Previously

And then in the quietness of the moment, in that small room, in front of the warm fire, Danik said, "I love you, Brielle."

She didn't say anything, but she placed her tiny hand in his strong one.

Everything was going to change.

Chapter Eight. After Night Comes Day

"Brielle, Brielle."

She stirred in her sleep or was she asleep?

"Brielle, darling."

"Mama?" she said.

"Yes, I'm here," her mother said.

Brielle opened her eyes.

It was her mother!

She was so beautiful! She was just how Brielle had remembered her.

Well, sort of.

Before Kamil had left, she had long waist length black hair, but now it was cut at the shoulders and had a strange wavy style on one side.

Her clothes were strange too. She wasn't wearing a regular floor length gown or work dress, but a light blue dress that came to her knees. It had a yellow sash that tied around the waist. It was pretty, but very strange indeed.

She put a hand to her daughter's feverish forehead.

"Oh darling," she said, "How do you always manage to get sick?"

"Mama, stay," said Brielle, "Stay here with me. I need you."

Kamil smiled and cupped her daughters face in her soft hand.

"I can't," she said, "I can only be here for a little while."

"Then can you take me with you?" Brielle said on the verge of tears.

"What about Danik?"

"I love him, but I love you more," she admitted.

"He needs you," Kamil said, "and you need him."

Brielle sat up in bed and took her mother's hand. It felt so real. Her mother was so close to her.

"Mother, you look so different," Brielle said.

Her mother giggled and kissed her daughter's hands.

"This is how women dress in the world that I'm in and I rather like it."

"What world is that, Mama?"

"A different world. I think a world that was here before Narnia. I've only been here for a while."

"Mama, is Father with you in that world?"

"Oh yes, darling he is. He and your aunt Pruniprismia and your little cousin, Leandro."

"Does Father miss me?" Brielle asked.

"Oh so much. He loves you and always wanted to be there for you. He did try to keep us safe."

"Will you tell him that I love him?"

"Of course I will," her mother said as she laid her back down.

"Now, you have to wake up."

"I am awake," Brielle said confused.

"No, you have to wake up in Ettinsmore. I have to leave."

"Mama…I'm scared without you."

"You are a brave girl. A very brave girl. Never be afraid, Brielle. Never be afraid."

Brielle opened her eyes and saw that she was in her room. She wasn't cold anymore. She had a warm heavy quilt on top of her.

"You're looking better."

She turned her head and saw Lodette sitting next to her, holding a glass of water.

"I'm feeling better," Brielle said sitting up.

Which was true. Her body was back to its regular temperature and she wasn't shivering. Her head had stopped hurting and her throat felt much better, but she was so thirsty.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked as Lodette handed her the water.

"Just over twenty-two hours."

"What?" Brielle said in disbelief, "It's the next day?"

"Yes," said Lodette, "When you fell asleep yesterday afternoon, you were alright for a while. Then in the evening time you started to get hotter. Then you were burning up. You were also calling for your mother. We assumed you were just having a fever dream. I managed to give you some medicine and your fever broke early this morning."

"Has Jadellias said anything?"

"Not really. She's given up negotiating with Danik. So is Foreman."

"What does Danik say?"

"He says that there are two of them, but almost a hundred of us. And if they want a 'harmonious' work atmosphere, they might want to take into consideration the well being of their workers."

"Well, if Danik thinks that way why is he still here?"

"He has no where else to go. None of us do. Most of us have lost our families and we need to survive, somehow."

"I use to think that too," Brielle said, "I was fortunate to find my family. I was not brought back here to be a slave again."

"What do you mean 'brought back here'? asked Lodette, "You chose to come back here."

"That's true, but I had been needing to come here for a long time. Why? I don't know yet."

Brielle threw her bed covers back and walked over to the boarded up window.

"If you want to see the light, you must get through the boards," she said.

"What?" asked Lodette.

"Help me get these boards off."

It took some effort, but they managed to pry the boards off the window. The light that came through was stunning and filled the entire room.

It was a rather large window that over looked the Eastern part of the estate. Just beyond the acres of green plains land, Brielle could see River Shribble which was only a few miles away from the Northern Marsh.

"It's beautiful," said Lodette, "If this window was cleaned."

"That's what I'm going to do," Brielle said, "I'm going to clean. Starting with this room."

Mrs. Applewell had given Lodette permission to help Brielle with the cleaning and organization of her room.

So while Brielle was organizing the junk pile, Lodette started bringing up buckets of water to clean the window and the floors.

"I think I may have gotten a little spoiled when I was in Narnia," Brielle said as she rubbed the stubborn dirt of the window.

"I wouldn't blame you if you never had to do this work again," said Lodette who was sweeping the floor.

They both went through the junk pile. Brielle kept the bookshelf and put it next to the window. She put the wash basin and the pitcher on top of the bookshelf. The oil paintings she gave to Lodette for her and Gael.

"What's in those boxes?" said Lodette.

"I don't know. Help me open them up."

It took some effort, but eventually they got them opened. Inside one were books. Some Brielle had never even heard of. She decided to keep them, if she ever got the time to read.

The other one seemed to contain fabric of some sort, but as they went through it, they realized that there was something inside the fabric. They carefully unwound it. Inside was some sort of glass stick. It was beautiful and looked like it was made out of ice. One end was tipped in gold, while they other was jagged like it had been broken off.

"What is this?" asked Lodette holding it in her hand.

"I don't know," Brielle said, "but I suggest we put it back."

They were still sorting through the junk pile, when they heard a knock at the door.

Brielle stopped for a second; afraid it might be Jadellias or Foreman.

"Brielle, are you awake?" came Gael's voice.

"Come in," said Brielle.

Gael came in carrying a tray of food, "Oh, so this is what you two have been doing," she said as she set the tray on the bed.

"Is not as bad as it was a couple of hours ago," said Lodette.

"Well, the light makes a difference, that's for sure."

The three girls all sat on the bed and ate lunch. Brielle told both of them about her dream and her mother.

"So you think your mother is another world?" Gael said.

"Yes," Brielle said, "I remember asking Caspian about my father and he said he was in a different world. A world only Aslan can get you too. And in my dream, my mother says my father is with her. It doesn't make sense."

"Yes it does," said Gael, "Brielle, your parents are in the world where the Kings and Queens of old are from! It wasn't a dream. Aslan was telling you something."

"So her parents are in the world where King Edmund and Queen Lucy are from and went back to after the Dawn Treader voyage?" Lodette asked.

"Yes, exactly!" Gael said.

"The what is Aslan telling me?" Brielle said, "In my dream, my mother says I have to stay here. So, it must be for some good reason."

"Listen," said Gael, "It took fifteen years to find out you were heir to the throne of Narnia. This might take time."

"I don't like the idea of waiting fifteen more years here," Brielle said as she got off the bed and looked out the window.

"I wonder what they're all doing. Over in Narnia. If they've tried looking for us. What am I suppose to be doing?"

"If I know my parents and Eadric and Caspian," said Gael, "I think they know that you and I are able to handle whatever is thrown at us. You came to Narnia for a reason, you have come back to Ettinsmoor for a reason and somewhere along the line, and these two reasons will have to merge into an answer."

I hope it's a good one

After Gael went back downstairs, Brielle and Lodette continued cleaning. They finally sorted through of all of the junk that left quite a bit of space in the room.

"I'll take all of this back to my room," Lodette said carrying all that Brielle didn't want in the empty book box, "and see what Gael and I can make of it. I'll bring back that mattress and some quilts too. And maybe a couple more dresses."

"Thanks," said Brielle.

After she left, Brielle started to wash the floor. The sun was going down and she wanted to get it done as soon as possible.

"I see you've made a full recovery."

Brielle looked up to see a grinning Danik leaning against the door post. She ran up and wrapped her arms around him; holding on to him tightly.

"Hey, hey," he softly, "What's wrong?"

"I'm just glad you're here," she said, "To know that you weren't a dream that I had yesterday."

Danik held her tightly and began to run his fingers through her long hair.

"I was so worried about you yesterday," he whispered, "afraid of losing you…again."

"You saved my life," Brielle said against his strong chest, "again."

"I would do it again, again, again," Danik said as Brielle began to laugh.

It had been so long since she had laughed. To be there in that room, in Danik's strong arms, to be safe and warm and so very loved.

She led him over to her bed where he sat down at the end and pulled her onto his lap.

"Lodette is going to be walking in here any moment," Brielle said wrapping her arms around his neck.

"No she won't," said Danik, "I actually came up here to tell you two that supper was ready."

"Oh, well how can I choose supper in that noisy kitchen over this forbidden act of 'servant indecency'? (Unmarried male and female servants alone in a room) Brielle said as pressed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"Hard choice, isn't?" said Danik

Brielle didn't reply, but she lay down on the bed and pulled Danik next to her.

Danik smiled as he wrapped his arm around her small waist and gently placed a kiss on her neck.

Brielle breathed in deeply. The feeling of his lips on her neck enthralled her. She ran her fingers through his black hair.

"When did you know you loved me?" she said.

"I don't know. I definitely knew after we escaped, but I think it was there after those two boys…"

He couldn't go on. Brielle laid her head on his chest and gently stroked his face.

"I was almost raped in Narnia," she said.

Danik sat up quickly and stared at her; his face a mix of confusion and anger.

"By who?"

"Gael's former fiancé. I was saved, but my friend, Chassell, wasn't."

"Did he…did he kill her?" Danik asked in a quiet voice.

"No," Brielle said remembering Chassell's guilt ridden, tear stained face, "but she was badly hurt."

"What happened to him?" asked Danik coldly, "Did he get off?"

"No," Brielle said, "He was executed. As Narnian law demands."

"I would like Narnian law to be brought here," said Danik.

"No chance of that happening anytime soon," Brielle said sitting up and pulling her knees to her chin.

Danik pulled her close and then asked, "Why did he almost rape you?"

"I don't know," Brielle said as she got up and lit several candles on her bookshelf, "Because I was from Etinsmoor, or I had a claim to the throne, or no father to protect me, or because he hated Caspian. I'll never know."

She remembered the fear pacing through her heart when Garrett had slammed her against the tree. She remembered his cold hands on her body. His hateful words still running through her mind.

"I tried so hard to leave my former life as a prostitute. To be everything I had dreamt of being and he...almost took it away. I can still hear his voice inside my head sometimes."

"He's gone," said Danik firmly getting up and pulling her close to him, "and you are still here. Goodness will over always overcome evil. After night comes day."

He lifted her face up to his and said, "This endless night we have been made to endure in Ettinsmore, will meet its end. Quite suddenly and unexpectedly I hope."

Brielle found his word encouraging and her fear slightly abated, but talking about Garrett still frightened her. He had reminded her of the two boys who had defiled her so many years before in that very house.

She didn't want to be alone.

"Danik, stay with me tonight."

"You know I can't," he said, "but I would."

She looked up imploringly into his face. The flickering candles shone in his dark eyes, now so soft and tender.

He would have stayed with her every night, but his honor was at stake as well as hers. Staying in a room was one thing, but being found sleeping together was another. Not that the servants didn't do it. Morality left much to be desired in Ettinsmore and people had found ways to bend the rules.

"I'll stay by your bed until you fall asleep," Danik said.

She laid her head on his shoulder. She looked out of the window and saw the moon coming up; round and full and bright. The stars, small and graceful, scattered throughout the sky.

"It's so beautiful," she said, "Even in Ettinsmoore."

Danik brought her face up to his, "Nothing is more beautiful than the gift I hold in my arms at this very moment."

Brielle smiled.

If coming back to Ettinsmore was to find Danik again, then she wouldn't argue it.