PART 1

Chapter 1

A sudden rush of pain went through Caspian's leg as the tip of his foe's sword sunk into his flesh. Quickly he moved away from the man and found himself with his back to a wall. He groaned. Aslan help us! He sent alarmed looks around him, only to see that his men were all fighting for their lives, unable to help him. Where is my sword? The man was coming nearer, taking his time, savouring the moment. The King of Narnia was at his mercy and he particularly enjoyed the trapped look in the young man's eyes.

Caspian swore and plunged forward, tackling his assailant with all his might. The soldier stumbled and they both fell onto the ground. Caspian seized his chance and took a grip on the dagger that was hanging at the man's belt. With a swift gesture he pulled it and aimed at the warrior's neck but was countered by the shield that the man drew just in time. The soldier couldn't use his sword on such a short range but he had a physical advantage, being bigger than Caspian, and he seized the King's neck, trying to strangle him.

But the young man wasn't that easy to defeat, plus he still had the dagger... Briskly, he cut off the soldier's hand. Splashing red came out of his wound and he roared in pain while Caspian jumped to his feet and picked up his assailant's sword. He was about to pierce the heart of the man when he heard a deep voice:

You shall not kill, Caspian.

His eyebrows twitched. This was a battlefield; it wasn't the moment to show mercy. But he felt that he should obey the voice. I am a king, how come I want to listen to someone's orders so much? He kept his eyes on the enemy lying on the floor, his sword on the man's chest. He shuddered at the expression of blank terror and pain in his eyes.

Come to me.

Who could this be? Caspian quickly searched for the person who was talking to him but he could only see fighting men. If he didn't finish off this one soon, another opponent would come at him and he would have to defend himself from two persons...

"Where are you?!" he shouted.

He could see the disturbed look of his victim but he didn't care.

Go towards the sea.

Caspian hesitated for a second, but then he started to run, his fist clenched around the sword's handle. His movements were slow because of the wound on his leg but somehow he managed to pierce through the crowd of men. Why is no one following me? This shouldn't have gone so easily.

He paused for a second to catch his breath and looked back. His men were outnumbered and the number of dead kept increasing. His heart ached as he saw the captain of his army fall under the blades of three men. He wanted to go and help them, fight with his people and save as much of them as could.

Don't look back, come to me.

With gritted teeth, Caspian trotted towards the shore. The noise of the fights got smaller and smaller until it finally vanished, leaving nothing but the sound of waves brushing against the sand and of stars breathing. A shadow appeared a few meters from him.

"Aslan!" Caspian gasped, before falling to his knees.

The great lion bowed and his mane seemed to glow in the moonlight as if it was made of strings of gold. His wise eyes looked warmly down on Caspian and he said:

"Rise, King of Narnia."

Slowly, Caspian rose.

"Pardon me Aslan, I didn't know it was you who was calling me."

"That doesn't matter any more." He paused. "I have a task for you to accomplish, son."

"Whatever it is I shall listen to it." Caspian humbly answered.

"Queen Lucy is in need. You shall go and rescue her."

"Is she in Narnia? What dangers have befallen her?" he wondered.

"No, she is not in this country. She is in England, in her own world, facing a new kind of threat. A threat she doesn't know and can't identify. If we don't help her she might never escape it."

"But what is this threat?"

Aslan gave him a long, unreadable look. "You will see it for yourself, if you agree to go."

"How can I help her? Are Peter, Susan and Edmund not with her?"

"They can't do anything, for they do not know what she is facing. You alone will be able to reach her, if she lets you. Your mission will be to bring Lucy the Valiant back. If you manage to wake her up, I will – this time but no other – change her destiny. Are you ready for this?"

"I think I am, Aslan."

"Then go, go to her world."

Suddenly a strong wind started blowing, whirling around Caspian like a tornado. Twigs, branches, sand and stones were flying around him and soon he couldn't see anything. The sea, the beach, Aslan – all of these had disappeared behind a wall of grey wind. An electric current seemed to be running through his body and he could see flashes of lightning coming down only centimetres from him.

The sound of thunder made him jump and suddenly a heavy rain started pouring down on him. Within a few seconds he was soaked. He looked at the water that was running on his hands, washing away bits of blood. At his feet, the water was slightly pink. When he raised his head, he saw tall, grey buildings, structured but lit windows. A woman bumped into him and he stumbled.

"Are you all right, milady?" Caspian asked but she just ignored him and kept walking.

Astonished, his eyes followed her until she turned at a corner. More people were walking around him, with strange horizontal flags that seemed to protect them from the water. The men and women that didn't have any of these were often running, sometimes with their coats pulled over their hair. Is this the Kings' and Queens' world?

This wasn't the time to slack off, he reminded himself. He had to find Lucy before... before what? He shook his head. Anyway he had to find her and save her quickly. But where was she? He decided to ask someone and stopped a nervous-looking man.

"Excuse me but can you please tell me where I can find Queen Lucy?"

The man looked at him with wide eyes.

"I'm... I'm sorry?"

"Queen Lucy. Her whereabouts."

"I don't know a queen Lucy, sir, our Queen is called Elizabeth and I have to go."

And without further explanation he dashed away from a perplex Caspian. So they are only Kings and Queens in Narnia, aren't they? He thought. But how was he going to find Lucy? He sneezed. Then... let's try her family name. Pevensie, wasn't it? This time, he turned towards an elderly woman.

"Milady, do you have a few minutes?"

"Young man you are soaked! Come under my umbrella." the old lady shrieked.

"This is not a problem, you need not worry about me" he smiled warmly. "Do you know a young girl called Lucy Pevensie? She is about sixteen I believe and has curly hair."

"I am sorry, but I don't. Is she from here?"

He nodded.

"You should go and ask at a school, if she's that young the children would know better."

"Where can I find a school?"

"Do you see the old building on the other side of the street? The secondary school is on the other side."

"Thank you very much milady. Get home safe." He kissed her hand and left towards the building the woman had pointed him.

Suddenly, a roaring beast with eyes as bright as the sun shot towards him and he could barely save himself by running towards the opposite side of the street. The monster passed him without stopping and he noticed that it had wheels. It must be a war engine created by man. He thought, his heart beating fast under the rush of adrenaline.

After a strong sneeze, he continued towards the school. When he arrived in front of the gates, he saw a group of half a dozen teenage girls with horizontal flags coming out of the building. He walked towards them and asked:

"Good day ladies, would you happen to know a certain Lucy Pevensie; a sixteen year old girl with brown locks?"

The girls looked at each other, giggling at his strange appearance. Then one of them hesitantly murmured:

"I know her; she is in my class... Since we just finished class she should be coming out any minute."

"Thank you very much. I shall wait for her."