A Prince And A Warrior.
Miranda looked over the ruins of the place she once called home. How much time had gone by for it to have become this?
"Too much time," she said aloud.
Miranda noticed as she walked around the ruins that there were signs of an attack. Small boulders that weren't from the castle stood around, as if catapults had launched them. Vines crawled up the walls, indicating that it was more than a hundred years; perhaps a few hundred after the attack. But who had attacked? And where were the Narnians now? Question after question piled up in her mind.
"Okay," she said to herself," the first thing to do would to be to get a weapon of some sort."
But before she could do anything else, she noticed a carving in the stone wall. A carving of her sword! Memories filling her, she walked to the wall, and stroked her hand on the sword that she had held for so many battles.
But wait a second! As Miranda brushed her hand on the wall, she could hear a small echo from the other side. Putting her ear to the wall, she knocked with her knuckles, and the echo came back louder. Miranda scanned the wall, and noticed that it wasn't a wall. It was more like a protruding door. Excited now, she went over to the side of the door, and pushed with all her might. Slowly at first, then steadily, the door opened, revealing a small room.
Miranda gasped. A statue made of marble stone looked back at her, and Miranda recognized the 29 year old version of herself, tall and strong. Right in front of the statue was a wooden trunk. Curious, Miranda opened the trunk, and found things that took her back in time. She pulled out her old bow and quiver of arrows, surprised that they should still be usable. Under that was her belt that held her knife and sword. The knife was still there, but the sheath for her sword was empty.
"Not for long," she thought.
Underneath the belt were clothes that she was more used to.
"Finally, I can get out of these stupid skirts."
Finding a secluded area, she put on a dark blue shirt underneath a black leather jerkin, and dark brown pants and black boots. Putting her old clothes back on made her feel like the warrior she was. As she put her clothes on, she noticed that her skin had grown darker, and her muscles stronger.
Putting her weapons on, and pulling her hair back from her face, she began walking towards the place where the Stone Table was with a determined expression on her face. It was high time that she got her sword.
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Cornelius watched the Lady Prunaprismia carefully. Her belly was big and round from the baby she carried, and he noticed that she looked more alert than usual. It would happen soon, and he needed to be prepared for it.
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Miranda walked on and on. Nothing looked familiar. And now she was getting worried. Never had she been lost in Narnia, but now, she didn't know where she was.
"Aslan," she whispered, "I know that you see me. I understand that you know how desperate I am. Please show me the way. Help me out of this puzzle of confusion, and lead me down the narrow road."
As soon as she whispered those words, a peace came upon her, and she turned to the left. She walked for some time before coming into a clearing. It was very small clearing, about half of a mile long. Trees surrounded the clearing in a small circle, and straight in front of her was a huge mound of earth.
"It's not a mountain," she thought, "More like a small fortress."
She decided to get a better look, but as she came closer, she saw something familiar in front of the fortress. The pillars were broken, and vines had crawled upon it, but Miranda recognized the resting place of the Stone Table.
Excitement in her steps, she raced toward the ruins. But as she reached them, she noticed that the Stone Table was gone.
"Where is it?" she said aloud. The Stone Table was gone!
"I wonder where it could be," she whispered. But then, her gaze rested upon something else familiar.
She saw the red ruby. She saw the silver and gold hilt. She could still see the blade forced into the ground, still held by the thick vine. Coming up close, she put her hands around the hilt. Slowly, the vine slipped away from the sword, and she raised it high.
"Aslan!" she shouted, "Blessed be thy name." Her call echoed through the clearing.
A few hours later
The sun began to sink behind the mountains as Miranda walked further on. But the further she walked, the more uneasy she became. Something wasn't right. She had that sense of dread, like she did when;
"It happens tonight," she said aloud. Whatever it was in her dreams would happen that night! Something within her, something strong, told her that she needed to do something. But Miranda didn't know where to go or what to do; she didn't even really know what was going on. Not knowing anything else to do, she went down on her knees.
"Aslan, only you know what will happen tonight. You have given me the sight to see what will occur tonight. But I can't do this alone. I don't know where to go or what's going on. Help me Aslan."
The sun sank behind the mountains, and as Miranda stepped up, she could hear an eagle's cry. Smiling, she waited.
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Cornelius read through his charts. Yes, it would happen this night. Two stars would come so close together that it would look as if they were touching.
With a smile on his face, he looked at the time. It was almost midnight. Yes, it would be soon.
He got up from his table and began to walk towards the bookcase. Just as he reached for an astronomy book, he heard a crash of breaking glass, and turned around to see an arrow stuck on his desk, a white piece of cloth on it.
Quickly, he yanked the arrow out and looked at the white cloth. Was that blood stained on it? Upon a closer look, he saw that it was berry juice, and relaxed a moment. But he nearly panicked when he read a single word stained on it; Tonight.
As fast as he could, he put on a black cloak and left his room and into the hall. Torches lit the bare walls of the hallway, and he could hear screams and shouts from Lord Miraz's rooms. Prunaprismia was having her child!
Swifter now, he raced down the hallways, but stopped when he heard voices.
"Lord Miraz, you have a son," the doctor heard the voice of General Glozelle.
Cornelius heard Miraz sigh in relief, but then he heard the terrible words;
"You have your orders General."
"Yes my Lord," Glozelle said, but Cornelius could hear hesitance in his voice.
He waited until he saw the General pass his hallway, and immediately rushed to a room at the end of the hall.
The room was dark, with elaborate furniture and silk curtains. A perched hawk raised its head as the doctor came up to a bed. He pulled a curtain back, and looked upon a young man fast asleep. Dark, wavy brown hair fell over the angled face of this 17 year old person.
Not wanting to wake him up with any noise, Cornelius put his hand on his mouth. The young man woke up quickly, dark brown eyes speaking alarm. But just as quickly, he relaxed, and pulled the hand away from his mouth.
"Five more minutes," he murmured sleepily.
"There will be no star-gazing for you tonight my prince. Your uncle has had a son."
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Prince Caspian was suddenly wide awake, and watched as his tutor opened his wardrobe. The professor climbed in and pushed on the back of the wardrobe, revealing a secret passageway.
"I wonder how long that has been there," Caspian thought.
"We must hurry," the professor said.
Suddenly, the door to Caspian's room shook. Caspian scrambled in after his tutor, but left the wardrobe door slightly open, peeking in with one eye.
The door burst open, and Caspian saw General Glozelle step in with his men. Crossbows in their hands, they aimed at the bed and shot. Caspian watched as they hit the place where he had been sleeping just moments before. Horrified, he hurried after his tutor.
"Quickly," the professor whispered anxiously. Caspian followed as swiftly as the steep steps allowed him. They ended up in the stables.
"How convenient," Caspian thought ironically.
But, knowing that time was short, he immediately went to get things that he needed. He took a sword from the armory, and his tutor gaze him a leather blue jerkin and black boots. Caspian saddled his horse, and his professor put a cloak over his back.
Caspian mounted his horse, and looked down at his professor.
"You must make for the woods."
"The woods?"
"They will not follow you there," the professor said. He then pulled a small bundle out from a pocket and handed it to Caspian.
"It took me many years to find this," the professor whispered as Caspian took it, placing it on the inside of his belt.
"Do not use it," he said anxiously, "Until your need is greatest."
Caspian nodded, then said rather shakily;
"Will I ever see you again?"
"I hope so my prince. There was so much more I meant to tell you," his tutor said. "Everything you know is about to change."
Suddenly, there were shouts heard from outside. Caspian could feel his horse, Destrier, pulling to go.
"Now go!"
And Caspian rode out of the castle, rode out to the gate, and onto the bridge before hearing;
"A son! Lord Miraz has had a son!"
He saw fireworks light in the sky, and quickly urged his horse on, knowing that men out to kill him were right behind him.
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"Thank you good griffin," Miranda said to the great winged creature as he sailed down to the grassy floor.
"The pleasure was mine to help a follower of Aslan," the griffin replied. "I will see you again when it is time."
"Then may Aslan be with you," Miranda exclaimed as she scrambled off the griffin.
"And you," he replied before sailing into the sky.
Miranda looked up to the sky.
"Thank you Aslan," she whispered. But just as the words were uttered, she heard a sound that she hadn't heard in over a year. Queen Susan's horn!
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Cornelius studied the arrow that had warned him. As he took a closer look, he discovered that the arrow was not of Telmarine make. On closer observation, he saw strange markings on the feathers.
Taking out a history book of Narnia, he began to look for the origin of the arrow.