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: When memory is veiled, can the love forged between two hearts survive?

A/N: If you have not read the first seven stories in the A Light in the Darkness main story arc (Awakened, Shadowed, Revealed, Concealed, Rekindled, Refracted, and Reflected), I highly recommend you do so for the full experience. However, I have included a quick summary of the previous stories so if you want to give this one a whirl on its own, you can.

Chapter Six: Waking

9 Twirleaf 1008

Lucy looked around the room. She had only just made it to the healers' wing to check on Kat when Susan pulled her into one of the empty private rooms where Tuulea, Alithia, Thalia, and Leeta (since the Nymph had followed her from the ship) had gathered. "Kat is healed, why are you still concerned about Oreius being present?"

"The cordial has healed her physical wounds," Tuulea said gently. "However, before you arrived, my Queen, she woke once completely disoriented and with no memory of anyone, including Oreius."

Lucy's brow furrowed. "But, if she received a head wound-"

Tuulea raised her hand. "There is no way to know if the memory loss was, indeed, caused by the head trauma or by some other means until she wakes."

"Oreius refuses to listen to us on this matter," Alithia added. The Centauress flicked her tail as she continued, "But, he never allowed himself to open his heart to anyone the way he has to Alambiel. He needs to believe she will return to him as he remembers her because to think otherwise would break his heart. He would never admit such a thing, of course, but it is true. If she were to wake and not recognize him…"

"Well, Oreius will have to consult with Peter and Edmund tomorrow about what we recovered at Redhaven before leaving," Lucy offered. She frowned, considering what Alithia and Tuulea implied about Kat and whether or not she would remember them. Her mouth formed a perfect 'o' as she realized what else that might mean. "But, if she was frightened by Oreius, she could be frightened by you, Alithia, or anyone else who doesn't look Human."

Tuulea nodded, looking grim. However, it was Thalia who voiced what they had all realized was the only solution for now. "We shall have to ensure the Princess Royal does not wake to faces that will only frighten her…and keep the General away until she wakes and we know how she will react."

The words sprang to Lucy's lips, but Susan took her hand in a firm yet gentle grasp before she could volunteer. Her sister gave her a look that brooked no argument. "You need to rest too, Lucy. I'll ask Oreius to escort you, Thalia, and me back to our wing. Then, Alithia, perhaps you can meet him before he returns to Kat's sickroom and maybe coax him into sharing a meal with you and Ardon?"

The Centauress gave a swift nod. "I will take care of it."

"And I shall sit with Alambiel tonight," Tuulea stated firmly. "We will devise a schedule for the most familiar-looking of us to sit with her until she wakes tomorrow morn while Oreius is overseeing the Kings' training."

Lucy nodded her agreement to the plan, though, in truth, she hoped Oreius was right. Still, when she saw him up close and realized he looked just a touch drawn, she knew it was good to keep Oreius out of the sickroom for a while. I hope the worst is over. Surely, it must be over. It was not until she woke the next morning that she realized she might have invoked Kat's beloved nemesis Murphy and his law.

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10 Twirleaf 1008

"The scouts couldn't find any sign of her trail?" Peter surveyed the reports then touched a mark on the map. "If Kat was found here, then perhaps we can simply form an expanded search of the area. She couldn't have run far, a mile maybe two?"

He glanced at Oreius, but the Centaur merely pondered the map. "She ran farther."

Peter exchanged a look with his brother before questioning, "What makes you say that?"

"While she was severely injured, my Kings, I believe Alambiel traveled farther than any assumed she might be able to because our scouts would have met with resistance if the filth who abducted her had their lair nearby." The Centaur's face was as expressive as stone but there was a barely detectable edge to his voice that promised the villains would not live long to regret going after Kat.

"This is true, but I had hoped it would be close to the border." Peter shook his head with a sigh. "If we venture too far into Ettinsmoor, the Giants will notice." He paused, almost hating that he needed to even consider it. "Are we certain the Giants weren't involved somehow? Perhaps the ones at Harfang?"

Edmund immediately shook his head. "This is too refined for Giants to be involved, even the lot of brutes at Harfang." A faint smirk appeared as he added, "They're only somewhat less stupid than the Ettins, after all. Besides, my spies have reported that the Northern Giants are busy fighting each other again rather close to Harfang as luck would have it." His brother grew serious again as he pulled out a tightly wrapped square of fabric. "This is what Lieutenant Dalibor's men found when they were alerted to Ptah's condition."

Untying the twine and pulling back the folds of fabric, Peter frowned at the three darts, smooth wood with black feathers on one end and a metal point at the other. They looked most innocuous save for the fact that two were covered in dried blood and fur and the other had a few reddish stains around the tip but the rest of the point was coated in some sort of sap. He reached toward it, meaning to examine it more closely, but Oreius captured his wrist in an iron grip. Peter looked up but the Centaur's gaze was not fixed on him. Instead, those dark eyes were focused on the darts with a flicker of something…recognition, he thought, deep within their depths. "Do not touch them, High King."

"Why? You recognize them? How?"

The Centaur abruptly let go of his wrist. His jaw worked for a moment then he ground out a single word. "Veri."

"Veri… But, Ninklim and his organization was destroyed. We hunted them down with King Garai's help a year ago."

Oreius remained unmoved. "But, not every patron. Ninklim's men could have been receiving the darts from one of those who visited Veri or it is possible the same supplier was used. These are highly potent sleeping darts. Four are fatal to Humans." His impassive look did not change as he pointed to the single dart absent of any fur. "Where was this one found?"

Edmund glanced at him before turning to their general. "Inside Hadassah House…Lieutenant Dalibor was certain that it struck Kat. We're just not sure how exactly it was left behind among her things."

"Oreius?" Peter waited but the Centaur did not answer, seeming lost in his thoughts or perhaps his memories of all that happened in Veri. "Oreius, your and Kat's reports indicated that Ninklim was trying to sell Kat to the highest bidders. Perhaps we should look into them, see what they are up to now."

"Yes, and where they are. If one of them has ventured north, then he might be the one responsible for abducting Kat." Edmund looked pleased as he caught on to Peter's train of thought.

With a heavy sigh, Oreius turned to them. "Haroun, Orfeo, and Mordad. Those were the ones Ninklim sought to sell Alambiel to in Veri, they were the ones who watched her the most, and I know they were not among those captured when Veri fell."

"We'll find them," Peter hoped Oreius believed him even as he wished they had tracked these men down last year. But, Aslan willing, they would remedy that mistake. And soon.

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The only sounds filling the room were those of soft, but thankfully steady breaths and the equally soft click of knitting needles. Susan had been stitching a banner to replace one of the ones Peridan's twin sons had accidentally sheared in two when they knocked a battle-axe over (no one was quite sure how they managed such mischief this time), but then Edmund's valet had confided to her that he had worn holes in nearly all of his socks…again. Kat had stirred about two hours earlier but she had quickly settled down again. It was rather like her body was simply trying to catch up on restful sleep now that it no longer needed to fight to stay alive.

Drawing the hunter green yarn through the loop to join another stitch, Susan paused as Kat stirred again. This time her arm moved, drawing up to rub against a furrowed brow. Crushing the half-finished sock into a ball, Susan leaned forward, watching closely as Kat laid her hand across her eyes then sighed. She didn't say anything, not wanting to surprise her.

Instead, she slowly set her knitting in the basket by her feet then rose from her chair. She knew the older woman would be thirsty. She glanced over her shoulder as she poured some tea into a cup and barely held in a cry of joy as Kat pushed herself up and looked around. She didn't seem to notice Susan at first; instead, sliding out of bed to pad over to the window. Susan made a note to fetch Kat a robe to go over her shift before they summoned Oreius. She cleared her throat as she approached. "You must be parched. Here, the tea will help."

Kat took the tea and drank it with only a slight grimace (she had forgotten to add a little more sugar). "Thank you." She looked out the window again, seeming lost in thought.

Finally, Susan could wait no longer. "How are you feeling?"

Kat looked at her and gave a little shrug while offering a faint smile. "Tired. Though, I feel certain I've been lying about for days on end."

"Today is the tenth of Twirleaf so it's been just under a fortnight," Susan answered the unasked question. She braced herself for a question as to who she was, but Kat didn't say anything. She merely nodded and took another sip of her tea. Susan half-turned then paused. "I'll fetch Tuulea and a robe for you. There's more tea on the stand over there." She hurried out to get Tuulea.

At first, the Nymph was cautious but when they opened the door, Kat was adding sugar to the tea and muttering under her breath. She glanced at them and gave a half-wave before she took a drink, grimaced, and promptly added another spoonful of sugar. They stepped back out, pulling the door close, and Tuulea nodded. "Very well, we shall inform Oreius she is awake. Oh and-"

"I'll fetch a robe for her." Susan smiled and squeezed Tuulea's hand. "The cordial worked."

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Queen Lucy burst into the room. "She's awake! Kat's awake!"

Oreius tensed and looked at the Kings. "Your Majesties, I-"

He didn't even get the words out before the High King waved his hand, grinning broadly. "Go, Oreius. I'm sure she wants to see you as much as you wish to see her."

Offering a hurried bow, Oreius wheeled about and made his way to the healers' wing as quickly as he dared. His Alambiel was awake and she was herself. Thank Aslan. Entering the healers' wing, he noted Tuulea holding a hushed conversation with Alithia. The Black Elder Nymph did not stop him as he headed for Alambiel's sickroom.

Oreius opened the door, anxious to see Alambiel's improved state for himself. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hair tamed into a thick braid. She was wearing a robe and, though she had lost weight, she looked far closer to healthy than she had just yesterday. "Alambiel."

Alambiel turned at the call. Her blue eyes were questioning, but there was something odd… Oreius' breath caught as he registered the blankness, the lack of recognition in her eyes. Then, something changed. Eyes widening and filling with fear, Alambiel shrank back. She raised her arms as though to protect herself from a blow. She cried out in fear, no, in terror. "No! No! Stop!"

As Queen Susan and Leeta rushed to her side, Oreius instinctively stepped forward. Everything in him ached to comfort her, to reassure her that she was safe, but she scrambled backwards, tripping and falling until she cowered against the wall. Still screaming in terror…at him, she was afraid of him. Shaken, Oreius retreated. Tuulea touched his arm. "I am sorry, young one." Then she slipped into the room to help calm the situation. Oreius backed away from the door and the muffled sobs behind it. The vise that had been absent for a short day tightened itself with vengeance around his heart. His Alambiel did not know him…the cordial had not worked.

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A/N: Please Read and Review! If you want to refresh your memory on Veri, it is found in my story A Light in the Darkness: Rekindled. Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about everything.

A/N2: Just a little reminder to all you lovely readers - while I completely understand and relate to being caught up in the story when you review, I do ask that y'all remain mindful of the language you use in your reviews since there are kids who get on here and browse the reviews too. Thank you. :)

A/N3: Jesus' girl 4ever has made two outstanding trailers for the first two entries in my ALitD main story arc: Awakened and Shadowed.

Awakened trailer: www . godtube There is a period and a (c) then an (o) and (m) then a forward slash here watch/?v=0MBJBJNU

Shadowed trailer: www . godtube (same as above) watch/?v=W6L7DPNX

Just take out the spaces or you can use the complete links on my profile, which will be much easier due to FF's silliness. Do let me know what y'all think of them! :D And thank you, Jaygee! :D