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 Nineteen: Resolutions

She was walking along the beach, enjoying the feel of the cool surf as it lapped against her bare feet when she felt a Presence surround her before manifesting beside her. A sense of warmth, of peace, and of contentment filled her as her hand brushed lightly against the Presence. She wanted to walk with Him forever, after all where else had she ever felt so whole? His sweet breath flowed over her, moving her hair slightly. Her steps never faltered but something called her to look over her shoulder and she smiled when she saw the trail of their footsteps were in sync with each other. She looked to the right and her smile grew wider when she saw the great Lion padding along next to her, "I know You."

The Lion leveled His deep golden gaze on her, "And, I know you, Katerina Alambiel." Hearing Him speak her name filled Katerina with such joy and wonder that she threw her arms as far around His neck as they would go and buried her face in His mane. Then a sobering thought crossed her mind and she reluctantly let go of Him and stared at the ground. "Tell Me what troubles you, Child."

She shivered as His velvet voice rolled over her, encouraging her to give Him her burden. "I was tempted and I wanted to give in to it."

The Lion started walking again and Katerina moved with Him, "I know, Dear One, and I know that you refused the temptation the Sorcerer Jambres offered. That is more important to Me than the fact you were tempted as all beings will be tempted. You know this in your heart, do you not?"

She nodded and He continued speaking, "Katerina Alambiel, you are Mine never forget that. I am pleased with you and how you have reacted to the challenges that have been given to you. You know My name both in the other world and in Narnia, which has strengthened you much like your challenges have strengthened you."

Katerina looked around then she looked at the Lion, "Am I dead?"

Aslan tilted His head at her, "No, Dear One, you are not dead. It is not your time yet."

Katerina buried her hand in His mane and inhaled the sweet perfume hanging around Him. "Aslan, why are we walking on the beach?"

Aslan's eyes danced with amusement and it made her want to laugh aloud in a way she had not done so in years. "I believe a walk on the beach was something you were thinking about recently, and so here we are."

She looked around and shrugged, "Oh, well, I guess that makes sense. Aslan, may I ask You a question?"

He smiled at her, "You just did, but you may ask another."

She unconsciously tightened her grip on His mane, "Was Jambres telling the truth about my parents?"

His quiet reply resonated through the air, "Yes."

Katerina licked her lips then she felt her nervousness dissipate as the great Lion turned His head and breathed on her, the sweet combination of His breath and the perfume clinging to His mane served to calm her and restored her courage. "May I know my parents' names?"

"Yes."

She waited but when the Lion said nothing more, she sighed ruefully. "Let me guess, I already know their names and all I have to do is remember them, right?"

Aslan chuckled and Katerina couldn't help smiling as the rich sound hit her, "Yes, Dear One, your memories hold the secrets of your past and your heritage and only you can unlock them. I know your heart's desire and I promise you that one day you will know all of your past and why your path traveled from Narnia to the other world. But, you should bear in mind that not every memory will be a happy one and some will hurt when you do remember them. When the time is right, you will remember all there is for you to remember."

Katerina nodded, "I don't suppose You can give me a hint as to where to start looking? All I know is my mother was a Nymph and my father is the source of my Human blood."

Aslan smiled at her, "Your mother was a Nymph, but her father was a Centaur. So, Daughter of Eve, you are also a daughter of Narnia. Take that knowledge and bear it well."

They came to a stop and Katerina threw her arms around Aslan's neck and whispered, "Will You stay with me?"

The Lion rested His heavy paw on her shoulder, "Always." He gave her a Lion's kiss, then whispered in her ear, "It is time for you to wake up, Katerina Alambiel." The last things she saw and heard were His golden eyes and His mighty roar before darkness rose to greet her.

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21 Lenisgale 1001

Peter sighed as he walked towards the tent he was using to hold all these meetings. He was glad that his shoulder and chest were no longer in a state of constant agony, thanks to Lucy and Edmund arriving yesterday afternoon with a large group of reinforcements courtesy of Captain Cletus. Lucy had immediately given him a drop of her cordial and now he only had a thin scar in the middle of his shoulder to serve as evidence of the wound he had received at the hands of a Muhuru assassin. He was glad that he had personally informed Susan of his wishes concerning a certain matter otherwise things would have been worse. After seeing to Peter, Lucy had hurried off to the makeshift healer's ward and quickly restored the most severely injured of their party, including the young Tiger Sarti and a very reluctant Oreius. Susan had managed to keep her distracted long enough for Peter to grab Edmund and explain the situation to him, but it wasn't long before Lucy noticed that Katerina was nowhere to be found and asked for her. Peter had been forced to set his foot down when Lucy wanted to use her cordial to heal her friend. Katerina was in a coma but she had started responding to stimuli and Alithia had told him that now it was more like she was just sleeping instead of suffering from the after effects of Jambres' spell. Therefore, Peter had forbidden the use of the cordial.

He owed Katerina his life even more so than they both owed their lives to Oreius and the others in the rescue party, because without her being there with him, he never would have survived long enough for the rescue party to reach the sorcerer's lodge. He pulled himself out of his thoughts as he ducked into the tent and nodded to the occupants, "Good morn. Oreius, you said you found something of interest in the sorcerer's study, am I correct?"

The Centaur held out a sheaf of papers, "Yes, your majesty, I took these from the sorcerer's desk and when I examined them last night, I found something I thought you should know about as well. Look at the third sheet of paper, majesty."

Peter scanned the writing then he looked up wide-eyed, "Is there any way to confirm what this says?"

Oreius shook his head, "Unfortunately not. Ardon and I went back and searched the study thoroughly but we could find nothing more than what is contained in those drafts. It is possible that one of Jambres' s slaves managed to slip out with anything else that would have supported what is written there."

Peter nodded slowly as he pondered what he had read and how best to deal with it. "For now, the information contained in these papers does not leave this tent. Tell no one what you have read; right now, it will do more harm than good." He paused while Oreius, Ardon, Sherket, and Edmund nodded their own agreement with his decision. "Then it's settled. Let's get back to work."

Peter walked away from the tent still preoccupied with the information those papers held, but he was distracted when Edmund started walking beside him. "Do you need anything, Ed?"

His eleven-year-old brother shrugged slightly, "I was about to ask you the same thing, Peter. Are you going to relieve Susan?"

"Yes." Peter paused then asked, "Do you want to join me, Edmund? I'm sure she would love to hear from you too."

Edmund smiled just a little, "Sure, I'll come. How much you want to beat that she'll hear my voice and wake up just to stop me from whatever outrageous prank she thinks I've concocted?"

Peter chuckled, "Don't you mean to join in on whatever outrageous prank she thinks you've concocted, brother?"

They continued teasing each other in soft tones as they crossed the camp to the tent where Katerina Alambiel had lain unconscious for the past four days. Susan looked up as they entered and gave them a weary smile as she closed her book. Peter whispered, "Any change?"

Susan's smile faded as she shook her head, "No, but she passed the night with nary a twitch, so at least her dreams are peaceful."

Peter leaned down and kissed Susan on the forehead, "All right, Su, you go and get some rest yourself. Ed and I will keep watch for a while."

Susan left the tent while Peter and Edmund settled down on the ground next to Katerina's cot. They set up a chessboard and chatted as they played when they weren't teasing each other. As they set up their third game, Edmund leaned back and stared across the board at his brother. "Peter, have you decided how we are going to honor Katerina for everything she's done for us and for Narnia?"

Peter nodded as he moved one of his pawns forward two spaces, "I'm going to knight her into the Order of the Lion."

Edmund looked up in slight surprise as his hand rested on his own pawn, "Really?"

Peter frowned, "You don't agree?"

Edmund shook his head, "Oh no, it's not that at all. I agree completely and I approve wholeheartedly. It just surprised me to hear you say it, although I'm not sure why now that I think about it." He moved his bishop to take Peter's rook. The brothers play their game in silence for a while, then Edmund spoke up again. "Peter, have you figured out what her chivalric title is going to be?"

"Not yet, Ed."

"Oh, how about 'Pallas'?"

"Katerina Alambiel Pallas? No, definitely not, especially since she would come after us if we did such a thing."

"This is true. Oh, I know how about we just dub her 'The Utterly Terrifying Harbinger of Doom'?"

"Not going to happen."

Edmund paused then he looked up and Peter could see realization strike his brother at almost the exact time it hit him. They whipped around to stare at the cot, which held a very conscious Katerina Alambiel staring back at them with a mildly bewildered look. Peter grinned at her, and then Edmund whooped in excitement and ran to the flap of the tent. Peter tuned him out as he shouted for Alithia and then announced to the entire camp that Katerina was awake. She blinked at him, "How long?"

He poured her a cup of water and handed it to her as he answered, "Four days. You've been in a coma for four days. It's a good thing you woke up because you were starting to worry us."

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Katerina scanned Peter as she sipped the water, which felt so good on her parched throat. Edmund hurried back to stand beside Peter and grinned at her with true delight. She licked her lips then whispered, "You are all right, Peter?"

Peter gave her a reassuring grin, "Yes, I'm good as new, thanks to Lucy's healing cordial. You're the one who took on a sorcerer and then spent four days unconscious, so how are you feeling?"

"Stiff." Edmund snickered at her reply while Peter hid a grin. Katerina mock-glared at both of them right before they all three jumped in surprise as Lucy and Susan rushed into the tent.

"Kat! You're awake! Thank Aslan, we were so worried about you! You're really awake!"

Katerina managed to smile at the nine-year-old as she bounced in place with her hands tightly clasped together. She suspected Lucy was struggling with the urge to fling herself at her in an exuberant hug and compromised by holding her hand out to the girl. Lucy immediately clutched her hand in both of her own, but Katerina caught Susan giving her brothers a questioning look that was answered with twin guilty headshakes. She cleared her throat to get their attention and raised an eyebrow at the three older Pevensies. "Is there something I should know?"

Lucy's smile faded a little even as her grip on Katerina's hand tightened, while Susan dug a hand mirror out of a saddlebag. All four Pevensies watched her closely as Susan handed her the mirror, "When the sorcerer attacked you with that last spell, he managed to change your appearance. It's not horrific but you might find it shocking at first."

Katerina took the mirror in her free hand and raised it up to see her reflection. Her jaw dropped open for a moment, and then she pulled her hair forward to confirm with her own eyes that the mirror wasn't playing tricks on her. No, it was real. Part of her hair had changed colors due to the sorcerer's spell. Only one thing came to mind as she raised the mirror again to see her reflection. I look like a golden-haired version of Rogue from the X-Men movies! Yep, that's exactly what I look like. Well, at least, I don't absorb anything by touching people.

The absurdity of the situation tickled her funny bone and she shook her head in amusement. She set the mirror down and grinned at the Pevensies, "Honestly, the way you guys started acting I thought it was going to be something horrible. Did you think I would flip out over a little change of hair color? Now if it had fallen out, I would react that way." She paused to curl a strand of white hair around her finger, then laughed softly. "I can live with this though. Anything else I need to know about myself or shall we move on to more important matters like what happened while I was catching up on my rest and food...I'm starving."

The four royals laughed and left with a promise to fetch lunch for all of them. Katerina was glad that she had managed to lighten their mood, which lightened even further when Alithia informed them that she was well on her way to recovery as she left the tent and they came back with food. If all went well, Katerina Alambiel would be back on her feet by tomorrow though she had already promised Alithia that she wouldn't try to do too much or wander too far from the tent.

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22 Lenisgale 1001

It was growing late as Oreius paced through the camp for the first time since he had left yesterday morning with a scouting party to look for any signs of how long the sorcerer had been in the stone lodge just over the Narnian border and whether there were any more Fell Beasts lingering in the area. Their mission had only been half-successful as they could find no indicator of how long Jambres had been haunting the lodge, but neither did they find any fresh signs of Fell Beasts. Ardon hailed him as soon as the other Centaur spotted him walking by. "Oreius, good to see you're back. Come on, you need to go visit Katerina Alambiel. She was rather disappointed to find out you weren't here yesterday and most of today."

Oreius grinned, "She woke up."

Ardon matched his grin as he nodded, "Yes and she said she had something important to tell us once you returned. Apparently, whatever it is she doesn't want to repeat so we're gathering in the meeting tent. Now come on, I promised Alithia, Queen Susan, Queen Lucy, and Katerina Alambiel that I would bring you to the gathering as soon as I saw you arrive and I do not want four females irritated with me at the same time."

Oreius chuckled at Ardon's tone, but he didn't bother to answer as they trotted to the meeting tent. Ardon pulled open the tent flap to reveal a gathering of the four royals, Sherket and Sefu, Alithia, and of course Katerina Alambiel. "Look who has managed to join us tonight after all."

From where she was sitting between Peter and Sherket, Katerina Alambiel looked up and greeted him with a bright smile. "Oreius! I'm glad you made it back, especially since now I can tell y'all what I've learned."

The Centaurs remained standing as Katerina quickly revealed first what Jambres had told her about her past while he had been torturing her and the High King. Oreius flicked his tail, but he didn't say anything yet. And, when Katerina told them about her dream, he was glad he hadn't interrupted. Katerina paused and looked at each of them, "I know this sounds crazy and if it had solely been Jambres' claims, I wouldn't have given it too much thought. But, Aslan was very clear that this is actually true and somehow I have to find this information. I was hoping you might have some ideas on how I should go about finding it."

King Edmund looked over at Katerina, "Well, most of the Humans who used to live in Narnia were nobility. And, Elwood would probably know exactly where any records of nobles' genealogies might be found in the library. Knowing that your mother was a Nymph and the daughter of a Centaur will probably help narrow down your search a lot."

Katerina smirked, "Yes, but not as much as it would have been if I had more than my own name to go on. Oh well, I needed to find something to do in my spare time."

The High King cast Katerina a sly look, "Just don't forget that you do have to show up for the ceremony when we get back to Cair Paravel."

Katerina tilted her head as she stared at Peter, "What ceremony?"

Edmund stifled a laugh as Peter shook his head in a combination of exasperation and amusement. "Like I told you yesterday, I fully intend on knighting you, Katerina Alambiel, as soon as we get home."

Oreius hid his own laugh as Katerina gave Peter a wide-eyed look, "You were serious? That means I actually have to go, don't I?" She looked over at him and Ardon, "I'm not going to be able to get out of this, am I?"

They shook their heads while the kings crossed their arms and answered with an emphatic, "No."

Katerina winced, "I was afraid you were going to say that. Good night."

Sherket leaned over and whispered something in Katerina's ear right before she jumped to her feet and walked to the tent flap, pausing only when Lucy asked her where she was going. She smiled at them all as she cheerfully replied, "Obviously, I'm running away in a very sedate manner."

She ducked out of the tent and left them laughing in her wake. Oreius slipped out after her as soon as he regained control of his laughter. He caught up with her and quietly led her away from the camp until they were standing along the northern shore of the lake close enough to the waterfall that no one could overhear them, but not so close that they needed to shout to hear each other. Oreius looked down at her as she stared up and he gently brushed the streak of white hair framing her face, "I'm sorry, Katerina Alambiel. I wasn't able to keep this happening to you and I wish I had been. What Jambres did to you-"

Katerina caught his hand in hers, "Don't blame yourself, Kentauri, I mean it. This was not your fault, I heard what happened from Ardon and you had your own battles to fight. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself and this was my challenge to face. I already had to talk to Peter about this yesterday, and now I'm going to tell you what I told him, this was not your fault and if you insist on blaming yourself, I shall be forced to take drastic measures and call in Alithia as reinforcement. Now, I'll make you a deal, Kentauri, you don't blame yourself for something completely beyond your control and I won't run away screaming every time someone mentions I'm going to get knighted. Deal?"

Oreius smirked as he took her proffered hand in his own, "Deal." They walked in silence along the shore for several minutes before he spoke, "Tell me something, Katerina Alambiel, what did Sherket say to you right before you left?"

Katerina laughed softly and brushed several loose strands of hair behind her ear. "She said that the Centaur blood on my mother's side explains my unusual scent much better than her previous assumption that I smelled like Centaur because of a combination of wearing your cloak and spending too much time in the company of Centaurs. Apparently, I need new friends or, at least, more friends."

He looked down at her with amusement, "Well, there are plenty of people for you to meet just around the Cair, so that shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Except for one thing."

"What?"

She looked completely serious as she confided in a low voice, "That would require me to go and talk to people."

Oreius couldn't help himself as he started laughing, "Katerina Alambiel, you talk to people all the time."

"No I don't. I talk to you, Ardon, Alithia, Sherket, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, oh and sometimes Sefu and Heru. You're not people, you are my friends and I actually like to interact with and talk to you."

Oreius finally regained control and Katerina glanced up at him, "Oreius, does being knighted mean I'm actually going to have to listen to you from now on?"

He shook his head and replied a very dry tone, "Yes, though knowing you, I'm sure you will find a way to still make things...interesting for me and everyone else in Cair Paravel." Katerina laughed and Oreius took the opportunity to get her to turn around and head back to camp before Alithia fussed at him for allowing Katerina to overexert herself.

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Medea watched in silence as Katerina Alambiel and the Centaur General returned to the camp. She pursed her lips then turned back to the documents in her hands. It was well that Isak and Brutus had been smart enough to remove these from Jambres' lodge before making their way back to her. These papers would have tied Jambres to her, and if the Narnians had seen them, they would have never let their guard down again. It was bad enough that the Centaur had discovered the letter drafts that detailed some of the part Jambres and Jannes had played in Alambiel's life in the other world. Her brother had been a fool. If he had stuck to the plan they had come up with together, he would not have fallen victim to his own trap. She gave him the metaphorical rope he needed for plan, but when he changed things, he hung himself with his own rope.

It really was too bad that Jambres hadn't realize that the High King and the protector of the four thrones were two completely different people, perhaps he wouldn't have changed the plan. She walked away from the scene playing across the ice and allowed the braziers full of purple fire to rise higher as she approached the single throne in the middle of the room. She paused and tossed the papers into the nearest brazier. Then, she gathered the folds of her purple dress and sat in her throne. Alambiel was too young to be of full use to her, so she would give the girl time to age and to remember the information she needed. She would build up her forces and then when the time was right, she would take control of Alambiel and Narnia. Until then she would wait patiently in the shadows as her mother had before her, only she wouldn't make the same mistakes as her mother.

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A/N: Please Read and Review! Well, that's that for Shadowed. I hope y'all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It might take some time as I'm starting Grad School in January, but I do intend to keep writing stories from the A Light in the Darkness universe, so never fear I shall return with more Katerina and Oreius and the Pevensies. Any ideas on what Katerina's chivalric title should be? Who do you think Kat's parents were? Has anyone figured out who Jambres' and Medea's mother was? Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.

If there's anything you really, really want to see featured in future stories, please send me a PM or mention it in a review. I would love to hear from you!

A/N2: Thank you to Lady Firewing and Dreaminsapphire for being constant and lovely reviewers! And, a big thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, or alerted this story: Alurin, spirit-rider125, iamninja159, and everyone else who remains anonymous.