The Golden Witch || Peter Pevensie x OC

34. Who Are You?

Valera had experienced human kindness and treatment for the first time in centuries.

Nikabrik and Trufflehunter were both extremely respectful since she had proven herself to be ... well, herself.

It had been so long since she had encountered the way her people would treat her.

Even though she didn't believe she deserved such treatment anymore.

It wasn't lost on her that she had abandoned her people in the same way that the Kings and Queens of Cair Paravel had.

Valera remembered the anger when they disappeared. She shared in it herself for a time.

She could only imagine that some of that anger was directed towards her for her actions.

Casting the spell of dark magic to reverse her age and keep her young and weak.

Losing her ties to nature to throw Narnia into a quiet darkness.

Being captured by the Telmarines, leaving her people to fend for themselves in such a place.

Allowing their entire existence to be turned to myth.

It can't have been pleasant.

But neither Nikabrik nor Trufflehunter showed her any signs of resentment or anger.

Instead, they quickly ran her a very small bath so that she could clean up all the dirt and muck that the dungeons had slathered onto her over the years.

In doing so, her brownish hair had now turned back into a golden shade of blond.

But that wasn't all it revealed.

The various wounds and scars plastering her body were now fully visible in all their horrifying glory.

Some were years old; some were new.

Bruises were still present on her arms, legs, and torso.

But the worst of it was her back.

The engravings of hot iron pokers had burned through her flesh so many times, Valera was positive she no longer had skin at all. Just charred bones.

However, she did.

It was just very, very wounded.

Hidden behind the dirtied rags she still had to wear from her time in capture. 

But it would heal. Especially now she wouldn't be subjected to torture any longer.

That is, if she didn't get caught and be forced to return to the Telmarines.

Trufflehunter turned out to be quite experienced with healing matters.

Very experienced, in fact.

Something he explained in the very rare case of telling Valera about just what happened to her people.

Apparently, he was forced to become well acquainted with healing matters to help as many injured Narnians as possible which, in the war times, occurred so frequently that he became somewhat of an expert.

That one shred of information bought Valera so much pain inside that the badger swiftly decided to fill her in on the rest when she was healed, or, at the very least, rested.

After applying certain ointments to her wounds and placing a large piece of bandage to cover her back, Trufflehunter moved onto Caspian.

Valera didn't leave his side for an instant as the badger bandaged up his head as he slept.

Eventually, her exhaustion started to overcome her.

With the help of both Nikabrik and Trufflehunter, the three lifted Caspian into a room and laid him onto a small bed.