Accidentally Falling | Narnia

45 | truths

"King Frank was the first and last King of Narnia. Before he came from another world-- the same world that you, my dear Susan, came from-- Narnia was a quiet land occupied by talking beasts and walking trees. It was overlooked by the Calormenes and the Archenlanders because they see it as cursed place. They are afraid to cross its borders for fear that a great lion might come bounding out of nowhere and swallow them whole." At this, the Emperor allowed a chuckle to escape from his lips. "They are afraid to conquer it (though, there is nothing to conquer) because they are afraid that their sons and grandsons and great-grandsons will be cursed by the animals-- or demons, they call them-- that lived there.

"But when Frank and his wife, Helen, came into Narnia through a portal, and the Narnians made them the First King and Queen of the land, Narnia grew into a bountiful and powerful land that even countries across the Eastern Ocean now looked at it with greed. But those countries knew they couldn't invade it. For they knew that my son and I had given the land our blessings and protection. And they knew that no ordinary man would dare to defy our wrath.

"But Jadis was no ordinary man. She was a witch. A White Witch with the ancient giants' blood running through her veins. She came into the land years after King Frank, for his arrival triggered another portal to open. A portal from the accursed and crumbling land of Charn to Narnia. The moment she stepped into Narnia, the moment she smelled its magical air, the moment she gazed up into its young and bright sun, she knew she had to conquer it for her own."

The Emperor trailed off, staring so deeply into the glowing pool that Susan could almost hear his eyes drilling holes in the bottom.

And then Aslan spoke, "When Frank heard of the talk of the Narnians about this White Witch from another world, he didn't care. For his wife had just died, living him to care for their twelve-year old son, and he was overwhelmed with grief. He couldn't think about anything else. And taking advantage of that moment of weakness of the King, the White Witch gathered her dark forces and ended his reign in only one tragic night."

"And no one survived." Susan said. She hated this story. Back when Peter was telling this to her and her siblings in one of their history lessons, she always cringe everytime she envisioned the scene where the White Witch killed King Frank in the bedchambers of his son. When the King heard the screaming in the courtyard, he knew that the Witch had finally come. So he fled into Prince Sebastian's bedchambers to protect him. But to no avail, she thought. They both died.

"Except Prince Sebastian." the Emperor said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Susan's jaw dropped.

Peter stared blankly at the Emperor, his expression mirrored Susan's.

But Aslan betrayed no shock expression in his cat-like face, Susan observed. If anything, his expression was close to anger. It was almost as if he had known that the history books were wrong about that night, Susan thought.

"I beg your pardon, Your Grace, but--" Peter spoke, his voice incredulous. "The Prince survived?"

"Yes, Peter." Aslan answered. "When the Witch casted her spell that killed King Frank, the Prince miraculously survived. But barely. Father whisked him away before the Witch could discover that he was still alive. By the time she found out that the Prince's body was no longer in his bedchambers, it was too late. The Prince was already here."

"And that is why I was cursed to remain here, in my country, because of what I have done." the Emperor said. "I broke the natural law to never meddle with the mortals' world."

"And it would seem that you have broken it twice, Father." Aslan said, his ever gentle voice was slightly mingled with a growl.

Peter looked at Susan beside him but she didn't look back. God forbid, she wanted to look back at him so badly but she just couldn't. Not after what happened in that Hall.