His Majesty, Her Grace - Prince Caspian Love Story

Chapter 7 - The Kings and Queens

Althea's POV

My heart is still racing as Caspian and I head to the Narnians that are waiting deeper in the forest. His cloak is warm and lightly drags on the ground since I'm several inches shorter than him. I wasn't actually cold at all, but I'm not going to explain the real reason for why I shivered earlier. That it was because of him.

We make it back to the group and all of the Narnians have arms full of Telmarine weapons. Caspian sends me a small nod, walking off towards Glenstorm while Trufflehunter comes back to my side.

"I believe these are yours." He says holding up my bag and daggers.

"Thank you." I smile, taking them into my arms.

"What happened?" He asks gently. I know he just wants to make me feel better, but I don't feel like talking about it. The thought of Miraz still makes me feel sick. Trufflehunter picks up on my silence and doesn't push the subject any further.

"I'm glad you're okay Althea."

He stays silent while I sling my bag over my shoulder. I wince as I wrap the belt holding my daggers around my waist, my arms and back sore from the shackles.

"Are you okay?" A voice calls, making me jump. Caspian is back beside me, still looking concerned.

"Yes, just a bit sore. Nothing to worry about." I answer and he nods.

An awkward silence fills the space between us.

"I see that you were able to win them over." I smile.

"Some, yes, but definitely not all of them. Nikbrik doesn't seem to like me very much."

"He doesn't really like anyone so don't take it personally." The awkwardness falls away as I laugh, but Caspian only smiles. He still looks upset or concerned, maybe guilty? He hesitates before asking me something.

"Are you sure that you're okay? I know my uncle can be very intimidating." He says, averting his eyes away from me. My hand instinctually reaches up to cover the cut on my face. It's quiet again for a moment. Caspian obviously feels immensely guilty, not only for what happened to me but probably for this whole situation.

"Caspian, I am okay," I say, trying my best to sound strong. He looks back at me. "And it's not your fault, none of this is. I told you before, don't blame yourself." He still doesn't say anything.

"Besides, I'm sure I look much more tough now." He finally cracks, his laughter making me feel better than anything else could.

"That you do."

The sun starts to rise and we continue to make small talk as we slowly pass other Narnians to get to the front where Glenstorm is leading the group. He explains that we are going to a place called Aslan's How, that it's a fortress of sorts where all the Narnians are. He starts talking about the stars when our conversation is interrupted.

A tall blonde boy steps out from a mound of dirt, his sword is drawn. Caspian locks blades with him before I can even process what's happening. The second their blades break free of each other, the blonde pulls back his arm and hits Caspian with the back of his hand. He goes to strike again but Caspian blocks his sword just in time. Their blades twist around, Caspian's being knocked out of his grasp. He staggers back, weaponless, dodging the swiping of his opponent's sword. He ducks and the sword gets lodged in a nearby tree. Caspian kicks him away and tries to pull the sword that's still embedded in the tree. The blonde starts scrambling to grab a large rock and that's when I finally snap out of my daze and step forward.

"No! Stop!" I yell, everyone freezes and looks at me. The blonde takes in the surroundings and realizes all the Narnians standing around him. He turns back to Caspian who's holding his sword out to him.

"Prince Caspian?" He asks.

"Yes. And you are?"

"Peter!" A voice yells and everyone turns to look. A girl around my age is standing next to a younger girl and boy.

"High King Peter?" Caspian asks, looking down at the sword, recognizing it as Narnian.

"I believe you called," Peter says sharply.

"Yes but I figured you'd be older."

"If you'd like, we can come back in a few years."

"No! It's alright." Caspian says. I look over and a small figure has emerged from behind the Kings and Queens. It's Trumpkin.

"Trumpkin?!" I shout and walk forward excitedly. His eyes flicker up to me and it takes him a few seconds to realize who I am.

"What the hell happened to you?" He grunts. I hear snickers behind me and immediately feel embarrassed.

"I'll tell you later. I'm just glad to see that you're okay." I mutter. Do I really look that beat up?

"We have anxiously awaited your return my liege. Our hearts and swords are at your service." Reepicheep says, coming forward.

"Oh my gosh. He is so cute." The younger queen whispers.

"Who said that?!" Reep yells, drawing his sword.

"Sorry."

"Oh. Uh. Your Majesty, with the greatest respect, I do believe courageous, courteous, or chivalrous might more befit a knight of Narnia."

"Well, we know at least some of you can handle a blade." At this snarky remark, I look to Caspian. His eyebrows furrow in annoyance as he wipes the blood away from his split lip.

"Yes indeed. And I have recently put it to good use securing weapons for your army sire." Reep says.

"Good, because we're going to need every sword we can get," Peter says, turning back to Caspian.

"Well then, you will probably be wanting yours back." Peter takes the sword and sheathes it without saying a word.

We all start to head to Aslan's how. Trumpkin falls into step next to me while Caspian is at the front with Peter. I look at the other Queens and King. The other boy must be King Edward. And the oldest girl is High Queen Susan so that only leaves Queen Lucy as the youngest. I turn back to Trumpkin and start vaguely explaining what happened. He seems unfazed for the most part except for the end. He looks relieved when I explain that Trufflehunter and Caspian had helped me. When I finish I ask what happened to him and he very briefly explains how he was captured and saved by the Kings and Queens.

"So? What was it like, being with the Kings and Queens?" I ask.

"Annoying, complainers, stubborn as mules in the morning."

"So you like them then?" I laugh.

"Well enough." He grunts. I turn to look behind me because I hear Queen Lucy and Reep trying not to laugh as well. Trumpkin leaves to go talk to Trufflehunter and I take the semi-alone time to try and straighten myself out. My hair does feel a bit messy so I put it into a low, half-braid.

"You don't look bad, don't worry." Queen Lucy says from beside me.

"Thank you, Your Highness," I say shyly. One of the Queens of Narnia just complimented me.

"Just call me Lucy." She laughs.

"Okay. It's nice to meet you, Lucy, I'm Althea."

"Nice to meet you as well. I'm glad that there's another girl around, even if you are older than me." I feel flattered by how friendly Lucy is being to me.

We start to approach a large clearing, and a large rock mound is on the other side of it. It's must be Aslan's How.

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Sorry this chapter feels a bit short but I hope you guys enjoyed regardless :)
I'm going to try to put out a few chapters next week, 2 for Christmas and 1 for the Saturday after.
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