The Chronicles of Narnia: The King and The Servant

~ Chapter 18: Unexpected ~

Everything around me suddenly goes quiet, or so it feels like it anyway. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I feel my entire body starting to shake with grief as my eyes start to well up with tears. Bella died? She can't have. There must be a mistake!

"What? Mal, what happened?" I whisper so softly that I'm not even sure if she hears it. Tears are flowing freely down my cheeks now, landing on my lap with small splashes.

"I'm so sorry, Ashley! I'll explain what happened later, but right now I think it would be best for you to lie down," I scarcely hear Malina suggest while Peter leads me inside. I barely register the time when we reach our room. I lay down on our bed before he lies down next to me and softly starts stroking the hair away from my face.

"I knew I should've left as soon as I had that gut feeling! I'm such an idiot! My little sister just got tortured and killed while I sat down on my bottom and did nothing! It's my entire fault for leaving and not protecting her! Why am I such a big idiot?!" I exclaim without taking a breath before breaking back down into continuous sobs and tears. My husband seems a little taken aback by my sudden outburst before he starts re-assuring me and promising to hunt down the culprit and kill them as soon as possible. The tears don't stop, but I suddenly feel a lot better as I think about the offender getting their head chopped off. I hear the door open then before Malina's sitting on the edge of the bed, her goat legs dangling off the high mattress.

"Would you like me to tell you what happened?" she asks gently and timidly, as if those few words can be the cause of her death. I sit up slowly against the headboard and nod for her to continue once Peter has me encircled in his arms. She takes a deep breath in before starting.

"It was a few days after you two had left; Bella and Lucy were playing with Bella's dolls in her bedroom. Lucy had left Bella alone for a few minutes to get a snack for the two of them, but, when she got back, she couldn't find Bella anywhere. She asked the guards outside the room, but they told her that no one had gone in or come out besides her. We all tore the castle apart looking for her, but found nothing; no evidence to tell us where she was, no note, no body, nothing. The guards went into the forest and went to see if Starstone had kidnapped her and taken her to the dungeon again, but no one was there. A few weeks passed with no signs of her anywhere – until a few days ago. They found her body lying on the rivers bed. She was gone. I'm so sorry, Ashley! I wish we could've found her in time," she explains sadly, her voice hoarse from crying. I nod weakly as I wipe the tears away from my cheeks before leaning my head on Peter's shoulder and burrowing my head into the crook of his neck. I have no reply for her. My mind is blank. Peter's arms wrap automatically around my waist, holding me close to him, as I feel my eyes water some more.

'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

The next week passes by in a depressing blur. I spend every day curled up in a warm ball under the cotton covers of our bed, only ever getting up when I needed to use the bathroom or eat. Peter has court meetings to attend to, so I've been alone most of the time, wrapped up in a bubble of my own grief. My friends occasionally come and say hello and try to cheer me up with funny jokes, but they never stay with me for long in fear of getting caught and fired for not working. Susan, Lucy, and Edmund all keep their respected distances. Peter had told them when they came to visit me the day we got home to leave me alone so that I can get over Bella's death in peace. The following Wednesday we have a funeral. To say it's one of the worst days of my life would be an understatement. I can't stop crying the entire day. Peter ends out having to read my speech for me because I'm so choked up. That night I fall asleep quickly.

The morning after the funeral I'm awoken by the feeling of my head spinning around in dizzying circles. I sit up quickly and suddenly feel a giant headache come out of nowhere. My head feels as if it's about to burst at any second. The faint sound of a dripping tap isn't helping anything either. I lay my head back down onto the pillow in hope that it might go away. It does at once. I vaguely hear the door open as I lay there, trying to figure out why I have a steaming headache all of a sudden.