The Forgotten Princess: A Narnia Story

Chapter 1: A Prisoner in the Courtyard

Rays of sunlight poke their way through my window and slowly light up my cramped bedroom. I open my eyes and sit up in bed. My head is pounding as I hear the wails of my newborn baby brother echo down the corridor.

The past sixteen years of my life have been quite uneventful. I've been a disappointment to my father ever since I was born. He always wanted a son, but he got me instead. Because of this, I'm kept a secret to anyone outside the castle walls and receive little to no attention from anyone inside.

My bedroom is on the top floor of a lookout tower, which makes things a bit more bearable. I often go outside and watch the clouds roll by and daydream about what it would be like to live with another family (which sounds quite terrible, but being in almost total isolation from your real family can cause you to think terrible thoughts).

The only people in the castle that acknowledge me and keep me from running away are my cousin, Caspian, and my professor, Doctor Cornelius. He teaches both of us your basic studies like math, geography, and literature, but my favourite is history.

I've read loads of history books, and I love staying after Caspian leaves and listening to Doctor Cornelius' stories about ancient times. I find Narnians to be fascinating beings. They have so much rich history and peace, but my father's dynasty has been so violent since the death of my uncle.

I walk out onto the lookout tower and breathe in the crisp air. Now that my mother has given birth to a son, she'll spend most of her time with him and I will speak to her even less. My father will most likely forget that I exist, and Caspian's dream of gaining the throne is now gone. I decide to get a move on and go back inside to get dressed. Once I finish, I gather my books and parchment and head to see Doctor Cornelius for my morning studies.

I arrive to a quiet room. Scanning the table and chairs, I see no sign of Caspian. I assume he woke up late and sit across from Doctor Cornelius.

"Are we starting without him?" I say lightheartedly. But Cornelius looks at me with a solemn face.

"Caspian won't be here."

I raise one of my eyebrows. "But he never misses class."

"I know," Cornelius says, "I told him not to come."

This is odd. Why would he tell Caspian not to come, but not do the same for me?

"Why not?"

Cornelius gazes around the room and leans in slightly. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," I say in a soft voice, "Who would I tell anyway?"

Doctor Cornelius gets up and closes the door. He sits back down in his chair and begins to speak in a hushed voice.

"Your father tried to kill Caspian."

I gasp and quickly cover my mouth. He doesn't have to explain why, I know. It's because he is the rightful heir to the throne and my father wants none of it.

"Where is he now?"

"In the woods. I told him that was the only place he could go. Don't be afraid, Melanie, he's safer there. He can start a new life and be free." Cornelius places a comforting hand on my arm. "You don't have to stay here and study today. You can be alone if you'd like."

My eyes fill up with tears. I don't want to be alone. Caspian was the only true family I had, and I won't ever see him again. Part of me wishes I went with him, not that my father would notice or care, but just so I could get away from the lonely life I have. 

"Tell you what," he says, "How about I give you a new book to read instead?"

I shrug. "Sure, if you can find one I haven't read before."

He laughs. "You're an avid reader, aren't you? How's this one?" He slides me a book with a picture of a young boy on the cover.

"Who's this?" I ask. It didn't look like anyone I'd read about before.

"Digory Kirke," Cornelius says, "I assume you've read all there is to know about the Kings and Queens of Old, so I figured I'd give you a really old story. Do you want me to take that other book back?"

"Sure," I say. I can't stop thinking about Caspian.

"Ah, dwarves," he smiles, "Nasty creatures. Really pleasant once you get to know them, though!" He waddles back to the bookcase like a jolly elf.

I sigh and pick up my things. "Thank you for the book. I promise I won't tell anyone about-"

Cornelius holds out his hand to stop me and nods. "I trust you, Melanie."

I blink back tears and start towards my room.

***

I stare out at the forest, wondering where my cousin might be. I haven't eaten or done much since this morning. I tried reading my new book, but daydreaming about living under Narnian rule wasn't even helping. My tear-stained face stings as a harsh breeze whips through the air. Everything is falling apart.

Suddenly, my thoughts are interrupted by noise at the castle gates. I duck, thinking it may be intruders trying to kill my family. Then it occurred to me that even if they were intruders, what would they want with King Miraz' unknown, useless daughter?

I peek over the ledge, trying to stay as hidden as possible. I see a few of my father's guards carrying a prisoner. He is a very short bald man with a long red beard, struggling relentlessly. I don't recognize him, but he seems very familiar, like I read about him somewhere. My curiosity gets the best of me and I quietly rush downstairs.

I stop in the corridor and press against the wall. I hear the guards talking in low voices to my father while I listen closer. I hear a few boring things about him being found on the premise of the castle, he wouldn't identify himself, could possibly be a threat. But then I hear one of the guards say something that piques my interest.

"We think he's a Narnian."

My eyes widen. I move closer to the doorway and get a better look at the prisoner.

He isn't a man at all. He's a dwarf! No wonder he looked familiar. I had just read an entire book about Narnian dwarves. The guards tied some white cloth around his mouth, so he isn't speaking or making any attempt to. I watch the rest of the encounter in the shadows.

My father scoffs. "He can't be. Narnians are extinct."

The dwarf snorts. I admire his bravery, especially considering how bad my father's reputation must be. Is he really a Narnian? I feel like I'm in some sort of a twisted dream.

"Shut up, we still haven't decided what to do with you."

The dwarf rolls his eyes and looks in my direction. I duck back, so all he sees are the reflections of the light in my eyes. I wave silently and he raises his eyebrows and faces my father again.

"Look at it." My father kicks the dwarf and I stifle a gasp. Why does my father think it's okay to mistreat others so often? "While we at the council have been bickering amongst ourselves, these vermin have been breeding like roaches under a rock. Just watching us with their beady little eyes, waiting to strike!"

He smacks the poor thing across the face and he winces in pain. I want to run out and save him, but who knows what'll happen if I do.

"What did you have in mind, your majesty?"

"It attempted to kidnap Prince Caspian, what do you think?"

I don't believe this. What would a dwarf want with my cousin? And more importantly, did the soldiers find him as well?

"Execution, sir?"

There is a pause. "Lock it in the dungeon. Tomorrow morning, I want it taken to the beach and drowned."

My heart sinks. Even if this dwarf did try to kidnap Caspian, I'm sure he had no intentions of killing him, unlike my father. I quietly walk back to my room as the dwarf is dragged away.