The backdrop stories of my Narnia character, Luna, who is fairly unique, if I do say so myself. Oo; This particular short story was written on December 13th.
Luna & her storyline, Taran and Artemis © me. Don't use them without my permission.
Narnia © to CS Lewis.
The White Witch's once museum-like courtyard was now more like a zoo.
The two children had seen Aslan bring Mr. Tumnus back to life, and he still was bouncing around the courtyard, pouncing statue after statue, breathing the breath of life onto them, watching as the stone melted away from them. Animals bounded after Aslan, licking at him and nuzzling him and just enjoying his presence. It was like a parade.
Lucy and Susan, along with the revived and quite happy Mr. Tumnus, were looking around the courtyard in the nooks and crannies for statues that Aslan might have missed. After awhile, they ventured inside the castle, stepping into the grand hall. The younger and the faun were chattering happily, glad to be in each other's company again, when Susan gasped aloud. "Oh!"
And both of them looked up, and gasped as well.
For there before them, in the middle of the room, was another statue. But it was no ordinary statue. This was not frozen, icy, grown over with ivy, or dirty. It actually looked like it had been kept after by some creature, but this was not what had made them gasp either.
The statue was of a beautiful young woman, with billowing hair that curled around her shoulders. There was a falcon on her shoulder, with spread wings -- he was probably about to take flight when he was turned to stone. The maiden's dress fluttered out behind her, caught that way when the stone spell overtook the poor creature. There must have been a soft breeze the day the witch got a hold of her.
Her face was kind, and there was no trace of fear etched in her expression. Even in stone, her eyes were sweet and gentle, and Lucy and Susan could not help but feel like they were already friends with her, though they had never seen her before in their lives.
"Oh, she must have been someone important." sighed Lucy dreamily.
Susan agreed wholeheartedly, for the girl's posture was strong and brave, and there was an air of importance about her. And why else would she have been so well maintained? The witch must have been proud of this prize.
"She was important indeed." said Mr. Tumnus, startling the girls out of their dreamy states. "She was Aslan's own, made from his own fur."
"Oh, I wasn't aware that Aslan had children!" said Lucy.
"All are Aslan's children." replied the faun. "But she was the only to be made from something of his. For you see, he created her to balance good and evil when Aslan left Narnia last." He gestured to the statue, bowing his head. "This is the Daughter of the Moon, whom was friend to all of Narnia. She was kind to even the sparrows, and even had the heart to take care of the Witch's own when they were ill. Protector of Narnia, they used to call her. She knew a bit of magic, she did, as she was a faerie."
"A faerie?" interrupted Susan. "I thought they were small and had wings."
"A common misconception." replied Tumnus nonchalantly. "Anyhow, where was I…ah yes. She knew magic…and she could sing! Oh, what a voice! She was the perfect accompaniment to a faun's flute. She would attend parties at the Dancing Lawn. Oh, what joyous times those were!" He stopped here, reminiscing about the times before the long winter. Susan and Lucy had to shake him gently to bring him back.
"But what happened to her?" asked Lucy impatiently.
"The White Witch lured her here by kidnapping poor talking beasts. Jadis knew that the fae might have some magic that could prove useful against the rebelling animals of Narnia. So while the fae and her loyal friend -- the falcon you see there -- were traveling here, Maugrim and his wolves were sneaking to her dwelling, and they a book of magic spells. They arrived back at the castle before, of course, and gave it to the witch. And when the fae and her friend arrived…well, there was no hope for them. Jadis had learned a spell that enabled her to turn things to stone. All she had needed was something to cast the spell into, and the spell in the book. She used her scepter -- which is now her wand -- and well…you know the rest. And so, Luna the Daughter of the Moon's story ended…and she's been here ever since, the poor dear."
The two girls felt truly sorry for the poor faerie. She was brave indeed, to risk her own life for the talking beasts of Narnia. And they wanted ever-so-much to meet her, and take her hands and thank her for being so kind to the beasts. So, they ran to the castle door and they cupped their hands to their mouths and called to Aslan, beckoning him to come as fast as he could.
And so he did, and the great golden lion stopped between them and said, "What is it, dear Daughters of Eve?" and the girls managed to explain that they had found the faerie that he had created so long ago.
"Well, lead me to her." purred the lion, and so they did. And when they reached the statue, they stepped away, so that the lion may work his magic. And because of this, they did not see the single tear that fell from the great lion's eye as he stepped forward and gently breathed on the hem of the stone dress.
Nothing happened for a moment, and for a brief second the two girls worried that maybe Aslan had made himself too tired for his magic to actually work. But then, like a flame lighting paper, a streak of midnight blue burst through the gray stone, and started to ripple up the skirt, until it fluttered down around her ankles, falling from it's previous position.
They watched in fascination as Aslan's magic worked over the stone, until finally there was no more, and the faerie's silvery-white hair fluttered free.
And she blinked her teal colored eyes once, then ran to Aslan and wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his mane and stroked his ears, just like she had done so many years ago. And she would have gone on doing it forever, but a low growl from the King told her after a moment that it was time to step down.
She took a few steps back, then fell to her knees and bowed her head. "Dear Aslan…" she said, in a voice that Lucy thought was simply musical. "Forgive me…I have failed you."
And the great cat said, "Rise, Daughter of the Moon. You have not failed me yet." He touched his nose to her forehead and said, "There is still work to be done." And he took her aside, to explain what she now must do.
Susan and Lucy wished they could watch and listen, but they knew it was impolite, so they busied themselves with finding other statues. They had just found a horse frozen in stone when Aslan and Luna returned to them - quietly.
No words were exchanged, the great lion simply returned to business, breathing upon the horse. And as he was doing this, Luna bowed on one knee to the two girls, and they told her there was no need for this, and the three girls gripped each other's hands and giggled and did the things that girls do when they are excited and among friends.
But when the silver-dappled mare was free from her prison, the great lion turned to them and said, "Peace, children." and they stopped immediately and looked at him.
Luna squeezed their hands and then released them, and stepped forward and mounted the horse, wrapping her hands in it's silky mane so she might not fall off in the journey ahead.
To the horse, Aslan said, "Run fast, go with speed, to the fields of battle. Be swift, be strong, and do not be afraid of the war to come. Say nothing of us to the High King or his men, for it would distract them so, and give the enemy an edge. Now go, assist them!"
Proud to be doing such an important task for the great lion, the horse wheeled about and was gone in a flash, on her way to the battlefield with Luna on her back, and the falcon called Artemis flying ahead.
And Lucy said to Susan, "I bet you she's a mighty fine warrior too."
---
It only took an hour to get to the halfway point, and dawn was breaking by that time. The horse was getting tired, and they had no choice but to take a short break. So they stopped at a stream, and Luna hopped off the horse, patting it's back as it bent to drink from the stream.
She was talking to the horse when Artemis screeched and flew down, landing on her arm. And not several seconds later, the sound of hoof beats could be heard. All three of them froze as a sled pulled into view, and fear gripped their hearts.
But it wasn't the White Witch.
A man stood up, and rubbed his white beard and laughed. "Oh! I'm sorry for startling you. That's the second time I've scared someone this week."
The mare stared in disbelief. "It's Father Christmas!" she gasped.
The elderly man smiled. "Who else?" He laughed, then gestured for them to come over to the sled, which they did, while he turned around and poked through his bag. "Now…I have gifts for you all!" he murmured as he pulled something out. "Artemis, creature of the sky." He held out an arm, and the bird perched on it, tilting it's head.
"A compass for you, so you never get lost in your travels." He put the compass, which was attached to a chain, around the bird's neck, and then added, "And a pack for you to carry things in on your travels." He fit a bag over the falcon's wings so that it set right on it's back, then smiled as the bird took to the sky to see if he could still fly with these items on. Father Christmas then turned his attention to the mare. "Talan, creature of the land."
The horse ducked her head and whinnied quietly, then stepped forward.
"For you, I have golden horseshoes. The hard turf will never bother you again, and these will also quicken your step." and then he kneeled down and put them on her himself.
The mare didn't know what to say, so instead she gave him a quick nuzzle and then took a run around the clearing. Luna laughed as she watched her, glad that the horse was happy with her gift. They could get to the battlefield quicker now…
"Luna…"
She turned her head to look at Father Christmas, surprised. "You have something for me as well?" she said, surprised.
He laughed. "I said I had gifts for all of you, didn't I?" He gestured for her to come forward, then pulled something out of his bag. It was a full set of Narnian armor. "You will need this in your upcoming battle, young warrior."
Her teal eyes widened at the sight of it. The armor was bright silver, as was the chain mail. Then there was a red velvet overshirt with the golden lion symbol woven into it. There was also a pair of red velvet pants, and a pair of silver boots. The whole set of armor was wrapped in two red ribbons. "Father Christmas…this is…remarkable! Thank you!"
He smiled. "I'm not finished yet!" He reached back into his bag, then pulled forth a silver belt. On the belt was a silver sword sheath. "This sword will lead you to victory, young lady. Use it wisely and strike true." He handed it over, then pulled something else out. "And I thought you might like this back."
As he put it in her hand, she realized it was the magic book Jadis had stole from her. She stared up at him with wide eyes, then bowed. "Thank you sir…for all of these gifts. We appreciate them."
He smiled and nodded. "You are quite welcome. Now, I imagine you have no time to lose. The High King needs you." He gestured for them to step back, which they did, then he cried "Long live Aslan!" and disappeared quickly into the woods.
They watched him go for a moment, then realized they shouldn't be standing around doddling while the High King was fighting a war. So Luna started putting on her armor, piece by piece. By time she strapped the belt around her waist, she felt like a completely different person. She felt brave, strong, powerful. And all of her fencing skills came back to her, and she felt confident she would be able to help the Narnians.
She slung herself back onto Talan's back, then leaned forward, gripping her mane. "C'mon, we're almost there…" she whispered to her.
---
Thirty minutes later, Talan stopped on the top of the slope, and the three of them stared down at the raging battle before them. Luna instantly spotted the High King atop his unicorn, fighting an ogre. Further away on the same ledge she was on, was who she guessed was King Edmund with the archers. It looked like they were losing.
She turned to Artemis and said, "Swoop down and distract any of the Witch's army that you can. Let the others get some strikes in!" Then to Talan she said, "Be smart, and listen to my commands, that's all I ask of you!"
Then she unsheathed her sword, watching it glimmer in the sunlight. She narrowed her eyes as she flipped down her helmet shield, feeling as if her sword was giving her strength. And then she threw up her sword and cried, "For Narnia!"
Peter, Edmund, and everyone else turned to look as the three-member army charged down the slope, cutting down several of the enemy as they ran through. Talan trotted up to Peter and his unicorn, and Luna bowed her head to him. "I fight alongside you, my King."
Over the battle, he could barely hear her, but he smiled and nodded to her, then turned back to the oncoming enemy giant that was stomping up to them. "You take the left, I'll take the right, we'll take down the giant together!"
She nodded, then they charged into battle at the count of three.
---
The battle was over. Aslan and his grand army had arrived just in the nick of time.
Luna had been separated from the High King during the battle, therefore she had not been able to assist him when he went after Jadis. Nor was she able to help him when Jadis had the upper hand. But it hadn't mattered, for Aslan had come.
Now she and Talan, battle worn and weary, stumbled back to where the Pevensies were reuniting. Peter saw her at once, and stood up and bowed his head to her. "Thank you, warrior, for assisting me in the battle. I fear that giant might have squashed me if you hadn't evened things out."
She nodded, then pulled off her helmet, letting her hair fall free. "It was my honor, my King."
Susan and Lucy cried out, delighted to see who it was. Peter stumbled back in surprise. "You're a girl!" he exclaimed. Edmund was just as surprised.
Lucy looked indignant. "Of course she's a girl!"
Peter glanced back at his sister, then shook his head with a smile. "I shouldn't imagine anything will ever surprise me again." Turning back to Luna, he said, "You've proven to be a better warrior than most of us. Tell me, what is your name?"
"Luna." she replied.
Taking his sword -- which he had already cleaned, he gestured for her to kneel down. Susan and Lucy gasped. Surely he wasn't going to kill her, like in the story of Fa Mulan and the Huns. (One might think they had been reading too many bedtime stories with war and fighting in them, and had gotten caught up in the excitement of their own war, and they lost their heads for a brief moment.)
But no, of course not. Instead, he lighted his sword on the faerie's shoulder and said, "For your bravery, I knight ye, Lady Luna Braveheart of the Lion's Court. May you forever continue to live up to your name."
She rose to her feet, then bowed. "Thank you, my King. I will not fail you."
He gave her a gentle smile. "Well, I should surely hope not!"
She returned the smile. Somehow, she had the feeling that she and the High King…Peter…would become very, very good friends.
