A/N: 1. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting! But I'm a nerd, and a severe homework overload comes with the job description. -.-' This particular week, I was stuck with writing a sonnet for english class. A SONNET. Ugh. Rant over. :P 2. Okay. Just saying this straight out here. Alexandra is not, and I repeat, is NOT Jadis's daughter by birth. How she became princess, I won't tell you just yet. But keep in mind that she is not related to Jadis. Her shapeshifting will be explained later.
Hope you like!
Narnia's Winter, Chapter Two – White Bluebells
The crisp morning air smelled sweet, and the sun had not fully risen from behind the mountains. The snowy landscape was alive with an inner peace only seen on rare winter mornings. I smiled, exhaling a large puff of air. It curled in warm opaque tendrils in front of my face. Yes. I loved Narnia.
I paused my musings to quickly glance around before shifting into a furry tan lynx. My ears twitched as I heard soft footsteps a ways behind me. Never being one to pass up some spying on the occasional Narnian caught in the cold, I approached the source of the noise. Crouching around the edges of a clearing surrounding the famous lamppost, I waited.
The footsteps grew louder.
A girl, about eight years of age came into view. She looks very innocent, I remarked, before doing a double take. A girl? In Narnia? I'm supposed to be the only human in this country! Well, as human as you can get around here, anyway…
The girl reached the lamppost and looked around in wonder. As soon as her small hand touched the frozen black metal, another set of footsteps crunched through the misty silence. Ah. A Faun. I smirked. This should be interesting. Of course, there were steps to be taken later to insure said faun doesn't go spreading the word, but that's what the secret police were for, right?
I grinned as I saw him approach. Tumnus. No need for the secret police then. Satisfied, I padded away into the forest.
...
I was lost in thought for the remainder of the day, and not even my favorite cub, Garen, could shake me from my thoughts. Maugrim, to say the least, was not impressed.
"Alexandra! By Charn, you dratted human, can't you focus for at least one minute? You don't have that much time to-"
"-to learn how to manage and be a part of the Secret Police, blahdy blahdy blah. Yes, I know," I narrowed my eyes irately at the wolf, crossing my arms.
Said wolf narrowed his eyes in return, and we proceeded to have a mini staring match. Unfortunately, our glaring was cut short by a ball of fur hurtling itself at me, making me lose my balance. I fell in a graceless pile onto the snowy ground. Maugrim's booming laughter echoed throughout the courtyard.
"Ow," I grumbled, depositing Garen from my lap and standing up, rubbing my backside. "My butt hurts."
This caused the just-recovered Maugrim to lapse into another round of riotous laughter. I swatted him.
Once the wolf had successfully calmed down a second time, he led me over to a secluded part of the courtyard behind some ancient statues.
Maugrim nudged my hand with his nose, growling slightly. "I can tell something's bothering you, Alexandra. You can't hide it from me – I've known you far too long. So what is it?"
I sighed. "I saw a human in the Lantern Waste this morning. "
Maugrim's eyes were wide with shock. "What?" the wolf roared.
I cringed. "It- it's alright. I saw her leave with Tumnus. We s-should be expecting word any time now." My stuttering had nothing to do with the cold.
My companion, noticing this, lowered his voice. "You know what this means, Alexandra. You must tell the Queen."
"My mother, as sensible as she is, will only make a big deal out of it," I sighed. "That's why I didn't tell her. She'll blow the whole thing out of proportion and we'll have yet another uprising on our hands. I hate seeing those Narnians turn to stone just as much as you do, Maugrim."
The wolf hung his head. "I'm aware of this, Alexandra. But the Queen must be notified."
"I know. Just promise you'll give it one more day, alright?"
"Whatever you say, your Highness."
…
The night came and went, and still the faun hadn't reported to my mother. I was beginning to feel worried.
"Maugrim," I hissed at the dinner table. "What if he doesn't show up?"
The wolf growled. "Then that faun has some serious explaining to do."
By then I had decided – for I had talked to the fellow and quite liked him – that I would allow the faun one more day. Alas, he did not report then, either.
I entered the throne room to report the faun to my mother when the sight stopped me in my tracks. Jadis was furious. Not angry, but furious.
"Did you know about this?" She hissed at me.
I blinked. "A-about what, m-mother?" Her outbursts could be really terrifying.
"The human!" she all but screeched, flailing her arms.
"I – uh – um – well, you see…"
"Her majesty knows nothing of the human you speak of, my Queen," Maugrim cut in with a bow. I shot him a confused but grateful look.
"Human…?" I asked carefully, turning towards my mother again.
"Yes," she ground out. "Human." She said the word as though it was some terrible disease. Something must have shown on my face, because she immediately added, her voice softer, "I do not mean you, daughter. You are well educated and know enough about magic to be one of Charn's children yourself. Do not worry about your place in this country."
I nodded, grateful I wasn't being written off with the others of my kind. "So what of the human?"
The look on Jadis's face turned dangerous again. "I found once in the woods this morning. He says he has siblings. One brother and two sisters."
My eyes went wide as I gasped in horror. "The Narnian prophecy!" It was bogus, of course, but the Narnians were so superstitious that if, Charn forbid, a black cat crossed their path, they would either be looking for luck charms or being fitted for their coffins.
Jadis ignored me. "He says his younger sister came here before," she seethed. "Talked to a faun named Tumnus, he said. Maugrim!" The Queen whirled on the wolf. "Get the Secret Police ready at once! Bring the treacherous faun to me."
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