Hey guys, it's Cat again...
Listen, I know that some of you are really mad at me and blame me for a lot of the bad things that happen in the story. I wish I could say that I completely am ok with you guys not liking me and tell you that I'm fine getting all the hate for the story, but I can't. I completely get that the whole reason you're reading Desires and Destiny is because of Ennarre's BRILLIANT writing style and not because of me.
I just wish that you would give me a chance. I re-read all of the author's notes I've put up in the past and can totally see how you guys could mistake it for me being rude and bitter to the reviewers, but it wasn't intended that way. The last author's note I wrote was intended to be a joke. We didn't have Caleb and Estella kidnapped just because some reviewers kept asking for them to be included, we did it because we have a story planned for everyone in the story and it was time for that storyline to start. I'm NOT saying any of this for sympathy (since I truly don't want any), I'm just saying that I understand where all of the bitterness is coming from.
I don't know if any of you have noticed, but anytime something bad happens, I'm blamed because I make a little joke about it... and even when I don't make a joke, I'm still blamed because I'm not Ennarre. Please remember that Ennarre was making these characters' lives twist and turn like a roller coaster WAY before I came in. I understand how it makes sense to blame me since I'm just the new not-as-experienced author and you don't want to blame Ennarre for any of the bad plot twists because you like her so much, but enough is enough. Just do me a favor and put yourself in my shoes for a moment:
You just finished reading Definitely Destiny after following the series since the beginning. You get really excited seeing that Ennarre is looking for help writing the final story in the trilogy and weigh the pros and cons of offering your help. Next thing you know, Ennarre has messaged you back and a few days later, you post the first chapter of Desires and Destiny together. You still have no idea how you got so lucky, but roll with it anyway. Next thing you know, a bunch of the reviewers (someone you once were) are hating on you and your new friend about how much they don't like you and don't want her to write with you. You know how much it's hurting her to get the hate and hate to see others suffer, so you offer to tell the reviewers to just hate on you and leave her out of it. She tries to talk you out of it, but eventually agrees to let you write an author's note about it.
The one note turns into a few more and the different notes receive different reactions. By the time you're planning the author's note for chapter 16, you're feeling like teasing the reviewers a bit so you offer to write the note in a teasing tone, completely forgetting the fact that when on paper (or screen) words can be taken in anyway the reader reads them.
And now I realize that I accidentally turned that into a rant, but my point is that I want you to know that I'm NOT trying to be mean to the reviewers, but I know that the way I say some things DOES come off as rude and mean... Nothing that you say in a review ever could truly annoy us and we DO take everything that you say and want to see to heart and try to see if we can fit it into the story. Bottom line is that I wanted to apologize to anyone I've offended.
Disclaimer: Narnia belongs to C.S. Lewis.
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Desires and Destiny
Chapter 17
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"Caleb and Estella have been kidnapped."
Everyone froze, staring at the young princess, trying to absorb what she had just said.
"What?" Susan asked in shock.
"They are gone," Irene said, tears running down her cheeks. "They took them!"
"Are you alright, Irene?" Peter asked, rushing forward to his daughter.
She nodded, her small frame shaking slightly.
The High King placed his hands on her shoulders. "Tell us what happened."
Irene looked at him with her scared, blue eyes and nodded.
"Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" Estella shouted, laughing. Just like her Aunt Lucy, she loved playing hide and seek with her family.
Irene peeked through the branches of the bush she was hiding in. From all the times they had played hide and seek by the waterfall, she had cleared a little "fort" in the middle of the big bush. Only their guards knew of it since Irene's father, High King Peter, had insisted that they know where she was at all times.
"Found you!" Irene heard Estella call as she pulled Caleb out of a bush similar to hers across the clearing. "Those branches ruined your new playclothes."
Irene was about to climb out of her hiding place to claim her victory as winner of the game when she heard something that made her crouch back and lie low in terror.
Behind her on the other side of the bush, she heard a muffled cry followed by the gurgled breath. Irene didn't have to look to know it was her personal guard who had just been killed, since she didn't hear him call out to tell them they had to return to the castle immediately.
Frozen in terror, she watched as the shadow of a large man, crept around the bush and crouched just out of view of the clearing. The figure was looking intently forward and following his gaze, Irene saw that he was watching her cousins.
"There, that's better," Estella said, brushing the last of the dirt off of her his tunic. "Now help me find-"
Estella broke off her sentence as a cry of pain rang out in the clearing as another one of the children's guards was slain.
Estella and Caleb looked frantically around, but just as a deer caught in headlights, Irene knew they had no chance as four men - including the one near Irene - jumped forward from the shadows and grabbed her cousins, pressing a cloth over their mouths. After a few seconds, Estella and Caleb stopped thrashing and Irene knew the fabric must have been soaked in some chemical to make them pass out.
Out of the corner of her eye, Irene saw the handkerchief of the man who had been crouched beside her and knew that she had to get it to her father for the dogs to get the men's scent to find Estella and Caleb.
Slowly, not wanting to make a sound and get caught, Irene reached out and thanked Aslan that the cloth was in arm's reach. Fingers grasping the one thing that could save her cousins, Irene made sure it was only the four men and waited they turned away from her hiding place before slowly backing out of her bush. Her eyes never leaving her attackers, Irene backed up until she was far enough away that several trees separated them.
As soon as she was a few hundred yards away, Irene spun around and ran as fast as she could back to the castle, ignoring the angry cries of the men behind her and not caring of the sharp branches tearing her dress and skin.
She had to warn her parents.
She had to get Caleb and Estella back.
"... The man left this," Irene finished, holding out the small piece of cloth. "Please, you have to bring them back. I want Estella and Caleb back."
"We'll find them," Peter promised, taking the handkerchief from her and passing it to Edmund. "Search the woods, take as many men and dogs as you want. Find the kids."
"I will," Edmund said, turning towards Caspian. "Are you coming?"
Caspian nodded. And without wasting another moment, the two kings walked away.
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"How are you feeling, milord?" Alianna asked Chad.
"Fine," he replied, glancing up from the papers he was studying to find her sitting before the mirror, combing her golden hair. "I get move on my own and it hurts less than before."
She seemed happy to know that he was getting better.
"I cannot wait until I can walk around," Chad stated, glaring at his bandaged leg. "Three more days and these damn stitches will be removed."
"You'll still be on bed rest," she pointed out. "Your ribs are still healing."
"But that doesn't mean that I won't be allowed to walk at all?" he asked, dreaded at the thought of being stuck in the bed for more time.
"We'll see."
"What do you mean?"
She turned around to face him, amusement swirling in her eyes. "I mean that we'll ask the healer what she thinks and then we will do whatever she says."
"But she will never let me move!" Chad grumbled.
"Then you will not move, milord." Alianna said. "I'm sorry, but I just want you to recover completely."
Chad sighed, irritated. "I hate not moving. I hate not working. I hate everything!"
"You are working," Alianna pointed to the papers in his hands, "Queen Lucy sent you these papers this morning."
"Thank goodness she did," he said. "I would have gone mad without it."
Alianna shook her head but did not say anything. She did not approve of Lucy discussing the matters of work with him. She thought that it all disturbed him when he needed to rest.
Chad knew that Alianna cared for him and she was concerned. She didn't want him to strain himself and that is why she made sure that he was always comfortable and that everything he needed was within reach.
But he also knew that Lucy was letting him participate in the work because she knew him too well, because she knew that Chad would totally hate not having anything to do.
Funny, how both of them have different ways of helping me, Chad noted. "So, we never got to talk," he said a few moments later, "How did the dinner with your father and brother go last night?"
"Fine," she mumbled.
He frowned. "You've been awfully quiet ever since you returned."
"I'm always quiet."
"That is true," he agreed. "I didn't have much fun either."
"Really?" she asked as she moved to sit before him on the edge of the bed.
He nodded. "Dinner seemed dull without you." He told her. "It seems to me that I've gotten… accustomed to your presence, milady."
She did not say anything but he got the feeling that she didn't believe him.
"Really, Alianna," he went on, reaching out and placing his hand on her cheek as he pulled her face closer to his, "I like having you in my life and I always want you to be here with me."
"I will be," she murmured. "I vowed to be, didn't I?"
"You did. So did I." His green eyes stared at her beautiful face intently, taking in the features. "It is not the same not seeing your deep eyes for a day."
She smiled slightly as his fingers caressed his cheeks.
"Or see you blush over the silliest things in the world."
She blushed, clearly shy now.
"Or hear your soft voice."
His fingers moved lower to her soft lips. She gasped lightly, her lips parting beneath his fingers.
"Or see your pretty lips." He murmured, leaning forward a little.
"Ummm," she mumbled nervously as her eyes moved away from his. "Did you like the flowers I put in the room? Kayla picked them for me, which was very sweet –"
"You seem like you're rambling," he noted.
"No, no," she said quickly, "I'm not. Why would I? I just like the flowers. And Kayla picked them. I thanked her. I think I should thank her again because they are so –"
"Alianna," he whispered, his face inches from hers now. "Shut up. I'm going to kiss you no matter how much you ramble."
She blinked and looked at him in surprise. "M-Milord?"
With her face in his hands, he leaned forward and placed his lips on hers, kissing her gently. Slowly, he felt her shock and shyness ebb as she kissed him back.
He pulled away a few short moments later, his fingers caressing her soft, pink cheeks and his eyes fixed on her face.
She opened her eyes that seemed like a mystery to him at the moment. They were full of emotions; some he figured - confusion, contentment, shock - others, he didn't.
They remained locked in each others gaze for a minute or two, and then she looked away.
"I... I-I'll get your lunch," she managed to say breathlessly.
"Alright," he said, letting go of her face.
Nodding, she quickly got up and rushed out of the room - but not before Chad noticed a small, barely noticeable smile forming on her lips.
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Kayla was sitting on the terrace. A book was open on her lap, but it wasn't the center of her focus. The sun was warm on her skin and she was mostly trying to relax and get her mind off of everything.
She was close to falling asleep in her comfortable chair when she heard the clatter of hoofbeats and carriage wheels on the road below her.
Kayla stood up and walked over to the railing and looked down to see who was approaching the mansion. As soon as she recognized the red and gold lion flag, she immediately rushed to meet the party.
She reached the entrance hall just as a young girl with curly brown hair stepped out of the carriage. she was young, about eight years old, and carried one suitcase in her left hand and held a small bear tightly to her chest with her other.
"Hello, you must be Hadiya," Kayla greeted the young girl as she approached. "I'm-"
"Lady Kayla," the young girl cut her off as she turned to stare at her. "I know who you are. I saw you at Lord Chad's wedding."
Kayla was surprised by the intelligence that shone through the young girl's eyes. Something had obviously happened to this girl at a young age to make her grow up much quicker than others her age. Moreover, her bright green eyes reminded Kayla of her brother.
After a moment, Kayla realized that Hadiya was waiting for her to say something. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but she wasn't sure what to say. "... Right. Well, welcome to Daelhr, Hadiya," she smiled.
"Where is my brother?"
"He has gone to tour the city with Lucy," Kayla replied. "He'll be back soon."
Hadiya nodded, her brown curls bouncing up and down.
"You must be hungry," Kayla said, "Would you like to join me for lunch?"
"Of course, Lady Kayla."
The girls went up to the terrace where a servant had set up a lunch of sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly for Hadiya and a house salad for Kayla.
Once they were settled, an uncomfortable silence came over them.
I should say something to her... But what? I don't know what she likes though...
"So Hadiya, how old are you?" Kayla suddenly asked, startling the young girl.
"I'm eight," Hadiya replied shyly, feeling more than a little out of place.
Kayla's heart reached out to the young girl, knowing herself how it felt to go from being surrounded by all of your friends one minute, to feeling all alone the next just because someone else made a decision for her.
"So, you're around the same age as Princess Irene, do you play with her or any of the other princes or princesses back in Cair Paravel?"
Hadiya seemed to brighten up for a second when asked about her friends, but she quickly deflated when remembering that they weren't here with her.
"Yes," she mumbled. "I play with Princess Irene often when her cousins and brother annoy her. She's my best friend."
"That's nice," Kayla smiled. "What do you two do?"
"When we're not avoiding the other princes and princesses?" Hadiya asked with a little smile, to which Kayla nodded in encouragement. "We avoid the other princes and princesses."
Kayla laughed at that, making Hadiya giggle too.
"Do you two do anything other than avoid her family?" Kayla asked with a smile.
Hadiya pretended to think about it for a moment before laughing. "Yes. Princess Irene loves to play with dolls, and play hide-n-seek with her cousins. Occasionally, we'll go play out by the waterfall or in the town, but she always has to have her bodyguards with her and they normally stop us if we start having too much fun," she smiled.
"Do you two ever do anything you like to do?" Kayla asked curiously.
"What?" Hadiya asked, confused.
"I just meant that everything you just said that you did were things that Irene likes to do," Kayla explained.
"I never thought about it that way before," Hadiya considered the new view for a moment before shaking it off with a little roll of her shoulders. "But it doesn't matter. Princess Irene is a really good friend! She honestly cares about everyone and we have a ton of fun playing together!"
"What do you do when you're not playing with Irene then?" Kayla asked with a smile.
"Well... Normally the only time I'm not with Irene or my brother, or sleeping, I'll be playing with Mrs. Edwards' kids. I guess I've always been just too busy playing with other kids to find out anything I like to do by myself, I guess," she shrugged.
"Well, we'll have to find something for you to enjoy," Kayla smiled. "Possibly puzzles, or needlework?" Kayla stopped to laugh as Hadiya scrunched her nose up with a frown at the mention of needlework. "Or no needlework," she said with a laugh and Hadiya's face returned to its happy smile. "I don't know, what would you like to maybe try?"
Hadiya's eyes looked around the terrace for something that might inspire her, when her eyes fell on the book Kayla had left open on her lounge chair when she had rushed downstairs to meet Hadiya.
"Well," she started with a small blush, "I've never learned how to read and the queens always seem to like doing that when they're alone," she said as she let her messy curls fall into her face to hide her blush of embarrassment.
"Susan, Adeline, and Isabel do love doing that, don't they?" Lucy asked with a smile as she walked out onto the terrace. "Do you girls mind if I join you? I've been working all morning and heard Hadiya's carriage arrive and thought I might take a break and join the two of you for lunch."
"It's fine with me if you joined," Kayla said. "How about you Hadiya?"
"Oh, I love Queen Lucy!" Hadiya smiled. "We have lots of private jokes," she added with a mischievous smile.
"And they're called 'private' because we don't tell anyone else about them, right?" Lucy asked with a smile as she joined them at the table.
"Of course," Hadiya agreed with a wide smile. Kayla smiled as she saw the young girl grow more and more relaxed in her new setting.
"But what were the two of you talking about before I came out?" Lucy asked after asking a servant if he wouldn't mind getting her a lemon water and a honey-roasted ham sandwich. "All I heard was Hadiya say something about the queens reading."
"We were just talking about needing to find Hadiya a private hobby."
"And I was just saying how I've never learned how to read and I've seen that's something you and the other queens like to do a lot when you're not talking or are alone," Hadiya finished.
"Well, that is true," Lucy agreed with a smile. "We do love to read, and I'm in the middle of a great book, but I often find myself painting more than reading."
"Really?" Hadiya asked in curiosity.
"Yep," Lucy smiled, "And I'd love to teach you how to read, but I'm afraid that I don't have the time right now. Maybe Kayla could teach you how to read and write and I could maybe teach you a bit about painting and drawing in some of my free time?"
"Really?" Hadiya asked in disbelief. "Would you really do that for me?"
"I'd love to teach you how to read and write," Kayla said with a smile.
"And learning the techniques behind painting is really easy to learn," Lucy smiled. "The hard part is finding out what the canvas wants painted on it. Not very many people are able to do that and try to make the canvas bend to their will instead of the other way around..." Lucy paused to laugh at Kayla's and Hadiya's identical looks of confusion. "Never mind, you'll see what I mean when I teach you."
"I look forward to it Queen Lucy. Thank you."
Lucy just smiled and nodded as she bit into her sandwich. Kayla and Hadiya followed her example and the three finished their meal in a peaceful silence. Hadiya finished first and started bouncing in her chair in mixed boredom and excitement.
Lucy finished next and had to excuse herself. She had to go talk to Chad about something. Kayla smiled in amusement as she saw the young girl start to fidget a lot with the fabric of her skirt. Part of her was tempted to eat slower just to agitate her, but decided against it and finished up her salad.
Once they spent some time sitting in silence, Kayla saw what time it was and realized that Harry would probably be getting back to Ardross soon.
"Hey, Hadiya, do you maybe want to take your things up to the room you'll be staying in now?" Kayla asked. "If we do it now, we should be finishing up getting you settled around the same time your brother is supposed to get back and you can see him."
"I'd like that," Hadiya said as she grabbed her few belongings and followed KAyla back into the mansion.
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Harry slumped on his bed, not even bothering to take off his shoes, exhausted. He had spent half the day following Philip and making sure that he did not get into another fight on Lucy's orders. Of course, he had been spying too, but the man didn't know that. So far, he had found nothing.
Whatever Philip was cooking with his father was still a secret, a very well-hidden secret, and Harry could think of no way to uncover it.
But that was not his biggest worry at the moment. He was so tired, his muscles ached and he just wanted to go to sleep. After tying his horse in the stables, he had rushed to his room, not even stopping to ask why a new carriage was parked outside the mansion.
It couldn't be any of the monarchs, he thought as he closed his eyes, or maybe it is Hadiya... she had to come today, right?
A moment of silence passed.
Another.
Another.
And Harry sprang up, wide awake. Walking out of his room, he wondered where he would find his little sister.
His mind running, he turned around the corner and found himself face to face with a startled young woman. (A/N: Link to the picture in profile)
"I'm sorry," Harry said, taking a step back.
"No harm done," she said in a sweet voice.
He had seen her before. She was one of the maids working in the mansion. Maybe she could tell him where Hadiya was.
"Excuse me..." he began and then trailed off, realizing that he didn't know her name.
"Chloe," she supplied.
"Right, Chloe," he smiled. "Could you tell me if a little girl arrived here from Cair today?"
Chloe nodded. "She did. Hadiya, right?"
"Yes," Harry said. "She is my sister."
"Aww, she is very sweet."
Harry nodded in agreement. "Could you tell me where she is?"
"Of course," Chloe said, "Her room is adjacent to Lady Kayla's chambers."
"Lady Kayla?" Harry asked, confused. Why is Hadiya staying next to Kayla? But then he shook his head. It didn't matter. "Where are her chambers?"
"In the upper left wing of Ardross."
Harry nodded. "Right. Of course. Okay."
Chloe looked at him for a second, her dark brown eyes filled with amusement. "You have no idea where the rooms are, right?"
"Not a clue!"
She laughed. "I can take you there."
"That would be great." he said as he started following her down the hallway. "I'm Harry, by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Harry."
"Yeah." he paused. "I hope it is not any trouble, guiding me all the way to... wherever we are going."
Chloe laughed. "It's alright. I was heading there anyway. Chores." She told him. "Besides, you would have probably gotten lost."
"True," he agreed as they started up the stairs. "And then the search parties would have found me strutting around the hallway looking for the right room. You're saving me from a lot of humiliation, Chloe, so thank you."
"You're welcome." she paused, "You're here with Queen Lucy, right?"
"I'm her personal guard."
"And were you the one who found Lord Chad after he was attacked?"
"Yes."
"You saved his life," she sounded impressed.
"I didn't do anything. Just my duty."
"You're just being modest," she said as she tucked a red lock behind her ear. "What you did was very brave."
"Thanks," he mumbled.
She stopped and turned to face him, her lips curved into a smile. "There," she said pointing, "That is Hadiya's room. And you don't have to thank me."
He chuckled, glancing at the room she was pointing towards. Just then, Lady Kayla walked out of the adjacent door, absently braiding her hair. She stopped in her tracks, looking questioningly at them.
"I guess I better go back to work," Chloe murmured to him as she curtsied before Kayla.
"Alright," Harry said, looking at her, a smile on his face. "I'll see you soon."
"Sure," she said before walking away.
He turned back and inclined his head. "Lady Kayla," he greeted.
"Harry," she said coldly, walking upto him. "You're fast."
He blinked, puzzled. "I beg your pardon?"
"Nevermind," she said. "I'd prefer if you don't distract my working staff from their duties."
"She was just showing me the way. I've never been to this part of the mansion before."
"Right," she scoffed as she moved to walk away. "Well, now you know."
"Lady Kayla," Harry said as he blocked her way, remembering their last encounter. "I wanted to apologize for what I did. It was wrong and I did not mean to do that. Please forgive me."
She glared at him. "Like I said, you are so lucky that Chad doesn't know what you did. He would have torn you into shreds."
"I'm sure he would have," Harry hung his head.
"And I would have watched." Kayla paused. "Anyways, it's alright. Just remember your limits next time."
"Yes, milady."
"Aren't you going to meet Hadiya?" she asked after a moment. "She has been dying to see you."
Harry smiled, looking up at her. "Me too."
"The girl gets bored so easily."
Harry laughed. "I know."
"I like her."
"Milady, if I may," Harry began, "Can I have Hadiya living close to my room, where I can easily see her whenever I want?"
"No one is going to stop you from coming here." she stated.
"Yes, but she is my sister and her room is so far away -"
"Hadiya is my guest here," Kayla told him.
He blinked. "She is?"
She nodded, a small smile on her face. "And we have lots of stuff planned. So, I'd like to keep her close to me for my convenience."
"... Of course?" he was confused beyond imagining now.
"Good." Kayla said as she turned away. "Have a good day, Harry."
"You too, milady," he called out before moving towards Hadiya's chambers.
Hadiya and Kayla had stuff planned?
And Hadiya was Kayla's guest?
Where the hell is this world going?
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"You're not listening to me!" Lucy said frustratedly as she tied her hair into a messy bun.
"I am!" Chad retorted, just as frustrated as her. "I heard you the first ten times. But I just think that you're overthinking all this."
"Overthinking?" Lucy asked incredulously. "Those men tried to kill you, or have you forgotten that attack?"
"I've been lying on this damn bed, writhing in pain for the last two weeks. I think I would not forget that so easily."
"Then why are you not listening to me?"
"I am," he repeated with a sigh. "Look, it was Talan. He tried to have me killed and we can deal with him. The men are looking for evidence, right?"
"They are, but I don't think it was him." she said. "Talan says that it was not him."
Chad snorted. "And we're going to trust him?"
"No! I just... Look Chad," Lucy said, sitting down next to him. "They tried to kill you. That is huge, alright? I just don't think that Talan would want you dead just because you're not raising his income."
"You don't know the man," he said. "I do. I've been trying to talk to him for months. He is obnoxiously smart and crazy."
"Exactly! Being the smart man he is, he would know how easily he would lose the support of all the labour if anyone found out that he tried to get you killed."
"But I wasn't supposed to survive and neither were my guards, which they didn't," Chad pointed out, "There were no witnesses and the assassins were his relatives. It was planned out really well."
"Or it was a plot to hide something."
"Like what?"
"Maybe someone is using Talan's name," Lucy said. "Maybe they want you to think that, keep you off-track, while they carry out their plans."
"What plans?" he asked, "And who would want to do that?"
She was silent, just staring at him.
His green eyes met her brown ones. "Look Lucy, if you know something then tell me," he said. "Stop dropping hints."
"You wouldn't believe me."
"Try me."
She opened her mouth and closed it again. "It's just a feeling... an instinct," she finally said after a few moments. "Things are not as simple as they seem."
"I cannot act upon your gut feelings."
"I know you can't, but you can at least trust me."
"I've every reason to trust you," he muttered, looking away.
His silly taunts hurt, but she had learned to ignore them by now. "I don't want you dead, Chad," she said quietly, "And I want to help you, so let me."
"Fine," he sounded exasperated. "Fine, help me. If you think that someone other than Talan wants me dead then give me some evidence."
"I'm working on it."
"Good," he said, staring at the dark circles that were beginning to form beneath her eyes. "Are you getting any sleep?"
She blinked. "What?"
"I know you're handling everything alone because of me," he said. "But I don't want you to overdo anything. Get some rest, take a break now and then."
She chuckled. "You never listened to any of us when we used to tell you that."
"Well, that is me," he said. "And this is you. We've different ways of working and you'll probably get sick if you stay up another night."
Lucy tilted her head, her eyes on the man she loved so dearly, and raised an eyebrow. "Is that concern I hear, Chad?"
He smiled, though there was no happiness in it. "Why in the world should I be concerned about you, Lucy?" he asked, his green eyes piercing her brown ones.
The two remained silent for a minute or two and then she stood up and walked towards the door. "Oh and Chad, I just wanted to let you know that," Lucy turned. "As a queen of Narnia, I will not have anyone going around their town, bashing men just because he thinks they attacked someone. What Philip did to Talan was wrong and you know that."
"You're right." he rested his head back with a sigh, "I'll talk to him."
"Get some rest."
And with that, Lucy walked out, massaging her temple with her fingers. It had been a long day, covering up Philip's mess, handling the matters of the city and having discussions with Chad.
I'm glad that it is over, she thought as she made her way back to her room.
And then she stopped.
She had heard some voices in the lounge area. Slowly, the Valiant Queen moved towards the door and peeked through the crack of the door.
Alianna was standing by the fireplace, talking to her brother.
Curious, Lucy inched forward so she could hear what they were saying.
"... I don't like it, Alianna. I've said it before and I'm saying it again: I do not like your attitude," Philip was saying, his voice deadly calm as he glared at her sister, "And I want you to change it."
"Lord Chad must be waiting for me," she mumbled in a barely audible voice.
"Lord Chad can rot in that damn bed for all I care!" Philip whispered harshly. "You listen to me. I heard what you were trying to say to father yesterday in those limited words of yours and I do not like where you're going."
Alianna lowered her eyes, staring at the floor, but did not say anything.
"Say something!" he ordered, gripping her arm and pulling her a bit closer. "That thing in your mouth is called a tongue. You should use it when I ask you to speak."
Alianna pulled her arm away but did not say anything.
"Sympathy or understanding is not something we want you to feel." He said through gritted teeth. "You know why we're doing this. You know what will happen next. And you will stick to it. Is that clear?"
Slowly, the Lady of Daelhr looked at her brother and nodded.
"Good." Philip said. "We already have enough problems at hand. You shouldn't become one of them."
Again, Alianna nodded. And then she started towards the door.
Quickly, Lucy turned around and sprinted down the hallway, her mind running just like her.
What is going to happen next? What was Alianna trying to say to Demetrius? What was their plan? Why was Philip unhappy with Alianna?
She entered her room and shut the door.
She needed to find some answers... and fast. But how?
Sighing, Lucy dropped down on her bed when she noticed an envelope with her name on the bedside table. It took her a moment to realize that the writing belonged to Susan.
She pulled out the short letter.
Lucy,
Everything is wrong. Everything. Caleb and Estella have been kidnapped. The children had gone to the falls but some men slaughtered the guards and took them away. Irene ran back to inform us.
We do not know who did it. Caspian and Edmund took a search party but they haven't returned yet.
My son! He is just a little boy. And Estella too, she is so young. What if they harm them? Adeline is freaking out. And so am I. Our children, Lucy! We want them back. Caspian says that they will find them, but the truth is that if Caspian and Edmund don't find the kids, then we don't have any leads. Who could have kidnapped them?
I wish you were here.
Susan.
Lucy didn't even notice when the paper slipped from her hands and fell to the floor. The words she had just read had shocked her to the core.
She wished she was at the Cair, with her brothers and sister, trying to help in any way she could. But going back meant leaving Chad alone and she couldn't do that...
What do I do now?
Hey! Its Ennarre... I'll keep this really short.
Now, I wanted to thank all the reviewers - you all rock! :D
And candy31: Interesting questions! I haven't really thought about that Chad/Lucy queen-and-lady situation. I'm sure I would have figured something out, but seeing that they did not get married, we don't have to worry about it! :P Second, Cair is gigantic. I think all those families have their huge wings of the palace, but I don't see them living separately. Whether for work or personal relations, all the monarchs are pretty close... Lastly, I haven't thought about the heir thing too. But for now I think Irene is the heir to Peter's throne because she is the older one.
That's it.
We have no idea when we will be updating next, but until then, take care and...
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