Wow, thanks for everyone's reviews and support despite the fact that I haven't updated in forever! For those of you who have been following, thank you for your patience. I'm hoping to upload a bunch of chapters in the next few days, and hopefully a lot this weekend as well. =] You guys are awesome. Enjoy, and as always feedback is incredible.

Katriana sat in her bedroom that night afraid to go to sleep. Alia was still getting ready to go to bed. Katriana pulled up her knees to her chest as she sat with the blankets pulled up all around her. She stared at the fire Alia had built in her room. It was chilly that night, so she had done it out of kindness. But it terrified her. She sat there and just stared at it as it flicked around. Alia came in and noticed.

"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" She sat on the bed next to Katriana and put her hand to the girl's forehead. Katriana pushed it away.

"I'm feeling fine. Are… are you sure that the fire won't come out of the fireplace? I mean, is it safe to leave it going all night?" She still hadn't taken her eyes off the flames.

"Of course. We do it all the time. It'll be fine. Come on," she pulled up the covers. "By tomorrow you'll be all better and we can start working on Queen Lucy's gown for the banquet."

"All right," Katriana said weakly as Alia got up and closed the door behind her as she left. She was still staring at the fire. A strange sensation rose inside her, and she felt the sudden urge to run. But she couldn't. She was transfixed by the dancing flames.

She fell asleep that way. Around four o'clock she awoke to the sound of a distant gong. She looked around at the dark room. The fire had dwindled down to small glowing embers. She sat there in the cool darkness for a few moments. Suddenly she threw the covers off and slipped out of bed into the fleece slippers next to it. She grabbed her robe and put it on as she slipped out into the hallway. She closed the door carefully behind her, so as not to wake Alia. She had no idea where she was going, but she had to go somewhere.

She walked up and down the hallways. She really didn't want to go back to bed. The hallways were dark and quiet. Nothing stirred. She came to a point in one of the hallways where there was a balcony off of the left side. It had a stone bench in front of it. She walked over and sat on it. The stars twinkled down at her, as she sat there and shivered. It was a cold night. Suddenly she heard a noise behind her. She turned quickly to see what it was.

Nothing. The hallway was empty. Her imagination started to take off. She pressed her lips together and tried to convince herself to be reasonable. It was probably nothing, after all. Katriana sighed and turned her back to the stars. She glanced over her shoulder at them. If only they could talk. Then she heard the noise again. This time it was closer. Her stomach turned over inside her. She should probably be getting back to bed. Her chest started to rise faster. She got up and started walking quickly from the direction she had come from.

As she neared her room, she came across another balcony that was like the other one. This one was nearer to a group of trees in one of the gardens, so the stars were more blocked out. She paused in front of it. A lark called out in the quiet night from one of the trees. She answered it by singing one note. It called back again to her. She answered again, with more this time. They went back and forth for a few minutes before the lark flew away. She stood there, completely alone. After a bit she turned and went to her room. But she had not been as alone as she had thought.

The next few days were very fulfilling for Katriana. She loved sewing, and she took to it like a fish takes to water. One thing that made Mrs. Beaver especially pleased was that Katriana had a very good eye for color and design. Katriana and Alia were assigned to Queen Lucy's gown, with Mrs. Beaver overseeing their work. The end result was stunning.

The dress was made of a deep, plum-colored velvet, with very tight sleeves and a fitted bodice. The bodice came to a point where it met the fabric of the skirt, and the same point was applied to the bottom of the sleeves. The neckline was very rounded; in back as well as front. The edge of the neckline was a thick piece of sky blue silk. This same silk was also threaded in the dress in the upper arm as well as the middle of the bodice. They had kept extra ribbon for the Queen to put in her hair. Slippers made of the same velvet were also constructed, with the silk used for a single strap across the top. The girls were extremely pleased with their work, and were also very excited for Lucy to come back and see it. She was due to arrive the next day, and they could hardly wait.

Katriana saw no more of King Peter for those days. She was busy, and he was too. There was no chance for them to cross paths. For this she had mixed feelings. At first she was relieved, but as the days went by she began to miss seeing him. She told herself several times to stop thinking about it, but she couldn't seem to shake him from her thoughts.

One day when she and Alia were adding some beads to Queen Lucy's dress, Mrs. Beaver came in to tell her that she had been summoned by their majesties. Katriana looked quickly at Alia. Alia just shrugged though, so Katriana got up and followed Mrs. Beaver out the door and down several hallways till they reached the throne room. It was a bustle of activity, and both kings and Queen Susan were at the center, helping giving directions. Especially Queen Susan.

Mrs. Beaver led her over to them, and they both bowed. "Here she is, your majesties."

"Ah! Thank you, Mrs. Beaver!" said Susan, who clasped her hands together happily.

"What's this all about, Su?" asked Peter warily. Edmund stood there waiting for an explanation.

"You shall see," said Susan with a smile as she took Katriana's shoulder. Susan stood next to her and addressed her, "Katriana, how would you like to sing at the banquet that's coming up next week?"

Katriana's mouth dropped open. "I… well… I…"

"Su, I'm sure she's too busy getting ready with everything else to have time to worry about that," Peter said in a rush. Katriana looked at him finally. He was trying to help her. He knew.

"I'm sure she's not too busy! And besides, she's so good she won't even have to practice." Here Susan smiled at Katriana. "You should hear her, Peter! I overheard her singing last night while I was walking the halls. It seems she had the same idea too."

It hit Katriana like a huge wave. The queen must have been the one making the noise in the hallway. Now what was she going to do? Peter saw her look, and tried harder to defend her.

"Susan, please! If she doesn't want to, she doesn't have to!"

"She hasn't even said if she wants to or not yet! Why don't you let her get her say in, Peter?" Susan gave him a look that told him to zip his lip or else. She turned back to Katriana, waiting for an answer.

Katriana stood there for a moment. Peter was giving her a look that said that he had tried as hard as he could. She pursed her lips together, and then made her decision.

"I'll do it," she said, turning to smile at Queen Susan, who smiled back radiantly at her. She was avoiding Peter's face. She had a feeling that she knew what he was thinking. Her heart started beating faster.

"Splendid!" cried Susan, who hugged Katriana quickly. Susan then turned to Peter, "See? I told you that you were jumping to conclusions too quickly." She shook her head at him. "Thank you ever so much, Katriana! You may go, now." Here she turned to address the faun that had come up to her with a question.

Edmund just shrugged his shoulders and turned back to what he was doing. Katriana looked down at the floor to avoid Peter's gaze. She licked her lips and turned to go. She had almost reached the door when she stopped. She was kicking herself. She still didn't know the way back. She could feel Peter watching her as she stood there and wondered what to do. Maybe she could ask one of the other servants to help…

"Come on, I'll show you the way back," said Peter quietly as he touched her arm. She looked up at him in surprise, but only for a moment. She quickly dropped her gaze back down as her face turned pink.

They walked in silence through the halls. It was much different than the last time he had done this for her. His presence made her feel… so on guard. Right before they reached the room, Peter stopped her.

"I have to know something," he said as he tried to make eye contact with her. "Is it me? Have I done something?"

Katriana felt like crying. "No! It's not you at… at all!"

"Then why would you do it for her?" He sounded so hurt, and it killed her.

"It wasn't because she asked," whispered Katriana. "I just decided to… to do something brave… for once." Here she looked up and finally made the eye contact he had sought out. It shocked him to see her eyes so… so… he didn't even know how to describe them.

"Then I don't understand," he said. She opened her mouth to say something, but he held up a hand and rushed to stop her. "I know what you're going to say, but I want to understand."

She stood there in silence as she looked into his blue eyes. Finally, she was able to answer. "I'm not ready yet," she whispered. She walked by him and into the sewing room, leaving him standing there.