Disclaimer: I don't own the Chronicles of Narnia.
Author's Note: To anyone who read "Breathe", you might remember that the country was named Sirrah and the capital named Bazieran. I have changed the country's name to Bazieran, just if you are confused. Thanks for all the great reviews and the favorites so far! Please continue to review! Y'all make my day! :) Since it's summer, I will hopefully be loading at least one chapter a week… hopefully. Thanks again for your reviews! Enjoy!
One Year Later
In Bazieran, royalty were crowned on their eighteenth birthday, signifying their adulthood and readiness to take the throne if anything happened to the current ruler. Asher had become king when he was only twenty nine, as his father's failing health forced him to resign. Asher, and his queen, Susan, had had a prosperous rule, despite the horrors that had brought them together. They had three beautiful children, and Ana was like a child to them. It was now her turn to take up the crown.
Asher smiled with pride at his little sister. She was beautiful, and she had grown into a wonderful young woman. As she walked toward him, ready to be crowned Princess of Bazieran, he flashed a quick grin at her to steady her nerves.
One Hour Before
"Rashid - I'm going to mess up. I can't do this." Ana moaned, dropping her head to her arms. She was seated on one of the richly embroidered couches in her room. Rashid was leaning against the windowsill, smirking at her.
"As I recall, that's the same thing you said about riding a horse, and learning to dance, and-"
"I get it!" she said, looking up and glaring at him. "This isn't funny, Rashid. I'm not ready to be a Princess."
He smiled gently and walked toward her. "Ana, you're already a princess. Now you get to wear the crown."
She smiled shakily and looked up into his eyes. They were warm and sincere. Rashid was her best friend. She knew she could always count on him. His face, all dark angles and steady smiles, was as familiar to her as her own. And yet, in that moment, there was something in Rashid's eyes she was afraid to name, and she quickly turned away. "Help me with my headscarf please." she whispered, and she shivered when she felt his hands on her hair.
The Ceremony
Rashid smiled down on Ana, who was clutching his arm desperately as she walked down the aisle toward her brother. Today, her sari was even more elaborate than normal, a hot pink covered with gold coins and beads. Her headscarf was embroidered in gold thread, and her eyes had been outlined in kohl. The bracelets around her ankles clinked together as she made slow, halting steps toward the front of the room.
"Rashid," she whispered, her voice cracking.
"I'm right here," he murmured back, smoothly passing her on the her brother. Their father was beaming from the side of the stage, and Susan stepped forward to present the crown to her husband. Ana knelt slowly, making sure not to wobble.
Asher stepped forward and whispered, "You're doing fine, Ana," before raising his voice, "By the power given to me by the Great Lion, Aslan, and Yeshua, the One Who Saves, and by the power given to me by my father and the Council of Elders, I do proclaim you to be Adriana, Princess of Bazieran. Let no one contest that which I have spoken today."
Ana lifted her head as cheers rang out around the palace. She turned and smiled, her nervousness gone. She waved until the back of the room broke out in screams.
A dark figure was pushing through the crowd, a knife in his raised hand. Ana distantly heard Susan screaming in the background, and Asher calling for guards. But all she could she was the knife leaving his hand and flipping through the air towards her. Her legs seemed to have frozen, and she stood, immobile. Rashid's voice was the one to finally break through the pounding in her head, screaming "Ana!" as he tackled her to the ground.