Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.
Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.
Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.
Chapter Nine: Answers? Part Two
Peter sat up expectantly as Sherket poked her head through the open flap of his tent, "Majesty, General Oreius has returned with Katerina Alambiel. He awaits your presence with Captain Pyrrhos."
"Thank you, Captain Sherket." He exited the tent then looked down at the Leopard Captain, "And, what of Katerina Alambiel?"
The Leopard tilted her head slightly, "She has gone to assist Alithia with the injured. She looked calm when she passed me."
"Good. Thank you, Sherket." Satisfied that he didn't need to immediately visit with Katerina, Peter followed Sherket as she led the way to the large tent where Oreius, Ardon, and Pyrrhos had already gathered. Pyrrhos fell silent as soon as he saw them approaching, but judging by the identical stern looks on the two Centaurs' faces, Peter had no doubt the Satyr captain had been complaining and it was most likely about either Katerina Alambiel or Alaois' situation or both. Steeling himself, Peter stepped inside and nodded to each officer while Sherket released the ties holding the tent flaps open.
As soon as the flaps fell and gave them a modicum of privacy, Peter turned to the Satyr captain. "Captain Pyrrhos, your scouts mentioned a skirmish occurred between your patrol and Werewolves. Tell us what happened."
The Satyr captain snorted in disgust, "Just before fourth hour, a group of Werewolves attacked my patrol forty miles east of here. It was an ambush, but we managed to kill at least half of them before they gave up and fled. Whoever told them there was a patrol coming must not have bothered with the bit about fighting back. We defended ourselves and won, but we paid a price of two dead and another eight injured out of my original twenty-five."
Peter frowned slightly at the possibility someone had betrayed a patrol's route to Narnia's enemies. Pyrrhos snorted again and watched him carefully as he spoke in a low tone. "The Tiger Kumbali told me your majesty had difficulty of your own to deal with just this afternoon. Difficulty which left his young cousin at death's door and would have proved your majesty's downfall as well had he and the Centaurs not returned at such an opportune moment. He also mentioned that there was no sign of an intruder, only ones there were yourself, his cousin, and Katerina Alambiel. Perhaps the one responsible for the two incidents is not so very far away?"
Peter gave the Satyr captain a hard look even though he was careful to keep his tone even, "Captain Pyrrhos, you should choose your words with care ere I might think you were accusing Katerina Alambiel of being an enemy of Narnia without cause or proof. The incident at the lodge is not currently being discussed as we still do not have all the information necessary to make a sound decision on the matter save for taking extra precautions. I believe General Oreius has already begun arranging for those precautions, am I correct?"
Oreius flicked his tail as he met Pyrrhos' gaze, "Yes, your majesty, the timely arrival of Pyrrhos' patrol has allowed me to place more sufficient precautions in place."
Peter nodded and turned to Ardon expectantly, but a call from outside the tent pulled his attention away from the meeting. Sherket ducked outside then poked her head back in, "Sarti has regained consciousness."
Peter immediately pulled open the tent flap then paused and looked back at the three officers, "We'll continue this meeting after we've heard what Sarti has to say."
He hurried from the tent with the other right behind him, they needed Sarti to give them a hint as to what had happened. Peter prayed to Aslan that it would confirm whatever Katerina had told Oreius. With Pyrrhos and Alaois present, that confirmation could be the only thing that would keep Katerina Alambiel safe from an accusation of attempted murder and attempted assassination of a royal.
Alithia had moved Sarti towards the back of her tent, which had been turned into an impromptu healer's ward with the arrival of Pyrrhos' injured soldiers. As he approached, he noticed Katerina was near the center of the tent with her back to him as she wrapped a bandage around the arm of a Faun archer. Alithia stopped him and delivered a quiet warning, "He is very weak from the blood loss, your majesty, so keep the conversation short. If it were not so important to have his information, I would not allow it. Be quick."
Peter took Alithia's warning to heart especially when he saw the slight glaze of pain in the young Tiger's eyes as he turned to face him. "Majesty...you are safe."
Oreius and Ardon stood a few feet back with Pyrrhos standing beside Alithia, and completely confident that their better sense of hearing would allow them to follow the conversation Peter looked down at Sarti with gentle compassion. "Yes, good my Tiger, thanks in no small part to your warning. Cousin, might you be able to tell me who attacked you?"
Sarti tried to raise his head, but he was too weak do so. He gave a soft growl, "It is a confusing image, like I've two different memories of the same event. In one, I see a shadow drop onto my back and stab me in the shoulder while you and Katerina are in front of me..."
Peter waited as Sarti broke into a coughing fit, then he asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted to be answered. "And, in the other, Cousin?"
"In the other...I see Katerina Alambiel attack me. But, the images overlap and I cannot say for certain which is real. I am sorry...I have only...brought confusion."
Peter shook his head, "Nonsense, Cousin, it merely means things are not as they seem. You have done well. Now rest and listen to Alithia."
He couldn't help feeling a twinge of empathy for Sarti as the usually energetic Tiger was so worn out that he just closed his eyes and gave a little sigh before Peter had even risen to his feet. He glanced at Alithia who gave him a reassuring look as she passed him to check the Tiger, then he noticed that Katerina, who had obviously not heard a word spoken by Sarti, had just finished cleansing the scratches a Serval had sustained across her back. He waved for Oreius and the captains to accompany him, then he stopped beside Katerina who looked him over apparently to judge his well-being for herself. "Katerina, please come with us. I would like to hear what you have to say about this afternoon's events." As he expected, Katerina Alambiel made no protest and simply walked beside him all the way to the large meeting tent. He wondered if she knew the kind of opposition she would face as soon as she stepped into that tent. Perhaps, but given what he had so recently learned of her past and what he knew of her character, Peter doubted that the potential rants from a prejudiced army officer would phase her all that much.
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Jambres paced in front of the large slab of black ice trying to resist the urge to break someone. A Ghoul hesitantly entered the room at that moment and Jambres snapped a hissed phrase. With a shriek, the Ghoul fell to the floor and writhered in pain as the spell slowly drained the life from the miserable creature. He glared at the body then snatched up his black staff. If he wanted things down right, he would have to do it himself. The assassins would try one more time, but he would use Medea's little gift for a different plan than his sister had intended. Opening a small portal, he quickly stepped from his sister's castle into his own little hideaway that was so much closer to his prey. Something was off about their original plan. He could feel it. So, he would arrange for a personal chat with the one piece of the board that refused to cooperate, Katerina Alambiel.
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A/N: Please Read and Review! What do y'all think is going to happen next? What is Jambres up to now? Another assassination attempt is on the way, will Peter escape again? Will they succeed in framing Katerina? Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.