Note: Well, it's finally here. I bet some of you doubted I would ever finish this story... I don't blame you, I almost doubted it too. Sorry about the long hiatus, hopefully it was worth it.

Year 5 of New Spring

Edmund gaped at the fourteen-year-old he claimed as his sister. Lucy had the brightest smile on her face while covered head to toe in various bodily fluids, most of which Edmund was trying very hard not to think about.

"You… what?"

"I made a new friend!" Lucy said.

"I got that part, but how… what… why…?"

The youngest queen giggled, and began her story.

Lucy breathed deeply as she and her mount made their way into the Western Wood. Though she was the most outgoing of the Four royals, even the youngest queen needed some time to just herself and her thoughts. Which is why she was riding in the predawn hours without her guard.

Her regular guards, a Cougar couple named Mirsad and Ira, had been skeptical when she offered to give them a few days off while she visited Mr. Tumnus. Unfortunately for them, there was no reason to doubt her intentions because it was well known that Lucy had an extreme distaste for lying. True to her word, the youngest queen had gone to visit her oldest and dearest friend; it was afterwards, while they were staying at his house, that she had slipped the watch of her temporary guards.

There was honestly very little need to be so vigilant anymore. It had been over a month since the Western Wood, and all of Narnia, had been completely cleared of the last of the Fell. She giggled as she recalled the aftermath of the final battle, when Peter had formally gifted the Wood to Edmund.1 The younger king's face had been a sight to be seen, and Lucy still felt giddy when she thought about it.

It was a very lovely Wood, and Edmund certainly deserved something like this. The only bother was the amount of 'silence'. Due to the high number of Trees and Animals who had pledged themselves to the Witch, without them there were large swaths of Wood that were uninhabited by any Narnian. It wasn't uncommon to travel for more than a mile in between seeing people, and even longer if one only accounted for the Trees themselves.

It was a sad state of affairs, but Lucy was hopeful that the Western Woods would be abounding in life after a few years. Until then she was thankful for the opportunity to get away from everything for a few hours to be alone with her thoughts.

A flash of gold on the edge of her vision had her pulling Cloud, her mare, to a halt. She scanned the forest. There, barely within sight, another flash of tawny gold, and she urged Cloud to walk in that direction.

"Aslan?" Lucy called. There was no answer, but just beyond the first sighting more gold flickered into view and gone. She kicked Cloud into a gallop.

She barely paid any attention to her surroundings as she was led deeper and deeper into the Wood. Even the rising of the sun was spared only a passing thought as the light made it easier to see her target. Not until she was nearly at the foothills of the mountains that separated Narnia from the Western Wild did she slow down, and that only because her guide had disappeared. She cast her gaze in every direction, trying to discern why she had been brought to this place.

An eerie quiet surrounded her. Neither Tree nor Beast stirred around her; the dumb animals were in hiding. Only the rippling of a nearby brook could be heard, and even that was muffled as if by a strange, foreboding spell.

Lucy jumped and Cloud shied. A cry like something between a scream and a bellow rang out in the silence. The hairs on Lucy's neck stood up. Cloud champed at her bit and shuffled in place, it was only long training that kept her from bolting. Lucy soothed her mare and dismounted, tying the reigns securely to a tree.

A few minutes passed before the cry sounded again, and the youngest queen made her way towards it. Father Christmas's gifts were a comforting weight at her side. Years of training kept her footfalls silent, not displacing even the tiniest twig or leaf.

Lucy followed the scream to the base of a large hill, where there was a crack between two boulders just big enough for a horse to squeeze through. She entered cautiously, taking a moment to allow her eyes to adjust before moving farther into the cavern. The sight she was met with elicited a gasp, for in the back of the cave was a Minotauress on her hands and knees, bawling in pain.

Usually it was difficult to distinguish a female Minotaur from a male Minotaur, the primary differences being the length of the horns and the width of the shoulders. However, there was no doubt as to the gender here. Lucy watched as the muscles surrounding a swollen belly relaxed from the most recent contraction; the Minotauress all but sagged against the rock she had scrabbled for purchase on while in the throws of labor.

Lucy took a step forward, and the Minotauress turned her exhausted gaze on her. "S-stay back!" she yelled, flinging an arm out in an attempt at aggression.

"Shh, I'm not going to hurt you or your baby," Lucy said, lowering herself to kneel on the floor. "Shh, it's alright. I'm Lucy. Can you tell me your name?"

The Minotauress eyed her warily, body shuddering from the ordeal it was going through. When the youngest queen made no movement, either to get closer or to leave, she said, "Damaris."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Damaris," Lucy said. "I'm a healer… well, and healer-in-training at least,2 and I would like to help you. May I come closer?"

The cow frantically shook her head, and Lucy held up her hands. "That's alright, shh, shh. I won't come any closer until you want me to. I have some supplies outside; would you like me to bring you some water?"

Damaris considered the offer for a moment, and finally nodded. "Yes... please."

Lucy smiled wider, and slowly got to her feet. "I'll be right back," she said as she backed out of the cave.

The short distance to Cloud was covered quickly, and the mare nickered a greeting and tossed her head. It was obvious she was not happy to still be in the area, barely calming even under Lucy's soothing touch. Grabbing her water-skin, Lucy turned to go, then paused. She considered the horse, who was already pulling a little on her tether.

Another bellow startled both of them, and Lucy winced at the pain Damaris must have been feeling. Decision made, the youngest queen breathed a prayer to Aslan and relieved the mare of her saddlebags, saddle and blanket, leaving only the bridle with the reigns cut so as not to snag. Having brought some sketching materials, Lucy dashed off a quick note that she tucked securely into Cloud's browband.3 She slapped the mare's rump and watched as she cantered off; with any luck, Cloud would make her way either to Mr. Tumnus or to the Western Outpost – both of which would bring the help she requested sometime between sundown today and mid-morning tomorrow. Worst case scenario would be if Cloud went all the way back to Cair Paravel, meaning Lucy would be stranded for four or five full days before help arrived.

Leaving the saddle, Lucy packed everything else – admittedly not much – into the saddle blanket and hauled it back to the makeshift birthing chamber. Not wanting to startle Damaris, Lucy called out her presence before entering with just the water-skin. She settled down in the same position she had been in earlier, the cow still watching her with thinly veiled fear.

"I have some water," Lucy said, showing the water-skin. "Here, I'm going to put it down in arms reach." She leaned forward, stretching as far as she could without moving her legs, and set the water-skin down. Only after she leaned back did Damaris reach out and take it, draining almost half of it to slake her thirst.

"This cave is pretty cold," Lucy said, "Which won't be good for the baby, will you let me start a small fire?"

With Damaris's permission, the youngest queen set about making a fire. It was near enough to the entrance that the smoke could escape, but not so far away that it wouldn't warm most of the cave. While she worked, Lucy kept talking.

"Where are you from, Damaris?"

"...The mountains."

"Ah, in the Western Wild, right?"

"Yes."

"You're pretty far away from your Herd, I bet they're worried for you."

"No... not likely."

"Oh? Why not?"

"I ran away."

The conversation paused as another contraction stole the Minotauress's breath away. Lucy coaxed a tiny spark into a flame and returned to sit just out of reach. When the contraction passed, Lucy asked, "What happened to make you leave home?"

The young cow looked away. "Nothing."

Lucy gave her a sad smile. "You know, I had to leave my home, too." Damaris gave the youngest queen her attention, so she continued. "It was several years ago. Our country was at war, and the city we lived in came under heavy attack, so all the children were sent away to the countryside where it was safer. I had to leave my mum, I don't know if she survived. My dad was already away, fighting on the front lines. It was just me and my brothers and sister, and I was so scared that we would be separated, too.

"Then, quite by accident, we made our way into Narnia. And though it was scary, and though we were split up for a while… we found a new home and a new family. It's not the same, it never will be, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Sometimes, I miss having a father and mother, but I have so much more now that it doesn't ache like it did those first few days away from home."

Damaris watched Lucy for a moment, then looked away. "I used to be part of the Iso Herd, which was one of the few who stayed neutral when the Witch began recruiting. We were loyal to neither Aslan nor Jadis. Everything was fine until a few years ago when survivors of battle against the Narnian army began to arrive. We accepted them, gave them shelter, and they… they began pressuring us to avenge them and their Herds. As more showed up, the discontent grew, especially as food began to run short and calves were born to parents where one was still loyal to the Witch and the other wasn't."

The Minotauress had to halt her story and allow another contraction to pass. Once it had, she continued, "I had just chosen a bull for myself. Boukratis wasn't the most powerful of the bachelors, but he was certainly enough to turn heads – mine included. I thought… I thought we were happy; he looked happy during the joining ceremony. But afterwards he wouldn't stop talking about 'raising a new era', and 'bringing back the glory of the Lady'. His friend, Dolion, one of the refugees, was always calling him away for 'important business' that he would not tell me about.

"Then I became pregnant, and Boukratis… he told me his plans. He and several others were raising an army – mostly of Minotaurs, but others were accepted – and they planned to be ready to strike at Narnia with an armed and trained force of over 15,000 in 12 years. By that time he wanted as many of his own get to be in the ranks of soldiers as possible. He… he was going to take my calf away after only four months! Then force me to have another right away.

"I appealed to Grandmother, who, as our Herd's Matron, could dissolve our joining and kick him out of the Herd, but she too had been swayed to give her allegiance to the Witch. She approved and commended their efforts to create an army in such a manner. I had no one else to turn to, so I ran away. I had nowhere to go, so I came here because I thought that they wouldn't chase me if I entered Narnia, and I knew the Lion would be more merciful than the Herd if I was caught."

Lucy longed to reach over and comfort the distressed Minotauress, but she kept her word to not come closer without permission. Instead she promised, "Damaris, you and your child are safe here. You are free. Narnia is your home now. No one here will take your baby from you, and we will not allow anyone else to either."

Damaris opened her mouth to say something, but it was strangled by a scream as another contraction hit. Lucy frowned. "Your contractions are getting closer together, please let me check your progress." Panting from exertion, Damaris nodded.

"Please do not go into detail, Sister!" Edmund begged, ears already burning from embarrassment.

"Childbirth is natural, dear my Brother,4" Lucy teased. "Someday, after you take a wife, you will witness it for yourself."

The king felt all the blood drain from his face, and he quickly sat before he could faint from being too lightheaded. "Don't talk about such things, Lu, please!"

"Alright, alright," Lucy said, laughter clear in her voice. She glanced over to where the healers were bustling about between the cave and the wagon she had requested in her note. They must be almost ready to move the new mother. "Suffice to say that, by Grace of Aslan, everything went smoothly, without complications. Damaris brought a healthy baby girl into the world, and both mother and daughter are doing well."

"Aye, Her Majesty should be commended for her performance despite limited supplies," said one of the healers, a Pine Spirit named Oleander. He bowed to the royals. "Both Lady Damaris and her daughter are in fine health; we are ready to move them now."

"Thank you, Oleander," Lucy said, "I feared that the environment and my inexperience would cause harm. Please proceed, we shall be there momentarily." The healer bowed and left the pair, and Edmund watched as Lucy seemed to crumble into herself a little.

"Lucy? Are you alright?" he asked, standing and pulling her into a hug.

She clung to him, tears wetting his shirt. "I'm… I'm so g-glad they're al-alright. I've nev… never been in… in charge of a b-birth before. I've as-assisted so man… many times, but..." She shook her head and let the stress of the past twenty-four hours pour out of her eyes. It only took a minute before she began composing herself, though; it wouldn't do for her to be a crying mess in front of her new friend after all.

Edmund held her until she stopped shaking. "All better now, Sister?"

"Yes," she said, pulling back and allowing him to wipe away the last of her tears.

"Good, because you were brilliant. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't been there. Now, it looks like Lady Damaris is almost done being settled into the wagon. Care to introduce me, M'lady?"

Lucy giggled and took his proffered arm. "Of course, M'lord."

As they approached, Edmund watched as the Minotauress pulled her calf as close as possible. Still, she let them draw alongside the wagon.

"Damaris, allow me to introduce my brother, King Edmund. Ed, this is Lady Damaris, formerly of the Iso Herd."

"K-king!?" Damaris asked. "Th-then you are…?"

Edmund swallowed back his laughter. It seemed his sister had once again 'forgotten' to include a certain title when introducing herself. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Damaris," he said, getting the poor cow's attention back on himself. "I have been informed of your plight and offer my condolences. Know that Narnia welcomes you and your calf, and you both will be Our guests at Cair Paravel until such time as you are able to find a home for yourself."

"I… I..." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty, thank you."

Edmund smiled then gestured to the newborn, "May I ask her name?"

"Elpis," she said. "It means Hope."

"It is a good name. May I?" He reached out a hand, and when she did not shy away he placed it on the sleeping child's forehead. "Elpis, Daughter of Damaris, may the Lion bless you, and keep you between His paws; may He shake His mane over you, and be gracious to you; may the Lion turn his face toward you, and give you peace, for all your days.5 Welcome to the world, Little One."

"Damaris stayed at the Cair for almost two years," Edmund said, "long enough to discover she had a green thumb as good as any Wood Spirit. She moved to a cottage on the edge of town and opened her own flower shop on Promenade Street. Elpis grew up absolutely taken with Lucy, and determined to do anything for her, so no one was surprised when she joined the ranks of knights-in-training at four."

"Four!" Caspian interrupted.

Edmund laughed. "Narnians all age at different rates. For a Minotaur, four is roughly equivalent of a seven or eight year old Man. It's why Pil and Tar were considered mature enough to be Susan's guards at only two: that's the same as late teens for a Man."

The prince blushed. "Oh, I suppose I should have realized that."

"It's not something you would be prone to think about while in the middle of a war," Edmund said. "Anyway, Elpis was knighted into the Order of the Sisterhood by Lucy herself once she came of age – eight by the way – and was one of her most faithful champions."

Caspian sat for a moment, soaking in the story. "That really is incredible. I wish that more stories of the Four's reckless mercy were remembered and passed down."

"I recommend talking to either the Badgers or the Centaurs, both have long memories," Edmund said. "And if there's time after all this is over, I'm sure my siblings would be happy to sit down with a few of them and go over what has been remembered and what has been forgotten."

"I'd like that," Caspian said. "But we have some time now, so..."

Edmund laughed. "Ask away, Caspian."

Ending Notes:

Damaris means "cow, heifer"

Boukratis isn't technically a name, but comes from Bous meaning "cow, ox, bull" and Kratos meaning "power"

Dolion means "crafty, deceitful, treacherous"

Oleander means "an evergreen tree"

All the names are Greek in origin, which I thought fitting since the Legend of the Minotaur originated in Ancient Greece (granted it was about the Minoans on Crete).

1. I haven't fully committed to making an entry explaining the titles of Duke/Dutchess and Count/Countess, but this is my take on how/why Edmund is Duke of Lantern Waste and Count of the Western March. Let me know if you want me to expand it into a full story with the other three as well.

2. I, and it seems most people, believe that it is fitting for Lucy to learn healing and medicine due to her being gifted with the cordial. Though the process to become a Narnian healer is probably extremely long and difficult - since one has to account for hundreds of different species - and Lucy has her duties as a Queen on top of that, so it would likely take her close to a decade or more to become a fully trained healer even if she started right away after her coronation.

3. A browband is a strap of the bridle that goes across the horse's forehead.

4. If I could remember where I saw/read this I would give full credit to the author. Unfortunately, it's been a few years. Anyway, whichever author it was gave an adorable lingual quirk to the Narnians so that they say "Good my Cousin" instead of "My good Cousin". I decided that I loved it too much not to include, and expanded on it slightly.

5. If any of you have heard a pastor/preacher/evangelist/missionary give a traditional blessing to a congregation, then these words should sound familiar. It comes out of the Bible, Numbers 6:24-26. I just changed some of the wording to be more Narnian.