Always || Edmund Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia) [1]

Chapter 25

While things were going well, Mary missed the Pevensies on most days. She knew she would eventually see them again, but she also wished she got to spend more time with them in Narnia a bit longer. It would have been nice to travel with them in this land, with them telling their tales from the Golden Age while Mary learned and explored. It was a shame that Peter and Susan said they would most likely never come back again when Mary was just starting her journey there. More than that, who knew when she would return to her world? And once she did, who knew when she would return to Narnia, then?

It was questions like those that made Mary despise being alone with her thoughts. And so, she liked to immerse herself in as much of her duties as possible.

Aside from relocating the Narnians into proper homes in contrast to living in hiding for the past hundreds of years, one of the first few tasks Mary and Caspian sought to was rebuilding Cair Paravel. On one of those days, Caspian stayed behind in the castle for a meeting with the representatives of Archenland while Mary and Reepicheep headed to the site of Cair Paravel where construction was ongoing.

"I do hope Cair Paravel turns out much better than the Telmarine castle," Reepicheep commented as they rode Mary's horse through the woods.

"What's wrong with the Telmarine castle?" Mary asked in amusement. Of course, she had never seen the actual Cair Paravel aside from its drawings in the books Doctor Cornelius hid from the other Telmarines over the years but were now freely displayed in the castle's library.

"It's cold. Quite boring, too."

"It does seem a bit cold," she laughed. "Can't forget that someone as vile as Miraz ruled there, too."

"That is correct," the mouse said, puffing his chest out. "Your Majesties deserve a brighter place to rule properly. That cold castle will only hold you back."

"I agree," Mary admitted. "But it's still pretty. The gardens make it more welcoming and the library has a warm feeling to it."

"Yes, but Cair Paravel is set atop a hill and overlooks the sea!" Reepicheep said enthusiastically, making grand arm gestures. He looked extremely insistent on making it known that the Telmarine castle was awful. "Now that's a recipe for a beautiful kingdom."

Mary grinned and had to nod in agreement.

"I think you're right, Reep," she said as the beach she landed in when she first arrived came into view. "As much as the Telmarine castle is fascinating, I'd love to stay in Cair Paravel one day with a view like that."

Mary had been down this route before, having gone many times to assess the progress of Cair Paravel's rebuilding. But, she had always gone with Caspian and a group of other advisers. Today, she had only gone with Reepicheep since the others were busy with different tasks. The valiant mouse almost always seemed to be in tune with her; he kept quiet for the rest of the trek, which Mary was thankful for since she found herself reminiscing the time she played on the beach with the Pevensies as well as imagining how stunning their old castle will be once it has been completed.

Mary and Reepicheep eventually made it up the hill where Cair Paravel was being rebuilt. The group working on its construction was quite an eccentric mix: esteemed Telmarine architects and designers, strong minotaurs and bears who could lift almost any load, and wise centaurs who gave insights on the best possible structure of the castle in the event of attacks or disasters since they had consulted the cosmos many times. Mary never thought she would see the day that they were all working together in harmony, but there they all were. It was one of the little things that told her that despite her inexperience and uncertainty, small steps were being made to bringing Narnia back to its glory.