WARNING: The beginning of this chapter is dark compared to the rest of the story thus far. Just wanted to give you that little warning. If you think it is too much, please let me know.

As usual, the * indicates direct quotes, once more these are from the movie. Some lines/scene were just too good to brush over in my opinion.

If I were naming the chapters, this one would be called My King.

The Naiad Trilogy

Part 2: The Naiad and Her King

Chapter 8

Ava awoke spluttering and coughing as she was doused in some kind of liquid. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it wasn't water and it smelled of alcohol. She was lying on cold stone in a dark room. Confused by her surroundings, she tried sitting up. Her head throbbed with immense pain and she was flooded with a sense of dizziness, nearly passing out once more. She tried bracing her head in her hands, but she could only raise her hands about a foot off the ground. Her wrists had been chained to the floor, and no matter how hard she tried pulling on her chains they would not budge.

"You'll only 'urt yourself doin' that," a voice sneered. Ava looked around but in the darkness she could see nothing.

Suddenly a row of torches were lit, illuminating her surroundings. Ava squinted as the harshness of the light temporarily blinded her. When her eyes finally adjusted, she noticed first why she felt so cold; her red dress had been removed and now she wore only her underdress. She was scared and confused. She couldn't remember where she was or how she had gotten there. But as she looked up into the obsidian black eyes of her captor, Maligor, Ava suddenly remembered what she had done, and she hoped her friends were alright.

"Oh, now she holds her tongue," another voice said; it belonged to the head slaver. Ava later came to learn that his name was Pug. Along with Pug and Maligor, there were two other slavers in the room.

"Per'aps she is thirsty," Maligor suggested with a nasty grin.

"Well then, let's give 'er a drink."

At Pug's signal the two unnamed slavers stepped forth. One grabbed a hold of Ava's head and forced her mouth open, while the other poured some kind of brown liquid in. They gave her too much and once more she began to splutter and cough. This only made the slavers roar with laughter. Their laughter reverberated off the stone walls making Ava's head swarm with pain and dizziness again.

"Now, you will tell us what we want to know," Pug said

"And what is it that you wish to know?" Ava asked.

"Who is your King?"

Ava's lips turned up in a defiant smile and she chuckled softly. "My King is a great man. He will come for me, and you will pay for your crimes."

Pug gave Maligor a nod, and Maligor brought the back of his hand down across Ava's face. It stung and Ava tasted blood on her lips, but she bit back her cry of pain. She would not give them what they wanted.

"I'll say it again. Who is your King?"

"My King is a fierce man. He will come for me, and you will cower at his feet."

Pug ushered one of the unnamed slavers forward. He withdrew a small dagger and ran it across Ava's arm slowly. She could not stop the hiss of pain this time. Pug grinned smugly.

"Who is your King?" he asked again. He was growing impatient, as was evident by his raised voice.

"My King," Ava fought past the pain still surging through her head and arm. "My King is a noble man. He will come for me, and you will… Ahhh!" Ava cried out as her arm was cut once more this time a little deeper.

XOXOX

"'Ere's your royal suite, Your 'Ighness," Maligor jeered as he opened a large wooden door and tossed Ava inside the room.

Ava's body was weak from the hours of questioning she had endured, and it could not hold up; she collapsed to the earthen floor. The door was quickly closed and locked behind her. Ava didn't have the strength or the will to move, her whole body throbbed with pain, and so she lay there breathing silently. She didn't even have the strength to cry.

"Ava?" a timid voice whispered in the silence. Ava recognized it at once.

"Ava?" the voice questioned again as a body shuffled across the floor to her. Ava knew she could not let them see her broken like she was, and it took nearly all she had to roll herself over.

"Ava? What have they done to you?" Ava looked into the gentle, cloudy grey eyes of her friend, and offered a feeble smile.

"I'm fine, Lucy," Ava said weakly. "I'm fine." With her wrists once more changed together, Ava struggled to push herself into a sitting position and Lucy had to help lift her shoulders from behind.

"Where are the others?" Ava asked as she slumped against a wall.

"Eustace is right here," Lucy pointed him out.

"What about Caspian? Where's Caspian?"

"I don't know. They said something about taking him and Edmund to the dungeons. Where have you been?"

Ava coughed weakly. "Nowhere. They just had a few questions for me."

"Questions?"

"They didn't like my answers. My King is noble. My King is fierce. My King will come. He will come." Ava's voice took a dreamy tone with a hint of madness to it as it began to fade.

"Ava?"

"I'm fine, Lucy." She began coughing weakly again.

"Here, drink this. It's water, I didn't drink any of mine when they gave it to me." Lucy held a cup up to Ava's lips and tipped a bit of water into her mouth.

"Water…?" she contemplated weakly after swallowing.

"Yes, it's water, Ava. Have some more." Lucy lifted the cup up to Ava's lips again, but she shook her head.

"No, let me see it." Ava took the cup into her own hands. It was only about a quarter full. "Is there anymore? I can use it…to get help. I can tell Reep, where we are."

"Eustace, Eustace do you have any more water?" Lucy asked as she crawled over to her cousin.

"Why? Why do you need it? Drink your own water," he replied.

"No Eustace, it's for Ava. She needs it. Please Eustace, can she have it?"

"I...I… I don't…" He stumbled with his feelings. What if he became thirsty later but he had already given up the last of his water?

"Eustace please, Ava needs it."

He looked over to where Ava sat leaning against the wall. Her dress was dirty and torn. She had a gash on her forehead that was caked with her own blood. She had several red lines on her sleeves; he didn't even want to know what they were. When he had first saw her earlier that day he had been speechless in her presence, now he felt speechless again but for entirely different reasons. Hardly knowing why he did it, he handed his cup over to Lucy.

"Thank you, Eustace," Lucy said relieved. For a moment she half expected her cousin to refuse. Lucy took the cup and began to shuffle back over to Ava.

"Lucy," Eustace called her back. "Don't let her go to sleep. That cut on her head looks severe; she might have a concussion."

Lucy nodded in understanding before finishing her crawl. She poured the rest of Eustace's water into Ava's cup. Ava smiled faintly and whispered her thanks to Eustace. Then she placed her hand in the cup and with every bit of strength she could muster, she focused her thoughts on the person she wanted to reach. She had never contacted the Narnians this way before, but she didn't understand, if she could hear their thoughts, why they wouldn't be able to hear hers if she let them. Her mind was foggy and she found it difficult to concentrate, but she did not stop trying. They had to know what they were coming in to.

XOXOX

Reepicheep lay swinging in his hammock below deck. For once, he did not have the night shift; though it did him little good because he could not find rest anyways. King Caspian, the Naiad Princess, the King and Queen of Old, and their odd cousin had been gone for hours. They had not returned to the docks after nightfall, and Captain Drinian, not wanting to spend the night on shore of an island so full of ill boding, had ordered the men back to the Dawn Treader to wait.

Suddenly he heard someone call his name and his eyes sprung open. He looked around but could not see the source of the call. Seeing no one he thought perhaps he really was tired. So he closed his eyes once more and tried going to sleep.

"Reepicheep…"

There it was again! He was certain he heard his name that time. He knew he wasn't dreaming now. He also recognized the voice that had called him.

"Princess?" he called back.

"Reepicheep…help us…"

Help? The Princess was in trouble?

"Slave traders… separated … Caspian, Ed … market … morning …help us, Reep…"

The Princess's message was jumbled and it didn't make much sense to Reepicheep. But one thing was perfectly clear. The Princess was in trouble! Reepicheep jumped down from his hammock and scurried off to inform the Captain of this terrible news. The Captain was standing on the forecastle peering through his spy glass at the island. The horizon was graying with the early light of day.

"Hello, Reep," Drinian greeted the noble mouse.

"I have grave news, Captain," Reepicheep replied.

"What is it?"

"The Princess is in danger." Reepicheep proceeded to tell Drinian about the message he received. As he did so, they were joined by the other Narnians on board.

"He speaks the truth, Captain," Tavros said. "I received the same message."

"As did I," Voltinus replied.

"And I." One by one all the Narnians confirmed that they had heard the same message.

"Very well then, let us make our plan of rescue," Drinian said.

XOXOX

Edmund awoke to a loud clanging noise and with a headache. He knew there was nothing he could do about his head, so he ignored it and focused on the noise. When he looked over his left shoulder, he saw that Caspian was kicking an iron barred gate.

*"You alight?"* Caspian asked as he paused to take a breath.

"Yeah," Edmund said with a slight groan as he stood up. When they saw the slave traders dragging Lucy and Eustace away, and in Ava's case carrying her away, Caspian and Edmund had put up such a fight that the slavers had to subdue them with some strange smelling cloth that knocked them unconscious.

"Are you alright?" Edmund asked, but for a response all he got was a grunt as Caspian kicked at the gate again.

"How long have you been doing that?"

"I don't know," Caspian replied shaking his head as he kicked the gate again. "But it doesn't matter. They have Ava and I won't stop until I get her back…and Lucy and Eustace too of course." Caspian gave the gate his strongest kick yet and it still showed no sign of giving way.

*"It's hopeless,"* a voice called out from the back corner. *"You'll never get out."*

*"Who's there?"* Edmund asked.

*"Nobody…just a voice in my head."*

Caspian looked in the direction from which the voice came and for the first time he thought he saw something in the shadows. He moved slowly to the dark corner as the shadows began to stir. A man dressed in dirty, tattered clothes with a long wiry beard and long grey hair emerged in the sunlight. The man and Caspian looked upon each other as if they were trying to put a name to a face.

*"Lord Bern?"* Caspian questioned.

The man seemed startled to hear his name. *"Perhaps once, but I'm no longer deserving of that title."*

*"Is he one of the seven?"* Edmund asked. Caspian nodded before moving forward and squatting before the old lord.

*"Your face,"* Lord Bern began. *"You remind me of a King I once loved well."*

*"That man was my father,"* Caspian replied.

The old man was shocked once more and sounded a little frightened. *"Oh, My Lord, please forgive me."* He tried to kneel before his King but Caspian wouldn't allow it.

*"No, please…please."* Caspian held the lord by his elbows and helped him to stand. Caspian smiled, relieved. He had not forgotten about Ava and the others, but he had found the first of the seven missing lords. Surely, that was a good omen.

XOXOX

*"I bid sixty!"*

Morning had arrived, and Ava had not slept at all; Lucy wouldn't allow it. Ava felt exhausted, empty, completely drained of all energy and magic as she stood under the blazing sun. She missed the cooling wind that would blow at sea.

*"I bid eighty!"*

It was market day. Ava stood in a line with Eustace to her left and no one to her right. Lucy had been there. Now Lucy stood on the auction block.

*"One hundred for the little lady!"*

Ava cringed. Inwardly at least, she was too tired to express her discomfort physically. She couldn't bear to see her friend being auctioned off. "My King will come. He will come," Ava repeated her mantra over again.

*"One hundred and twenty!"*

Suddenly she felt something; a spark, a flare of magic. She couldn't really describe it. She looked out into the crowd and noticed the blue robes for the first time. She was nearly certain she had seen those robes before. But where?

*"One hundred and fifty!"*

With no more bids Lucy was lifted off the stone block and moved aside; a "sold" sign now hung about her neck. The slaver Maligor grabbed Ava forcefully by the arm and dragged her forward. It was her turn to be auctioned off now. As she was placed on the block, Ava stared straight ahead and into the crowd, and she caught sight of a familiar face. Her eyes locked with the mystical green eyes of someone she would consider a friend. His cloak hid his true nature from the unsuspecting buyers, but Ava knew him well. Voltinus!

"Well, look 'ooh it is! You boys are in for a trea' now! We got ourselves a 'eal Princess 'ere!" Pug informed the crowd, mocking Ava's Princess claim. Nothing Pug could do or say could dampen Ava's spirit now! At the sight of Voltinus she had been filled with such determination and strength. Her help had arrived!

Before he opened the bids on Ava, Pug thought he'd taunt her a bit more. So he stepped up beside her on the stone block. His face was only inches from hers, and Ava had to hold her breath so she wouldn't gag.

"Where is your king now? 'Ere you stand on my auction block, 'bout to be sold to the 'ighest bidder, and I see no king. 'E has failed you, Princess."

Pug's words might have stung, had Ava not already known that her help stood in the crowd, waiting for the best time to strike. Ava saw no better time than the present. Pug and the other slavers had not noticed the strange men in identical cloaks, or they had not cared so long as they got their money.

Ava kept her body relaxed so as to not arouse suspicion. As she stepped forward to respond to his mocking words, her fingers grazed across the hilt of his sword that sat at his side. Pug did not notice, and that gave Ava an idea. The fingers of her right hand silently wrapped around the sword's hilt while her left hand hid them from view of the crowd.

"I fear my sir, that I have deceived you," Ava sneered back. "My King is all I said he was, but I—I am not as defenseless as I have led you to believe."

With all she had, Ava kicked Pug backwards while keeping a hold of his sword. As Pug stumbled off the stage his sword came free of its sheath. All around her, Ava could hear the ring of other swords being unsheathed and cries of "For Narnia!"

With Pug temporarily out of the way, Ava knew that her biggest threat would come from Maligor. Sure enough, as she turned around she saw Maligor quickly coming at her with his sword poised to attack. Ava quickly fended off his blow before issuing an attack of her own.

XOXOX

Meanwhile, Caspian, Edmund, and the Lord Bern were being escorted by four slavers from the dungeons to the market square. Just as they had come around a corner and climbed a few stairs, Caspian heard a man say something about having a princess, and he peered over the wall to his left. Down below was what appeared to be the center of town and in the center of it was a stone block, and on the block stood Ava.

"She's alive!" he thought. Relief flooded his heart but it quickly diminished when he saw her beaten and worn down, wearing only her underdress. He had to get to her!

"Keep movin'," the slaver behind Caspian said as he pushed him forward.

Suddenly they heard the unsheathing of swords and cries of "For Narnia!" The slaver in the lead rushed to the wall to see what was happening. Caspian took a step closer as well; he saw Narnians discarding cloaks as they began to fight, and he saw Ava in chains but still fighting with all she had.

Caspian glanced over his shoulder and saw that the slaver behind him was also distracted by the action below. Caspian quickly swung his arms around and knocked the slaver down before rushing to push the first one over the wall. The slaver broke the chain acting as a rail and fell to his demise on the stones below. The two remaining slavers split up, one going after Edmund and Lord Bern, and the other going after Caspian.

Both kings used quick foot action and sly maneuvering to avoid the strike of the swords. Edmund managed to wrap his chains around the sword of his slaver and wrestle it from his hands. Edmund then quickly moved around to the slaver's back and wrapped his chains around the man's neck.

*"Get the keys!"* Edmund instructed the astonished Lord Bern, who quickly acted.

Caspian had also managed to disarm his opponent and throw him into a wall where he was knocked unconscious. A freed Lord Bern tossed the keys to Caspian after freeing Edmund.

XOXOX

In the square below, the fight was raging on. The Narnians in the crowd had thrown off their cloaks and others had come around the corners. Reepicheep was among the Narnians in the crowd. He was hiding on Drinian's back and under his cloak. When the fight began, Reepicheep rushed to Lucy to pick the lock on her chains. Once free, Lucy joined the fray and began to fight with whatever she could find. Another surprise for the slavers lay in the citizens of Narrowhaven. They had grown tired of living in fear of being enslaved and they too fought with whatever they could find.

Ava fought Maligor with every ounce of strength she had left. Unfortunately, that wasn't very much. Maligor had eaten well and gotten plenty of sleep the night before. Ava had not eaten since lunch the day before, and she had been beaten and made to stay awake all night. With what strength she did have, Ava gave a good fight, but she was soon over powered.

Maligor knocked the sword from Ava's hands and sent it clanging to the ground. He sliced at Ava's midsection. She jumped backwards to avoid Maligor's sword, but her feet landed half on the stone auctioning block. Off balance, she fell back and slammed her head against the stone; her body vibrated with unbearable pain, but she could not let it defeat her.

When Maligor made to strike at Ava again, she barely rolled out of the way in time. She desperately began to crawl for freedom, as best as she could with her wrists bound together. She chanced a glance over her shoulders and saw that Maligor had been impeded in his pursuit of her. Ava sighed, believing that she was safe. She was wrong. Someone grabbed her shoulder and forced her to roll on to her back before crawling on top of her.

Pug!

"You' been more trouble than you're worth," he said angrily as he pinned her arms above her head with one dagger while placing a second against her throat. Ava tried to scream but her voice was hoarse and Pug covered her mouth with his hand.

"I should 'ave done this from the start."

Just as Pug was about to press the dagger into Ava's skin, he suddenly stopped and his eyes went wide. He dropped the dagger and fell to the side. Where his chest had been, Ava now saw the bloody blade of a sword. Her eyes followed the blade down to the hilt, up the arm of its beholder, and to the cold, deadly eyes of…Caspian?

Almost immediately after looking at Ava, Caspian's eyes softened. Caspian knelt down and removed the dagger that was jammed through a link in Ava's chains, holding her to the ground. Then he grabbed her forearm and pulled her to her feet.

"My King," Ava whispered hoarsely. "You came." Her head swam with dizziness and fog. She grasped weakly as his shirt as she tried to hold on to consciousness, but failed. Her grip loosened and her head lolled back as she fell limp in Caspian's arms.

"Ava? Ava!"

Oh and I did it again! How awful of me! If I promise to make it up to you in the next chapter, will you promise not to hate me? ;)

Sounds like a fair trade to me.

If you're a prayin' people, please keep me in your prayers. I have a job interview coming up in a couple of weeks, and after both my husband and I have been unemployed for the past year I could really use this job.