Resistance || Narnia OCxOC One-Shot - thecallofnarnia & NaturallyNarnian

CHAPTER 1: THE SEDUCTRESS

"It's almost dinnertime." Princess Dawn frowned, looking to her Mother, who was walking her the opposite way to the Dining Hall.

"Will you be willing to eat if your Father isn't there?"

Dawn shook her head immediately.
Dinnertime was time they got to spend together, uninterrupted, and even at the young age of eleven, Dawn found it to be her favourite part of any day.

"Then we're to find him, haven't we?" At her daughter's head shaking turning into strong nodding, Leah smiled. Then, she stopped, a wooden, arched door at the side of her, and quietened her voice to say, "I've heard he looked a little sad and went to the top of the tower-"

"Then we should go to him." Dawn spoke surely, morals unwavering. But then, her brows furrowed as she looked to the door beside them. "But this is the Southern Tower, I'm not allowed-"

"Just this once." Leah allowed.
What could go wrong, really?
She'd be supervised by both of them. Besides, she would have to be allowed up there some day.

"Watch the stairs, they're steep." The Queen warned. The staircase was narrow, and dark. She hadn't noticed before, not until she watched with natural worry as her daughter half ran up them.

The two were greeted by the sight of David sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall, staring out into nothing. A mixture of sadness and shattered vulnerability covered his face. He didn't turn his head to them; he figured they would've found him sooner or later anyway.

"...I..." David tried to start, but to no use.

"...it turns out Aphrodite's Magick opening your memory means still being plagued with trauma, I guess," he tried to quip with a failed smirk. "I, um...dreamed about things that happened on my world before Narnia. I'm just surprised those nightmares didn't come back sooner," he said softly. "I know healing isn't linear, but I'm still surprised when it isn't."

"You shouldn't have locked yourself away up here all day ..." The Queen implored lightly, but sat on the floor beside him. "You should have said something sooner."

Dawn held back and stood, hands neatly clasped behind her back, chewing her lip slightly.

"Saying things isn't exactly my strong suit," he said weakly. "I'm glad you're here, though, a part of it was...about my dad," he said, shifting slightly to look at her. "I still can't shake him. What he did still eats at me, that fear still lives in me, and it feels like I can never truly escape it."

She nodded slowly in understanding and took his hand, but was silent for a moment. It always felt odd whenever anyone bought up Before. Perhaps she was lucky to hardly remember anything, perhaps they should speak of it more...

"It shouldn't be difficult to put something together to stop the nightmares, if you want?" She offered, but realised this was a rather feeble suggestion. There was clearly much more to the situation, but what could be done felt beyond her.

"No, it's no use..." David seemed to wilt into the floor. "I think I'm destined to feel like this forever."

Dawn had taken to wandering the new room and all the oddities it stored.
It was as she ran her hand carefully across the spines of secret, barely legal books that held Ancient Magick that she stopped.
Why did her parents insist on talking about such things? Why did they not just fix it?
They had Magick, did they not?

She would never have learnt to swim without wading out to follow the Mermaids, she would never have learnt to grasp her Magick if she hadn't surrendered to it first, she would never have been able to stay in her own bed after a nightmare if she had not faced her fears.