Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia nor any of the characters and places associated with it.
Chapter 3: Fire
I am running through the woods at top speed. I know it's still after me. I can sense it. With a look over my shoulder I can see the silhouette of the horrible creature. My head flips back to the front just as I run through a long, muddy, and, fairly slippery, puddle. My green dress is instantaneously drenched in mud. I look behind me again and abruptly stop dead in my tracks. Where is it? The sweat drips off of me as my breathing spikes. I can't see any movement or hear any sounds that can give away its position. Maybe it left? I gather my thoughts and start walking; constantly glancing around me to make sure there's nothing that might jump out at me. Grrr.
I don't want to look. I really don't. I have too though. My head ever so slowly turns over my shoulder. The definite outline of the creature staring straight back at me causes me to scream. I look back in front of me and start running. This can go on all night long. I glance behind me, scared. He, or I should say it, is following me. Since I'm not watching where I'm going, I feel my feet grab onto something before I trip over. Suddenly I'm on the ground. My head's really sore and I can feel something trickling down my face. I scrape it away just as realization hits me. Blood. Damn, I cut myself somehow. I look up only to notice the horrible creature closing the distance between us quickly. I brace myself for the painful impact. I see a glint of saliva on its open-mouth and its giant, razor-sharp teeth. He leaps at me and hits me before everything goes black.
"AHHHHH!" I scream as I wake up. My face is drenched in sweat and my bed sheets are tangled up between my legs. That's the worst nightmare I have ever had. I look at the sundial out of habit and sigh as I realise that it reads five am. Amazing! I had a horrible nightmare, which actually woke me up at the exact time I wanted to wake up. I get out of bed and put on my black and white servant uniform while thanking Aslan that I remembered to wash it last night. Talking about Aslan, I wonder where he went. He must have gone back to his home. Being a servant and all, I look around the house for something to keep me occupied for a few minutes to kill time, but there seriously isn't anything dirty. My cottage is spotless; as per usual. I tap my finger nails on the table for a few minutes before giving up and going outside to the stable. I saddle up Crystal quickly and jump up onto her back. I suppose it won't hurt to arrive to work early today after being late so many other times this week already. I direct her over to Mrs. Muredocks orchard quickly so that I can grab a fresh apple from a tree before heading back out into the early, spring morning.
I bite into it as I ride through the forest. The crisp, chilled air wisps onto my face, effectively waking me up as Crystal runs at top speed along the dirt pathway. I look beside me and notice that The Great River is gushing with water. It's nice to see it full for a change. I suppose it's from all the melted snow. Goodness, it must be pretty cold if that is the case. Then again there were kids splashing around in it yesterday so maybe it gets warmer during the day? As for my nightmare, I can't get it out of my head. The creatures figure races through my mind as we race through the forest.
I reach the gates and, for the first time in a few days, I actually get to identify myself at them, which definitely is a good sign, considering that lately they've been wide open by the time I've arrived. We trot through the quiet town before going into the Royal Stable. I put Crystal in her area and look around at the other stables curiously. They're all full. It's so...so...weird. I'm not used to seeing other horses in here. Well, at least Crystal has some friends now. I smile at the sudden thought before I walk up the staircase and through to the main entrance. I notice Starstone standing there cleaning, I think, the floors? She doesn't turn around which probably means that she doesn't know I'm here. This could be fun. I sneak up silently on my tip toes. "RAAAAA!" I shout while jumping onto her back.
"AHHHHH!" She does a tiny bit of a jump. "Goodness, Ashley! Don't do that again," she says breathlessly. She turns her head around so that she's facing me. She's smiling widely. Obviously (just like me) she finds it funny. I smile back. "I think my heart stopped for a moment there. Goodness! Now, off my back please," she commands politely. Whoops, I forgot that Centaurs don't usually like people on their backs, unless it's a battle or an important event. Mind you, that didn't really stop Starstone or Oreius when I was little. I was always riding on their backs. I found it just as fun as riding a normal horse plus the good thing about centaurs is that they'll catch you when you fall off them, and I know that from personal experience. I jump down off of Starstone's back, only to slip onto my back as soon as I do. I forgot about the wet floors.
"Ooouuuccchhh!" I say slowly. She offers me one of her hands and I accept it gratefully. She helps me up off the soaking-wet ground and makes sure that I'm steady before letting go of me.
"Well that was silly. Can't you see that I just cleaned the floors?" she asks in between laughs. I swear this castle is out to get me. It's a mixed-up day if something doesn't make me run late or trip over. "By the way, Ashley, why are you here at quarter past five in the morning?" she asks, raising her eyebrows at me. I wonder if I will sound like a baby if I say that I had a nightmare and just decided to go to work to get it off my mind?
"Well, I woke up early and decided to go to work immediately to make up for running late for the past two days," I explain while smiling. She grins. It's not a lie – I just withheld part of the truth.
"You are so responsible for your own actions. I am very pleased. I think a promotion is heading your way," she compliments, satisfied. My eyes widen. She actually believes me and is talking about promotions. I smile.
"Thank you. Now, what do you want me to do?" I ask. She looks at me for a second then, deep in thought. Please be something simple so that I can't ruin it.
"Can you please clean the Great Hall from last night? It won't take very long. All it needs is a good sweeping of the floors and wiping down of all the chairs," she tells me. I nod and leave her standing there to finish what she's doing. "Thank you," she yells after me. I grin and go to grab a candle from the nearby antique table. Steadily, I walk over to the janitor's closet, trying to be careful to make sure that the candle doesn't blow out.
Right, I need a broom, a garbage bag, a bucket of water, a mop, some soap, and a cloth. I put the yellow candle down on the ground, before I grab the huge, green, leaf garbage bag and the sheep-hair mop. My eyes scan the room eagerly for the horse-hair broom. Where is it? Oh that would be it, buried behind all the other junk I don't need. Of course! Nothing can be easy these days. I move a group of stacked boxes out of the way and put them outside in the hallway. I sure hope no one comes by. I grab all ten mops and throw them outside with the boxes causing some of the boxes to tumble to the ground with quiet thumps. Terrific, just what I need!
I pick up the broom and start piling everything back in. Right, now I have to get a cloth. I turn around only to come face to face with another broom. How typical is that! I grab the plain, white cloth from behind it and look around. Soap, soap, soap. Ah, there it is. All the way…up…the…top. Oh fun. I start climbing up the shelves trying to grab the soap box. I grab the edge of it and try to pull it down carefully, but instead it all comes plummeting down on top of me. What else can go wrong! What is that? I sniff the air. It smells like – smoke. Oh no! Please say that the cardboard box is not on fire.
With a glance beside me I realise that my worst nightmare has come true. "Starstone, Oreius, anyone..." Cough, cough. "Please help..." Cough, cough. "Help..." Cough, cough. "Help me..." Cough, cough, cough. I try to shove the door open so that I can crawl out, but my arms aren't long enough. By now the fire has spread across all the cloths and to the other broom that I hadn't noticed early. I can hear a door opening and then...
I'm in the forest again only this time I have a white sword and am face to face with the horrible creature. His snarls are shredding me to bits. He's extremely menacing with his huge, blood-stained teeth and his horrible wolf shaped body. His scarred body is covered in blood also. I hold the sword out to try and defend myself, but it's too late. The menacing creature pounces on me and then...
I startle awake, gasping for fresh air. That nightmare was even worse than the last one I had. I sit up and try to breathe evenly. "In and out, in and out, in and out!" I tell myself, trying to calm down. My eyes fall upon the closed window which is getting pelted with rain. The small drops on the window sounding like hail on a roof. I swear this morning there wasn't even a cloud in the sky. Where did all this rain suddenly come from? I jolt my head back down against the pillow. "Ow!" I yelp out in agonising pain. My entire body's aching. I look around curiously and notice that I'm in a lighted room that smells of mints and herbs. "Where am I?" I question myself. I look down and see that I'm lying in a bed. How did I not notice that earlier?
"Ashley!" I hear someone call. My attention gets dragged over to the open doorway where I spot some of my friends. Malina comes running in immediately with Kabella and Emolise. They give me a three-way hug and then sit down on some of the spare seats by the side of the bed, besides Emolise of course. She lays herself down on the ground. "How are you feeling?" Malina asks me. All three of them seem so worried. They all have frowns on their faces and are all leaning over the bed.
"I'm alright. I don't quite remember what happened though. All I remember was that I was getting cleaning supplies and the box of soap fell and then the cardboard box lit up into flames. I also recall someone coming in then I blacked out and had the worst nightmare," I explain to them. They all look relieved.
"Wow, thanks, Ash, new gossip!" Kabella exclaims in a girly voice, trying to cheer me up. They all start laughing. I join in. I have to admit, it's nice to see them all joking around. "I tell you what, Ash, these have been the two most scary weeks of our lives," Kabella states matter-of-factly. They all nod in agreement and give me another hug. Wait! Did she just say two weeks? Bella! I hope she's been okay!
"The truth is we thought you might have died," Emolise explains, "we don't know what we would do without you." I must admit, it's times like these that I'm glad I have close friends. Yes, Malina can be one crazy faun and Emolise can be a freaky, black-haired centaur and Kabella can be a boy crazed, orange-haired, half-mermaid weirdo, but they all are really supportive friends in the end. That's all I can ever ask for (and maybe a nice husband), but that's not what's important, what's important is –
"Ashley!" I hear a male voice say. I glance over to the door only to notice Oreius running in. "Are you okay? I mean that's the second time I've actually had to go into a fiery room to save you. I'm not indestructible you know," he says panicked.
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Oreius." My throat is so sore; it feels like someone has shoved a burning-hot iron down it. The whole room is suddenly filled with the sound of someone blubbering.
"Starstone, she's awake," Oreius says peacefully, trying to calm his wife down. I look over to the golden doorway to notice a red-eyed Starstone turn the corner. She takes one look at me and runs forward.
"Oh, Ashley!" she cries while pulling me into a massive hug. I hug her back; my own eyes getting clouded with tears at the sight of her crying. "I'm sorry I ever sent you to clean the Great Hall. I should've known by now what a huge klutz you are," she says blubbering. Klutz? I sincerely hope she can see my glare. "I'm so sorry; I will never let you into the janitor's closet again," she promises me while soaking my shirt.
"I'm fine, it wasn't your fault, Starstone. I'm just clumsy at the best of times," I tell her. She's blaming herself for something that I did to myself, as usual. I have to admit though, she's a lot like my mother in that respect; considering that my mother always used to blame herself for everything I did. Mind you, it was nothing as crazy as nearly killing myself in a janitor's closet. That definitely would've made my mother freak out.
"EEEEEE!" I jump slightly at the high-pitched squeal. It kind of sounds like a dying pig.
"Ashley! You're awake. Finally." Queen Lucy comes running in at that moment and pretty much jumps into a hug. I chuckle a little. I've met her once and this is the welcome I get?
"Ashley. That's your name, isn't it? I'm Queen Susan," she says while walking forward. The first thing I notice is her face. She is stunning. Green eyes atop all the perfect features of a queen. Her hair is long – really long – and black in colour. On top of her head is a beautiful gold crown shaped into leaves and flowers. "It's nice to meet you. Lucy and Peter have told me so much about you." I feel the heat rise to my cheeks at the idea that the royal family have been talking about me. Why? What could I have possibly done to make them talk about me? "No need to be worried, all good things of course." Well, that makes me feel better. Sarcasm is definitely intended.
"Thank you, Queen Susan. It's lovely to meet you too." She smiles at me.
"How are you feeling?" That's a very good question.
"A bit shaky. I might need some time recover."
"That's completely understandable. I'm sure Starstone will give you all the time you need." My head whips over to where Starstone is – wait, no, let me change that to was – standing. She must've left without me realising.
"I hope she will."
"She will," a soothing male voice sounds from the doorway. My eyes glance over to it only to spot the High King leaning against the doorway. "I will make sure of it," he adds on as he walks over to the bedside. I feel heat rush to my cheeks again as my heart starts to beat fast.
"Thank you, King Peter." He smiles slightly.
"You're welcome."
"Ashley!" The King's deep-blue eyes grow wide suddenly. "I'm King Edmund the Just. Wow! Peter, you were right. She is attractive!" he exclaims loudly. What? My eyes meet King Peter's in an instant. He called me attractive? The King is as red as a tomato – I'm pretty sure he's not the only one though. I can feel the heat in my cheeks and the clamminess in my hands. I must be blushing. Everyone in the room chuckles; well besides my friends that is. They laugh. Really hard.
"Oh, Ashley, your face is so red!" Malina exclaims through laughter. Oh dear Aslan! I swear this is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me.
"You know, Ashley, Peter hasn't been able to stop talking about you. In fact, he thinks that you're –" King Peter's hand greets his brothers mouth warmly then. My face is boiling. I know I'm blushing horribly, but I'm not the only one. I look over to the High King, whose face is now a bright and vivid red.
"And I think King Edmund has spoken enough today. Perhaps we should change topic? Isn't it lovely to see rain again?" he tries to detour. It doesn't work though; in fact, it just makes everyone laugh harder. I give a slight chuckle myself. I actually feel sorry for him. King Edmund seems like the worst brother in the world right now and, by the way that King Peter is glaring at him now, I imagine that he thinks exactly the same thing I do. I look at the chairs next to me, only to see my "supportive friends" rolling on the floor in laughter and amusement.
"Ashley, your face!" they all exclaim together whilst cracking up laughing. This only deepens my embarrassment though. I hear hooves suddenly enter the room and I look up to notice a very angry Starstone indeed. Her green eyes are narrowed and move between all of us. She must've been listening in on our conversation.
"Your Majesties, I think that now is probably a good time to mention that Majesty/Servant relationships are not permitted. If anyone finds out that you are in a relationship with any member of the staff, I will have no choice, but to fire that person immediately. No second chances. Everyone in the castle knows this just as well as everyone else outside of the castle does. So, in other words, please, don't court anyone who works in the castle. For my sake and for theirs," she says quickly and gravely. I grimace. "Have I made myself clear?" she says, directing her menacing words at us servants. We all nod, including the Kings and Queens. "Good, now why don't you all leave and let Ashley get some sleep."
Everyone decides not to go against Starstone's words, so they all say their goodbyes and leave. I'm alone again. Starstone said to sleep, but I don't want to go to sleep again. I'm so scared of that horrible nightmare. I don't have to panic for very long though. As soon as that thought even enters my mind, I hear the door open and close before I feel someone on my bed. I turn my head to the side and jump a little as I notice Bella lying down beside me. Her eyes are red and she's smiling widely. There's a peaceful silence as I look at her.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Ashy," she tells me while holding back tears and cuddling up to me. I smile and kiss the top of her hair. I feel my shirt starting to get damp and look down. Bella's crying.
"It's okay, Bells. I'm fine and I'll be home so soon. I love you," I tell her honestly. My voice sounds off and rough though, not comforting like how I wanted it to sound.
"Okay then. Get some sleep," she commands. I laugh quietly. She's so cute. I'm so glad to have such a loving, little sister. "I love you too," she adds on while pulling away and kissing my cheek. I smile as she sits down on one of the chairs with her book.
I have the dilemma of earlier suddenly dawn on me, but I decide in the end to try and get some sleep anyway. I close my eyes and, to my utter astonishment, fall asleep without a single nightmare.
I awake to the sound of people talking just at the end of my bed. I don't want to open my eyes in fear of suddenly getting swarmed with attention; attention that I definitely do not want. The attention that I get here in the sick room in the castle drives me crazy.
"Great news," I hear one of the voices say. I think it's the nurse. "Ashley will be able to leave as soon as she wakes up," she continues. I think my heart just skipped a beat. I can leave as soon as I wake up.
"Are you sure that she'll be okay walking around by herself? I mean she doesn't look very steady yet," I hear another voice say. I know that voice immediately; Starstone.
"She'll be fine. I promise," the nurse, Mrs. Higglebottom, says. I shoot up quickly. I'm waiting for the pain to hit me, but it doesn't. Wow, Aslan must have healed me; thank you, Aslan. I look at them both, with a huge smile on my face.
"I can go home?!" I ask excitedly. I can't keep my voice from breaking on the last word. I can go home! I can go home! The centaur and rabbit look at each other then back to me.
"Yes, Ashley, you may go home now," the little, white rabbit says. I get out of bed immediately. My legs feel a little bit shaky though. I guess I just have to get used to walking again. I run up to Starstone shakily, once I've gotten my footing, and give her a huge hug.
"Thank you!" I say to both of them, before running out of the room. I walk through the hallway in an absolute daze. My cottage is going to be so dusty, that it will be great. I spy a mirror as I'm walking and stop mid step before I take in my attire. I'm still wearing my servant uniform and my hair is in shambles. Hmm, that's interesting. I would've thought that someone would've changed me into a nightgown while I was knocked out. Oh well!
I walk out of the castles side door (the sick room is a small area off to the side of the castle) and look around at the beautiful Narnia that I have missed so much for the past few weeks. I sigh. It's so good to be able to taste fresh air. I walk through the little town happily. Everyone seems to know about my horrible incident though, much to my disappointment. I try to ignore all the comments and questions as I walk up to the main stairs of Cair. I'm about to enter through the massive doors, but before I even have a chance to step inside, I hear the squeals of my friends.
"Ashley!" Malina yells while running over to me and pulling me into a huge hug. I hug her back and look over her shoulder to see all of my other friends running over too. "Ashley!" they all yell while joining in on the hug. I smile. It's so good to see them all again.
"How are you feeling?" Kabella asks me. I look at them all and notice that we are all still standing in the middle of the doorway.
"I'm feeling alright, but why don't we talk inside," I suggest. All my friends nod in agreement to this idea and carefully grab my arms. We walk through the hallway and take a left before going carefully underneath a rose archway. We go over to one of the many tables that are in the courtyard and take a seat. I love this courtyard. Not as much as one of the others, but it's still very beautiful. It's, of course, spring, which means that all the gorgeous red and pink roses are out. I can't help, but smile. It's so nice to see them all in bloom.
"Right, now tell us exactly what the nurse said to you," Killara states. I smile from ear to ear. I wonder what would happen if I dramatise things a bit.
"The nurse said that I could leave and that if I would've been in there for one more day, I could've...DIED!" I exclaim over-dramatically, while putting a hand to my forehead. They laugh at me, zero sympathy it seems. I break character pretty quickly.
"I'm sure you would've been fine," Emolise gets out through some chuckles.
"If you were going to die, it would've happened in the few weeks leading up to today," Tamilla agrees with a smirk.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say we were awfully worried about you during those two weeks though," Malina tells me with a grimace. "We did actually think for a few days there that perhaps you wouldn't wake up." I nod as that sinks in fully. That means I would have never been able to see the High King aga – Wait a moment! Did I just think that? No, No, NO! Bad subconscious!
"I'm sorry about scaring you all like that. Also, thank you for looking after Bella. I'm guessing it was one of you," I say trying to not spill the beans on what my subconscious really wants.
"Anytime. Although, she was at your side for most of it anyway. I took her home a few times to feed her, but she didn't really want anything," Cabigail tells me. I smile and give her a hug.
"I really appreciate you taking care of her like that. Thank you. You are all the most amazing friends any girl could ask for."
"Awww!" I chuckle as they all give me another group hug.
"Girls, get to work please. I know it's exciting that Ash is back, but we have lots of stuff to get done today," Starstone asks politely while walking up towards us. They all nod and leave very quickly. In fact, almost too quickly. She must've issued out a warning recently. I smile after them as Starstone comes up and pats my back. "It's nice to have you back."
"It's nice to be back. Staying in the sick room is not particularly fun." She smiles in response before sighing.
"Why don't you head home for the rest of the day? Try and rest up and settle back into life again," she offers. It's nice that she's asking me that actually. I honestly thought that she would've commanded me to 'get to work' as per normal, but she has proved my hypothesis wrong.
"That sounds like a really good idea actually," I say. Yes, all I want to do is sit in front of a roaring fire and read my favourite book.
"I'll see you tomorrow then," she says with a soft smile while walking away. I smile back in acknowledgement. I look around the courtyard for a moment, taking in the sunshine, and am about to get up when I feel a light tap on my shoulder. I turn around and gasp.
