(Sage)

"Your grace."

Propriety told Sage she should respond to the voice addressing her, but she was so caught up in proofreading the treaty before her that she could not provide even a piece of her attention. Calormen would be expecting this document within a few weeks time. In order for it to reach the hands of their King by then, Sage needed to send a messenger out with it before nightfall. A sword covered in mud and spots of red was thrown on top of the scroll, marring its carefully dictated words.

Sage's blood simmered as she lurched to her feet to look into the eyes of who would dare disturb a Queen in such a way. Darius glared down from his gangly height with bloodshot eyes and arms folded as much as his practice armor would allow. His long brown hair was pulled into a tight knot at the crown of his head. Left over rain water ran down his tan face, though Sage suspected some of those drops were his own angry tears mingling with hard earned sweat. At his side stood his sparring partner and longtime trainer, Theon. His nose was scarlet and crooked, definitely broken. Large purple bruises dotted underneath weary dark eyes.

Running a hand through her loose hair, Sage fought back a sigh. "What happened?" she asked reasonably.

"He was too slow. If he's to be my mentor, then he should be able to block a 17-yearold's hits," Darius defended, sniffing when he finished.

Theon, though short and round, held his head back when he spoke to match the grace that Prince Darius should possess. "This match was meant to be kept below the neck. He lashed out when I mentioned Prince Rilian and his superior fighting ability."

"It's not my fault you're so short. It couldn't be helped." Darius snapped, fresh tears falling to join the dampness on his cheeks. He spun trying to conceal them from any onlookers.

"Theon please go see the physician while I speak to my son," Sage spoke placidly. "I will see to it that you are compensated for this misfortune."

The trainer nodded obediently and swiftly exited the room. Sage traced her hand along a family portrait hanging on the wall over her writing desk. Three pairs of brown eyes peered back at her. All her children took after their father with his dark features, though she took pride when sunlight would bring out auburn tints to Darius's hair. She touched Rilian's outline with his slim shoulders and wide jaw. He was always serious just as he thought a future King should behave, but when he was alone with his siblings he would joke around just like his father.

"Dar, we all miss him. That does not mean…"

"Oh, sure you miss him!" Darius cut her off, brown eyes burning with bottled up emotions. "I can tell by all the times you and dad talk about him. Oh, wait you don't. Ril disappears and you two act like he was never here to begin with!"

Sage staggered with the force of his words, heart seizing up at the mere mention of her oldest son. "That's not fair," she whispered.

"Because Aslan was so fair to abandon Ril? To abandon us when all we do is pray to him for any kind of help? We should be sending an army out after him, but instead we send four complete strangers. Dad didn't even know that Jill girl, but he still entrusted her with his heir's life!" Darius was no longer shouting. His voice wavered and cracked at points, but he pushed forward in thoughts too well articulated to not have been constantly bombarding him.

"You know we cannot send troops out. Any act of aggression could frighten Calormen and destroy our peace treaty."

"Why is that more important than finding your own child!" Darius stormed out, snatching up his sword as he passed.

The treaty fluttered to the floor looking exactly how Sage felt: battered and worn out. She gathered it up and walked to her bedroom across the hall. Caspian lay on the floor with thick glasses set on his nose and a dusty book held at arm's length so he could read its contents. The last orange rays of light crept in the window and clung to his weathered skin. His belt lay discarded on a wooden chest with carvings telling of his rise to power, a wedding gift from one of the women of the stars. His maroon shirt was untucked and rode up his slightly pudgy stomach.

"I heard yelling. Was it Darius again? Did you get to finish revising the treaty?" Caspian asked, setting down his book and peering up at his wife.

"Darius broke Theon's nose. He thinks we don't care that Rilian is missing." Sage sat beside his head, threading her fingers through his fragile hair.

"I'll work with him tomorrow. When I'm done, he won't have enough energy left to look at someone wrong. He can't go around taking out his angst on others."

Sage handed him the treaty and he groaned, rubbing at his eyes beneath the lenses of his glasses. "We'll send one of the spare copies. You agreed with all the terms?" Caspian inquired.

"I guess," Sage murmured, mind a hundred worlds away, wherever Rilian was. She understood how Caspian could throw himself into this treaty full force. She found herself doing it most days as well, just as Darius accused. The never spoke of Rilian, never so much as let him enter her thoughts unless necessary. She was left feeling ragged and defeated after bouts of crying; that was the only way she ever managed to fall asleep.

"Why are you on the ground?" Sage asked to distract herself. Avoid the problem. That's all she ever did.

"My chest was hurting again. That bed is too damn soft. This feels good," Caspian replied, massaging a hand along his sternum. Sage smiled down at her strange husband. Too many nights spent in a forest or on a boat had given him a strange pallet.

With a grunt he pushed to sit up. He took a few minutes to work the kinks out of his muscles before squaring his shoulders and offering Sage a hand up as well. She rose and drew her hand back quickly. Every time she looked at Caspian too long she saw Rilian. While Samira and Darius had traces of her in them, Rilian was all but a carbon copy of his father. And it made her gut ache with misery when Caspian stared back with those soulful brown eyes.

"Why don't you go tuck in Samira? I'll go get this treaty sent." Caspian spoke to ease the tension. When all Sage could manage was a nod, he strode off down the hallway wringing the destroyed treaty in his hands.

Taking a few moments, Sage collected herself before walking three doors down to Samira's room. The dark wood of her door was decorated with every drawing Samira could cram into the space. Inside her room even more adorned the cream colored walls. Her bed sheets were a pale pink and she was piled among her assortment of stuffed animals reading from a book aloud.

"Then King Edmund said, 'Not today you witch,' and chopped her evil wand in half!" Samira depicted this action quite viciously and turned the book so her animals could see the picture for themselves. "Bartholomew, get out of the way. Rilly can't see," Samira chastised one dwarf.

Sage's soft smile vanished at the nickname she used for her brother. "You ready for bed, Sami?" she called.

"Mommy, did King Edmund have brown eyes like me?" Samira chunked the book to the ever growing pile on the floor and dove beneath her covers.

"His were a bit darker, but yes. Why?" Sage removed a few animals and snuggled into the space beside her daughter.

"Our children would have beautiful brown eyes." She sighed dramatically and threw her arm over her forehead.

"I thought you were in love with Peter?" Sage teased.

Samira fluttered her lips and rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious. "He's so boring. All the girls in my tutoring sessions gush over him. So I decided that when King Edmund comes back, I will marry him."

Coaxing her daughter's hair from its braid, Sage gently combed the knots out. Samira's thick eyelashes fell down in one swoop and her breathing grew steady.

"Were you talking to Rilian?" she whispered.

Samira hummed and rolled onto her stomach, giving her mother further access to her hair. Her nightgown had ridden up under her shoulders, but the young girl made no move to adjust it. She fumbled for her favorite spotted lion and pulled it closer to cuddle with. "I always talk to him. He never hears me though."

She was fast asleep before the tears slipped down Sage's face.

Give me some feed back guys! How is this sequel doing? Is it living up to the original?