Lucy woke up to the rather velvet-like feel of a horse's nose nudging her. Caspian's horse was hungry and tried of being ignored.
Sitting up, Lucy looked around for Aslan. He wasn't there. A terrible thought crossed her mind. Maybe she'd only dreamed about him again. Maybe yesterday hadn't really happened at all. She got up and looked in the saddle bag.
Patterwig was asleep in there next to Edmund's electric torch. Also, right where she left it, was the dress she'd taken in and the veil she'd made. Phew! None of it had been a dream. So where was Aslan now?
Out on a rock over-looking the sea, Aslan was cleaning his great paws. He looked so peaceful and happy that Lucy didn't want to bother him. Yet how else was she to ask him what to do with her dress and veil? Or what the cloak and the key was for?
"Aslan?" She called out, only half-heartedly. She still didn't want to disturb him.
"Ah, so you're awake now." The great Lion shifted like a cat rolling out of the sun and into the shade before getting off the rock and coming over to her.
"Are we going to save Narnia today?" Lucy asked him.
"Nay, dear one, today I must explain to you what the cloak and key are for. Worry not. If you keep at being brave and don't despair, Narnia shall be saved in the end." Aslan smiled at her and she felt better. "First though, feed the poor horse, he's hungry, and I dare say Patterwig would like something to eat as well, no?"
Feeling guilty that she hadn't already done so, Lucy went into the saddle bag and got out some food for Patterwig and Destier. She felt her own stomach rumble, realizing that she had forgotten to eat anything at all yesterday. Now she understood that Aslan was not looking out only for the horse and the squirrel but for her as well.
After a reasonably good meal, Aslan explained the cloak and the key. "The cloak is enchanted." He told her. "with it, whomever wears it around their shoulders can alter their appearance however they wish."
Lucy caught sight of her own reflection in the water. Unlike Susan she was no beauty. She was pretty in a sweet simple way certainly not ugly but it still bothered her sometimes, maybe a little. There were a few things she'd like to 'alter' herself. She would never admit that in front of Aslan though. And she felt terribly guilty for secretly wanting to use it to benefit herself rather than for Narnia's salvation.
Aslan must have known what she was thinking but was kind enough not to say anything regarding her suddenly burst of vanity. He only added, "You wont need it for yourself though, you'll have the veil to hide your own face from the Telmarines."
"Why do I have to hide my face?" Lucy asked.
"I think you'll understand soon enough, now about the key," Aslan told her. "it's rusty looking but more useful than all the bright glittering keys Miraz owns. That key unlocks a secret passage in the ruins of Anvard. In it are untouched treasures. It's fairly teaming with gold and jewels and such. There is also a wooden wagon that has not rotted. Take the wagon and fill it with as much treasure as you can. It will be of great help to you. Cover up the wagon with a long piece of burlap you will find there."
"How do I get the wagon back to Narnia with me?" Lucy asked.
Aslan told her to tie the wagon to Caspian's horse. "You needn't worry. He's a good strong horse and can manage."
Lucy promised Aslan she would do just that but then added, "Aslan, when I get to Narnia, what do I do will all the treasures?"
"Ah, now what you must do is this." Aslan said. "You will go back on your own. I will go to the Narnians and soften their repelling hearts."
"Oh, I don't blame them." Lucy blurted out angrily. "If Peter hadn't gone and..."
Aslan raised and eyebrow and made the faintest suggestion of a growl.
Lucy hung her head. "Oh, I'm sorry, Aslan. I didn't mean to start on about that I just..."
"Well then you are forgiven but do not forget to do five things or else you will not be able to save your brother." Aslan cautioned her.
Lucy listened closely.
"First, hide the wagon with treasure in the woods do not bring it anywhere near Miraz's castle. Second keep your golden dress and veil handy but out of sight. Third, see to it that the only person who learns of your return is Edmund. Fourth make him promise to tell no one that you've come back. Fifth, once you have his word, come back to the How built around the stone table, I will be waiting for you there and will tell you what you must do then."
"Yes, Aslan, I see." Lucy said. "I'll do just that."
At Miraz's castle, Edmund tried to will himself not to bite his fingernails.
"It's a stupid habit." He told himself. "And girly too..." It was not working, those nails where going to be a mess of crust-over blood if the suspense got any closer to killing him.
He couldn't find Peter or Susan anywhere and he'd already bumped into Caspian twice. Who of course had been looking for Susan.
"I don't know where she is." Edmund had told him truthfully.
"Alright, if you see her tell her I'm looking for her okay?" Caspian had said in such a pathetic voice that Edmund couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Especially when he thought about the very likely fact that Susan wasn't alone where ever she was.
"I'll do that." Edmund said weakly trying very hard not to stuff the tips of his fingers into his mouth again. Dear Aslan, they're turning me into such a wimp!
Two hours later, they still weren't back. Edmund looked down at his fingers. Well, he thought, at least I don't have to worry about biting off the nails anymore seeing as I hardly have any now.
Leaving Aslan again was one of the hardest parts of the quest. Lucy told herself that she'd see him again very soon when she met him at the How as promised. She told herself over and over again, He's not a tame Lion. Still, she had to blink back tears as she gave the great Lion one last tight hug, breathing in the rich deep smell of his mane.
After she'd torn herself away from Aslan, Lucy got on the horse's back and rode as fast as she could back to Anvard. Something told her she had to go quickly. She could only hope she reached the ruins soon.
She'd planned to go straight there without stopping but knew the poor horse was growing tired and seeing as he would have to haul all that treasure she'd have to collect all the way to the Narnian woods, she should give him a break. She could also stop and have a little bit to eat. When she finally reached Anvard, the sun was starting to set. The day was coming to it's end.
The sun was setting in Narnia was well as in Archenland and Miraz and Prunaprismia were watching it from their balcony.
Of course Miraz wasn't the sort who liked the natural beauty that was the setting sun, rather he liked to watch the last light slip the kingdom of Narnia. His realm which he ruled with a strong firm hand. If only his subjects didn't think him so weak ever since his treaty with the Narnians. Oh why couldn't that stupid nephew of his just found a more compatible sort of group to make an alliance with?
"That's a brilliant pink." Prunaprismia sighed dreamily, thinking that it was the very colour she'd want in a new gown if she was a bit younger.
Miraz didn't care about the pink. "Prunaprismia, did you see Susan today?"
"No." She told him. "She wasn't with the other ladies of the court."
"She might be with that knight of hers, whomever he is." Miraz said with a greedy look coming into his eyes.
"Not that again." Prunaprismia rolled her eyes. "No one thinks you are weak, Miraz my love. You need not bother about finding some random knight and hanging him."
"It would do my image worlds of good." Miraz insisted stubbornly. "If only we could get a name for this fellow."
"She might just be with Caspian, I haven't seen him today either." Prunaprismia told her husband.
Miraz laughed at that. "I have." He said merrily. "I heard him asking one of the servants if he knew where Susan was."
Prunaprismia gulped. She didn't like how happy her husband got over this. She wasn't a wonderful lady of good morals herself, but cold blooded murder-even on matters of state-made her feel uneasy. Perhaps it was because deep down she thought maybe losing her only baby boy was a punishment for all the men she had shrugged and not thought twice about as her husband had them killed. Worse, was knowing that her husband had tried to kill his nephew and had successfully killed his own brother. She hadn't known about that though up until the raid. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of him killing yet another man for his own gain. There had to be a point when you asked what a life was worth. To Miraz, it seemed that most lives were worth nothing at all.
Edmund tapped his fingers against the desk in his chamber. They still weren't back. The sun had set, night was starting. They'd been gone all day, goodness knows where, and they still weren't back.
He stood up and went to Peter's chamber. He wanted to have a word with him as soon as he got back. He took a seat on Peter's bed and waiting as more hours ticked by in mind numbingly slow minutes.
Lucy spread out a blanket near the ruins of Anvard and laid down on it staring up at the stars. She wanted to fall asleep and was trying very hard to not try to fall sleep knowing it would only make her goal harder to reach. Tomorrow she had to go into the chamber and load up on gold and stuff. She wondered how long it would take to get it all to Narnia. She wondered if she could get there in a day or less. Then there was the thought that she would see Edmund again when she reached Narnia. For some reason that thought made it impossible not to smile.
Twelve ding-dongs echoed through Miraz's castle. Midnight. It was Midnight. It was midnight and Peter still hadn't come back. Unable to sit still, Edmund decided to check Susan's chamber to see if she'd returned from where ever she'd been all day.
When did this hallway get so dang long? Edmund wondered as he walked down it, feeling as though he was in one of those dreams when you walk towards something but never actually reach it. He could hear the click-clack of his boots against the floor. When had they gotten so loud? What if someone saw him and asked why he was wandering around at midnight? But then he'd have to ask the same question to whomever he happened to meet. No one had any business being in this part of the castle at such an ungodly hour.
Finally he reached the door leading into Susan's bed chamber. He tried to decide if he should slip in like before or use the knocker and rattle her up a bit as punishment for making him worry all day. But then anyone might hear the knocker and come out of their own chambers, bombarding him with questions. No, he'd just open the door a crack and slip right on in.
Edmund's hand went to the knob turning it slowly so as not to make the slightest sound. Peering in, he could see a well lit fire and someone sitting in front of it. So Susan had come back. He leaned in-taking a small step into the room-to get a better look. Now he saw that it wasn't just Susan sitting by the fireplace. Peter was there too. The reason it had looked like only one person at first was because they weren't sitting separately side by side. She was actually sitting pretty much directly in his lap with her head leaned back on one of his shoulders.
Edmund willed himself not to mutter, "Ew!" because it would be such a childish way to react. But it was the first thought that came to mind. The second was, "I'm going to kill them." The third was, "I really have to pee." (It was random but he had been so nervous that he'd forgotten about using his chamber pot since early that morning).
Peter let out a sigh that was somewhere between sad and content and wrapped his arms around Susan.
Edmund wasn't sure exactly what he should do now. Should he burst in and yell at them? Walk away? Knock over something making a bang to get their attention? Say 'Ahem' over and over until they noticed him standing in the doorway? Go to the back garden find an acorn then throw it at them? Why did he always get stuck in the middle of these things?
Finally Edmund decided to leave them alone for now. (He'd yell at Peter for this in the morning). He closed the door behind him softy, still unnoticed. Turning around he found himself face to face with someone.
It was Caspian. "Edmund?"
"Um, no?" Edmund came up with feeling very stupid as soon as words came out of his mouth. "I mean, uh...yes, I'm Edmund."
"What are you doing here?" Caspian asked him.
"Visiting my sister." Edmund's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to talk to Susan, I didn't get a chance to talk to her at all today." Caspian explained, his hand reaching for the door knob.
Edmund quickly reached out and slapped his hand.
"Ow." Caspian muttered. "What was that for?"
Good question. "Um...because uh...you can't go in there." Not a good answer.
"Why not?" Caspian protested, looking rather upset.
"Because...." Edmund's mind sudden asked itself WWPD? (What Would Peter Do?). If it were Lucy he'd probably play the over protective brother role. Bingo! "You're not even married yet and you want to into her room at night?" he made his eyes widen as if in great shock. "Shame on you."
"I'm not going to do anything, I just wanted to talk to her." Caspian said wondering if he should take offence to the implications that Edmund was making.
"A likely story." Edmund said, folding his arms across his chest. "You can talk to her in the morning."
"What was that?" Caspian didn't understand why Edmund was acting so much like his brother. He felt like he was in the middle of a conversation with the over-protective High King. Maybe they'd switched brains or something...hey, it could happen.
Part of Edmund was tempted to just let Caspian open that door and see Susan and Peter together but his loyalty to his family and kind nature wouldn't let him do so.
"Can't I just talk to her for a quick second?" Caspian tried his hand heading for the knob again.
"Tomorrow." Edmund insisted, blocking the door the best he could.
Caspian let out an annoyed huff, going back to his chambers. Edmund knew perfectly well that he wasn't going to do anything to his sister so why wouldn't he let him in that room? and what was with him earlier that day? Something fishy was going on here.
The morning sun rose early over Anvard and Lucy got straight to work. First she had a quick breakfast with Patterwig then she found a ruined well that still had water in it and cleaned her face and had a cool drink. After that she found the treasure door, unlocked it, found the wagon and started loading. She was so focused on the her work that she just barely noticed the beauty of all the gold and jewels she was handling. Rubies redder than blood drops, glittering bridal-white diamonds the size of big spiders, gold so pure it matched the color of the sun in the sky above her. She wondered what she'd need all this for but trusted that Aslan would explain soon enough.
Patterwig had found a golden bottle of rum and decided to have, 'just a taste' and that 'taste' ended in him rolling around in the piles of gold at the bottom of the chamber in a fit of laughter.
Just when Lucy had finished loading all the treasure and covered it up with the burlap, she heard a slight ping. A gold-framed mirror had fallen out of its place.
Causally, Lucy picked up the mirror and glanced into it. As usual, part of her felt secretly disappointed. Her face wasn't ugly in the least. It was nice to look at the way a baby-cherub statue is more pleasant to the eyes than a gargoyle is. It made people want to look at her again. But it wasn't the sort of face that made people gush, "Oh Helen, you're daughter is so stunning!" like Susan's did.
Deep down, Lucy ached to be pretty. She wasn't sure why. She knew being pretty had it's downside. She wasn't stupid. She'd seen the drooling stupid boys that followed her sister around England. She'd seen Susan's face when one of their mother's friends tried to set her up with a relative be it a son or nephew. Yet, being pretty also meant that you didn't have to try to get what you wanted. You were simply indulged because people liked to look at you. It meant if you ever did meet a boy you liked, you didn't have to worry about making him notice you. He just did. Simple as that. Not that Lucy liked anyone in particular, but still.
Glancing at the cloak sticking out of the saddle bag, Lucy felt a sudden rush of temptation that she could not ignore. She looked both ways, grabbed the cloak, and threw it around her shoulders. It felt warm and slid on like a glove.
I wonder, thought Lucy, how it works. Do you simply think about how you want to look to make the transformation take place? Or do you have to say some special words?
The cloak worked by thought. Lucy was thinking that she wanted to look just like herself but prettier. She wanted to see what she would look like if she was beautiful. Very beautiful. Maybe even beautiful beyond the lot of mortals.
Lucy reached out a hand to lift the gold mirror to her face. She noticed her hand looked almost exactly the same but without the cuts and uneven nails.
Peering into the mirror, Lucy let out a small gasp. It had worked. The cloak had made her beautiful. Even more beautiful than Susan was. No one would care anything for Susan after seeing the beautiful version of Lucy. For a moment, She was glad. Then, she felt stupid and vain. She hurled the mirror across the ruin and ripped off the cloak (Causing her appeance to change back to normal), tossing it back into the saddle bags. She wasn't so sure she wanted to be beautiful after all.
"What have I been doing?" Lucy scolded herself. "Wasting good time, that's what."
And with that, she went down the treasure chamber, scooped up Patterwig, and got ready to leave.
AN: Come on, please review? I haven't been getting that many reviews for this story and I've been working so hard on it. Do you want to make the writer happy? Then please, leave a review.
