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I smile happily at the clean feeling I'm starting to get before splashing some water all over my face and standing again. As much as I wish I could stay here for the rest of my life, there is still a prophecy to find and I need to get going and find the others before it's too late

Chapter 17: Blue Button Pool

Stepping out of the cold water has got to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do; well apart from this whole adventure anyway. My soaking, wet dress feels extremely heavy now as I sluggishly walk down the faint, dirt pathway. Kicking up dust, I wring my hair of the water that's dripping from it and breathe in the fresh air deeply. I will find the others again. They can't be that far ahead of me; especially if there were more traps awaiting them after the mermaid pool. Listening to the chirp of the birds in the trees above me slowly starts to put me in a better mood. It feels good to be in an area with living creatures again. I look up at the pink sky with a smile before glancing around at all the trees again. As my eyes look around the forest though something catches my eye. A glint of red woodwork shines through the tree leaves like a ruby. Curiosity gets the better of me and I can't control my legs as they begin to force me through the shrubbery and towards the stone. At closer inspection, I realise with joy that it's actually a small, wooden cottage. I do a small cheer before looking around the woodwork for the entry. It doesn't take me very long to find it.

The front of the cottage is stunning. Butterflies and bees flutter around all the beautiful, colourful flowers and roses. A little, stone path leads up to a wooden, front door and a trail of smoke rises from a rickety, old, stone chimney. I notice a herd of deer around the opposite side of the cottage and watch them as they all spot me and gallop away into the forest with lovely, long strides. It looks friendly enough, but since I'm always cautious of things like this, I pull out my sword and hold it in front of me. Appearances can be deceiving as I have come to realise over the years. Sometimes the most sweet, innocent looking things are the most deadly to encounter. Stalking forward, I quietly sneak up the stone path. To my disappointment, I realise that both of the windows are covered by large, thorny, rose bushes, which means I'm going to have to just go in without being able to see who or what is in there. Great; just great. Reaching up my hand, I rip open the door before jumping in.

"Freeze now or have your head chopped off with my blade!" I scream just as I hear a loud squeal followed by a slow, sarcastic clap.

"Well done. What a fantastic display of courage you just showed us. Now if you'll just put down your sword then you might actually be happy to help us all out again, Athalia." His tone isn't harsh, which is unusual, it's oddly soft actually. It sounds more like he's teasing me than anything else. I shut my eyes in disbelief and let out a sharp breath. Well at least we found the others again. Just to prove it, I feel small arms wrap around my back excitedly. I open my eyes and lay my head on hers happily.

"I'm so glad you're back and okay! I missed you so much! Please don't scare me like that again! We were going to go back and look for you when we realised there were no more traps, but a giant monster blocked the entrance so we couldn't go back into the cave system. Wow, you look like a mess," Abby tells me in one, foul swoop.

"Thank you, Abby. Sliding down rocks tends to do that to a person. I am glad to be back though. I missed you too; more than you could ever believe." I look up then and spy both of the Kings. King Edmund is sitting on a large seat, while the High King is laying down. "In fact, I missed all of you," I say, my eyes landing on the High Kings arm which is looking to be in not the best shape. I throw my satchel down and take off my sword before I walk over to him and kneel down. The wound is very large and looks swollen. "Would you like me to clean this up for you? It looks like you got yourself into quite the pickle," I ask as nicely as I can, pushing my feelings towards him to the side for a moment. He looks like he's in pain, but trying to hide it from the others. He gives me the slightest nod as he winces.

"I would really appreciate that." I smile despite myself and quickly collect some water and cloths before sitting down in front of him.

"What happened?" He looks sheepish before he chuckles to himself.

"I got onto the back of a large, giant troll and stabbed him, only to be grabbed after a while and thrown against a tree." I stop. Wait – what?

"You got thrown against a tree? Are you sore anywhere else?" I ask, my voice raised in disbelief.

"My back and ribs are hurting, but not as bad as my arm." I shake my head.

"You sure are one tough warrior. You're lucky it wasn't worse." He laughs along with me, the absurdity of the situation ringing out over the whole mood of the cottage.

"I know right? At least we have somewhere to recover while we try and work out what to do next after that fiasco," he says his eyes gleaming. He looks as me intently before his face drops slightly, becoming more serious. "I am really glad you found your way back to us. I mean it. We all missed you." I smile. Was that nearly a compliment? I shake it off. It can't be, he doesn't like me.

"Did you happen to find any more clues while I was gone or, better yet, the prophecy?" I ask, changing the subject. The High King frowns slightly at the change of topic before he lays his head back down on the cushion under his head. I continue to clean up his arm as I wait for a response. I can feel Abby and King Edmund's eyes on my back, but choose to ignore them.

"We haven't found the prophecy yet, but I did find a clue sitting on one of the beds in here. Abby has taken an hour to interpret it. She only just figured it out. In fact, she was just about to tell us what it says when you jumped in. So go ahead, Abby, do tell us!" King Edmund explains. I turn my head to look at him only to notice that he's looking at Abby with adoring eyes. I smirk slightly before turning my attention back to the High King.

"'Aon qoane paim yecaled aon eosimera mo eparirl, oaed masolie kayun mo peleret mo terkeral merisaka', which means 'The closer you get the easier to find, it takes two to open to what's inside.' I'm not too sure what it means yet, but I have a feeling it means it's going to be a hard place to find and that only two people have to go. I'm voting for Athalia and the High King. They're the strongest in our group and the most capable warriors – no offence, King Edmund," she tells us. I can hear the smile in her voice, but her suggestion. I shake my head.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going anywhere with him. Whatever it is, I'm sure I can do it by myself." I can feel three sets of eyes on me at once. I know I'm probably just sounding petty, but just because I was apart from them, doesn't mean all the feelings have changed between us. It's going to take more than a compliment for me to be able to trust him fully. I finish up on the High Kings arm before standing up. At least it can properly heal now.

"We will worry about that when we get there, but for now, Abigail, do you have any idea where we may need to go?" the High King inquires with a solemn expression planted on his strong, facial features. She shakes her head sadly.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, but it doesn't give us any hints on the clue as to where it is. Perhaps we should just have a day of rest while we all think about it. I think we could all use a bit of a break. We've barely had a wink of sleep and I'm sure we're all dying for a bit of a break," she suggests while sitting down on the small, coffee table.

"I like that idea, Abby. I've had an emotional morning. I need some sleep," I say as I stand up and stretch. I hear a sigh come from the High King before he stands also. He opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it quickly as he takes in my glare. Wise move, King. I am in no mood for an argument. "Which one is our bedroom, Abby?" She smiles brightly at me and grabs my hand before dragging me over to the bedroom on the far left. Excitedly she pushes open the door and shoves me inside.

"Your bed is the one on the right. I'll leave you to it," she tells me with a quick hug before scurrying out of the room and closing the door. I watch her go, curious as to her palpable excitement, and shrug. That seemed weird, but I suppose she's probably over tired. I yawn loudly then and sit down on the bed; taking the ribbon out my hair to make it more comfortable to lie down. I think about getting dressed for a split second but decide against it. I really can't be bothered right now. Falling back onto the soft, heather mattress has got to be the best feeling ever; even better than the feeling of getting clean in the river earlier today. I smile in peace before ignoring all the sounds around me and falling into my subconscious blissfully.

7am the next day

"Athalia? We're all going to the small pool for a little while to try and think of places to go; did you want to come with us?" What did she just say? She doesn't even give me a chance to reply – or wake up for that matter – before she's dragging me out of the bed. "Hurry up; we're all tired of this cottage. We just want some fresh air for a while." I groan and rub my hand over my face once before doing as she commanded and getting out of the comfortable bed. I stretch my arms into the air and put them back down before allowing Abby to drag me out of the room and into the main room.

"Athalia? Are you planning on getting dressed into proper clothes any time soon? That dress has pretty much had it I think. I can see more skin than dress at the moment. No offence, I just think you'll be more comfortable in a dress that isn't torn to shreds." Abigail nods in agreement to the High King's words.

"He's right, Alia. Go and get dressed and then we'll head off."

"What about breakfast? I'm starving!"

"We'll think about that when we get to the pool. There are plenty of fruit trees around, now hurry! Please!" I give her an annoying glance while turning on my heels and heading back into our bedroom. Once I'm in a not-so-torn-up dress and have my satchel handy, just in case, we leave our darling cottage. The morning sun has already risen up high in the sky creating a beautiful atmosphere within the forest. Birds sing, insects chirp, and the leaves rustle with the gentle breeze singing its own joyful song. Having not had time yesterday to truly explore the forest, it's nice to be able to have a proper look around. I follow Abby and two Kings silently, nibbling on an apple I had picked a little earlier, not exactly sure where we are or where we are headed. It seems to be some sort of faint, dirt path. It leads us through the main part of the forest and across a stream before we come out into an open meadow on the outskirts of the forest.

A massive cliff face with a giant waterfall pouring off of it is the main part of this meadow. A dozen or so little streams run into the blue, cool pool below it causing the place to become an inlet of sorts. A few stray bushes are scattered around on the grass and a bright, green moss covers the various stones and boulders. There's also a massive, dead tree lying on one side with various animals and creatures scurrying over and throughout it. I take a seat on a boulder next to the pool while King Edmund pulls off his shirt and bombs into the freezing, blue water, drenching me in a second. I hear the High King's deep laughter atop of Abby's light, shrill giggle.

I roll my eyes at them, ignoring my now wet dress, and take the ribbon out of my hair before shaking my head to loosen the bun. It falls down my back in gentle waves so I fling it over one shoulder and lay back; the hot rock warm against my cold back feels too good to be true. Ah, that's nice. I hear a splash then followed by King Edmunds laugh and look up in time to see Abigail rise out of the water. She laughs as well and splashes him with handfuls of water. I lie back down and close my eyes, deciding quickly that it's not worth the effort of sitting up just to watch them mess around.

"Comfortable?"

"Very." I hear him slide down next to me and open one eye out of curiosity. He's in the same position as me and looking at me with a smile. He's silent though; so I close my eye again and try to tune him out. No such luck.

"I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, mostly once you were gone and we were stuck in the cave system, and I've decided that there is no point in us fighting anymore. What is it really achieving? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. So, as a conclusion, I have decided to be friends with you or at least one of your acquaintances. I just don't want this whole adventure to be tainted in darkness by us arguing all the time. Things will be a lot easier if we can just accept it and be friends, so what do you say?" Well, Alia…

"For us to be friends would mean I have to be friendly to you and listen to you; in other words, I would lose all of the authority that I have at the moment, and I'm perfectly happy with my authority, so no, I don't wish to be friends with you, Your Majesty. I'd much rather you listen to me, keep your mouth shut, and let Abby and I figure out where this prophecy is. Does that sound good? Because I for one think it sounds much better than your option." He's trying to fix things between us. Why am I being so difficult? What's so wrong about just being friends?

"Very well. If that's what you wish then so be it, but you can never say I didn't try to fix things between us." His tone isn't sharp, more matter of fact and laid back than I would've imagined. I hear him get up then and walk away, his shoes making soft sounds against the mossy rocks. I can't help the smile that flutters at the corner of my lips once he's at a safe distance away from me. He is trying to be nice...maybe I should just give him the benefit of the doubt. I sigh and am just about drift out when a massive splash scares me back to reality.

"Athalia! There's a cave under this waterfall!" King Edmund exclaims suddenly. I bolt upright and run to the edge in an instant.

"Where?"

"It's underwater in the rock face. I don't have the lungs to go down in and check to see where it goes though and Abby doesn't feel comfortable with trying either." I frown, my expression drawing Abby's attention to me at once.

"Move over. I'm goi – "

"Wait, Alia. It might be the way to the prophecy! You and His Majesty should both go down together. The clue said it had to be two of you."

"The clue's wrong. I can do it by myself!" I say hurriedly as I take a deep breath in.

"But, Alia – " I dive into the water without a second thought before opening my eyes and swimming towards the rock face. I surface for air quickly once I've spotted the cave before diving back under and swimming into it. The cave is pitch black. I can't see a thing. My mind races a million times a minute as I swim further and further into it. I feel my throat starting to constrict as my lungs beg for me to take a breath of air. I try to keep from panicking as the tunnel goes further and further in. I take another stroke forward only to feel hard rock smash into my hand. I start suddenly and look around hurriedly; needing air badly. I look up only to notice a bit of light. Trying to keep a straight mind, I swim as fast as I can up to the air. As I break the surface of the water, I breathe heavily before dragging myself up out of the water by the rock wall. I lay on the ground exhausted, trying to catch my breath for a good few minutes, before standing up on my two wobbly legs and wringing out my dress and hair. Shaking my head slightly to clear my mind, I look around the cavern which I've entered.

It's basically bare. The light seems to be coming from the rocks themselves; not a torch like I had first expected. I barely notice that though. My main focus is on the massive door that is built into the rock. The door seems to be made of silver, but it's gained rust over time giving it a dark tinge. Carved onto it are the most beautiful carvings I have ever seen. Dead smack in the middle of the door is a massive carving of Aslan's face. It's so finely detailed that it looks like he's just bashed his head into it. The other carvings surrounding that are of buildings; houses and cottages and castles. It looks like a city. Streets are lined between the houses with various trees and people walking throughout it. The prophecy must be through that doorway. Its got to be.

I look around for a lever or something in the walls, feeling around the rocks for anything that may move, before I notice two buttons on the ground; as far away from each other as possible. Great. I frown and stand on the closest one to me. I feel myself sink down into the ground a little as the button becomes floor level before I hear something unlock. I look up in time to see one side of Aslan's face fall and his mouth drop open so that it looks like half of his face is roaring and the other side isn't. I step off the button experimentally and frown when his magnificent mouth closes again. Maybe I should try the other side. I walk over to the other button. Cautiously I stand on it and look up to the giant Aslan. The other side of his face falls just like the other one did. Maybe I should place something onto the other button? That could work! I take my satchel off and drop it onto the button I'm standing on before stepping off of it. The button rises as does Aslan's face. Beards and breadsticks. It looks like I'm going to have to ask the High King to join me after all. I groan in misery. Why, Aslan, why? I leave my satchel there on the ground, knowing it's safe, before hopping back into the water and going under again. Once I'm out, everyone comes over to me at once. The High King holds his hand out for me to grab onto and I grudgingly accept, too tired and exhausted to try and pull myself out again. He helps me out of the pool and sits me on the rock while I take in air again.

"So did you find anything?"

"Is the prophecy there?"

"Why have you come back without the prophecy?" I hold in a groan at all the questions but decide that a quick, straight-forward answer is probably the best way to go.

"It's in there alright. There's a massive, silver door which is obviously the entrance to something, but there's two buttons which means I'm going to need help." Abby looks at me expectantly before looking to the High King and back to me while King Edmund sits there smiling smugly at me. I hesitate; crossing my arms across my chest and kicking the ground with my foot. Abby nudges me, my unwillingness to look or speak to the High King evident I'm sure.

"Which means…" Abby trails off with a smirk on her all-knowing face.

"Which means I need you to come with me, High King," I mumble. Another nudge from Abby causes me to sigh and look him in the eyes. "Please." There. That wasn't so hard was it, Alia?

This is not going to end well.

"It would be my pleasure to help you, Athalia. Let's go. We don't have much longer." I nod once and hop back into the freezing, cold water without hesitation. The High King follows suit happily; bounding into the water with ease and diving beneath the surface. He comes up right beside me and playfully splashes me which, admittedly, causes a slight smile to form on my lips.

"Let's get this over and done with. Follow me, Your Majesty. Take a really deep breath; it's quite a long tunnel." He nods at me and looks to be mentally preparing himself for it.

"Noted. Alright, now let's go. The faster we can reach this prophecy the better." I don't worry about replying, instead I take a deep breath in before sinking down and heading back into the cave. I can vaguely hear the High King do the same as he follows me into the tunnel. We arise shortly after, both of us gasping for air in the tight, small, concealed place. "You really weren't kidding around when you said it was quite the distance were you?" I shake my head at him and purse my lips.

"No. Now hurry, lets get this door open so we can get this prophecy," I say as I walk forward and stand on one of the buttons.

"O – wow, look at this door. It's amazing. The detail is phenomenal," he murmurs as he walks forwards to touch the fine detailing carved into and on top of the silver.

"Your Majesty! Focus. Please. For my sake." He looks over to me with an apologetic expression before he walks over to the other button. As soon as he stands on it the Aslan on the wall becomes one piece; his mouth wide open as if he's roaring at something. Something peculiar starts to happen suddenly. I expected that once we had stood on the buttons the door would swing open and reveal the prophecy, but it doesn't do that at all. Instead, the door roars, like, really roars – loudly. It shakes the whole cavern throwing my balance off and tossing me to the ground. I glance over to the High King only to see him on the ground also.

"What's going on?" he shouts at me as he tries to steady himself on the ground.

"I don't know! I thought it would open up to reveal the prophecy!" I scream in reply.

"So did I!" I look up to the door in a panic before all my insides freeze up. My eyes grow wide as I take in the view in front of me. Gold. The door is turning gold. As the room shakes, the silver on the door begins to get darker and more yellow. It's like when you put coloured dye in water. It starts off clear but as you shake it, the dye spreads so that in the end all the water has turned into the colour of the dye. The silver gives way to the gold; every second the colour becomes more refined and perfect. Once the door is removed of all traces of silver; the room stops shaking. My head is spinning in circles and it takes me a second to gain enough balance to be able to stand again. Once the King and I are both standing again, I look back to the now gold door. Curiously I watch it as Aslan's face sinks into the gold, dissolving into nothing, before a new picture comes up. The small, city landscape that was on patches around the door suddenly expands; taking up the whole door. The rocks on the wall, that were glowing when we got here, have now taken on a silver look and, as weird as this sounds, the glow seems to be moving towards the door. As it reaches it, it makes a path through the streets before reaching a centre point on what looks like a castle. The glow then moulds into one and becomes the ball of light that had helped me in the dark pit with the clue. The light stays where it is but changes shape so that it now looks like a parchment; like a prophecy. It places itself on the castle again before it disappears altogether. Suddenly the door splits in half and swings open. What we see inside makes my jaw drop to the ground in shock and the High King say one word:

"Golly."

Only 2 more chapters to go! What do you think they've discovered inside? Let me know in a review. :) Also make sure to follow and fav the story if you want to see how it ends!

Until next week!

- narnia and bearejectfan 1