Chapter 6

The name was completely unfamiliar to Merlin, and as he watched Arthur and Morgana, he could see that they had never heard of this place before either. Uther gave no indication if he knew the name or not. The little queen continued on as if no one was there.

"It is a small country, that much I will tell you, but she is mightier than most swords. We have many people of all kinds, and we are happy. My siblings and I have managed to keep Narnia in a time of peace since we began our rule." Lucy paused to take a drink as Uther took this chance to ask a question.

"Siblings?" The others had noticed this bit of information as well. Lucy nodded.

"I am the youngest of four siblings. I have two brothers and a sister." In the quiet silence that followed, the silent 'I miss them' was as loud as the warning bells in the citadel. Lucy shook herself back into focus as a sudden voice from her right occurred. Morgana's green eyes stared with a sparkle in them as she learned more about the little queen's family.

"The youngest of four? And you're still a ruler?" Lucy nodded slowly. It seems this family was a bit more observant than she expected.

"My siblings and I rule together peacefully. We each have our own things we work with when governing. I work directly with the people for instance. I hear their grievances, their hopes, their fears, and everything in between. My sister has her hand in dealing with parties and gaining intelligence from social situations. My eldest brother, the High King, is the one who rides out to the battle lines when neighboring kingdoms get restless and eager for a fight, and my final sibling is the politician. He's very good at keeping peace with other countries and writing up treaties. Our kingdom runs well and not one of us becomes overwhelmed when something happens." Lucy's heart ached as she thought about her siblings and her kingdom. "We live in a time of peace, my siblings and I."

The dining room was quiet as everyone thought about it. To Arthur and Morgana, this young queen had managed to become one of the best leaders they had ever heard of (even if they hadn't really heard of her until now.) To Merlin, she suddenly became less of a threat but had become very interesting in those few moments. To the servants who eavesdropped on the royals, she was an inspiration, and one many secretly thought that Uther himself should follow. To Uther himself, the young girl told him more than she knew. Now he knows more about her country than she had intended to give away and if needed he could use it as an advantage against this "Narnia" should they decide to try and overpower his kingdom and his rule.

Dinner resumed after a moment of contemplative silence and the conversation turned to mundane small talk, soon causing everyone not directly involved to lose interest. And so, the night went by, lasting long into the night even as the midnight bells tolled.


The forest was quiet around them. No birds hooted, no crickets chirped, and no howls from far away dogs sounded into the still air. It was cold tonight, much colder than it had been the last few nights. It felt wonderful on their skin as they trekked through the underbrush. They had been walking for a couple days and nights by now, but no matter how tired they were, the men felt a sense of sadistic satisfaction as they moved in closer to their targets. The group had been tracking them for a while now. The tension was palpable in the air, so thick that even the dogs were beginning to feel it.

It had been many nights since the ambush had occurred and now, they were out for blood. They wanted their precious person back even if it was the last thing they had to do. They moved in closer, farther and farther into the center of the woods, until they could see the flickers of firelight through the trees. Sharp grins crossed over mouths and the men got ready. In the very front a blonde in no armor but leather padding stood at the ready. His hand was on his sword, ready to draw at a moment's notice. For a minute all was silent as the men in the woods watched the people in the camp, as they laughed loudly with no cares.

Only a single movement signaled to the men, and the knights of Cair Paravel descended on the slave traders. The men near the fire never even saw it coming. In moments, the knights were victorious, and the men subdued. The blonde came forward into the light and as his face was lit, one of the traders started to laugh.

"Well look who decided to show up!" he said. "It seems one of our lost sheep has a wolf who has come to take her back!" the man laughed even more as anger began to cloud the blonde's face. King Peter, let a snarl cross his lips as he walked closer to the leader of the group. His hands shot out quickly and grabbed the man, twisting his fists into the man's shirt, and pulling the trader close to his face.

"Where is she?" Peter's voice was quiet, barely audible for most to hear, but the slave trader heard perfectly and started to laugh again. Peter shook him. "Where is she?!" He asked again but this time louder.

"Not here little wolf. Your lost sheep has found her way somewhere she will never be able to get out of. Such a shame too. She was a delicate little thing." Peter's face darkened before he dropped the man to the ground. Not here? Then where was she? They had had no information that the kidnapped were moved. Peter growled in frustration and turned to his nearest knight.

"Lock these men up and get ready to transport them to the cells," He ordered. Peter stalked off, fuming, back to his horse. He will find her. He will!


The day after the dinner was uneventful, so Lucy spent her entire morning in her rooms, finishing that book and enjoying the sunlight. Her bumps and bruises were healing nicely and her ankle had even stopped hurting. The swelling was beginning to go down, and Lucy couldn't wait until she could get up and move around. Lunch came and went, Katherine bringing it in on a try and clearing it away when the times called for it.

Lucy finished her book around the time when the sun began to set. She looked out the window and over the courtyard. It was beginning to quiet down now, or at least as much as it can. Shops were now closing up and the people were making their ways home. A flicker of movement over to the side of the courtyard brought her attention to a shadow. It was human shaped and even looked vaguely familiar with its lankiness. With a start, Lucy realized that she did recognize the shadow. It was Merlin, skulking around.

What in Aslan's name was he doing? He looked like a crook from the way he was walking around. As she watched him, a sudden thought occurred. Didn't a rumor she had heard in passing say that he was not only the Prince's manservant but also the apprentice for the Court Physician? Maybe that's what he was doing. His job. Lucy watched him a little bit longer until he had moved out of her sight. He was a strange one that's for sure. But Lucy couldn't help but remember the twinge in her chest from dinner, the few times she had caught a glimpse of Merlin. It felt like she was coming home and it made her slightly sad. A strange one indeed.


I'm sorry for the short chapter, but massive writer's block has kept me from writing for over a year. Hopefully I will be getting back in the groove once again with this chapter out.