Disclaimer: I only claim ownership of Ava Rydia, Melody, Sinaaq, Jessalyn, August, the physician, and the Guardians, nothing else.

Songs for this chapter: Discord the Living Tombstone Remix by Eurobeat Brony (again, no judgment please), Lion by Rebecca St. James, Held by Natalie Grant, and possibly Full of Grace by Sarah McLachlan

Chapter 12: Dreams

Ava stood in a pool of Sinaaq's blood, frozen in horror. She had no idea how long she'd been standing there before she felt the presence of someone else enter the room. She snapped out of her reverie, inhaling slightly. The scent was soft and comforting, like a mixture of cedar wood and musk with touches of lavender and mint. She thought she had smelled the fragrance before, but she could not be certain.

Nevertheless, she whirled around, her hands up in a defensive stance, and almost punched August—who had removed his mask and was surveying the scene with a look of astonishment. Quickly, she dropped her hands, but remained tense and ready to fight or run. The man put his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"It's just me, milady," he said, his voice soft and cautious.

"I can see that, August. What are you doing meandering about in the halls alone?" the advisor replied, trying—and failing—to keep her voice from shaking.

"Well I could ask you the same thing, but I can see you've got enough on your hands already without me asking questions," August answered, gesturing to Sinaaq's body.

Ava looked at the body and took a shuddering breath. When she looked back up at August, her eyes were wide like a doe's and she was trembling.

Seeing this, the man's brow furrowed and he took a tentative step toward the frightened woman, a hand outstretched to place on her arm carefully. When she didn't flinch away from him, he placed a large, gentle hand on her shoulder. Had Ava not been in shock, she might have noticed that her body seemed to warm where August touched her; like the heat of a cozy fire.

"What happened here?" he asked.

Ava was so distraught that she could only stammer incoherently until she collapsed to her knees and burst into tears. August caught her and eased her down to the floor, rubbing her back awkwardly; he was not sure that he should be the one to comfort her, but it also didn't seem right to leave her to fetch someone else. He tried his best to keep her from hyperventilating. He said nothing. What could be said? August did not even know what had taken place before he had happened upon the lady.

After a few moments, which seemed like a few hours, Ava stopped crying. She composed herself, blotting her face with the back of her hand and stood up, smoothing her ruined gown. She had broken, but now she needed to be strong again and somehow this man had helped her find the strength she needed for now. She exhaled and turned to look at August, who was watching her carefully, ready to catch her should she break down again.

"Tell no one what you have seen here, we need not get the subjects of Narnia in an uproar. Find the king and tell him to meet me here," she said with an air of authority in her voice.

"I don't think you should be alone right now," August replied hesitantly.

"We don't have time to worry about me. … The White Witch has returned," Ava said gravely. Surely everyone had heard of Jadis.

At those words, August nodded and hurried away, albeit reluctantly, to find the king.

Ava stared down at Sinaaq's body, her visage cool and unreadable. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it, deciding not to waste words on someone who could not hear them anyway.

Sinaaq was given a traitor's funeral; he was given his last rights, and then buried in an unmarked grave deep in the woods.

Ava had become quite reserved over the passing days, completely focused on preparing an army to fight Jadis and Amarok and learning about the Guardians. They were running out of time, for although the element of water had ceased to rage, the other elements were steadily growing worse.

There was an increasing amount of discord among the citizens of Narnia, as if some invisible force was whispering in everyone's ears, turning the people against each other, making them angry and fearful.

Flash fires occurred regularly, and the only plants left alive were the poisonous vines, which would catch and consume any living creature that ventured too close. Sometimes, the flowers would spit creatures back out, gnarled and changed to grotesque monsters or drained of life altogether.

The nights and days were never the same anymore; people found themselves sleeping during sunny afternoons and awake while the moon was out.

One day, while reading the scroll about the Guardians for the umpteenth time, Ava had fallen asleep on a divan in her room. As she slept, she tossed and turned restlessly, plagued by images of Amarok, Jessalyn, and Sinaaq. This time, she found herself once more kneeling over Sinaaq's bloody corpse, the dagger that killed him in her hand, while Jessalyn laughed maniacally behind her.

All at once, the nightmare changed. Ava looked around in her dream, confused—there was no sign that Sinaaq and Jessalyn had ever been there and there was no blood to be found anywhere. A warm light lit up the room, and when it dissipated, Aslan was standing in front of her, smiling warmly.

"Aslan!" she exclaimed, rushing to him and wrapping her arms around him tightly, weeping into his mane with a mixture of joy and sorrow. Even though she had never before seen the lion, she felt as though he was her closest friend in the world.

"Hello again, my Shepherd," the Great Lion replied, his voice a deep, rumbling chuckle.

"Oh, Aslan, I do not know what to do! Narnia is dying and I don't know how to stop it! And Sinaaq…he…" Ava trailed off, her voice hitching in her throat.

"I know, dear one, I know all that has happened," Aslan said, nuzzling her hair.

"Then why have you not come sooner?" the woman asked, sounding a bit frustrated, but unable to be upset with the Great Lion.

"All things in time," he answered.

"I'm so lost. I don't understand why you made me your Shepherd—I'm not cut out for this at all," Ava lamented.

"I would not have chosen you if you were not cut out for it, dear one. Contrary to your belief, you are just the right woman for the job," Aslan replied with a warm smile.

"What do you mean?" Ava asked, tilting her head in confusion. The lion chuckled.

"One day you'll understand, but rest peacefully," he said.

Before the woman could say more, the Great Lion breathed on her face and the dream faded away, leaving her in a deep, restful sleep.