𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑟, 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗍𝗐𝗈.

I. a runaway queen

The darkness didn't come quietly. Or all at once.

To Lark and Jessop, it was a lot of little things. First of all, there were the Telmarines. They were the first. At the sudden decline of the Golden Age, the small kingdom in Telmar that had never really bothered  Narnia before took its chance and invaded. The small civilization soon conquered its way to empire status. Soon they were enslaving talking animals for entertainment and 'employing' old Narnians as...well, slaves.

Now, there was almost no one left.

Almost.

...

"How...much...longer?" Jessop panted as we climbed. Being on the run, we got pretty good and adjusting to new terrains very quickly.

Actually, let me rephrase: I got pretty good.

"We've only been climbing for a few minutes, Jess. C'mon, we don't have time to dilly dally." I flinched in spite of myself. It had been 1,281 years, and the expression still brought back terrible memories.

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly...

No, Lark. Not now.

"Please, Lark?"

"No." I retorted a little more angrily then I meant to. I saw Jessop look away.

Great. The last thing I needed was my only friend to be annoyed with me.

When we reached the top of the mountain, it was nightfall. We tried in vain to start a fire and cook some food, but we had to settle for a few mushy apples we had left in our bags.

But it didn't matter. You get used to having no warmth, threadbare clothes, nothing good to eat.

No family.

I pulled my cloak tightly around me as we shivered in the night air. Resting against Jess's shoulder, I tried to sleep.

"Lark?" I heard Jessop whisper as I was starting to doze off.

"Yes?"

"Do you really believe him? Aslan, I mean."

I let out a sigh. I thought he was going to talk about them.

About Edmund.

But, no, he wouldn't. He promised. Jessop and I made a pact years ago to never speak of them. 

Little did I know, Jessop had no intention anymore of keeping that promise.

"What about?"

"Don't play games, Lark. Do you think they're ever going to come back? Really?"

I turned, aghast, to him.

"Are you really saying this? You promised--"

"Lark, that was hundreds of years ago. We can't put it off for a hundred more. We have to talk."

I inched away from him, leaning against the cold stone crevice in which we were sleeping. "Fine."

"Do you?"

I turned again so we were facing each other. "Of course, I believe! Aslan would've lied to us, especially about this. Plus, look at us. We're still the same ages as we were when they left."

"But...what if something happened, to them? And, Lark, don't pretend you haven't noticed it. I'm taller, our hair is longer. We're getting older, Lark. This can't last--we can't wait forever--"

"Yes, we can! I've waited centuries Jessie, I can wait for a few more. They are coming back!"

"But, Lark--"

I was mad now. I couldn't believe after all these years, he was just starting this argument now? "Don't 'But, Lark--' me! This conversation is over. Goodnight, Jessop."

"But--"

"I said, goodnight!" With that, I turned away and tried to sleep.

For the first time in nearly a thousand years, the nightmares returned.

I was there when Cair Paravel was destroyed.

I was there when it burned. We both were. To this day, I'm convinced we should've done something. Not just be abiding and hide, we should've fought back!

I know they saw me. I saw the king look at me. Miraz, I think his name is? Oh, and his brother.

The only Telmarine I admired. Not that I would ever admit that.

Caspian. The ninth to be exact. He saw me, us, too.

I saw our friends murdered. Tumnus, the Beavers, all of them gone. But that wasn't the part that haunted me.

It wasn't the fire or the catapults, no. It was the way they looked at us, at me. Especially Miraz.

It wasn't a glare or a surprised glance. No. The thing I dreamed about, that played over and over in my mind...

It was his smile.

Like he was coming for us. For me. It followed me years until I could push it out of my mind. But it was back.

"I'm coming to get you, runaway queen," the smile seemed to say. And that's all I was.

A runaway.

I woke with a start, drenched in cold sweat. Jessop was still asleep and snoring. The sun was just starting to rise in the sky. It hurt me in every way to admit it, but Jess was right.

They might never come back.

But until we knew, I wouldn't stop believing.

I couldn't.

Because I knew, if I did, it would break me. I was as linked to him as he was to me.

Oh, Edmund.

Come back, Pevensies. All of you.

Bring this Runaway Queen back home.

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CHAPTER ONE IS UP!!!!

yayyyyyyyyy!

Au Revoir (because I have nothing else to say)

Z