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 Fourteen: Finding Weakness

The stench of unwashed Giants wafted over Edmund with every breath. Peter was getting pretty ripe too and probably he was too considering personal hygiene was a concept beyond the Ettins and Harfangers, based on this lot at least. They had stopped early today as Morfran bellowed and got into a shoving match with Culhwch. The two Giants' hatred for each other seemed the only distraction from the fate planned for him and his brother. But even their grudge against each other did not last long, thanks to Fea.

A dark scowl crossed Edmund's pale face as he glared at where the Giantess now reclined only feet away with one hand coiling the ribbon she had tied around his neck as she shoved chunks of unappealing dried meat into her mouths. The smaller head noticed his glare and smirked. Allowing her larger head to continue to gorge on the meat, she raised her hand and yanked on the ribbon. The ribbon tightened to the point he gagged and almost flailed for breath but his own stubborn refusal to give her the pleasure of seeing such distress made him cling to his dignity as much as he was still able even if he was forced to get up and approach the foul Giantess. He stopped as soon as the ribbon's strangling hold slackened. Fea smirked and he crossed his eyes at her.

She only laughed. "Such a clever prize. You will give us the smartest of all children born to the Giants in an age."

Her larger head let out a stupid giggle and spoke around the half-masticated meat clinging to her crooked teeth, "Smart prize."

Edmund's scowl darkened and his hand went to his hip, searching for Shafhelm. He muttered a curse that would have drawn Susan's particular ire. Gathering himself, he turned his attention back to the Giantess. "As clever as I am, I will find a way to not marry you. I don't care to get married to any girl, be she comely or homely, at this particular time in my life. Allowing my brother to be married for the last five years has of course caused difficulties in maintain my status as a bachelor king because if one king is taken, the other will do too. Then there's the problem of those girls who actually thought Peter would give them even a thimbleful of his love as though the epitome of honor and chivalry would so much as consider taking even a thimbleful of love away from his wife. Then the envious eyes turn to me." He crossed his arms and jutted his chin out as he continued darkly, "Those envious eyes have yet to succeed. The latest pairs won't either."

Fea tugged on the ribbon, forcing him closer, and then she leaned toward him, her fetid breath making him choke even more than the ribbon around his neck. "No, pet, you will give me strong, smart children. I will be queen after Morrigan and I make you mine."

The queen-in-waiting for the Harfangers? This was actually going to get worse. Edmund pressed his lips together in a thin line, resisting the impulse to hurl curses at the evil before him. "So you will give the Giants a human king?"

Her lip curled into a sneer. "No Giant of strength will follow a human king but they will follow a Queen who brings new life to the royal blood. Morrigan has seen this is the way and I will bring it. Through you."

"Prize," her larger head laughed as she dropped the remaining chunks of meat and wrapped her grimy hand around the back of Edmund's head and neck. She tugged him closer. "Prize."

Bile surged in his throat and he fought the frantic impulse to wrench free. Thirteen years of training forced him to be calm. If he attempted to wrench away now, Fea would likely snap his neck by accident and then Peter would be left alone to these foul, wretched creatures. Fea leaned closer, her smaller head puckering its lips.

"Eh! Wuld ya look? She likes 'em small!" A shadow fell across them as one of the larger Ettins stumbled closer, a look of idiotic glee fixed firmly in place as he took a swig out of his wineskin. He let out a guffaw and then stumbled even closer. "Fea, purty Fea." He grinned then uttered a crass invitation to the Giantess that would have gotten him skewered had he dared speak in such a manner to Edmund's sisters.

Fea tilted both heads back and laughed as though hearing the cleverest joke in all the worlds. Edmund could only shake his head. Was this what the Northern Giants truly thought of each other? They were no more than playthings and possessions to each other. Fea was clever, it was true, and she would make a formidable and concerning opponent should she gain the throne with a puppet husband (not him if it pleased the Lion!) but she had no true value in her own eyes. How could she? How could any of the Giants when they lived in ignorance and fear of Aslan?

The meditative turn of his thoughts were quickly silenced, however, as the Ettin suddenly dropped his wineskin and then yanked his grimy tunic off, exposing his hairy torso. His gut bulged out and nothing about him even hinted at a life aimed at battle. Edmund stared at him with a critical eye, cutting past his initial unappealing appearance to assess his stance. Even teetering from the hearty amounts of liquor he had been indulging in since they had stopped, the Ettin was weak. He faltered when he should compensate and his body had never had true muscle. This was not the body of a warrior now living in comfort where muscle was sheathed in fat as with King Lune nor could it be said to have gone fully to seed for the weakness in his stance, his faltering, fumbling attempts to impress Fea simply by holding his arms above his head and his beery guffaws, betrayed that this one had never trained at being a warrior. At best he was a hanger-on, a leech who thought so much of himself that it made up for others' low opinions. It would not take much to cause him to give in to either fear or fatal foolishness.

Edmund felt the ribbon go completely slack and he looked around to see Fea's attention was firmly held by the Ettin before her. Her larger head, in particular, was under the Ettin's spell if one could call it that as she licked her lips and sniggered. She raised one hand as though to beckon the Ettin closer. If she did, Edmund planned to run. He had no intention of staying in the vicinity if this encounter went the way it was beginning to look.

The Ettin's wide face split into an ugly grin and he called another crass suggestion to the Giantess, making her laugh. But, as he came closer, another rose behind him. The Ettin screeched and his massive hands went up to cradle the back of his head. He lumbered around to face his attacker and shrank back. Morfran glared at him, a club clasped in one six-fingered hand, as he growled, "Harfanger women don't lay with miserable Ettins!" His black look darkened further as he stared at Edmund then he slammed the club into the Ettin's exposed gut. The other Giant yelped and called to his fellows for aid, pleading for mercy, to no avail as the dark Harfanger continued to beat him all the while glaring at Edmund. No one, not the Harfangers and not the Ettins, moved as Morfran pummeled the Ettin who had attempted to proposition Fea. Yet, Edmund could not help admitting that it was not very likely that it was the slur to his relative's honor that caused Morfran's furious attack. It was simply the idea of Harfanger mixing with Ettin. Or, he mused as Morfran gave him another poisonous glare before delivering a bone-cracking blow to the Ettin's shoulder, perhaps he was also opposed to Fea's plan to make Edmund give her children.

At last, Morfran's violent tantrum ended. The bloodied club was allowed to drop to his side as the whimpering Ettin dragged his broken body away from the Harfanger. Fea had gotten to her feet, both heads wearing a mutinous expression, as she stared at the male Harfanger. "Harfanger men lay with Ettin women. Or does Morfran forget that both he and our brother Bork keep Ettin girls to amuse them?"

Morfran ceased dragging his fingers through his beard, allowing the assorted bones tied into it to clack together. His already black expression somehow darkened further and he backhanded Fea's smaller head, driving her back a step, then he reversed his swing and backhanded her larger head, causing her to trip. Edmund remained where he was, knowing that drawing Morfran's attention now would be fatal to him and Peter both. He watched as Morfran yanked the Giantess back to her feet, taking advantage of the extra three feet he towered over her, and hissed, "Ettin girls bear no children. Morrigan ensured it. Had you not schemed with her, sister-niece, you would not have this weakling. You should have me!"

Edmund grimaced at the revelation but then set his mind to determining how to use this information to their advantage. Perhaps . . . He glanced over the camp where the Ettins now gathered around their beaten comrade then looked once more at where Morfran and Fea continued their quarrel. Perhaps there was a way to deepen the divide until it formed the chasm ripe for escape.

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The small camp was dark. No fire had been lit or even suggested after they had been greeted with the intelligence that the Giants had stopped early as a result of a quarrel. Oreius had pushed them all to continue on until finally the dumb horses had given out and Alambiel had refused to move on for risk that they push the beasts to their deaths. The same sense of helplessness flowed over him as he eyed the lathered horses and was forced to agree that they had no choice but to stop. He greatly feared they would need to bear the colts out of Ettinsmoor on litters and they would need horses to do so . . . especially if he was unable to accompany them.

"You do realize that starvation and sleep-deprivation aren't going to help give your current suicide plan better odds, don't you?"

Oreius turned away from the barren north to find Alambiel standing next to him, rations in hand. He would have refused but then he looked at her more closely. The dark shadows beneath her eyes looked as though someone had struck her when compared to her pallid complexion. There was an air of weariness about her now that he had not seen in a little over two years. His mind went back to the memory of seeing her heavy with child as she waited with him. He knew that had been a hallucination caused by his injured condition but the underlying circumstances might yet be true. Taking the rations from her, he murmured, "I do not intend to die."

Alambiel said nothing but the skepticism in her blue eyes spoke volumes. He glanced over her head to observe the camp once more. Princess Thalia and Queen Lucy had lain down, the Wolves snuggled against them, and the Tigers were keeping watch while Ptah scouted the swiftest route to where the Princess Consort had reported the Giants' latest encampment. There was yet hope that if the Giants continued quarrelling they would not make much progress and they could make up for their own delays. Oreius sighed then took his wife's hand in his and led her away from the camp.

She slipped her hand free of his light grasp as soon as they stopped in a shallow, crescent-shaped divot carved into the canyon wall. "What is it you want?"

"To talk."

"That's what we've been doing for the past day and a half."

"No, that was arguing. Now I wish to talk to you and I wish for you to listen." Oreius hesitated then carefully lowered himself to the cold stone ground, pulling Alambiel down with him. Gathering her into his arms, he held her close and rested his cheek on the top of her head, feeling the softness of her hair even as strands caught in his ungroomed beard. "I love you."

"And yet you want to make me a widow."

"Listen." He waited until she had subsided then continued, "I do not tell you this enough but I do love you and I would not bring you any grief if I could prevent it. However, this time I cannot promise you that we will return to Cair Paravel together and resume our lives. I cannot promise you that I will be there for you and I am sorry for it. I am a soldier. We are both soldiers and we both swore to serve Narnia, to serve the Four, and to serve Aslan knowing that one day it might cost one or both of us our very lives. Though I still pray and hope that this is not that day, I am prepared for it. I know you do not agree with me. I know you are hurt by my decisions." She stiffened in his arms but he didn't let her go, if anything he held her more securely, reaching up with one hand to stroke her cheek. "After so many years of knowing you and four years of being your husband, I know when you are hurt, my milis cantalach. I am sorry but I cannot change my decisions. For the sake of Narnia, for the sake of the colts, my decisions must stand. If things should go ill, Alambiel-"

"What are you doing? I'm glad I found you. Did you know you wandered off?"

Oreius' eyes slid close while Alambiel remained stiff in his arms, unyielding, and having Remus Greyback interrupt certainly did nothing to aid him in his attempt to mend matters. He opened his eyes again and turned his head to glare at the Wolf pup. "What do you here, Greyback?"

The Wolf grinned at him, tail wagging and pink tongue lolling, as he happily replied, "You said no one was to wander away. I came to find you because you and the Princess Royal wandered away." His yellow eyes widened suddenly as he asked, "Did you wander away because you're mating?"

"Remus, questions about mating, mates, and puppies are not polite and you have been warned on this a number of times," Oreius ground out.

The Wolf's eyes widened further and he ducked his head a little then wagged his tail tentatively. "I'm sorry. It was on accident. The Princess Royal looks like she wants to bite you, General. Are you going to bite the General, Princess Alambiel?"

Alambiel stiffened even further and muttered under her breath, "I just might."

"Oh." Remus ducked his head again at the glare Oreius gave him then he brightened. "Are you going to have puppies now? Females always bite more when they're getting ready to have puppies and they bite their mates the most because they get very grumpy."

"Perhaps. Now, I thank you for your diligence, Greyback, but you should return to camp. You must ensure that the Princess Consort and Valiant Queen are well-protected and do not wander off."

The Wolf yipped in excitement and then raced off. Oreius could only hope that the foolish pup would not wake the entire camp now. He looked down to find Alambiel glaring at him. She pushed at his chest, attempting to free herself but he did not allow it. "Let me go."

"Give me a reason to do so."

"Because I'm currently furious enough that I just might bite you with a knife."

"Why?"

Alambiel glared more and smacked him on the chest. "You told Remus 'perhaps' in regards to puppies. Remus does not understand 'perhaps.' He thinks that 'perhaps' is the same as 'yes' and that means that I will be dealing with Lucy and Thalia thinking that we know that I am with child. Much as I would like to distract them from morbid and despairing thoughts, talking about babies is not how I want to handle it."

"I will deal with it. Unless, you can tell me that I should have said 'no.'" He watched her anger wilt and then she pressed close to him. He felt the drops of moisture wetting his chest and he wrapped his arms more securely around her as he rocked her. He wanted to press her for an answer, for the comfort that the knowledge his wife was with child would bring him in the coming battle (for there would be a battle), but foals had been a delicate topic since they had lost their first. Indeed, it had been left unspoken since that terrible time and he would not hurt her further by asking for news she might not be able to give. That was the promise he had made himself and he would not break it. He also was not certain that her sudden tears were not caused by the strain of these last days had placed upon her.

The moon's faint light had emerged from behind the clouds and washed over them by the time Alambiel's tears eased. She didn't say a word as Oreius shifted so they were both lying down, although he still held her close. He brushed gold and white tendrils back from her face and then allowed himself to trace his fingers over her features, her brows, her nose, her lips, reminding himself of how it felt to touch her face. The memory would be one he clung to in the coming days.

She caught his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. "Don't think I haven't figured it out, Kentauri."

He said nothing and she eased up on her elbow so they now faced one another. Then she leaned in close, her heart in her eyes and her breath tickling his mouth, as she whispered, "I know you are planning to use yourself as a distraction and force the Giants to focus on you instead of the rest of us. And even though you keep telling me that you don't plan to die, I know how that strategy usually works and why you don't usually allow it to be even suggested, much less used."

Oreius still said nothing. Instead, he cupped Alambiel's cheek then slid his fingers back to bury them in her hair. "Then you know I do it because there is no other way. I am pledged to protect the Four. The colts must be saved and, as you have said, losing three of the Four would devastate Narnia. When we catch up with the Giants, you must focus on your task of keeping the Valiant safe. When the way has been made, take the colts and the fillies south. Do not stop for me. Do not wait for me. There is a chance that we will all escape. It is very slim but it has not been severed yet and if we do, I will make my way separately from you. You must not lose focus on the most important task. You must bring our sovereigns back to Narnia. Promise me you will do this."

She shook her head slightly. "Don't ask this of me, Oreius. It's bad enough when you steal my nonsense plans from me but don't ask me to be detached. Not to that extent. I can't."

He did not ask again. Instead, he closed the scant distance between them and captured her mouth in a kiss he hoped she would remember and cherish. Her taste was familiar and sweet. Lion willing, he would not leave her long. But if he did, he would find a way to protect her and the foal.

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Remus' wriggling woke her. She looked at the Wolf quizzically and he grinned then licked her chin. "Princess Thalia, did you know Princess Alambiel and the General are going to have a puppy? The General said so."

She reached out to touch his muzzle and whispered, "Shh, go to sleep, Remus. I think Queen Lucy is cold."

The Wolf let out a muffled yip of alarm and turned away to hop over his brother and Lucy then snuggled close to the Valiant's side. She did not have to wait long before the Wolf's snores filled the air along with his brother's. Stealing away from the clutch of bodies, Thalia debated going to the General and the Princess Royal. But, if the General had indeed informed Remus of an impending seedling, then he had no doubt only been recently told himself. And Thalia had no desire to intrude on the couple, not when they had already experienced such trials regarding their hope for seedlings.

Thalia stared up at the moon and then closed her eyes. Releasing her corporeal form, she once more rose into the cold winds' embrace and rode them north, to Peter, to her poor strong oak. How much longer could he weather this storm with it tearing apart his branches?

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A/N: Please Read and Review! Well, that took unexpected turns. Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.