Disclaimer: I own nothing of Narnia.
Had any of the inhabitants of Cair Paravel wandered through the hall on which Ariella's room was located, they would have seen a light glowing under her door many hours past midnight. However, only the owls and bats were awake at that hour and none of them bothered to venture down Ariella's halls; her temperament was well known already. For hours on end after arriving in her room, Ariella dreamed of and discarded one plan after another. Her most brilliant plans had already been destroyed by various means and she struggled to come up with one more, foolproof plan to capture her coveted crown and king. But as the night wore on, no such strategies suggested themselves to her. And, though she tried to shove the thought into the back of her mind, there was still the lingering worry related to both Aslan and the High King's words of earlier in the evening. Finally, perhaps two hours before dawn, Ariella flung herself to her bed hoping to catch some sleep and refresh her mind.
Fortunately for Ariella, it was a cloudy day and the sun did not wake her at dawn. In fact, it was almost three hours after the sun rose before she finally woke. Ariella glared fiercely at her maids but did not deign to berate them for what she considered their negligence in failing to wake her earlier. Instead, she strode regally over to the giant wardrobe in the corner and began sorting through her dresses, searching for the right one.
The dress Ariella chose in the end reflected her mood. It was red crushed velvet. A deep, rich red like crushed berries. Unlike her other dresses, this one did not quite reach the floor in front. Instead, the hem reached only to the middle of her ankle and then curved down to form a short train in the back. The sleeves were fitted to just below the elbow where they flared out into a full flounce that just covered her fingertips. Princess seams fitted the dress to her slim figure and a soft, scooped neck and back added height. Her hair, Ariella left down commanding her maids to brush it and leave its full length to cascade down her back. Small pearly slippers and a matching circlet, necklace, and bracelet completed her wardrobe and Ariella sat down to wait.
Breakfast had been brought while Ariella readied herself but she did not touch it. If she had, she might have marred her appearance and that could not be tolerated. No further plans suggested themselves to her whirling mind and so she waited. Surely the High King would regret his actions of the previous night and not send anyone to escort her out. Perhaps the queens would come themselves and apologize for their brother's behavior. Or, better yet, the High King himself would come to beg her pardon for his unknightly behavior and beg her to remain and become his queen. She would refuse at first, pretending to be too hurt by his rebuff of the evening prior to accept, but when he bowed before her and begged her, she would relent and then…
A sharp knock at the door startled Ariella from her dreams. With a single imperious gesture, Ariella ordered the nearest maid to answer the door. A small shriek escaped the woman when the door swung open and she stepped back hastily. Even Ariella could not suppress a sharp gasp as two great cats, leopards by their fur, stalked in. The bigger of the two (though there was only a slight difference in size) stopped in front of Ariella.
"You are the Lady Ariella from far parts?" it purred.
"I am." Ariella crushed all hints of nervousness from her voice as she spoke. "Who are you that dares to march so boldly into my room?"
"I am Captain Haidar Stormpaw of the third brigade. I and my troops are commanded to escort you from the Cair and to the borders of Narnia if you so desire."
Ariella looked past the leopard into the hall where at least a dozen more Great Cats waited. She gulped, "I do not desire it. You may tell the High King that Lady Ariella thanks him for his offer of an escort but that she will not be needing it."
"Then you consider your own guard sufficient?"
"I will not be leaving Cair Paravel as of yet. Therefore, I need no guard." Ariella stood and walked over to stand by the great fireplace in which a brilliant fire was dancing. When the leopard made no move to leave but instead followed her to the fire, she turned and glared at him. "Well? Why do you remain here? Did I not tell you that your services will not be required? You are free to go."
The leopard shook his head slightly. "Therein you are mistaken, madam. My lord commanded that you are to leave this castle. If you will not go willingly, I will be forced to carry you off."
"You would not dare!"
"I would do greater things than this if my king commanded."
Ariella took another step toward the fireplace and took a firm hold on the mantle. Her mind was whirling with confusion. Could the king of Narnia really not want her here? Could she truly have offended him so terribly with her proposal? Certainly not. She had done nothing wrong. (That she had lied about what Aslan said did not occur to her as wrongdoing). She turned to face the great cat as a bell tolled in the distance. One hand remained firmly on the mantle when she spoke again.
"I will not leave. I am not ready. My things are not packed and I am not dressed in traveling clothes. (The bell rang again) If you are so certain that your king would wish you to force me from this room, so be it. I do not leave of my own accord."
The bell rang again.
"If that is how you would have it, madam. It will be so. Though I am told that Aslan Himself commanded you to be gone from this room before the noon bell has finished tolling. It has tolled four times already. I believe it would be in your best interests to leave.
Another stroke fell.
The captain and his companion stepped forward on giant silent paws. The circled around Ariella but though she trembled, she did not move.
The sixth sounding came.
The leopards stopped when they found that the fire kept them from circling around Ariella and pushing her away from the wall.
A seventh stroke.
Haidar nodded to the other leopard who stretched out his neck and opened mighty jaws.
The eighth stroke.
Ariella bit back a scream and closed her eyes as the shining teeth drew nearer. She prepared herself to feel them tearing into her flesh and so was surprised to only feel a tug at her skirt.
The ninth stroke.
She opened her eyes to see that the leopard had grabbed her skirt in its mouth and was pulling her away from the fire. She tightened her grip on the mantle.
The tenth stroke.
"Let go of my skirt, you great brute!" Ariella screamed as her feet were lifted from the floor and she hung suspended in the air, clinging desperately to the mantelpiece.
The eleventh stroke.
Ariella kicked back and felt her feet touch the ground for an instant. Her fingers were slipping and there was an ominous popping coming from the hem of her skirt. She kicked harder and the popping turned into a terrible ripping sound as the fabric tore just as the bell tolled for the twelfth time. In the same instant as her dress ripped, Ariella's fingers slipped from the mantle and she fell. The last thing she remembered was bright orange and searing heat before the world went black.
A/N—Erm, sorry folks that this took so long to get out. I fear that, for some strange reason, I have less time to write during the vacation than while I'm in school! However, I see no more than three chapters remaining on this, probably only one or two and so you should have the conclusion of Ariella's tale fairly soon.
Chapter next: What is Feared Most