The Chronicles of Narnia: The King and The Servant

~ Chapter 11: Moving ~

"Ouch!" I yelp as I sit up a bit too quickly the next morning. My back is killing me, probably from sleeping on the floor all night long. I re-position myself so that I'm in a more comfortable position. I wonder what time it is. I glance up at the sundial curiously. Eleven am; are you serious! I jump up quickly, not caring about the jabbing pain that shoots like a fox through my entire body. I rush to my bedroom and quickly throw on a yellow dress with a white waistband before I hurriedly put on my white shoes and rush upstairs to Bella. "Good morning, sweetie," I greet as I bash through the doorway and grab the bags that she has prepared. I look around the room, checking every nook and cranny. Everything is gone. Good. I quickly rush down stairs, trying to be gentle with the bags in case there are breakables. I hear the sound of someone talking outside and guess instantly that it must be one of the guards outside already. I tear the front door open and see that there are two centaur guards. Both of them have saddles slung across their backs with ropes hanging off. I guess that it's for them to hang bags off. "Good morning, Edmauel," I address. He nods in response. I hand him Bella's bags and quickly run inside to get my ones. Once I come back out, I hand them over to Yerialds. He smiles at me and ties them up to the saddle.

"Is there anything else, Ashley?" Edmauel asks. I walk inside curiously. Everything is gone already. I guess that Peter must've used the key from the mat again to come in and get everything this morning before his school visit. I walk back outside and shake my head.

"Nope, you two can go now," I tell them. They nod and run off into the beautiful, sunshine-filled forest. I look around aimlessly, enjoying the view for the last time. The Great River is a sparkling blue. The water must be freezing. Even though it's eleven am, there's still a smoky mist that hovers over the grassy floor. I walk inside slowly, drinking in the old cottage.

"Ashy, are we going?" Bella asks urgently. I look around the empty, wooden, living space and then back to her.

"Yes, I'll meet you out at the stable, okay?" She nods her head and runs out the front door. I walk into the lounge room slowly and look at the old fireplace, my eyes clouding over with tears. This cottage has a lot of sentimental value to me. It's been in my family for generations so to see it without all my little knick-knacks everywhere is a shock. I walk leisurely into the kitchen and let the tears fall down my face in rapid gushes. It's sad to leave this place. I walk back to the front door and take one last glance before closing the front door. I walk slowly towards the stable while drinking in my mother's favourite garden. It seems sad to just leave it here. I stroll over to Crystal and lift Bella up so that she can get onto her back. I wrap my arms around Bella in a protective posture before I take a deep breath in.

"Come on, Crystal. We're moving into Cair Paravel today," I tell her flatly. I'm having a difficult time deciding whether I should be sad or extremely excited for this move. Her ears suddenly perk up like mountains, causing Bella to giggle.

"I'm going to be living in the same stable as Midnight!" Crystal exclaims excitedly.

"Yes, you are," I promise her softly. She trots out of the stable at once. We stop just outside the front of the cottage for one last glance. The sunlight's hitting the old stones in just the right way causing the cottage to take on a reddish-brown colour. The bright-green, rose vines that climb up along the walls and surround the windows are all in full bloom. The red roses stand out brightly against the dark stone. I feel tears running down my cheekbones again.

"Ashy, why are you crying?" the inquisitive child in front of me questions. I look down at her.

"This house is really special to me. Our Great Grandfather built it from scratch, so there are a lot of memories in there," I explain, choking on tears. Bella looks down at Crystal.