Tranquility

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Chronicles of Narnia related, but I do own Natalie and Orecar


Was that the thundering drums of war, or her own beating heart?

Before Natalie, stood a terrifyingly beautiful and powerful lion, glaring fiercely at something. She turned and she saw legions of darkness covering a great valley. The lion let out a mighty roar at them, shaking the very ground, and the Legion held back, afraid of him. Then, out of the thickest part of the dark swarm, a lone figure stepped out, clouded in white. People usually associated white with purity... but this figure was not. Oh no, something wicked and truly evil lurked within the figure. It's evil gripped at her heart and she felt an herself become cold with fear. The figure pointed a finger and the lion looked back, seeing his people he was protecting.

The lion strode over to the figure, using his own claws to cut a slit over his chest, he told the evil to take him instead. The figure always wanted his death, so it agreed. The lion turned to look straight at Natalie and smiled, as if it knew her, as if it was doing this for her! When he looked at her, she knew that she should have been afraid, a great big lion looking straight in her eyes, but she was not. When he looked at her, all her fear disappeared and she was left with a gentle presence, with the feelings of peace and of hope. And so Natalie watched as the lion transformed into a lamb, sacrificing himself for his people... for her.

Natalie woke with a start. What was that about? What an odd dream... and yet, it felt so familiar, felt like it had some sort of important significance. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and climbed out of bed. She drew her curtains and gazed out the window, lost in thought. Just over the horizon, passed the monumental stone formations that surrounded the castle, Natalie could just make out some grasslands and forests. Could that place, in her dreams, be real? For that matter, who was that... lion? Was he a metaphor for someone, was he supposed to be Jesus or something? Natalie snorted in amusement and went to get ready for the day. Maybe the other could tell her what her dream meant.

On her way to breakfast, Natalie remained silent as she listened to Edmund and Lucy have a friendly argument over something. She was listening but she wasn't exactly paying attention. "Something wrong, Natalie?" Edmund's voice startled said girl, who looked up at Edmund's curious eyes.

"Um, maybe I don't know, I'll tell all of you at breakfast," Natalie shrugged. When they got to the dining hall, they sat down and were served their meal.

"So I got a report last night that Cair Paravel reconstruction is proceeding rather nicely," Caspian mentioned offhandedly as he stirred sugar into his coffee.

"Really? That's wonderful!" Lucy grinned.

"If you don't mind, it would be nice to live there, instead of this place..." Caspian trailed off.

"Isn't this a family castle?" Edmund questioned.

"Yes, but it holds too many bad memories, you see. I also believe that, as a King of Narnia, being in the Narnia capital would make more sense, yes?" Caspian picked at his eggs, not looking up at them.

"Caspian... are you asking us for permission to live there?" Edmund raised an eyebrow.

"Would you mind?" Caspian looked up then.

"Of course you can live there!" Lucy told him. "It is a castle for Kings and Queens of Narnia! You are a Narnian King, it is your right to live there. Besides, we wouldn't have it any other way," she beamed at him.

"Thank you," Caspian grinned back.

"So... I had this dream..." Natalie mentioned, watching the steam rise from her own cup of coffee.

"That's right! You were going to tell us what was up with that look in your face this morning," Edmund smiled teasingly.

"I didn't have a look," Natalie's lips quirked up and she glanced up at him through her lashes. "Anyway, so in this dream, there was this... this big lion, much bigger than I had ever seen in zoos or on tv-" the look of confusion in some of their eyes had her trail off. Honestly, had none of them ever had a tv? Well, she supposed Caspian wouldn't have ever heard of anything like moving pictures, but sure in the forties there were televisions! Lucy had told her that her parents couldn't afford one and just had a radio, but surely they saw them before? "Um, anyway, so this lion is in this battle against, I don't know, demons or something, - darkness," she frowned, trying to remember her dream. "The lion was protecting his people, and then this white figure went up to him and demanded blood, so the lion sacrificed himself in place of his people," Natalie looked up and blinked in surprise at their utterly shocked expressions. "What?" she questioned.

"The lion, was he a golden lion with facial expressions similar to us?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah! Actually, now that I think about it, he smiled at me in my dream. He smiled and I..." Natalie frowned thoughtfully.

"What is it?" Edmund leaned closer in anticipation.

"I know him. I don't know how, but I think I've seen him before, in our world, in my time that is... before I came here. I didn't know who he was but even then, I felt this... familiarity with him. He made me feel-"

"Safe?" Edmund supplied.

"Loved?" Lucy smiled.

"Like you had a purpose?" Caspian raised a brow.

"Yeah! All of that!" Natalie's frown deepened. It was exactly all of that, that she felt. How could they know? "Is he... is he real?"

"Remember when we told you about Aslan? That you would meet him? I thing your dream was a vision or something. That was Aslan!" Lucy grinned widely.

"Right, how could I forget? So that's Aslan, huh? Does he only appear in dreams or..." Natalie trailed off.

"No, he's real, he's the true King of Narnia, he's the one that brought you here," Lucy smiled.

"You're telling me, that a giant talking lion brought me here?" Natalie asked incredulously. She was the one to raise an eyebrow this time.

"Yep!" Edmund shrugged. "He mentioned once that he has other forms... maybe he has a different form in our world?" he suggested. Natalie nodded, saying no more. All of this was just so... fantastical. Well, there was one good thing about obsessing over this strange dream, it made Natalie forget the other dream she had recently, which was a blessing in on itself!

After breakfast, Caspian had let the group know that even though he had important duties to see to, rolling his eyes at Edmund's smug look, a look that said 'ha ha, I may be King but I don't have to do those things anymore!', he told them that the village was holding a fall festival and that they should go to it, figuring that they would enjoy it and it would be better than sitting around a castle. "We could wait for you?" Lucy suggested.

"No, that's quite alright. I've been to it dozens of times, but none of you ever have," Caspian declined.

"Sure, but we had similar festivities in Cair Paravel, you know," Edmund countered.

"This is true, but every festival is different, yes? Just go, have some fun, and bring me an apple pastry," Caspian smiled, then stood from his seat, and followed his adviser down the hall. The three decided they might as well. They left the castle, deciding to walk to the village that was very close to the main castle anyway, in fact, it was basically stuck to it. It took them a few minutes to get to the village anyway, though none of them minded. The weather was nice and the air was crisp and cool. Natalie smiled, feeling that for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel so claustrophobic with so many people milling about. There were many games and delicious smells as the various stalls sold their wears.

Edmund was all but dragged around by Lucy, having him look at this, or help her in this game, or smile to gawking peasants. Natalie followed behind, an amused smile on her face as she watched the over-excited teenager. As they passed a shop, Natalie's eyes landed on a collection of swords on display. Most of them looked like plain, ordinary swords that any soldier would have, but one caught her attention. She wondered if it was very expensive, since it was one of the fanciest swords in the whole bunch. Natalie did not see Edmund watching her gaze longingly at the blade. He was surprised that she would be interested in such things, and oddly found that endearing to him. He loved swords, and it seemed like she liked them too... unless she was giving those eyes to the shop keeper? Edmund looked up at the man selling the swords and snorted. The man was well over his middle-aged, had a big bushy mustache, salt and pepper thinning hair, and he seemed to be missing some teeth when he smiled at him.

Yeah, Natalie was definitely not looking at the shop keeper.

Edmund looked back over at the sword Natalie had been looking and and nodded to himself, appreciating her taste. Handling his coin purse, he figured he had plenty of money... maybe he would surprise her? A devious smile spread over his face, but he quickly tried to hide it as Lucy turned to him. "Hey isn't it close to lunch?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm getting kinda hungry," Natalie agreed, glancing around the place for a food stall. "That one there looks like it has some tasty things," she suggested.

"And let's not of course forget King Caspian's apple pastries," Edmund rolled his eyes. Honestly, the man had a whole castle staff doing his every bidding, and he sent them to get him a pastry?

The three settled in one of the benches near the stall with their food. Edmund got a beef sandwich on what looked like rye bread, Lucy got a piece of chicken and some corn in a tin plate, and Natalie got what she was hoping was something similar to sheppard's pie. The three of them got a glass of cool cider. Natalie wondered how they kept the drinks cool, how did they make ice without an ice-maker? Did they have to haul ice over from the mountain-tops or something? After their meal, the three decided to head back, so after buying a pastry for Caspian, they made their way back to the castle. The girls got a little suspicious when Edmund disappeared for a moment, but when they asked, he just said he had to use the 'loo', so the girls didn't press him further. "So I was wondering if you'd like to learn a bit of archery?" Lucy offered.

"Sure, I guess," Natalie smiled.

Once they reached the castle, Edmund asked Lucy to head on over to the archery range first, he had something to speak to Natalie about. Lucy smiled cheekily and told them to have fun, laughing at their blushing faces. Edmund rolled his eyes and went to his pack. Natalie eyed the large bundle she had not seen before and watched him unwrap it. Her eyes widened in astonishment when he pulled out the sword she had been looking at. "I thought you might like this?" Edmund grinned.

"Wow! You didn't have to buy me that!" Natalie gasped, gazing down at the beautiful piece of craftsmanship in Edmund's hands. It was a beautiful blade. She knew a bit about swords and the like, part of her interest in history and with things medieval. It was very similar to an Italian bastard-sword. One handed with a wood-finish paneled grip, and a silver pommel with a red gem of some sort, though she hoped Edmund didn't spend his money on a ruby encrusted sword! The hilt of the sword was straight, with little roaring lions on either side. It looked elegant, deadly, and expensive. Natalie hesitated before taking the offered blade.

"Consider it a gift from a friend," Edmund smiled.

"Thank you so much," Natalie's eyes softened when she looked up at him. Their eyes held a moment before she cleared her throat and looked down at her sword. It was very heavy, much heavier than she expected it again, but then, she had never held one before, not a real one anyway. The lion decorations on the hilt of the sword reminded Natalie of her dream. She felt it fit, somehow, she felt that she was drawn to this sword in particular for some reason.

"Do you know how to use it?" Edmund asked, raising an eyebrow. He expected she didn't, even if she was from a modern time, she did not look built to handle a blade.

"No, no I don't," Natalie shook her head. "I wish I did though," she added wistfully.

"Well then maybe I'll teach you some day," Edmund promised. "May I?" Natalie handed him the blade and watched him swing it around with precision and ease. The way he handled the sword mesmerized Natalie. He really was a graceful swordsman, she couldn't ask for a better instructor and looked forward to getting lessons from him. She would not think of it as a way to get closer to him!

"Should we-uh, go to the practice range now?" Natalie asked, trying to get her mind off inappropriate things. Edmund placed her sword in it's scabbard and nodded. As they walked to the practice range, Edmund had a servant take her sword to her bedchambers. She smiled at him, still surprised and happy that he would buy her such an expensive gift, but also sad that she couldn't really repay him. Maybe she would find a way, one day. When they reached the practice range, Lucy had already set up the targets and strung a practice bow for Natalie.

"Come on then, over here," Lucy gestured to Natalie. The older girl walked over, glancing over at the targets and then at the bow warily. Would she really be able to do it? "I promise it's not as difficult as you think it is, once you get a hand of it," Lucy told her, as if reading her thoughts.

"That's what you said about riding a horse, and I almost broke my ankle that day..." Natalie responded dryly. "I bet this time I'll find a more colorful way to maim myself..."

Lucy placed her hands on her waist and shook her head. "Bollocks!"

"Lucy!" Edmund scolded with a laugh, never having expected a swear to leave her innocent mouth. Perhaps his little sister was not quite as innocent as they all thought she was! Just the thought made Edmund snort, how absurd!

"Oh come here, silly! It won't hurt you! ...Well, not really," Lucy shrugged with a smiled, motioning for her to get over there already.

"Not really?" Natalie pressed.

"Nat!" Lucy sighed in exasperation.

"Better do as she says, Natalie. You don't want to upset Lucy!" Edmund chuckled.

"Alright alright..." Natalie sighed in defeat and stepped beside her younger friend, mock-glaring at Edmund's amused expression. Lucy then proceeded to show Natalie the bow, and told her how to hold it and how to breathe, though she couldn't exactly control her breathing too well at first. The first arrow she lined up, slipped off her fingers. The second arrow she managed to let loose, but it fell two feet in front of her. The third time she tried to notch an arrow, the line from the bow ended up snapping slightly on her finger, making her jump and drop the bow and making Edmund guffaw heartily.

"Hey! Shut up!" Natalie yelled, grabbing a handful of hay and throwing it at him.

"Let me show you," Lucy said patiently, shooting daggers at her still laughing brother. She lined up her shot, took a deep breath, held it in, and let the arrow loose. The loud twang let the people in the room know the arrow hit it's mark, in the dead center. "Believe me, when I first tried a bow, I was just like you, but Susan showed me how to shoot it. It took me several months to be able to hit a target... it'll just take time, go ahead, ignore my git of a brother-"

"Hey!" Edmund yelled half-offended, a smile still playing on his lips.

"-And line the shot," Lucy finished, ignoring her brother. Natalie nodded, took the bow, and tried again. "No no, Nat, your legs need to be further apart and don't tighten your elbow like that," Lucy instructed.

"I'm trying..." Natalie sighed. Why had she agreed to this again? She would rather be practicing with her new sword, frankly. This whole thing had taken a least three hours! It was already getting dark!

"Here, let me help," Edmund said, walking over to her. Natalie stiffened slightly when his hand touched her elbow. He moved it the way he wanted it, then stepped closer to her. Natalie struggled to keep concentration, but he was flush against her now and making it incredibly difficult. Edmund kicked her feet apart, placing his foot between them to keep them from shifting, essentially trapping her against him! Natalie bit her lip as she felt his hand slide onto her stomach. Natalie felt all her blood rush to her cheeks and her toes curled when his other hand brushed the hair from her cheeks, making her feel his hot breath on her neck. Oh, God, he was too close...

"Now take a deep breath," Edmund instructed in a whisper. "That's good," he smiled, his lips centimeters from her skin. Goosebumps spread across her as Natalie attempted to do as he instructed, breathing in his spicy scent in the process. She felt dizziness fog her mind. "Draw your bow," he told her, and she did, though now mostly going on autopilot. "Now hold your breath," he said, pressing his long fingers against her stomach lightly. Natalie held in a whimper but did as she was told. "Focus on your target, aim a little higher, that's it... now shoot," he whispered.

The arrow flew.

The arrow hit the target.

Natalie's eyes were drawn to the target and her jaw dropped. She actually hit the target! It wasn't exactly in the center, but it was close! "Amazing!" She cheered, and, momentarily forgetting exactly who was still pressed against her, turned in Edmund's arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him without a second thought.

"Aww!" Lucy gushed. Natalie's eyes shot open and she pushed away from him, a blush running down passed her neck. "That's so cute!" Lucy giggled. "Great job, Natalie! Maybe you should have Ed teach you how to shoot the bow!" she chuckled, Lucy actually chuckled. Natalie shook her head in disbelief. She looked over at Edmund through her eyelashes, and saw he too was looking away, a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "Maybe I should leave you two alone to practice?" Lucy continued to tease.

"Shut up, Lucy!" Both Natalie and Edmund said at the same time. The three laughed at the absurdity of it all and Lucy walked over to them.

"No but seriously, Edmund must be like a lucky charm to you!" Lucy laughed.

"Lucy, what's gotten into you? You've been spending entirely too much time around me," Edmund chuckled softly.

"Lucy, I may not be very good at it, but by God I have a bow and I will shoot you with it if you don't cut it out," Natalie warned her, trying to keep the smile that threatened to come out from showing and failing miserably.

"Uh oh! I think she means business, Lu!" Edmund laughed.

"Somehow I believe you," Lucy agreed in amusement. Soon the three of them were laughing again. After cleaning up, they left the practice range, teasing each other as the made their way back inside for dinner. None of them noticed the enormous lion standing behind them, watching them with a soft smile on his face.

TBC...


End A/N: Woo! Aslan finally made an official appearance! Sort of... Please let me know what you thought of the chapter!

Shout-Outs:

OlleiPattson: It shall be done :D

Daisy54154: Glad you like it!