The Prince and I

6 - The temple

They had been trekking through the forest for a while, and Willow had been chatting with the two queens, the older girl, Susan, and Lucy.

"So, Willow." Susan said, and Willow twisted her head to look at her. 

"Yes?"

"Who are you?"

"That's a funny question, because I don't really know the answer. All I know is my name, Willow, and that I have powers over nature. I have no last name, only "of the Forest", if that even counts."

"How did you get your powers?" Lucy asked, excitedly, and Willow smiled at her enthusiasm.

"That, I also don't know. But I've had them almost all my life."

"How does it work? I thought the forests of Narnia were free, that they couldn't be controlled?" Susan asked and Willow paused before answering.

"I can control them, but ultimately they have more power over me. The spirits of the woods are always free, I simply supply a brain for them. They like me, and I sing to them when they are troubled. We have a friendship, and I honour that everyday, so they let me keep my powers."

"That's wonderful!" Lucy cried, and Willow stopped for a second.

"Let me show you something." She closed her eyes, and focused her energy on the plants around her, the grass below her feet. Suddenly, flowers began to grow around them, and she opened her eyes, taking a few steps forward. Lucy and Susan both gasped as the flowers followed her feet, and continued to grow around them, springing up wherever she stepped. "It makes a good trail, if one just so happens to get lost."
Inside her head, she told the sprits to stop, and she could walk normally again.

"Amazing!" Susan breathed, and the three girls three girls resumed walking again.

It wasn't long before Willow's mind wandered to Caspian, and she wondered what the funny feeling in her stomach was when she thought of him. She wasn't sick, or something like that, but it was odd. A strange, flapping sensation..

"Willow?" Susan was calling her name, and she snapped out of her thoughts.

"My apologies, your highness. Could you repeat the question?"

Susan and Lucy shared a look. "We were just wondering..."

"Whether you and Caspian are dating!" Lucy broke in, and Willow stared at them, open mouthed.

"Dating?!"

"Come on, I've seen the way you look at each other, and it's obvious!"

"Caspian and I aren't dating." She sighed, and Lucy looked up at her.

"And you're... sad about that?"

"I've only known him for a few days, but I keep getting this weird feeling when he's around. Do you know what it's like? Little wings, flapping around?"

"Butterflies!" Lucy exclaimed, and Susan grinned at Willow.

"You do like him!"

"What butterflies? What are you-" but she never finished. They had reached a large clearing the woods, and in the middle stood a great temple, covered in ivy.

"It's beautiful." She whispered, and Caspian turned to her.

"It is." He smiled, and she gave him a confused smile back.

They walked across the grass, and she watched as the centaurs formed two lines either side of the entrance.
Willow grew flowers down the sides to create a path, as the centaurs drew their swords.

They created a tunnel for the royals to walk through, and, though Caspian hesitated, he walked behind them. But only after he had taken Willow's hand and pulled her alongside him.

Together, they walked through the tunnel, and Willow smiled at the centaurs as they walked past. A flower suddenly appeared in the youngest centaurs hair, and she gave Willow the biggest smile she had ever seen, and proudly held her own sword higher.

A while later...

Willow followed close behind Caspian as they walked through the temple with Peter, and into the armouries below the ground. She listened as they talked of battle, and sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to help.

She had lived a life of peace in secret, and here they were, talking about a battle with the entire nation.
How her life had changed that much in three days, she didn't know.

Susan suddenly appeared and called for Peter, who started towards her, closely followed by Caspian and Willow.

Edmund had a flaming torch in his hand, and the flame flickered over the walls. Willow studied the drawings on them, and started as she realised who it was.

"It's you." She said, and the kings and queens nodded.

"It's us."

"What is this place?" Lucy asked Caspian, who smiled slightly.

"You don't know?" He took his own torch off the wall, and led them towards another passageway, deeper and deeper into the temple.

He dipped the torch into a sink like thing that stretched around the whole room, and Willow watched in awe as the fire spread, lighting the room up.

The fire illuminated several carvings on the wall, until it finally reached one of a mighty lion in the middle. In the centre, there was a stone grave, broken in two from old age. Lucy walked towards the broken stone, and reached out a hand and stroked it. She turned to Susan.

"He must know what he's doing." She said, and her voice came out small and quiet.

"I think it's up to us now." Peter said firmly, but no one paid any attention.

The group just stared at the picture of the lion, and wondered whether Aslan really had abandoned them, or if he was up to something better.