The Lost Legacy

Chapter 12: A Day of Almosts

From the moment they returned from Galma, Sophie buried herself in books to keep her mind from blowing up with all the responsibilities that she had on her shoulder. The amount of treaty papers she had gone through in a week's time was what she would have studied at school for nearly a decade. It wasn't easy running a monarchy. 

She became so invested in books that she did not allow herself to worry about the future. In a way, she was preparing for any possible attacks.

First, she found out that she was a long lost princess - The Lost Legacy. 

Second, she was supposed to be ruling Narnia. 

Third, her parents didn't abandon her like she had been thinking all her life. They had saved her life by sacrificing themselves, which wasn't anything that a child could have asked for. This was the future they had left her with and she would honour them for it.

And finally to skip to the end of the long list - the return of the White Witch, the person who killed them.

Sophie read in several parts of the castle, and for a little bit of change to stop annoying people with my presence, she went to a secret place. Caspian had appointed two guards at her side until they could come to a decision about their Kingsguard and Queensguard. She requested them for privacy when she went to the one place that was special to her and moreover, to Caspian - the secret garden.

She sat at the edge of the fountain and read one of her favourite books there named 'The Tale of Two Lost Souls'. It was about a girl that was cursed to become a bird, but she fell in love with a dark-haired boy who would show her what life could be. Sophie wanted to get everything out of her head just for a few days. Nobody could have disturbed her there, except for one. 

Her flow of reading was interrupted when one of the doors opened up, making her grab her dagger instinctively. She placed the dagger back down when it was Caspian, and picked up her book from the ground, not having realised that it had fallen because her heart had picked its pace at the potential of any surprise attack.

He walked inside and sat beside her. "What are you reading?" She showed him the cover of the book. "Ah. It's a good book."

"What happened?"

"I simply wanted to see where you were. And how you were." 

"I'm here. And I'm good....I think. How are you?"

"I'm fine. As long as I am with you." He touched his forehead against hers.

"I'm glad." She smiled faintly. "I was wondering when you would be running towards the bushes."

He laughed. "Never going to happen," he said, brushing away a loose lock of hair from her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. He noticed the dagger that was close to her and raised his eyebrows at her.

"It's nothing." 

"Are you sure?" He asked as he took the knife in his hand and examined it.

"You know? That knife supposedly belonged to my mother. Trumpkin gave it to me during our training lessons. The first day actually." 

"Now you have two things of your parents," he said. "One of your mother's and one of your father's."

"I guess so." She touched the ring on the necklace.

The two sat in silence for some time. The gushing of the water was the only thing they could hear. "Sophie." "Caspian." They said at the same time.

"You go," said Sophie.

Caspian was unsure how to convey his concerns to her but he had to try. "Sophie. You cannot come to the battle. I cannot concentrate in the field if I keep looking out for your safety. You've never been in a battle before, and they can get quite ugly. I know that I will be looking out for you the entire time, not knowing whether....." he sighed, letting that negative thought go away from him.