I only own Jewel
"I still don't believe it."
All Jewel got in reply were various annoyed sighs and exclamations. They had left Cronlan about an hour ago and it was the tenth time she'd said it, before that she'd just been in shock. Lucy didn't know why she found it so hard to believe, it wasn't like Susan had ever been the most involved in Narnian affairs. Yes she took a great interest in certain things and yes she had taken part in a few battles and many archery contests, but still, Jewel had been more like one of the queens of the Golden Age than Susan had.
"Well believe it, I was talking to her about Narnia a while ago and she didn't want to know. She's not one of us anymore now will you let it go."
With a huff Lucy flung herself back down, leaving Jewel looking at the passing forest, with no one noticing the crystal tear that fell don her cheeks except Edmund. And he silently called Lucy every name he could think of while he tried to bring Jewel into his arms.
Susan had been the one that found Jewel first and had brought her to their hunting camp. Susan had been the one who had insisted that she stay with them and had treated Jewel as a younger sister. They had always been close and the fact that Susan wasn't interested in Narnia anymore hurt her.
They travelled along in silence for a few more hours, with Jewel huddled inside the circle of Edmund's arms. They travelled much faster in the cart than they had on foot, and so they reached the chalet about an hour after sunset.
"This is your chalet!"
There was an incredulous note in Conan's voice that made it hard for the four to not laugh at him, although they had to admit, he did have a point, it wasn't exactly a 'chalet' per se. It was a single story building built as a square from warm red brick; there was a court yard in the centre of the building with luscious green grass and a large pool with deep blue water that they used for swimming. There were only ever the royal four and Jewel here unless they brought friends with them; so two opposite sides were bedrooms, four on each side. One side was things like the kitchen and the dining room. The final side had the library, the music room, and the sitting room.
Conan couldn't move from the cart, he just gaped up at the chalet in amazement, Edmund ran ahead dragging Jewel behind him, he as saying something about getting her out of the rags that she had worn for the festival. Peter and Lucy waited for Conan to get over his shock and climb down.
"Different to Raven's Peak isn't it."
"A…this is…you said it was a small chalet you used when you came hunting."
"It is."
"This is a palace."
"No."
Lucy burst out in peals of laughter.
"Cair Paravel is a palace, but don't worry, you'll fit right in."
With that she danced ahead leaving Peter to shepherd poor Conan inside.
The old man had to be physically pushed over the threshold, his exact words ere something about him not being good enough to enter a palace, but of course Peter didn't listen and forced him inside. They made their way to the sitting room as it was closer and there was no point in going to the dining room, it was larger and much more stately than they needed, and it might have been more than Conan could stand.
"Edmund, Jewel, hurry up! Dinner's ready."
The bellow from the Narnian High King echoed down the hallway, and he stood there waiting for the to missing companions to arrive before throwing his arms up in despair and storming back into the sitting room. Lucy and Conan had given the place its life back after several hundred years, torches illuminated the pale yellow walls and the thick velvet curtains were closed, shutting out the night. A stasis spell had kept the room clean, so once the spell was deactivated the rich wooden furniture glowed in the firelight. Conan had set out a feast for them all to enjoy, the last of their rations and what the doctor and his wife had foisted off on them, rich, sticky cakes mainly. Lucy was helping him in-between trying to put a piece into the 10,000 piece jigsaw that Jewel and Susan had been fond of, they had taken over one of the tables in here and it was overflowing with an outline and one filled in corner, the rest of the table just had loose pieces floating around everywhere. The young girl and the old man looked up from the jigsaw when Peter stormed through the doorway.
"What can be taking them so long!"
He growled before throwing himself down in a chair nearby, and picking up a piece and slotting it in place without even seeming to notice. A fact that upset Lucy since she'd been trying to find a place for that bit for ages, and so she answered a bit more belligerently than she otherwise would have.
"They're probably trying to find something that'll fit her. Did you see how much weight she's lost?"
She was right, the Jewel they'd known before had been thin, but in a healthy way, her pale skin glowed with good health, and none of her ribs had shown. But now her skin seemed a bit like tissue paper, it was very thin and veins could be seen underneath the surface, her ribs were clearly shown on her torso, and of course the bruises stood out in sharp relief against the whiteness. However he was spared having to answer when the two missing persons breezed in.
"Hello everyone."
It was Jewel, her voice practically brimming with happiness after just an hour spent alone in Edmund's company. But anyone looking at her could see immediately that this was Queen Jewel, and not the poor, battered girl up at Raven's Peak. Her hair had been washed and it shone and hung in waves down her back. Instead of the rags she had a floor length lack skirt and a blue corset top with off the shoulder flared sleeves. The final touch to the Crown Jewel was the diamond, jet and sapphire circlet around her head.
"You made it then."
All Peter got in response to his sardonic question was a cushion flung at his head by his younger brother. Jewel had curled up on the floor and was rapidly putting pieces into the puzzle, ignoring Lucy's friendly glare and Conan's chuckles at the two girls.
The two boys filled some plates for the other three and the rest of the night was spent chattering away. Stories from the Golden Age and the other times that the three had been in Narnia, Jewel's life, and Conan's life as he was growing up. It was their last chance for a night like this, for they were leaving the next day, and the next time that they were in an environment like this, it would not be nearly so pleasant.
Please review everyone, I wasn't sure if tis chapter was very good, and I really want opinions. :)
Shadowface: sorry it's been a while
HottStuffMelv: please review this chapter as well
