[one: birth]

The lingering light was obliterated by the rapidly falling night. The once salmon and purple sky transformed into a vast expanse of jet-black that engulfed the town. A canopy of luminous stars materialized among the ocean of blackness. Some were dull, merely flickering into existence every now and then, but there was an adequate amount of shimmering stars to illuminate the dark, moonless night. The lake glistened, mirroring the dazzling assemblage of glittering stars and the luminescence from the people's houses that held their lamps that offered sufficient light on a night like this.. The faint wind brushed against the water's surface, the ripples ruffled the stillness of the surface, and shattered the reflection of the harbour. 

A castle stood sentinel on a hill, one that those from the Golden age wouldn't recognize as it was infested with man made devices rather than the natural Narnian soils that had been plucked and removed many years ago. The castle was dark, silent even except from one light that emitted from the Queens chamber - screams erupting as shadows dance around the room. The Queen Prunaprismia screams heavily as beads of sweat trickle down her forehead, midwifes around her trying to soothe the Queen as she suffers in a terrible labour that would be the beginning of the future to come. At the back of the room stood a victorious Knight, Glozelle, who watched as the Queen struggled until the babe was placed in her arms, his cries only hardening as he stares at his mother. Glozelle meets the Queens eyes before he bows and walks outside the room - where the King is spotted, waiting patiently for the news of whether the heavens had blessed him or not.

The King turned solemnly as he stared at Glozelle, his eyes pressing for the news as he heard a baby's cry in his wifes quarters - his eyes darting from the room back to Glozelle as he waited for the news a little less patient than he had been a few moments before. 

"Lord Miraz, you have a son." Glozelle muttered as he bowed to the King, whose face held a wicked smile as he turned to the Knight.

"The heavens have blessed us." Miraz said happily before turning to look at Glozelle, a stern look in his eyes but a wicked smile on his face. "You know your orders, General Glozelle."

"Yes, my lord." Glozelle muttered before he bowed again and retreated down the corridor - his commands clear in his mind.

A Telmarine soldier paces the hallway towards a door slowly, his motive clear as soldiers follow behind him in hopes of getting the Kings job done quickly . Unbeknownst to them a cloaked figure quietly sneaks into the chambers of a Prince, pulls the drapes away, and places his hand over the Prince's mouth. Prince Caspian X awakens startled, and looks up to the man in question and his face relaxes as he stares towards his teacher Doctor Cornelius, identifying the mans motives immediately - or so he thought.

"Five more minutes." The Prince murmurs as he tries to bury his face back into his pillow, hoping for a little more sleep before his weekly star gazing lesson with Cornelius.

"You won't be watching the stars tonight,my prince. Come, we must hurry." Cornelius murmurs as he quickly pulls Caspian out of bed and to a wardrobe in the corner of the room much to the young boys confusion.

"Professor, what's going on?" Caspian asked quickly, trying to make sense of the situation before Cornelius tops his and turns Caspian to face him, a pained and panicked look in his eye.

"You're aunt has given birth... to a son." He whispers and Caspian's eyes widen in realization, panic filling his mind as his life hangs on a cotton thread - his uncle wanted him murdered.

Doctor Cornelius quickly steps into the wardrobe, and Caspian follows. He leaves the door open just a crack, and looks out - temporarily hiding them from the soldiers that were destined to enter the chambers in mere moments. Suddenly Glozelle and his men barged into the room and surround Caspian's bed, armed and ready as they begin firing arrows in hopes of getting the job done but after mere moments they see that the bed is empty. By this time Caspian and Doctor Cornelius were already racing down a winding stairway to the stables where Caspian finds a sword and gets onto his horse, Destier in hopes of a swift escape.

"You must make for the woods." Cornelius cautions and the young Prince's eyes look at him in confusion, the idea of the woods haunting his mind based of the Telmarine horror stories that were told to him as a young child.

"The woods?"

"They won't follow you there." Cornelius assures as he hesitantly hands a wrapped object to Caspian, who looks down to the object in confusion before meeting his teachers eyes again - which were a little teary at that point. "It has taken me many years to find it. Do not use it except at your greatest need."

"Will I ever see you again?" Caspian asks hesitantly and watches as Cornelius smiles at him, a singular tear dropping from his eye as he looks to the Prince with a soft but pained smile. 

"I hope so, my dear prince. There is so much I meant to tell you. Everything you know is about to change." He warns before soldiers footsteps and shouts could be heard in the distance, panicking both Cornelius and Caspian as the older man tuns to the Prince for the last time. "Now go!"

Caspian swiftly rides away as Doctor Cornelius looks on after him, hoping for the Prince's safety in the near future. Caspian rides Destier through the courtyard swiftly and knocks over a soldier as he flees. He crosses the drawbridge as Destier stops and Caspian looks back at his home for the last time, fireworks lighting happily. The fireworks are chaos and predictability - their explosive gifts finding their own time and space to own. As they do, Caspian spectates for a moment seeing their blazing trails arc above. There's something about them that warms his even in the cold, as if their stray sparks passed into his blood as he thinks of his cousin but it is replaced with panic as he hears screams from the castle itself.

"Prunaprismia has blessed Lord Miraz with a son!" Someone announces and Caspian takes that as his chance to flee as Destier turns as they ride towards the woods.

Telmarine soldiers on cavalry quickly ride in hopes to pursue Caspian as he ventures closer towards the woods, a place where no Telmarine would ever like to tread. The Prince soon reaches his destination and rides into the woods. Unfazed by the Prince's movements, Glozelle enters after him but the others hesitate, staring up at the trees in fright. Unamused by the situation Glozelle rides back to them with a stern look upon his face as he looks towards his soldiers in hopes to intimidate them - and being successful with it.

"Which of you superstitious old women would like to spend the night in a cell?" Glozelle asks in a threatening tone as the soldiers eyes widen and they pursue forward as they all enter the woods. 

In the midst of it all Caspian safely crosses a river with no worry at all, the very thought of capture keeping him going as he hurries Destier forward. When the soldiers attempt to cross the bridge, the stars seem to align as one of them is washed away - as if the tide itself had caught them by the waist and stopped them from going forward. Caspian looks back quickly and doesn't see them and sighs in relief for a moment. That is, until he turns forward. When he looks forward again, he sees a branch ahead of him - too late. Caspian hits the branch at full force and is instantly knocked off his horse and dragged away from the scene - himself not being able to see who was dragging him. After a struggle, he finally manages to get his foot out of the stirrup and then in the midst of it all he lies therefore a while and catches his breath before he sits up. He looks around warily for a moment before a sigh of relief escalates from his features and a smile emitts from his face.

But that wouldn't last for long.

Suddenly, a door in the tree on his right opens and two dwarfed figures step out and notice Caspian - their eyes wide as they eye the Prince and draw their weapons for self protection.

"He has seen us!" One screams as the other draws his sword and runs toward Caspian. Then, seeing the horn, he stops and eyes the Prince warily. The dwarf then looks over and sees the Telmarine soldiers approaching and his eyes widen before turning to his companion with a sad but determined look.

"Take care of him!" He demands as he rushes towards the Telmarines with his sword drawn and ready to battle for his life. However whilst the dwarf is distracted, Caspian grabs the horn from his bag before lifting it to his lips - sweat beading down his forehead as his eyes wander to the dwarf whose eyes are trained on his for a moment as he runs forward to retrieve the horn.

"No!" He screams as Caspian blows the horn into the crisp air, the sound echoing through the woods as the dwarf only looks at Caspian in a daze for a moment before lifting his weapon to the distracted Prince.

And then he hits him and his body falls into the earth.