Here you go, another chapter for your devouring. I hope you enjoy it. I'll look forward to the reviews.
Chapter Five: Burnt Offerings
I looked across out over the ocean, shading my eyes from the sun. The reflection cast as sun hit water made me think of thousands of diamonds, sparkling just below the surface. I took a deep breath, letting the smell of salt surround me. I loved living right by the sea, with its beautiful views and being able to swim all the time. There were so many different Animals that lived close by, and there were many nights that I fell asleep to the crashing of the surf. But the best reason was that Aslan came from across the sea to Narnia. I couldn't think of a more perfect place to have Cair Paravel, and I knew my siblings agreed.
I hoped that the children Edmund had brought back with him would fall in love with our home just as much as we had. It was heartbreaking to see what slavery had done to them at such a young age. From what Edmund had told us, and from what I had observed myself, the two oldest had grown up much too fast. Even my brothers and sister and I tried to set aside time to be only children, only siblings, as limited as that time sometimes was. These children hadn't had the same luxury though, trying to stay safe from the horrors that had threatened them.
Each of them had made some sort of impression on me already. Jarid was extremely protective of his siblings, willing to do anything and everything, to keep them safe. He had taken on the role of mother and father, and was clearly the leader of their small family. He was similar to Peter in that way, although much more closed off than my older brother.
Oliver was easier to read, if only slightly. While Jarid was protective of his family as a whole, Oliver was very defensive of Jarid. He cared for his younger siblings deeply, that was obvious. But I could almost see the bond between the two older brothers, comrades and friends as well as brothers by blood and soul. He was almost as untrusting as his big brother, although Edmund seemed to have made a somewhat good impression on him.
Cyrus and Cole, were sweet and innocent still, barely touched by the terrors of slavery. They had yet to say a word in our presence, but the hesitant smiles and bright eyes said more then words could, even when they wouldn't let go of each other's hands.
I whirled around to face my siblings and the children as I heard a shriek. Cyrus and Cole had been digging in the sand by the water's edge, and I wondered if they had fallen into the water. However, they were both sitting on the beach still, Cole drenched to the skin. A wooden bucket from the kitchen lay next to her, and Oliver stood closer to the water, a smug look on his face.
I saw Susan, hands on her hips, move forward to scold him. Both of my brothers were grinning however, obviously approving of the innocent prank. I smiled and started forward to pull the two younger ones up to dryer sand. But before either Susan or I could reach the water's edge, Jarid had tackled his brother, both of them falling into the water with a yelp of surprise from Oliver. Peter's grin widened, and I heard Edmund chuckle to himself. He said something I couldn't hear to Peter, who elbowed him in the ribs gently.
"Jarid!" Oliver complained, kicking his brother off of him and into the shallow water.
"Hey!" Jarid surfaced, shaking water from his hair, which needed a haircut badly. "Ollie, play fair!"
"I am playing fair!" Oliver retorted, struggling away from his brother's grasp.
"You are not!" Jarid said, splashing Oliver before pulling him back into the shallows.
I smiled and knelt down next to the twins, gently brushing back some hair that had fallen into Cole's eyes. She flinched and I bit back a sigh. They were all too young to be so afraid of people and it made my heart hurt. How could anyone be so cruel to their fellows, let alone children? It seemed my siblings and I had our work cut out for us. I saw Cyrus yawn out of the corner of my eye, and his sister followed with a yawn of her own.
"Come on, why don't you come take a nap?"
They exchanged wary glances, looking towards the shoreline where their older brothers were still playing in the surf. Cyrus got to his feet, pulling Cole up with him. She shifted closer to him, letting him take the lead role in absence of Jarid and Oliver. They seemed to become exhausted within minutes. He bit his lip and nodded slowly, reaching out with his other hand and taking one of mine. I smiled and stood, leading them to a nearby blanket we had brought down from the Cair this morning.
"Here," I motioned to the blanket. Both looked from the blanket to me and back again, confusion and hesitancy written in their eyes. I smiled in reassurance, but my stomach was twisting itself into knots. Cyrus took an uncertain step forward, tugging Cole after him. As one, they sat down on the cover, both sets of eyes locked on me.
I took a deep breath, tasting the sea and sweet air on my tongue. There was so much that Narnia could offer these four, just as it had offered each of my siblings and me exactly what we needed. Peter had been born to lead Narnia, he was a king without even needing to try, sometimes it seemed. Edmund had been given redemption and a second chance at life. Susan had found an entire country to mother and look after. And I had grown too. We had all blossomed in Narnia.
Edmund had the most beautiful voice I would ever hear, although he hated for us to remind him of that. Music had always spoken to me though, and I found it as a wonderful way to express everything Narnia was and could be. It was the best way I could think of to introduce our land to them. There were so many different styles of song and music our home though, it was nearly impossible to choose just one for them. I chose to hum the haunting melody that the merpeople sang the night before, remembering how it captivated the children's attention.
Eyes closed slowly, and the twins curled closer to each other, seeking comfort more than warmth, I imagined. I let the song die slowly and smiled softly. From the corner of my eye I saw Jarid and Oliver leaving the water for the warmer sand, both of them smiling brightly. I wondered when was the last time they had truly been children, and made a face. Something told me it had been years, probably since their parents had died.
I moved closer, coming to stand by Susan as she handed both boys towels to dry off. Oliver quickly peeled off his soaked tunic, and Jarid followed suit, both of the younger boys shivering in the slight breeze. Oliver wrapped the towel around himself while Jarid started to towel off his hair.
A flash of raised flesh caught my attention, and I nudged Susan gently. She glanced my way and followed my gaze to Jarid.
"We should do that again," Oliver tugged on Jarid's arm as he said so, his eyes already trained on the glittering water again. Jarid laughed and turned away from us to respond. I heard Susan gasp and I caught her hand, my eyes widening in horror. Both Jarid and Oliver froze, looking at each other with a mixture of fear and confusion dancing in their eyes.
"Did we do something wrong? Forgive us, Queen Susan, we didn't mean to," Jarid hastily stepped in front of his younger brother, bowing deeply, ready to take the blame for whatever he thought his brother had done to upset us. Susan shook her head, unable to look away from Jarid's shoulder. Peter and Edmund frowned, both sitting up from where they'd been lounging in the sand.
"Su?"
"Lucy, what's wrong?" Peter asked, his frown deepening. I motioned to Jarid, still trying to find my voice. My brothers followed my gesture, both of them spotting the same brand that Susan and I had seen. The skin around it was a bit discolored, the symbol visible against the skin, without dye. I glanced way from it, looking to my siblings. Disgust was obvious in Edmund's eyes, not for the boys, but for those who had done this to them. Peter was absolutely furious, it read in his face and the way his body had tensed. Everything about Susan screamed pity at the moment, especially the tears that pooled in her eyes. I turned to look back at Jarid and Oliver, both of whom were eyeing us warily.
"We just noticed your . . . mark," I murmured, managing to find my voice somehow.
Jarid blinked in confusion and glimpsed down at his shoulder. He looked up, understanding dawning in his eyes, and glanced back at Oliver, who simply shrugged in return. I couldn't read either of them as they turned to face us, Oliver moving to his brother's side.
"It's a bit funny, I suppose. See, the brand is the Calormene symbol of freedom. It means that the rich are free to own other people. Free to own people like us. There's actually a law that anyone with this brand will always be subject to seizure; because who in Calormen would ever free a slave?" Jarid shrugged, his voice flat.
"That's how we were caught," Oliver said, disturbingly calm about the whole thing. "They saw our brands."
"That's awful," Susan whispered, her voice tight with pain. Jarid shook his head, looking a bit bemused.
"That's Calormen, Queen Susan. That, is the life of a slave."
"Do Cyrus and Cole . . . ?" I asked. I wasn't sure what age slaves were first branded in Calormen, and I prayed to Aslan that the younger two had escaped such a horrid thing, even if their brothers had not.
"Yes," Oliver admitted, sorrow coloring his tone slightly. "They were given their brands about six months or so ago. They've already forgotten the actual memory, for what small favors are worth."
I felt sick to my stomach. Small favors were little things, helpful things from everyday life, not being thankful that your younger siblings could no longer remember the pain and terror of being branded.
"We're sorry," Susan said, brushing at the tears that threatened to fall. I nodded, not sure that was really anything else to add. Jarid and Oliver shrugged as one, both looking a little uncomfortable now.
"Aren't we going to get brands here?" Oliver asked, his voice shaking a bit. My heart clenched in my chest. They couldn't really think we would do such a thing, could they? We would never do something so terrible, even if slavery hadn't been outlawed in Narnia.
"No," Peter shook his head. "No, you will never go through that kind of pain, or treatment, again. You are safe here, and you will be treated as any Narnian citizen would be. You are not slaves any longer."
Jarid offered a half-smile, as though he wasn't sure whether to believe Peter or not. Oliver smiled, his gaze traveling to the sea again, as though he couldn't wait to play among the surf once more. Edmund smiled, chuckling quietly.
"Go ahead, go play," he said, his smile widening. "There are no pressing matters today. Tomorrow you will be introduced to your nursemaid."
I couldn't help but giggle at the look Jarid and Oliver exchanged before Oliver tugged on Jarid's arm, pulling him back down to the water's edge. Jarid turned to follow him, laughing at how excited Oliver was and teasing him that he'd hated sailing down here. I frowned to myself as I caught another brand, this one closer to the base of his neck, that Oliver didn't have. I shook my head and shrugged it off. It was just another Calormen brand, cruel and unneeded. Laughter once again filled the air and I smiled, thinking that maybe Narnia was helping these children already.
