Disclaimer: I only own the plot and some of the characters you don't recognize
A/N: Chapter twenty-four - in which I introduce a new character and reveal a person that had been "lost" (hence, the title :D) Let's see if some of you guessed who this "lost person" is before reading the whole chapter, eh?
Anyway, review afterwards. Do enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Lost was Found
Lucy looked around the Great Hall, trying to locate her lady-in-waiting but failed in the end. After she ran off to Merlin-knows-where because of Thalia and her insensitive words, she was not able to find Hermione anymore.
She must admit; Thalia was extremely polite it was almost terrifying. The way she seemed to genuinely smile made her look like a human it almost felt unreal to her. This Duke Crimgeour of Galma – she had heard about him from Peter and she could tell how the High King regarded the Duke with great respect. She believed that with Thalia's marriage to the Duke, a great change on the Calormene Princess, now Duchess of Galma, would happen.
Still, it did not give Thalia the right to start speaking about her observations of Edmund's affections toward one Hermione Granger. Of course Lucy noticed it, too, but she knew she was sensitive enough not to raise such ridiculous conversation when both of the affected were present.
Lucy felt a little guilty, though, having determinedly brought Hermione towards Edmund's table. She suddenly had this idea of making them talk tonight, and she knew it was a little insensitive of her. It was plain to see how Hermione's rejection still pained Edmund and she knew that if Lucy acted hastily, Edmund would forever ignore her lady-in-waiting; therefore, saddening Hermione.
'Oh, why can't they just understand?' Lucy exclaimed inside her head, frustrated of both her brother and his object of affections. Dear Aslan, Edmund likes Hermione; perhaps, he felt something more for the brunette. And Hermione returned his feelings. She was just so adamant in denying and Edmund, too blinded by the sheer pain of her rejection, was not able to see under her layers and layers of denial to understand that Hermione also likes him, too.
"What a twisted love story," she muttered darkly under her breath. Her eyes landed on the buffet and frowned. Maybe, if she ate away, her frustration would dissipate.
As she approached the table, a sudden figure brushed past her, bumping her to the side. She was thrown of balance and swayed to the side. Luckily, a hand quickly encircled around her wrist and pulled her upright.
"Oh dear, I am very sorry."
Her heart leaped and her eyes brightened upon recognizing that voice. Calmly, she turned her head and looked at her savior, a very polite smile stretched on her face. "Thank you," she said, curtseying.
The Telmarine bowed his head down. "You are most welcome, your majesty," he whispered.
Slowly, he retrieved his hand back and Lucy suddenly felt empty. He once again gave her a bow, this time of goodbye, and then turned around. He strode determinedly towards the doors of the Great Hall and just before he completely disappeared from her sight, he turned around and gave her a secret smile.
Her heart loudly thudded inside her ribcage. Lucy furiously blushed and suppressed a smile. Inconspicuously, she turned around and tried to locate her siblings. Peter was nowhere to be found. Edmund was politely talking with, to her surprise, the Duke of Galma. Both Susan and Caspian were still roaming around, baby Caspie in their arms.
'Safe,' she told herself as she lifted the hem of her skirt and gracefully walked towards the doors of the Great Hall.
As soon as she stepped outside and the door closed behind her, she was surprised with the sudden darkness that greeted her eyes. She squinted and looked around, trying to locate him. Lucy removed her hands from the hem of her skirt and disappointedly frowned.
Suddenly, a hand clasped her own and she jerked around, her eyes connecting with Ardon.
Wordlessly, he pulled her closer in the shadows. Then, he lifted his free hand and placed it against her smooth cheek, silently stooping down to capture her lips with his own.
Lucy smiled against his kiss, her whole body shivering with unsuppressed mirth.
The Telmarine broke the kiss and smiled down at her. His gorgeous grey eyes were almost illuminated in the dark. Ardon moved closer and bestowed a kiss on top of her forehead. "Lucy," he muttered. The queen, feeling oddly thrilled with how her name rolled from his mouth, sighed.
"Ardon," she whispered back, lifting one of her hand and pressing it against his cheek, contented that she was once again with him.
Meeting, or more appropriately, noticing him for the first time had been a fairly boring and ordinary day. Peter, being his usual self, had ordered for her to be guarded by some Narnian and converted Telmarine soldiers as she ventured off to town, roaming around to greet her subjects and delight herself with the strange, exotic things that they sold.
It was maybe fate or chance, Lucy did not know, but Ardon had been part of the little band of "protectors" that guarded her in the town. Lucy, of course, had noticed him before, but her attention of him would always be fleeting. After all, she never really properly noticed all of those that protected her, despite being nice to all of them.
And then, the intervention started when a thief had stolen her bag of gold. All of her soldiers, including Ardon, chased the thief, who proved to be quite stubborn and resilient to handle. Lucy remembered being horrified for that day, especially when they caught the thief with an injured, yet triumphant Ardon clutching the stolen bag of gold.
"Are you quite all right?" she worriedly asked him, kneeling down to inspect his injured arm.
The soldier lifted his face and his eyes connected with Lucy's. On that day, she believed that Ardon had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.
"I am all right, my lady. Thank you," he answered back, his gaze on her firm, yet gentle and warm.
Exactly a week had passed and their paths never crossed again. But when she met him in the Place of Arms, meaning to meet Edmund instead, an unlikely friendship was formed. Whenever he practiced in the Place of Arms alone (a fact that she discovered from Edmund, who spoke highly of the young soldier), the young queen would sneak off into the room and just talk to him. After all, she knew that if she were not subtle enough, Peter and Edmund would start suspecting things and might have Ardon's head.
The first time he kissed her was when he revealed he wished to become one of the four Supreme Generals of Narnia. He successfully made the valiant, usually talkative, queen silent and he chuckled, marvelling the look on her face.
"I am not entirely sure if you notice it, my lady," he had whispered to her, holding both of her hands to give them a squeeze, "but whenever you needed protection, whether outside the castle or outside the country, I am always, always part of the group of your protectors. I… always volunteered, if you must know, and I always do, hoping that at least you will notice me."
Surprise must be an understatement, but Lucy knew it was akin to that. Ardon later on revealed that he had been sporting this huge crush on her and this silly, manly side of him wanted to always stay beside her.
After that eventful, wonderful day, a beautiful, secret relationship between the Narnian Queen and the Soldier started.
And Lucy knew she had never felt this exuberated in her life before.
Her mind was brought to the present when Ardon lifted her hand and placed kisses on each of her finger. Lucy's cheeks burned furiously; she was thankful that he was holding onto her because her knees started to grow weak.
"I missed you," she honestly confessed as he drew her into a tight hug. Lucy took a deep breath, inhaling his familiar scent, and then closed her eyes. They had fit perfectly. Her head ended under his chin and every part of them had meld into place.
The Telmarine expelled a soft chuckle and drew her close. "I believe I did, too," he whispered, his breath tickling the side of her face.
Lucy smiled and slightly pulled away so that she could look at him. "How are you?" she whispered, her brow slightly creasing with frustration. "Goodness, it had been a while ever since I last talked to you!"
Ardon laughed, his eyes twinkling under the moonlight. "I've been trying my very hardest to train for the Supreme General position," he said, proudly puffing his chest. "I am sure that in no time, I'll be one, and then, I can properly ask your brothers for your hand."
The queen rolled his eyes at his obvious over-confidence, although, she could not stop her smile from growing. "I am sure you will," she said. "I still do not understand, though, why you don't want me to introduce you to my siblings. They can be… unpleasant if they want to but I am sure they will like you."
He shook his head and held both of her cheeks. "I want to prove myself to them," he earnestly said. "You are Queen and dear Aslan I'm a mere peasant, if you think about it. I have to earn their respect."
Lucy, with a moved smile, placed a hand on top of his. "They're not like that," she whispered. "Nobility or not nobility, my siblings respect everybody equally."
"Still," he said with conviction. "I must."
The queen rolled her eyes and sighed. "Men and their pride," she playfully spat. "Ridiculous."
Ardon laughed and pulled her closer to him once again, almost squeezing the life out of here. "Lucy and her infamous worrying," he retorted back. "Ridiculous."
She chuckled adorably and snuggled against him. Just then, a strange sound reached her ears and she froze. "Shh… do you hear that?" she asked, pulling him closer to the darkness.
The Telmarine tightened his hold on her. A crease appeared on his forehead as he listened in the still night. And then, the strange sound soon reached his ears. "I am not entirely sure," he slowly said, frowning. "But I think I heard - "
" – sobbing," Lucy finished, her heart sinking as her eyes landed at the center of the garden. Abruptly, she pulled away from Ardon and ran deeper into the garden. Ardon had stared at her in surprise and blindly followed, his right hand falling now clutching the hilt of his sword in case something bad happened.
Lucy, on the other hand, finally arrived in the gazebo, her eyes instantly looking at her lady-in-waiting seated on one of the chairs. And crying. And it was no soft cries that Hermione was emitting. Loud, guttural sobs reached Lucy's ears and the queen swallowed, surprised that the brunette was looking distressed.
Ardon arrived beside her seconds after and questioningly looked at Lucy upon seeing Hermione. The queen tiredly turned to him and gave him a quick kiss on his lips. "Can you leave us for now, love?" she asked. The Telmarine looked worriedly at Hermione, then back to Lucy and nodded his head.
"I will see you soon, my lady," he whispered back, leaned down to kiss her forehead, and then soon strode away from them.
"Hermione?" Lucy worriedly asked, stepping inside the gazebo.
The brunette released a loud gasp and through her wet eyes, she was able to make out the form of Lucy. Upon seeing her mistress, her face crumpled and her sobs grew loud. "L-Lucy," she cried, hiding her face behind her hands. "O-oh dear Merlin, L-Lucy."
The queen immediately walked towards her side and wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders. "What is it? What's wrong?" she hastily asked, surprised at how cold Hermione felt. "Is it… is it Edmund? Did he do something to you? Or Thalia? Did she say another insensitive thing to you?"
Hermione vigorously shook her head. "No, no," she cried, removing her hands from her face. "C-can we please go back to my room first. I" – she took a deep breath – "I want to rest."
Lucy nodded and pulled her up. They entered through the kitchens, afraid that Hermione would attract attention from the others. Some of the Talking Animals were surprised at how the lady-in-waiting was shaking from tears, but Lucy merely shook her head, telling them that asking was not the right thing to do that time.
Their walk to Hermione's bedchambers was filled with the brunette's tears. Lucy had opted to stay silent and comfort her until they arrived inside her lady-in-waiting's room, away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears.
They soon reached her room and walked inside. After locking the door, Lucy tiredly turned around and sighed. She gingerly approached Hermione and offered her handkerchief. Her tears had ruined her simple make-up and Hermione did not seem to mind.
"What's the matter?" Lucy finally asked, dragging a chair in front of Hermione to sit down in front of her. "What happened? You just… disappeared a while ago and the next thing I knew, you're a crying mess."
"P-peter proposed to me," she blubbered, prompting Lucy to widen her eyes and slacken her jaw.
"He… WHAT?" the valiant queen cried shrilly, holding both of Hermione's hands.
Hermione weakly squeezed her hand back and repeated, "Peter proposed to me."
Lucy swallowed, finally getting the gist of Hermione's newfound distress. "And you rejected him?" she softly asked. The words in her tongue tasted sour and she pushed that awful feeling away.
To her sheer surprise, Hermione shook her head. "I-I did not give him an answer," the brunette. "Yet. H-he said he will give me time. Everything is so sudden and M-Merlin I don't even know what to do anymore." Hermione sobbed against her handkerchief, her tears continuously flowing. She took a deep breath and added, "W-what should I do, Lucy? I don't know what to do anymore. I-I can't…"
"Shh," the queen said, standing up from her seat and gathering her lady-in-waiting in her arms. Hermione held onto her tightly and sobbed on her neck. "Shh… it's okay."
It took almost half an hour for Lucy to calm Hermione down. The brunette grew exhausted from crying and when she was heavily leaning against the queen, Lucy knew she was fast asleep.
She gently pushed Hermione down on her bed. Lucy removed her shoes and placed them on the floor. With dismay, she stared at her dress and sighed. It was a waste, she had thought, seeing that so far, this was the best dress Hermione had ever worn ever since she stepped in the castle.
Lucy then pulled her comforter over body. She grabbed her discarded handkerchief and wiped the vestiges of tears and ruined make-up on Hermione's face.
A soft whimper escaped from the brunette's lips and then, silence. Lucy had stayed for a few more minutes before turning back around and walking outside of her room.
Ardon had reached her side when she once again stepped into the garden. Caspian the XI's birthday was still happening and everybody was abuzz with laughter and words. Creatures still danced and food was still served. Oddly, Lucy did not feel like going back to the party anymore.
"Is everything all right?" the Telmarine asked, grabbing Lucy's hand to get her attention.
The queen sadly looked at him and shook her head.
"What happened?" he asked, prompting Lucy to sigh.
"I think my lady-in-waiting prefers to keep it between ourselves," she said, frowning. Lucy looked back at him, a disappointed look on her face. "I'm sorry, I… suddenly want to retire back to my room, Ardon. And I was even looking forward to see you."
The Telmarine fondly smiled and tapped her nose. "No need to be sorry," he said. "I understand."
Lucy gratefully looked at him and enveloped him into a tight hug. She kissed his chin and sighed against his neck. "I'll make it up to you someday," she whispered.
Ardon nodded and gave her a goodbye kiss. Lucy watched as he walked back inside the castle, finally losing him as he disappeared in the crowd.
The queen then trudged back to her room and plopped down on her bed, too tired to even change her clothes. Her conversation with Hermione had exhausted her more than what she had originally thought. A small frown appeared on her face as she shifted on her bed, ignoring her ruined hair.
Peter had proposed to Hermione, that much she understood. Which had immensely surprised her. It was painfully obvious of Peter's affections toward Hermione, but Lucy never expected that it was that… serious. Lucy had always read Edmund like an open book, but Peter was different. Her oldest brother always tended to be impulsive; doing things he never really planned to do. Lucy had this idea that Peter did not really plan to propose to Hermione today. It just happened, and perhaps it was due to the spell of the night and how bewitching Hermione had looked.
Her heart went to Hermione, remembering how her tears had resounded in her room. She could imagine the sheer astonishment she felt when Peter had asked her to marry him.
Her heart also broke for Peter, knowing that in the end, he would be rejected.
"Be careful!" Peter warned, placing a hand on Hermione's arm as she wobbled precariously on top of her black horse. Harry neighed worriedly, sensing that his owner was almost injured.
With a jolt, Hermione immediately pulled her arm away from Peter and cleared her throat. A small blush appeared on Peter's cheeks as he, too, looked away from the brunette.
"This concludes our lesson today, Hermione," he said after composing himself. "You're getting better and better as days passed by. I am sure that in no time, you will be a brilliant horseback rider."
Hermione nodded her head and dismounted Harry. She rubbed his nose, an assurance that she was all right, and the horse once again neighed. "I… you can go back now, your majesty. I still want to practice more."
The High King smiled and nodded his head. "Just be careful," he warned, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "And Hermione…" He paused, took a deep breath, and then shook his head. "Never mind, I just – " He nervously chuckled and intently looked into her eyes. "Last night… I meant all of it."
Hermione's heart sank and she looked at the ground, at loss of what to do. For an awkward minute, Peter stood in front of her, his eyes still intently on her, while Hermione avoided his gaze. And then, the High King cleared his throat and took a step back.
"Be careful," he warned again and then bowed down. He turned around, mounted on Stardust, and soon, he was galloping away from the Gentle Meadows. As soon as he was gone, Hermione released a disgruntled groan and once again mounted on Harry.
She had no idea how long she had ridden aimlessly all over the Gentle Meadows. Her mind seemed to float with the clouds, which had caused her to almost topple herself off her horse and injure herself.
"Sorry, Harry," she mumbled to her horse, patting his head. "I think it is best if we go home now."
Hermione paused, her eyebrows knitting together. Funny how she addressed Cair Paravel as her home now. First, it was her house in London. With her parents as dentists, they lived a well-to-do life. Although she was a Muggleborn, it did not exactly mean that her family could not afford to buy luxuries. In fact, they were one of the richest families in the neighbourhood. But then, this particular home of hers was taken away from her when the Death Eaters burned her house down, both her parents inside and unable to get out from it.
And then, there was Hogwarts – beautiful, grand, majestic, wonderful Hogwarts. After discovering that she was a witch, magic had been everything to her. In this school, she was able to make new friends and gain knowledge far greater than anything. Here, she actually felt she belonged, despite the obvious discrimination due to her parentage. But then, this was also taken away from her as the Second War erupted in Hogwarts, destroying the second home she had come to love.
And now, Narnia – it still made her wonder how she instantly loved this place. As days passed by, she was quickly getting over the idea that she could not go back to Hogwarts anymore, to her world, where she belonged. Here in Narnia, though, there was this sense of happiness that she had been truly finding she had never found in Hogwarts at all. Her heart always painfully clenched, thinking if this new place she called home would also be taken away from her.
'Merlin, please, no,' she silently, fervently prayed to the heavens above. Only God knows how her whole world would crumble if Narnia was also taken away from her.
Hermione once again recalled the events of last night and sighed. It truly was a long day and she was glad that at least she was able to survive it. There was this whole Thalia fiasco that had embarrassed both her and Edmund. Her cheeks still furiously flamed while thinking of the just king.
And then, there was Peter's proposal. All the color on her face drained and she swallowed. She could not believe that Peter chose that time to ask her to marry him. And quite abruptly, too! Although, Hermione somehow understood Peter's logic behind the seemingly illogical action he had done. According to this great prophecy, a war was looming and Hermione had witnessed firsthand that anything could happen in a war. Underneath Peter's truly heartfelt proposal, there was this hint of desperation.
The brunette wondered why she was more bothered of Peter's confession more than Edmund's. Peter was the first one who had shown signs of his affection for the brunette. Edmund was just a surprise. And although in her mind and heart, she knew she would both reject them, the overwhelming guilt of rejecting Peter seemed to be the most painful of both.
She and Harry had finally arrived in the castle's stable. Normel, the stable boy, had greeted Hermione with a huge beam. "How have you been?" she politely asked.
"All right, Miss, thank you very much," he answered with this thick accent she was not familiar with. Hermione had somehow heard the same accent from Caspian, although Caspian's was a little less distinct since he was now mingling around Narnians.
Hermione bid Normel goodbye and retired back to her bedroom, thinking of taking a nice nap before starting her lessons again.
Her arrow had narrowly missed the poor Dwarf, who ducked just in time.
"Oh dear Merlin, I am truly sorry!" Hermione cried with horror as she ran the length of the field of her archery lesson to approach the Dwarf.
Esko the Dwarf waved a dismissive hand for his wordless apology. Hermione had this feeling he had been used to this kind of thing, having been chosen by Caspian and Susan to assist the brunette for her first archery lesson.
"Relax, Hermione," Caspian instructed as Hermione once again ran by his side. An amused smile was stretched on his face and she could not help but scowl at him. "Remember, you focus on the bull's eye, not on the bow and arrow. The force will come… naturally. Is that the right term, Susan? I'm not the expert archer here."
Susan sighed and shook her head, Caspian the XI attached to her hip. Her little boy was making gurgling noises, adorably pulling some of Susan's beautiful hair. "Don't stress out yourself over hitting the bull's eye, Hermione," she said, shooting a pointed look at her husband. "It doesn't matter, yet, as long as you mastered the handling of your bow and arrow. You are brilliant; I am sure you will be able to get it soon."
Hermione frowned and bent down to grab another arrow from her quiver. With a dismayed sound, she watched as Susan involuntarily cowered back, covering a protective arm around her son. How could she not when Hermione was almost shooting an arrow erratically?
'All right, focus on the handling of the bow and arrow,' she mentally told herself, putting the arrow into place. With blatantly difficulty, she pulled the string back together with the arrow. 'Relax,' she told herself. 'Don't focus too much on hitting the bull's eye.'
And then, she quickly released her hold of the string and her arrow shot forward. Esko had immediately ran away from the round board even before her arrow had whisked beside him.
Hermione watched with triumph as her arrow hit the board. Even though it did not hit the bull's eye, it was the first time she was able to do it properly.
Susan exclaimed in congratulations and Caspian clapped his hands. "Very good," the Telmarine King said. "You are getting better, Miss Granger."
She grinned, and even gave Caspian a thrilled hug. The king laughed and patted her back, winking at his lovely wife. Susan shook her head, but grinned nonetheless, happily bouncing Caspie in her arms.
"Now, now, I think it is best if we all go to the garden for our afternoon tea," Susan suggested, hitching her son higher up in her arms. "It has been a tiring day for us, especially to you, Hermione, and it will not do you any good if you stressed yourself over your lessons."
Hermione concurred and after fixing her archery things, she bounded to the garden, together with Susan, Caspian, and their son.
"I heard from Edmund that you are quite good in handling a sword," Caspian said.
With a blush, the brunette smiled. "Hmm… he said that?" she asked, her gaze turning faraway.
"Edmund speaks quite well about you, Hermione," Susan added, unconsciously reaching for Caspian's hand. Her husband gave her a smile as he interlaced her fingers with his. "Which is a bit surprising, mind you, since he used to dislike the idea of you gracing the floors of Cair Paravel."
Hermione sighed. 'Oh, you have no idea,' she mumbled inside, only wordlessly smiling.
"How could he not when she proved that she is a brilliant girl?" Caspian asked, shaking his head. "Dear Aslan, I have never seen such a woman before."
The brunette shrugged and smiled. "I value knowledge," she stated matter-of-factly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It is the greatest treasure that I want to acquire as I grow older."
"It's strange how you sound like Susan," he said with a fond smile at his wife.
Susan gave Hermione a smile, completely agreeing with Caspian's words.
Their conversation was then cut short once they arrived in the garden, Lucy, Edmund, and Peter already seated on their respective places.
"What a fine day!" Lucy exclaimed, her arms spread out in front of her. A basket of snacks was dangling at her left arm. Her right immediately hooked itself around Hermione's, beaming widely at her lady-in-waiting. "I am sure we will have a nice picnic in Gentle Meadows today."
She, Hermione, and Susan with little Caspie all decided to have a picnic today. The kings had made themselves scarce as they all retired to Peter's library, once again discussing about the issue of Ettinsmoor and the growing rate of rebelling Telmarines against the monarchy. Both queens and the lady-in-waiting all thought that since it was a wonderful day, they could amuse themselves in the Gentle Meadows and have a picnic.
They soon arrived and Hermione placed the blanket on top of the grass. Lucy removed all of the snacks from the basket, and then, all of them started to eat.
Hermione thought it was a nice hiatus from the problems she was currently having. Edmund's affections left her mind for a while. Momentarily, Peter's proposal was completely forgotten. It was as if she was in wonderland where all of her problems were nonexistent.
Caspian was also a good distraction as the ladies amused themselves over the baby. He was still emitting incoherent words and he was still a wobbly walker. Still, he did not fail to make all of them fawn over him. Caspian, his father, was always amazed how the women would transform in front of his eyes, commenting that they all acted like a devoted, bright-eyed mother, cooing sweet words to make the baby happy.
"Lu, can you please pass the butter?" Susan asked, which her sister promptly followed.
Half an hour later, Susan and Caspie had both gone to the stream to freshen up. Now that Lucy and Hermione were alone, the young queen stared worriedly at her lady-in-waiting and clutched her hand. "Are you all right?" she asked.
Hermione genuinely smiled and nodded her head. "For now, yes," she said, expelling a dreamy sigh. "I guess all I need is a little break from… everything."
Lucy squeezed her hand and returned her smile. "I'm glad," the valiant queen said. "Just don't be afraid to approach me if you need anything."
"I'll keep that in mind," the brunette answered.
Once Susan and Caspian came back, Hermione and Lucy had already packed everything. They readied themselves to go back to Cair Paravel.
As they journeyed back to the castle, they amused themselves by playing with the baby. Caspian had an infectious laugh that always made the women chuckle in delight. Susan had passed him from Lucy to Hermione and then back, both bouncing the lively baby in their arms.
"Hold on…" Lucy said, squinting her eyes. They were nearing the gates of Cair Paravel when the valiant queen suddenly stopped them with a raise of her hand.
"What is it?" Susan asked.
Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at her sister. "It's her," she whispered, horrified. "It's the old lady."
Susan mirrored her expression. "The prophecy?" was what she asked. The nod that Lucy had given her was all she needed.
Hermione, confused, stared straight ahead. She could make out a figure outside the gates of Cair Paravel, her hands tightly clutching the bars of the gate.
Cautiously, they neared and Hermione released an audible gasp. She was the same old lady who introduced herself as the fortune teller in the Narnian fair – the same old lady who disappeared and the same old lady who told her that she could not go back to her world anymore.
Her gasp had caught the old lady's attention. Sheer panic crossed her face but impulsively, Hermione ran forward. Before she could even run, Hermione had trapped her wrists and desperately stared into her.
"PETER!" Lucy hysterically screamed inside. Some of the Narnian guards grew alarmed with Lucy's exclamation. Upon one look at the scene outside the gate, they opened it and rushed outside, encircling around Hermione and the old lady.
Peter, followed by Edmund and Caspian the X, all burst out from the castle. A look of panic was shown on the High King's face and once they all arrived outside, recognition dawned on their faces.
The old lady was starting to grow desperate, wanting to get away from all of them. But Hermione's grip was tight; she was determined not to let her go. Not when she still had so many unanswered questions and she had this inkling that only this lady would be able to give her the answers.
Edmund pulled out his sword and pointed it at the old lady. She, on the other hand, whimpered upon seeing the sharp edge of the weapon.
"We are not going to hurt you," Peter slowly said, "unless, you cooperated with us."
Peter ordered for the soldiers to seize the lady and bring her inside. The other royalties, together with Hermione, all rushed inside the castle. The soldiers brought the old lady in the Throne and soon, Peter had ordered the Narnian soldiers to leave them.
A tensed silence settled as all of the Narnian royalties stared at the prophetess with rapt attention. Hermione was regarding her quite suspiciously, now deducing that all of them had encountered this lady. She had this feeling that her coincidental meetings with the old lady were not coincidental at all.
"Try to run away and I swear to Aslan, we will hunt you down," Peter threatened.
Hermione's blood ran cold upon the menacing tone in High King Peter's voice. It was the first time she had heard that tone coming out from Peter's mouth. Apparently, his words had brought fear to the old lady, as she now stood stock-still at the very middle of the room.
No one moved for a few minutes. It was Hermione then who broke the silence, fed up with the bubbling curiosit at the pit of her stomach. She gingerly approached the old lady. Behind her, she could hear the other kings pulling out their sword and pointing it at the mysterious lady in case she did something to Hermione.
"Who… who exactly are you?" she asked, swallowing her fear.
The old lady stared at her intently for a full minute before, with a resigned sigh, shaking her head. "I knew this day would come," she gravely said.
She then rummaged inside her sleeve and pulled out, much to Hermione's utter surprise, a stick – a wand. Dumbfounded, she watched as the lady waved her wand and right before their eyes, her appearance changed. She grew a few inches taller, her back straightening as opposed to the hunchbacked lady. Her grey hair turned into brown, her eyes a dark shade of green.
With a choked sob, Hermione pressed her hand against her mouth, too speechless for words.
Even though her gaudiness was gone and her infamous spectacles were not perched on her nose, Hermione was still able to recognize her old Divinations teacher.
"Hermione?" a voice from behind her asked. She was too disoriented to know that it was Edmund's. All of the royalties were still reeling from the obvious magic that unfolded before their eyes but their confusion heightened once Lucy's lady-in-waiting started to release soft sobs.
It was probably a spur-of-the-moment, with her feelings overwhelming her too much, but the next thing that Hermione did was launch herself into the arms of Sybill Trelawney for a hug. The relief of seeing such a familiar face overwhelmed the brunette as she tightened her arms around the older witch standing in front of her.
"P-professor," she sobbed. "Oh good Godric, P-professor."
Trelawney's eyes watered as she hugged back one of her old students, a small smile stretched on her face. "Hermione Granger," she announced. "The brightest witch of her age."
With a confused look on his face, Peter slowly descended the steps from his throne and approached them. "Hermione?" he asked, his voice thick with astonishment. "I don't understand."
"Allow me to explain, your majesty," Trelawney offered as Hermione slowly pulled herself away from her professor. Lucy instantly ran towards her lady-in-waiting and wrapped an arm around waist, shooting the mysterious lady some looks of suspicion.
"It's all right," Hermione whispered. "I know her."
"You do?" Peter asked, his confusion increasing ten-fold.
"First and foremost, let me introduce myself," the old Divinations teacher said. She then courteously bowed and then proclaimed, "My name is Sybill Trelawney. I, too, came from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Miss Granger, here, had been one of my former students."
A pair of footsteps resounded in the whole room as Edmund approached the lot. "From Hogwarts?" the just king asked, his surprise evident at the tone of his voice. "But why - ?"
Trelawney took a few steps back and shot Hermione a forlorn look. "The Second War in Hogwarts was looming. I know because I was the one who predicted it," she started. A look of pain crossed Hermione's face as she stared back at her teacher. "A fortnight before the start of the war, everything changed."
"You were brought to Narnia," Hermione slowly said, her eyes widening in realization. "You went missing and all of us thought that you were killed by the Death Eaters."
"But then, I was not," Trelawney said, shaking her head. She looked back at the royalties. "A fortnight before the start of the war," she echoed, "Aslan came to Hogwarts and brought me here in Narnia."
A collective gasps escaped from the lips of the royalties. "Aslan?" Lucy asked, her eyes lit up with excitement. "You saw Aslan?"
Trelawney smiled and nodded. "The Great Lion of Narnia appeared in my room and told me that I had to leave my world in order to go to another one because I have a purpose to fulfil," she said. "And that purpose is to tell all of you the great prophecy regarding the Ice and the Fire, the White Witch of Old and the Princess of the Lions." Her eyes once again landed on Hermione and she smiled at the incredulous look on her face.
Hermione was still having doubts whether she was really the Chosen One of the prophecy. Now that Trelawney had confirmed it, everything started to feel surreal.
"At the heat of the war, Aslan revealed to me that he would bring you to Narnia," Trelawney continued. "Our meetings were not accidents at all. During the Narnian fair, I had really meant to bring you to my tent and reveal a few snippets of the prophecy. We met again and I gave you the Sorting Hat after I revealed that you cannot go back to Hogwarts anymore."
The brunette gingerly nodded her head. "Yes, I remember," she said, haphazardly wiping away her tears.
"I disguised myself because Aslan ordered me to do so," the older witch continued, waving her wand for everybody to see. "He said the time will come when I must reveal myself to all of you. And I believe that the right time has come."
"And you can do magic," Lucy's lady-in-waiting pointed out. Hermione also pulled out her useless wand and frowned. "But my magic… it is stifled," she explained. "How come you can perform magic when I cannot?"
"The first time I came to Narnia," Trelawney continued, "my magic was also stifled, Miss Granger. It was only when Aslan blessed my wand when I started to do magic again."
The brunette's eyes widened in realization. "But her weapon will falter. Until the King of the Lions. Bless Her with his hands," she recited. "Aslan must bless my wand first before I can start using it again."
"Yes, but now is not the right time," her professor said. "The right time will come, Miss Granger. All you need to do is to wait."
Trelawney then looked back at the kings and queens of Narnia. She almost smiled at the identical looks on their faces. "I believe I am able to explain myself properly, your majesties," she said. "I do not mean any harm for your kingdom, although it was natural for you to suspect since another war is looming."
Peter inclined his head. "We thank you for the information," he said. "I… I am thankful that you allowed us to hear such necessary words from you."
Hermione vigorously nodded her head, concurring.
"As leaders of this country, it is best if information is not withheld from you," she said, shaking her head. "Now, if you may excuse me, I must - "
"Can't you stay here?" Hermione blurted out without thinking. Her cheeks colored as she looked at Peter and the others. "Well, if they allow it."
"Of course," Peter said with a charming smile.
Trelawney smiled, looked at all of the occupants in the throne room and said, "Of course."
That night, the prophetess was gone for a while to retrieve some of her belongings. When she came back, Hermione had begged for her to stay with her in her room. Trelawney gladly obliged and now, they shared a bed.
As they all went back to sleep, Hermione believed that it had been a while ever since she felt truly at peace.
A/N: So, good? Bad? Eh? Meh? Tell me in your reviews!
First and foremost, the whole "Ardon thing" was just a spur of the moment. I somehow started liking Lucy's character as the story progressed and I wanted her to be happy :) LOL, I know, their little love story was a little rushed (but you must admit it was adorable) because, then again, it was a spur-of-the-moment. But you got the gist, I hope.
And then, the revelation. Oh, the old lady had always been important and I gave hints too, you know. The fact that she was a prophetess, that Hermione swore she could apparate, that she has the Sorting Hat and gave it to Hermione, that Trelawney disappeared a fortnight before the start of the Second War... Trust me, her role is still vital and all. Kudos to those who somehow saw this thing coming. Well, Hermione was lonely in Narnia at first you know, so I know it would do her some good, especially because she is the "Chosen One", if she actually saw a familiar face, albeit someone she did not exactly like back then.
Anyway, thanks for all those who gave some random facts about them. Haha, they were interesting, by the way. So, I think it is just fair if I give one myself - I'm currently addicted to the TV series "Supernatural". I'm currently on the fourth season and all and man, talk about awesomeness. I don't know, the story is just so interesting and I couldn't stop. Well, I have two more weeks before the start of school so I have to make the best out of it.
That's all :) NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE A BLAST, I SWEAR. I'll make all of you more curious by saying that next chapter is part of the top three of my most favorite chapter of "When Two Worlds Collide" :) I'll update this coming Friday!
With love,
WickedlyAweseomeMe