Hi guys! Here is the next chapter for you. This chapter sort of starts to get more into the plot, and for anyone who is waiting for the romance, I am sorry but I am stretching it out long coz that's how I felt it would be seeing as the characters have kind of been thrown together in a sense. I worked very hard to get it as good as possible and out as soon as possible, so I really hope you enjoy it. :)
layalz31: Thank you so much! Your review meant a lot to me and words could not describe how much I smiled when I got it. Thank you for the encouragement! I am going to try to update as soon as possible, and if it makes you feel better writing my stories help me cope with stuff so I spend hours on them every afternoon and pretty much allday on weekends if I am not busy. I am not sure how the gang are gonna find out about Claire's ability and past yet, but I do know that it will be very dramatic coz, well, I love drama so much.
I have a quick question before you read this. I am wondering if you guys want me to include other romance while we are waiting for the main stuff (Claire and Peter). Maybe Ed, Lucy or Susan with OCs? Or Susan and Caspian? I have many ideas, but I will need help getting them organised. Thanks!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot that will be starting to develop and any OCs I choose to bring in. Oh, and I own Eyebrows. Don't forget Eyebrows. :P
"Claire!" Lucy called, shaking the young woman who lay asleep in bed. "Come on! You're going to miss breakfast!"
Claire groaned and opened her eyes. "Yep I'm up." She raised herself up and sat on the edge of her bed.
"Myra is running a bath. It should be ready in a minute."
"It is ready now Your Majesty," a voice called from inside the bathroom.
"Oh thank you Myra. Go on Claire, here is your dress. Go and have a quick bath and I'll wait here to walk you to breakfast."
"Thank you," Claire said to Myra as the maid walked out of the bathroom.
Claire quickly bathed, dressed and pulled her hair into a messy bun that would keep it off her face. "I'm ready!" she called as she walked out of the bathroom.
"All right. Let's go have some food and then we'll plan out the day," Lucy said brightly as she lead Claire out of the room. "I think I should take you for a tour of the castle and then Su and I can take you to the dressmakers to get you some more clothes. But of course breakfast comes first. Anyway, you must meet my friend Trumpkin. He is a dear fellow. A little rough, but very dear to me. Oh, and I must warn you about some of the magical sides of Narnia..."
Lucy continued much like this until the two young women reached the dining hall. There were many tables there for the nobles, and there was one on the far side of the room that was slightly smaller than the others and had the Kings and Queen Susan seated at it. It had room for a few more people to sit at it, presumably important guests of some sort.
Lucy led her around the edge of the room and over to the table where her siblings and Caspian sat. "Come on Claire. You're over here in between Su and me."
Claire was directed to sit there, and she did, surprised that she was sitting with the royals. Her heart sank as she realised that by sitting in between Lucy and Susan she was opposite to Peter, and any time she looked up she would meet his gaze. Forcing herself not to think about him, she looked at all the food.
"Help yourself Claire, preferably before Ed eats it all," Susan said with a laugh.
Smiling nervously, Claire picked up the plate that was in front of her and served herself some food, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the five royals of Narnia. She then put the plate in front of her, checked that everyone else was already eating, and began to eat herself.
The breakfast was very good. It consisted of many different types of fruits, along with juice, toast, pancakes and waffles. It was all nice, much nicer than anything she had eaten in a long time.
"I know you haven't seen much of it, but how do you like Narnia so far Lady Claire?" Caspian asked from where he sat on the other side of Peter and across from Susan.
Claire swallowed her bite of food. "Well, it is nice. I really do like it. I mean, the people are nice, well the ones I have met, and the food is good, and when I looked out the window this morning it was absolutely beautiful. I haven't been anywhere this amazing in my whole life." She tried to answer honestly, but she didn't want to say anything about her fears about her future and her duty.
"That's good that you like it. I think Lucy said that she wanted to take you for a tour sometime today?" Caspian said as he attacked his pancake with his fork and knife.
"Yes I will be taking her this morning. But I might be busy for some of it so you guys might have to take over for some of it. Do any of you have spare time this morning?" Lucy asked.
"I think Peter does. We have a council session after this that should only last until about mid morning, but Caspian and I have a meeting after then, so we couldn't. Su probably has some organising to do, but I think Peter is free. Are you Pete?" Edmund asked.
"Yeah that should be good. I was going to go for a ride, so I could always take her for a look at some of the surrounding country," Peter said, hoping for a chance to work out why she had reacted badly the night before.
Claire was beginning to become annoyed with the way she was being spoken about as though she was not in the room, but bit her tongue to keep herself from complaining about it. She had been told that she had her grandmother's mouth many times, and unfortunately this sometimes meant that she found it difficult to remain silent.
"That should be good. If that's all right with you Claire." Lucy turned to her.
"Uhhh yeah sure. Sounds great." She smiled and tried to look enthusiastic, but got the feeling that she was failing.
"Well that's settled then." Caspian said. "Now if you will excuse us men, we have a council session to get to."
And with that, the men stood and left the room, leaving the two queens and their new friend. As usual, Lucy was the one to break the silence. "Are you finished eating or would you like some more?"
"Oh I am fine," Claire replied. "Thank you for the breakfast. It was wonderful."
"Thank the cooks. If I had anything to do with the food I have a feeling it wouldn't be all that edible," Lucy said with a laugh.
"I have some planning to do for a ball that we will be holding in a few weeks time, so I have to get going. I might be free to come with you to the dressmakers this afternoon though. When will you be going to the Sophia's?" Susan asked.
"I was planning on going this afternoon to get Claire some more clothes, and now that Peter is taking her for a ride after her tour of the castle this afternoon after lunch should be good." Lucy explained.
"Yeah that sounds good for me too. What do you think Claire?" Susan asked her.
"Oh that's fine. Really I have no idea about anything so I don't really mind." Claire replied sweetly.
"Well then, let's go." Lucy said happily to Claire and the two women left the table where servants were already beginning to clear off the leftovers and dirty plates.
Claire and Lucy walked through the castle and Claire listened to Lucy as she bounced along, describing the history of Narnia as she showed Claire around.
"Cair Paravel is very important to me and my siblings. To understand just how important it is you have to know our story, and to know our story I will have to find somewhere to describe it to you properly. Not all of the castle has been rebuilt, but it mostly has been. Here is the orchard, we can sit under a tree or something and talk." Lucy led Claire over to an apple tree and sat down, motioning for Claire to join her.
"You must know that our siblings are not from Narnia originally. Like you, we are from the land called Earth." Claire looked up, surprised. "Yes, we are. By the way, how is the war going?"
"Which war?" Claire asked, thinking of all the problems around the world.
"The big one. You know, against the Germans," Lucy explained.
"The Germans? There haven't been problems with the Germans since World War II as far as I know." Claire said, looking confused. "What year was it when you left Earth?"
"The first time we came here it was 1941, and the second time it was a year later. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I don't really know how to say this, but when I left it was 2011." Claire said, looking sad.
"What? How is that possible?" Lucy looked shocked.
"Well, I don't know, but I guess it isn't impossible. I mean, look at where we are! I half expected to wake up this morning to find that this was all a dream!" Claire reasoned.
"Aslan did also tell us that time does not pass in Narnia the same as it does on Earth, so I guess it is possible. It is just a little bit weird because every time we have travelled between worlds it has been later in Narnia, but the same time on Earth. But I guess it is possible that the opposite could happen. Anyway, when we first came here Narnia had been under the rule of a cruel woman by the name of Jadis, more commonly known as the White Witch. All of Narnia was frozen in an endless winter, and all the creatures were forced to do her will. Aslan had been gone for all this time, but there were whispers through the Narnians that he had returned..."
Lucy and Claire sat under the tree for a very long time as Lucy explained the history of Narnia to her new friend. Claire was excited to be a part of such a wonderful place, and as she watched the young woman excitedly describe battles, journeys, coronations and dances, Claire became determined to protect her. She had been through much, yet she was still bright and happy, and Claire admired this quality. Even when the main story was gone, Lucy continued to tell smaller stories about funny pranks, jokes and exciting moments in the castle, the tour around the castle long forgotten.
Three whole hours later, Peter found them after searching through the entire castle. They sat side by side, with Lucy's face bright and excited as she told Claire stories of the past.
Claire sat beside her smiling and occasionally laughing at a particularly funny comment. Her blonde hair was pulled back in the bun it had been in the morning, but the wind had tugged a few strands out to fly freely around her face. Her skin was tanned, more tanned than any woman's that he had ever seen, and she was wearing a simple blue gown that had little detail, but still looked pretty on her.
He walked over to them, and they looked up to see him. When Lucy saw him, she smiled all the wider, but when Claire laid eyes on him, her smile lessened a bit. Peter felt a strange tug at his heart as she looked away, suddenly finding a stick on the ground very interesting.
"Hey Peter! Are you here for the ride already? I am so sorry Claire, I got caught up in the stories and forgot all about the tour!" Lucy apologised, looking very sorry.
"Oh that's fine. I found the stories very interesting and very helpful to know. Thanks!" Claire smiled at Lucy, and Peter watched them. He decided that his sister and this stranger would be very good friends for the years to come.
"Well Lady Claire, we had best be going." Peter said with a small smile, trying to help her warm up a little.
"Oh Peter don't be silly! She has to get her riding clothes on!" Lucy said, looking at her brother with amusement.
"All right, well I will be waiting at the stables." With one final smile at the both of them, he walked away and headed towards the stables.
"Come on Claire, let's go get you some clothes for riding! You can borrow some of mine, since you don't have any yet." Lucy smiled and got up, offering a hand for Claire, which she took, almost forgetting that her friend was a queen, but instead feeling completely comfortable around her.
"Thank you Lucy." She smiled and they headed up to their rooms and got Claire ready for her ride with Peter.
Peter waited outside the stables for about 15 minutes, and was about to head back up to the castle to find his sister and Claire, but when he turned to leave he spotted them heading down the hill.
Lucy was, as usual, talking rather excitedly with her hands waving around happily. She was dressed in the same simple dark green gown as before, and her hair was loose and waved around as she walked.
Claire was dressed in dark brown leggings with boots that almost reached up to her knees, and a loose blue tunic that reached down to her mid thighs and had gold patterns on it. It was fitted to suit women, and she had a simple brown cloak on her back.
They walked up to him, and Claire looked away from his gaze once more. Lucy smiled happily, unaware of any awkwardness. She turned to Claire. "Well I have to leave now, but I leave in the safe and capable hands of my brother. I'll see you at lunch!"
Claire waved good bye as Lucy walked off, back towards the castle.
Peter cleared his throat. "Umm, I saddled a horse for you. His name is Arrow. He's over here." He led her over to where two horses stood side by side. One was brown all over and looked very muscular, while the other was black with a white stripe down the middle of it's forehead.
Claire approached them, and Peter pointed out which one was Arrow.
"Have you ever ridden a horse before?" Peter asked as he prepared to mount his.
"Yeah. My mum got me to have lessons when I was younger," she confirmed.
"Okay, so you don't need any help getting on or anything?"
"Thanks, but I'll be fine," she said, as she swung herself up onto the horse with ease.
Just as they were about to leave, a voice cut through the air. "Peter!" They tuned to see Susan walking down the hill with a basket in her hand.
"I thought you had planning to do?"
"Well, we have a slight problem and I thought that I might give you a heads up and an escape route."
Peter frowned. "What's wrong?"
"She's early," came the simple reply, and Claire nearly laughed as she saw Peter pale considerably at the two words from his sister.
"Early? Oh Aslan why?" Peter moaned.
"I have no idea, but I would rather not ask. I brought a picnic lunch here for you if you want to escape lunch with her today. But only if you want to."
"Oh Su, you have saved me from certain death once again. That is, if it is all right with you Claire." Peter said, turning to her.
"Oh it's fine. Obviously who ever this 'she' is is very horrible indeed." Claire bit back a smile.
"Peter will explain who it is on the ride. Here you go." Susan handed the basket with the picnic lunch in it to her brother and waved good bye.
Peter mounted his own horse, careful to not destroy the food, and they set off. He led her out of the castle grounds and through the lower town. They were soon free of the castle and the busyness of the markets, and were riding across the grass, approaching the forest.
The silence was awkward as they rode, neither daring to break it. Claire was already struggling with this man that had the same name as her uncle, and she hated that something as small as a name had come between them. She wanted to be close to all of the kings and queens, especially as she would be working with all them and protecting them for their entire lives, but now she couldn't treat him the same because of a stupid name.
Peter was not as angry as Claire, but was merely confused. He had seen Claire laughing and getting along with his sisters, mainly Lucy, but when she saw him her smile disappeared and she became quiet and still. He wanted her to treat him with the same openness as she treated Lucy, rather then closing down when he was near.
After about an hour of riding, they reached a small stream where Peter decided to stop for lunch. He was beginning to regret his decision to take lunch and go far a longer ride with Claire, even if it helped him escape her. He then realised that he still had to explain that to Claire, and winced as he realised that she had probably been waiting for him to speak the whole time.
As he set out the blanket and the food, he decided to speak. "Um, thanks so much for back there. I mean, I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been okay with having lunch out here. The 'she' Su was talking about is this lady from Archenland, and to be quite frank, while I usually welcome all visitors to Narnia, I would have her stay away from here at all costs if it was up to me."
Claire nodded. "So, she's one of those types of girls?" A confused look came across Peter's face, so she elaborated. "You know, girly, giggly, immature, spoiled...?"
Peter smiled. "I think you just summed her up perfectly. Her name is Ariana, and she likes to follow me everywhere when she comes here."
Claire hid a smile as she knelt and helped the king put the food out. Susan had really thought of everything. Cheese, biscuits, fruit of many different kinds, sandwiches and more.
Peter shook his head. "How we are going to eat all of this, I have no idea."
"Well, I think the idea was to just spend as much time out here as possible to escape this Ariana." Claire said, biting back a laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.
"Well then we will just have to try to eat all of it over the next hour." Peter smiled at her and she nodded.
It was then that Peter became determined to crack her. She was going to open up. She was going to treat him the way she treated the others, or at least tell him why she treated him differently.
"Lady Claire, can I ask you a question?"
"Umm, yeah."
"Well, I don't quite know how to ask this, but, is there something wrong with me? I mean, you just treat me differently to the way you treat the others, and when I asked you to just call me Peter last night, I don't know, you just sort of..." he trailed off, not knowing how to describe her reaction in a way that wouldn't offend her.
"Shut down?" Claire asked, looking him in the eye.
"Yeah, I guess that's it." Peter said, breaking the eye contact and looking down, holding his breath as he waited for her answer.
Claire was stuck. She didn't know how to reply. So far she had tried to stick as close to the truth as possible when telling the monarchs about herself, so she decided to continue trying to do that. "It's complicated. It has nothing to do with you, I promise. It's just..." Claire took a deep breath. "I used to know someone called Peter."
He frowned. "Was the Peter you knew mean to you or something?"
"NO! No. He was...well..." Claire trailed off as she realised that she couldn't really describe her uncle. She fought back tears as she thought of him.
Peter looked at her sadly, and watched as she fought to control her emotions. "You don't have to talk about it. I understand."
No you don't. Claire thought, and but her lip to stop herself from saying it out loud. She nodded, remaining silent.
"I am sorry if I brought up something that is painful. I know how it feels. And I also know that you are telling yourself that no one can understand how you feel, but that isn't tr-"
"Yes, it is." Claire but in, not wanting to hear any more.
"Then why don't you help me understand?" he asked, turning to her and looking her in the eye. "Sometimes it helps to-"
"Talk about it, yeah I know. I have heard it so many times. But tell me, what would you do if you couldn't talk about it?" Claire was past being polite.
"Well, that depends on why I couldn't talk about it." Peter replied evenly and Claire snorted. This was a side of her that he had not seen. At first she had been polite and a little nervous, then she had been happy and excited with Lucy, but now she was snappy and irritable.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said shortly, looking away.
"That's all right. But if you do want to talk about it, I am here."
"Yeah, that's what they all say," she said, looking angrily into the distance.
"Well, we should probably eat the food." Peter said, trying to break the tension that had formed between them. He leaned forward and offered some of the food to Claire.
Stop being an idiot Claire. He was just trying to be nice! Claire yelled at herself in her head. "Thanks," she said, smiling half heartedly as she took the food and began to eat.
An awkward silence once more settled over the two of them, and all that could be heard was the sound of birds flying around in the trees.
Claire pursed her lips. "I'm sorry for snapping. I just don't like talking about it."
"That's all right. I'm really sorry for making uncomfortable. If I ever step over the line again, feel free to tell me. I won't get offended, I just want to get to know you and not have anything weird between us."
Claire nodded. "My life is kind of complicated. It's hard to describe, and I'd prefer not to. Ever."
"All right. It's just that I want to get to know you. Is there anything you can tell me about yourself that you will be comfortable with?"
Claire thought carefully. "My favourite fruit is mango. Your turn."
"I didn't know we were playing a game." Peter said playfully.
"Well, we are. It's called 'The Say One Thing About Yourself At A Time' game." Claire found herself smiling, glad that the tension was over.
"Well then, my favourite fruit is pear."
"My favourite colour is green."
"My favourite colour is red."
"Hmmmm, my favourite thing to do is think."
"My favourite thing to do is train."
"I don't like it when people copy me."
"I don't like it when people copy me."
"Shut up!" Claire gasped when she realised that she had just told a king to shut up, and she looked at him with fear only to find that he was laughing quite hard, and she soon joined in.
"Okay, so how about we both just talk about ourselves for a bit, not just short little sentences about trivial things," Peter suggested and Claire nodded in agreement. "You start."
"Okay, well, ummm, I grew up with one brother, Lyle, and my parents. My dad was named Noah and my mum was called Sandra. Ummm, I was pretty normal. Just your average person I guess. Not much to tell really."
"Come on. I think there must be more." Peter immediately realised his mistake as he saw her face tighten and her eyes grow cold.
Claire shook her head, pushing out unpleasant thoughts. Discovering her ability had been hard at first, but there had been good times. Later on, anyway. When she was working for Primatech with all the others for a few years, she had had such a great time. It had been like a family for her, and for someone with a pretty messed up and confusing family life, it mattered to her. A lot.
She thought of the time they had thrown her a special party for her 21st, when the company was only just restarting. Everyone had been there, and it had lasted all night long. She remember feeling loved, and like she belonged for the first time in her life.
Peter remained silent and watched the emotions that flickered across Claire's face, and was more than a little shocked when her saw a smile begin to form on her lips.
"I used to help my mum in the kitchen a lot when I grew up. My brother seemed to be lazy from the moment he was born. He was a few years younger than me, and I remember helping my mum look after him when he was only a toddler.
"My mum was the sweetest person you will ever meet. She was always there to give me encouragement, and she here voice helped me through many childhood nightmares. There was nothing better than a hug from her. She always smelled like lemons, and I don't think I will ever know why. She had a dog called Mr Muggles, and when Lyle and I grew up and started going to school, she would take Mr Muggles out for shows and train him and things like that. She loved that dog so much.
"My brother was lazy, as I said before. He hardly ever moved off the couch. He was spoilt, immature, and incredibly annoying, but I still loved him. I just didn't particularly like him sometimes.
"Then there is my father. My father is...was...he was different to most fathers. He had a job that meant he had to be out a lot, so I guess I drifted away from him a bit. When I was younger, it didn't matter that he always left, it didn't matter that he was distracted. All that mattered was that he always came back and gave me a hug and read me stories. Having him there always mattered to me back then. But then I guess I got older and started to notice that he was always busy, missing dinners, going on trips. I mistook his absence for him not caring about us, but I was wrong. I guess I found that out eventually, and I will never forget what he did for us." Claire paused, realising that she had gone much farther then she had wanted to. Much farther.
Peter cleared his throat. "Well, um, as you know, I have three siblings, and I guess Lucy told you the story of how we found Narnia and what has happened since then, so you know all that. I remember growing up with Susan by my side for most of it, seeing as I was only very young when she was born. I sort of remember when Ed was born, and I remember some main things from when Lucy was first born. There are all the normal childhood stories about injuries, accidents, sitting on prickle patches, having hiccups that last for an entire day or when Ed had to go to bed without dinner because he dumped a bucket of water all over Susan and ruined all her text books. But most of all, I remember every moment, every emotion, since that day we were playing hide and seek and managed to stumble through a wardrobe into a wonderful land I couldn't have thought up in my dreams."
Claire smiled. "Well, I guess we remember the things that are most important to us. They kind of stick in our mind."
"Sometimes that isn't such a good thing." Peter said, looking sad.
"What do you mean?" Claire asked, looking at the king.
"Well, I guess there are some not to pleasant memories that I would rather forget. Like when I failed Edmund, or when I nearly set the White Witch loose again, even though I knew exactly what she was capable of and just how cruel she truly is."
"Those things were not your fault Peter." Claire said, surprising herself when she addressed him by his name without flinching.
Peter was surprised at her use of his name, but he made no comment on it, but instead continued the conversation they were having. "It was my fault. As the oldest, I have to protect them no matter what happens. It is my duty. As High King, I must be the best. I cannot be weak, and I was. It was all my fault."
Claire took a deep breath, and remembered the duty Aslan had given her. She was supposed to look after the kings and queens, and that was what she was going to do, whether that meant fighting or comforting. Or even whacking a king that is wallowing in self pity. "So, let me get this straight, you messed up, and now you wallow in self pity. That sounds real great of you."
Peter glared at her, surprised at her words. He had expected there to be an awkward silence, but instead she was having a go at him for his pain. He found himself unable to think up a reply, and Claire spoke again.
"I am sorry if that was a little harsh, but you need to hear it. It is not your job to protect all your siblings. It is not your job to protect your friends. It is not your job to protect all of Narnia."
"Then what is my job? What is my purpose?"
"Your job, as High King, the most powerful of all Narnians not including Aslan himself, is to try your best. It is to try your best to protect your siblings, your friends, your home. And when your best does not lead to success, it is your job to step back and trust that where you fail Aslan will succeed. So you have two jobs. One is to try your best, and the other is to trust. Trust Aslan. He is the lord of all of Narnia, and he will be the one to save the day."
Peter was completely and utterly shocked. "I...I..."
"You don't have to say anything. I am sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, but I strongly believe that you had to hear that. You can hate me all you like-"
"I don't hate you!" Peter interrupted, not wanting Claire to get the wrong idea. "I mean, I am just surprised at those words. I wasn't exactly expecting to come on this ride and have a conversation like that, let alone have someone tell me exactly how I should be. Not that that was a bad thing. When Aslan told us that he was bringing someone to stand by our side, care for us and protect us, I will admit, I was expecting a man. And then when I saw you, I guess I wondered how you could help us. I mean no offense, but I was surprised. And then, well, you just seemed normal. Quiet even."
"But now you know differently," Claire said as she grinned.
"Well yeah. Aslan said that you were destined to be our protector. And I think the protector of the kings and queens isn't going to be some normal girl. You are different. In a good way I mean."
"Yeah, well I am not exactly normal. God, I haven't been called that for so long," she admitted, smiling sadly. "While we are talking deeply and all that, I have something I want to talk about."
"Sure, you can tell me anything."
"Well, I was wondering if I am going to be trained or anything. I mean, I am supposed to be your protector, right? And whether I am a woman or not, I should be able to fight for you and look after you, not just be there for you to talk to when you need it."
Peter nodded, understanding. "I agree. I have thought about it since last night a bit, and you will definitely be trained. But I would prefer to train you myself, or at least have someone I know well train you. I don't think you should be trained by just anyone, nor should you be trained as a soldier of Narnia. You're the protector, after all."
"Well, I am promising you here and now that I will try to be the best protector possible."
Peter smiled. "I am sure you will be the most amazing one possible."
The two spoke some more, before they packed up the remains of the food (they had not been able to finish it all off after all) and rode back to the castle. As they neared Cair Paravel, Peter turned to Claire. "I don't know how to ask you this, but if Lady Ariana gets a little too much for me, could you please...you know..."
"Rescue you? Really Your Majesty? Is it not your task to rescue fair damsels in distress? Yet here you are, asking to be rescued by none other then some ordinary young girl?" Claire joked.
"Well, you are not very ordinary, and you are not just some girl. You are my protector, and for the sake of protecting me, you have to rescue me from the evil clutches of the Lady Ariana."
"No, I am to protect you from come to physical harm."
"I believe you are to take interest in my emotional health also, and even if you weren't, I believe some injury would be sustained should I be forced to jump out of a window in order to escape her." Peter said, trying to remain serious and not laugh out loud.
"Well then, I will just have to save you after all," Claire could not help but laugh out loud, and Peter soon joined her.
Together they rode up to the castle, each of them happy with the friendship they had begun with one another. Though it had a rocky start, it had the makings of a great one.
Claire once more marvelled at the beauty of Narnia, and in particular Cair Paravel. It was only her first day here, and she had already fought and become friends with a king, gone riding in the woods with that king, talked for hours with a queen and now she was on her way to be measured by the royal dressmaker.
Susan and Lucy walked ahead of her, both of them talking excitedly and waving their hands around happily. They talked about palace gossip, and really anything that they found exciting and worth mentioning. They were good to Claire and often explained to her about different things that she didn't know much about, and Claire couldn't have been happier.
After enduring hell and discovering that everyone she cared about was dead, she had been hurting. She still was, but Narnia made her feel lighter. She didn't have to worry about psychotic serial killers coming after her, nor did she have to focus on what her father was saying to make sure he wasn't lying to her. She didn't have someone to rescue, she wasn't expected to perform some incredible feat. She was just Claire Bennet, now friend to the kings and queens of Narnia.
Eventually they arrived at a rather large house made from wood and painted white and blue, with a lot of nice bushes and flower patches in front. Susan stepped forward and opened the gate, allowing Lucy and Claire to walk in before her. Together they walked to the front door and Lucy knocked. "Hello? Mistress Sophia?"
There was no answer, so Lucy tried the door and found it unlocked. "She is probably working in the back room and can't hear us," she said to Claire.
They walked into the house, and found everything normal, but no one home. Susan frowned. "I sent a servant to come here and tell her that we were coming."
"Maybe they forgot or something?" Lucy suggested.
"But the servant came back and told me that Sophia was excited to have us in her shop again and couldn't wait to meet our new friend," Susan said, looking doubtful.
Lucy frowned, looking worried. "Hello? Is there anyone here?" Lucy called a little louder. There was still no reply.
Something was wrong. Claire could feel it. "How predictable is this Mistress Sophia?" She asked thoughtfully.
"She always does as she says she will. She is almost like a mother to us Lucy and I, and she wouldn't just forget about us coming." Susan said, looking more worried by the moment. The three of them walked further into the house.
"She spends most of her time in the back room working on dresses. If she's here, that's where she will most likely be," Lucy said walking past the stairs and towards the back of the home, and Susan and Claire followed her. The door to the back room was open slightly, but not much.
"Does she live here alone?" Claire asked as they walked towards it.
"Her husband died last year and she couldn't bring herself to leave. Her 8-year-old grand daughter Aurora stays with her here as well since her mother died in child birth and her father died in the war." Susan explained.
Lucy stepped forward and pushed the door open more. "Mistress Sophia? Hello? It's me, Queen Lucy!" She peered in, and stopped, her face going white.
"What is it Lu?" Susan asked, stepping forward and looking into the room.
Both of the queens stood at the door, frozen. Lucy sobbed finally, when she found herself able to breathe. "Oh, oh Aslan!" She cried.
Claire stepped forward and peered over their shoulders and into the room. It was full of bits of fabric and thread, very messy, but the kind of space that was well worked in. But that was not what Claire was looking at. She was looking at the woman who looked to be about in her fifties who was lying on the floor, covered in blood. But that was not even the most shocking thing. The top of her head was gone. For one horrible moment only one thought filled Claire's head, echoing around and around almost painfully.
Sylar.
So, please leave a review and tell me what you think. This chapter is THIRTEEN pages long, which is pretty amazing if I do say so myself. Originally it was twenty pages long, but I cut it off at an awesome cliffy. And yes, for those of you paying attention, this means that I already have part of the next chapter written. :)
So, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Please tell me about any mistakes and I will try and fix them as soon as possible. Thanks guys! You rock!