Now onto the next chapter for today! ;)

I shove her above the water line and surface quickly, sucking in lungs full of air. The High King grabs Abigail immediately and sets her on the stone floor - for they had managed to get across the stones while we were under water. Suddenly something grips me.

"Your Maj – "

Chapter 15: Monsters and Cottages

Abigail POV

"ALIA!" I shriek as I watch my older sister get lugged under water. I jump up from my spot on the ground and lean over the edge in a panic. She can't die. She just can't! I hear a sudden plop on the stone beside me before a massive splash sounds throughout the cavern. I peer down to the spot of bubbling water beside me with worry. A flash of brown hair disappears under water; it rises again a few seconds later. Footsteps sound loudly as King Edmund runs over and leans beside me before helping his brother out of the freezing water, hauling him harshly up onto the stone and out of the way of the evil mermaids that have just come up again. Their fangs flash like diamonds in the glow of the flaming torch for a second before their pale, white tails disappear beneath the dark surface of the water.

"Did you see her?" I ask the High King as I pass him a towel from my sack. He nods at me while patting himself dry; breathing heavily.

"It's dragged her down to the bottom. I couldn't see very well, though, so I have no idea whether she is still alive or not. I would have gone after her had there not been mermaids swimming over towards me. I wish I could've grabbed her. I feel like such a failure; I should've been the one to save you, not her. If I would've manned up, we all would be here right now," he explains with a frown as he reaches behind me and grabs his discarded shirt before pulling it over his head and straightening it out.

"It's okay. Don't get yourself down about it. Athalia is strong. She's still alive; I just know it. Aslan wouldn't let her die whilst we're doing his bidding. Let's just get on with it. I'm sure she wouldn't want us to stand around and wish for her here when the end of the world is at stake. We'll meet her somewhere eventually. No doubt there will be a path that will pull us both together again," I declare as I stand up. I habitually start shaking as the cold air whips against my wet skin, goosebumps rising all over. I had overlooked the fact that I'm still dripping wet. A sensation of warmth covers my back and arms suddenly before I look over my shoulder. King Edmund smiles imperceptibly at me, holding the towel in place until I've got a hold of it, and I can't help but return his smile with a cheesy grin.

"What do you say we get out of this room, Madam? Maybe to a place that's a bit warmer so that you and my brother can get dressed into dry, warm clothing," he proposes. I nod at him numbly.

"That sounds like a good idea. Come along you two; the exit is over here," the High King agrees. I smile weakly and take a quick glance down to the water before picking up Alia's and my sacks and following them out into the new cave.

This passage is just like every other passage we've encountered. Mossy, rocky walls and ceilings with gravely floors that make you slip with every step you take. The torch light rebounds off of the walls as we make our way through the maze. It seems to be a never ending pattern of corners and straight lines; not to mention the silence. None of us have spoken a word since the mermaid cave; which is the reason why I almost have a heart attack when one of the Kings sneezes.

"Do either of you mind if we stop now for a second so I can get out of these horrible, wet clothes?" asks the High King, stopping in the middle of the path. I look at him and shake my head, my wet hair flinging droplets of water everywhere.

"I happen to agree with that idea," I say as I shiver. After we've both changed into sets of fresh clothes (I had gone around the corner to change) we continue on. It's silent for quite a while before one of the Kings clear their throats.

"So, Abigail. Why are you in the orphanage?" I startle a little at the query before turning to King Edmund. His brown eyes hold many questions; questions I'm sure he's been dying to ask me since we first met. I swallow back the lump in my throat before facing the front again.

"The White Witch killed my father and mother," I state simply, wishing for them to drop the subject now.

"How? What happened?" His usually calming voice holds great concern and sadness. My heart flutters slightly. It's nice to have someone worry about you.

"It's a long story." He smiles gently at me, his hand resting elegantly on my right shoulder.

"My brother and I don't mind long stories."

"Well okay then." I grimace as the memories swirl though my mind in an instant, flooding every possible thought. I stop instantaneously and sit down on the ground, my back leaning against the wall. The Kings do the same thing, one on each side of me, waiting to hear the memory. My eyes well up with unshed tears as I recall the last moments with my parents.

"We were hiking through the woods at Dancing Lawn when I was six. It was our usual fortnightly hunt. My father would take me out with him in an attempt to pry me away from my books and my mother used to tag along with us for entertainment purposes. My father had just taken down a deer, a deer that would keep us from starving for the next fortnight, with his bow when the bells sounded. All three of us knew what those bells meant. Knowing we didn't have a lot of time before she would be upon us, my mother immediately grabbed me and pushed me into a growth of bushes that was behind a large, beech tree. She told me to stay quiet in an instant and to not move even an inch until someone came to collect me or when I was positive that the Witch was gone. I had nodded silently in agreement, trying to keep the tears at bay, as my mother moved as far away from the bushes as possible; joining my father. From my spot I could not see them, but I dared not move since that would've meant disobeying my mother. I heard the sleigh pull up a few seconds later followed by her chilling, cold voice.

"'Who goes there?' she had asked. I heard feet shuffling in the snow before my father spoke up. 'Just my wife and I. We are out hunting for deer and elk to keep us going for the next fortnight.' I heard the Witch laugh coldly. 'Hunting? With your wife? Please, don't lie to me. Since when do women hunt? Do you even know who I am?' It didn't even take a millisecond for my mother to reply. 'Yes, I do. You are an imposter to our land. You've taken away our freedom and our seasons. You have killed all the joy in our land.' It was silent for a moment; I could only hear the heavy breathing of my father. 'Who do you serve, peasant?' My mother barely had taken a breath before replying to the Witch. 'I serve Aslan. The true King of Narnia. I will never serve you, Witch.' I didn't even need to see the Witch to know that she was fuming. 'Wrong answer.' I heard a horrible buzzing noise suddenly followed by my fathers' pleas and cries. I knew in that instant that my mother had died. 'You. Hunter. Who do you serve?' she had asked immediately. I could hear my father crying which was an extremely rare occasion, just more proof that my mother had indeed passed on. 'Aslan,' he choked out. I heard my father gasp before, once again, the buzzing noise sounded. I heard a dwarf laugh follow immediately after it had finished. 'What do we do with the bodies, Your Highness?' The Witch was quiet for a moment before she murmured, 'burn them.'

"I tuned out at that point, too scared and distraught to even listen to them. It wasn't until five hours later that I came out of the bushes. I ignored the fire pit and ashes where I knew my parents' bodies were burning and instead went in search of help. I came across Miss Fink picking berries in a field after a good hour of searching for someone. As soon as she took in my red, teary eyes and torn up dress, she was at my side. I told her what had happened and pleaded with her for a place to stay. It was then that she took me into the orphanage. Athalia took me under her wing in an instant and now she's like an older sister to me. I miss my parents greatly though. Every day I think about them and wonder what would have happened had they not been killed." All three of us are silent for a few moments then. I try to hold back the sobs and tears while the boys try to take in my past.

"The White Witch really did destroy everything in this kingdom, didn't she?" I nod once at the High Kings words.

"She took away every essence of freedom and if she ever sensed joy around you, she destroyed it." I let some of the tears fall and felt King Edmund put an arm around me in comfort.

"I'm sorry about your parents," he murmured sadly. I shake my head.

"Don't be. They died in Aslan's name. That's all they wanted. Now let us just get on with it, please. I don't want to talk about them anymore." They both stay quiet, so I happily take that as a yes and stand up. The Kings follow my lead as I walk down to the end of the passage and head around a corner. As we round the bend, the flames from the torches all blow out as my hair starts to blow back. Wind? "Your Majesties, there's a strong breeze flowing through the cave," I say as a smile creeps up at the corner of my mouth; our discussion all but forgotten.

"I think that's pretty obvious, Abby, considering the torches all just went out. Can you see any light?" I look around; my eyes adjusting to the darkness before…

"Yes! I can see light! Hurry!" I rush forwards; my legs carrying me swiftly over to the end of the cave. As we get closer it gets brighter until we're standing in broad daylight.

"GRASS!" Kind Edmund screams before he falls forwards onto the bright, green grass in the valley. He rips it out of the ground with his hands and throws it up into the air joyfully; all the while cheering. "I never thought I'd be happy to see grass, but this is the best feeling ever!" he adds on. I laugh loudly as I drag in lungs-full of air. Thank you, Aslan, for taking us out of that stuffy, cave system!

This valley is stunningly beautiful. Massive, snow-topped mountains surround a bright, green forest; dark-green shrubbery and grass everywhere. I can hear the sound of a fresh-water stream flowing through somewhere and immediately look around for the creek that I'm sure is a delectable blue. It's very peaceful. I only wish Alia were here to enjoy it.

"Edmund, Abigail! Quiet. I think I hear something," the High King interjects. Alia? I gasp and run eagerly over to where he is standing.

"Is it Alia?!"

"Shoosh." I shut my mouth tightly and look around precariously. A loud grumble suddenly reverberates throughout the valley. My heart drops into my stomach and I hear King Edmund walk over to us slowly. I don't think that's Alia. "Edmund, get your sword ready. Abigail, get ready to run."

"I'm sure you mean get an arrow ready on the bow."

"No, that is not what I meant. If it comes to a fight, you are to listen to my instructions and clear out into the caves again, Abigail."

"I'm not a child. I probably know archery better than the two of you combined."

"This is not the time to start arguing with me. Pipe down. Something is there and we don't want it to know we are here." I roll my eyes at him and hold my breath all the while getting my bow and arrow ready. I can feel the High King glaring at me but I don't care. Mathematically, three against one is going to be more productive than two against one. Boom! The whole ground rumbles suddenly with what sounds like a giant footstep. Boom. Another one sounds, the noise echoing throughout the valley again.

"Whatever it is, it's massive," King Edmund says. Boom.

"Shut your trap, Edmund," his brother interjects. Boom.

"Why?" Boom.

"Oh my," I murmur as the creature comes into view. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's as tall as a giant, has claws like a bear, and a massive stomach that looks like it'll explode if you poke it. Its face is somewhat like a trolls. It's a pretty darn-ugly monster if I don't say so myself.

"Just stay still and perhaps it won – EDMUND, LOOK OUT!" His Majesty screams as he pushes his little brother out of the way of the monsters flying hand. Its hand lands in the dirt right beside me, knocking me effectively to the ground with the sheer force of contact. My arrow releases as I fall also, stabbing the creature right in the arm. It roars loudly at us as it pulls out the arrow and tosses it to the ground as if it is a little needle. My eyes grow wide as I scramble to my feet. Arrows don't hurt it. "ABIGAIL! GO, NOW!" He doesn't need to tell me twice. I turn around and run as fast as I can back to the cave. I'm almost there when I see a massive mallet make contact with the stones above the cave, effectively causing the rocks to fall and block the entry. I scream loudly and turn back around, my back against the fallen boulders. Oh please, Aslan, don't let me die!

The creature picks its metal mallet back up again, fisting it tightly in its hand before he pulls it back. I squeeze my eyes shut just waiting for the impact, but it never comes. Instead, what I hear is, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, ugly?!" My eyes fly open as I watch the creature turn around and face King Edmund. It bares its teeth at him before flinging the mallet down. As he swings though I watch on in terror as the High King jumps up onto its back and stabs it multiple times. The creature roars again and reaches behind itself immediately. Its hand comes in contact with the High King suddenly before it grabs him around the waist and throws him against a tree. I can hear the smack from where I'm standing and watch as the older King slumps to the ground; his arm is bleeding heavily. I begin to hyperventilate, trying to decide what to do.

Okay, help the High King or help King Edmund. Wouldn't it be better to kill the creature first? I look down towards my useless bow before looking at Alia's sack. My brain's right; this creature needs to die. Even though she carries all her weapons on her, I know Alia always has one dagger handy in her sack, just in case. I make a split decision and grab her sack before ripping through it. Ah ha! Found it! I pull it out of its sheathe before taking a deep breath in and running up to the creature before stabbing the top of its foot with the dagger. It cries out in pain before it lifts up that foot and stamps it back down. I hurriedly dash out of the way before continuing on with the other foot. The creature roars again before falling to the ground in pain; its blue blood gushing like a river down the slope and into the main part of the valley. I rush over to the High King then, trying to ignore the blood that's pouring from his arm.

"Mind if I borrow your sword? Thank you!" I say before he even has time to think. I grab it before holding it in both hands and rushing forwards.

"Stop, Abby! I've got this," King Edmund tells me as he rushes towards the fallen creature. He slashes its head with his sword before going to its neck and slashing into that also. I hear the creature roar one last time before it goes still and silent. King Edmund is covered in its blue blood; his sword stuck in its neck. He rips it out harshly, tearing a great hole in the delicate flesh of the creature. The creature is basically blue now, its blood pouring out of the wounds as if it were a fountain or waterfall. I hear the High King groan then and immediately turn my attention over to him. I run forwards and kneel down beside him, King Edmund following my lead.

"Your Majesty?" I murmur. He groans again as his other arm curves around to try and cover the cut. I frown before reaching into my sack and pulling out a spare towel. I start to wrap it tightly around his arm before tying off the end so it stays on.

"Thank you," he whispers between gritted teeth. He's obviously in pain.

"We need to find somewhere we can stay. A shelter of some sort," King Edmund says. I nod in agreement.

"We do. Can you stand, Your Majesty?" I question. He nods once.

"I'll be fine. It's my arm that's hurt after all, not my legs." King Edmund helps him up all the same though before we start to walk down the subtle, dirt path. We walk down a gentle slope, trying to ignore the creatures' blood, before we start walking through a gorgeous forest.

This place is truly Aslan's Country in Narnia. The trees are all massive and look like they've been growing here for thousands of years. The leaves are all deep green in colour and look as bright as rainbows when the light shines on them. There are wild flowers growing left, right, and centre also, giving the green grass quite a lot of contrast. There are large boulders dotted around the place too, a few in which we take advantage of for a bit of a break. After a good ten minutes of walking along the path – and across a sparkling, blue river may I add – we arrive at a small, stone cottage. The cottage isn't very large at all. It's dotted in the middle of the forest with birch trees surrounding it and has an old, thatched roof. There is a lovely garden out the front of it that houses lots of beautiful, colourful flowers and bushes. A stone path leads from the dirt path up to the wooden, front door. The whole house looks well-kept and I can't help but wonder who lives in there.

"I don't think we should go in there." My head whips to the High Kings frowning face immediately.

"And why not?"

"Because we don't know who lives in there. What if it's a murderer or a serial killer? I can't fight at the moment and Edmund would die trying to fend off a gang of marauders by himself."

"I could help." Both the Kings give me a solemn look.

"No."

"Okay, let's be reasonable here. Abby's right, brother. We should at least see who lives in there. What if it's a lovely, old lady who can give us a place to rest for a while? We'd be stupid not to have a look." King Edmund raises his eyebrows as if to say, 'I've made my point now lets get on with it,' but the High King doesn't seem to want to budge.

"Well fine, if you two are both going to be children about it, then I will go in by myself," I say before I start walking up the stone pathway.

"Abigail, don't!" the High King shouts at me. I ignore him though and run towards the front door. Before either of the men have any time to react though, I've opened it.

The inside of the cottage is just as beautiful as the outside. It's a single room with two doors leading off of it on the opposite side of the house. I carefully peer into the main room. Old, wooden walls and floors with low ceilings and tattered, brown rugs on the ground are what make up most of the room. It is basically empty for the rest though and there's no sign of anyone living here despite the fact that the fire is burning hot within the stone fireplace. There's also a large, long, wooden table lined up in the middle of the room and a small, single couch in the corner of the room. The windows are dotted in various spots and there are quite a few candles and cabinets spread throughout the room. I walk cautiously inside being careful with every step I take.

"Hello?" I call out, "is anyone in here?" Plop. I spin quickly to my right and look towards the bookcase. All is still. "Hello?"

"Abigail?" I scream at the voice that is suddenly in my ear and basically jump to the other side of the room. My heart rate has spiked and I grab at my heart in fright. "It's just us, relax," the High King says as they both walk in.

"So is it empty?" King Edmund asks me gingerly as he looks around.

"I think so, but I heard a book close all by itself." The Kings look at each other for a second before turning to me.

"It's not haunted, is it?" I shake my head.

"No, I don't think so. I think we'll be pretty safe here. It was probably just the wind." The Kings nod slowly before they both throw down their sacks and sit down. I hear the High King take a sharp intake of breath as he rests his arm on the table. "Do you need anything for your arm, Sire?" I ask, walking over to him. He shakes his head.

"Thank you, but no. I'll be alright." I look at him pessimistically.

"As long as you're o – "

"Abby! There's a clue on the bed!" King Edmund exclaims as he walks out of one of the doors holding a parchment in his hand. Forgetting about the King's injury for a second, I run over to where King Edmund stands excitedly.

"King Edmund, you're a genius! May I please have it?" He smiles a gorgeous smile at me before handing me the clue. I grin as I unfold it before reading over it.

'Aon qoane paim yecaled aon eosimera mo eparirl, oaed masolie kayun mo peleret mo terkeral merisaka.'

"This is going to take me a while to work out. Your Majesties, if you wouldn't mind keeping yourselves occupied for a while, I need to solve this. Even if we don't see Alia again, we still need to find this prophecy. In fact, I feel rather bad about not going back in to find her. What if she escaped the mermaids and is now looking around the cave system for us? We should really go and check." I hear the High King sigh a little and look up to him with an expression of confusion. "You don't think we should go back to try and find her?"

"Well we can't exactly go back into the cave system since the monster blocked the cave with the boulders and, even if we did, how would you expect us to find Athalia? There are hundreds if not thousands of passages in that mountain range. It would take us forever. She could've ended up anywhere," he replies. I frown and slouch down onto a chair.

"Abigail's right. We should really go and look for her."

"I know we should, but we can't get back in there. Plus, I'm injured. Athalia is extremely strong willed. She'll survive anything. We need to find this prophecy. Don't forget we are kind of under a time restriction too. We need to get to this prophecy before Marille and his buddies do."

"You're right. I suppose it is what Alia would've wanted us to do," I murmur. He smiles slightly at me.

"Precisely, which is why you should try and figure out what the clue says." I sigh and look down towards the parchment before looking over to the young, blond King.

"Thank you for saving me by the way, King Edmund." He looks up at me with a surprised expression on his face before he smiles.

"It's no big deal. All in a days' work as our father would say. I'd protect you with my life, but you are welcome all the same." Why are my cheeks feeling so hot? I blush heavily before smiling slightly and looking back down to the clue. I have a feeling I'm going to miss King Edmund when we're done with this adventure.

I hope you enjoyed both of those chapters! If you did, I would love if you could leave me a review! I love getting feedback whether good or bad and love hearing if you're enjoying the story! :) Also don't forget to alert this story and fav if you want to keep up to date with when I post new chapters! There's only 4 chapters to go, you don't want to miss this! ;)

Until next time!

- narnia and beareject fan 1 xoxo