Prompt: The Stone Table is an odd piece—words of justice carved into it, a How raised over it, vanishing from history—pick a point in time and tell a tale where the Stone Table makes an appearance.
Stars flickered above Caspian, like little candles beaming down on them from afar. Wind whispered through the tree next to the Great Tower, rustling the Professor's robe. Caspian pulled his cloak tighter around himself as he leaned back against the wall of the tower. "What will you tell me of tonight?"
"Tonight, my prince, I need to share about the greatest of any Narnian magic." Doctor Cornelius paused, staring off into the black horizon where the forest lay.
"What is it?" Caspian pressed when he didn't continue.
"The Stone Table." Doctor Cornelius turned back to him, folding his arms. "The place of ultimate sacrifice."
Caspian tilted his head. "Sacrifice? How do you mean?"
Doctor Cornelius held up a hand. "Hush, my prince. I'll tell you the story and its meaning in due time.
"Almost two thousand years ago, Narnia had its first traitor. A hag, unsurprisingly. Or so the stories say, anyway. The hag set herself against Narnia and its king— who was a descendant of the first King Frank and his wife Queen Helen. Some scholars say she went mad, others say she went mad for power, others say it was a hatred of humans themselves and she tried to set either herself or one aligned with her views on the throne. It's unclear exactly why, but that isn't important.
"The important part is that she was a traitor. In due time she was caught— though not before she caused a great deal of havoc— and the king called together his council to decide what to do with her. Some versions of the story say that then Aslan appeared to them, and explained what I'm about to tell you, rather than them just stumbling on the Stone Table. That seems more likely to me.
"He showed them the Stone Table, an odd structure with a great stab of stone flung on top of four other smaller slabs, which were stood upright. There was writing in the side, which Aslan explained to the king and the meaning of which has been passed down ever since then."
"What did it say?" Caspian cut in impatiently.
"I was about to tell you. You should know by now not to interrupt. It isn't befitting of a prince," The Doctor straightened his robe. "The Stone Table was the place to sacrifice traitors. Because they turned against Narnia itself, if they were not killed there, the land would be killed."
Caspian's eyes slowly widened as Cornelius continued.
"The hag was sacrificed according to Aslan's instructions, and ever since then, it was used as the place to kill traitors." The Doctor folded his hands.
"Do we still have to do that?"
"Goodness, no. That practice was eradicated long ago." Cornelius reached up to rub his glasses on his robe.
"How?" Caspian demanded.
The Doctor laughed. "How, indeed. By Aslan, as all things are done by. I'll tell you about that next time— it's a great deal longer of a story and requires more time than we have tonight."