And now, the chapter you've all been waiting for... Rhianna's story!

Chapter Eight: Rhianna's Story

For Rhianna, the next few days flew by. She spent most of her time on the training guards and found that Oreius was right; she was very good with a sword. She spent less and less time with Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund and found that she did not mind. She had done her duty and brought the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve to Aslan. Now, as far as she was concerned, her part in the grand scheme of things was over and she was content to fade into the background and let Peter take the forefront. He was maturing remarkably fast. During the day, he was usually in training with Oreius and the other weapons masters and after supper, he could be found in his tent with Aslan and his siblings, discussing the coming war. Rhianna had been included, of course, but her skills lay in tracking, hunting, and living in the wild, not in planning a large-scale war.

Such thoughts were running through her mind as she shouldered her bow and quiver and approached the archery grounds. It was only a few days before the battle began, and she intended to make full use of her training time.

"Want to practice together?" Susan asked, coming up from behind and falling into step with her. Rhianna smiled a little. Despite her attempt to fade out of the picture, Susan, Lucy, and even Edmund seemed to insist on keeping her close by. Peter was too busy to pay her much attention anymore, though he had firmly refused to let her move to a different tent, insisting that they owed it to her to share Aslan's luxury with her.

"I'd be glad to," Rhianna replied. Susan nodded and stepped up to a shooting lane. The lane were hastily constructed of ropes tied to stakes in the ground at lengths of one hundred yards, seventy-five yards, fifty yards, and thirty yards, depending on the distance an archer desired to shoot. Both Rhianna and Susan were exceptional shots and selected the two one hundred-yard lanes. They shot steadily for several minutes before Susan rested her bow and leaned against one of the stakes.

"Rhianna," she said softly, her eyes downcast, "do you mind if I ask you a question?"

The elf laid her bow against her quiver. "Sure."

"Why don't you spend as much time with us anymore?"

Rhianna looked up in surprise, her midnight-blue eyes wide. She hadn't thought that Susan and her siblings would notice the gradual change. "I don't know, Susan," she replied, struggling to find the right words. "I just don't belong. It's not my place to pretend to be anything more than a humble warrior in service to her monarchs. Nothing more, nothing less. My place in this war is simply as a soldier."

"Peter doesn't like it."

Again, Susan had caught her by surprise. "What?"

"He doesn't want you to distance yourself from us like this. Neither do I." Susan lowered her light blue eyes. "But, I don't think that's the real problem." She stepped closer and laid a hand on Rhianna's shoulder. "What's the real reason for this distancing, Rhianna?"

The elf sighed. "Do you really want to know?" Susan nodded and Rhianna bit her lip. "Very well. I suppose I owe it to you." She took Susan's arm and pulled her away from the training grounds. "But let's walk. It makes it easier for me." Taking a deep breath, she began, "The truth is, it hurts to be with you when you're all together. I feel like an outsider looking in on something wonderful. Something I can't have. I had a family too, once; a father, a mother, an older brother and sister, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents. But they're all dead. Murdered. I was only five years old when the Witch and her soldiers raided my village – the last one belonging to my race. She laid siege to it, weakening our warriors to the point where she would actually be able to challenge them. Word of our plight reach the ears of Oreius and several others, but by the time they arrived, it was too late; the Witch had invaded and her minions cut down our starved people like crops in a field. I remember watching her order for my parents – the leaders and rulers of our people – to be beheaded. Then, I remember the terror that gripped my body as she turned her cold, lifeless eyes on me. I was too terrified to even breathe as she advanced on me, knife raised, and could only cower away from her. Suddenly, my brother was there, gathering me into his arms and dashing away from our home. He took me to where Darkmoon was waiting, just outside the village, and put me on her back. Then he took my hands and kissed them, tears rolling down his face. He told me to –" Rhianna's voice broke and she took a shuddering breath, willing herself to continue as Susan laid a comforting hand on her arm. "He told me to run. To run and never look back. And that he loved me – that he always would. Then he slapped Darkmoon's flank and told her to run as fast and far as she could. I disobeyed him and looked back to see him cornered by three huge minotaurs before Darkmoon veered out of sight. To this day, that vision has haunted me. He was killed there, on that very spot where he said goodbye to me. He used every last ounce of strength he had left to save my life, to give me a future. I loved him more than anything else in the world and his loss, coupled with the loss of my sister and parents, sent me careening into a state of shock, from which my mind sought refuge by losing consciousness. The next thing I can remember, I was lying on my back in six inches of snow, with Darkmoon standing over me. Aslan had come, she told me, he had told her what I already knew in my young heart – my family, my race, my life, was dead. I was – and am – the last one." Rhianna stopped walking and turned to face Susan, who had tears rolling down her cheeks. Her voice took on a bitter tone. "I loved my brother. He's dead. I loved my parents. They're dead. I loved my people. They are all dead. My home, my life, my innocence, my childhood, all dead. Everything I've ever loved is gone. Many of the frozen animals we encountered on the trail were my friends, creatures I'd loved and grown up with. They're all dead." Sighing deeply, she shook her head. "Ever since I watched Peter charge in on Maugrim to save you and Lucy, with no thought for his own safety, I have seen my brother and my family in all of you. The pain is too great, when I see what I have lost. I can't be a part of that happiness."

"Yes, you can," Susan said fiercely, gripping Rhianna's shoulder. "You already are. Lucy loves you like a sister and looks up to you everyday. Edmund speaks so glowingly of you and loves you more with every passing day. I have come to think of you as the older sister I never had and Peter…Peter loves you as much as any of us. It pains him to see you so withdrawn and sad. Yes," she said, catching Rhianna's protesting look, "you do look sad. He sent me to talk to you, to see if you might be willing to join us tonight for dinner instead of eating with Oreius and Darkmoon, as you have been."

Rhianna stared at this brave, kind, gentle girl with a mixture of amazement and affection. Indeed, nothing could have salved her pain as well as Susan's words had. On impulse, she pulled the younger girl into a firm embrace. "Thank you, Susan," she whispered.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was hard to write and took me several rounds of revamping to get it to how I wanted it. But now Rhianna's past is revealed and it will play a huge part in the upcoming chapters hint hint :)