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: There's danger in the north. Giants hunt for Narnia's Kings and General. Who will survive when hope is eclipsed?
A/N: If you have not read the first nine stories in the A Light in the Darkness main story arc (Awakened, Shadowed, Revealed, Concealed, Rekindled, Refracted, Reflected, Veiled, and Unveiled), 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 Twelve: Disclosure
Fea let out a nasty laugh as she leered at him. Peter wasn't sure what was more disturbing, the way her larger head's cross-eyed gaze stared at him or the cunning look in the smaller head's eyes. They could not have planned it. Surely she wasn't that clever. Surely, she hadn't arranged this as some sort of . . . some sort of game!
The Giantess laughed again and then poked him in the chest with two blunt fingers. The force of the blow was enough to force him to stumble back, though he managed to stay on his feet. "Clever prize."
Her larger head laughed. "Prize!"
The smaller head smirked. "But not clever enough. The dark prince is much better because he still leads my brother-uncle and others on hunt. You are taller but not smarter than the dark prize."
Peter clenched his fists. "A test? This was all some sort of test?"
Fea nodded and pride glinted in her eyes as she placed one hand on her chest. "My test. We needed to know which of you was better suited to be mine, which was smarter. The dark prince is smarter. Though you are smart too."
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The sun was only just beginning to lighten Ettinsmoor and its rays finally began to spill down into the canyons and ravines. The wind buffeted over boulders and swirled through the ravines from the south. There was hardly any wildlife in the area, perhaps because of the Giants' presence. None were around to notice the leaves riding the winds or that their color was wrong for fall, the bright green was far more suited to spring. Thalia searched the dismal terrain below with hope that defied logic. She could not believe that two warriors like her Peter and his brother would let themselves ignore opportunities for escape and Giants were slow-witted enough that there must have been opportunities. If she could find them, she could lead them to the others.
A harsh horn sounded in the distance, the same ones that had first led her in this direction. They were further east than before. She would have to change direction. Thalia began to exert her will but then she heard a familiar voice filled with righteous indignation, "We are not pieces for a game."
Peter! The cold that seeped through her, freezing her very roots, cracked and began melting beneath the warmth of the sun. Turning against the wind, she followed his voice west until she stopped on the edge of a canyon. Peter was standing half in shadow with his back to her but he was alive and he did not look as though he had suffered too much hurt. Thalia's leaves swirled as she started to resume her corporeal form and she nearly called out but then a deep female voice spoke, "You are prizes for the most important game in Harfang."
Thalia banished her shape formed of leaves and hovered lower to the ground, hiding behind an outcropping as Peter backed up. A two-headed Giantess followed. Dark lank hair crowned both heads and heavy necklaces of stone and rough-hewn jewels hung from her necks, but it was the smaller head who was speaking. "Harfang needs to be stronger. We need to conquer Ettins too. The other clans will fall to us when we do. They are not smart like us."
Peter was backing away slowly and Thalia wished she could do something to help him but the Giantess was staying too close. Her husband did not cower in fear, though. His voice did not waver as he retorted, "Then take your quarrel to the Ettins and leave Narnia be. Know, Lady, if your people continue to attack mine, Narnia will declare war and we will teach you to fear our borders."
The Giantess laughed. "Little King has spirit. Harfang needs spirit." She laughed again and then reached out to touch his head. "Your brother prince has even more spirit and he is smarter. And he is dark. Your hair is strange, light like the sun. I do not want children with hair like the sun. I want children who are strong and smart. Children who will rule Harfang and grow our kingdom further than even Morrigan has taken it."
Children? Thalia stared at the Giantess then her gaze fell on Peter. Children. The Giants wanted children from her Peter.
"Lady Fea, I have no intention of providing children to Harfang."
The Giantess, Fea, just grinned as she poked him in the chest again. "You will give my sister-aunt Nemain children until she tires of you. Nemain will be happier with a weak husband like you. I need a strong man. The dark prince is the stronger one of you. He will give me stronger, smarter children."
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Peter stared at Fea, stomach roiling as he imagined the fate this Giantess wanted for him and for Edmund. Thalia's face appeared in his mind's eye and he shifted on his feet, meeting the Giantess' gaze. Ice colored his voice when he finally found the words, "Your desire for children is of no matter to me. I have a wife and I do not give my word lightly. I will not break my marriage vows to her, not for anyone in the worlds, and certainly not for you. I am a man of my word and I swear by the Great Lion Himself that I will die before I allow myself or my brother to be so abused. Look elsewhere for your salvation, Lady, look elsewhere or you will not live to regret your choices this day."
The Giantess smirked then she let loose an ugly laugh. "My sister-aunt is of the royal line. We take who we want, what we want, and you are what we need. Nemain will not care about a woman you leave in Narnia so long as you give Nemain children." She scratched at her stomach and then added tauntingly, "If you please Nemain, maybe she will let you go visit this woman who was your wife."
There was the scrapping of stone against stone and Peter risked a glance over his shoulder. A small rock crashed to the ground. It must have been loose. He turned back to Fea and willed himself not to show his horror at the idea. If the Giants won and he was forced to give Nemain children . . . how could he ever face Thalia again? How could he ever face himself?
He should force her to kill him. Peter shifted his stance, wondering if he could startle or enrage her enough to make her kill him. If Edmund escaped . . .
"Fea! Fea!" One of the Harfangers jogged into the canyon, his craggy face splitting with a foolish grin. "Morfran catched the dark one!"
Fea's large head grinned. "Prize!"
But her smaller head looked concerned before she turned to face the larger Harfanger. "Where?"
He pointed back the way he'd come. "That way."
"Good. I will take the dark prince from my brother-uncle. Take this one to Nemain. She will want her prize back."
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The Giants were going to force Peter to give them children. Thalia recalled her corporeal form as she neared the camp and stumbled then sank to her knees, burying her face in her hands. She had thrown a rock into the canyon but the Giantess' focus never swayed from Peter. Oh Peter! She shuddered with silent sobs as she recalled again how strong he had stood when he defied the Giantess, how he had sworn to be ever faithful to their vows as if anyone could doubt him! But that horrible Giantess had only laughed. She had laughed and promised horror for Peter's future. How could her strong oak survive such a storm?
She had not thought that she could feel worse but now it was as if her Tree's roots had been entirely encased in ice while wild winds tore at her branches, stripping them of leaf, bud, and bark. Thalia wiped the tears from her cheeks and then rose. She had to wake the others if they were not already. She had to bring them to that ravine. They had to get there. They had to get to him. Peter and Edmund needed them now more than ever.
Looking up, she caught her breath when she spied the Princess Royal. The older Nymph crossed through a patch of sunlight and Thalia could see just a hint of anguish in her expression before it disappeared again. The General must have passed on to Aslan's Country. She could think of no other reason for the Princess Royal to leave camp.
Thalia wiped a few stray tears away and then took a fortifying breath. She should comfort the Princess Royal as best she could. Alambiel was her friend. Following on silent feet, she did not call out to the older Nymph not wanting to make her feel that she could not grieve at least a little before she needed to resume her responsibilities. The Princess Royal stopped abruptly and Thalia started to close the gap but then her attention was drawn to one of the side canyons. Muffled steps carried to her and she watched in silent astonishment as the General emerged from the shadows.
The Centaur stopped just shy of his wife but then the Princess Royal walked directly to him and threw her arms around him. Thalia blushed a little, feeling like an intruder, as the couple embraced. They did not speak a word but, even from where she stood, Thalia could see how tightly they held each other and she knew quite well how sometimes touch said everything so much more clearly than words. She wished she had not encroached on their private reunion. She took a step back then froze as a pebble slid beneath her foot, scraping across the rocky ground.
They immediately drew back, their hands reaching for weapons before they stopped when they saw her. Thalia could feel her cheeks growing warmer as Oreius and Alambiel approached her. The Princess Royal didn't give any indication that she was upset at the interruption though. Her searching gaze lingered on the tearstains Thalia knew must still decorate her face as she quietly asked, "How did he look?"
Thalia took a little gasping breath and then whispered, "Brave. He was brave but they intend-" A sob choked her as she recalled the horror waiting her husband and brother-in-law.
Alambiel glanced from her back to the General. "I'll go get Lucy. Bring her back to camp." She squeezed Thalia's shoulder and then sprinted ahead.
The General's hand was a heavy weight on her shoulder but the pressure made her look up. His dark gaze was solemn as he said, "Forgive me for not better protecting them, Your Highness."
She sniffled then scrubbed her cheek with the back of her hand. "I tried to distract her but she never looked away from him. I did not see King Edmund but Peter . . . Oh my poor, brave Peter. What they plan will destroy them both. I know it will."
The Centaur nodded. "That is why we will rescue them before anything worse can occur."
"Don't invite Murphy to come back, Kentauri. We've had enough of his help if you please." Alambiel raised an eyebrow as they looked at her. "And you were supposed to actually come back to camp, you know. Lucky for you, Lucy isn't much better at listening to instructions regarding where she's supposed to stay. And since we are all here, why don't you tell us what exactly the Giants plan to do with Peter and Edmund?"
Thalia looked around, meeting the searching gazes of her sister-in-law, the Big Cats, and the Wolves, before she nodded. It seemed to take hours to tell them everything she had seen and heard during Peter's conversation with the Giantess. The only comfort she drew from the memory was how strong Peter had been, sturdy as a well-rooted oak, even when the Giantess taunted him with such a horrible fate. Still ice chipped away at her courage as an ax chipped away at the roots. She looked down at her hands and finally ended her tale, "The Harfanger dragged Peter north to a gathering of nine Giants. I heard one of them say that there were five others still hunting aside from the Giantess Fea. One of them was limping badly."
"Fifteen Giants," Alambiel repeated softly. Thalia looked up as the older woman rubbed her forehead. "Well, this is going to be complicated."
The General stamped a hoof. "We will go north, swift and silent. My Lady," he looked directly at her as he continued, "if you agree, I believe you will be of the most help following the Kings as closely as you can. Report back after the Giants stop for evening and we will assess potential plans."
Thalia nodded as Lucy leapt to her feet. "I've already packed everything so we can set out now." The Valiant Queen's eyes shone with determination as she added, "And now that we know Peter and Edmund have delayed them, we can catch up before they reach Harfang."
A small ray of hope began to melt the ice numbing Thalia's heart as she smiled at her sister-in-law. However, she did notice that the Princess Royal said nothing further and was studying the ground with the same intensity she showed during meetings right before she decided to stab the table (to the annoyance of the Gentle and Lord Peridan especially). Still, she did not object to the plan.
The ray of hope gained strength as Thalia once more banished her corporeal form. They were going to save Peter and Edmund from that terrible fate.
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A/N: Please Read and Review! So things are getting more interesting. Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.