Thanks for reviews!

Regarding Ruth's knowledge: Yes, she is a brainy and knowledge thirsty young woman, who has been deprived of going to school in her own world and thus indulged the more in the teaching the Centaurs gave. All of this will come handy later.

Aslan is a master to use what we have; little or much!

UNICORN

Narnia, late summer year 1002

When the most boring report Karl had ever heard (which was indeed one of the most confused rants Ruth had ever listened to) had ended and the speaking frog had withdrawn in triumph, the Narnians were paired; one worrier got assigned one scout each, and set to spread out around the buildings of the estate to look at which tracks and traces there could be left of the villains as detected by all the scouts.

And traces there were; a broken branch, trod down grass, an odd footprint, several scents picked up by dogs – so the investigators had a lot of things to cover and consider for analyses as they returned to camp for dinner and sharing experiences.

Before that however, something significant happened. Karl was checking a part of the woods south of the barn with a swallow, which if truth have to be said had rather preferred nesting in the barn, when something white was seen laying in the grass far away. The swallow lifted to get a better view and then returned to tell her view.

-"Oh dear, oh dear, this is so horrible; brace your self for some of the worsest! Come as hurry as you can, Karl, it is so terrible!"

As the little swallow flew in front of and above him, Karl trudged through the low vegetation in under the trees, mostly blueberries, until the white patch got larger and larger and finally took the shape of a laying white horse, with one long screwed horn from its forehead.

Karl could see that its chest moved slightly and immediately asked the swallow to get help. Nurse Ruth and healer Queen Valiant Lucy were the best hope for the poor animal. He then tried to keep it calm by speaking slow, quiet words of encouragement.

-"Don't worry, we will not hurt you! It will be okay, help is soon here. I am going to guard you from all harm, and healing is summoned in this very minute by my companion the swallow. We are all going to help!"

Karl had now come so close to the animal that he could sit down and slowly pet its head. Response came in spoken words, barely louder than a whisper.

-"Thank you Kind sir of unknown name and rank; it is very kind to you to try to get my hopes up; but I am afraid I may be already beyond that. It hurt me badly and I fell and sun has set twice since. Would you please pass my greetings to my family and say I love them and I loved them unto the end?"

-"But of course, but of course! I will remember your words. But beware that you might be wrong and soon able to say your love yourself. Who did this to you?"

-"Oh, I must apologise, because I do not know. It was like a large darkness, or a cloud that over shadowed me; and suddenly I was cut, began to bleed and all my body hurt severely. I was in such pain that I could not move, not even stand. I fell, maybe even unconscious."

To keep the unicorn alive until help came, Karl kept conversing with it, enquiring about this and that; family and friends, past happiness and future worries.

Eventually it fell silent and closed its eyes. Karl did not know whether it would live or not.

Suddenly a griffon came sweeping down from above; Queen Lucy and Ruth on its back, led on in haste by the swallow Karl had been assigned to earlier that day. Were they already too late? They all had to help lift the poor white animal's head until a drop of the magical remedy in Lucy's cordial could be fed it.

At first, no visible sign of healing and life could be seen. The wounded unicorn still laid perfectly still, eyes closed. After some time, however, it began to breathe more regularly and with deeper breaths, lungs used better than before. It was obvious it slept. And it was left to rest peacefully, as the Narnian friends now scattered to gather food and water for the unconscious unicorn.

The same night the unicorn and the Narnians rescuing it were the last to return to camp, just before sunset. If King Edmund was surprised to see it, he certainly did not show that. Instead he ordered his soldiers to wash and then called them all to dinner.

A long table had been set up in the middle of the barn, chandeliers on a long linen tablecloth and the table was laid with a dinner for a royal couple; and that was good, as there was in fact both a king and a queen there.

Meal eaten, some of the soldiers entertained juggling and wrestling, and after dessert was served it was time for story telling. A vote resulted, not fully unexpected, for Lucy to tell the story of her first arrival to Narnia when she met Mr. Tumnus. Edmund followed up with telling how Aslan defeated the White Witch by letting her slay him on the stone table. And then it was time for a hot, sweat tea for everybody.

When tea was devoured, all the Narnians wanted to hear a story from Ruth and Karl, and after some debate between themselves, they decided to share how a pack of goats helped them find the rare fire flower from which was made the liquid in the healing cordial of the Valiant Queen. After quite some gasps the evening was ended by the lovely young unicorn singing an odé of growing up to live in freedom and splendour with Aslan, both in Narnia and finally in Aslan's own country.

Then they slept with happy and peaceful dreams in the hay.

In the morning, after breakfast, the Narnians convened for council again. Every pair gave their tale, but it all seemed very confusing, until the white unicorn asked permission to speak.

-"Dear cousins, friends and rescuers; I first of all want to thank you for saving my life."

This was met by small grunts and smiles of approval.

-"And to you, Kings and Queens, for honouring our family by letting my uncle serve as the personal mount of High king Peter."

More appreciation.

-"Strange things have happened here lately, friends! We were so happy when the, er, old winter was over, and we could enjoy life freely; but the last months we found out that dangers might lure in the nights. Some of us were able to lock us in at evening; but others, used to be awake in the night, told of another darkness wanting to cover the land."

At this all nodded; this what was the tale of most of the Narnian investigators.

-"Night living creatures were beginning to come home injured by a darkness they had never ever encountered before. Some just disappeared; most of them young. Parents mourned their children and a new despair began to come over us. It was only a few years since Narnians were liberated. Were we to live in fear and anguish again?"

-"Thank you, dear cousin, this is more or less a summary of what we have found out so far." The Just King Edmund wanted to encourage the young unicorn. "Please tell me about what happened to you."

-"Your Majesty, there was to be three nights ago a rare celestial phenomenon. The Centaurs had foreseen it, and I wanted to gaze the heavens myself, so in spite of the risks, I went outside late at night. It was a great sight, sire."

-"You said the Centaurs had foreseen this. What actually did the heavens tell?"

-"I do not know the details, Majesty, but in general it told of great danger to Narnia being stopped by a foreign knight."

This stirred some excitement in the barn, and suddenly Karl felt all eyes on him!

-"However, cousins all, when I was enjoying the pattern of the stars and moon, a darkness rose and grew from the west. I realised I was in danger, and needed to get back home. So I ran!"

-"But, either I was too far from home, or not fast enough, so the darkness overtook me. Suddenly I could not see where I ran. Before I could slow down, I began to be hit by branches of trees. In the end one broken branch cut my side, and I fell, injured."

-"Was it where you were found?" asked the Valiant Queen.

-"No, Majesty, when day came and darkness was gone, I tried to get home; but the wound hurt me, and more and more, so I could only move slowly and rest a lot between a few steps. Eventually I was so exhausted I could not rise again. I could only pray to Aslan for help."

-"And help was sent." It was Ruth who summarised. "Even if the High king did not really want a sister to go, Aslan must have known she was needed; she and her cordial."

-"Which we yesterday got to know only have healing content because Aslan sent help even from another world," Lucy the Queen beamed.

With this came the conclusion of the council. King Edmund dismissed it for all to rest and freshen up before a great dinner, courtesy of the Lord who had sent for them, and the Estate which they were visiting. The dinner went on long into the moon lit night.