
"Please, not so tight," I told him. He immediately let go, and backed up.
"You need a physician and a healer," King Peter announced. "What hurts?'
"My neck, my ribs, and my legs," I told him.
"Take off your shirt," King Peter commanded.
"Please, sire," I begged. I was scared of what he was going to do to me. I thought that he would make me yield to him or something, in exchange for staying with them. However, I did exactly as he asked. When they saw my bruised stomach, they all gasped and I saw both kings eyes flash in anger.
"I want bandages and water brought quickly!" King Peter said. I felt so exposed sitting there with no clothes. When the servant brought the bandages and water, King Peter, immediately began working on my injuries. I hissed as the warm water and the bandages hit the blue, black, and green bruises on my ribs.
"I'm sorry," King Peter apologized to me. I bit my lip and just stared at him as he carefully tended to my injuries. Me a commoner, was privy to the attention of the king. He treated me so kindly and gently, that I felt a great warmth spread through my being. I guess this is what feeling loved and appreciated feels like. I didn't know what that felt like, because I had never felt that way ever before. So like I said, I was just guessing.
He felt my rib cage. I jumped about a foot into the air and screamed as he touched my ribs.
"They're broken," he said aloud. "Ed, hold her!" I flinched as King Edmund, put an arm around my neck and held me back onto his chest.
"Please, just let this go!" I pleaded with King Peter. He shot me a sympathetic look and told me that this would hurt.
He tightly wound the gauze around my torso, and I had to bite back my scream of pain. King Edmund tightened his hold on me, and I began to panic. I clawed at his arm, that was around my neck. Finally King Peter was finished and King Edmund released me. I gasped and tears of pain and fright appeared in my eyes.
"Ed, you scared her!" a woman with black hair reprimanded. He shrugged off handedly. The one called Lucy ran up to me.
"You can come to Narnia with us! You can have a room overlooking the ocean or you can have a room overlooking the grounds and the gardens, when we go home. We will go home tomorrow!" She said excitedly.
"Your Grace, I am much obliged, but I do not wish to be a burden to you," I told her.
"Call me Lucy! I don't care much for titles. And don't be silly. You wouldn't be a burden to any of us!" She said with a smile. "You must meet Tumnus, and the beavers, and Orieus, and all our other friends!"
"Wait!" I cried out trying to follow her. "When are we leaving?" I asked her.
"Tomorrow!" Lucy said.
"Yeah, be up bright and early. I hate waiting for people," King Edmund said with a frown.
"I will need someone to help me out of my bed," I said timidly.
"Don't worry!" Lucy said with a smile. "I'll have one of my brothers wake you up and help you get out of your bed."
"Thank you, Qu - Lucy," I stumbled over her name and she smiled when I corrected myself. She led me to a beautiful burgundy room after I bid the others goodnight. I fell asleep exhausted after the turn of events that had changed my life for the rest of my life.
I was awoken the next morning by King Peter opening the curtains and letting the sunlight in.
"Good morning sleepyhead!" he said with a jovial smile. I smiled at him and blinked my eyes. I raised my arms over my head and then held them out for King Peter to take. But he surprised me. He picked me up bridal style and set my feet on the floor.
"You hardly weigh anything!" he said staring at me incredulously.
"Well, I wasn't fed great. Father, didn't see any point in it really. He told me that if I ate too much, then no suitor would want me. Not that any suitor would want me." I told him. His face tightened in anger.
"Well you won't have to worry about not eating in Narnia. You will be fed every day at every meal and then we always indulge in snacks in between meals," he said with a smile.
"Thank you King Peter," I told him.
"No, no!" he said quickly. "Just call me Peter or Pete." I smiled at him.
"Thank you Peter," I said softly. He took his leave then and left me to get ready for the day. I had difficulty in getting on the dress, so I just put on a long simple dress and put leggings on underneath. I had to put on a pair of high heels though and they threw me off balance. I ran a brush through my chin length straight brown hair. I put a flower behind my ear and left my quarters as fast as I could in the high heels that I had to wear. When I made it to the Great Hall, Lucy laughed at my slow progress and offered me her high wedge heeled shoes. I gratefully traded her shoes. They were much easier to walk in.
All of a sudden a man burst through the doors.
"You little whore!" he yelled at me. He marched right up to me and slapped me across the face.
"I'm sorry your majesties," he said with a forced smile on his face. "My daughter won't be bothering you anymore." Peter stepped forward.
"Ah, yes I would like to have a word with you sir," Peter said. "Did you beat your daughter last night?"
"Yes, of course. She is stubborn and won't listen to what I tell her."
"So you hit her?" Lucy asked coldly. I looked at Lucy in surprise. In the short time that I had known her, she had never shown her temper. Or she had never acted mean to anyone before.
"Yes. That is the only way for her to listen." my father said with a smirk.
"Well, we will take your insubordinate daughter off of your hands," Lucy said icily.
"But, I need her! Who will clean my house? And cook?" he asked. "Please come home." I ignored my fathers pleas and stood next to the Kings and Queens of Narnia.
"No father. I am going home. For the first time in my life, I am going home." I told him.
"Then you won't have a home to come to, when you hate it in Narnia. The animals talk there." he said with disgust.
"Do you not know that they are kind there. And do you not know that the 'barbaric Narnians' are Archenland's allies. One would think that you are not an Archenlander. But rather you are a Calormen." I told my father. He didn't say anything. It was at that moment when I noticed how dark his skin was from mine.
"Oh my Aslan!" I shrieked. "You are from Calormen. You aren't my father!" I told him. "Who was my father?"
"Your father didn't want you. He had gotten your mother pregnant. I heard that he was a big lord or king or something. So anyway, he left your mother once he found out that she was pregnant. She found me and told me everything. I fell in love with her and she died in childbirth. That is why I hate you. You took away my true love." he said with a sneer. I blinked back tears.
"Thank you for telling me my history." I told him coldly. I turned to the Pevensies. "I'm ready to go home now." They smiled widely at me.
"When they learn that you are impure they will hate you!" my father said. My face froze.
"I am still a virgin. Jacen and I were just good friends father. We didn't do anything of that sort!" I told him, my heart thudding in my chest.
"It didn't look that way," he said with a sneer.
"We did nothing!" I said and looked at the Pevensies. They looked at me with pity. Then we exited the Great Hall.
"Let's go!" Susan said. We ran to our horses and Peter positioned me in front of him on his horse. I smiled at him and we left Archenland for Narnia.