Authors Note: Just going to place a warning here, there are some distressing scenes in this chapter, but I hope it won't affect anyone too much! AA
"This is an outrage, it is treason!"
Wulfric sighed as the volume of voices quickly rose and he could only sit there with his head in his hands and listen to them rant and argue. The Lone Islanders were furious when it was revealed to them that Peter had not been the one to send for their aid and instead that it had been William and Wulfric. Now he was sat in the tent of their leader, sipping on the wine they had brought and hoping that he would soon be free to leave.
"You have forced my father to send his army here under false pretences, this cannot go unpunished!" Roared Einarr, he was the son of the Governor of the Lone Islands and had been chosen to lead his father's soldiers into battle.
"Narnia needs the army of the Lone Islanders, war is coming and without your aid, Narnia will fall," Wulfric implored, the exhaustion visible in his face.
"If that is true, then why are we hiding in the middle of nowhere and not being hosted at Cair Paravel as we should be?" Einarr demanded, narrowing his eyes. "If Narnia were truly under threat, then we would be in the presence of the Kings and Queens, yet they are knowingly absent."
Wulfric stared back at him; his jaw taut as he tried not to snap at the young Lord. Fallon stood beside him, and Wulfric could feel him tense up at Einarr's tone, but thankfully the Minotaur remained where he was.
"Cair Paravel is too close to Galma, with the possibility of invasion happening very soon, we thought it best to move the army further inland, the Kings and Queens are finishing up matters at the castle and will join us shortly," Wulfric explained, trying his best to sound pleasant, yet it was obvious his patience was wearing thin.
Einarr gave a scoff at his words, but before Wulfric could continue, the young Knight who stood next to his Lord cleared his throat and attracted everyone's attention. His calm eyes swept across everyone as he began to speak and immediately Wulfric wished that he were the leader of the army and not the stubborn Einarr.
"Pardon me My Lords, I fear this argument will not got us anywhere, I suggest we wait for the Kings and Queens to arrive to settle this matter, in the meantime we will set up the rest of our camp and make ourselves available for any help that is needed," he said clearly, ignoring the irritated look Einarr shot his way.
"What is your name?" Wulfric asked him, giving the first genuine smile since he had stepped foot into the tent.
"I am Sir Halmund, the Lord Einarr's aide-de camp," he answered with a slight bow of his head, which Wulfric returned.
"I shall remember the name," Wulfric replied as he turned his attention back to Einarr. "I say Sir Halmund is right, let this matter be settled when the Kings and Queens arrive, but know this, what we did, we did for Narnia and nothing will ever make us regret it," he added firmly.
"I will agree to let the Kings and Queens settle the matter and explain it all to us, however I will state that I do not agree with what you have done, I consider it a dishonourable act, despite your intentions being noble," Einarr replied, his eyes locking onto Wulfric's. "I will write to my father at Narrowhaven and will inform him of what has transpired here, be sure of that."
Wulfric nodded slowly before rising to his feet, he then gave a low courteous bow to Einarr, who watched the older man carefully. Fallon remained where he stood, his eyes burning into the skulls of the Lone Islanders and intimidating them fully.
"Very well, then let us have no more talk of this until their Majesties have arrived, we bid you welcome to this camp and name you honoured guests," Wulfric announced, to which the Lone Islanders bowed their heads in response.
Wulfric then turned and exited the tent, Fallon following after one last intense stare. He watched as Wulfric let out a long sigh as he closed his eyes and allowed the faint Narnian breeze to flutter across his face.
"That Lord is pompous and arrogant, I do not see him as an ally," Fallon fumed, causing Wulfric to turn to him with a small chuckle.
"He is proud Fallon that is all, dishonesty is seriously taken by people of his nature, his reaction was understandable," Wulfric replied. "I am sure the Lone Islanders will do their part when the war begins."
"We'll see about that, right now I just hope Lord William can convince the Kings and Queens to trust him, we cannot have this army divided before the first battle," Fallon said, finally letting that unsettling thought out of his mind.
"William has overcome the odds many times Fallon, I believe in him just as much as I believe in Aslan, he will not fail us," Wulfric answered assuredly, which caused Fallon to smile.
"Then the Phoenix has my faith as well and we should all be grateful that he has returned to us!" Fallon exclaimed as he and Wulfric returned to the camps, their faith keeping their spirits high.
The great hall of Cair Paravel was practically buzzing, as everyone in the castle had gathered for the magnificent feast which had been prepared. All were still fearful of the war they now knew was coming, but tonight their fears had subsided as they celebrated the return of the Phoenix.
William sat at the high table, in the seat of honour, now dressed in a dark green tunic which made his own green eyes stand out even more. He smiled courteously and laughed politely, but Susan could tell he felt uncomfortable. The way he shifted his body every now and then proved that he did not want to be made a fuss of, but it was heartening for the Narnians to revel at the sight of him, so he sat there and ate and drank without complaint, another small task in service to Narnia.
So, the night wore on and the numerous tables of food came and went, while ales, wines and meads flowed freely and left many feeling merry. Susan finally decided to rescue him when watching several courtiers dance in front of their table in a sea of different coloured swirls of fabric. She got up from her seat and turned to William who was in a conversation with Lucy and cleared her throat, which caused both her brothers to look at her with slight confusion.
"Lord William," she called, causing him to turn to her, his green eyes meeting her blue ones. "Would you mind accompanying me onto the dance floor?" Susan asked, extending her hand out for him to take.
"Thank you for the offer Your Majesty, but it has been so long since I last danced, I fear it would be an embarrassing sight," William replied, trying to decline in the politest of ways.
"I am sure you will be splendid and seeing as you are the guest of honour, gracing us with a dance would be a sign of gratitude," Susan countered, a small smile on her lips and her hand still outstretched.
"It is not wise to argue with Susan, William, we have all found out the hard way on that account," Edmund said, with a slight chuckle.
William sighed, before pushing back his chair and standing up. He then took Susan's hand and allowed her to lead him onto the dance floor, where the crowd had stopped and awaited their arrival.
Susan could feel her heart beating fiercely within her chest, though she did not know why she felt so nervous. William's hand was warm against her palm, but it also felt gentle, as if it could not do anyone harm, though Susan had seen for herself how deadly they can be when threatened.
They took their spot in the centre of the dance floor, both were aware that all eyes were now upon them, William particularly felt uncomfortable in this position and Susan felt a stab of sympathy for putting him in this situation.
"I hope you will be able to master our dances," Susan said softly, a small smile gracing her lips.
"Dances are passed through the generations, if the ones I knew managed to survive, then I am sure I will be fine," he replied, matching her smile with one of his own.
He slowly placed a tender hand on her waist as she draped hers upon his shoulder, they were pressed close together now and William could feel her breath upon his chin. He took a deep breath as Susan nodded to the musicians and quickly soft music once again drifted around the hall and Susan and William began to move.
Their dance was fluid and elegant, their bodies seemed to fit perfectly well together as they spun around the hall, only slightly aware of other dancers in their vicinity. Susan gripped his shoulder tightly and soon found herself looking up into those deep green eyes and she could not look away.
There was something in his eyes that seemed to draw in, she could not explain it, nor had she felt this way before. William also seemed unable to pull away as he looked mesmerised at her, then his look changed to what looked like shame as the music slowly ended and the dancers finished their performances and applauded the musicians.
All except Susan and William, who stood staring at one another, both breathless and both wondering what it was they discovered within one another. Eventually they slowly released their grips on each other, and William looked around at the crowd around them, seeing several intrigued faces looking their way. He then bowed stiffly to Susan but refused to meet her eyes again.
"Forgive me Susan," he whispered, and Susan looked confused at what offence thought he had had committed, she reached out a hand to comfort him, but he backed away from her touch, like it would burn him. "I must go," he said quickly, before he turned and hurried out the hall, leaving a worried Susan behind him.
The lights from Cair Paravel shone down upon the white sands of the beach below, while the waves of the ocean moved gently against the shore. The moon shimmered off the dark waters as William sat on the sands, tears brimming in his eyes as the painful memories continued to breach his mind.
His past had begun to flash before his eyes when he had first stepped foot in Cair Paravel once again. He could see the faces that now haunted it, everyone he knew, everyone he cared about, they were all gone now, and he couldn't shake the feeling of loneliness that gripped his heart with icy fingers.
The dance with Susan was the worst of it, for he remembered dancing in that very hall, with Swanwhite in his arms, laughing and smiling and leaving him absolutely breathless in her presence. That was the first time he had danced with anyone since his last with his beloved wife and he could not help but feel a stab of shame within his heart.
"I've always loved the sea, haven't you?" the voice of Swanwhite asked in his head and William had to look up startled, he could hear so clearly almost as if she was standing in front of him once again and he gave a small smile as another memory appeared before his eyes.
The sun shone high above them as William stood on the beach, watching as Swanwhite frolicked in the water, holding her long white dress up to her knees. She turned to him with a bright smile, her sapphire blue eyes alight with joy and her long blonde hair blowing freely in the sea breeze.
"I grew up in a large city away from the coast, we didn't have much opportunity for beach trips," William informed as she slowly came out of the water and approached him with a small pout on her lips.
"That's so sad," she said as she reached up a placed a small kiss upon his lips, she was teasing him, and he knew it.
"We should go, the ship is waiting for us," William urged, trying to resist the temptation.
"I thought being Queen means that the ship will depart when I am ready," She shot back with a laugh, a sound that always melted his heart.
"It is a long journey to the Lone Islands, we should not delay otherwise we will have complaints from the others," William responded, trying to think wisely and not about how she was driving him wild with their closeness.
"By others, you mean your brother of course," she said with a knowing look.
"Since our marriage, he is now your brother too, but yes I understand he is not the most patient of men," William replied with a chuckle, knowing just how difficult his brother could be.
"I'm worried about him William, something has changed in him, and I do not like it," Swanwhite admitted, her tone now more serious. "He spends most of his time at Northguard now and I have heard he rides out frequently to the Wild Lands alone."
"I've noticed it too, which is why I have asked him to come with us, he needs to get away from Northguard and spend time with his family, for the fort is dreary, despite its necessity,"
Swanwhite nodded at that as she turned her gaze further up the beach, where several ships lay at anchor, but one stood out amongst them all, the glorious royal ship, The Golden Lion glowed in the sunlight.
"Something is coming, I can feel it, there is something different in the air," Swanwhite said softly as she shivered slightly.
William instantly took her into his arms and placed a gentle kiss upon the top of her head as they rocked together in unison. He knew she was afraid, and he was as well, for he too felt that chill on the back of his neck, there was a storm brewing somewhere in the distance and one day soon, it would hit their shores.
"Whatever comes, we will face it together," William promised, and he felt her nod against his chest.
Tears fell into the sand as William stirred from the memory, which had happened on the very sands he was now sitting. Those days seemed perfect then, but they had sensed it would not last and it wasn't long after that conversation that they had been betrayed and their world had come crumbling down around them. Narnia was now in it's darkest hour, whether it realised it or not and William was determined not to let it fall again.
It was the wail that awoke Lucille from her slumber, it came from somewhere down the hall and sounded like a wounded animal. She slowly got out of bed and put on her nightgown, before hesitantly opening her door and stepping out into the hallway.
The noise came again, louder this time and she trembled slightly for she felt the pain within the sound, and she knew that something terrible had happened. Despite the fear she felt, she forced herself to move down the hallway, the torches on the stone walls lighting her way.
When she reached the end of the hallway, she came upon two of the castle maids. One was hunched in the corner, her hair in disarray and her clothing torn, while the other was trying to whisper words of comfort before startling at the appearance of the Princess and quickly curtsying.
"Princess," she said with trepidation in her voice, while the other maid continued to cry, the tears spilling down her cheeks.
"What has happened?" Lucille asked, her concerned eyes flicking between the two.
"A slight accident is all Princess, nothing I cannot manage," the maid replied, and Lucille could tell she was trying to protect her friend, but she could not leave them in this predicament, so she gently moved the maid out of her way and kneeled down towards the other.
"It's alright, do not be frightened, look at me," Lucille cooed as she reached forward and tipped the trembling girls chin up to look at her and Lucille instantly saw the purple bruising amongst her cheek.
Her eyes then moved down her body and her stomach twisted when she saw the blood stains upon the bottom half of her dress, and she knew what had transpired. The girl looked at the Princess terrified, but Lucille took her hand in hers and held it firmly, trying to show the girl that she did not need to be afraid.
"Who did this?" Lucille questioned, but the girl looked at her wide eyed, before turning to her friend for support.
"It is best that it is left unsaid Your Royal Highness, an accusation of this magnitude will ruin her," the maid informed solemnly.
"I understand you are frightened, but justice must be done, speak his name," Lucille implored, which caused the maid to look at her friend with a look of heartbreak.
"It was Prince Aemen, Your Royal Highness," the maid said softly, causing her friend to wail once again.
Lucille closed her eyes at that for she knew her brother had committed an horrific act and now she had to decide what to do about it. She had always tried to ignore the monster her brother had become over the years but looking at the young girl's tear-stricken face, she knew that she could ignore it no longer.
"Take her to the infirmary and speak of this to no one else," Lucille ordered as she stood back up to her full height.
The maid nodded and quickly helped her friend to her feet, before they moved off down the hallway, the girl's sniffles receding until silence fell. Lucille then turned in the direction of her brother's bedchamber and with a look of fury, she marched towards it.
When she approached his door, laughter sounded from the other side of it and that made Lucille's blood boil. She opened it without hesitation and stormed into the spacious chamber within, where the luxury of the Prince was everywhere she looked.
The flames of candles danced within their golden holds, which caused shadows to come alive on the tapestry walls. An enormous king-sized bed sat at the far end of the chamber, cushions, and blankets all in a jumble and Lucille could see a patch of blood staining the white silken sheets, he had not even attempted to hide what had happened there.
Laughter caused her to snap her neck towards the eastern side of the chamber, where a large fireplace blazed. Beside it sat a small table with comfortable chairs and that is where she found her brother, surrounded by his favourite courtiers, who all turned their gazes to her in surprise.
"Sister, to what do I owe this visit at such a late hour?" Aemen asked dryly, as he sat back in his chair wearing a silver silk tunic, his feet were propped up on the table and a goblet of wine was in his hand.
"There is an urgent matter we need to discuss, so I suggest you send your bootlickers away," Lucille shot back, which only gained an amused expression from him.
"Ooh such harsh words Lucille, which is no way to treat guests, what incident has occurred that has made you misplace your manners?" he inquired, though Lucille saw the enjoyment flickering in his eyes.
"I found one of the maids injured down the hall, your name came up in a most uncomfortable conversation," Lucille said, her anger lacing her words.
Aemen watched her with unconcerned eyes, she could see he felt no emotion about the matter she had just raised, but he sensed the warning and bowed his head in acquiesce.
"Gentlemen, it seems I must speak to my sister in private, leave us,"
They stood up immediately and bowed to him before taking their leave, each one passed Lucille with sheepish bows of their head. Sir Bortas however was slow to follow his Prince's command and instead stared down at Lucille with almost loathing, which Aemen noticed and chuckled at.
"Aemen, tell your brute to leave, before I have his head on a spike," Lucille threatened, though she knew it was an empty one, for there was no man on the island of Galma who would even consider facing Bortas in combat, Primus being the only exception perhaps.
"Peace Bortas, my sister is not a threat to us," Aemen joked, yet his eyes found Lucille again and there was something dark within them and it frightened her. "Not yet anyway."
"My Prince," Bortas said bowing, before he finally stepped away from Lucille and exited the chamber, leaving the siblings alone at last.
"So, you have come about the maid, is she squealing already?" He asked, in an almost bored tone.
"She tried to hide your actions from me actually, I had to pry them out of her," Lucille informed, her anger now rising within her.
Aemen gave an approved nod at that as he stood up from his chair and downed the last of his wine in a dramatic movement. He then proceeded to stretch the exhaustion away from his body as he moved away from the table and headed towards the blood-stained bed, which he tutted at, before turning back to her.
"Is that all sweet sister or is there more to the matter you want to discuss?" he asked, which shocked her even more and caused her to scoff in disbelief.
"You're not even ashamed of what you've done are you?" she countered, which caused him to sigh and cross his arms. "You've ruined that girl's life Aemen!"
"She's a commoner, she has no life!" Aemen shouted, his irritation at the conversation finally turning into anger. "She's a maid and not a very good one at that, she is mine to do as I wish."
Lucille stood back in shock at his words, for she could not believe they were being spoken by her own brother. Admittedly he had never been the nicest of children, but she had never thought he was evil, not until this moment.
"Listen to the words that are spilling out of your mouth, they are poison. If father hears about this, he will be appalled," Lucille warned, however his response was to only laugh in her face.
"Father doesn't care what I do, he never has, he's too busy trying to create his precious empire,"
"Then what about mother, how would she feel seeing her son commit such a heinous act?"
"Mother?" "Mother is dead Lucille, she won't see anything we do now, because she's decaying in the cold ground and one day soon, we will all end up the same way, even your precious Primus," Aemen proclaimed, drawing a horrified look from Lucille.
"Primus would not stand for this, for he is a better man than you," Lucille snarled, which only caused Aemen to laugh even more.
"You think I care what your lover thinks of me and yes sweet sister, I know all about you and him," Aemen informed her, a smirk upon his lips. "It was I that convinced father to give your hand to Veghar, for I do not want your uncontrollable mouth around me when I am King, while I will make it my quest to ensure Primus does not live long enough to see me crowned."
Lucille was speechless as everything he said rushed over her like a wave, then her fury took over and before she even knew what she was doing, she charged at him and began hitting him repeatedly in the face, sending him scurrying backwards trying to shield himself from her blows.
"You're a loathsome, malicious weasel!" She roared as she continued to rain punches down upon him. "I'll kill you!"
He however caught her wrist and then backhanded her across the face, sending her sprawling to the floor, the metallic taste of blood now in her mouth. He stumbled back to his feet and looked down at her, breathing heavily.
She turned herself over and looked up at his looming figure as he bent down towards her and wrapped his hand around her throat. She could feel his fingers tightening across her windpipe as she gasped for breath, wondering if her brother was really going to murder her here and now.
"You forget your place Lucille, for I will be one day be King, while you will rot in the Phantom Isles being repeatedly mounted by your beast of a husband," Aemen sneered down at her as she continued to struggle for oxygen.
Finally, he released her throat, leaving her spluttering and wheezing upon the floor as he turned back to his bed and proceeded to rip off his tunic, revealing his hairless, pale torso. Lucille slowly pushed herself back up to her feet and looked at Aemen with fear as she tried to regain her breath.
"You can leave now, I need to bathe, that maid has left me feeling filthy," Aemen said dismissively as he gestured at her to go. "Send one of the others to come and clean the bed as well."
Lucille didn't answer, she just turned and ran out of the room and continued to run until she felt far enough away from the monster's lair. Then she stopped and collapsed against a wall, her tears now falling freely as she slid down onto the floor, wishing that Primus were there to take her in his arms, but she was alone now and would have to battle this monster on her without him by her side.
The hour had grown late upon the Dancing Lawn, but still the bonfire burned brightly and the gathered Narnians continued to celebrate, for word had reached them that William the Phoenix, their great Protector, who had fought so bravely for Narnia in the past, had returned to them.
Many had gathered, Fauns, Satyrs, Centaurs, Dryads, Naiads, Dwarves, and a variety of Talking Animals, cheered and praised the Phoenix, their Kings and Queens and Aslan himself, for they knew all would protect them for the new threat that was coming to Narnia.
Phalus excitedly made his way through the crowd, for there had not been a celebration this grand in his lifetime, not since the fall of the White Witch, which happened not long after his birth and therefore he had no memory of it. His father had gone off to fight at Beruna and had returned with the story of battle, his parents had then both watched the coronation with the Kings and Queens with pride, before settling down in the woods not far from the Lawn.
They had told him all the stories and now Phalus's heart called out for adventure, he wanted to fight alongside King Peter and King Edmund, he wanted to learn archery from Queen Susan, dance with Queen Lucy, but most importantly he wanted to meet Aslan himself and feel the magic of the Lion.
"Phalus, there you are!" the voice of his mother rang out.
He turned to see her smiling face and he smiled brightly as she picked him up and twirled him around, both of them dancing together. A thunderous applause then echoed around them as they saw the crowd stop dancing and turn to a figure who stepped out into the centre of the Lawn.
"It is father!" Phalus cried happily as his mother put him down and draped her arms over his young shoulders.
"He is going to sing," his mother informed and Phalus became excited at the prospect, for he knew his father had been composing a song for most of the day, struggling to get it exactly right in honour of the Phoenix's return.
The crowd hushed as his father prepared, he bowed to everyone gathered and with one last clear of the throat, he bellowed out in a great baritone voice and Phalus could see everything his father sung about.
He stared into the bonfire and saw all the battles the Phoenix had fought, all his adventures where he dared to go where others feared to tread. His hoof tapped with the beat of his father's song and his heart seemed to sore, he had never been happier, and he couldn't wait for when he was old enough to have an adventure of his own.
Something then whizzed past his ear and hit his father squarely in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards and cutting his song off at a high note. Everyone looked at him confused, until he moved forward, and everyone could see the arrow that protruded out of his chest.
Panic rippled through the crowd as a series of loud cries shouted from the back as shadows emerged out of the surrounding trees and launched themselves into the gathered Narnians, hacking them down without mercy. Phalus's mother picked him up and quickly ran through the crowd, trying to find a route of escape.
Screams reverberated into the night as tears streamed down Phalus's little face, horrified by what he was seeing. His mother put him down next to one of the trees and forced him to look her in the eyes.
"Phalus, you must run, get out of here," she instructed him.
"Come with me mother, please," he begged and the look of heartbreak on his made her voice catch in her throat.
"I cannot leave your father, I just can't, I love you," she said, before turning and running back into the stampeding crowd.
"Mother, come back!" he cried, but she did not look back, she continued running, pushing her way through to where his father still lied motionless. She almost made it too, but when she was a few feet away, she was intercepted and quickly cut down, which caused Phalus to let out an agonising scream, one that attracted the shadows towards him.
They gathered around him and as they got closer Phalus realised they were not shadows, they were Men, all wearing fur cloaks and carrying bloodied swords and axes. They surrounded him and he trembled in their wake, one then approached him and grabbed him by his hair, causing Phalus to let out a whelp.
"Well, we have a young one, what do we do with him?" he asked, while others laughed and jeered.
"King Veghar should decide," said another as they all turned to where the black bearded Veghar emerged out of the horde, his axes dripping with Narnian blood. His eyes fell on Phalus, and he looked at him as if he were an insect, one which he wanted to squish.
"I have no need of a creature such as that, get rid of him," Veghar ordered, and the rest of his men laughed as Phalus looked up at them as if they were wolves ready to tear him limb from limb.
"Unhand him," a voice said and Phalus looked to see another man forcing his way to the front of the mob. He was dressed different from the others, wearing chainmail accompanied by a brown leather tunic.
He looked around at all the men sternly and they all grumbled at his presence, while Veghar gave the man a death glare. Primus didn't hesitate to grab Phalus by the shoulder and rip him out of the Phantom Men's grasp, drawing angry growls from them all.
"I knew you wouldn't have the stomach to do what needed to be done," Veghar derided as Primus held Phalus to him, staring back at Veghar with unwavering eyes.
"Harming children never needs to be done, it is an evil act, one that I will not see done in my presence," Primus said firmly, not showing any signs of fear towards the Phantom Men.
"So, what do you want to do, keep him?" Veghar mocked, gaining more laughter from his warriors.
"The King wants us to make ourselves known in this land, we'll send him to Cair Paravel and have him tell the Kings and Queens that we are here," Primus proposed.
Veghar grunted at that as Primus held his gaze, he could tell the man would not falter and had to admire his strength, albeit slightly. So, he nodded his agreement and gestured for his men to disperse and Phalus clung onto Primus, his little rapid breath filling the silence.
Veghar eventually turned and marched away, leaving Primus to kneel in front of Phalus, who watched him with wide eyes. Primus could barley meet his gaze however, knowing the atrocity he had allowed the Phantom Men to commit this night.
"You know how to get to Cair Paravel?" he questioned as Phalus slowly nodded. "Then go and tell your Kings and Queens what you have seen this night."
Phalus did not wait to be told twice and fled into the trees, leaving Primus to watch him go, feeling once again that he was on the wrong side of a war, and he wondered what the outcome of this one would be.
Authors Note: Another chapter done! Two chapters within a week of each other, haven't done that for some time! Thank you to everyone that has read and reviewed so far, there is still much more to come, and I hope you will all stay on this journey 😊
I hope nobody was distressed by the some of the scenes here and if anyone was, then I do apologise! I believe that evil acts would be committed in all worlds, even in Narnia sadly, so showing them is a way to highlight that even with Aslan's presence evil men can still thrive, but good can always prevail!
Long Live Aslan!