a/n: If you recognize it, its not mine. Gabriel, however, is.
The wind swept through my hair as I ran through the trees.
"I will find you, you little mischief makers!" I yelled as I cautiously peered behind the nearest tree. The young fox cubs loved to play hide and seek with me. It was one of their favorite pastimes.
They were not, however, behind the large oak, which was usually their favorite hiding spot. I released a sigh of frustration. I had been looking for nearly twenty minutes, and was late for supper. Quite suddenly, I found myself upon the ground, staring up into three furry faces.
"Got you!" The youngest yelled, enthusiastically bouncing up and down on my stomach, despite the pained look on my face
"All right, you got me," I said, rising to my feet. They cheered with glee, for it wasn't often that I was bested at my favorite game. "but you better watch out, because I will get you next time!" I exclaimed, and chased the laughing cubs all the way back to their mother's den.
The shuddering wood had been my home for nearly a year. Oreius had fixed a spare bedroom for me in the back of his home when I had arrived. I had accepted his offer graciously, for I had nowhere to go.
He had become my companion, and teacher over the last year that we had spent together. He had taken it upon himself to teach me how to wield a sword. That was his first mistake. His second was choosing not to wear armor while he was dueling with me. My clumsiness gave him several bruises and cuts in the beginning stages of my training.
I had learned rather fast, though I still managed to hurt myself or Oreius quite often. My archery was a different story. My aim had been rather good before I had ever arrived in Narnia. All that I needed was some "fine tuning", as Oreius had said. It was now said that I "could rival any archer in all of Narnia" among the locals.
I arrived home after my thoroughly exhausting day with the fox cubs and sat down in my favorite wooden chair in the corner.
"I have something to discuss with you, Gabriel." I heard Oreius say from behind me. I noticed the concern in his voice, and I turned around with a grimace on my face.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Oreius was silent for a moment, then spoke with a sigh.
"Do you remember when I told you of the prophecy? The one about the two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve?" He asked. I nodded my head curtly.
"The one that says that they will defeat that terrible white witch and bring peace to Narnia again." I replied. He had told me of the prophecy my very first night staying in his house. He had told me of how important that these humans would be. They wouldn't just bring summer back to Narnia; they would bring life back to Narnia.
"Well, they have arrived in Narnia." He said. I gasped audibly, and smiled at the thought of real freedom for my friends in the country.
"Aslan is assembling the army as we speak. Gabriel, your training is about to come in handy. Narnia is going to war." He said, a hint of patriotism rising in his voice.
"I will go and polish my sword, and make some new arrows, and….."
"Gabriel, there is something else that I must tell you." Oreius said, cutting me off mid sentence. I stopped midway through the small kitchen and turned to face him.
"There was another prophecy, Gabriel. One made along time ago. One concerning…you." His words didn't register within my mind. A prophecy made about me?
"Tell me." I commanded, my tone harsher than what it should have been. Oreius sighed and began.
"Beaten, battered, broken down
shall she come to claim her crown.
With arrow head, and sword, and knife,
Shall she save a precious life.
She'll be among the first to come,
Among the last to leave,
Yet she'll find what she is searching for,
Under the Narnian trees."
For a few minutes, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say. I let the arrow that I was holding fall to the floor around the second verse of the prophecy. With my cheeks blushing furiously, I bent down to pick it up.
"That prophecy can't be about me, Oreius. I'm not a hero. I'm not destined to save the life of someone precious." I said, turning my back to the centaur and walking from the room. Beyond the door, I paused long enough to hear him sigh.
"It is you, Gabriel. You will see it before the end of all of this."