Chapter 1

The silvery clouds released their drizzle of rain onto the land. The water seeped through the ground and into the streams, which then traveled to the rivers, and those in their turn joined with the Great River on its way to the sea.

All Narnians, man and Talking Beast alike, stayed in their homes when it rained. Or at least, most did. The man riding along the Great River, his eyes fixed on the ground, did not seem to pay it any heed.

He was clad in a simple olive-hued tunic and brown trousers. Over the tunic he wore a dark brown short-sleeved coat with a rough weave. Covering all of this was a cloak somewhere between a dark green and black in color.

This man, named Ayron, had grown up living in the woods around the town of Beruna, and made a living doing odd jobs for the inhabitants of said town. Ayron was doing just such a job for them now. Some local horse-thieves had been confounding the sheriffs of the town with their habit of "disappearing" after a raid. Knowing that he had a knack for tracking, they had asked Ayron for his help, and he had agreed. That was how he came to be riding out in the rain, with no results for his work so far. He had followed the trail — sometimes obvious, sometimes unclear — for several days now and his quarry showed no signs of changing course.

"Well Raven," he broke the silence as he patted the black horse's neck, "at this rate if nothing changes we'll be taking a little trip up to the Western Wild."

The horse snorted in agreement as his rider leaned over in the saddle again to scan the ground. The rain had only partly wiped out the tracks, which stuck to the riverbank…until Ayron's keen eyes caught an abrupt shift in direction. The trail turned north-east, away from the river and toward the marshes. Ayron's eyes sparkled as a grin spread across his face.

"Half the fun of the chase is the searching," he remarked to himself. "The next best part is the finding. Let's go find those horse thieves!"

Raven willingly sprang forward into a quick canter, taking them away from the River.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Princess Lilliana reined her dark-chestnut mare to a halt and smiled. She had been out riding in the woods to school her mare over a couple of hastily thrown-together jumps made of fallen logs. "Well done Ruby," she rubbed her mare's neck. "That was almost like flying."

Now, as she trotted into the courtyard of Cair Paravel, she saw her brother, Kylian, waiting for her by the stables. "Happy birthday Lily!" He called, using his pet name for her. "I have something for you!"

She smiled at him. "Don't tell me it can't wait until our celebration tonight. I still must care for Ruby," she finished as she entered the stables. Lilliana walked down the aisle, and her brother followed her.

"You're right…it can't wait until tonight." Kylian admitted.

Lilliana shot him a triumphant grin as she put Ruby in the cross-ties and began undoing the girth strap.

Kylian pulled the saddle off the chestnut mare's back and put it in the tack room. When he came back his sister was already rubbing down the mare with a soft brush. He casually leaned on Ruby's withers as she brushed off the horse's croup and hind legs. "I know we're celebrating tonight…and that everyone in the whole kingdom will be wanting to dance with you, and talk to you, and —"

"Oh, stop it," Lilliana protested.

"But I'll hardly get any time with you for myself," Kylian continued. "So, I wanted to give you my gift early."

Curiosity piqued, Lilliana put down the brush and watched as her brother felt around in his pocket. With a flourish and a bow, Kylian held out his open hand to her. There in his palm lay what was possibly the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. It was made of gold shaped like a lion's head, with two small emeralds for eyes.

Lilliana gasped, at a loss for words. She ducked under Ruby's neck and wrapped her brother in a tight hug before taking the ring and putting it on her finger. The ring fit perfectly, and it shone dully in the dim stable.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I knew you would like it," her brother replied.

"Where did you find it? It's beautiful."

"I found it at the jeweler's while I was at Beruna. I knew it would be perfect for you. I asked the shopkeeper where he got it, but he couldn't remember."

Lilliana looked up at her brother and smiled. "I like it very much," she said. "I bet there's not another one like it in all of Narnia."

Ruby craned her long neck around and sniffed at the ring. Then she gently nibbled at it with her lips, making both siblings laugh. "Ruby approves as well, I think," Lilliana giggled as she unhooked the mare and led her back to her stall.

"Come now," Kylian said as his sister gave the chestnut mare her grain and closed the stall door, "it's time we went inside."

He offered her his arm. Lilliana accepted it and let her brother escort her back to the palace. From the stable door they could see warm light through the high glass windows as the castle servant put up decorations and prepared for the celebration.