Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.
Summary: After being knighted, all Katerina Alambiel has to do is discover her past. But, as her quest leads to some unexpected answers, her simple task takes a dangerous turn as enemies who will use any means necessary to force her to reveal the secrets of her past conspire to place her in an impossible situation: Her secrets or Edmund's life...
Chapter Six: Revealed
She ran through the trees laughing as she raced away from her brothers. They called out behind her teasing one another about not being able to catch a single six-year-old girl. Every once in a while her oldest brother would call out a warning to her not to run too far. She took a left at the aspen grove and ran faster, and then she shrieked in surprise when a pair of strong arms snatched her up and tossed her in the air before catching her again. She looked into a pair of twinkling brown eyes and threw her arms around the man's neck, "Da!"
Her father's deep laugh rumbled out and she giggled when his close-trimmed brown beard tickled as he planted a kiss on her cheek. He shifted her in order to hold her with just one arm while he brushed her hair back out of her face. "And, what have you been up to, my little star?"
"Disgracing my brothers."
Her father stared at her and then he shook his head, "Disgracing your brothers? And, where did you hear that particular description?"
"From Lieutenant Cadfael."
"Lieutenant Cadfael said that, did he? And, just what did you do to prompt our Centaur friend to say such a thing?"
She giggled, "I tricked them all, Da, so they fell in the mud! But, they couldn't catch me to throw me in the mud! And, Lieutenant Cadfael said that as knights and knights-in-training who were disgraced by their little sister they should be happy to report for an extra round of training tomorrow. Then he told me to run before they could catch me. And, I did and they haven't caught me yet."
Her father laughed again and tapped her on the nose. "Well, Alambiel, you are certainly clever. Now, little star, why don't you tell your old Da just how you managed to trick all six of your brothers? I can't wait to-"
Her father suddenly stopped talking and she twisted around to see Lieutenant Cadfael and Grandda approaching them. She watched silently as the two Centaurs came up to them and her father lowered her to the ground as Grandda spoke, "Lew, word has come from the border. A small force of Giants and Fell Beasts are heading right for the Tree."
Her father nodded and picked his sword up from where it had been leaning against a tree trunk. He spoke in a determined voice as he buckled his sword belt around his waist. "They can head for it, but we will stop them from doing anything. Lieutenant Cadfael, you'll come with me as will Llewellyn, Leathan, and Levi." Cadfael inclined his head and wheeled about to go find her eldest brothers. Lew glanced down at where she stood between him and Grandda and she could see the hard light in his eyes be replaced with the love she usually saw. He touched the top of her head and looked at Grandda, "Would you make sure she and the other boys get home safely?"
"Of course. May Aslan go with you and guard you."
Grandda and her father clasped arms then her father knelt down and kissed her on top of her head, then on her forehead, and finally on both cheeks. "Now, Alambiel, you stay close to your Grandda and brothers on the way home. And, when I get back, you can tell me everything you did to trick your brothers. I'll be back as soon as I can, my little star."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on her father's cheek before he rose to his feet and walked away. She grabbed her Grandda's hand and quietly asked, "They're going to come home, right? Da, Llewellyn, Leathan, and Levi, they are all coming back?"
Grandda looked down at her and gently squeezed her tiny hand, "If they can, my little star, your father and brothers will all return home. Now, come along, we need to find the rest of your brothers." She nodded then giggled as her Grandda swung her up into a hug before he walked back along the path she had been following earlier with her still safely held in his strong arms. Looking over his shoulder, she could just barely see her father striding away with his chainmail shining bright silver in the afternoon sun. She knew in her heart that her father and brothers would come back safe because they were the best warriors in the army and Da was the...
Katerina opened her eyes and wished she hadn't. She had been close to remembering something very important about her father's position in Narnia, but try as she might she couldn't summon it from her memories. She comforted herself with the thought that at least she now had both of her parents' names. Of course, this meant the list she currently had was now useless as she had scratched out three of the couples after returning to her chambers last night since the wife's name was not Hadassah and now the remaining couple she had was eliminated because that Hadassah had married a Corrick not a Lew. So, now she just needed to search the genealogies for a Hadassah and Lew who had had six sons and one daughter.
Of course, thanks to the painting Lucy had showed her, she had a hunch as to which part of the genealogy she needed to search first. And, if she found what she thought she would, then she would have to figure out how to react to it. Katerina rubbed her temples then stood up from the settee and massaged a kink out of her back, which she wasn't sure if it was a result of the sparring match she had had with Oreius or if it was from falling asleep on the settee or if it was from a combination of the two. A glance at the water clock told her she had missed training...again...but she had just enough time to get cleaned up and changed before she was supposed to meet the royals for breakfast.
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Edmund stepped onto the eastern terrace and made a beeline for the coffee. It was so much better than tea, especially after a long session of training. Of course, he was not so focused on pouring his coffee that he failed to notice the look of disappointment that flickered over Lucy's face when she realized it was just him. He took a seat by her and started scooping generous amounts of food onto his plate while he nodded to the large book Lucy had placed on the table next to her plate, "Did you finally get to show it to her?"
Lucy heaved an exasperated sigh, "Yes, but she said it was a coincidence."
Edmund wasn't surprised, in fact he and Oreius had been the first to suggest that Kat might not be too enthusiastic about bearing a resemblance to the painting. Peter and Susan had agreed with them, but Lucy was determined that her friend was going to find her family and be happy about it. She was still young enough that she didn't quite understand why Katerina wouldn't be happy with learning about her relatives if they were good people. He took a fortifying drink of his coffee before turning to Lucy, but Susan beat him to it and he happily allowed her to explain while he focused on his food. "You need to realize, Lucy, that our Katerina may be having a hard time adjusting her thinking about herself as being the unknown orphan to probably being the relative of someone as important and famous as-"
Susan didn't get to finish as Lucy jumped up with a squeal of delight, "Kat! You came!"
Edmund took another drink of coffee as he watched Katerina Alambiel incline her head respectfully in the exact same manner she used when she was acting as a simple lady-in-waiting. She still hasn't completely forgiven us I guess. Kat shrugged a little before she went to pour herself a cup of hot chocolate, "I said I would, your majesty." Kat was quiet as she joined the four of them at the table, then she spoke after taking a sip of her drink. "Queen Lucy, I was wondering if you might allow me to look at that book again. I didn't take a close enough look last night and there's something I wanted to check before I go back to the library."
Edmund resisted the urge to look over Kat's shoulder as she accepted the book from an excited and slightly smug Lucy...barely. She flipped to the back of the book and quietly read for several minutes before she nodded to herself. Katerina returned the book to Lucy then started eating without saying a word about what she was looking for or whether she had found it. The four royals exchanged amused looks then Edmund decided now was as good a time as any to broach an idea. He set aside his empty plate and took another drink of his coffee before he announced, "You need a vacation, Kat."
Katerina looked up and raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh, really, and why do you say that, King Edmund?"
Wow, she is definitely still miffed at us if she's not dropping our titles in private. Edmund leaned back in his chair and looked Kat right in the eyes. "Let's see, there's the fact that you have never taken a real vacation from your duties as a knight in the last two years. And, there's also the fact that you decked a member of a diplomatic envoy, which is usually frowned upon in polite circles by the way. He may have deserved it and the ambassador himself may have thanked you for doing it but it is still a clear sign that you need to take a vacation from the Cair and from your search."
Katerina smirked slightly. "I see and I suppose you have the perfect suggestion on which place I should go to take a vacation, if I actually chose to do such a thing. I mean, really, where does one go for vacation when one's home is on the beach?"
Edmund grinned at her. "Well, you could always come with me when I go inspect part of the Western border. I was planning on crossing the border to visit Paavo and his family too."
He knew she would come as soon as he mentioned Paavo. The former Sisemaalian army captain had taken his family and set up a rather nice outpost about three days' ride from the Narnian border almost a year and a half ago, in fact, he had been instrumental in helping Narnia establish contact with Duke Toomas. And, as with Toomas, Katerina had almost instantly liked Paavo when they met and the feeling was mutual. They had spent many nights around the campfire swapping stories, trying to outdo each other as each tale steadily grew more outrageous. Of course, after while the story telling would turn into debates often on just how far one is allowed to stretch a tale, which invariably ended up being conducted in Irish and Sisemaalian, much to their companions' amusement. Paavo was one of the only people outside of the royal family and Oreius, whom Kat was almost completely relaxed around and Edmund was certain he was the only Human.
Kat sighed in resignation. "When do we leave and how long will we be gone?"
Edmund's grin widened, "We leave this afternoon and I expect we'll be gone for about a fortnight unless you and Paavo tell too many stories. And, we'll only be taking ten soldiers with us. So, I'll see you in the courtyard at about two." Katerina nodded her agreement with the plan and quickly left the table, probably to hide away in the library, and Edmund turned to his siblings with a satisfied look. "I told you I could get her to agree."
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Katerina sat in stunned silence as she read the records again just to confirm it was real. Written in plain ink, it was definitely real and she could hardly deny it now.
Lew, son of Queen Swanwhite and Prince Consort Lev, married the Nymph Hadassah, daughter of the Centaur Asbolus and the Black Elder Nymph Keziah on 22 Sunbend 859. Their love was great. Lew and Hadassah were blessed with six sons and a daughter. Their names were Llewellyn, Leathan, Levi, Leb, Liam, Leith, and Alambiel. Ten minutes after giving her daughter life and name, Hadassah wife of Lew, King of Narnia, died on 17 Mayblossom 889.
Lew, last King of Narnia, was slain in battle against the White Witch Jadis on 23 Mayblossom 898. With him fell his eldest three sons. Jadis' forces caught the royal family as they tried to obey the King's orders to flee to Archenland. Found and identified were the remains of Leb and Liam with their and their brothers' wives and children. Missing but presumed dead are the youngest children, twenty-one-year-old Prince Leith and nine-year-old Princess Alambiel. The line of Frank has ended. I, Cadfael, Captain in the Narnian army and guard to the royal family, bear witness to these tragic times. May Aslan protect us all in the dark days ahead.
Katerina Alambiel looked up as Elwood shuffled forward and adjusted his spectacles before speaking, "Did you find what you were looking for, Dame Sepphora?"
"Yes, Master Elwood, and thank you. I have actually finished looking through these records, so you can finally put them back in their place."
Elwood grumbled, "After two years, it is about time. Don't you have to be leaving soon?"
She nodded and quickly left the library. By the time she reached her chambers, she had made her decision. She would be Dame Sepphora for this trip and sometimes Kat, but until she had a chance to think everything through and to remember more details, she would not breathe a word of what family she actually belonged to, not even to those closest to her.
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A/N: Please Read and Review! And, now you know who Kat's parents are...and her grandparents too. Of course, she hasn't remembered everything yet, so a couple more surprised to come. I originally wasn't going to reveal the actual identities until a later chapter but then I decided I had dragged it out long enough, so hopefully it works. Anyway, there is still much to come including Medea's next step in her plan, reactions to Kat's heritage, and some peril...okay, more than some. Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.
