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: A stranger arrives in Narnia one year after the Pevensies begin their reign. Accused of being a witch herself, she risks her life in an attempt to save young Queen Lucy from falling prey to a terrible plot.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Eight: Facing the Kings and Queens

Cair Paravel

1 Twirleaf 1001

Katerina Alambiel paced back and forth along the entire length of the parlor of the guest rooms she had been shown to the night before. She was too wound up to wait quietly for a guard to appear to escort her to meet with the Kings and Queens of Narnia. They had finally arrived at Cair Paravel late yesterday evening, it had been almost dark but she had still been able to make out a beautiful and magnificent palace. Her expression must have revealed how awe-struck she had felt at the sight because Lucy giggled and said, "Just wait until you see the inside."

The lateness of the hour of their arrival had prevented Lucy from giving her the grand tour, but the young queen happily showed Katerina to the guest rooms before rushing off to find her family. Katerina looked at the elegant yet unpretentious furnishings of the guest rooms and shook her head in silent amazement. If this was what a single guest suite looked like, the rest of Cair Paravel must be awe-inspiring indeed. Everything was so different here, yet it was a comforting difference from the world she had known. She silently prayed that she would be allowed to stay here in Narnia.

A knock at the door pulled Katerina's attention back to the situation at hand. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and walked out the doors to meet with the Kings and Queens. Unsurprisingly, she did not recognize the Satyr acting as her escort. More and more Narnians were stopping to stare at them, well mostly her, as she followed the Satyr down several long halls and up a flight of stairs before he stopped in front of a door flanked by a Tiger and a Centaur. The Centaur opened the door and she stepped into an oval-shaped room that was framed by columns. In between those columns stood or sat a number of people, she recognized Alithia, Sherket, and Oreius but there were also two Beavers, a Fox, two Fauns, and directly in front of her were the Kings and Queens of Narnia.

The elder of the two Kings looked at her with frank appraisal as he broke the silence that had descended on the group when she walked through the door. "Our good Cousins and our youngest Sister have informed us that we have you to thank for the safe return of our dear Sister. Is this true?"

"I helped to keep Queen Lucy safe, yes, but I would not say I was the only one responsible for her safe return. The Narnians clearly love her and did everything in their power to keep her safe, I just happened to lend a hand this time."

The elder King nodded and Katerina saw a flash of approval in his eyes at her answer, but then the elder Queen spoke. "While we are grateful for your actions in assuring us of our Sister's safe return, how is it you were able to be the only one nearby?"

Katerina hesitated as she tried to think of a way to answer that question without offending anyone or sounding boastful. "I believe the first time was a mix of providence and luck. I didn't know Queen Lucy would be in the next clearing, and I cannot claim to know how or why she was there alone. However, I can tell you that the second time was mainly due to my actions. I pulled the Queen from her horse when I saw the Werewolves trying to separate us from each other and the rest of the group. I was struggling to keep my horse from throwing us both, so I allowed him to run into the woods. Unfortunately, this seemed to be part of the plan as there were several more creatures waiting for us when the Werewolves chased us into the clearing. To be perfectly honest, we were both very fortunate that General Oreius found us in time."

The elder Queen nodded, "And yet you were still the one who kept our Sister from being killed by the Werewolf."

Katerina shrugged. "I was just the one who happened to be closer to her at the time. Although, it helped that the Werewolf had ceased to pay much attention to me after he knocked me off my feet."

She didn't miss the slight glance the elder Queen gave her brothers, but then the younger of the two Kings spoke up. "So, tell us are you a witch?"

Katerina Alambiel stared at them in disbelief, "Please tell me, you're not serious. No, I am not a witch. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to be of use to your sister. I don't understand this fixation y'all have with witches. Why does everyone think I'm a witch?"

The royals suddenly grinned at her and dropped the decidedly formal tone they had been using as the younger King answered her. "Well, you have to admit that getting into fights with Werewolves and winning when you don't have a sword or any other real weapon is hardly normal occurrence even here in Narnia. Besides, I believe we are having some difficulty accepting an outsider who doesn't mean any harm to Narnia or our family. But, you did save Lucy and General Oreius, Captain Sherket, and Healer Alithia have all vouched for you. Don't turn out to be a traitor and I think we'll get along just fine."

The elder King, whom she decided had to be the High King, shook his head at his brother then turned back to her. "What my brother is trying to say is we have decided to allow you to remain in Narnia as our guest for the time being. However, there are some restrictions you need to agree to before we're finished here. First, you must swear by the Lion that you will not raise a hand against the innocents nor any Narnian who has not attacked or attempted to harm you. You may protect yourself and others, nothing more. Second, you must be accompanied by at least one guard every time you leave your personal chambers. Third, while you may accompany Queen Lucy at her behest, you will still have two guards with you. Fourth, the General has requested your presence among his troops, so you will attend any and all training sessions he may require of you. Failure to show up at these training sessions is not something I recommend from personal experience. Finally, I want to remind you that you are not only a guest of Narnia, but you are also the personal guest of myself and my family. Please do not hesitate to ask us or anyone else for help or any questions you might have. We are truly indebted to you for saving Lucy's life, but for now, caution dictates we place restrictions on your current stay."

Katerina nodded and inclined her head to the four young monarchs. "I give you my solemn word that I, Katerina Alambiel, will adhere to the restrictions you have cited. I also want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to prove myself worthy of being a friend of Narnia. I pray I will not disappoint your trust or that of the three who have stood on my behalf though I am a stranger."

The High King nodded and dismissed the council, but Katerina didn't even have a chance to do more than nod to Alithia when Lucy ran up to her. Looking down at the smiling nine-year-old, Katerina automatically dismissed her vague hope of retreating to the quiet of her new rooms. Lucy grabbed her hand and promptly began dragging her out the door as everyone else watched in amusement. "Come on, Kat! We have so much to see, but first we need to get you something to wear."

Everyone including Oreius smirked at Katerina's less than enthusiastic response, "What's wrong with what I've got on?"

"You can't have just one outfit, and you're going to live with us in Narnia so you need some Narnian clothes."

Alithia and Sherket quietly followed in the wake of the energetic whirlwind that was the youngest royal, while everyone else struggled to hide their laughter when Katerina asked in a slightly horrified tone. "You're going to put me in dresses, aren't you?" Lucy gave a quick nod as she happily bounced in front of the older woman, apparently unaware of the way Katerina Alambiel twisted around to look back at the others and mouthed "Help me" right before Lucy dragged her around the corner and out of sight.

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A/N: Because I felt kind of bad that the last chapter was so short, I figured I should go ahead and post this one tonight. This one has a lighter tone, especially at the end, but don't worry next chapter we get to the details of what the evil sorcerer has spent his time doing (and it wasn't knitting I can tell you that) and Katerina is going to find herself in for another round of suspicion towards her. Please read and then click the little button below to leave a review and tell me if you like where things are headed or where YOU think this story is headed. Also, do you think I kept the Pevensies true to character?