The Lost Legacy (#1)

The Prophecy

I slept peacefully for a few hours. It was nice talking to Caspian. It felt like we could be good friends and I knew that he felt the same way. I made a mental note to myself that I should find out why he couldn't sleep either. Maybe Nina's solution could work for him as well.

I went down for breakfast after I got dressed into a gown that Nina had laid out for me. She would have become upset if I hadn't worn it. As I entered the dining room, I saw Caspian and the Professor already waiting there. "Good morning." I wished them with a smile as I sat down.

"Good morning, Sophie." The Professor said.

"Good morning." Caspian told me and we smiled at each other.

"Ready for today's lessons?" The Professor asked me.

"I am." I nodded.

"Nina is making you wear them?" The Professor asked me, referring to the dress.

I smirked. "She is but I have to get used to it, I guess." Caspian was about to say something but then stopped.

All of us ate breakfast while we asked each other questions. The Professor asked me about my parents and I told him the same thing that I told Caspian before. "I'm really sorry." He said once again.

"Again, it's really not your fault." 

The Professor caught on to the 'again' and I mentally head-slammed myself. But the way he looked at us made me think that he already knew what I meant by that. Maybe Caspian had already told the Professor about his secret place.

After breakfast, the Professor and I went to the library, where I handed him the rolled up parchment in my hand. "What is it, dear?" He asked me as he wore his glasses.

"The assignment you gave me yesterday."

"How did you finish it so fast, Sophie?" He asked as he checked for the number of pages I wrote. "You've written for five pages. Front and back."

"I can't sleep at night sometimes." All the time, really. "I just sat down and wrote it last night."

"There was no hurry though. You had a week's time."

"I wanted to submit it earlier itself. I could work on something else." I stated as he set the assignment down on the table and kept some weight on it. "Can I please read the prophecy now?" I asked, joining my hands together.

"Yes, you may." He chuckled as he handed me a book that was opened to a page.

The page was illustrated beautifully along with a painting of a lion that covered the entire page. Inside a box at the centre of the page, the prophecy was written. I read it out aloud.

"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again."

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "And this was the prophecy that resulted in the defeat of the White Witch's reign."

"Yes, dear." He nodded. "But the first two phrases will always be true. Whenever Aslan has been seen, problems have been solved."

"He isn't seen much then, is he?"

"Not really, dear. Only very few people have seen him. I have had the privilege to be one of them." I noticed that whenever people spoke about Aslan, their eyes shone with a spark.

I nodded. "Professor, may I ask you something?"

"Yes, dear. You can ask me anything. Just don't ask me to play anything." He chuckled. "It's been a while. I may have lost touch."

"Okay." I smiled. "What is the Forgotten Prophecy?"

"I'm starting to wonder whether you're psychic, Sophie." He laughed as he sat down on his chair while I leaned against the table. "Now, that prophecy is a secret. No one has ever heard it."

"Does it even exist then?"

"It is said that it has been passed down orally throughout one Narnian family." He said. "No one knows the actual words of the prophecy. Only Aslan does."

"Aslan?" I asked, surprised.

"It was prophesized by him, Sophie." He said. "There are rumours that he made the prophecy when King Frank informed him that Queen Helen was with child."

"King Frank and Queen Helen had a child?" Interesting.

"There has never been any evidence of it. But it is believed that Queen Helen gave birth to their first-born before the White Witch attacked their castle."

I closed my mouth with my hands. "The White Witch killed a baby?" That information haunted me for the next few days.

"No one knows what happened exactly."

"What do you think happened?"

"As far as I remember it, it says that Queen Helen gave birth to a baby." He said. "Before the White Witch's attack, the Queen ran away with the baby."

"That would mean that the baby might've survived!" 

"It's just in theory, dear." He said. "I've been tracking down the oldest Narnians all my life. To solve the Forbidden or the Forgotten Prophecy has been my life's goal."

"Can I read it if you find it?" The chances were highly unlikely but I was really excited.

"If I find it one day, then yes, dear." 

"I have a feeling that you will find it, Professor."

"Thank you, Sophie."

There was silence between us. "What will happen if the child or its descendants are found?" 

The Professor removed his glasses. "If the child lives or the line of King Frank and Queen Helen exists, then it would mean that he, or she, is the true ruler of Narnia." My breathing stopped. "Not the Pevensies, not the Telmarines. That child."

Those words sent goose bumps down my back. I could feel the hair on my arms rising up. "Wow."

After my lessons got over, I went to bed early. I tried to take a nap before I went to the tower. I was successful in falling asleep and I slept without any dreams. When I woke up, it looked like it was just before midnight. Narnia was absolutely beautiful. The night sky was filled with more stars than my eyes could see.

I took a jacket with me as I made my way upstairs. I wasn't going to make the same mistake again. When I reached the door of the tower, I found it to be already open. And that only meant one thing. 

I put off the flame of the lamp that I was carrying and wore my jacket. I pulled my hair out and nodded once, taking a deep breath before entering the tower.