Chapter 1

Edmund stared at the woman's beautiful face, entranced by her flawless complexion, feline-like eyes, and the ice cold feeling of her hand on his shoulder. Had he ever seen her before? No...he didn't believe he had. He pushed his sudden alarm out of his throbbing head, choosing to look around him instead. Next to him were statues of various animals; creatures that he'd never seen before lined the walls, and a wolf stood beside the woman with a vicious snarl upon his lips.

"Son of Adam," she said, "do you remember who you are?" Her voice oozed with concern, so much to the point that Edmund felt impelled to tell her anything she wished to know, in case he were to cause her more worry. However, when he reached towards the part of him that remembered who he was, it seemed to go further and further away from him.

"I'm sorry," he replied with a sigh. "No. I can't remember a thing." He gazed at her with curious eyes. "Is my name Adam? Or is that just my father?"Edmund saw something flash across the woman's face that resembled pleasant surprise, but it changed so swiftly that he second-guessed himself.

"Ironic," she chuckled, ignoring his questions. "You would think that the Prince of Narnia would remember who he was." She lightly caressed his cheek with her hand. "Then again, dearest Edmund, you took a very nasty fall."Every worried part of him melted away at her touch.

"Narnia? What's that? And, if you don't mind my asking, who are you?" he asked innocently.

This made the woman giggle. "You're so funny, my sweet Prince. But I feel you shall remember soon enough." She motioned to a dwarf that was standing by the step. "Ginabrik, would you be so kind as to take the Prince to his room? I shall send for a servant to tend to his wounds."

"Yes, your majesty," he replied, helping the boy to his feet, though in a rather rough , though a bit shaken, stood and walked with the dwarf through the icy hallways. He brushed the back of his head and was surprised to feel a small trickle of blood, but he was much too dazed to think too much of it. The entrance he was led to wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before. Beautiful sculptures of ice lined both sides of the long corridors, all in the shapes of the mysterious statues he'd seen earlier, and wonderful colors danced throughout the glossy walls. The doors were made of the finest oak, and the handles were made of ivory."You're chamber, Your Highness," Ginabrik announced, an edgy flair in his Edmund opened the door, his jaw dropped in awe.

This had to be the most beautiful room he'd ever seen in his life! Chandeliers of pure crystal hung from a tall ceiling over the most inviting bed his eyes had ever beheld. Polar bear-fur blankets covered a massive double-king sized bed, and pillows woven of the softest fabric were strewn across the top. His head beginning to ache even more so than before, Ed walked towards the bed, but was stopped in his tracks by the rough hand of the dwarf."Hey! What's the idea?" Ed asked, a bit scornfully. "I'd like to rest my head, if you don't mind."

Biting his tongue VERY hard, so as not to reply in a way that would further anger the boy (for by angering him, he'd be angering /her/), he replied, "Your head would bleed all over the bed, your Highness. It would be better to wait for the servant her Majesty is sending."

"Well, I hope whoever it is hurries up!" was the boy's sharp retort. Edmund drank in the air of the room; it had such a sweet scent, almost magically sweet, and it made him love the place all the more…but something in the very pit of his gut told him that something wasn't right. The nice woman, the strange stone creatures, the dwarf, all of it slightly threw him off. He sighed…it all seemed too good to be true.

"Okay, okay. I'm here," a strained voice said. Startled, Edmund turned and gazed upon a young girl, only about seventeen years of age. In her arms she carried a small tray, and on it was a bowl of water, a towel, some ointment and a large bandage. "Now, let me take a good look at your wound." Ed turned around once again, trying not to cringe as she poked and rubbed the irritated skin. "Sheesh, you've done a fantastic job of banging yourself up, haven't you?" She chuckled to herself. "No worries, I shall have it looking as good as new in no time. No time at all." She gently washed away the blood, smeared on some of the ointment, and wrapped his head in the bandage. After she finished, Edmund found that he couldn't do anything but stare at her. She was very plain, but had a beauty that shone from within and spread about her like a blanket. She held out her hand to him. "My name is Dorlainedainwen." She chuckled again. "But you can call me Lena. And you are?"

"I'm Edmund…wait, no. I'm Prince Edmund. Of Narnia."

Lena's brows furrowed. "Really? That's strange…I've been here all my life, and not once have I heard of a Prin…Hey! Ouch!" she shouted as Ginabrik yanked on her hair and put a knife to her back.

"It's time for you to leave," he stated bluntly. Lena struggled, but was eventually forced into the hallway by the dwarf. He then turned to Edmund. "You should get some rest, Sire." With that, he left the confused boy to his own thoughts. Taking the dwarf's advice, Ed climbed onto the monstrous bed and quickly fell fast asleep.