Lifeline ⤞ Peter Pevensie [Chronicles of Narnia]

xiv

epilogue

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Years went by, and Fallon grew more and more detached from Cair Paravel, her and the Hunt spending weeks, sometimes months away from the safe comfort of the castle.

The girl now knew what Aslan had meant when he'd said she would be the Guardian of Narnia. She could feel every entrance or exit of the kingdom, every innocent life taken, though, luckily, there were barely any.

Aslan had mentioned to Fallon something before he left, so many years before, something she had accepted far faster than she would have thought possible. She was immortal to time, yes, but her duty was to follow the royal family's timeline, and protect them. Therefore, her age had followed that of the second oldest. Susan had always been the closest to Fallon's age, so her aging followed the Queen's. If she or any of the royals were ever to leave, then the Huntress would go back to the age she'd been when she made the oath. But that wasn't the only matter. The souls of the Kings and Queens would always be tied to Narnia, no matter where they went, as was Fallon's. Except the girl's body had to stay where the royal's spirit. She was not allowed to leave. Ever. And she was alright with that. She was growing up, just as the Kings and Queen, though the Hunt, including Felix, stayed the same age, as always.

One day, though, something changed. Or, rather, everything did.

The Hunt was out, following a trail that supposedly led to a cavern, a hidden chamber in which supposedly lied some of the Witch's weapons, ones that worked like her staff. It had been a faun to come and inform the guards of this, and Fallon and the Hunters hadn't wasted a moment to follow the trail. Of course, it was more than likely a superstition, but it wasn't one worth the risk of doubting.

Fallon was in the front on Ayron, Felix and Bran –a boy she'd noticed was quite agile in the air, since knowing how to ride a griffin wasn't the easiest thing– at her sides, the three of them forming a triangle, whereas the rest of the Hunters were below, following the trail either on foot or horseback.

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, on the other hand, had gone out chasing a white stag, taking their horses and running off into the woods.

Fallon was laughing, enjoying the ride and whatever cheesy joke Bran had just told, when she suddenly felt dizzy, her face paling visibly and her hold on Ayron's neck growing limp.

"Fallon!" Felix shouted, watching in horror as the Huntress fell off her griffin, tumbling down. He and Bran didn't waste a second, and immediately dived down after her, Ayron doing the same.

Bran was the one to catch her, just before she hit the trees below, pulling her over his griffin's neck and coming to a halt once they were on the ground.

"Fallon?" He asked frantically, shaking her shoulders, not understanding what was going on. Felix was at his side in no time, and the two looked at each other in panic, not knowing what to do.

Fallon suddenly gasped, her eyes shooting open, a golden light coming from them as she breathed, and a sharp shine started emitting from her body, forcing both boys to step away from her and cover their eyes.

When they looked again, Fallon was still Fallon, only a few years younger.

"Fall?" Felix asked, kneeling beside her as the girl gasped for air. "Fall, it's alright, just breath."

A few seconds passed, but Fallon didn't seem panicked by what had just happened. Instead, she looked almost... sorrowful. When she found her voice again, she sat up, leaning her back against the tree she'd almost hit while falling and looked up, giving the sky a sad smile.

"They're gone," she whispered, a single tear rolling down one of her cheeks, then the other, and it almost looked as if the clearness of them both had taken away a bit of the light in her eyes. But those were the only two drops she cried. Fallon continued repeating the bitter words that had escaped her lips over and over like an oath, a promise to herself that they were just words, that she would always keep them safe, that they would be a memory that never fades. A mark that had left her scarred.

The four royals were her lifeline. And they always would be. Until her last breath.

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ok so you guys probably want to murder me because she didn't go with them. understandable. BUT, FEAR NOT, WHEN I FINISH HELLBOUND AND BLOOD (because let's be honest I really need to get a move on) I WILL POST A SEQUELLLL YAYYYYY

thank you all so much for reading this book, I really hope you enjoyed it.