✲⋅*♚ ,∴°

𝕭𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐈: 𝖂𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝖂𝐀𝐑

𝕮𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝕺𝐧𝐞: don't lose hope

THE SNOW CRACKED BENEATH HER FEET as she walked across the field. Ashara missed the green blades of grass. Snow was beautiful but after a hundred years it was hard to even remember what flowers looked like, or how sweet the smell of spring was. But it wasn't just that. Snow was now a reminder that the White Witch's hold on Narnia was as strong as ever. The once so beautiful white flakes were now a sign of evil and suppression. Ashara used to hate that the Witch had managed to turn so many beautiful things dark and twisted with her magic. But, after all these years she learned to not let these things trouble her anymore and simply bide her time. If she didn't, if she surrendered to those feelings of hatred and despair, she feared she might drown.

Wait for the right time, wait for the prophecy to come true, wait for a sign of salvation. Even though it had been a hundred years and not one such sign had shown itself...Over the years Ashara had tried many more times to question the Deep Magic but it had never answered her again. Eventually she had learned to accept the fact that she would have to wait and hope that one day the words of the prophecy would come true.

The end of the white field was marked by hundreds of stones, standing up straight in the snow. A fresh white layer had formed on the carvings and with a small sigh Ashara knelt down to wipe it away.

"Hello dad," she whispered, letting her hand rest on the stone. Her eyes flickered to the stone right next to it and she touched it briefly. "Hey mom. It's me again."

She couldn't explain to herself why she kept coming back to the Field of Graves, as many Narnians called it. Every hero that had died when the Witch had invaded was buried here. Though they had not been able to find all the bodies. Some soldiers had been turned to stone and taken to the castle, like trophies. It made Ashara feel sick. Their families had never been able to bury them, all because of Jadis' pride. To this day she had never stopped feeling guilty about leaving the battlefield, even if her father more or less forced her to do so.

"Everything has been quiet these past few days," she said, her hand moving from the tombstone to rest on the hilt of her sword, as it always did when talking to her parents. The sword made it feel like they were still here, close to her, watching over her. "I've been traveling a lot lately, trying to visit as many Narnians as possible. They all tell me the same thing..." She stopped herself, taking a deep breath and then smiled bitterly. "Don't lose hope, they say."

Gray clouds formed in the sky, announcing yet another snow storm. She'd have to go and find shelter somewhere. Oreius and his family were closest. She sighed deeply and turned back to look at her father's grave. "I'm really trying not to but it's getting harder every day." Her grip on the sword hilt tightened. "I still remember that day, like it was only yesterday. And I wonder why you choose to help me escape instead of mom. You always like your secrets."

She sighed deeply, pushing her hair out of her face. It was getting heavy from the falling snow. Her face was red from the cold but she ignored it. She had to say this, or else she might never find the courage to say it again. "I still remember that time Aslan came to visit Narnia." A small smile appeared on her face. "The two of you talked so much that mom and I joked it must've been because you both like to talk in riddles. But now I can't help but wonder if maybe Aslan said something to you. Something that made you choose mei.You taught me everything there is to know about being a Golden Watcher. You made sure I strived for the very best version of myself I could possibly be. And then there are those words Helios said all those years ago. That I was the youngest Watcher he'd ever seen that could speak with the Deep Magic."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "There has to be a reason," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. She needed there to be a reason. A reason she had been chosen to survive. A reason for all the pain she had been forced to live through these past hundred years.

The snow was now falling with thick flakes out of the sky. Her cloak was getting heavier with each passing second and the cold was crawling its way into her bones. Ashara pushed herself to her feet and looked at her parents' graves one last time. "I miss you both," she whispered. Even after all this time the hole in her heart of where her family used to be still had not been healed. Maybe it never would be. She used to think the pain of surviving was a curse but lately she had come to realize that without it, she would never have had the strength to go on all these years.

Finally she turned away from the two stones and made her way towards where the forest began. With a quick pace, to avoid getting any colder, she headed towards the caves where the Centaurs had made their home. Even though the snow kept changing the landscape, Ashara was able to find her way as easily as she could breathe. She knew every tree, every stone, and knew the shortest and safest roads. Narnia was her home and after protecting it for more than a hundred years she knew the land like the back of her hand.

When the caves became visible in the distance she could hear the sound of hooves approaching through the snow. She lifted the hood of her cloak and smiled when she saw who had come out to greet her. Galios was barely ten summers old and already he was able to read the stars like his parents could.

"Ash!" he called out, approaching her with a childlike smile on his face.

"Good evening," she greeted him with a smile. It was impossible not to smile at the sight of his energy.

"Father knew you were coming," he said as he led the way towards his home.

Her smile widened. "Of course he did."

Together they entered the caves. A warm light flickered through the hallway and as they rounded the corner, the most delicious smell reached her nose. The Centaurs were famous for their strawberry cakes. It had been her favorite food since she was a child many centuries ago. The light came from a fire in the middle of the cave. To her right a bookcase from dark oak wood covered the wall from the ground to the ceiling. To her left was a door leading towards the sleeping chambers and an archway leading to the kitchen.

Oreius was seated by the fire with a book in his hands. When he heard her approaching footsteps though he looked up and smiled at her. "Ashara," he greeted her warmly. "Welcome."

"It's good to see you," she replied with a nod

Just then his wife Penelope came walking out of the kitchen with a tray filled with the delicious strawberry cakes."I made them especially for you," Penelope said with a small smile.

"That is very kind but you shouldn't have," Ashara replied, not able to hide her worried frown. "Our food supplies are running low and I don't think Jadis is willing to share hers."

Penelope reached out and placed her hand on Ashara's shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "Always so worried," she said. "In these troubled times we must find joy in the little things." She held out the tray once again, a teasing spark in her eyes. "Like strawberry cakes."

Deciding to push away her worries, Ashara reached out and took a cake from the tray. Then made her way to the fire to join Oreius. The Centaur had been a friend of hers ever since he was as young as his son was now. He had been a voice of council many times. When she felt like giving up, it was usually Oreius who managed to awaken her courage again. He seemed to notice immediately that something was on her mind, but he didn't voice his worries and instead let her enjoy the little cake and waited for her to speak up herself. Penelope seemed to realize there was something on the Watcher's mind as well and called her son to the kitchen so the two friends could talk in peace.

"I can't remember the last time I had one of these," Ashara said, swallowing the last bite of the delicious little cake.

Oreius smiled. "It's like you said, we don't have a lot of strawberries left to make them."

She nodded while staring into the dancing flames before her. "If this winter is to last much longer we will be starving before the new moon rises. Our supplies are running low since Maugrim and his troops discovered our trading routes with Archenland."

"Maybe this is His way of telling us that winter will be ending soon," Oreius offered, smiling softly.

At the mention of the great lion, Ashara could feel her heart glow within her. She had never lost faith in Aslan and missed him terribly but it was getting harder to feel his presence everyday. He was just as connected to the Deep Magic as she was and so he was ever present in a small corner of her heart, shining like the golden sun that had been missing from Narnia's skies for so long now. But with each new day the prophecy wasn't fulfilled, the sun seemed to be fading from her heart. Instead replaced with an ice cold worry for the land she adored so much.

"Yes, maybe," she replied, her eyes still staring into the golden flames. As soon as she finished speaking a shiver ran down her spine. Far in the distance she could hear a loud whistle being blown. With a frown on her face, she looked over her shoulder but she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Ashara? Are you all right?"

She blinked. "Didn't you hear that?"

Oreius turned to look around as well. "Hear what?"

Just then Penelope shouted from where she was working in the kitchen: "Ashara, are you staying for dinner?"

She forced herself to forget about the sound. It seemed like she was beginning to turn paranoid... "I can't say no to your cooking," she yelled in return.

"Agreed," Oreius added.

Laughter came drifting from the kitchen into the living room, Penelope's voice glowing even warmer than the fire. For the smallest of seconds Ashara's heart felt lighter than it had all day. Everytime she felt like giving up or sinking away in her fears and doubts, the Narnians showed her why she should keep on going. She would keep on fighting the Witch and her eternal winter for them, for her people. Because until the Kings and Queens would arrive, they were her responsibility and so she would act like someone worth following.

For Narnia.

✲⋅*♚ ,∴°

So, I finally managed to get the first chapter up!

I wanted the first chapter to be an introduction of Ashara's life, the Narnians and just what life is like under the Witch her rule. I've never really seen other fanfictions do this and so I thought I'd dive a little deeper into the life of Narnia outside of the movies. I absolutely adore Ashara and love her more with each chapter I write and I hope you guys do too! She's so worried for everyone and so strong and I love her so much.

Also, what do you guys think that mysterious whistle sound was? A train...maybe?

I also wanted to give a shouthout to the amazing livingthelifeUS for being so excited about this story! Thank you for all the love.

New updates for this story will be published every wednesday!

xx nelly