𝙸𝚁𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴. ➪ 𝙴. 𝙿𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚎

𝚝𝚠𝚘

Dinner had been particularly awkward. Phillis sat next to Lucy, sipping on her freshly prepared soup. Elmer had invited Dariyah to eat with the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Dariyah sat next to the eldest Opal child, laughing at whatever lame jokes he made. Lucy didn't particularly like Lady Dariyah either, she found her obnoxious laugh and blatant flirting very annoying. "So, tell me the story about the Battle of Beruna again," Lady Dariyah giggled, running her hand along Elmer's arm.
"What more is there to tell?" Elmer asked.
"Nothing, just tell me again," she said, a forced giggle escaping her lips.
"But you've heard it a thousand times before," Lucy said.
Dariyah cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably as she noticed everyone watching her obvious, excessive flirting. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Your Majesties. It was delicious," Lady Dariyah stood and curtsied before leaving the dinner hall.
Phillis was the next to go, not saying a word as she got up and left. Before the door closed, she heard her name come out of Elmer's mouth. She stood by the door, listening in on their conversation. "I can't believe the way Phillis acted today," he said. "I mean, I've never seen her like that before."
"She was probably just jealous that she doesn't look like Lady Dariyah," Edmund joked.
"Edmund!" Susan snapped. "Don't be so horrible."
"What? It's true, isn't it?" he said. "Phillis can't compare to Lady Dariyah when it comes to looks."
"Ed, that's a disgusting thing to say," Lucy replied. "I think what she said today was perfectly okay. She sort of had a point."
"What she said wasn't a lie, Lu. It was the way she said it that was so offensive," Peter said.
"She's just inconsiderate of other people's feelings," Elmer said.
"Did you ever stop to think about how she might be feeling?" Lucy asked. "Some princess has come in, completely swept you all off your feet and not for a moment have you stopped to think that she could be hurting."
There was silence after that, and Phillis took that as an opportunity to leave. She stumbled back to her sleeping quarters, tears falling from her eyes. How could her friends say that about her? Why were they siding with some good-for-nothing princess than their friend they've known their entire lives? What Edmund had said hurt especially. She knew she was no match for Lady Dariyah, but hearing him actually say it stung her heart.
On a whim, she decided to get away from it all. She picked up her dress and ran to the stables. Garnet, her beloved horse, whinnied gleefully at the sight of Phillis. "Good evening, Your Majesty," Garnet said.
"I need to leave."
"Pardon?"
"Please, Garnet, just take me somewhere. I just need to catch my breath," Phillis explained.
Garnet nodded, before allowing the Queen to slip a saddle and bridle onto his speckled back. When ready, Phillis clambered on and rode off into the night.
Garnet galloped through the woods, the wind flowing through Phillis' hair. She didn't know where she was going, she just wanted a night away from the Pevensies, her brother and Lady Dariyah. It was times like these that Phillis longed for her mother to be here.
After an hour of trotting through the woods, everything crumbled. A bird had flown from a tree, spooking Garnet. As Garnet reared, Phillis fell and knocked herself out on a log. Garnet, not registering the sudden loss of weight on his back, turned and galloped away.
Phillis lay passed out against a log in the freezing cold night. It was a recipe for disaster.