Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.
Summary: 21 Yule 1006 will see the first lunar eclipse to occur on the Winter Solstice in four hundred years. Enemies of Narnia rejoice! For the time of the Golden Age will come to an end with the spilling of royal blood and Jadis will be revived!
A/N: If you have not read the first three stories in the A Light in the Darkness main story arc (Awakening, Shadowed, and Revealed), I highly recommend you do so. However, if you want to give this one a whirl on its own, you can.
Chapter Eighteen: Questions and Answers
Peridan looked at General Oreius as the Werewolves retreated almost as swiftly as they had appeared, but the Centaur gave no sign of his thoughts concerning the matter. The High King raced for the fallen rider, who was now trying to get back to her feet. Peridan expected the High King would be disappointed when the rider turned out to be Dame Sepphora; after all, she had been riding Dame Sepphora's horse. King Edmund reached his brother just as the High King reached out to pull back the rider's hood.
Long, dark locks fell free. Peridan stopped in shock, while the Kings joyously embraced their sister, "Susan!"
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Oreius paused only for half a breath before he trotted up to the Royals, "Majesties, we must find a safe place to make camp for the night before you can ask your questions." He did not add that he recognized the cloak Queen Susan was wrapped in as one he had placed in Alambiel's saddlebags just prior to leaving for Archenland, nor did he ask the burning question as to what had happened to Alambiel.
The Kings quickly helped their sister back onto Pepin and took up positions on either side of her as their party set out again. Oreius only intended to retreat far enough to find a defensible place to make camp...he had no intention of leaving the mountains until he found out what had happened to Katerina Alambiel and then found her. Thank the Lion, it did not take long to find a suitable place and set up the camp.
He followed the Kings into the tent designated for their use, once again planning to stand as their guard during the night when they retired. Queen Susan was lying in one of the hammocks, covered up to her chin by a pile of blankets, with her pale face marred by dark circles under her eyes and a colorful bruise to her temple. Oreius' tail swished against his flank when he saw the evidence of her suffering, but he did not permit himself to show any other sign of anger, knowing it would most likely do very little to reassure the Gentle Queen. King Edmund bit out a curse when the army healer came over to them and whispered that Queen Susan had several cracked ribs, a badly wrenched ankle, and a number of other minor injuries in addition to exhaustion from her ordeal and exposure to the harsh winter weather.
The Gentle Queen opened her eyes and immediately scolded him, "Edmund Alexander Pevensie! You mind your language!"
The High King glanced up at him with amused relief in his eyes while King Edmund ducked his head, "Sorry, Su."
Oreius watched as King Peter crossed to his sister's hammock with King Edmund only steps behind and gently touched her shoulder since he could not take her hand. "What happened, Susan?"
At first, Oreius was uncertain as to whether she would be able to answer, but then the Gentle Queen gathered herself and quickly told them how she had been captured. He approved of how she had continued to fight for her life and sought her escape. He listened even more intently when she moved into the details of how she came to be injured.
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17 Yule 1006
Susan screamed again as the Werewolf tackled her, flipping her over in the snow and sinking his claws and teeth into the heavy material of her cloak, nearly choking her before the clasp gave away. She struggled to her feet once more and tried to run. Pain radiated from her ankle and she crumpled in the snow again. She felt around for a rock or a branch, something, anything that she could use to protect herself. But, her groping fingers closed on naught besides snow. The Werewolf grabbed her by the back of the neck and yanked her upright. He snarled in her ear, "Pitiful."
She thought he was going to kill her as his hot breath touched her neck. Instead, he abruptly tossed her to the side. She slammed hard into a tree, causing her to cry out as pain radiated from her ribs then another excruciating jab of pain flared from her ankle as she landed and immediately fell to her hands and knees. Please, Aslan, let someone hear me. Please send help before the Fell kill me. Susan looked up to see it was the Werewolf leader attacking her.
His scarred muzzle wrinkled in a snarl as he crouched in front of her and forced her back down into the snow, pinning her with a heavy grip on the back of her neck. Fear spiked and her chest tightened as she met the Werewolf's hate-filled gaze. If her face had not been numb from the cold, Susan was certain she would not have been able to prevent tears of fear and pain from spilling free. Perhaps she was crying and simply couldn't tell. The Werewolf leaned in closer, hot, foul breath hitting her face, "Pitiful little false queen, you will die."
Fear spiked again, but then an almost inexplicable calm settled over her as she heard a Voice that seemed to be at once surrounding her and also within her. Courage, dear one. Courage and trust. Susan felt far braver than she had since she last stood in Aslan's presence. Aslan had not abandoned her. Somewhere she knew her loved ones and loyal friends were searching for her and the Fell Beasts who had taken her. And, they would find her. She just had to stay alive until they did.
The Werewolf snarled again as he tightened his grip on her neck, forcing her face into the snow as she felt his claws pressing against her throat, almost to the point of breaking skin. Her eyes were closed but she felt the calm stay with her even as she listened to the Werewolf's next words, "Do you think that I will allow you to escape so easily? I am Brutus, I am the alpha of my pack, and I will bring back our exalted positions."
Susan didn't respond, even though her mind was racing with the possibilities of what he could mean by bringing the Werewolf pack back to their exalted positions. Brutus...the name tickled at her memories, but she couldn't say where she had heard it before. She was cold, almost to the point of being completely numb, but she could feel the burning aches and pains radiating out from her ankle and ribs. Brutus roughly hauled her to her knees, but she didn't fight him. She knew her ankle alone would prevent her from getting very far on her own. Logic dictated that she no longer had the option of running on her own and that she must wait for help. Courage and trust was what she needed to focus on now. She watched, shivering, as Brutus grabbed her cloak and then ripped it to pieces with his teeth and claws.
It was illogical how the cold suddenly seemed to sink through her clothes more than it had when her cloak was easily retrievable, but that was how it felt. Susan fought the temptation to curl into a ball in an attempt to preserve as much of her body heat as possible, she didn't want to appear any more submissive than it took to survive long enough to be found. Dropping the last shreds of her cloak, Brutus came back over to her and grabbed her shoulder, his claws piercing through the layers of her clothing and resting against her skin as he forced her to limp back through the tangled woods. Looking at the trees, she prayed to Aslan that perhaps some Talking Beasts or Birds were watching and would go find help once it was safe for them to leave their hiding places. Courage and trust. That was her answer and that was what she promised herself she would do, no matter if or how it challenged her logic.
Brutus finally shoved her into the clearing where his pack was eying her hungrily. Susan fought to hang on to the sense of calm as she raised her head defiantly. She would not be afraid. She would have courage and she would trust in Aslan to guide rescuers to her. Brutus growled low in his throat, "One last lesson, dark one." He backhanded her in the temple, causing her to stumble as she put too much weight on her ankle.
She gave an involuntary cry at the pain, but then forced herself to stand upright again. Anything to keep her weight off that ankle and she could not afford to show any more weakness. Courage and trust. He hit her again in the temple and everything went black just as she heard one of the Werewolves growl, "Someone's coming."
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19 Yule 1006
Oreius watched in grim silence as Queen Susan struggled to finish telling her story. Finally, he spoke, "Majesties, your sister needs her rest as do you. We will speak further on what occurred after you have all rested." The Kings bowed their heads in silent acquiescence after they noticed the Gentle Queen had fallen asleep almost as soon as she had ceased speaking. Oreius ensured their tent was well-guarded before trotting out into the camp. There were others who could tell him what he needed to know.
He did not go far before Caia hailed him, "General Oreius!"
The Centauress joined him, following as he led the way to the farthest boulder sheltering the camp. Away from listening ears, her anxiety finally showed as she set a hand on his vambrace-covered forearm, "Please, what news of the border outpost? Of Illusin?"
Oreius softened his expression slightly, "Illusin is well, Caia. He leads the patrol back to Cair Paravel, in the Valiant Queen's wake."
Caia's relief was clear as she gave a curt nod and released the strangling grip she had had on his forearm, "Thank you."
"Now, tell me what happened to Sepphora."
Caia nodded and then began to recount all she had witnessed...
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17 Yule 1006
Caia pawed the ground with one hoof, trying not to think of whether Illusin was among the dead soldiers or if he was so badly wounded that he was in dire need of Queen Lucy's cordial... She forced her thoughts from that road. She needed to focus on finding Queen Susan... Dame Sepphora had finally called a halt as the dawn barely lightened the sky. Thirty minutes to rest and eat before they continued tracking the Werewolves and Queen Susan.
She once again checked her bow and the number of arrows in her quiver before checking her sword. Her hand tightened on the sword hilt as worry over Illusin once again attempted to intrude before she forced it away again. Illusin was between Aslan's paws. Caia knew that Dame Sepphora had a plan of some sort, but she had been very close-mouthed about the details. Dame Sepphora commanded their party and Caia could not make her divulge the plan, but still she hoped the knight would be willing to give her more details now that they were closing in on their quarry. Approaching Dame Sepphora as she cared for both her own horse, Pepin, and for Queen Susan's horse, Caia watched with interest as the female knight muttered to herself in the foreign language that only the General seemed to understand.
Dame Sepphora pulled her red cloak tighter around her body before acknowledging Caia's presence. "What is it, Caia?"
"What is your plan for rescuing Queen Susan?"
Dame Sepphora glanced at her and patted Pepin's neck before digging through the saddlebag, "The less you know about my plan, Caia, the better. Just know that I fully expect it to work. However-" Dame Sepprora cut herself off with an amused smile as she pulled out a hooded cloak, "Ah, that Kentauri." She shook her head and slipped the cloak on over her other cloak before looking back at Caia, "However, the Kentauri will most definitely not approve of my plan, even though I do not see any other options for us to employ."
Caia frowned, "But, Dame Sepphora-"
Dame Sepphora held up a hand, cutting short her protest, "Enough, Caia. Your orders are to protect Queen Susan and get her some place safe, no more, no less. I can look after myself." She swung up on Pepin's back and then her expression softened, no longer emphasizing her authority, as she quietly spoke, "Caia, you are my friend, but this time I cannot allow you or anyone else to know all the details of my plan ahead of time. The clock on Susan's safety is running out and we've no time to spare toward my arguing for the benefits of my plan outweighing the deficits." She pulled up the hood of the cloak, obscuring her features, "Come on, let's find Susan." Caia and the other five soldiers followed Dame Sepphora until Ptah took up the lead as he tracked the Werewolves and the Gentle Queen.
They had set a ground-eating pace, spurred on by their own determination and by Dame Sepphora's unrelenting expectations. Caia and the other soldiers realized that Dame Sepphora would not stop for any one of them...she would not stop for herself. They had taken care to keep the wind from blowing downwind of them as much as possible, in spite of the growing difficulty of that task as the wind picked up and continually changed directions. It was closer to dusk than to noon when they halted.
Caia trotted through the deep snowdrifts to join Dame Sepphora and Ptah at the head of their small party. The wind picked up, ruffling fur, hair, and clothing as it swept around them. The Leopard had narrowed his eyes as he faced the wind and the two females, "We've caught up."
Dame Sephhora gave a short nod, "How far away?"
"Less than seven miles. If the wind shifts, they could attack us and kill the Gentle Queen."
Caia looked to Dame Sepphora, waiting to hear the plan and their corresponding orders. She suspected the knight knew exactly what she waiting for as Dame Sepphora shot her a faintly amused look before she addressed the entire group. "We have found the Werewolves. Queen Susan is still in their keep. Assume she is injured severely. The Werewolves outnumber us and they have a hostage, so we will not attack." She ignored the three soldiers who shifted and glanced around in surprise as she continued in a firm voice, "You will follow my lead. Do not engage the Fell until you see my signal unless it is necessary to remove an immediate threat to Queen Susan's life. I will take care of getting Susan away from the Werewolves. Your orders are to observe until I have done so and then you will protect the Gentle Queen and escort her to safety. You will seek the soldiers under the command of General Oreius and the Kings, as they should be closest to our current position. If you have not found them by the second day, you will proceed as swift as possible for Cair Paravel. Aslan guard us all."
"Aslan guard us."
Dame Sepphora handed Pythian the reins of Queen Susan's horse, and then she urged Pepin toward the Werewolves as Caia and the others fell in behind her. They had only proceeded about two miles before the wind shifted, blowing their scents downwind...toward the Werewolves. Howls went up almost as soon as the wind shifted. The Werewolves knew they were coming. Caia prayed the Fell Beasts would not kill the Gentle Queen before Dame Sepphora could carry out her plan.
Caia would have preferred an attack on the Werewolves, in spite of the tactical disadvantage, but she knew they must follow Dame Sepphora's orders. She also knew none of them had missed the way Dame Sepphora had worded her orders as though she would not be with them, but they could not question her. Dame Sepphora had given them no opportunity to question her on her choice of wording, not even Ptah or herself. Though Caia wished she knew what Dame Sepphora was planning, she focused on staying alert for any sign of ambush.
The howls ceased shortly after they had crossed the fourth mile. Caia could see the Werewolves milling about only two miles away. When there was less than a mile between them, Dame Sepphora signaled for them to halt and hold position. The two dumb horses were rolling their eyes in fear, though only Queen Susan's horse pranced nervously as Pepin stood solid after a murmured word from Dame Sepphora. Caia watched in surprise as Dame Sepphora trotted forward slightly and called out, "Brutus! Come and bring your prisoner to face me! Unless, of course, you are too afraid of what I shall do to you if you come and face me."
This was why many, including Caia herself, questioned Dame Sepphora's sanity at times. However, the insane plan of insulting the Werewolf Brutus seemed to work as the Werewolves closest fell back to reveal another Werewolf holding Queen Susan by her throat. He snarled, "I do not fear you, Alambiel."
Dame Sepphora seemed unmoved by the sight of an obviously wounded Queen Susan as she dropped her hood. "Then, come make a deal with me."
Caia caught her breath as she realized what Dame Sepphora was about to do. She almost stepped forward but Dame Sepphora looked over her shoulder at them and shook her head slightly before dismounting. She dropped Pepin's reins to the ground and the gelding shivered but did not move, per his training. The Werewolf Brutus seemed intrigued as he dragged Queen Susan forward, "What deal should I make with you?"
Dame Sepphora stepped toward the Werewolf, "Why, a trade, of course. Your current captive for me." She took another step forward. "Think about it, Brutus. You know who I am...what I am and I have a very good guess as to what you are intending to do with her. Why not take a healthy, uninjured captive who can withstand the rest of your journey?"
The Werewolf looked almost fanatical as he seemed to understand what Dame Sepphora was offering better than Caia did. He growled, "You come to me and then I will release the dark one."
Dame Sepphora shook her head, "Nope, not going to do that. Instead, we will compromise. You release her at the same time I start walking toward you, I will make sure she is able to return to the Narnians, and then we each continue toward our perspective groups. I won't make this offer again, Brutus."
For a long moment, Caia thought the Werewolf would refuse and perhaps kill Queen Susan but then he released his grip on her neck and shoved her forward. The Gentle Queen stumbled and nearly fell before limping toward Dame Sepphora as fast as she could. Dame Sepphora reached her and held her still as she shrugged out of the hooded cloak and wrapped it around the battered Queen, whispering something to her before continuing on to the Werewolves. Caia stepped forward and caught the Gentle Queen before she collapsed. She helped her onto Pepin's back, not even bothering to adjust the stirrup straps before she grabbed Pepin's reins and turned the horse. She looked back once to see the Werewolves swarming around Dame Sepphora. Then, she led the horse carrying the wounded Queen back the way they had come with the others guarding their rear. She prayed Dame Sepphora would survive her plan...
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19 Yule 1006
Frome snarled in frustration. He had not found the Centaur's mate after all, merely the dark false queen who had apparently been in close contact with the Centaur's mate in the last few days. The magic was forcing him to return to Brutus and the rest of the pack, but he would not be compelled to stay. He would hunt down the Centaur's mate, no matter what it took, even if he had to rip Brutus' throat out first. Soon, very soon. He repeated the mantra to himself as he raced toward an alpha he no longer believed in and no longer owed his loyalty.
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A/N: Please Read and Review! Okay, a good long chapter to make up for all the short ones. So, what do you think will happen next? Let me know what y'all think about this chapter.
Also, a big thank you to WillowDryad for looking this chapter over before I posted it. It was greatly appreciated.