Raina couldn't sleep that night. She lay in her bed at Coriakin's mansion, beside Lucy, eyes open, mind wide awake. She knew that once she closed her eyes, she'd see it all again. He would make her relive it all over again.

Raina was strong, no doubt; but the strongest hearts are the ones who've felt the most pain. Pain, so exhausting, so agonising, that it doesn't seem as though it would ever pass. Think of the pain Raina felt when she finally wore her mother's ring. That was a necessary pain, a pain that helped her move on. It was a good kind of pain. Now imagine that pain gripping you in a vice, and not the good kind, it's the kind of pain that threatens to break dams, break everything in its path.

Raina knew she wouldn't sleep that night. As the hours passed, she stared at the high ceilings. Her eyes fell upon her mother's ring that rested snuggly on her finger. She carefully sat up, so as to not wake Lucy up, and observed the ring. She got to thinking; before those dufflepuds attacked them outside Coriakin's mansion, the pearl on this ring literally turned red as a form of warning. How did that even happen? Raina wondered.

The moonlight shone through the window, as the clouds cleared up. Raina slowly got out of bed and put on her cape, and crept out of the room. She took a deep breath and summoned a small flame in her palm and walked down the hallway. The effort she required for this seemed less somehow, and Raina wondered if it had something to do with her standing up to the Umbra Regem in her dream. Perhaps it was.

It was peaceful, as everyone was fast asleep. Raina found a balcony, bathed moonlight as she made her way to it. The glow of the fire fell on her face as she stood near the railing, and took in the calm scenery. Everything seemed okay for a brief moment. The Umbra Regem, her anxiety with Edmund, her grief with her family, the impending doom, everything disappeared for a moment, standing in the moonlight, watching the stars, and taking in the silence.

Raina felt a presence behind her again, as she shook her head and chuckled to herself.

'History loves repeating itself, doesn't it?' She commented, as she turned around. Sure enough, Edmund stepped out from the shadows, a sheepish look on his face.

'Okay, why were you hiding?' Raina asked, pursing her lips.

'I didn't want to scare you.' Edmund replied, with a smirk. Raina shook her head, and gestured to him to join her.

Edmund came up next to her and they watched the stars. The flame in Raina's hand fizzled as she dropped her hand.

'How do we always end up like this?' Raina asked, softly, still looking at the sky. Edmund turned to her slightly, as she maintained her gaze away from him.

'We should make this a regular thing.' Edmund proposed. Raina side-eyed him, eyebrow raised.

'Define 'regular thing'.'

Edmund now faced her, a small smirk on his face.

'Let's say, everytime everyone falls asleep, we can sneak out.' He said knowingly. Raina, who would usually get flustered and smack him, just observed him with an unamused expression.

'And whatever for?' She teased, as Edmund's smirk widened as he came closer. Raina stood tall, and a hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.

'Well..' He mused, as he leaned in close to her ear. Raina's heart was beating a million miles an hour, as her cheeks were heating up.

'Something like this.' He said in a husky voice. Raina shivered at the sensation of feeling his breath on her neck.

'Edmund..' She breathed as his arm went around her waist, pulling her to him. Their faces were an inch apart. They were so close they could feel each other's heart beats. 2.5 years later, two people who couldn't care about each other more were finally together. Two people who don't know how to admit it.

'Just like old times.' Edmund whispered, his forehead leaning against Raina's. His hand went to her face, marvelling in her beauty.

Old times..

Raina felt something inside her shift, telling her to pull away. Telling her this wouldn't end well. Telling her that she's hurt him and he will hurt her this time and she won't recover again.

Telling her she could never be worthy of him.

Raina gulped and moved away from Edmund's embrace, looking at the ground. Edmund looked deflated, hurt, and maybe even a little angry.

'Raina, what's going on with you?' He asked, concerned. Just as Raina met his gaze, Edmund felt his heart drop at the expression on her face; haunted, broken, and exhausted. The sparkle in her eyes was gone. It was dull, like a shadow was cast over her face.

'I'm sorry, Ed.' She whispered before power walking back inside, leaving Edmund to his racing thoughts.

********

Raina slept surprisingly okay. She didn't have any nightmares, probably because she got too exhausted. She cried herself to sleep, and even her subconscious got too tired to play tricks with her. The next morning she awoke to the sounds of Lucy and Caspian urging her to wake up.

'Raina, come on you lazy bum. How much sleep do you need?' Caspian asked, annoyed, just as Raina kicked him straight off the bed. He tumbled to the floor with a surprised yelp, as Lucy burst out laughing.

'I'll dump you in the ocean if you tell me to get up one more time.' Raina mumbled into her pillow. Caspian got up and straightened himself before gulping, hearing Raina's threat. To be honest, with Raina? You never know what's a joke and what's a threat.

'What's with the threats first thing in the morning?' Caspian joked. Eyes still closed, Raina's palm began to glow, as Caspian was now lifted up into the air, as he began flailing.

'AHHHHH!' He screamed, and that finally woke Raina up. She groaned dramatically, and sat up on the bed as she eyed Caspian flailing about in the air.

'Shut up.' She mumbled as she brought him back down.

'Raina, I thought you were weak, and you couldn't use much power...' Lucy commented, as Raina thought back to her dream wherein she stood up to The Umbra Regem. She sighed slightly as she faced Lucy.

'Well, let's just say I think I'm getting my control back.' Raina proposed as she sat up and stretched her limbs. Lucy eyed her curiously.

'Care to elaborate how?' Lucy asked. Raina sighed and turned to her and Caspian, who also looked intrigued.

'The short story is, I've been having nightmares and the Umbra Regem might have had something to do with that so I stood up for myself in a nightmare and he may be losing his grip on me.' Raina blurted out. Lucy and Caspian did triple takes, blinking in confusion.

'Wha- how what- when where-?' Caspian couldn't string a sentence together as Raina shrugged.

'Too much to explain. Let's go.' Raina replied, as she
walked out of the room, trying to avoid getting into details of her nightmare.

Raina power walked down the hallway, and found Coriakin in the library. She knocked on the door.

'Your Excellency! Good morning, I hope you slept well.' Coriakin greeted, kindly. Raina smiled in greeting, as she entered.

'Coriakin, please call me Raina. I did, thank you. How about you?' Raina replied.

'Well, I was up for the most part researching. This..' He gestured to the library around them. 'Is my home within my home.' He laughed, as Raina joined him.

'I can't say I blame you. I could be holed up here for days, reading every Jane Austen and Fitzgerald book ever written.' Raina concurred, as Coriakin looked at her, quizzically.

'Oh, never mind.' Raina dismissed it, as Coriakin sat down on a sofa and gestured to Raina to sit down as well. He turned to her with a serious yet calm expression.

'Alright Raina, I'm going to ask you some questions and I need you to be honest with me.' He explained, as Raina faintly tensed up. She nodded nonetheless.

'Ask away.'

'How often have you been having nightmares about previous traumas and present anxieties?' Coriakin asked. Raina kept her face impassive as she formulated her thoughts.

'Every night, except last night.' She answered, truthfully. Coriakin nodded, a tinge of sadness in his eyes.

'I'm sorry. I can't imagine how hard this must be.' He consoled her. Raina shrugged.

'It's fine.'

'Now, I shan't ask you what happens because that is personal. What I will ask is, has the Umbra Regem visited you in your nightmares?' Coriakin asked. Raina took a shaky breath before speaking.

'Yes, in some form or the other.' She admitted. 'But, I feel my strength might be returning, or I'm gaining back my control.'

'How so?' Coriakin asked, eagerly.

'In every other nightmare, he would lurk in the background or make me witness my worst fears like..' She trailed off, unable to speak. She squeezed her eyes shut, as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Coriakin hummed in response.

'Yesterday, when I passed out, I stood up to him in my nightmare. He tried to convince me of something, but I realised it wasn't real and called him out on it. I feel more in control now. I didn't have any nightmares last night.' Raina explained. Coriakin got up and walked to a shelf and pulled out a book, which looked to be very old. He returned to where Raina was sitting, and perused the pages. He came to a stop on a page which had some writing on it along with a sketch.

'Now, the Umbra Regem is widely believed to be a creature of shadow and lightning, but no one has really seen his true form. He takes on the physical appearances of various people in a person's life to drive them to madness and submission.' Coriakin explained.

'By taking on the appearances of people you love and care about, he makes your worst nightmares a reality, he fulfills your darkest fears, to force you into submission. It's chilling, really.' He continued. Raina was still because everything he said, it all made sense. It was what happened so far, but she was afraid that what the Umbra Regem was telling might turn out to be true.

'Coriakin?'

'Yes, Raina?'

'Has the Umbra Regem ever been right?' Raina asked, cautiously. Coriakin looked at her, confused.

'Right in what sense?'

'Hypothetically..' Raina began, trying to keep her voice level. 'If I were scared that I let go of someone I care about, that I don't deserve them, and in my nightmare the Umbra Regem displayed that, could it actually prove to be true?'

Coriakin looked at Raina, carefully. He kept a calm demeanour but he could tell the situation wasn't exactly in the hypothetical sense. He sighed.

'The Umbra Regem plays on your anxieties.' He stated. 'He builds on your fears and makes you face them and have you surrender. The nightmares and hallucinations you experience need not have any basis on reality.'

Raina was looking down, nervously fiddling with her fingers, tears building in her eyes.

'Then why does it feel so real?'

'Raina.'

She looked up.

'You cannot give in to him. That's his greatest strength. You mustn't fall for the hallucinations he puts you through.'

'That's easier said than done, Coriakin.' Raina stated. Coriakin nodded.

'I agree. But that doesn't mean it can't be done. Look..' He implored.

'You are Narnia's greatest hope, and the most fearsome warrior. You have more strength and kindness in your little finger, than most creatures do in their whole bodies. I know you are hurting, but the first step to move on is accepting it. Raina, unless you find a way to gain back control of your will, Narnia may never live beyond this battle.' Coriakin explained.

'Of course, acceptance of such grief and trauma takes years, but in the meantime, I can teach you how to access your power with less difficulty. It's also mind-based.'

Raina looked at Coriakin, curiously.

'How so?'

Coriakin stood up as Raina followed.

'Since you cannot adequately access your will, you must summon your strength with the help of your past memories. Do you have any experience with this at all?' Coriakin asked, as Raina mulled it over. She remembered how she managed to heal Peter during his duel with Miraz, the last time they were in Narnia.

'I do. So how do I do it?'

'First..' Coriakin began. 'Close your eyes, and envision that memory. It could be a happy memory, a sad memory or even an angry memory. Envision it in your mind.'

Raina nodded and closed her eyes. All her memories began to play like a flashback reel. Suddenly, Miraz's face came into focus, smiling evilly. Raina's nostrils flared as she recalled all of us treacherous actions against Narnia. Her chest heaved, as she felt something stir within her. She opened her eyes and felt them flash blue, and felt her palms glow. Coriakin smiled in approval.

'Very good. Now..' Coriakin raised his hand and formulated a rock out of thin air. It was large, the size of a boulder.

'Destroy this boulder. Crush it to smithereens.'

Raina turned her gaze to the boulder. She felt more in control of her strength, as she lifted her palms on either side of her, and directed her power to the boulder. Her arms formed a cross in front of her chest, and she jerked them to the sides, just as her power crushed the boulder with a loud bang. Debris flew towards her and Coriakin, as she immediately threw up a glowing shield, keeping them out of the line of fire. As the debris fell to the ground, Raina dissipated her powers. Her eyes returned to their normal colour as her palms stopped glowing. She waited for the exhaustion to hit, which surprisingly never did. She turned to Coriakin, eyes wide.

'In any other situation, I'd probably be passed out on the floor right now.' She said, surprised, as Coriakin chuckled.

'The Umbra Regem may sway your will, but he cannot have control over your concrete memories, and you can always use that to protect yourself and the ones around you. Never forget that. But you must focus, you mustn't let the Umbra Regem's false realities overwhelm you, because that is where you could fall.' Coriakin warned, as Raina nodded warily.

'So is that it? Is that how I get my control back?' Raina piped up.

'Well, not entirely. You will have a great degree of strength, but some powers such as your powers of life won't return just yet.' Coriakin explained as Raina looked deflated and groaned.

'UGHHHH why is this so complicated? How do I get that power back?'

What Coriakin said next chilled Raina.

'You must face your grief and trauma to gain your power back. To gain your will back.'

(A/N ahhh hello! this was an okayish chapter i think? it's going at a slightly slower pace because i want to establish Raina's connection to her powers, the Umbra Regem, which btw is 'the shadow king' in latin, very ingenious i know. i'm trying to build on that and create tension, before throwing an edmund into the mix haha. i'm rethinking cutting the chapter count down to 20. who knows, maybe it'll be 25 like last time too. let's see how it goes. i hope you guys are enjoying!!! i love you all and have a great day <33)

please vote on the chapter guys, it would really help my fanfic!!