before

There are many things that can change one's fate at the last minute. Alena is one of those individuals with a strange destiny. Those who can read the pages of destiny fluently believe that there is a missing part in the young woman's book - as if the author had torn out some passages or had preferred to write two volumes instead of one. Nonetheless, within this realm of uncertainty, in this tiny space between two pages, there is an infinite number of possibilities that could have occured... But ultimately, this is what happened.


No one truly knows when Alena was born, whether it was at the beginning of spring or the end of winter, at daybreak or at midnight. At one moment she was not there, and the next she was and remained so. The fuzziness surrounding her birth bestowed upon her a peculiar aura, one that would make Aslan smile with kindness years later. The infant she was sank into a silence so thick and heavy that she was first thought to be stillborn then simply mute. No explanation, even afterwards, could lift the veil on the mysterious causes of her silence. Truth is that, Alena's life did not manifest through speech. Yet, she did have a voice, and she would use it like anyone else when the time would come. She would use it to sing lullabies, whisper secrets, cry out her pain, or celebrate the birth of her first child with a king of Narnia.

The people of the village who witnessed her birth harbored a superstitious and almost mystical fear towards her. However, her demeanor did not present any revealing stigmas of supernatural or divine ancestry: her curious looks, awkward movements, and common mistakes were just the characteristic traits of a normal childhood. Nonetheless, it seemed impossible to restrain the gazes that instinctively fell upon her whenever an incident - even an insignificant one - occurred for whatever reason. Although still young, Alena quickly understood that the scrutinizing and often inquisitorial looks directed towards her expected a response she could not provide. How could she have known why the rain would not stop pouring ? Or why the dog was barking at some figure invisible for the human eye ? To her, who did not have the frame of reference of her elders, these anomalies and their unpleasant consequences were simply the classic pattern of an occasionally unjust reality.

Alena seemed to grow up quickly only to stagnate at a certain point. Her childhood appeared to have passed in the blink of an eye, while she struggled resolutely to reach the stage of womanhood. But if a curious mind were to ask a villager about their memories of Alena as a child, many would be surprised to realize that they had few or none, as if there had never been anything to remember. Alena herself would later admit to having few memories of the transition from childhood to adulthood; the vague images that still wander her mind have little to do with the village or forest themselves, and truly begin with those of the Congregation. But a few Narnians still remember this half-woman, half-girl who stayed with them for several months, calling upon the help of flames because someone had tried to hurt her. She compensated for the absence of red with a brighter shade of orange.

For the problem stemmed from a flower that refused to bloom. Several moons passed without Alena's flowering occurring. Echoing this atrophied femininity and delayed fertility, the earth became dry and arid. Seeds no longer germinated, and plants that had managed to grow came to a halt, while rain avoided this cursed region of the earth. Time had decided to stop its flow for an undetermined duration.

Again, strange rumors began to circulate about the firstborn of Aloisa and Tristan. But louder this time : people wanted some decision to be made, some action to be taken. The heads of households wanted the girl to be sent away to the Narnians of the forest, among the centaurs, dwarves, and griffins. These peoples were considered the wisest among the Narnians, and their wisdom, supplemented by their knowledge, would undoubtedly be able to identify the cause of Alena's affliction and bring the crops back to life.

The village approved.

A message was sent to the colony among the forest to arrange a meeting. After consultation with representatives from the Narnian village, the griffons and centaurs agreed to take charge of the young girl and temporarily welcome her into their community, several kilometers away. Alena had no say in the sudden isolation she was being subjected to. Little was explained to her, neither where exactly she would go, nor for how long, nor the reason why she was being ostracized.

" Why you didn't say anything ?" she dared to ask her mother that evening, in a small voice. "Why didn't you oppose their decision to make me leave ? Do you also think I am responsible for what is happening ?"

" People are sipmly afraid, Alena", Aloisa replied with a weary sigh. "It was wiser to side with them than to oppose them, your father and me. You don't have to worry, nothing will happen to you in that Narnian village. You will only be away for awhile before you could come back to us, freed from any trouble."

"You didn't answer my question: do you also believe that I am responsible for what is happening ? Do you think there is something wrong with me ?"

"What difference does it make ?" Aloisa responded, missing the point of her daughter. "If there is indeed something wrong with you, the Narnians will find it and everything will be better afterwards. They know things that we don't. Do not fret, child : I'm sure you would be cured if you need to", she said in a reassuring tone.

But in truth, deep down in her mother's heart, whose pain she concealed behind smiles, Aloisa didn't know if things would truly get better. In fact, she was as scared as her daughter even though she was better at hinding it. What if nothing changed in Alena after her departure ? What would they do then? The secret Aloisa kept hidden within her, nestled in her belly, away from the prying eyes of everyone - even her beloved husband - still had to be protected. Because what if she was the source of Alena's affliction ?

"You'll come back home as soon as all of this is over", Aloisa concluded firmly as she handed Alena a small bag with a few belongings.

Alena took the bag and left without saying another word. Outside the house, she felt like the world had suddenly awakened. Has the wind always blown this hard ? Have the noises always been so deafening ? she wondered as she was escorted to the village gates by her parents. At the entrance, an imposing centaur was already waiting for her. He was as tall as a horse but seemed to have a much broader human-like torso. His face was friendly and his smile comforting. He held out his hand to the young woman.

"I do assume you're the one we should welcome", he greeted. "I am Ordophean."

"I am, sir. I'm Alena", she said, hesitantly. "I... I guess I should thank you for taking care of me."

"The elders have explained me all about you, young girl", he followed. "We're gonna help you and you're gonna help us. It's a fair deal, right ?"

She nodded then proceded to walk away without a glance back. She was too angry or too sad for the farewells. Intimidated, she didn't even lift her eyes once during the journey from her village to that of her hosts. Ordophean explained to her that the place where she would be living was actually a waystation, mainly serving travelers on the road. There, she would have the opportunity to hear a multitude of Narnian stories and mingle with representatives of various species. Each would bring her a bit of their knowledge if she accepted it. Alena remained frozen in the silence inherited from childhood that had never fully left her, pondering the deep fear that paralyzed her from within.

It was the first time she had seen Narnians up close, and she feared attracting their anger in the same way she had attracted her village's fear.

For what would she do next if they too were to chase her away?