✲⋅*♚ ,∴°

𝕭𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐈: 𝖂𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝖂𝐀𝐑

𝕮𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝕿𝐰𝐨: a call of magic

THE HALLS OF THE CASTLE WERE set aglow with the soft, flickering light of the flames in the fireplace. The warmth spread throughout the room, wrapping the few residents present in a warm blanket. The room was round, with two windows in the wall on each side of the fireplace. The view showed the great mountains of the north. There were a few chairs scattered around the room, along with pillows and blankets on the floor.

The secret castle in the mountains could not compete with the beauty of Cair Paravel. It was much smaller and far less elegant in decoration. Still, it served its purpose. It had been her father's idea to build a shelter in the mountains. The secret was spread among the people so everyone knew where to go during uncertain times. There was, however, an element of magic added to the secret. Those who knew the location of the castle could not share it with those who didn't. Only he or she with the same blood as the person who performed the spell in the first place was able to share the secret. Meaning it was only Ashara who could decide who was able to enter the castle and who wasn't. Which was very fortunate after what happened in the first week the White Witch had conquered Narnia.

Many Narnians had made their way to the castle in the hope of getting answers, or simply to seek shelter because their homes had been destroyed. The moment Ashara had to tell the Narnians that their beloved queen and king had been murdered still hurt her to think of. She hadn't been able to offer much hope, other than the prophecy the Deep Magic had left her with.

The Narnians, however, were very faithful people and most decided to place their hope on the prophecy. There were some, though, that did not. Some let themselves be guided by hatred and anger and they decided to join the Witch. The black dwarves from the mines of the south, a pack of gray wolves from the western woods and a family of minotaurs from the shuddering woods. It had pained her to see them fight alongside Jadis but she'd been relieved by her father's ingenious idea to place a spell on the location of the castle.

Ashara was seated in front of the fireplace, her gaze focused on the flames as memories of the last hundred years passed through her mind. Some days it felt as though losing those Narnians to evil was her fault. Her failure as a leader. She had tried her hardest to protect Narnia. To keep hope alive as they waited for their salvation. Even now she sometimes wished she had more time to grief her family, so the weight of their deaths would not feel so heavy now.

But then she thought of her father and what he would have told her if he was still alive. She could not always be strong. Even the strongest king or queen experienced moments of weakness in their life. As long as she remained brave. When she was brave enough to overcome her weak moments, she'd find her strength again. So she held onto those words with everything she had. Be brave.

"Ashara?" a high voice called out her name.

She turned her gaze away from the flickering flames and toward the door. Mrs. Badger was standing in the door opening with a hesitant look on her face, afraid she had interrupted the Watcher doing something important. But Ashara gave her a reassuring smile. "What is it, Mrs. Badger?"

"Dinner is ready, sweetheart," she replied, her hesitation making way for a frown.

"I'll be right there," she answered, then turned her eyes back toward the fire. It had been two days since she returned from her visit to Oreius. She was more often away than she was at home, trying to visit as many Narnians as possible, to protect them, talk to them and see to their needs. Still, whenever she returned to the hidden castle, there was always someone waiting for her.

Ashara had figured out pretty soon after the White Witch invaded that the Narnians had made a pact that they would never leave her alone in the castle. There was always someone to keep her company in the halls of the palace, to cook dinner for her or help her practice her sword fighting skills. To tell her stories about ancient worlds long gone or to simply keep her company as she paced through the room and voiced her worries about their decreasing food supplies. She would never say it outloud, much too proud to admit that she needed help, but she appreciated their concern.

Finally she stood up from her position by the fireplace and made her way towards the door, only to freeze in the middle of her step. With a frown she stared at the runes on her arm, watching as they started to glow with a golden light. She reached out and lifted her sleeves, staring at the light coming from her skin. A sound reached her ears, a high whistle followed by something that sounded like the blow of a horn. The sound was awfully familiar, the same thing she'd heard back at Oreius. She turned to look behind her but there was nothing to be seen and when she looked at her arms again, the runes on her skin had stopped glowing.

Taking a deep breath she pulled her sleeve straight and walked out of the room. Her heart was racing as she made her way toward the stairs. She hadn't felt the white side of the Deep Magic at work for so long that her body was reacting way more intensely towards even the slightest bit of Magic. She used to be able to handle the toll quite well but now, after only feeling the black magic Jadis' used for so long, it seemed that even a little bit of white magic caused her body to react immediately.

She was halfway down the stairs when she heard it again. She couldn't help but shiver and the runes glowed so suddenly she was forced to seek support by the banister to keep herself standing. Somewhere in the distance she could hear Mrs. Badger tried to speak to her but she couldn't make out the words. The world was fading around her and suddenly she was no longer standing on the staircase of the palace.

Ashara stood up straight and took in the world surrounding her. It was strange and unfamiliar. It appeared to be a very busy kind of square. There were a lot of people walking around but when she looked closer she could see they were mostly women and children. The few men she could see were wearing some kind of green armor. The women were crying, hugging their children closely before sending them into a black kind of carriage. It was that very carriage that was making the strange whistling noise she first heard at Orieus house. It took her a moment to realize what she was looking at.

Humans.

Sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. Once that fact dawned on her, her heart started beating even faster.

Her eyes frantically searched the chaos, desperately trying to orient herself. When she turned her gaze toward the left corner of the square, the runes on her arm burned more intensely than they had in hundreds of years. She saw four children. Two girls, two boys. The longer she looked at them, the brighter the runes burned. A shaky laugh left her lips, her heart beating impossibly fast. After a hundred years of living in uncertainty, fearing the prophecy might have been a mistake; here she was, watching their kings and queens as they made their way toward the black carriage.

Even from her position on the stairs, it was hard to make out their faces in the crowd. Still, her heart was telling that they were the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve the prophecy had promised. She stood on her toes, curiosity getting the best of her as she wished with her entire heart to see their faces. And as if the Deep Magic had heard her wish, one of the sons of Adam stood still and looked in her direction.

Suddenly it was hard to breathe. She knew he couldn't see her and yet, when she stared into his eyes, she had some strange feeling that he could. His eyes were blue like the Narnian sea used to be in summer. The lights dangling from the ceiling reflected within his eyes like the summer sun that used to glitter against the surface. His hair was golden like the autumn leaves in the western woods.

He was staring at her as though she was a star, far away and unreachable. The unsettling feeling that he could see her grew stronger and all of a sudden she wished to return to the safety of the castle walls. The glow of her runes surrounded her, forcing her to close her eyes against the light. When she opened them again she was back on the stairs, gasping for air.

"Ashara, sweetheart?" Mrs. Badger questioned, her voice laced with worry.

With trembling legs, Ashara sat down on the staircase. She opened her mouth to try and find words to describe what she just saw, but nothing that came to mind seemed to do it justice. Luckily she was saved from having to speak at all when the wooden double doors that led to the outside courtyard were opened. Her eyes turned toward the newcomer. Tasmus the Faun entered the hallway, a radiant smile on his face.

Ashara tried to stand up but her trembling legs would not let her and so she leaned against the banister as she greeted him. "What news?" she questioned, knowing from the sparks dancing around in his brown eyes that he came bearing good news.

The Faun closed the doors behind him and walked up to the stairs. All the while his smile seemed to grow even wider. "I come bearing great news, my lady."

She looked at him expectantly, trying her hardest to fight her exhaustion.

"Well, out with it," Mrs. Badger urged him, clearly noticing Ashara's discomfort.

The Faun looked between the two of them, then nodded curtly and said with a smile: "Aslan has arrived."

At the mention of the Great Lion it felt as though spring bloomed inside her chest. His name alone was enough to make flowers grow again, to make the sun come out and shine its heavenly rays down on her skin. At the mention of his name, all of her worries seemed to disappear, like snow melting beneath the sun. It couldn't be a coincidence that at the very moment the Deep Magic called out to her, Aslan had arrived in Narnia once again. The kings and queens were coming and the greatest king of them all had arrived to guide them on their journey.

"Has he really?" Mrs. Badger marveled with wide eyes and an eager smile on her eyes.

Tasmus nodded, just as eager. "I received the news from Erebus himself."

It would make sense that Aslan would send the fastest Griffin in all of Narnia to spread the news. He could fly great distances without growing tired and with news as great as this, he would fly even faster.

"Oh the heavens are blessed," Mrs. Badger sighed. "Winter is finally coming to an end!"

"Please Tasmus," Ashara said, "speak to no one of this news yet. If it spreads Jadis might hear of it. Then she'll be looking for our kings and queens as well. We need to keep this quiet until Aslan himself tells us otherwise."

The Faun nodded. "Of course, my lady." Then he frowned and looked at her, really looked at her for the first time he'd set foot inside the palace. "Are you all right?"

Mrs. Badger seemed to remember just then what had happened and her eyes went wide. "Did you see them? Did the Deep Magic show you our kings and queens?"

Ashara smiled softly, still leaning against the banister while her body slowly healed from the rush of white magic. "I did."

Mrs. Badger smiled. Then pushed her enthusiasm aside and rushed up the stairs while she ordered Tasmus to go make some tea. While taking Ashara's arm, she guided the Watcher back up the stairs to her place by the fire. But Ashara barely felt her aching limbs, the only thought on her mind were two piercing blue eyes, looking right into hers. Making her feel warmer than she had in a hundred years.

✲⋅*♚ ,∴°