Author's Note: I am on a roll today! This is the second story that I have posted for today! My muses are actually cooperating with me for once! Don't forget to review, because those keep them inspired! On another note, this chapter is a little bit different from previous chapters, because the entire chapter is a series of flashbacks. We'll be back to our regularly-scheduled story next time! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Twenty: Years Alone
Twenty-five years ago…
Krisalyn stood at the top of the stairs leading into the Cair, watching as her husband and his siblings readied their horses and gear for their hunt. Part of her wished that she was going with them, as she loved riding and the thrill of the chase. She could match any of the other four as a rider, and quite often she surpassed them.
The other part of her, however, knew that she was making the right choice by staying behind. After what had happened during her last pregnancy, she was taking no chances of doing anything that could endanger the baby. It was likely to be a very long eight months, since she was already a month along, but she would endure it for the sake of their child.
Peter hurried up the steps towards her, his face a mixture of excitement and concern. He had been shocked when she had told him earlier that she was expecting a child, but then he had been elated. It had taken some persuasion on her part to get him to agree to go with his siblings on the hunt, but she had succeeded, since she knew that he really did want to go, and he knew that there was nothing threatening Narnia or Cair Paravel, so there was no need to hover over her.
She embraced him warmly before sharing a kiss. That was one of the many things that she loved about this man. He loved her and he wasn't shy about showing it in front of other people. He was expressive with his feelings and a word or a touch could tell her volumes about what he was thinking or feeling.
He offered to stay with her again, but again she urged him to go, an urging that was shared by his siblings who were teasing him about holding them up. A final kiss between them heralded his departure, mounted on the back of his stallion.
Krisalyn stood watching as they rode out of the gates and off to the west. She turned to look at the topmost towers of the castle as the four banners were taken down. The banners were a visual indicator of which of the four were in residence at Cair Paravel at any given moment.
She looked back down the road to the west. She could still see the four of them, although just barely. Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon, and they were riding right towards them. A chill of fear raced down her spine. Something was very wrong. There shouldn't be dark clouds there.
Racing down the stairs, she called for her horse to be readied. The servants stared at her for a moment before leaping into action. Her fiery chestnut mare was quickly saddled and brought out. She leaped astride the mare and gave her rein, sending her galloping after Peter and the others.
The mare ran, her ears swept back, waiting for a command from her rider, her snorted breaths coming evenly, yet full of excitement as her hooves pounded the dirt. She stretched out, delighting in the joy of running as fast as she could.
For the longest time, it seemed that they were making no headway, that the clouds were pulling away from her. Krisalyn's mare was one of the fastest in the royal stables, but they didn't seem to be gaining any ground on Peter or his siblings. Finally, however, she saw the glint of sunlight on metal as it reflected off the fastenings on the horses' tack.
The clouds were darker and more ominous than ever now, and the air was colder – which made no sense as it was still late summer. The cold wouldn't begin setting in for at least three more months. Krisalyn urged her mare onward, fear strangling her – her one thought was to reach Peter and bring him back to Cair Paravel.
After what seemed an interminable journey, she spotted the four of them. They had slowed to a canter, and were laughing and teasing each other – apparently not even noticing the sound of galloping hooves from behind them, which was not like them at all. Her mare was beginning to slow, the fast pace of the run wearing on her, but Krisalyn urged her on. Just a little further and they wouldn't be able to ignore her.
"Peter!" she screamed as they drew closer and the knot of fear in her throat loosened enough for her to get the word out. "Peter, wait!"
At first she didn't think they had heard her, since they showed no signs of stopping. Then, slowly, Peter eased his stallion to a stop and turned in the saddle, his siblings following suit. He stared at her for a moment. "Krisalyn?"
"Peter, something's wrong!" she yelled, pulling her own mare up. "Please come back!"
All four of them looked puzzled. "Nothing's wrong, Krisalyn. We'll be back in a few days," Peter finally said, turning around again, almost dismissively. That wasn't normal for him.
The dark clouds were pressing all around them, but the other four didn't seem to notice. Krisalyn tried to urge her mare forward again, but the mare shied and refused. "Peter, please come back! Something isn't right! If you go, you won't come home!"
Peter turned again. "But that's where we are going, Krisalyn. We're going home. Narnia has no need of us anymore."
Krisalyn was shocked at the cold, uncaring note in his tone. His eyes were like ice chips. There was no emotion in them. "Peter, what are you saying?"
"Good-bye, Krisalyn." There was a note of finality in his voice. In it's wake, the ground seemed to tremble, spooking her mare, who reared and threw Krisalyn off.
"Peter, you can't abandon us!" she screamed, scrambling to her feet with a wince of pain. She tried to run after them, but the four of them vanished into the dark cloud, leaving her behind with the ground trembling under her feet, icy wind sweeping towards her, and thunder rumbling ominously.
"Peter!"
Krisalyn sat bolt upright, the echo of the cry lingering on her lips and in the air.
A moment later, the door crashed open, revealing Oreius, who charged in, sword drawn. His eyes were wild and his body was tense as he responded to his Queen's scream. "Your Majesty! What is it?!"
Krisalyn looked wildly around the room, and after a moment realized that she was sitting behind the desk in the study that she and Peter shared. A pile of correspondence was in front of her, and the piece of parchment in front of her bore a dark blot where she had dropped her quill.
She took several deep breaths before she looked back at Oreius. "It was just a dream, General," she reassured the agitated Centaur, who sheathed his sword after a quick look around. "I must have dozed off while working on these letters."
"I am glad that you are well, Majesty," Oreius replied after a moment.
But she wasn't. Not really. The dread and fear from her dream was still lingering. She didn't know what she could possibly be dreading. Peter wasn't overdue. They were expected back within two or three days, and if something happened that would require them to be gone longer, they would send word. They always did.
"General…has there been any word from Peter's party?" Krisalyn asked, feeling silly at asking the question, but knowing that it needed to be asked. She didn't understand this lingering sense of dread. She'd had it since she'd watched Peter and his sibling depart a few days ago, but unlike in her dream she hadn't gone after them.
Oreius looked at her curiously. "No, my Queen. As far as I know, Their Majesties are still scheduled to return within two days."
Krisalyn hesitated, weighing the request that she was about to make of Oreius against her feelings. Prophecy was very real in Narnia, but she had never had any type of premonition or foresight before. But the nagging fear that wouldn't go away…
She made up her mind. "General, this may be for naught, but I would like you to take a party of the Royal Guards and ride out to meet them. I have had a horribly bad feeling since they left. They might laugh at me about it later, but I don't care. I just have the sense that something is very wrong."
Oreius, normally logical and rational, didn't dismiss her concerns. He only straightened up and eyed her for a moment before nodding sharply. "I shall, Your Majesty. We will leave as soon as we can prepare, and I'll send out scouts to locate them."
"Thank you, General," Krisalyn said softly as the Centaur turned and moved out of her chambers. She looked around the familiar room, her eyes moving from her own pile of correspondence to the pile that belonged to Peter. Most of them were letters, although there were a few reports and trade agreements that he needed to look over and sign. How many hours over the last nine years had they spent together in this room, working together to ensure that the kingdom was running smoothly?
Peter had left so many times…why did this time feel so different?
Why did she feel like she would never see her husband and King again?
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Several days later…
Trumpets caught Krisalyn's attention and she hurried to the courtyard in time to see Oreius returning with the guards he had sent out. Led by their reins behind the guards were the horses that Peter and his siblings had been riding, with the exception of Phillip, Edmund's Talking Horse friend, who was walking unescorted. The Kings and Queens themselves were nowhere to be seen.
"General Oreius, what happened?" she breathed, as she hurried down the stairs towards the Centaur. Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she caught sight of what Oreius was carrying in one hand.
Rhindon.
Something has gone horribly wrong, she thought, horrorstricken. Peter never went anywhere without Rhindon. He wore it at Court, he trained with Oreius and Edmund every single day with the blade, and he always had it belted to his waist when he stepped outside Cair Paravel. It had even been around his waist the day they had married. Peter would never abandon his sword.
Oreius' face was solemn as he bowed. "We found their horses abandoned in the middle of the woods, Your Majesty. There was no sign of them, and there was no sign they had taken any of their gear with them. All of their provisions are accounted for. It was as if they had simply vanished."
A cold, hard lump settled in her stomach and she slowly raised a hand to her mouth to try to stifle the cry of denial that wanted to burst free. She struggled to hold it in for a moment, before she got control of her voice again. "There was no sign of a struggle?"
The general shook his head. "No, my lady. The horses were ground tethered, so if Their Majesties dismounted, they did so of their own free will. The tracks went off into the woods and we followed them as far as we could before they just disappeared."
She swallowed hard. What was she supposed to do now? All her life, she'd been trained to leadership, if not of a country, than at least that of a household. But nothing in her training had ever prepared her for something like this. A cold chill ran through her at the thought.
Every person in the courtyard was staring at her, waiting for her to make a decision about what to do next. Whatever she did in the next few minutes was going to be crucial. She was the only monarch that Narnia had who was capable of making decisions at the moment, but she wasn't really a true monarch of Narnia because of Aslan's law, which clearly stated that Peter and his siblings were the rulers of Narnia.
She knew there had been whispers, both of jealousy and suspicion when she married Peter. The other women who had come from Galma, Archenland, and the Lone Islands had been jealous that she had won Peter's heart when they hadn't. The Narnians had been suspicious at first, because they had too much experience with the Witch…and she hadn't fought alongside them the way Peter and the others had. Over the last nine years, however, those whispers had all but vanished. But her actions now and in the near future could bring them back in force.
She took a deep breath and prayed to Aslan that she was making the right choice. "Until we know more, we must assume they are still out there. We'll prepare search parties immediately. They must be found."
Apparently her decision was the right one, as murmurs of agreement came from everyone who was assembled. "General, I leave it in your hands to arrange the search parties. They wouldn't abandon their responsibilities or their people, so something must have happened to them. Find them. Bring them home."
Oreius bowed again. "Of course, Your Majesty." The Centaur turned to speak to the other guards and soldiers that had gathered around, barking out orders to mobilize the scouts and prepare supplies for the search parties.
Krisalyn watched for a few minutes before she turned and headed back into the palace. She held her head high and tried to look as serene and calm as she should. The face she displayed to the Narnians is what would encourage them to keep their hopes high. Until Peter and the others were found, the burden of keeping the morale up fell on her.
She headed up for the chambers that she shared with Peter. She had to maintain her façade until she was behind closed doors. Only then would she be free to react to the situation. Once she had closed and locked the door behind her, she moved through the rooms – past the sitting room, the study, the bathing chamber – and into their bedroom. She headed straight over to the dressing table and took a seat on the low bench in front of it.
The face that stared back at her in the mirror was calm and seemingly unaffected by the news that her husband and his royal siblings were missing. She took a deep breath and allowed the formal expression to fall away. She closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't break down completely.
As she opened her eyes, her gaze shifted to rest on the small rack of necklaces that sat in one corner of the table. She reached out and brushed her hand over the newest addition – a pendant made of a large, flawless amethyst that had been skillfully carved in the shape of a rose. The slender stem and the leaves were made up of tiny emeralds that sparkled and caught the light. The pendant hung from a polished silver chain.
The lump resettled in her throat. The pendant had been a gift from Peter less than a week ago when they had celebrated their ninth anniversary. He often gave her things made in purple and silver because the color matched her eyes and went well with her dark hair. Was this the last gift that he would ever give her?
"Peter, be safe," she whispered. "Come back to me…come back to us," she amended, resting her hand on her womb where the child that she was carrying was growing. Peter had been so happy about the baby…surely he would be here to raise it.
He had to be. She couldn't imagine it any other way.
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Eight months after the Pevensies' disappearance…
"Your Majesty, the scouts from the Western Marches have reported back. There's no sign of Their Majesties." Oreius' face was set like stone as he related the most recent disturbing report from the scouts and search parties that were looking for the Kings and Queens.
Krisalyn bowed her head for a moment, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She didn't understand how Peter and the others could have simply vanished. They had loved Narnia…they wouldn't have abandoned their duties or their people.
Peter wouldn't have abandoned her.
Her hand dropped to rest on her swollen womb. The baby was going to be due any time now. The first five months of this second pregnancy had filled her with fear. She had miscarried once, and after Peter's disappearance, she didn't know if she would be able to survive if she lost this second child. Once the fifth month had passed she had breathed a little easier, but fear had still held her in its grip, although the fear continued to ease with each day that passed without anything going wrong.
Remembering that Oreius was still waiting for her to acknowledge his report, she looked up, blinking back the tears. "Understood, General. Thank you," she whispered the last. She didn't know what more she could do. Her role as Queen was mostly ceremonial, because of her marriage to Peter. She had been trained to rule, since she had been the Crown Princess of Archenland before her marriage to Peter, but under the marriage contract that she and Peter had signed on their wedding day, she did not rule in her own right.
Aslan's law stated that Narnia was meant to be ruled and governed by the Four who had saved Narnia – just as the prophecy had stated. Krisalyn could only act as a representative for her husband and his siblings, but she had no power to make decisions or to pass laws. She could act as regent for Peter, but only if he expressly declared her regent, and only with the agreement of all three of his siblings, and only under specific circumstances. Now, with all four ruling monarchs missing, Narnia was left in a bit of a bind.
There was no one else who could step up to rule in their place. None of the other three monarchs had married, and there were no heirs other than the child that Krisalyn carried. Krisalyn and Peter's child would be able to legally ascend to the throne, but not until he or she was sixteen – the age that Peter had been when he took the throne. That meant that Narnia would be without their rulers for another sixteen years.
Krisalyn sighed quietly. She didn't know what more she could do. Aslan hadn't answered their pleas for his aid, and Peter and the others had been missing for eight months. She hesitated to invoke what little authority she did hold as Narnia's last remaining Queen, ceremonial title or not, since she had no idea what Aslan's plan was. Under the circumstances, would he permit her to step up as Narnia's sole ruler, even as regent for her child? Or did he expect the Council to rule until that time?
Would the Narnians even accept it? They had too much experience with a single ruler in the form of the Witch – and they hadn't forgotten the tyranny they had suffered because of it. Even though she had been accepted by the Narnians, that was when she was ruling by her husband's side. Now that he was gone, would she still be accepted?
The baby kicked her hard and she sucked in a startled breath. Whatever else, at least her child was strong. She firmed her resolve. Her child – Peter's child – would be Narnia's next ruler. If that meant the she had to take on the burden and the full responsibility of ruling for her missing husband and his siblings…for the sake of their child, she would.
She turned her focus away from Oreius for a moment. Raising her hand, she beckoned for a messenger. The silver tabby cat left the waiting group of pages and hurried over to her, leaping up onto a small platform that stood next to Krisalyn's chair for that purpose.
"Yes, Majesty?" the cat purred softly.
"I would like you to summon all the Council members to the hall," she said quietly. "I would like to address them as soon as possible."
The cat bowed. "Of course, Majesty. Right away." Leaping lightly from the platform, she shot out the door in search of the other Council members. Krisalyn knew it wouldn't take long. The other Council members had been living at Cair Paravel since the Kings and Queens had disappeared.
Oreius gave her a thoughtful, canny look. "Your Majesty, what do you have in mind?"
Krisalyn regarded him for a moment. The tall Centaur was incredibly loyal once his allegiance was given. Ever since she and Peter had announced their betrothal and she had come to live at Cair Paravel while the wedding preparations were being made, Oreius had taken up the responsibility for seeing that she was protected, just as the four Kings and Queens were.
In the last eight months, he had been acting as her own personal guard, as well as the army's general and a Council member. Oreius didn't play politics – he had no need to – but he understood very well how to do it. He was one of the monarchs' most trusted advisors, and had been ever since they had first joined forces with Aslan to defeat the Witch.
Krisalyn had no doubt that if she could convince him to back her plan, he would support her whole-heartedly. The question was, would he back her plan, or would his loyalty stay with Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy? She thought that she stood a fairly good chance of convincing him, since she was doing this to ensure that her child would be able to claim the throne one day.
"General, I am going to need your help," she said slowly, as she rose to her feet with a modicum of difficulty. She rested her hands on the desk in front of her and leaned on them slightly.
"I am at your service, Majesty," Oreius replied immediately.
Krisalyn watched him for a long moment. "I am carrying Peter's child. The only blood-heir to the thrones of Narnia." She waited while he nodded. "Narnia cannot survive without her Kings and Queens, but I am the last remaining Queen of Narnia, even if my title was intended to be ceremonial. Aslan's law dictated that Narnia must have a monarch, and the Council, as wise as they are, cannot rule in the stead of our Kings and Queens. You've protected me for almost ten years, since I was betrothed to Peter. Now, I need to know. Will you support me if I step forward to claim the thrones as regent for my child? For Peter's child?"
Oreius eyed her thoughtfully as she held her breath, waiting for his decision. If she could win Oreius' support, she would have a much better chance of convincing the rest of the Council to appoint her regent. Oreius was the most senior of the Council members, the most respected by the others, and one of the most trusted by the Kings and Queens.
"You intend to act only as regent?"
His question was not unexpected and she nodded. "I will act as Queen only until my child is old enough to claim Peter's throne. On his or her sixteenth birthday, I will step aside and hand the crown off to Peter's heir. If the Kings and Queens should return, I will step aside immediately." She met Oreius' dark eyes. "I am doing this out of necessity, Oreius. I want to ensure that Narnia's throne is still there for Peter's child to claim at the right time."
After another, very long moment while she waited for the Centaur's decision, he nodded. "My loyalty is to my Kings and Queens. All of them. High King Peter chose you as his wife, and Aslan crowned you as Queen in front of all of Narnia. That is enough for me. I will support you, my Queen, just as I support Kings Peter and Edmund and Queens Susan and Lucy."
Krisalyn breathed out a slow breath that was mingled in relief and gratitude. "Thank you, Oreius," she whispered softly.
She needed to begin making her way down the Council chamber. It would take her longer because of her advanced pregnancy. She stepped around the desk and moved into the bedroom, over to the small chest where she and Peter kept their crowns. Opening it, she reached in and lifted out the silver crown that belonged to her. She simply held it for a moment, studying the white-gold lilies and the yellow-gold irises that decorated it.
Being given this crown on the day of her wedding to Peter had been a symbol of the responsibility that she was taking on by becoming a Queen of Narnia, ceremonial title or not. For the last nine years, this crown had been symbolic and ceremonial. Unlike her husband and his siblings, she only wore her crown on formal occasions and holidays, so as not to cause undue confusion among the Narnians or their allies.
She sighed softly and placed the circlet on her head, feeling the true weight of it for the first time. Not the physical weight of the silver and the gold, but the weight of the responsibility that she was taking on by stepping forward as the sole monarch until her child was old enough or Peter and his siblings returned.
It was the weight of knowing that the Narnians – who had become her people – were going to depend on her. She would have to make the decisions that would keep them safe, that would see that their needs were provided for, that would judge them on their actions and see that justice was metered out when they wronged someone or were wronged in turn.
At the same time, she would have to raise her child to have that same sense of compassion, understanding, justice, and leadership that Peter and his siblings had. Being a monarch was not about having a country full of servants to see to your every whim. It was about serving them, caring for them, and in turn, being able to call on them when you needed them. To exchange their devotion for your own.
She looked at herself in the mirror for a long moment, taking in the sight of her grey velvet gown, her belly distended by the child she carried. The silver crown on her head sparkled in the light, and around her neck she had placed the amethyst rose necklace that Peter had given her.
She was a Queen. Now it was time to claim the authority and the power that rank gave her.
For her child.
For Peter's child.
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"What are you saying?" Ratha, the Black Dwarf representative and the newest member of the Council demanded, aghast. "You would have us abandon our Kings and Queens?"
Krisalyn fixed the Dwarf with a dark stare. "Never. I would never abandon them. I love Peter more than anything in this world except his child that I carry. But we must be honest with ourselves. It has been eight months since they disappeared, and there has been no sign of them, and no response to our pleas from Aslan. Narnia cannot continue to function without a monarch. I am the last remaining Queen of Narnia, crowned by Aslan himself on my wedding day."
"But your title was intended to be ceremonial, Majesty," Tumnus pointed out quietly.
"And I wish that it could remain so," she replied immediately. "But Narnia must have a monarch, and until my child is old enough to take the throne, I am the only possible ruler that Narnia has. Narnia cannot survive another sixteen years without a ruling King or Queen."
She rose slowly to her feet from where she had been seated at the head of the Council table. "Lords and Ladies of the Council…I do not like the state of affairs any more than you do. But like it or not, I am royal by blood and by marriage. I was the Crown Princess of Archenland for the first twenty-two years of my life. I was trained to rule a country. I am the only one capable of seeing Narnia through the absence of our Kings and Queens."
"Aslan's law specifically states that his chosen four are to be Narnia's rulers," the Dryad representative, an Oak named Owain said in his steady, slow voice. "If we permit this, we are defying his laws."
"Aslan's law says nothing about what should be done if the Kings and Queens vanished," Krisalyn responded. " Since he has deemed not to answer our pleas, that tells me that he has a purpose for allowing Peter and his siblings to disappear." She softened her voice and her expression. "I am not looking to claim the throne for the remainder of my life. I seek only your approval to act as regent for Peter's heir until he or she turns sixteen. The marriage contract I signed does give me the authority to act as regent."
"With the approval of the other three monarchs and by High King Peter's express declaration," Giles Fox, the representative of the Talking Animals, stated. "We have none of those permissions."
A sharp report resounded in the room as Oreius stamped one hoof on the stone floor. "This bickering is pointless," the Centaur interjected, his black tail swishing violently. "Despite what the marriage contract or Aslan's law says on the matter, there is one fact that you are all forgetting."
"What would that be, General?" Tumnus asked, curiously.
"Her Majesty was chosen by High King Peter as his bride, partner, and Queen," Oreius replied. "Aslan himself wed them, and approved the union. If Aslan did not approve of Her Majesty, he would not have permitted her to be named a Queen of Narnia, let alone done so himself. All four of our Kings and Queens accepted Queen Krisalyn. They did not leave instructions for the regency, because they were not planning on disappearing. If they had had any idea what would happen, they either would have left instructions, or they would have stayed here. This bickering is pointless. Queen Krisalyn has already sworn that she intends to step aside as Queen as soon as her child is old enough to claim King Peter's throne, and Narnia must have a monarch. That cannot be denied."
Krisalyn looked around the room at all of the familiar faces. "I know that you were badly hurt by the White Witch, and that you do not trust a single ruler to hold all of the authority of rule for Narnia," she said quietly. "I understand the mistrust and the fear. The voices on this Council will not be silenced just because I actively take on the burden of being Queen. But in the absence of Aslan's chosen, Narnia needs a single voice to unite all the different voices. Would it not be better to have a voice that was trained to do just that in that position, as well as one who was crowned by Aslan himself?"
There was silence from the Council as they considered this.
It was Tumnus who broke the silence. "I see no reason why we should not agree to Her Majesty's plan. She is correct that Narnia needs a monarch. We are each here as the representative of our various races as well as the resources that Narnia offers. Do any of you honestly believe that we could come to a complete agreement on every topic that arose for our Kings and Queens?"
After a moment's hesitation, in which Krisalyn could see that there were some members of the Council who's prides wanted them to say yes, but practicality and a reluctance to accept the same level of responsibility that Peter and the other three monarchs had dealt with on a daily basis forced them to all shake their heads no.
"Very well. Is there anyone here who opposes Her Majesty's plan?" Oreius asked, taking control of the discussion.
Again, there was a momentary pause, before all heads shook negatively. Krisalyn exhaled slowly. She had done it. With Oreius' help, she had convinced the rest of the Council and ensured that Peter's throne would be waiting when her child was old enough to claim it.
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One week later…
"Push, Your Majesty!"
Krisalyn winced and tried unsuccessfully to stifle a cry as she labored to bring her child into the world. The pain of the birth was nothing compared to the pain in her heart that Peter wasn't here to witness their child being born.
Aslan…please, please...was all that she could think as she prayed that the baby would be strong and healthy.
"Once more, Highness!" the midwife urged. She grabbed a towel from one of the attendants as Krisalyn pushed again. This time, Krisalyn felt the baby leave her body. She pushed herself upright with an effort.
"My baby?" she asked the midwife, who was already cleaning off the child's face. A moment later, the baby squalled angrily.
"A daughter," the midwife announced immediately.
A daughter…Peter's daughter. Krisalyn reached out for the baby, taking her into her arms. She gazed at the baby, who had dark wisps of hair crowning her wrinkled face. Krisalyn bounced her slightly, soothing her cries.
Krisalyn barely noticed as the midwife finished up her duties while she held her daughter close. The infant slowly stopped crying and rested in her mother's arms. The baby's eyes slowly opened, and Krisalyn gasped in surprise. The baby's eyes were a soft, pale blue-violet, almost a blend of her mother's violet eyes and her father's deep blue. With the dark hair, it appeared that she would greatly resemble Krisalyn as she grew older.
"What will you call her, Majesty?" one of the younger attendants asked, pausing in her duties to look at mother and child lying on the bed.
Krisalyn hesitated for a moment. She and Peter had discussed names for their child a long time ago, when Krisalyn had first been pregnant with the son that she had miscarried. They had come up with several at the time, but for some reason, as she considered them again now, none of them felt right.
She looked at her daughter again. Should her daughter's name incorporate Peter's name, as a tribute to him? Something inside her recoiled at that thought. She had no objections to including Peter's name, but for this child…it didn't feel right.
Aslan…what are you trying to tell me? she asked the great lion silently. After a moment, she ran the thought back through her mind. Aslan …a tribute to the great lion…
Krisalyn looked up at the young midwife apprentice. "Her name will be Aislynn." She looked back at her daughter. "Princess Aislynn, heir to the Narnian throne."
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Three years later…
"Tumnus, my friend, I don't understand why you are so certain that something is about to happen," Oreius told the Faun patiently.
Krisalyn sighed and gently rocked Aislynn in her arms as she listened to the Council. The little girl was sleeping contentedly at the moment, and Krisalyn wanted to keep it that way. She had hoped that the meeting would be over by now, as it had been going on for hours already, but to no avail. So when her daughter had quietly pushed open the doors of the Council chamber and crept up to where Krisalyn sat at the head of the table, asking if her mother was going to come and kiss her good night, Krisalyn hadn't been able to deny her.
Unfortunately, there was still a great deal of business that the Council had to finish tonight, and she couldn't simply adjourn the meeting in the middle of the discussion. So she had picked her daughter up and placed her on her lap and gently rocked her to sleep.
The Council was making an effort to keep their voices down as a result, which Krisalyn greatly appreciated. Everyone at Cair Paravel doted on Aislynn, but they were careful not to spoil her either. This little girl was going to be their future Queen, and they wanted to make sure that she was the right kind of Queen. They loved Aislynn greatly, and the little princess loved all of them back.
"Tumnus," Krisalyn finally spoke, bringing the debate between the Centaur and the Faun to a halt. "Please, I know it's late and I know that we're all weary, but I would like to settle this matter before we adjourn for the evening. Why are you so convinced that Narnia is in danger? There have been no signs from any of the border guards, Calormene is quiet, and King Lune has said nothing. What evidence do you have?"
The Faun was quiet for a moment as he tried to decide how to answer his Queen's question. In the two years that Krisalyn had been acting as the sole monarch in Narnia, she had completely disproved all the fears that had arisen when she had first announced her intention to step up as regent for her child. She had proven to be as skilled and as compassionate a monarch as Queens Susan and Lucy, and as imperturbable as Kings Peter and Edmund. Having been trained from an early age to rule – back when she had been the Crown Princess of Archenland – had prepared her well for the demands that were placed on a monarch, and Krisalyn had shouldered them all with ease, even while dealing with a new baby less than a week after the Council had confirmed her new status.
"A dream," the Faun finally replied, knowing how that would go over with the rest of the Council.
As he expected, there was an immediate outburst from the rest of the Council, although they made an effort to keep their voices down so as not to disturb their sleeping princess.
"You would have us spend time and resources preparing for danger based solely on a dream?" Ratha asked incredulously.
"A dream is all the proof you have Tumnus?" Oreius said at the same time. "When all my scouts are saying that there is no trouble, you would have us go on alert because of a nightmare?"
Krisalyn listened silently as the debate raged around her. Tumnus' words had left her cold as she thought about the last dream that had seemed like a premonition that she had had. It had been almost three years since she had thought about that, but the dream came back with crystal clarity. Chasing after Peter and his siblings, trying to convince them to come home, only to have them bid her good-bye and turn away…then finding their belongings abandoned a short time later…
She looked down at Aislynn. Her dream – whether premonition or not – had come true, and she wasn't about to ignore Tumnus' dream either. She couldn't take that chance. Not while she was responsible for Narnia and for keeping the throne in trust for Aislynn. But she needed to know more.
"Enough," she said, again bringing the discussion to a halt. She looked down at Aislynn again. "I'm calling a ten-minute recess, and then we will meet back here and we will finish this discussion. Is that clear?"
Nods all around the room answered her, and she rose to her feet, causing the rest of the Council to rise to theirs out of respect. She nodded to them and left the room by one of the rear passages, heading for the Kings' Tower, still carrying Aislynn.
A few minutes later, she had the little girl comfortably tucked into her bed in the room that had once been the study that she had shared with Peter. After Aislynn had been born, Krisalyn had had the room turned into a nursery so she could be close to her daughter. It had taken some doing, but the huge desk had been moved into a corner of her sitting room, and the study had been set up as Aislynn's room. The walls were still lined with bookshelves filled with books, but otherwise it was a fairly comfortable room for a little girl.
She kissed her daughter gently on the forehead once more, before slipping out of the room and heading back down to the Council chambers. When she re-entered the room, the rest of the Council was waiting patiently for her return. She took her seat at the head of the table and brought the meeting back to order.
"All right, Tumnus," she said quietly. "Please, tell us what was in your dream."
The Faun looked extremely reluctant, but he finally nodded. "I was standing at the Stone Table, and when I looked around, Aslan was standing beside me. He greeted me, and then told me that we needed to prepare.
"I asked him what we needed to prepare for, and he said that a time of danger to Narnia was coming, and that there were steps that we needed to take to preserve the most important things of Narnia, including our history. He told me that we needed to construct a place where the Narnians could rally during a time of danger, and that the Stone Table was the best location because of it's position in relation to Cair Paravel, but also to Anvard."
"Anvard?" Oreius asked, skeptically.
Krisalyn nodded. "Anvard is almost directly south of Cair Paravel, General, and the Stone Table sits between the two. Archenland is our closest ally, so it would make sense to put a secondary rallying point somewhere where they could reach us if it became necessary to use it."
Oreius let out a deep breath, although he still looked skeptical, as did many of the Council members. Krisalyn let them think about it for a moment or two before she indicated that Tumnus should continue his story.
"I asked Aslan when the danger would be coming, and how long we had to prepare and he said there were some things that he couldn't tell us, because they were not part of my story. But he said it would be soon, and that we needed to begin the preparations as soon as possible," Tumnus finished. "I couldn't get anything more out of him, and the dream ended almost right after that."
Everyone was silent as they considered Tumnus' dream. On the surface, it seemed hard to accept, but they all knew very well that magic, prophecy, and premonition were very real in Narnia. Even more, they knew that Aslan cared about Narnia. Narnia was his favored kingdom, and despite his silence since the disappearance of their Kings and Queens three years ago, he would always protect them. He had come to help save them from the Witch, and brought the Kings and Queens so the ancient prophecy could be fulfilled, after all, and that was not a fact that they could discard.
Finally, Krisalyn spoke. "I know this is hard for all of us to accept, given Aslan's silence in the past three years, but I do not think that we should dare to disregard the command that he has obviously given us through Tumnus. For tonight, we will let the matter rest, but tomorrow we shall reconvene and begin finding a way to fulfill Aslan's orders. Whatever is about to happen, we will be ready for it."
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Two years later…
"Majesty, we just received the final report from the construction group at the How," Ratha reported after the Council meeting had been convened. "All of the work has been completed, and it is a completely defensible retreat or rallying point if we need it."
"Thank you, Ratha," Krisalyn replied. "I am glad to know that the work that Aslan has ordered us to do has been completed on schedule."
"I've already arranged for supplies to be placed inside the How, along with weapons and forge equipment, so that if we do end up having to use the How, we'll already have some fortifications in place," Oreius added.
Krisalyn nodded and thanked the Centaur as well. The change in the last two years, ever since Tumnus had convinced them that they needed to make the preparations that Aslan had spoken of in his dream, were welcome. It had taken some time for everyone in the Council to come to agreement of the plan, but eventually everyone had been on board. The How was a very sturdy, defensible structure that could serve as a rallying point, a fortress, or a staging area for campaigns. One benefit was that it kept the army away from Cair Paravel, as well as giving them a second area to attack from if an invasion should ever penetrate so far into Narnia.
Fortunately, despite the warning given by Aslan, there had been no sign of any trouble. Calormen had been quiet ever since Prince Radabash's attack had been routed by King Lune, Edmund, and – most unexpectedly, Prince Cor. Archenland had never posed a threat, since they were Narnia's closest allies. To the West…well, the scouts and border guards kept a careful watch from that direction, since that was where the Kings and Queens had been when they had disappeared, and even though there were strange things in the unexplored Western Wild, there had been no real threat to Narnia from that direction.
In the North, Ettinsmoor was always a concern, but they too were quiet. One of the last things that Peter had done before disappearing was beat back the rebellious Giants that lived in that rather barren region. Over the fifteen years since the Witch's defeat, the Kings had defeated the Ettinsmoor Giants handily several times, which made them cautious about invading again.
To the East were Galma, Terebinthia, and the Lone Islands, and they were trade allies with Narnia. They had no reason to invade, because a great deal of their resources came from the richer land of Narnia. No one knew what lay beyond the Lone Islands, but everyone agreed that that was where Aslan's Country lay, and all of Narnia was skeptical that there could be anything beyond Aslan's Country, let alone anything that could pose a threat to Narnia.
Whatever danger was coming, Krisalyn was certain that they would be prepared for it.
They moved on to several other topics concerning trade with their allies. Krisalyn was pleased at how well they were working together. Even though she was the final authority, the Council were steady and worked like one. Issues were debated, problem areas identified, and solutions were proposed.
Just as they were about to adjourn for the day, a sudden banging on the doors of the Council chambers had them all looking up in alarm just before the doors swung open, revealing a breathless messenger. The gryphon was trembling with exhaustion, but he hurried into the room, his feathers slicked back and his eyes dilated with alarm.
"General! Your Majesty!" the gryphon cried. "Narnia is being invaded!"
It took a moment for the words to sink in, before everyone was on their feet, yelling and demanding an explanation.
"Silence!" Krisalyn and Oreius roared together. Krisalyn was on her feet as everyone in the room fell silent, looking at the Queen and the General with wide eyes.
"Saren, explain that comment!" Krisalyn snapped, her hands clutching the edge of the table in front of her so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
"I was on my patrol west of Beruna, between Beaver's Dam and the Shuddering Wood," Saren explained. "I caught sight of what appeared to be a large group of people moving through the wood, and when I dropped lower to get a closer look, they spotted me and started shooting at me."
"What did they look like?" Oreius demanded.
"All Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve," the gryphon scout reported. "All the men were armed, and they were walking in an army formation. They were dark-skinned, but too light to be from Calormen, and they were coming directly from the West."
"How many are we talking about?" Tumnus asked.
"Thousands," Saren replied. "I headed west after I got high enough that I couldn't be shot at, and they've been setting up huge campsites for miles."
Krisalyn and Oreius exchanged looks. Oreius understood immediately what his Queen was asking of him, and nodded. "With your permission, Majesty?"
"Granted," Krisalyn replied.
The Centaur bowed quickly before hurrying out of the Council chambers to rally the scouts and alert the army. If this was the danger that Aslan had spoken of, they would need to be ready.
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Three weeks later…
Krisalyn looked on wearily as Anvard loomed in front of them. For twenty years, she had called this place home, back when she had been Archenland's crown princess and heir to the throne. After she had been betrothed to Peter, she'd given up her claim to the throne in favor of her twin brother, who was five minutes younger than she was.
Now, however, her uncle's own sons, Prince Cor and his twin Prince Corin were the next in line for the throne. After their birth, her brother had also abdicated his claim to the throne, and lived quietly on an estate some miles west of here with his own wife and daughter.
She looked around at the rest of the Narnian Council who had fled along with her. Oreius and Tumnus had worked hard to keep them all safe and to find a secure passage for them from Cair Paravel to Anvard. Ratha had also helped along the way. Giles Fox had chosen to stay behind. Being a fox made him an ideal scout and a spy, and he had promised to join them soon.
The only member of the Council who was unable to join them was Owain. As a Dryad, he was unable to leave his oak tree for long periods. Even the Council sessions could become a strain on him if they went for longer than a few days. He was forced to remain in Narnia, and had fled in the opposite direction, back to his tree in Owlwood.
At least they were safe. She knew her uncle wouldn't deny them refuge, and he would do everything in his power to help them drive off the invading army, whom the Narnians had learned were Telmarines, from the far west.
Trumpets blared from the castle battlements, as the sentries caught sight of their approaching party and announced their arrival. Krisalyn spurred her horse forward as they clattered up the cobblestone path into the courtyard. She pulled her horse to a stop and dismounted, her gaze automatically flicking over to Oreius, who held Aislynn cradled in his strong arms.
Commotion at the top of the stairs leading into the palace drew her attention, as her uncle and cousins exited the palace to see what the alert had been about. All three of them looked shocked to see her, since the last time she had seen them was almost five years ago. They were fully aware that Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy were missing, and that Krisalyn had stepped forward as regent. They also knew about Aislynn, but this was the first time they had seen her since Cor had been discovered and Edmund had helped to repel Rabadash's invasion of Archenland.
"Krisalyn?" Lune asked, his surprise etched on his face. His white hair had receded a little bit, but he was still a very handsome man. Beside him, Cor and Corin were almost mirror images of each other, with dark brown hair and eyes. The only difference between them was that Cor's skin was duskier than his twin, due to all the years he spent working in the hot sun of Calormen when he had been known as the orphan Shasta.
"Hello, uncle," Krisalyn said softly, taking her daughter from Oreius and ascending the steps.
"What are you doing here?" Lune asked, still bewildered by her sudden arrival.
"We need refuge…and your help," Krisalyn told him softly. She held Aislynn out to him. "I'd like you to meet Aislynn…your grand-niece."