Tales of Lucy Pevensie

Tale 1 - I'm Only Human

This is a drabble featuring the Princess Elia of Galma. It also has an assortment of other characters. Enjoy!

She couldn't quite figure out how it happened. But there must have been a slip of the tongue, a wrong word, a nasty glance... Or an enemy within Cair Paravel. How... she didn't know. She didn't know what led to this, to her being one of two Monarchs left (Peter being the other) to protect Narnia, and even then she didn't know where he was. That didn't matter now; what mattered was keeping her people safe.

Lucy glanced about at her tiny assembled group of warriors; Sir Padriac, who had been separated from Susan, Easlmus and Rinassa (of course), Noreen Claudess and Arriana from the Rose of Virtue, who turned out to be skilld in throwing daggers and had a thirst for revenge following the deaths of her good friends, Theodora and Millona.

They all knew what they had to do. Protect the remaining people and Beasts at all costs. Lucy and Sir Padriac were going to search for Susan, Tumnus and Isla, but the others had to remain vigilant and on guard. Who knew who was creeping about... And who knew who was on which side.

Lucy swallowed. The bile was threatening to rise in her throat from fear and nervousness. She stood alone outside of their makeshift camp in the old mines near Cair Paravel. Only the cool breeze blowing in from the ocean calmed her, and she closed her eyes to stop the tears from flowing. "Aslan, oh Aslan," she couldn't help sobbing, her knees shaking and going weak. "How did this happen? Why did this happen? I... I couldn't protect everyone, Aslan. I couldn't protect them... Aslan, please help us, wherever you are... Oh Aslan."

She collapsed, using her arms to keep herself from falling into the dirt. Rinassa heard her cries and rushed out to find her, and after calling to his brother they helped her inside and to the fire, where she was wrapped in a warm blanket and comforted.

Noreen was pacing about angrily, almost creating new holes in the floor. The rage radiating off her made Lucy nervous, and she shook her head, holding her hand up to rub her knuckles against her forehead. Turning, she called out to Sir Padriac, who was seated near the entrance, keeping an eye out.

"I will keep watch now, Sir Padriac. You get some rest," she told the tired, worn-down Elf as he entered the cave, and he rubbed his eyes. He really hadn't taken the separation from Eleanor well, but no one was happy these days. Lucy understood only too well.

Padriac nodded slowly, and rested on one of the bedrolls laid out near Blair and Roisin Claudess, who were huddled together in fear. The Claudess sisters had lost their mother, and Noreen was almost rampant in finding her dear friend Elias, who had vanished the night the fires almost completely destroyed Cair Paravel.

"Keep an eye in here, Rinassa," Lucy told her Queensguard, and he nodded instantly, taking a seat on one of the barrels while Easlmus leaned against the wall, his eyes slowly closing. Taking up her sword, which was really Edmund's after Lucy picked it up before he died, Lucy stepped outside, sitting where Sir Padriac had been to keep an eye out.

***

A rustle nearby caused Lucy to leap up from dozing off, alert. She gazed about, one hand on the hilt of her sword. It was quiet outside the cave; inside, however, she heard Noreen shouting about something and Sir Padriac was attempting to calm her down. Their voices weren't loud enough to carry out further than the entrance of the cave.

Turning back to where she had heard the rustle, Lucy's grip tightened on the hilt of her sword when the rustle sounded again, louder this time. "Face me!" she shouted, drawing her sword and holding it up protectively. "Whoever is there, show yourself!"