A/N: Guess who's in my room, guys? That's right, it's Schmo! Please enjoy this exclusive interview with her:

SUSHI: Hi, Schmo!

SCHMO: Hi.

SUSHI: Okay, great. On with the story!

--

That very day, Enna went out of the castle and followed a faint path that had been worn into the grass. It was a gorgeous afternoon, with a brilliant blue sky and fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily overhead. The meadows and cliffsides were blanketed in the last of the autumn wildflowers, and a cool breeze sighed through the browning grass, taking Enna's plait and enticing little curls to escape from it and tickle her cheeks. The only blemish on the day was the jagged tower, jutting darkly into the sky, and the still-smoky smell that pervaded the air around it, invading Enna's nostrils and clogging her throat.

But there were already creatures hard at work on the repairs, and Enna thought for a moment that she saw the dark head and youthful, freckled face of the king Edmund among them, red and sweaty with exertion as he lifted rubble and cleared rooms.

The path continued down into a glen, carved into the stone that formed the peninsula's base, carpeted with dark October grass and a few sprinkles of purple sea pea. There, nestled at the base of the hill on which the majestic castle stood, was a neatly kept grazing pasture, where the talking horses who lived in the castle were allowed to roam about in.

Enna ventured slowly into the naturally enclosed arena and situated herself comfortably atop a large, moss-covered boulder to watch the beautiful animals go about their grazing business about in their secure, lazy ways.

There was one fat little pony feeding up near the swell of the hill on the opposite side of the meadow that reminded Enna of her childhood pet and companion, Topsie. She watched it munch the apples that had fallen from the tree just over the ridge and waddle about with quiet delight, hugging her knees to her chest and quite enjoying the feel of the warm sun on her sore shoulders.

Suddenly, there was a flash of movement on the rise, and Enna started, her booted feet slipping off the rock and all her muscles tensing. A great, hulking form was skulking in the shadow of the apple tree, slinking slowly over the ridge, its large, unblinking eyes glowing dimly in the half-light of the shade.

Enna scrambled backwards a little, her heart up in her throat. Why didn't any of the horses notice? Why were they all still grazing contentedly?

The shape kept coming, stealing into the sunlight, revealing a muscled, tawny hide and a head that was fringed in a thick swath of hair. It looked like a huge cat, with lethal claws and a snarling mouth.

Enna was trembling all over by now. As she watched, it raised its head and looked right at her, its dark eyes seeming to bore right into her soul. Slowly, but steadily, it lifted its heavy lips, revealing row upon row of sharp, gleaming teeth. Its head was low between its shoulders, and Enna got the distinct feeling that it was snarling deep in its throat.

She slid off the rock inch by inch. If the horses didn't notice the huge beast, then they wouldn't try to protect her from it—it was high time for her to be getting back to the safety of the castle, anyway.

The instant her feet hit the grass, however, the beast's body tensed, and it let out a roar that echoed from every rock face and slope in the valley. The next moment, the beast was gone, but Enna's utter terror wasn't. She stumbled forward off the rock and fled blindly the way she had come; but the very next thing she knew she collided with a solid object and found that object's warm hands closing firmly on her shoulders.

"Enna. Enna!"

A quick shake accompanied the words, and she looked up to see the high king's alarmed face looming above hers. "Oh! sire. I did not…did not—not see you—"

"What's the matter, Enna?" he said. "You look as though you've seen a ghost."

"I…no," she answered, shaking her head numbly. "Not a ghost."

"Then what?" he pressed.

She took several deep breaths and felt her heartbeat begin to return to a normal rate. "It…it looked like a grossly overgrown cat, my liege. The beast had a fringe of hair round its head…and terribly sharp teeth…it was a great, tawny monster. Over there, on the ridge by the apple trees."

"A lion," the king said breathlessly. He released her and took a few steps in the direction that she had indicated. "Did He say anything to you?"

Enna shook her head. "No, sire, but he did roar most ferociously."

"When?" he asked, looking at the grazing horses. "I did not hear His voice, walking the path. Nor did I see Him."

"Who, sire?"

The king watched the ridge for a moment or two more, but the beast did not reappear, and his shoulders drooped a little as he turned back to her. "No one, lady Enna. But…I believe you may have glimpsed one of the few wild lions left in these parts."

The mere idea of more of the tawny brutes roaming the hills sent an icy chill scurrying up Enna's spine, but she simply nodded. "Aye. A lion, did you call it, sire?"

He nodded, glancing at the ridge once more before giving her his full attention. "I see that you are still alarmed. Have no fear, my lady, for you are in perfect safety now." To prove his words, he drew his sword partway from the sheath at his hip.

As much as she was loath to admit it, the glinting iron did ease Enna's fears a little, and she managed a weak smile. "Aye, sir."

"There," he replied, grinning and sliding the blade back into its scabbard. "Your anxiety is lessened, I can see."

She nodded, rubbing her arms where he had gripped them.

He watched her for a moment. "Do you like horses, Enna?"

"Aye, sire," she responded, a little too eagerly. She blushed, but he only offered her his arm.

"Then allow me to show you our stables. Perhaps it will rid your mind of your fear."

Enna hesitated for a split second before gingerly slipping her hand in the crook of his elbow. "Aye, sire. I would very much enjoy that."

--

A/N: Wow. That was short. I blame Schmo!

SCHMO: Why me?

SUSHI: 'Cause you're too much work. I hafta feed you, clean up after you, entertain you…

SCHMO: Hey!

SUSHI: I mean, it's…'cause you're so much…fun! Yeah!

SCHMO: Oh, that's okay, then.

SUSHI: All right, until next time! I promise the next update won't be so short, guys. You're allowed to slap my wrists with rulers if I go back on my word.

SCHMO: Really?

SUSHI: Not you, no.

SCHMO: Darn.