Growing Pains | a traitor's tale novel | Narnia

Where's My Daughter?

Jacqueline's POV

I can't remember exactly what happened to me. The last thing I do remember is sitting with my daughter in her room at Cair Paravel, our castle on the eastern sea.

My husband and his siblings had left a few hours earlier to go hunt the White Stag. He made me stay behind with Genevieve because I was—am—pregnant.

When I woke up, my body felt stiff like I hadn't moved in years. The room was unfamiliar and I couldn't see my daughter anywhere. I just faintly remembered hearing the sound of a horn, Susan's horn.

"Genevieve? Genevieve!" I called but received no answer.

I tried to stand up. It was difficult, but I managed. Yep, I'm definitely still pregnant, that's for sure.

An unfamiliar man—no, centaur—walked into the room.

"My queen," he said, bowing his head.

"Who are you? Where am I? Where is my daughter?" I demanded.

"I'm Tallheart. You are in Aslan's How. Your daughter is just in the other room over here," he answered quickly, sensing—with good reason—that I wouldn't hesitate to hurt him if he didn't answer me.

"What is Aslan's How? Why am I not at home? Where is my husband?"

"It's a fortress we Narnians built around the stone table. Your home was destroyed by Telmarines 1300 years ago. We don't know where your husband and his family went. They disappeared thousands of years ago when they were hunting for the White Stag."

"But they just left for that this morning," I said, growing more confused by the second. "And why does my voice sound like this? I sound like a teenager! This better not be some prank, because if it is and I find whoever is behind it, they are going to rue the day they decided to cross me."

"That would have to be a pretty elaborate prank, your majesty. I mean, to turn you into a sixteen year old just for a laugh? But I can definitely see why the legends said High King Peter was terrified of you, no offense."

I chuckled a bit. "It's not offensive. I take it as a compliment. And hold up, did you say 'turn me into a sixteen year old'? If I'm young now, what does that mean for my daughter?"

"Your daughter is still five," he told me. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, I don't know if I could deal with her as a young toddler again, especially with these twins ready to pop out any day now."

"You're fun, I think we'll get along well," the centaur said.

"Yeah, but just keep in mind I'm 1300 years older than you and I'm married," I joked. "And pregnant with my husband's children."

"Good to know, good to know," he laughed. "I am married too, actually. My wife is with your daughter right now."

"Can you please take me to her? I need to see for myself that she's okay."

Tallheart led me to the main room where a beautiful centaur was kneeling, playing with my child.

He saw me watching her and whispered, "my wife wants children very badly but we haven't been able to have any. And I don't want to have to raise them in hiding like how we were raised."

"I'm very sorry to hear that, is it going to be an issue if I want to meet her? What with my twins in here and all? I don't want to rub it in, you know? My daughter seems to really like her," I said.

"No, that shouldn't be an issue at all! We're not resentful of couples who can have kids. I'd be honored to introduce my wife to the great Queen Jacqueline the True." He stepped further into the room, his horse hooves making loud clattering sounds on the stone ground. His footsteps alerted his wife to his presence. "Quivermist, Genevieve I have someone here who would like to see you both."

I stepped into the room so that his body wasn't blocking me. I smiled softly at the kind centaur whose eyes widened when she saw me. My daughter was too preoccupied with what she was doing to look up right away.

"Y-your majesty! Queen Jacqueline, it is an honor to meet you," she bowed towards me hastily. "I have heard many legends about you and your family. I truly cannot believe you are here right now."

"Please, I was never one for formalities. Call me Jackie. You are just as much a Narnian as my daughter and I are, you don't have to treat me any different because I have a crown. I'd like to thank you for your kindness towards my daughter in my absence."

Genevieve's head shot up at the sound of my voice. "Mummy! You're awake!" She scrambled to her feet and rushed towards me.

"Be gentle sweetheart! Your mum has got your little siblings inside her, you don't want to hurt them," a different female voice said from the other side of the room.

She slowed down as she reached me, carefully wrapping her arms around me. "My darling girl, how are you? I was worried when I couldn't find you, but I see you were with some new friends," I smiled at the creatures in the room.

The only one that hadn't spoken yet was a large mouse. It seemed that he and the female faun were going to let me reunite with my daughter now that she noticed me before introducing themselves.

"Oh, mummy, you won't believe it! I woke up before you and I didn't know anybody but then I met Oak's great grandkids and these really nice horsies and Mousie!" Genevieve seemed very excited to be telling me about her new friends.

The faun that was descended from Oak, the head of my husband's personal guard, introduced herself as Smumbleshy. She had a brother named Sufak. The one Gen introduced as 'Mousie' was actually named Reepicheep. The two centaurs apparently found it funny that she called them horsies and weren't offended by it like Philip pretended to be.

I told them all to just call me Jacqueline or Jackie since I never really cared for the formal titles all the time.

I must say, it was strange being only eleven years older than my own daughter, and being a sixteen year old who was pregnant with twins, especially since it felt like just that morning I had been thirty.

Apparently Genevieve had been awake for about a week and a half before I woke up. I couldn't help but wonder what happened to Edmund.

What was he doing back in England? If it had been this long in Narnia, how many years had passed there? Had he found another woman to love and have children with? Did he ever think about me? Did he even remember me or our kids? Would I ever see him again? Would he even want to see me?

I had no idea. As millions of similar thoughts ran through my head, I could only hope that Aslan had a plan for us. That I'd see him again soon.

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Author's note: this chapter takes place on the night that Caspian blows Queen Susan's horn