Author's Note: Ok. Fist, I want to sincerely thank all of my faithful reviewers. I appreciate the encouragers, and the ones with constructive criticism even more. I would like to mention that I am working my best to improve my writing skills as I go, so the style of the story may change as I go. Also, I hae not planned this story out that much. Any ideas you have are welcome. And so, without further wait, chapter four!
Jaselle was sitting in her room, knees drawn up to her chest, when a knock sounded on the door. She wiped her face, and got to her feet. Walking to the door, she opened it to reveal one of the castle's servants.
The man bowed. "Your majesty, your presence is requested in the audience hall. We have unexpected guests."
Jaselle was surprised by this. Who would be visiting the castle? The only people who visited were from Calormene, and they never traveled in the summer.
"Advisor Hassin is accompanying them."
Jaselle's heart leapt to her throat. Hassin was back! Not that she was overly joyful about that. She had never much liked the man. But if he was back, with guests, that meant he had brought someone from Narnia with him!
She hurriedly thanked the man, then ran to her mirror to fix her hair and wash her face. Then she quickly strode down the corridors, excited about what she would find.
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Peter was impressed by the castle. Although not as extravagant as Cair Paravel, it was nice. The outside was made off light brown sanded stone. The inside was cool marble, with swirls of tan and brown. Luscious furs covered the floor, and paintings of exotic skylines and sandy dunes lined the walls.
The entrance gate had unnerved him. But other then that, he was comfortable. Susan kept exclaiming in 'oohs' and 'ahhs' every time she saw something new. It reminded him of Lucy, back in England. They used to go to the candy store, and Lucy would run from jar to jar, praising each one, and then forgetting about it and running to the next.
Hassin led them to a pair of huge, wooden doors. Peter was surprised to see them, for Lorsolum seemed like the kind of place where wood was a rare commodity. Hassin placed his palm on the door, and they swung open lightly. Peter made a mental note to ask about the hinge work on them. If only he could get the doors in Cair Paravel to open like that.
They entered a large hall. Here the fur rugs ended, and it was only stone. Huge tapestries covered the walls, depicting scenes of war. The stone here changed to a darker brown, with black swirls in it. Windows flanking the far end displayed a view of the sea to the East. Between the large windows was a raised area. On either side tall guards stood at attention, long spears leaning against their shoulders. There was a huge throne, with an equally large man sitting upon it. At his right hand a dark haired man stood. The family resemblance was apparent between him, and who Peter assumed to be the King.
But it was the person seated on the steps at the King's feet that most captivated Peter's attention. It was a young woman, close to Peter's own age. Clothed in a light blue dress with a gold line around the middle, she was sitting so every bit of her legs was covered by fabric. She had long, silky, jet black hair. Her face was lightly tanned, and her eyes, although he couldn't see there color from here, were staring straight at him. Peter swallowed, and shifted his vision back to the King. The large man looked at the young man to his right and nodded. The man stepped forward, and spoke.
"My Father welcomes you to his kingdom, to his castle, and to his hall. Please, come forward, that he may speak with you."
Hassin walked towards them, and Peter and Susan followed. The trio of Narnian guards accompanying them stayed where they were.
Peter looked over at his sister. Susan was staring straight ahead, her eyes looking almost glazed over. Peter followed her gaze, and saw that it was fixed on the young man standing beside his father's throne. Peter almost laughed. How predictable. He should have known she would find someone else to occupy her time while they were here in Lorsolum.
They stopped within a few feet of the steps, while Hassin continued on and stood at the King's left side. The King shifted, leaning forward in his seat.
"You are Peter, High King of Narnia?"
Peter bowed. "I am, sir. And this is my sister, Queen Susan. We left as soon as your emissary spoke to us. We are happy to discuss a treaty with your land, King.."
"Clorin. Like my son. Strong name."
He paused for a moment.
"If I could, I would like to speak with you later. I have a matter to perform, and I wish to speak with Hassin. So if you would join me for dinner, we may talk then."
He smiled, showing a row of yellowed teeth. He heard Susan's breath catch in her throat. Peter suppressed a grimace. They were horrible. But he was the king of a country that could potentially be allies. Even more important was their placement bordering Calormene. While Narnia was technically and officially at peace with the great land of the Tisroc, their was much strain between the two countries. The slightest incident could start a war.
So for now, he would ignore yellow teeth, for the sake of diplomacy. But he made a mental note to recommend a toothbrush, an invention the Pevensies had figured out how to duplicate here in Narnia. Edmund had, really. He would make a note in his first letter back home about it.
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Jaselle was enjoying staring at the young king. He was very handsome, his golden hair and bright blue eyes almost shining. He was dressed in armor, with a red breastplate. Drawn onto the chest plate was a golden lion. Jaselle felt an attachment to the lion. What was it a picture of? Was it a depiction of the great Lion, the one of her dreams? The one who according to the rumors had freed Narnia?
She wanted to know. Needed to know. But she refrained herself from speaking in her father's presence. He would probably get angry, and maybe beat her. It wouldn't be the first time.
When Peter introduced himself, Jaselle found herself watching how his eyes spoke along with his words. It was captivating. But when he said that the young woman with him was his sister, she was startled. His sister? That meant that he was sharing the throne with his sibling. She had never before heard of something such as that. It was a foreign concept in the other lands nearby. Lorsolum had always had just one King, with his wife the Queen, and their children Princes and Princesses. And to the north in Calormene, there was one Tisroc. And even in Narnia before, she remembered there being only one Queen. Or witch, as some had called her.
She turned to study the Queen of Narnia. Susan had brown, well, everything. Her eyes, her hair, even her dress. It was silver and blue lines crossing it, and an almost gold color fabric stitched in elaborate designs on it. A bow was slung on her back, along with a quiver of arrows. A horn hung from her side.
She was quite pretty. Jaselle had assumed when she walked in that she was married to Peter.
But she wasn't. For some reason, that quickened her pulse. Did that mean that he wasn't married at all? Her face and arms began to feel clammy, and a cold sweat broke out on the nape of her neck.
Her father's voice jerked her out of her thoughts.
"My daughter will attend to you, and see that you are given suitable rooms. Anything you need, you may ask of her."
With that her father heaved his large bulk off of the throne and walked out of a side door, along with Hassin and Clorin.
Jaselle rose to her feet. Uncomfortable, she cleared her throat.
"Welcome. I am Princess Jaselle, eldest daughter of the King. Please, follow me."
She walked past them, averting her eyes from Peter's face that she so wanted to look at. What was he thinking? Was he thinking about her, or about some sort of Kingly matter?
And that got her thinking about what sort of person he was. Was he a kind King, or a cruel one like her father? Did he spend time with his subjects, or only speak to them when he was commanding them?
She didn't know, but she really wanted to find out.
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Peter followed her out. He found his eyes watching her legs as they walked, moving inside of her dress. Then his gaze shifted to her hair. It was smooth, and the light glinted off of it. He wanted to reach out and touch it. To feel it beneath his fingers. But he, of course, resisted. This was the daughter of a very intimidating King. He was sure that if he even so much as touched her, the burly monarch would erupt in a fit of rage. And their treaty would be out the window. But at least, maybe he could get to know her better.
"So, Jaselle you said? That's a nice name."
Okay, that was wretched. He looked like a total fool now. Beside him, Susan snorted.
Surprisingly, Jaselle giggled. Peter was surprised.
Jaselle stopped, and looked at the ground.
"Sorry. It's just that no one has said that since my mother died, and a complete stranger is the last person I expected to tell me that."
At that, she started to walk again. He strides quickened, forcing Peter to lengthen his to keep up. What was that about? It seemed that she was lonely. Peter had always had the comfort of his siblings. How many siblings did Jaselle have? She had at least the one, the young man in the throne room. But did they spend time together? Were they close, like Peter was with his brother and sisters. They had done everything together. Was Jaselle forced to be by herself, to spend her time alone?
Peter shuddered. He couldn't imagine living like that. He felt a wave of pity for her. Even though he knew almost nothing about her. Although he hoped that would change.
Jaselle led them to a hall. It was short, and ended with a sand-blasted glass door that lead outside. There were two doors on either side. She waved at them.
"There, on the left, are your rooms. The first is yours, Queen Susan. And the second is yours, King Peter. My room is on the opposite side."
Peter smiled softly, and placed a hand on her arm. She jerked, then look at him. "Please, call me Peter."
She looked troubled. Susan gave Peter a look, then put her arm on Jaselle's shoulders.
"And Susan, please."
Jaselle glanced between the two of them, then shrugged off Susan's arms.
"I'm sorry, I can't. Someone will get you for dinner."
At that, she fled into her room.
Author's Note: Ok. Hope you liked it. Review please!
