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 Twenty-Six: Mending

13 Stormfall 1008

Alambiel murmured quietly to the horse. Pepin nudged her hand then her arm and then he snuffled at her stomach and sides. She giggled as she twisted away. "What are you looking for?"

"Apples."

She jumped and Pepin snorted. Spinning around, she met the impassive gaze of the General. She hadn't seen him since giving him the sketch of Mordad four days past, Alithia had volunteered the information that he had been off on a short patrol. "Pardon?"

General Oreius extended one hand, a bright red apple resting in his large palm. "You give Pepin slices of apples, especially when it has been some time since you last joined him for a ride."

Pepin whickered and something in the Centaur's dark eyes changed. His face didn't seem quite so stern and there was something…gentle in his eyes as he approached slowly. Alambiel caught her breath when the horse butted her shoulder with his nose. She had been staring again. She really needed to stop doing that, especially when he was looking right at her.

She ducked her head slightly as she took the apple (being careful not to brush her fingertips against his). She dropped her free hand to her side but nothing was hanging from her belt. The General cleared his throat as he handed her a small single-edged knife. Alambiel couldn't keep the shy smile from creeping across her lips as she cut off a slice and then fed it to Pepin. "I cannot decide whether I should be worried about how often I am reaching for a knife."

"It is a habit."

"So you are saying I should not be worried?" She dropped her gaze, noting the mud covering his legs and matting his tail. He must have just returned from his patrol. "Did it help?"

She could feel his gaze on her as Pepin lipped another apple slice from her palm. His voice rumbled in the confines of the stables as he moved a little closer. "Did what help, My Lady?"

"The drawing…of Mordad, did that help?"

General Oreius reached out and laid one broad hand on Pepin's neck. The gelding flicked an ear back but then he huffed and returned to nuzzling her palm until she gave him the next apple slice. "It did help. You needn't fear, My Lady; Cair Paravel's defenses have been shored up and Mordad will find it impossible to breach them."

"You shouldn't tempt Murphy," Alambiel countered. She paused, trying to chase down the memory of why tempting Murphy was bad. The now familiar pain flared in her head and she released her tenuous grasp of the memories.

A large hand wrapped around her shoulder, warm even through her cloak and dress. She looked up, meeting concerned dark eyes. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. The General frowned and his hand continued to clasp her shoulder. "You are certain?"

"I'm fine, truly. I just… I was lost in thought." She forced a tiny smile. Scrambling for a change of subject, she blurted out the first question that came to mind, "Are you engaged?"

General Oreius abruptly straightened and his hand fell away from her shoulder. Alambiel forced herself not to regret the loss of such a simple contact. Whatever gentleness she had glimpsed in his eyes before had vanished. Now, he studied her and she almost squirmed. She had messed up; she obviously should have known the answer without even asking it.

Tearing her eyes away from him, Alambiel focused on Pepin. He at least didn't think she was insane, currently being more concerned with lipping her sleeve until she gave him another slice of apple. The General finally broke the silence. "I- No, I am not betrothed." He cleared his throat then bowed slightly. "Forgive me, My Lady, but I must see to other business."

Alambiel watched him go. He had hesitated and his answer somehow felt incomplete. Had he hesitated because… No. No, she would not let the fact that his kindness drew her to him trick her into imagining something…something impossible. "You are my heart, do not forget." Her memory of that voice from so many dreams did not sound like the General's. If she had already promised her heart to the owner of that voice- Pepin whinnied then nudged her shoulder. She fed him the last apple slice then found a cleaning cloth for the knife and tucked it into a loop dangling from her belt before finding a brush and currycomb for Pepin. She would return it to General Oreius later, after she had time to cease contemplating a ridiculous fancy.

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Mordad glared at the sorcerer. "Why care you where the other three went?"

The demon of a sorcerer's eyes flashed red from beneath his black hood. "Because I told you that you would need more subtle tools at your command than your half-brother and his friends. I did not tell you to allow them to leave after you killed Ammon in a fit of rage."

"I killed Ammon for his incompetence. The other three are contemplating the true meaning of pain." He snatched a torch free of its sconce then marched into the lower tunnels. Screams and moans of agony echoed up like a macabre chorus as Ammon's fellow mercenaries died from the slow poison of Mergu Tedraja. "I should have rid myself of my half-brother sooner but the harlot made me swear I would not harm him until he did something unforgivable."

"You killed your half-brother for the sake of the woman who murdered your mother? How interesting."

Mordad sneered over his shoulder. "Jezreel had no idea I was her nephew. She thought that beggar perished in the streets. I killed Ammon for being so incompetent that he couldn't even lure Ishara Reborn out of hiding and then allowed Jezreel to enact a suicide mission that led to Cair Paravel becoming impenetrable since we do not have the location of the tunnel."

The sorcerer's cold laugh filled his ears. "Do not be so sure. Even a badger may be provoked into rushing out of his burrow to confront a threat, real or imagined."

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Peter tilted his head then nudged Edmund. His brother's scowl greeted him as he turned. Peter nodded and placed a finger against his lips. Following his gaze, his brother's jaw dropped in a most satisfying manner. One of Edmund's Wolves was creeping up behind Bast, taking advantage of the rain and Babur's preoccupation with pointing something out to the other Wolf, most likely Romulus since Babur seemed to tolerate him better than his twin.

There was no way this could end well. Peter winced as the Wolf lunged forward to nip the end of the Bast's tail only to immediately have to dodge to the side as the Tigress whirled with a roar. The Wolf just missed being swatted by her. Edmund groaned, "Remus, you little bugger."

Peter chuckled in spite of himself. "He so desperately wants Bast to like him, doesn't he?"

"No, he just thinks it's inconceivable that a Tiger wouldn't find it as much fun and as difficult to chase him as he does when chasing a cat."

"Does he even know what inconceivable means?"

"No." Edmund glared at him from beneath his sopping hood. "This is all your fault."

A yelp cut through the storm. Romulus darted off shouting for his brother. Edmund sighed. Clearing his throat, Peter did his best not to grin. "Umm, don't you think you should fetch your Wolves now, brother mine?"

"I hate you," Edmund declared as ominously as he could with rain soaking his cloak and hood to give him a rather bedraggled and mud-splattered street urchin appearance. Then he stalked off, muttering to himself about poxes on Tigers and Wolves.

Peter chuckled as Babur rejoined him. "Not going to assist Bast?"

The Tiger bared his fangs in a grin. "Bast does not want assistance. If I were to go, I would be obliged to help those pups."

"And you don't want to be on the receiving end of your sister's wrath unless necessary."

"Indeed, Sire." The Tiger paused, testing the air as they approached the stables. "The Princess Royal is inside."

Peter nodded. "Right. Stay in the doorway, Babur. I need to speak to Kat alone." He passed Ptah, who was washing his face, as he led his horse further in. "Kat?" He thought he heard something. "Kat?"

He grabbed rags, brushes, and some carrots to give to Frost. The black mare nudged his shoulder (he probably shouldn't have allowed Lucy to name her, but his youngest sister had pleaded and he had caved) then whickered. Pepin stuck his head over the stall door and whinnied in reply. "Kat, I have been wanting to speak to you about…things."

At first, he thought she wasn't going answer (not that he didn't deserve it considering how beastly he had treated her). Then Kat's voice carried out of the dark depths of Pepin's stall. "That was rather vague, Your Majesty."

She almost sounded like herself. If only she would cease calling everyone by their titles, then she would sound exactly like herself. "Yes, it was. I wanted to apologize to you for-"

"Being a good brother? A good husband? A good King? Why would you trust a liability to the safety of your family?"

Peter blinked. "But, you are part of my family too. Caution does not dictate cutting out a piece of our hearts just because something might happen. I know better. I knew better but I allowed fear to override it. I humbly ask your forgiveness for not treating you as you needed and deserved."

"Pretty words. Very well, I accept and do forgive you. Although, I did understand your motivations." She exited the stall and arched an eyebrow at him. "Now what's this about you having puppies?"

He hoped Bast swatted Remus Greyback. The low, raspy laughs of the Big Cats filled the air. That's it, he was going to get Bast to swat her twin and Ptah. "That was all Remus' imagination."

Kat giggled. "Like your abnormally short tongue?"

"Remus isn't allowed to talk to anyone anymore."

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A/N: Please Read and Review! Hehehehe, Remus, Remus, Remus. If you want to enjoy the antics of my (slightly older but still lovable goofs)Wolves alongside a grand and nail-biting adventure for Peter and Edmund, do check out WillowDryad's story, Wind's Harvest! Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.