Thanks mucho for the reviews guys! Hopefully I used than and then properly in this chapter. heh. -- Yep anyways this is another long, yet not so boring when you get into it, chapter. Okay I lied. Maybe its not that great. But next chapter we have a ball and its going to be hella fun. Oh and you might wanna check out the Peter - Sabira hints goin on in this chapter. :)

So stay tuned! And R/R

Chapter 4
New Friends

10 minutes later Sabira found herself standing before a mirror in a beautiful satin blue gown with white embroidery. It was like a sundress, and it came down to her ankles, but it was sleeve-less. Upon her feet were soft white slippers, and pulling up her now nicely trimmed hair was a white ribbon. No jewelry adorned her figure, but she didn't need any to feel anymore beautiful. She found herself smiling into a mirror for the first time, enjoying the fact that she wasn't horribly dirty and homeless looking.

Turning to her little helpers that had crowded around behind her, she gave a warm thank-you.

And then, all of them waved good-bye and left her room. All that is except Fiona the chipmunk who came to her and held out her paw.

"I will be leading you to the Queen's chambers. She has requested to see you."

Sabira nodded, slipped her hand into Fiona's paw and followed behind her.

They made their way through the hallway on the second floor and went up another flight of stairs.

This hallway was incredibly beautiful. The walls were filled with tapestries that seemed to tell the story of 4 children. Cool colors radiated off the roof and flooring, and the doorways they passed seemed to have designs incrusted with goldon them.

Soon the pair stood before two grand doors on the left side of the hallway. Straight down the hall was a pair of doors that was even bigger then the ones that they stood before now. The room down the hall even had its own pair of guards.

Shouldn't we be going to that room? Sabira thought. A King and Queen usually share the biggest bedroom, right?

As Sabira pondered on why Queen Lucy and King Peter didn't share a bedroom, the chipmunk beside her rapped on the doorway to Lucy's bedroom.

"My Queen, I've brought you our guest."

The doors swung open and Sabira found herself looking into one of the most beautiful faces ever to have adorned a woman's shoulders. The girl found herself bowing despite herself, while the chipmunk curtseyed beside her. The Queen stood smiling down at both of them. She then laughed, a tinkling sort of sound, before putting out her hand for Sabira to take hold of. The girl looked up and did as bid.

Lucy gently pulled her into her room, and then said over her shoulder to Fiona, "Thank-you for bringing her, my dearest friend. I do believe there are a few treats down in the kitchens set up for those of you who helped out our guest. Go and enjoy yourself."

Fiona beamed up at the Queen, and muttered a quick farewell to Sabira before shutting the doors behind herself and rushing downstairs to the kitchens.

Sabira found herself admiring the room that was the Queens. This chamber was even more beautiful than her own. Pink and white curtains were pulled away from the windows, letting the light of the sun illuminate the room. Everything that Sabira set her eyes on was either a pearly white in color or a soft shade of pink.

Queen Lucy's eyes followed Sabira's as she gazed down the length of the room.

"It is quite big, no? Far too big for my liking I must say."

Sabira looked at the Queen, and nodded. Lucy then waved towards a small table set up beside the window that over looked the courtyard. It had two small chairs set up beside it.

The Queen walked over and sat down on one of the seats. She motioned for Sabira to join her. The girl followed through with Lucy's request. As soon as she had seated herself, she found herself staring at the Queen as she poured tea for the both of them.

She accepted the cup graciously as it was handed to her. She then watched the Queen take a sip, and did accordingly. She hadn't tasted tea before, so Sabira found herself taking a gulp instead of a sip.

"Agh!" Sabira dropped the cup as the hot liquidseared her tongue with heat. "Oh my gosh! Sorry!"

Sabira bent down to try and attempt to clean up the liquid that now dampened the rug. "Do you have any spare tissues?"

No response came, so Sabira brought her head back up to stare at the queen. Lucy had put her cup down and was giggling insanely, except it was so quiet that Sabira hadn't noticed.

The girl's eyes widened, and then Sabira found herself laughing out loud at her own stupidity. Soon, the queen and Sabira were both laughing openly.

A few minutes passed and finally the two calmed down. Sabira's face was red with mirth, and Lucy had to sit back and fan herself with her hands in order to cool off.

"I don't believe I've laughed that hard in ages," Lucy said to Sabira.

Sabira sighed and then added a quiet, "I don't think I have either."

Lucy's eyebrows rose. "Well now to the reason why you're sitting before me. I brought you here to tell me about yourself and well, how you came to be in Narnia. Do you wish to share it with me?"

Sabira nodded, but then her eyesight flitted to where her spilt teacup lay.

"Don't worry about that. We can clean it up later. But now, please share your journey with me."

Sabira's hands came to rest in her lap, which was dotted with tea stains. "Uhm… okay. Well…"

Sabira shut her eyes and thought back to before she had come to Narnia. "I was kinda, uhm… I was a homeless person, and I lived in London, with my mother that is, and well, there came a day when I just realised life wasn't worth it. Having to beg for food, and having a stubborn mother that wouldn't take help from others when they offered us a shelter to live in…. I just seemed to have had enough with life. So -"

Sabira looked up at Lucy to see what her reaction was. The queen had her elbows propped up on the table, her chin in her hands, and her eyes glued to Sabira's. She was definitely listening. So the girl went on.

"-I decided to run away to this bridge that I always passed on my daily begging routines. There I decided to… uhm… commit suicide, so to speak."

Lucy gasped and then rapidly apologised.

"Heh… it's okay. But anyway, I jumped into the river, and thought I'd drown sooner or later. It was raining violently, and the current was quite harsh. So instead of drowning I was carried down river, and I washed up on a bank. There I decided that I'd be best off just dying of the cold. But, as I lay there, a lion came up to me. I forget what he said word for word, but I'm pretty sure he told me it wasn't my time to die yet."

Sabira looked up at Lucy, and her eye brows rose. The queen's mouth was wide open, and she finally found the strength to mutter a hushed, "You met Aslan?"

Sabira grinned. "So you know him? He was so nice! I think he brought me here."

Lucy found tears coming to her eyes, and then quickly dabbed at them with a kerchief. "Yes, I know Aslan. My brothers and me know him…. In fact everyone in Narnia knows him. It's just…"

"Your brothers?" Sabira's eyebrows rose.

"Yes, King Peter, and Edmund."

Sabira half smiled. So that solved the puzzle of why the King and Queen didn't sleep together.They were siblings. -.-'

"Oh, uhm… so why are you so sad when hearing about Aslan?"

Lucy looked up at Sabira, but her eyes seemed to gaze past her. Lost in her own thoughts, the Queen began. "No one has seen Aslan for a year now. It may not seem like it, butmy people are at war. I don't know why Peter is so daft! He keeps on going on as if nothing is wrong. The hunt should have been cancelled, but no… he insists that it'll make our people feel more at ease. … Oh Aslan… if only you were here."

Sabira had a look of sympathy befall her face. "I'm sorry. But, where did Aslan go?"

"No, not where did he go, it's why did he go. He told us that he needed to search for the relic that would bring Narnia together."

Lucy looked up at Sabira, "You see… my oldest brother King Peter has been the High King of Narnia for as long as I can remember. And, well, my youngest sibling Edmund became jealous of that fact. I didn't know he felt that he should not be treated like the youngest, nor did I know that he loved the woman that my brother was in love with. Lady Beatrice… It hurts me to say that this war is waging because of her."

Tears brimmed the Queen's eyes. "Beatrice came up from the South one day, and she set everyone a daze with her beauty and her charm. My brother Peter became besotted with her, as did Edmund and the half of the men and creatures here without wives or lovers. I thought she was a sweet woman that needed a home… but deep down she had evil plans brewing in her heart. She wanted to divide Narnia, and that she did. She turned my brothers against each other, and Peter, being the High King, demanded that Lady Beatrice be his wife."

Lucy dabbed at her eyes with a kerchief. "Never had I seen the two of them act that way. Never. And then one night, Beatrice disappeared, along with Edmund, and the men and creatures that did not have lover's of their own." Lucy looked up at Sabira, "I don't know what kind of treachery she has up her sleeve, but it seems to me she is an evil witch thats sole plan is to take over Narnia."

Sabira's mouth was wide open. "That's horrible."

Lucy nodded, "Yes, it is horrible, and you know what is even more horrid? The fact that she has sent this dragon of hers to intimidate us. It watches our gates, and makes sure that no one leaves or enters. Today though, it wasn't to be seen anywhere until you came, and that's why King Peter decided to carry on with the hunt, because our food rations were low, and he wanted to keep the people calm by giving them a feast to remember."

Sabira nodded at those words. "He seems nice."

Lucy looked up at Sabira and smiled.

"Do you like my brother?"

Sabira was taken aback by those words.Enough soit caused her to fall off her chair. "Ow… uh, I wouldn't go that far. I only met him once, and well, sorry to say this but I don't exactly find King's to have amazing characteristics. Well, not back home that is."

Lucy giggled. "Yes, the King and Queen of England aren't that dainty now are they?"

Sabira's eye brows rose as she brought herself to her feet. "How do you know about England?"

Lucy stood up, and pushed her chair in. "That is because me and my brothers were born there."

Sabira found herself beam with delight. "So you're not born here! You mean you're just like me and you come from Earth? Oh my gosh, this is so awesome!"

Lucy laughed, "Yes, awesome indeed."

Before Sabira could respond to the Queen's words, the door to Lucy's chamber swung open.

"The King has returned M'lady! The entire hunt made it back safely!"

Lucy clapped her hands together. "Oh, that's wonderful news." Turning to Sabira, she piped, "Let us go and meet them... Together."

Slipping her arm through a nook in Sabira's, the Queen led the pair down the stairs and through the hallways, until they broke out into the light of the sun and stood on top of the stairs that led into the castle. The gate had opened, and the men that were a part of the hunt were pouring into the courtyard, the King at their head. Lucy leaned towards Sabira, and then whispered, "Make sure to tell me what you think of him after he comes to meet us now. I bet your views will all change."

Sabira laughed.

'As if.'

Lucy dropped the arm of Sabira as her creatures in waiting came to surround her.

The King dismounted his steed and was met by Repicheep who motioned up the stairs to where Lucy and Sabira were standing. If Sabira hadn't known any better she would have suspected that Repicheep was saying something about her because the King turned to gaze at her, and their eyes met.

Sabira blinked, and then quickly avoided his gaze.

Peter turned a slight shade of pink and pretended not tonotice Sabira as he began his royal trek up the stairs, followed by a vast amount of forest animals and knights. He bowed before Lucy, his soft brown locks falling in front of his eyes. He then looked up at the Queen and noticed she was crying.

"Why do you weep Lucy?" He stood up, his beautiful armor glimmering in the intense radiance of the sun.

"I weep, dear Peter, because I was afraid of losing you." Lucy's voice was barely above a whisper. She held a kerchief to her nose, and let the tears freely fall from her eyes.

Peter put out his hand and wiped them away. He then ruffled the Queen's light hair, and whispered something only she could hear.

The men behind Peter began to cheer something about the High King being valiant and unconquerable. The rest of the citizens who had seemed so utterly worried before joined in. A brilliant wave of voices lifted up through the walls of the Castle and around the Courtyard.

Sabira found herself smiling again. Peter had royal subjects that truly loved him. Perhaps he wasn't a half-bad King.

Something brushed her shoulder and Sabira looked to her right. The King had situated himself between her and Lucy, and he held up his hand in order to stop his people from chanting.

"My dear friends," he exclaimed. "Tonight we shall all feast like Kings, and leave our worries behind. Let us sit down and assuage our fears, and ball like we did in the days before 'her' arrival."

Cheers lifted up into the air again.

"LONG LIVE KING PETER!" The words repeated themselves over and over again, and then the King waved once more, and then turned around.

Before he moved off into the castle though, he leaned his head in Sabira's direction and breathed softly in her ear, "That dress looks nice on you." Then he disappeared into the castle, followed by a troop of animals and knights; leaving Sabira behind blushing while Lucy came in to ask her what she thought of her brother.

"He's an agreeable man." Sabira looked at Lucy'sface and then the both of them laughed.

Hope ye like! (And when King Peter said 'before her arrival' he meant Beatrice not Sabira.

Yay! (Next chapter promises to be better! Some intense stuff is coming up.)

3 Divya