Beauty was a subjective thing. In the same way that Juliet was the light of Romeo's life, she never would have been attractive to Benvolio. It was the same as Mark Antony and Julius Caesar both adoring Cleopatra, but by causing political conflicts, they could never be together. It was that intense love which could never have been that fuelled beauty.
Aramis never saw the world in the same way as other people, because he was simply different. His viewpoint was far from clear, but it did offer something new. Beauty to him was not an external force, but something deep inside, content enough to stay hidden.
It was the beauty he found in Edmund, who was often so quiet, and solemn. It was the beauty he found at nighttime when he looked to his family left in the sky. It was the beauty he hoped that others found in him.
Oddly enough, it was also the beauty he found in Ramandu's Island. It was a desolate place, overrun with weeds and cracks within its structure. There were ruins everywhere as each thing that they looked at was broken. It was an interesting place, with character more than any person that Aramis had ever met.
However, because it was so desolate, they had to be even more careful. There was very little light, which was why Edmund lead the search. He had the torch from his visit three years ago. His steps were not shaky, but there was some trepidation. Even with a sword in his hand, he could never feel safe in a place like this, especially at night. Aramis didn't carry the weapon he was supposed to; he still couldn't bring himself to.
They stepped across a bridge with gargoyle heads for decorations, their eyes seemingly moving to follow them. It felt like the only path they could take was to the edge of this bridge, and towards the room at the end. Another stone structure, boring and grey from the outside. It held none of the whimsy that the rest of the Island did, until they went inside.
Everything in there was made of stone too, from the table to the ceiling. That was, everything except the food. It was an eery sight. It was impossible to tell how long it had been there for, and if it had been touched since. Aramis wouldn't dare go near it. Not when it was impossible to know what would happen.
Tavros hummed to himself, seeing the sheer amount of food. "Mmh, food."
Drinian raised a hand. "Wait."
"Huh?"
It was wrong to see so much that they could eat, despite it being a welcome surprise. This wasn't the sort of thing that happened without consequence; they all knew that.
Edmund stepped forwards to the edge of the table, his sister, lover, and friend following close after. His torch brushed over the sight in front of them, and that was where they saw it. The men, all of them trapped in the roots of trees. They were dead, and frozen.
He flinched, jolting backwards finally. Swiftly, they drew their swords in defence, though it would do nothing. There weren't any ghosts circling they could murder. Just those who were already gone, trapped in their bodies. However, when they moved forwards, they noticed something a little more than unusual.
They weren't dead.
Shallow breaths were leaving their lips. So little air that their bodies hardly moved. It was almost like they weren't living at all. A state of purgatory, stopping them from choosing one side. Life and death didn't have a chance.
"Lord Revillian." Caspian announced as he pointed to the ring on one of the men's finger with the tip of his blade. "Lord Mavramorn... Lord Argoz."
Lucy brushed back one of the men's hair, taking a look at their eyes. "Do not." Aramis warned swiftly, hardly thinking as he spoke.
The King just spoke, curiously. "He's breathing."
"So are they." Edmund shone his torch on the other men, focused upon their bodies. "They're under a spell."
Caspian blurted. "It's the food!" Tavros dropped the half loaf of bread in his hands.
"Hey, it's the stone knife." The elder Pevensie marvelled. "This is Aslan's table."
"Their swords."
Tentatively, Caspian and Edmund reached over the Lords, and beneath their hands to take away their weapons. With the ones that they had found already, they placed around the stone sword on the table. As a set, they were magnificent. Their beauty was one that everyone could see.
"That's six." Edmund sighed.
Caspian shook his head. "Still missing one."
Soon, the room began to glow with a faint blue glow. It was the star, from not so far above them. The light was bright, and covered them completely, offering them a new perspective on the room.
Lucy pointed upwards. "Look!"
The light fixated upon a point not far from the corner of the room where it could be seen by them all. It began to manifest, swiftly, and formed into a person. The shape of a woman, no physically older than Aramis. She was beautiful, and the spirit knew her well. A small smile covered his face.
"Travellers of Narnia, welcome." They kneeled to her, though they did not know why. Aramis bowed his head as the royals did not. They did not have to. "Arise. Are you not hungry?"
"Who are you?" Edmund asked, defensively, seeing the look of content on Aramis' face. He would not admit to being jealous, but if anything made him feel so, this would be it.
Softly, she replied, with a smile. "I'm Liliandil, daughter of Ramandu. I am your guide."
Caspian looked at with awe. "You're a star?"
"A spirit." Aramis nodded, contently. He had been nervous, but now he was anything but. "My sister."
The King responded swiftly, not taking any notice of his guide in his usual friend. "You are most beautiful."
As spirits often did when they were flustered, Liliandil deflected. "If it is a distraction for you, I-I can change form."
"No."
"Might I repeat myself." Aramis stated, firmly, his hand taking a hold of Edmund's to stop himself from worrying, so. "Liliandil, my sister."
"Please, the food is for you." She lit the candles with little worry, or time. "There is enough for all who are welcome at Aslan's table. Always. H-help yourselves."
Some of the men stepped forwards to take some of the food, which they couldn't have been blamed for due to the shortage, but Edmund stopped them. "Wait! What happened to them?"
"These poor men were half mad by the time they reached our shores. They were threatening violence upon each other. Violence is forbidden at the table of Aslan, so they were sent to sleep."
"Will they ever wake?" Lucy asked, softly.
"When all is put right." Liliandil nodded, gesturing for them to come closer to her. "Come, there is little time."
For once, Aramis was the first to step forwards. If it came to it, he would have followed her into battle, because he trusted her so much. It had seemed like a long time since he had seen his family, any of them was a bonus. She was a relief, and a way for him to recuperate before things became harsh again.
"It is good to see you, sister." Aramis told her, softly. "It has been far too long."
"And you, brother." She replied, swiftly as they almost reached their destination. "We have long awaited your return."
"It has been long anticipated, I suppose." The spirit agreed. "Though my duty spans a longer premise than we first expected."
"It shall not be long." Liliandil agreed. "You can join us again soon. Aslan has made sure of it."
The place which they were designated for was at the edge of a cliff. For the extreme adrenaline junkies and suicidal humans, this would be the perfect place to visit. However, there was a small stone fence acting as a battlement to stop them from falling accidentally.
"The magician, Coriakin, told you of Dark Island?" She queried.
Entranced by her physical beauty, Caspian responded, his voice in a daze. "Yes."
There was a sense of devastation in her tone. She knew far more than they did, as this was a part of her duty, just as Edmund was a part of Aramis'. "Before long, the evil will be unstoppable."
"Coriakin said to break its spell, we lay the seven swords at Aslan's table."
"He speaks the truth." She confirmed.
"But... we only found six." Edmund paused, mulling over the facts. "Do you know where the seventh is?"
The blue star only pointed to the Dark Island, without much of an explanation. "In there. You will need great courage. Now, waste no time."
"I hope we meet again." Caspian said, swiftly.
She only smiled. "Goodbye."
When she ascended back into the night sky, there were two things that they were left with. The first was that their key to ridding the world of the mist and waking the lords lay in one of the most formidable places in Narnia. The second, was the guilt that festered in Aramis' stomach.
It was the guilt of knowing that he would soon have to return home because his duty was almost complete. But it was going to be alright. He promised himself that everything was going to be alright. If it wasn't, then there would be nothing else.
There would only be guilt.
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Disclaimer!!!!
I do not own these characters. I do not own the Narnia series. I do not own the actors, or the characters. The only thing I own is my adaptation of the story, and my original character.