Hey everyone. I know, I know – it's been awhile. I'm not going to come with all sorts of excuses, but I must say that there has been an awful lot to do in my summer vacation. My summerfreakingvacation. Can't believe I actually wrote that.
I don't want to bother you with an awful long author's note, but I feel like there is something within the content of the last chapter I have to emphasize strongly because of a review I've received: You all know that Cornelia is a very gifted young girl, but that doesn't mean that she's greater than Aslan. Not by any means. Never said she was. And I'm not in any way trying to strip Aslan off his identity. The powers (her own and the dark) is just very different, blended with Cornelia's personal 'ghosts'. And as you say, we all have our battles to fight; fights that no one but ourselves can fight and win, which is what I'm trying to put into this story – I'm really trying not to give too much away, guys :P
Oh, and I would really, really appreciate a review after you're finished reading - I know it from myself that sometimes, you're reading because you're in a hurry or don't have the time to write a long review - that's fair enough. But even the smallest or single word makes a difference and matters so much to me! :)
Btw., do I have any The Hobbit fans reading out there? If so, what do you think of the new teaser trailer for BoFA? Don't you think it's going to be epic?! :D
Anyway, without further ado, let's continue with chapter ten of Goldenflower! :)
Disclaimer is the same for all chapters.
Enjoy ;-).
Goldenflower
Chapter Ten – Magic Comes From The Heart:
In a Royal Air Force base in southern England, a young corporal sat on a crate with a sheet of paper and a pen on his lap. The paper was blank. What was he supposed to write? That he was fine and alive? The man gnawed at his lip. He was fine and alive – all limbs were still attached to his body and his chest still rose and fell when he slept. His mind, on the other hand, was scarred beyond belief. His eyes narrowed as they took in the room, watching the men who had become his friends in no time.
But there were fewer pilots present than there were at first in Southampton. Familiar faces were missing. He watched his comrades' sunken faces, their hollow and empty eyes. The glint in their eyes and the excitement for action were long gone; had been gone as soon as one of their planes went down in an enormous explosion of fire and smoke.
They had to move on. He had to move on – he hated to pretend that the friends that he'd lost meant nothing, but he could not, and would not, let the sorrow and pain consume him. Because then he would soon be gone as well. And he'd be damned if he gave in, for he had promised his little sister that he would come back home to her.
His little sister.
It seemed as though it had been years since he last saw her. He missed her terribly; he could still hear her voice in his head and see her in his dreams. Her small figure, long blonde hair and her blue eyes. He couldn't deny that they were in any way related.
His hand went to his left breast pocket where he pulled out a small, black-and-white photograph.
His sister and him.
It had been a couple of years since the photograph had been taken, but it didn't matter to him. She was still the same innocent girl with a smile to die for. He was holding her out in front of him, both of them grinning wildly at the other. He smiled warmly as he noticed the spark both of them had in their eyes. She had been the most precious, delicate baby when she had been born. There had hardly been any trouble with her at all. She was just perfect and beautiful.
He'd admit that he hadn't always been the best older brother. When he entered his teenage years, he became rebellious and was unimpressed, easily irritated and worst of all a brat. He had also been a brat as a child, but that was more the result of his parents spoiling their first-born rotten, he reckoned – that was what his best friend had said, anyway. He smiled bitterly – thinking of Matt brought him back to his teenage years, when he had been most undeserving of his little sister's kind nature. When both he and his best friend were fifteen, they both met this girl at a party. And both took a liking to that girl.
When he looked back now, he easily saw how both of them had been used and played with, but 'love makes blind' as one would say.
He and his best friend ended up fighting over her, which destroyed their friendship. His best friend moved away a couple days later, and he never saw him again. The worst part was that he hadn't just lost his best friend – but the relationship between him and his sister had been affected.
His sweet, caring sister who loved his best friend like a brother.
It went downhill from there. He got together with the girl, granted, but she had a very bad influence on him. And one night, it went completely wrong. He didn't remember much about that fateful night other than a whole lot of partying, drinking, a lot of drugs and then waking up in a hospital bed with his little sister sitting next to him, looking absolutely dreadful because of lack of sleep.
He had been incredibly lucky to survive, his parents had told him. His former girlfriend hadn't been so lucky. He had been allowed to attend her funeral as long as his parents went with him.
Looking back now, he asked himself why he had been such an idiot. He was still sad about her death – they were kids hanging out with the wrong people, but they had also been stupid for ruining their bodies with that crap – not that they had known at the time, of course – but he had still been old enough to make his own decisions – he just didn't. She just hadn't been good for him. But still, she had been his first girlfriend – a girl every guy in school had drooled over.
His sister and parents had been his medicine after the funeral. They had taken care of him; his parents made sure to have their weekends free so that they could travel across England. He remembered that the photo was taken on one of those trips. Smiling softly, he took in every detail of the photograph.
"Oi, Andrew! What have ya got there?" A fellow corporal sat at one of the tables, where a game of cards was being played.
Andrew waved the photograph. "My sister."
"How old is she?" asked another.
"Eleven."
"Oooh, bad age, huh?" joked the corporal with a toothy grin.
Andrew chuckled. "Yeah, she asks and talks a lot."
A third entered the conversation. "What's she like, Sprout?"
Sprout sighed softly, smiling down at the photograph. "She's gorgeous, adorable, and incredibly sassy sometimes, but she's the most precious thing in my life."
"Jesus, you look even more like a lovesick puppy looking at her than all the other pretty lasses we've met so far," laughed the corporal kindly, the entire room joining in. Andrew smiled while shaking his head.
"Yeah, yeah, just laugh." Andrew raised his voice good-naturedly.
"I've got something that you lot don't," he thought, smiling down at the photograph before looking at the piece of paper and the pen with a new set of eyes. Putting the photograph down beside the paper, he picked up the pen and started writing: 'My darling Cornelia….'.
Cornelia sighed heavily as she nocked an arrow onto the bowstring; her brows were tightly knit together in concentration as she aimed at a target. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth once before releasing the string. The arrow whooshed through the air, slamming into the target – into the ring just above the bull's eye. Her arms worked automatically as she nocked another arrow.
"Aslan, what is the Goldenflower exactly?" Cornelia asked him, both still standing with the great ocean and Cair Paravel to their left.
"The Goldenflower is a young woman with a pure heart; a natural fighter with great survival instincts. The magic which the Goldenflower represents is a product of love, but it is temporary. The Goldenflower is not a sorceress, but a person who wishes to protect the people around her from dark powers. What you need to remember, Cornelia, is that the magic comes from your heart. It comes from the love people around you give and the love you hold for them. You need your family to succeed in order for you to become the Goldenflower. Without them, you will be vulnerable to the evil powers. If you become 'cold', which you already have experienced, then the darkness will slowly consume you and make you turn."
Cornelia's face grew paler and paler. She was on the verge of tears.
"Fret not, child," Aslan assured her, "You have already defeated the cold once, which means that you're already strong."
"B-But, how do I use my powers, Aslan?" Cornelia stuttered.
"It will come to you when you need it, but only when you really need it. That is why you also need to learn how to defend yourself with a weapon. Oreius will see to your training."
Cornelia turned around to see Oreius standing a couple of meters behind them. After bowing respectfully to the lion, Oreius nodded at Cornelia and left. Cornelia automatically followed the centaur after nodding respectfully at Aslan.
Focused, Cornelia let go of the string, the arrow shooting through the air before hitting the target. Bull's eye. The eleven year old smiled proudly before hearing light footsteps behind her. She spun around, then sagged in relief when she saw that it was only Oreius, who was watching her in amusement.
"Well done, my lady. Let me see how well you're doing with the knives."
"Oh, I've only practiced throwing them, really," Cornelia replied sheepishly.
"And how did that go?"
"I've hit the bull's eye throwing with both hands."
"Good. Now, let's see how your fingerwork is, shall we?"
Cornelia nodded curtly before throwing the knives up into the air, catching them perfectly without missing a beat. She smirked.
Oreius chuckled as he pulled his broadsword out of its sheath, "You may be a lady, but there is no need to become cocky."
He began to teach her about defensive and attack positions and then they began to spar nice and easy. And every time Cornelia stood wrong or did a wrong move that would get her 'killed', Oreius gently slapped her on the hip with the flat of the blade. She learned fast, but would have a couple of bruises from where Oreius had hit her. But Cornelia liked it that way, and she also liked that Oreius didn't treat her differently, and when she did something wrong, he let her know, Goldenflower or not.
"Becoming a bit slow, my friend?" Cornelia giggled as she almost caught Oreius off guard.
Oreius shook his head as he chided her with a small smile. "Never become cocky in the midst of battle, little lady. It will come bite you in the end. Now, focus."
They sparred back and forth for a while, Oreius delivering blows of varying strength. He also let her attack once in a while, which definitely was what she was best at. She moved around easily in her dark-blue dress. And it was a blessing that her long blonde mane was tied in a braid. Oreius' blows became more frequent and harsh which clearly meant that he wished to end their sparring, but Cornelia stubbornly blocked and attacked again and again until her arms were like jelly.
Suddenly, she tripped. Even after landing on her back, she managed to block the centaur's blows. Not for long, though; he disarmed the tween, holding the tip of the broadsword at her throat. Cornelia giggled as she lay down on the grass.
"Well fought, my lady. You had almost worn me out." Oreius spoke humorously.
"Haha," Cornelia replied dryly, trying to catch her breath. "Almost."
"My lady!"
Confused, Cornelia sat up before she grabbed Oreius' outstretched hand. He pulled her up on her feet, and together they watched as a faun walked up to them. "Breakfast has been served, my lady. I have come to lead you to your cousins."
Cornelia smiled thankfully as she sheathed her daggers. She then strapped her quiver and bow to her back. "Thank you, my friend. Thank you for now, Oreius."
Oreius bowed. "My lady."
Cornelia smiled at the centaur before following the messenger.
"My lady?"
Cornelia turned to Oreius in confusion.
"You don't always need your bow to fire your arrows. Use your hands as well."
Cornelia nodded, smiling. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."
Oreius nodded as she turned away. Cornelia spoke with the faun as they walked. She smiled and shook her head inwardly every time the faun called her 'my lady'. She had given up trying to make them call her Cornelia.
They hadn't walked far before Cornelia noticed four figures sitting at a small table near to the tents they stayed in. The faun left her to walk the last couple of meters by herself. She suddenly stopped when she could see them clearly. So much about her family had changed since she had last seen them. Even in Edmund, who she had been with the entire time. He stood tall with pride ever since he had seen Aslan and had been reunited with his siblings.
Peter and Susan looked so grown up, but Cornelia could see that they were tense. Little Lucy didn't seem so little anymore. Cornelia refused to believe that it was the long dress that made her youngest cousin look older than she really was. Aslan had talked about the air in Narnia that made you grow up faster or the like.
Suddenly, it was as if Lucy knew someone was watching them, since she turned around and looked right at Cornelia, who smiled widely as she headed over to them.
"Cor!" Lucy sounded chirpy as she ran into Cornelia's embrace.
"Hello Lu," Cornelia giggled.
"Where have you been? I've been so worried!" Lucy exclaimed as Cornelia's older cousins started to approach the two.
"Sorry, Lu. I just needed to think a couple of things through," the eleven year old apologized, ruffling Lucy's brown hair.
"What things?" Lucy looked up at her cousin, her brow furrowed.
Cornelia smiled softly. "We'll talk later."
The tween then turned to Susan who smiled gently at her.
"Susan." Cornelia smiled while being pulled into a hug by the older girl.
"Are you all right?" she asked, pulling out of the hug, giving Cornelia an once-over.
"Perhaps a little tired. Otherwise I'm fine," Cornelia lied.
Susan smiled softly, stepping away to let Peter come forward before she and Lucy sat down at the table again. Peter, however, didn't look too convinced at Cornelia's statement.
"You're pale." Peter observed.
Cornelia smiled softly. "It's good to see you too, Pete."
"Come here." Peter cracked a smile before pulling her into his arms.
"Don't ever run off like that again, do you hear me?" Peter whispered concernedly in her ear.
Cornelia smiled, close to tears, as she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. "I promise."
Peter smiled at her as he pulled out of the hug, giving her shoulder a squeeze before sitting down like Susan and Lucy.
Edmund nudged Cornelia's side. "Are you sure you're all right?" he whispered.
The tween smiled softly, giving Ed's hand a squeeze as they sat down. "I am now."
Cornelia giggled as Edmund stuffed his mouth with piece after piece of toast.
"Narnia's not going to run out of toast, Ed." Lucy giggled, making Edmund smile.
"I'm sure they'll pack something up for the journey back."
All of them looked up in confusion. Peter watched them sadly as he raised a tin mug to his mouth.
"We're going home?" Susan questioned.
With visible regret, Peter glanced away but then looked back at his sister. "You are."
At Susan's and Cornelia's scrunched-up faces, Peter continued softly as he walked the short distance from the rock he had been leaning on before sitting down next to Cornelia. "I promised Mum I'd keep you four safe. But it doesn't mean I can't stay behind and help."
"But…they need us," Lucy spoke up. "All five of us."
"Lucy, it's too dangerous." Peter argued. "You almost drowned! Edmund and Cornelia were almost killed!"
"Which is why we have to stay." Edmund spoke, getting his siblings' attention.
Cornelia nodded as Edmund looked up at Peter. "I've seen what the White Witch can do and Cornelia has felt it on her own skin. And I've helped her do it. And we can't leave these people behind to suffer for it."
The eleven year old smiled, proud and surprised by Edmund's choice of words, but her smile faltered when she saw her cousins watch her in concern.
"Cor, what happened?" Lucy asked quietly.
Cornelia smiled softly. "I guess that later is now. I don't know what happened, but when we were in the Witch's sleigh, I started glowing."
"Glowing?" Susan exclaimed in disbelief.
"Su." Edmund chided before looking at Cornelia as a sign for her to continue.
"Well," Cornelia sighed as she told her cousins what had happened between her and the White Witch. It felt like time went by quickly. Birds were singing happily in the crowns of the trees around them and lively chatter and laughs from other creatures echoed throughout the camp. Cornelia felt as if a burden had been, if not removed, then lifted a bit from her shoulders when she finally finished her tale.
"The prophecy is true, then!" Lucy exclaimed.
"You know about the prophecy?" Cornelia asked curiously.
"Yes, the beavers kind of suspected you to be the prophecy." Susan explained.
Cornelia nodded slowly before catching the look Peter sent her, and she knew what it meant.
"No, don't even think about thinking about it, Peter. I'm not leaving you. I'm bound to be here." Cornelia argued.
"Cor, if the prophecy is true, then it would be safer for you, for all of us if-."
"I am not going, Peter. Aslan knighted me. I'm bound to be here to help you out and advise you – that's the part in being the Goldenflower!"
"The Goldenflower?" Susan questioned.
"That's who I am and why I'm here in the first place. You're also meant to be here, all of you. You've been chosen to save Narnia and you can do it. I know you can. And I will help you in any way I can. End of story."
Peter sat there, watching her in awe.
"I suppose that's it then." Susan spoke up, breaking the silence. She stood up and began to walk towards a tent.
"Where are you going?" Peter asked.
Susan grabbed her bow and arrows, standing up straight with a cocky smile directed at them. "To get some practice."
Cornelia giggled as she stood up to follow her older cousin. She smirked at her other cousins. "Well, come on then. Wouldn't want you to be completely useless with a weapon, would we?"
An arrow whooshed through the air before hitting the bull's eye.
"Wow, well done, Cor!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Yes, how did you manage to become so good on such short time?" Susan asked.
"I guess I practiced long enough. Oh, and Susan, you've probably learned it when you can hit bull's eye twenty times in a row," Cornelia smirked.
"Oh, haha, very funny." Susan replied dryly before the three of them broke into fits of laughter.
Lucy giggled, "All right, Su. You try."
Susan nocked an arrow and aimed at the target.
"Relax the bow-arm. Steady. Take a deep breath and let go." Cornelia advised.
Susan released the arrow and it whooshed through the air, hitting a ring just to the left of the bull's eye.
Lucy stood in awe of her sister, looking proudly up at Susan who glanced critically at the target.
"Not bad, Su." Cornelia praised with a small smile. "Practice makes perfect."
Though, it didn't help when Lucy pulled out her small dagger, threw it and hit the bull's eye.
Cornelia's eyes widened in surprise before smiling widely, "Gosh, well done, Lucy!"
The three girls giggled as a horse' neigh sounded. Peter and Edmund came into view up on the top of the hill as they sparred with swords. Clangs made a melody when metal met metal.
All three of them were about to start practicing again, but the boys came closer; the girls stopped and watched them.
Peter was riding a unicorn while Edmund rode on a chestnut brown horse.
"Come on, Ed! Sword point up, like Oreius showed us." Peter reminded his younger brother.
Cornelia smiled softly at their play and at the mention of the centaur.
"En garde!" Edmund cried out.
"Now block." Peter told his brother.
"Hey!" Edmund let out a yell as he blocked Peter's attack successfully.
"Peter! Edmund!"
All five children stopped what they were doing to see Mr. Beaver approach them looking a little flustered – little being an understatement.
Edmund's horse reared, but Edmund managed to stay on. "Whoa, horsie!"
"My name is Phillip." The horse replied with the smallest amount of irritation in his voice.
Cornelia almost laughed.
"Sorry." Edmund apologized.
"The Witch has demanded a meeting with Aslan." Mr. Beaver continued as if nothing had happened.
Cornelia could feel how the color disappeared from her face. Suddenly, she felt someone take her hand on each side. Looking left and then right, Cornelia saw Susan and Lucy smile reassuringly at her.
Cornelia felt someone watching her. She looked up to meet first Peter's and then Edmund's gaze.
"She's on her way here."
Her gaze lingered on Edmund, who mirrored her fearful expression.