Disclaimer: Again, the only thing I own is Ava Rydia.
Author's Note: The Guardians must be human (which means they could also be Telmarine, Calormene, Archenlander, or Narnian as long as they're human). This story takes place in the Narnian year 2304. Also, I love good food, so I will probably go into some detail with scenes involving it. Most of the food mentioned is based off of recipes from the A Feast of Ice and Fire cookbook (which I have a copy of but do not own the rights to!).
Songs for this chapter: We are the Champions by Queen
Elements by Lindsey Stirling
Chapter 1: Earthquake
Soldiers marched toward Cair Paravel in the rain; their plate and leather armor squeaked, their chainmail jingled and chafed against their wet skin and their wounds, but no one cared. They were tired and sore, but they had won the battle against the Northern Giants and were headed home. At the front were King Caspian X and his advisor, and confidante, Lady Ava Rydia, both on horseback.
When Cair Paravel came into sight, the army paused momentarily to bask in its beauty and splendor. Though the sun was hidden behind the clouds the creamy marble that made up the palace and the walls of each tier of the city seemed to glitter radiantly. For a moment, there seemed to be a break in the rain.
"Ah, home," Caspian said with a happy sigh. "It will be nice to sit in front of a warm fire in some dry garments."
"What? You don't enjoy standing in muddy battlefields under pouring rain, Caspian?" Ava jested with a smirk. The king thought about sticking his tongue out at her, but decided it would be inappropriate to do in front of other people.
"I'm not particularly fond of it, no," he replied simply. Ava grinned, knowing he had no better retort for the moment.
"Personally, I'm looking forward to eating more than salted pork with nuts and dried berries," she said after a moment. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of the food that would be prepared for their return and she wrinkled her nose in discomfort.
"On that, we agree! I can almost taste the feast now!" Caspian responded eagerly.
Ava became lost in thought, wondering what she would eat that evening. She imagined the chef would make all of her and Caspian's favorites. How she longed for the juicy flesh of a fattened goat (non-talking of course), cooked over a spit with honey, lemongrass, and firepods! It was approaching autumn, so squash would be perfect for picking and spicing. The woman's mouth began to water all the more when she thought of the lemon cakes she would no doubt have too many of after the main course was finished. All of this would, of course, be paired with only the finest honeyed wine, or perhaps a warm cup of milk-tea imported from Calormen.
Ava's time in Cair Paravel had certainly had its perks, especially when it came to good food. She had quickly discovered what she loved and hated when Caspian had taken her in. Remembering this caused a frown to appear on her face; after a year, she still had no idea who she was, save her name, or where she came from. She wondered if her tastes were typical where she was from and felt a bit melancholy knowing she would never find out.
Caspian had searched all of Narnia, Archenland, and Calormen for Ava's origins, but found absolutely nothing regarding his advisor's parentage or home. He still felt as though he had not done all he could, but Ava always insisted that there was nothing more to be done.
Raindrops began to sprinkle on the army again and the king looked to the sky, his nose wrinkled with disdain.
"It couldn't have waited a few moments more?" he groused. Ava snorted at him.
"Not even the weather bows to the king's whim, Caspian," she said.
"If it did, it would always be pleasant and sunny, only raining when everyone is asleep in their beds," the king replied.
"That would be lovely," his advisor replied. She paused for a moment before saying, "You know, it has been quite stormy as of late, even for this time of year."
"I have noticed," the king replied, pursing his lips. "You know, Cornelius used to tell me stories of people called Guardians who acted as protectors and guides for those in power. He said they had great power over the elements, so much so that the weather would often be in tune with their moods."
"The Guardians must be very put out then," Ava said humorously.
"That's just the thing though! As far as anyone knows, there have not been any Guardians in power since the reign of King Tyler and Queen Elizabeth," Caspian said, his voice becoming low and mysterious. Ava wondered if he was jesting with her.
"Did they not have children to inherit their titles?" she asked, one of her auburn eyebrows arched quizzically.
"Oh they had children, and those children had children, and so on, but you see, Ava, Guardian power is not inherited. All anyone knows is that Guardians are chosen after the previous ones step down," Caspian answered.
"Did the king and queen refuse to step down?" Ava asked, her brow furrowed.
"No one is sure. They disappeared just as the Pevensie kings and queens before them had. Not even their children knew where they popped off to," Caspian explained.
The rest of the ride to Cair Paravel was spent in silence as Ava had become lost in thought. What Caspian had said about the Guardians of old had ignited a thirst for knowledge within her that was always lingering in the back of her mind. She wondered why no new Guardians had been chosen and what the consequences of such a thing would be.
At last they reached the gates of the city. Lovers, children, and the elderly came rushing forward to congratulate the soldiers on their victory and reunite with their loved ones. There were soldiers embracing their children and kissing their lovers, all with tears of joy in their eyes. Caspian and Ava greeted their subjects as they rode to the castle, smiling at the joyful scene unfolding around them, their discomfort from the rain and hunger temporarily forgotten.
The two were greeted at the door to the castle by Trufflehunter and Reepicheep, who had also been given seats on the council with Ava.
The king and the advisor dismounted their horses, which were taken by servants to be groomed, fed, and brought to the stables.
"Ah, 'tis good to see you return—and looking quite well for those who just came from battle!" Trufflehunter said, bowing his head respectfully. Ava, abandoning social rules for the moment, bent down and gave the badger a hug.
"It is good to see you as well, Trufflehunter. How have things been here in Narnia?" she asked as she bent down to Reepicheep, who felt that hugging royalty was disrespectful, but did give hand (or paw) shakes.
"It hasn't been nearly as exciting here as the battle must have been, milady. Please, regale me with tales of the battlefield! What did I miss?" Reepicheep asked eagerly, trying to refrain from bouncing with excitement. Caspian chuckled.
"We will tell you everything as soon as we've had time to settle in," he answered.
"Yes, of course, Your Majesty. I'll arrange to have supper served in an hour, and we shall converse then," Trufflehunter said, turning and entering the castle, followed by Reepicheep, Caspian, and Ava.
Ava sat at her dresser, running a brush through her freshly washed hair. It felt good to be clean and in comfortable clothing again. Her room was located in the east wing of the castle, overlooking the Eastern Sea, and was decorated in different shades of purples from lavender to indigo. Tapestries depicting dancing water nymphs and mermaids decorated the walls and almost everything in the bathroom was encrusted with seashells and mother of pearl. The view from the balcony was quite lovely; it was the reason she chose the room.
Although she seemed calm, truthfully, she had been feeling strange since her conversation with Caspian about the Guardians. She couldn't explain why, but she had an ominous feeling gnawing in her gut. Was it paranoia? A knock on the door stirred her from her thoughts. Ava turned her gaze to the door.
"Come in," she called, momentarily forgetting that the doors in the castle were made to keep sound from being heard outside the room. Someone would have to scream at the top of their lungs in order to make a noise escape. She stood up and crossed the large suite. She opened the door and was greeted by her handmaiden, Melody.
"It is time for supper, milady, but I was wondering if I might have a word with you first?" the woman asked tentatively.
"Of course, Melody, please come in," Ava replied, standing to the side to let her handmaiden wander into the room. "Please, sit anywhere you like."
Melody sat delicately on a divan next to a window while Ava resumed her spot in front of her vanity and began to braid her long, wine-colored hair over her left shoulder.
"So what is it you wish to speak to me about?" Ava asked, tying the braid with a violet ribbon.
"Well…milady…I wanted to speak with you about…rumors…that have been circulating through the court," the handmaiden answered slowly. Ava arched one eyebrow and turned to look at her.
"What makes these rumors so important? You know how the people love their gossip," she asked, her tone dismissive.
"Well, you see, milady, they are in regards to your…relationship, with his majesty," Melody replied, fidgeting nervously.
"And what do they say?" Ava asked, feeling annoyance rising in her gut. She tried her best to keep it hidden so as not to worry her handmaiden.
"Some are worse than others, milady. A few believe that you two have been secretly courting and they wonder when a betrothal will be announced. Some of the more unsavory rumors suggest that you are not the king's advisor, but his concubine," Melody explained nervously. Although Ava had never given the woman any reason to fear her, she had still been brought up a meek, "proper" lady and was always worried about offending her mistress.
Ava snorted and shook her head. People would always look for something interesting, no matter how untrue, to whisper about.
"And you're wondering if any of these rumors are true?" the advisor asked her handmaiden. Melody's eyes widened and she waved her hands frantically.
"No, never!" she exclaimed in her soft voice.
"Then why tell me about this?" Ava asked.
"Well, milady, if I may be so bold, I thought perhaps you might consider the prospect of marrying the king. He has proposed once already and it would be a good match," Melody answered.
"I appreciate the…concern…Melody, but I have no intention of marrying Caspian, now or ever. He is as a brother to me," Ava insisted, a bit of exasperation leaking into her tone. This was not the first time someone had suggested marriage to the king.
"Are you not worried about the appearance you and the king present to the people: living together, yet unmarried?" Melody asked.
"All of the council members live in the palace. As do the servants. Should Caspian marry one of them?" Ava jested.
"No, milady, but—" the handmaiden began, but her mistress held up a hand in a gesture of silence.
"Let us forget about this nonsense and go to supper! I've been living off jerky and nuts for months, and I'm starving," Ava said, effectively ending the conversation. She crossed the room to the door, opening it and ushering her handmaiden into the hall.
"Just think about it, milady," the younger woman mumbled as she strolled along beside her.
Over dinner, Caspian and Ava regaled everyone with stories from their battle. It was, all in all, quite a normal affair…until…
"And then, Ava jumped from the archer's cliff onto the neck of this giant and started trying to strangle him with her bow! When that didn't work, she—" the king was cut off abruptly when everything began to tremble. It was light at first, and then gradually grew stronger until everyone was holding onto their goblets to keep them from toppling over. Suddenly, it died down, and then stopped altogether. Everyone looked around, bewildered.
"Was that an earthquake?" Ava wondered out loud.
"I don't know. I've never experienced an earthquake before. In fact, I don't know if Narnia has ever had one. I always thought they were things of myths. Or just giants nearby," Caspian replied, bewildered.
"Whatever it was, I would be quite happy if it never happened again," Melody said, holding her hand to her chest.
At once, a loud clap of thunder shook the windows and lightning flashed, lighting the room up even more. Ava looked out a window as rain started to fall in torrents, making it impossible to see outside.
"Some weather we're having," Trufflehunter mumbled.
"I don't understand. It's been raining quite frequently as of late, but I've never seen such a storm before," Caspian said. Ava felt a chill run down her spine, followed by a sense of foreboding.
"I don't think this is the worst of it," she whispered, though she had no idea where that thought came from.