Hello lovelies! I am so sorry for my long abscence, and I can't guarantee anything but I really hope I get to write more soon. So, in this chapter some things about Cornelia's past is revealed. Btw., if someone wishes to have a visual impression of what Gavin looks like, then imagine him to look like Joe Dempsie - yep, the handsome Gendry Waters from Game of Thrones. Also, there is a small dialogue heavily inspired by the season 3 finale of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - so if you love/like AoS just as much as I do or has watched it and remembers lines very well, you may be able to spot it ;). It fit perfectly and is so beautiful, so I couldn't help myself.

Anyhow, on with the story! (:

Disclaimer goes for all chapters.


Goldenflower 2 - The Prince From Telmar

Chapter Six:


"Oh, shut up!"

A nineteen-year-old Cornelia rolled her eyes, exhaling a sigh. This was folly. Sometimes her job was downright ridiculous. Currently, her four cousins were arguing about whether seventeen-year-old Lucy was old enough to start courting anyone. A very distressed faun (Mister Tumnus) had found Cornelia doing her daily walk through the gardens at Cair Paravel and had begged her to put an end to their monarchs' fight. And here she stood, completely silent as she tried to get an impression of the debate. Sometimes, if she just stood there for a while, her four cousins tended to figure it out for themselves, but this time it didn't seem like it would become relevant. Susan was on Lucy's side who meant she was old enough, while Peter and Edmund teamed up and was very much against it.

"You're too young, Lu." Peter said.

"Yeah, it's not gonna happen." Edmund agreed.

"That's so not fair. Susan was the same age." Lucy shrilled.

Peter shook his head. "Nope. She was nineteen."

"It's two years!" Both girls exclaimed.

"So that means that Cornelia's allowed to court now?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Well, yes."

"No." Peter sent his brother a glare. Edmund merely being the just king he was, held his hands up in surrender at his brother's glare.

Cornelia's eyes narrowed to her oldest cousin. He was definitely not going to decide whether she was allowed to court anyone or not.

Susan laughed humorlessly. "You so have double standards, Peter. I'll give you that."

"They're the youngest!" Peter retorted.

"So what?" Lucy shrilled. "Sometimes I swear you're such a hypocrite-."

"Enough!"

The four monarchs looked at their cousin in shock. Cornelia rarely raised her voice, but when she finally did, it was as effective as Aslan's roar.

Cornelia sighed. "Look, I get both sides of this, so I'll suggest you make a compromise."

Silence followed before Edmund opened his mouth, and Cornelia knew where this was going. It was the same old song, but Cornelia refused this time.

"No." Cornelia shook her head and sent the dark-haired king a pointed look. "I am not going to make the compromise for you. You have to do it yourselves."

Cornelia had reached the double doors as she looked back at her cousins with a smirk. "And you will stay in this room until you've figured it out."

To groans and loud protests, Cornelia closed the doors behind her and waited outside the very door to the library.

"If they really want to be able to have a way out of discussing things with each other without me knowing, they should seriously consider preventing to fight in a room with only one way out." Cornelia thought with a smirk as she sat down and waited contentedly and very happy with herself.

"What are you smiling about?" Lucy questioned with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Cornelia looked at her youngest cousin immediately and tried to cover up the silly smile she obviously had on her face because of Lucy's reaction.

Innocently, she looked at Lucy. "Nothing."

They were sitting on their respective beds in their room they shared with Susan inside the How.

"Didn't look like nothing." Lucy smirked. "Have you met a boy here or even better, in England?"

Cornelia snorted. "Not bloody likely. Boys are stupid."

"Then what were you smiling about, Cor?" the ten-year-old asked curiously.

"I was just thinking back to the Golden Age." Cornelia smiled.

"We had fun, didn't we?" Lucy smiled excitedly.

The twelve-year-old's smile faltered a bit, but she covered it up. "Yes, very much."

"We were also being taken seriously then." Lucy continued with a sad smile.

Cornelia nodded. "Agreed. It's patronizing that just because we're in a little girl's body again, they think we're still the same little girls, unable to decide anything or to defend ourselves."

"But I guess they're just trying to protect us, though." Lucy shrugged, trying to see things from another perspective.

"Well, I don't need protection. My job is to protect all of you, not the other way around." Cornelia almost snapped, feeling this weird sensation in her body.

Then it suddenly went away, and when Cornelia saw the puzzled and worried look upon Lucy's face, she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Lucy smiled back.

Then the youngest Pevensie looked seriously at her cousin. "Are you sure you're okay, Cor?"

Cornelia ignored the question and said instead. "I met Matt before I went down to the train back in England."

Lucy frowned at the subject change but then smiled widely. "Really? That's wonderful to hear, Cor. What was he like?"

"Just like he used to be," Cornelia smiled. "Just older."

"Naturally. How did you meet him?" Lucy questioned excitedly.

Cornelia paused and then lied through her teeth. She wasn't going to tell her youngest cousin, who had always looked up to her, what questionable things she had been doing. One of the worst things Cornelia knew was to disappoint her family, especially Lucy because she never yelled but didn't talk with them and just gave them a very effective disappointed look.

"I just randomly met him in the streets, and he bought some food for us and we just talked and caught up with each other."

Lucy's smile faltered. "Did you tell him about Andrew?"

Cornelia nodded. "Yes."

"How did he take it?"

"He was sad of course." The twelve-year-old shrugged. "But he stills puts everyone else before him first."

In that moment the door went up, revealing a stern-looking Edmund.

"A Telmarine has been seen at the outskirts of the forest outside." He informed and then looked at Cornelia. "Peter has called for a meeting."

Cornelia bit her lip and nodded. Then she looked at Lucy who looked back and forth between her brother and cousin with an unreadable look on her face.

The two young girls jumped down from their beds and followed Edmund to the room with the stone table. Peter, Susan, Caspian, Tristane and Glenstorm were already there, and soon Narnian representatives of each race filed in quickly.

Cornelia took a seat between Edmund and Tristane. When everyone were there and everyone quieted down, Peter stepped into the center of the gathering around the stone table and began to speak. "It's only a matter of time. Miraz' men and war machines are on their way. That means those same men aren't protecting his castle."

Cornelia knew exactly what Peter wanted alone because of those words. Something in her gut did that she didn't like this plan, but what else could they do? This place was great but incredibly old and was not a fortress. If the Telmarines were smart they could force them down into the How and starve them out.

"What do you propose we do, Your Majesty?" Reepicheep questioned.

"We need to get ready for it."

"To start planning for…"

Cornelia's eyes widened and she and Edmund shared a look. Peter and Caspian stared at each other, Caspian eventually backing down, nodding his head to indicate that Peter should continue. Cornelia couldn't see Peter's face before or now as his back was turned towards her and Edmund, but she'd bet he was glaring at Caspian.

Peter continued. "Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us."

"Well, that's crazy." Caspian protested. "No one has ever taken that castle."

Cornelia bit her lip. This was going to be a tough meeting, and it wasn't going to be pretty either. Even in the Golden Age, it was rare that someone, let alone a stranger, got or dared to disagree with Peter except for Cornelia or his siblings or Oreius. Peter was a great leader and he listened to the views back then, but Cornelia wasn't sure how much he was going to listen now.

Peter shrugged at Caspian's protest. "There's always a first time."

Trumpkin looked at Caspian and nodded. "We'll have the element of surprise."

"But we have the advantage here." Caspian said.

Now Susan stood up behind Caspian. "If we dig in, we could probably hold them off indefinitely."

Caspian and Cornelia looked at her in surprise. Cornelia guessed by Susan's followed facial expression that Peter wasn't pleased.

"I, for one, feel safer underground." Trufflehunter chimed in.

"Look." Peter looked at Caspian, his voice sounding almost friendly. "I appreciate what you've done here, but this isn't a fortress. It's a tomb."

"Yes." Edmund spoke up, agreeing with his brother. "And if they're smart, the Telmarines will just wait and starve us out."

Cornelia frowned and closed her eyes. She was getting a headache.

"We could collect nuts." A squrriel suggested.

"Yes! And throw them at the Telmarines." Reepicheep exclaimed with fake enthusiasm and then deadpanned. "Shut up!"

"And we may have an advantage in Tristane." Edmund suddenly spoke. Cornelia noticed the slight challenging look in her cousin's eyes, which was directed at the teen. What was that about?

"So you're thinking of taking him with us?" Susan said with a pointed look. "Poor Tristane would be skinned alive if the Telmarines got ahold of him."

"I agree." Caspian said and gave Edmund a strange look. "It's too dangerous for him right now."

Cornelia sighed in relief.

"But I could still help." Tristane spoke up, making the entire room look at him.

"I could draw maps of the secret passages and getaways through the town and the castle. I know it well." The teen continued, looking at Peter who nodded, seeming pleased. Caspian bit his lip and looked to Edmund again. Cornelia noticed the weird and secretive exchange between the two. What were they up to?

"Cornelia?" Caspian spoke up, now looking at the tween.

As soon as everyone's eyes were upon her, Cornelia remembered that she hadn't missed this part one bit. Especially when she felt Peter's piercing blue eyes look right at her. She took a deep breath, looked up and met their stares. She felt Edmund put a hand on her back to show her he was there, which he knew she liked, but what calmed her the most was when she looked at Caspian for a brief moment. His dark eyes almost calmed her and his smile offered her a little comfort.

Cornelia finally looked at Peter. "I see where the both of you want to go with this, I really do. But I think that we should listen to Caspian a bit here. He's the one who, along with Tristane, knows the Telmarines best. We don't know precisely what the Telmarines are coming with. But I agree that this definitely isn't a fortress either, so I would suggest an alternative in between. We could lurk them into the forest. We also have an advantage there."

"And how do you suggest we lurk them into the forest?" Peter questioned with a stern look.

"I…" Cornelia became completely tongue-tied, seeing and feeling Peter's coldness. What had she done wrong?

Peter's voice softened trying to hold her gaze. "Listen, Cor. I appreciate and value your opinion more than anything else and I admire your attempt not to choose any side, but this isn't politics. It's a war."

Cornelia's eyes hardened. "What 'sides' are you talking about, Peter? Last time I checked all of us were on the same side. We all want to defeat Miraz and get Caspian his throne back, right? Yes, my alternative may have seemed political, but one thing I definitely know is that we're all going to killed in a war against them if we on the same time have a war amongst ourselves for whatever childish reason there seems to be tension over in this very room!"

Cornelia in- and exhaled at the dumbfounded look on Caspian's face and hard one on Peter's.

"Sorry." She apologized. Silence filled the room. She felt Edmund's hand on her back once again as she heard him whisper, "Are you all right?"

"Sorry. I crossed the line." Cornelia whispered back.

Edmund gave her hand a squeeze as comfort in return as Reepicheep spoke up. "I think you know where I stand, sire."

Peter looked softly at the mouse before turning to Glenstorm. "If I get your troops in, can you handle the guards?"

Caspian looked intensely at the centaur, as did Cornelia. Glenstorm met Caspian's gaze first, then Cornelia's before his eyes returned to Peter's. "Or die trying, my liege."

"That's what I'm worried about." Lucy said sadly, speaking up for the first time.

"Sorry?" Peter turned to his little sister, who sat on the stone table.

"You're all acting, except for Cornelia who you for some reason refuse to listen to, like there's only two options. Dying here or dying there." Lucy continued calmly.

"I'm not sure you've been listening, Lu." Peter said calmly with a small smile on his face.

"No, you're not listening." Lucy protested. "Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?"

Cornelia winced. That was a blow below the belt for Peter, especially if such a comment came from Lucy.

Hurt, anger and disappointment were clearly traceable in Peter's eyes and face as he was glaring at his youngest sister.

"Peter." Cornelia hesitated, getting his attention trying to spare Lucy for too much of Peter's newfound anger. Cornelia could take more of it than Lucy could, she thought.

The look on Peter's face was almost heartbreaking. He had been rude and very different from the great man Cornelia knew Peter was, which was also why Cornelia loved her cousin unconditionally no matter how stupid he might be, but she didn't think he deserved this, at least not in front of everybody. But somewhere deep inside her, which she had never felt before - which worried her, she wanted him to feel hurt? What in Aslan's Mane was she saying? She should feel sorry for him and she was.

"What Lucy's trying to say is that maybe we should reconsider a bit, think this over." Cornelia finished softly, looking her oldest cousin directly in the eyes, hoping to see some sort of softness. But right now there was none.

Peter glared at his cousin before fixing his glare on Lucy.

"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough." He spoke calmly, but Cornelia could sense that he was furious.

Peter then turned on his heel and left the room. And Cornelia went after him.

"Cor." Edmund warned her, but Cornelia ignored him.

As she was passing Caspian, he took a gentle hold of her arm.

"Are you sure this is wise?" he asked quietly, a concerned look on his face.

"It's been my job for many years, Caspian." She replied softly.

With a sigh and reluctant nod, the prince let her go. It was sweet that he cared, it really was, but Peter seemed to carry a lot around right now, and Cornelia took it upon herself to lighten the load.

She walked right past the door to his room. She knew exactly where her cousin would seek solace when he needed to blow off some steam.

A light wind hit her face as she exited the How. It wasn't hard to hear where her cousin was as he was yelling. He was standing in the middle of the stone ruin in front of the How, slashing Rhindon into a target dummy over and over again.

"Do you think it'll start to swing back once you've hit it long enough?" Cornelia asked softly.

"Perhaps." Peter bit back, not looking away from the dummy.

"Don't you want a live target instead of always swinging in the same direction?"

"And who would that be? You? Even after I kicked your butt back in the forest?" Peter spat.

It was clear he was angry and hurt. His words hurt but Cornelia knew deep down she deserved that.

She sighed. "Guess I deserved that one. What do you say? Wanna spar or not?"

With a cry, Peter swung at the dummy so hard that it fell, and then he finally looked at her.

His eyes had softened already but the anger and hurt was still there. Cornelia pulled Omega out of its sheath and took a defensive stand.

"Why are you here?" Peter asked instead and sheathed Rhindon.

"What I've always done, what I should do and what I want to do." Cornelia replied softly and sheathed Omega again. "To help you."

"Who says I need help?"

Cornelia watched her cousin sadly. "I do."

"And you're an expert?" Peter snorted. "You need help yourself."

"That I do." Cornelia bit her lip. "But I'm putting you first."

"How noble of you." He seethed.

Cornelia held her hands up in defeat. "I'm not the enemy in this, Peter and you know that. I get that you're angry and we hurt you, but there must be a better way."

"Please tell me if there is, Cornelia, because I don't see any other way!" Peter exclaimed.

"You would if you would just listen like you used to!" Cornelia retorted.

"Nothing is as it used to, Cornelia! Not here, not in England. You of all people should know that!" Peter said and continued. "I don't need help, especially not from you right now."

Cornelia froze. The tears started building up in her eyes, and she had a strange feeling in her stomach.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her voice was merely a whisper.

It looked like it surprised even Peter what he had said. He even took a step closer to her, his arms held halfway out in front of him, and he looked guilty for a moment. His lips had parted as if he was gasping for air, but then his lips were set in a thin line and the anger in his eyes returned.

Cornelia could see that he was all worked up; she had seen and tried that with him before, but whatever experience Cornelia had had, she couldn't have braced herself for what her cousin said next.

"I don't need you to help me. None of us do. You're just a little girl."

Cornelia suddenly found it hard to breathe and it felt as if her heart and spirit shattered to pieces. Tears was rolling down her cheeks when she gasped as she felt whatever warmth she had left in her body disappear. She was numb. She didn't say another word as she went inside the How. She barely registered the horrorstricken looks on Edmund and Caspian's faces or their calls for her as she past them without looking back once.

She opened the door to her room, went inside and closed the door. It was first after she had closed the door that she released a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Sobs racked her body as she placed herself in front of a mirror. At first nothing happened, but then suddenly she felt goosebumps on her arms and thereafter a cold sensation filling her entire body. She gasped when she blinked and her eyes suddenly was piercing blue and blue sparks was coming from her hands.

Whatever was happening to her was definitely not light magic, but she didn't mind. She didn't feel anything anymore. Then, through the tears, a smile crept upon her face when she felt a power growing inside her. It was as if she wasn't in control of herself as her own voice was screaming inside her head that she had to break free from the Witch' grasp.

But the Witch was dead, wasn't she? Suddenly, the capability to move and react came back to her, and she immediately threw herself onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow, hoping that whatever that had happened to her just was a bad dream.

She fell into an uneasy sleep.

"For Narnia!"

Battle cries echoed in Cornelia's ears as she charged forward towards the enemy. She was twenty-four and was fighting in a war they weren't directly involved in. Calormen had attacked Archenland, and King Lune had sent for their aid. Here they were, on Archenland's soil, fighting Calormen once again. She could see glimpses of her cousins and other fellow Narnians. Her heart skipped a beat when she suddenly couldn't see Gavin.

With a cry, she engaged in a fight with a tall, skinny Calormene who she quickly slayed. She then looked around, trying to find that mob of dark hair she was anxiously looking after. Her reflexes came in handy as another Calormene tried to sneak up on her. With a spark of magic, she sent him flying, making sure he landed somewhere hard. Her hand went to her neck, making sure the chain with the golden ring was still there. She couldn't believe it - she was getting married. That was, if the both of them survived this. Cornelia had every confidence in herself - it was her husband-to-be she was worried about. Gavin had his way with weapons and had been personally trained by her cousins and Oreius and was a natural, but as he pointed out himself; he was a blacksmith.

"Stubborn beast." Cornelia muttered to herself about her groom. When Gavin got word of the war in Archenland and that Narnia was going to join Archenland's side, he immediately went to Peter himself and told him that he wanted to go. Gavin's mother had been from Archenland which made the land a second home to him, so after a lot of fights between him and Cornelia, and a lot of begging to Peter and Edmund, Gavin got what he wanted. Cornelia accepted it reluctantly, but she wasn't happy about it. She didn't feel that she could concentrate on herself if Gavin was there as well.

"Argh!" Cornelia cried as another Calormene came at her. This one was tougher than the others she had encountered up until now. He was both quicker and had a lot of physique. Somehow, the man got ahold of her and tried to squeeze the air out of her, but Cornelia managed to grab an arrow from her quiver and stabbed it into the man's thigh - to Cornelia's satisfaction, the man let out a howl and let go of her. She then lifted her hand and felt the power rise inside her, and with a simple flick with the wrist, she sent the man flying.

"Cornelia, look out!"

Knowing she couldn't reach her sword to block with, she spun around, her powers gathering around her and made a shield. Sure enough, a Calormene was very close at cutting her down until he was hit with the blast from her protection shield.

Her savior - her husband-to-be grinned from ear to ear with that boyish grin Cornelia adored.

"I love when you do that." He commented with a smirk and a glint in the eye.

Cornelia's eyes widened as she noticed the Calormene behind her fiancée. "Gavin, duck!"

Luckily, Gavin immediately did what he was told as she didn't hesitate sending a light burst in his and the Calormene's way. When the Calormene fell right behind him, Gavin looked a bit dumbfounded.

Cornelia couldn't help but smirk. "Now we're even."

The two lovers teamed up and were now met by two Calormene that came at them at the same time. It took no time for Cornelia to finish hers off - she had time to notice how well her fiancée fought for a blacksmith.

Cornelia let out a cry as another man attacked her, just as Gavin finished his off.

"Remind me never to make you angry." Gavin spoke when Cornelia was finished.

The Goldenflower sent him a pointed look. "I seem to recall that it has already happened once or twice."

Two Calormenes charged her at the same time. She zapped one of them while she engaged in hand-to-hand-fighting with the other. It took a few minutes, but she finished him off with a circular kick to the head that sent the man plummeting to the ground.

"Not that angry." Gavin commented with a horrorstricken look on his face.

"Then don't make me angry." Cornelia said before attacking another Calormene - Gavin soon got busy too. She immediately felt something was off. The other Calormenes she had fought had been aggressive and attacked her straight on, but this one was different.

He was waiting, tried a few moves and then withdrew when she charged.

"It's almost like he is waiting, keeping me occupied." Cornelia thought. "It's like he is a-."

A searing pain then cut through her shoulder.

A distraction.

Cornelia let out a scream, raised her hand and blast the distraction far away.

"Cornelia!"

She ignored Gavin's call for her as she turned, only to feel that her legs buckled beneath her as an arrow embedded itself in her thigh.

"Cornelia!"

Cornelia was beyond angry and the arrows were hurting like hell. She felt an overwhelming amount of power rise inside her that did she fell to her knees in pain and exhaustion.

"No, stay away from her!" She heard Gavin cry desperately.

She didn't even get to react before he suddenly stood in front of her, his back towards her. She wanted to scream at him to get out of the way, to let them shoot her, but she couldn't get any sound out of her mouth. Four or five archers stood in front of them, all of them with arrows pointed right at Gavin who was holding his sword up defensively.

"Let go of it, Cornelia. Let go of it!" Her brain screamed inside her head, but she couldn't. It was like her body had broken down. The Calormenes looked at each other for a moment, and in that time, Gavin turned his head and looked into Cornelia's eyes. It was like time stopped. They were outnumbered.

The adoring look her husband-to-be sent her made her weak in the knees, although she already was on her knees. Then she noticed the sad look in his eyes and the tears rolling down his cheeks. That was when she realized: There wouldn't be a wedding.

"I love you." She saw Gavin mouth at her before the both of them looked at the Calormenes. It was like in slow motion. The arrows being fired as Gavin charged towards the Calormene, the jerk in Gavin's body each time an arrow hit - and not a single arrow missed him - none hit her; he shielded her. Gavin fell to the ground.

She screamed.

She let go. An enormous wave of magic rolled out of her, leaving her weak and completely exhausted. All their attackers and many more were blast away. An incredible guilt filled Cornelia. Why had she broken down in the absolute worst moment she could ever break down? Hurriedly, in a lot of pain, ignoring that the arrows still were stuck in her shoulder and thigh, she crawled to her fiancée and took him in her arms, much relieved to see him still awake.

"Hey, love." Gavin croaked, a pained smile on his handsome face.

"Why did you do that, you stupid idiot." Cornelia cried. "Those were meant for me!"

"I didn't think it was fair that you got all the arrows." Gavin joked and then coughed violently.

"Help!" Cornelia screamed. "Someone please help!"

When no one reacted as no one could hear her over the sounds of battle, she croaked. "Aslan, oh god please help me."

"Hey." Gavin hushed, taking hold of her hand. "It's okay."

Cornelia began sobbing while caressing his cheek. "It's not fair…"

Then she got an idea. Fussing, she removed Gavin's hands gently and held her hands over his body.

"What are you doing?" Gavin questioned, coughing between each word.

"Trying to heal you." Cornelia sounded labored as she tried to squeeze the last of her strength out with her powers.

"Cornelia, no."

"I have to try-."

"Cornelia." Gavin grabbed her hands and held them, much to Cornelia's frustration. He took a gentle grip on her chin and made her look him in the eye.

"There's too much. You're exhausted, sweetie." He told her gently.

"But I-."

Gavin shook his head and smiled, removing a stray strand of hair away from her face. "Just let me look at my beautiful wife."

Cornelia sobbed, mustering the smallest hint of a smile. "We're not married yet."

"But what would your answer be?" Gavin questioned.

Cornelia sobbed, bowed down and kissed his lips softly, holding her face close to his.

"My answer would be yes, forever and always." She whispered.

Gavin chuckled but then coughed - and this time blood came up.

"You can't just die for me like this…It's…it's wrong!" Cornelia cried, panicking, holding on to Gavin tightly.

The twenty-four-year-old couldn't believe that he actually tried to shrug it off.

He smiled at her. "I don't know, saving the girl I love and my second home at the same time? Feels pretty right to me."

Cornelia shook her head. "Don't say that."

"Besides, you deserve so much better. I'm just a blacksmith's son."

"No, you're not." Cornelia protested. "You're so much more than that!"

Gavin smiled and squeezed his love's hands. "Promise me one thing."

"Anything." Cornelia nodded.

"Promise me to be happy and move on." Gavin said with a smile, but his eyes showed the seriousness of his words.

"But-."

"Cornelia, promise me." Gavin begged her.

"I-I promise." Cornelia sobbed.

Gavin coughed once more violently.

"I-love you." He croaked with a smile.

Suddenly, the weight on Cornelia's hands lightened and she looked to Gavin's face to see his eyes was blank.

Cornelia sobbed, ignored the pain in her shoulder and grabbed her fiancee's body tighter and started rocking back and forth.

"Gavin…" She cried, closing his eyes gently.

She kissed his forehead and his lips one more time. "I love you too."

Then she screamed right into the air, filled with sorrow, guilt and anger.

"It's all your fault."

Cornelia sat up in her bed, startled, looking frantically around the room. She was in her room, and it was in the middle of the night she could tell. Susan and Lucy were stirring lightly in their sleep. She couldn't place the voice, but it sounded familiar. And it was right.

Tears rolled down the twelve-year-old's cheeks, her eyes wide with fear and desperation.

It was all her fault.