Somebody Worth Coming Back To

New Friends

She came to with a groan, pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead. A hand clasped over her mouth, silencing her and she looked up to be met with Caspian's worried expression. There was a wood ceiling above them, so different from the one she had seen every morning for the past eight years. Her eyes flicked back to him and she realized she could hear voices, ones she didn't recognize as well as words she couldn't make out. She nodded slightly and he took his hand away. Siting up as h backed away she found she was lying on a pile of thick blankets, a makeshift bed. Caspian straightened from his crouch to walk towards the entrance to the room. Standing she followed and they peered into a space beyond that seemed to be a cross between a living room and a kitchen. With the feeling of cool dirt beneath her bare feet, Demetria realized they were beneath a tree. She shook her head and tried to focus on what they were saying.

"No, I said I'd take care of them." A man's voice, it sounded kind, wise and maybe a little stern. Clearly Caspian didn't hear it the way she did because he started shaking. Placing a hand on his arm she shook her head when he looked to her. "We can't kill them now, I just bandaged the boy's head. It would be like murdering guests." Caspian raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes. He looked back towards the room as they continued to listen.

"How do you think their friends are treating their guest?" Another voice, this one sounding like it's owners mouth was full of food and bitterness.

"Trumpkin knew what he was doing." The wise voice said, "It's not their fault." Before she could stop him there was the sound of scuffling feet and Caspian bolted. She stepped into the doorway to watch as he ran for the door. The dwarf, snatched up a sword before Caspian could reach his goal however.

"Stop! Stop!" The wise voice belonged to a badger who at the moment seemed to be trying to stop the fight. Caspian grabbed a fire poker and held it like a sword. The blade of the dwarf clashed with Caspian's makeshift weapon, once, twice three times. The badger continued to yell at them to stop then the dwarf paused, his blade aimed at Caspian, but his black eyes dartng back and forth, resting on each of them for a moment.

"I told you we should have killed them when we had the chance." He growled, and she swallowed her fear.

"You know why we can't." The Badger exclaimed.

"If we're taking a vote," Caspian never took his eyes off the dwarf, "I'm with him."

"We can't let them go." The dwarf said, "They've seen us."

"And who would believe us?" Demetria challenged him as he knocked Caspian back at the same time the badger yelled,

"Enough Nikabrik!" They all paused, "Or do I have to sit on your head again?" The dwarf, Nikabrik, frowned but lowered the sword.

"And you!" The badger looked to Caspian, "Look what you made me do." The animal bent down and began picking up pieces of a broken bowl. Demetria crossed over the short space and began to help, gathering up shards of the bowl. The woven rug was wet from the spilt soup.

"I spent half the morning on that soup." The Badger grumbled as he turned around to toss away a few pieces. But he nodded to her in thanks, she smiled slightly.

"What are you?" Caspian asked as she sat down on the step next to him. The words had barely left his mouth when she smacked him lightly on the back of his head.

"He's a badger Caspian." She teased, "He's a talking, bipedal badger. A Narnian badger and he is a dwarf. A black dwarf if I am not mistaken."

"But..." Caspian trailed off, "You're supposed to be extinct."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Nikabrik said and walked away, lowering the sword. He went to sit at the low table as Badger put two bowls of soup on the table.

"Here you are." He said looking to them, "Still hot."

"Since when did we open a boarding house for Telmarine soliders?" Nikabrik exclaimed and she glared but held her tongue.

"I am not a solider." Caspian said as he stood. "I am Prince Caspian. The tenth." They seemed to take interest in that, pausing for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" Nikabrik asked then looked to her. "Eloping with a village girl?"

"Hold up!" She threw her hands up. "I am not his girlfriend. He's my cousin. And we are running away, because Miraz, his uncle, wants the throne and for that to happen," She gestured to between them as Caspian put the poker where it belonged, "we have to die."

"Well that certainly changes things." Badger said and Nikabrik seemed okay with it all.

"Yeah, means we don't have to kill you ourselves." He said and returned to his soup. Demetria wanted to punch him. However she remained silent, choosing to study her fingernails instead of looking at the others.

"You're right." Caspian said and headed for the door, his movements arousing her curiosity and causing her to look up. He pulled the armor on as she frowned,

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"My uncle wants me dead." He said not looking her in the eye. So he was going to go get himself killed? Since when was he suicidal?

"But... you can't leave." Badger insisted, "You're meant to save us." Caspian froze, looking to Badger at the words then to her. She shrugged. She didn't know what he meant. Badger picked up the horn that the Professor had given Caspian. "Don't you know, what this is?"