𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 ✯ 𝑝𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑒 ✓

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

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𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑫𝑶𝑾𝑺 𝑶𝑭
𝑮𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑻
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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐍❜𝐒 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 the wall as it swung open, caused the blonde to fly up straight in her bed. Her hand already reached for the usual dagger under her pillow while her previously calmly beating heart sped up painfully fast, but then she remembered she was in Cair Paravel and not in the Tisroc's palace.

She didn't sleep with a dagger here, and her hand touched nothing but air and the fabric of her bed. She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, focussing her gaze on the door opening in which the familiar silhouette of Lucy stood.

The seventeen-year-old Queen stood with her hand raised, at the same height of the door knob and her expression was frozen in a flinch. 'Oops, sorry,' she said with a small chuckle. 'The door slipped out of my hand.'

Rosaleen flopped backwards in her bed, the faint throbbing of her ribs flaring up as she did so, but she still stretched out her arms towards the ceiling with a suppressed yawn. 'A good morning to you too, Lu.'

'Barely, it's almost noon, sleepy head,' Lucy answered as she made her way farther into Rosaleen's chambers and she closed the door before moving to the curtains and swinging them open.

Behind them lay the balcony overlooking a small courtyard and a part of the citadel's flower garden, and the warm summer's breeze blew inside, carrying along the scent of the blooming flora and the salt of the ocean.

Lucy turned back to face Rosaleen and she let out another chuckle when the blonde buried herself deeper in her pillows, pulling the thin blankets over her face as the white-coloured room seemed to light up in rays of sunshine.

'Come on, Rose,' Lucy said, almost skipping towards the bed, but instead of pulling away the sheets ─ like Rosaleen had expected ─ the Queen flopped down on her stomach on the mattress.

'We've barely talked since your return, I've missed you,' she continued, resting her chin on the back of her folded hands, and Rosaleen lowered the blankets again, a silent apology glittering in her ocean coloured eyes.

'I know, I'm sorry. I missed you too.'

'Not that I don't understand,' Lucy said, wiggling her eyebrows, 'you've been busy with Seren.'

Rosaleen's cheeks heated up, matching perfectly with the red colour of her silk nightgown, and she lightly smacked the younger girl's shoulder. 'Lucy!'

'What?' Lucy giggled. 'Your balcony doors were open and the wind carried far. Almost two nights long, and don't get me started on the late mornings. Wait. . . These are clean blankets, right?' she added with a fake disgust.

'Lucy!' Rosaleen exclaimed again, almost dying in embarrassment although she couldn't help but to burst out in fits of laughter as well. Their laughs echoed throughout the chamber, their stomachs and cheeks hurting from it in a good way and it took a few minutes for the two to compose themselves.

Rosaleen pushed herself in a sitting position and let out a happy sigh as she ran a hand through her blonde hair that fell over her shoulders and back in tousled curls from the night.

'I'm happy for you, Rose,' Lucy said, rolling onto her side and sitting up straight as well. 'Now, get dressed. We're going on a picnic.'

Rosaleen gave her a curious look. 'We are?'

'Yes.' Lucy jumped up from the bed, her auburn locks shimmering like fire in the light of the sun and her faint yellow dress, almost cream coloured, danced around her by the movements. 'Estrella prepared one and she said she found a secret meadow not far away from the castle. I already knew about it but she was so ecstatic.'

Rosaleen almost wanted to drop back in bed by those words but Lucy sensed the reluctance and quickly added, 'No, I meant just the two of us. She's not coming, I promise, although you should get to know her someday. She's really nice.'

'Maybe someday,' Rosaleen grumbled before shrugging it off and getting out of bed. 'Alright, a picnic sounds fun, I have so much to tell you.'

'Do you think you can meet me at the courtyard in twenty minutes?'

'I'm not that slow, of course I can.'

Lucy stuck out her tongue and skipped towards the door, her dress fluttering behind her. 'I'll get the horses ready then.'

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐋𝐌 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 the meadow like an evergreen wall, the dense branches reaching far and wide as they even hung close by the earth. A small and shallow pond was located in the middle of the grass field, and the slightly moving water glittered as if diamonds hid just below the surface. The sunlight fell in small spots on the soil since the light broke in patterns due the vibrant canopy and the two horses munched peacefully on the grass while Rosaleen and Lucy sat near the pond.

The bread, fruit and cheese were already long eaten but the water in the glass bottles could still quench their thirst caused by the continuously shining sun that only slowly lowered towards the horizon again.

'The Tisroc's Palace sounds beautiful,' Lucy said as a response to Rosaleen's eight months long adventure in Calormen. 'But also scary, it doesn't sound like a female friendly-place at all.'

'It's very different compared to Narnia or Archenland,' Rosaleen agreed. 'I had to watch my every step, but it did take my mind off things. I'm very happy to be back home though.'

'And you're staying now, right? No more─.' Lucy searched for a better word than the one laying on the tip of her tongue until she concluded with, 'unexpexted departures?'

Rosaleen gave her a faint smile before dropping her gaze to the skirt of her blue dress, and she readjusted the soft fabric around her legs that she had folded sideways under her. 'You can say it, Lu. I fled the castle; I ran away. I couldn't bear being near Peter after he ended our relationship and Calormen was as far as I could get. I grabbed that opportunity of becoming an emissary with both hands. I was a bit childish.'

Lucy took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, her blue eyes resembling the peaceful sky above them and the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves above them filled their ears.

'But you're staying now, right?' Lucy asked again when Rosaleen stayed silent, but the blonde shrugged.

'I don't know. Maybe I'll go travelling with Seren through the lands, but at least it won't be fleeing,' she added in a joking manner.

Lucy's expression however, dropped and she stood up from the blue blanket decorated with golden and silver threads, setting course towards the edge of the pond. She stared at the tender moving water, her own reflection a bit deformed because of it. 'But you just got home. Cair Paravel isn't the same without you.'

Rosaleen quickly stood up from the blanket as well and Lucy looked sideways up to her when she joined her side near the pond. 'It's still a maybe, I don't know what the future will bring, so for now, I'll stay here. No unexpected departures,' Rosaleen said and Lucy smiled, flinging her arms around Rosaleen to embrace her tightly.

Both of them broke their hug though, when a hard yet distant thud sounded next to them. The heavy vibrations ran through the soil underneath them as well and they whirled around to face the east border of the secluded meadow.

Rosaleen's black stallion, Riptide, whinnied in panic and Lucy's scream split the air apart too when she saw her own horse had collapsed onto the grass field. Several arrows stuck out the chestnut mare's flank and neck, and the blood flowed out of the deadly wounds, colouring the previously vibrant green grass leaves a horrid crimson red.

Another quadruplet of arrows whizzed through the air, shooting right between the narrow openings between the low-hanging branches and they buried themselves in the black horse. Riptide let out another heartbreaking neigh that merged together with Rosaleen's cry before the stallion collapsed onto the meadow's soil too, and the blood pooled around the horses' bodies.

The tears trickled over Rosaleen's cheeks until the realisation dawned over her that the arrows could fly in her and Lucy's direction any second and she grabbed the younger girl's wrist. Rosaleen pulled her with her towards the other edge of the meadow in a zigzagging sprint, running opposite from their murdered horses, and her tears quickly dried on her cheeks by lingering danger.

Before the both of them could sneak between the tree trunks though, a pair of dark clad figures appeared in the openings of the meadow. A dark green fabric covered most of their faces as the opening only revealed their eyes, and the two girls skidded to a halt; Rosaleen's chest only inches away from a spear's point.

Lucy however, was less fortunate and one of the long-ranged weapons planted itself in her shoulder and the young Queen's pained gasp rang through the air. Her fingers trembled as she slowly reached for the wound but she let out an agonising scream when the figure withdrew their spear before she could touch it.

Lucy's legs gave in and she dropped on her knees on the grass field. The blood flowed between her fingers as she pressed her hand on the wound and the pain soared in lightning flashes through her body, causing her perivision to flicker chaotically as well.

Rosaleen had frozen for a moment by the almost-collision with the piercing spear, but Lucy's scream brought her back to her senses and Rosaleen twirled sideways. She grabbed the rod of the spear with one of her hands and used her momentum to jolt it out of the stranger's hands. When she no longer felt a resistance, she spun the spear around in her hands, redirecting it towards the menacing silhouette of Lucy's attacker and bringing it swiftly forward like she had seen Seren do many times before.

Rosaleen's spear glided against those of the stranger and she forced it out of their hands by continuously pushing both of their weapons in a circle with a strongly building rhythm that she controlled.

The attacker let go of their spear but at that same time, the other stranger doomed up next to Rosaleen, throwing themselves harshly against her side that let her stumble on her feet. The pain of her still bruised ribs flared up in an instance and she was unable to keep her balance, crashing onto the ground and the spear flew out of her hands.

'Rose,' Lucy whispered between an aching sob and the blonde tried pushing herself up but her body hurt so much and she collapsed back onto the soil with shaking limbs. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw three more strangers appearing on the meadow; their bows drawn with arrows ready to fly.

Lucy took a deep breath, fighting away the tears and forcing back the sobs while the pain still shot in pangs through her shoulder. 'Who are you? What do you want?'

The attackers didn't respond and one of them crouched in front of her, the spear pointing towards the canopy of the elm trees but in their other hand they held a cloth and its sharp smell already let her eyes prick from this distance.

'You can't do this,' Lucy said with as much courage in her voice as she could muster, but then the cloth was pressed over her mouth and nose. Her eyes rolled back into their sockets and the Valiant Queen fell backwards, landing unconscious upon the grass blanket of the meadow.

Rosaleen set her jaw and began pushing herself up once more, ready to give her last to try protecting Lucy in an irrational move ─ as it was five against one ─, but then she was hauled up by her arms. She stood face to face with one of the strangers, however, those eyes looked strangely familiar to her until a cloth was pressed over her mouth and nose from behind her and everything went pitch black. . .

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𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑❜𝐒 𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 of the throne room as he walked back and forth over the length of the marble floor. The four thrones bathed in an orange light due to the rays of the setting sun falling through the glass roof while Peter's golden crown shimmered faintly in the dying light.

'They should have been back by now,' Peter said, and the worry in his voice seemed to be amplified as it carried far through the silent air.

Edmund and Susan stood on the platform near their thrones and although Susan had folded her hands together in front of her, Edmund's hand rested against the stone headrest of his throne. He tapped his fingers restlessly against it and the nervous sound added to Peter's pacing.

'Maybe they just lost track of time,' Susan said, though she couldn't shake the dread that rested heavily upon her shoulders.

The Kings and Queen turned their attention to the oaken doors when they swung open inwards, revealing Alexander and Estrella.

The Telmarine Princess made a graceful curtsy in front of the royals but Alexander simply walked farther with a respectful nod until he had reached Peter.

'You called?' he asked while Estrella joined Peter's side, a curious look on her face as she looked up at him.

'Lucy and Rose haven't returned yet,' Peter said and he glanced at Estrella but those deep brown eyes clashed with the ocean coloured eyes he expected to see every time.

He took a small step away from her, rubbing his temples with his thumb and middle finger of the same hand, his palm resting on the bridge of his nose.

He let out an annoyed sigh before looking at Alexander again. 'I told Lucy to be back before nightfall.'

Estrella looked at the darkening sky above them where the streaks of clouds slowly turned into a darker hue of purple as the orange of the sun faded away.

'Do you think something happened?' she asked him, but Edmund answered in his place.

'It's unlike Lucy,' he said as he descended the stairs of the platform and Susan followed as well, the end of her red dress flowing over the steps like feathers.

'Lucy is never late,' Peter added. 'You know where they went, right, Estrella? Lucy said something about this meadow in Glasswater Forest you thought you had discovered first?'

The Princess nodded slowly, but uncertainty seeped through her voice as she nervously straightened the sleeves of her silver laced dress. 'I do, but with the darkness setting in. . . Everything would be horribly disorientating. I don't know if I know the way now.'

Alexander stepped in while the High King bristled with held-in fury. 'Maybe I can help. My and my sister's swords sense each other's presence.' However, as his hand enclosed around one of the hilts pointing above his shoulder, a frown appeared on his face.

'Something's definitely wrong,' he said. 'I cannot feel anything.'

Peter moved in one big step until he stood in front of Estrella, his posture towering above hers and his blue eyes glinted dangerously. 'You will try to find the place, now.'

The High King's demand echoed throughout the room and Estrella shrunk under his burning eyes and she nodded once more, although it was a faint and scared one.

'Yes, Your Majesty.'

Peter stepped away from her again and he strode out of the throne room, closely followed by the others, and on the main courtyard five horses already waited for them.

The stable boys helped the Queen and Princess to mount their steeds and when everyone sat safely on their horse, Peter set the pace by urging his horse into a thundering gallop; the hooves clattered on the stones of the courtyard, then on those of the bridge, and it didn't take long until the castle upon the cliff shrunk in size in the distance.

Glasswater Forest lay at the southside of Cair Paravel and when the elm, oak and chestnut trees of the forest doomed up all around them, Estrella asked for the group to slow down a bit.

The night had long set in during their travel towards it and the darkness between the trees whirled around them like mass-like shadows. The moon and stars could barely penetrate through the dark clouds above them, even though it had been a clear summer's day a few hours ago.

It took Estrella several tries, and the time slipped between the company's fingers like water, but eventually the Princess found the secluded meadow with the massive and ancient elm trees.

'It's here,' she said in confidence but her voice caught in her throat when she saw the two bodies of the dead horses at the edge of it.

Peter, Edmund and Alexander quickly jumped out of their saddles, their movements not restricted by a dress unlike the two young ladies, and they ran onto the field that clearly showed signs of a struggle.

The blanket lay in a messy heap on the grass but something else than the expected basket and water bottles shimmered atop of it as well.

An awful knot formed itself in Peter's stomach as he slowly set course towards it, his gaze never leaving it.

On the blue blanket decorated with golden and silver threads lay a silk green ribbon, with at one of its ends a brooch that displayed the crest of Anvard's royal family. . .

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