The Dancing Lawn was a beautiful place; Ina had always known that. But there was a certain tension in the air tonight, an energy that she could not quite place.
Large oaks and cedar trees towered over her, their dark shapes stark against the star-strewn sky. Lamps of different shapes and sizes had been placed along the treetops and ledges, and they looked like huge fireflies from afar. Even the colours here seemed to shine brighter, as if they drew strength from the moon. The sight was breathtaking, but Ina could not fully enjoy the view. Not when the Narnians were looking at her with pursed lips and stiff shoulders.
Beside her, Caspian muttered, "What's taking them so long?"
"They have to wait for everyone. There are more Narnians left than you think," she said, sardonic.
Caspian was fidgeting. He seemed more on edge than usual, and that was saying a lot, considering that he had woken up in a strange place, discovered strange creatures and was chased by soldiers, all in one day. "I just wish they'd stop staring," he mumbled.
And they were staring indeed. Mostly at him, but at Ina, too. She'd heard whispers about her in the past few hours, saying that she'd brought the prince to the woods, that she was a Telmarine spy. Even those whom she'd been friendly with were throwing her furtive glances, and they greeted her with no more than a curt nod.
"Yeah," she sighed. "Me, too."
"What if they say no?" he said suddenly, his stare unfocused. "What if this turns ugly?"
Ina looked at him, and for the first time, noticed that his hands were trembling. "It'll be fine," she said. Empty words. She knew she couldn't promise him that. "They're... not going to kill you."
Caspian scoffed. "Comforting."
"And if they say no, we could just go home."
"And where is that for me?"
Caspian's words were quiet, but Ina caught them anyway. Her heart bled for him, and her face must've shown it, because he added quickly, "You don't have to answer that."
For a moment, she stayed silent. The emptiness in his voice, so like her own, astonished her. She wouldn't wish that kind of pain on anyone, especially not Caspian.
"I could show you how to steal," she said finally.
He faced her then. "Is that what you were doing in Telmar that night?"
"What? No."
His mouth twitched into the smallest of smiles. "You're a terrible liar."
A loud voice sounded just as she elbowed Caspian, so his cry of shock was mostly unheard. "My brothers and sisters," announced a centaur. Ina was surprised to see that it was the one who'd helped her out of the trap. The woman was young for a centaur and carried herself with a certain air of mischief, the kind that dissolved into the years. Ina caught sight of her green-gold eyes, and thought she'd winked at her.
"Welcome, and thank you for gathering here this evening," the centaur continued. "Earlier this morning, my companions and I discovered a young Telmarine who had entered our domain. We found in his possession the white horn of Queen Susan the Gentle."
"Thief!" bellowed a voice. It was soon joined by others, and all around Ina could see faces contorted in anger. "Liar! Murderer!"
"Silence." The centaur did not raise her voice, but it rang through the clearing anyway, reverberating through Ina's bones. At once, the din quietened. "We will allow him a chance to prove his case.
"Step forward, Son of Adam."
Caspian inhaled sharply and did as he was told. Murmurs soon rose among the Narnians, their noises angry and bitter. But they died down once the centaur raised her hand and clenched it into a fist.
When Caspian's eyes flicked to Ina, she gave him a small nod. "A close friend of mine gave me this horn the night my uncle tried to kill me," the prince began, squaring his shoulders. "He warned me not to use it except in the greatest of need."
"But you didn't listen," a satyr interjected. His name was Finnius, Ina remembered. "You used it on the night you met the dwarves, and that's why Trumpkin got captured!"
"Trumpkin was captured because he thought he could deal with the soldiers on his own," Trufflehunter retorted. "He has always been rash as he was brave."
"My apologies, Badger, but I believe you were asleep when the incident occured," sneered a wolf.
"Enough," the centaur rumbled. "Son of Adam, tell us why you have sought us."
Caspian swallowed, and Ina saw a muscle jump in his cheek. Despite his nerves, the boy's words were calm and measured, every inch the prince he was raised to be. "Lord Miraz—my uncle—seeks to take the throne by unlawful means. A throne that should be mine. I seek an army that will help me take it back."
Oh no, Ina winced as the crowd burst into jeers. Wrong words. Caspian was, perhaps, too princely. His calmness had come off as arrogance, a smug child demanding his right. The Narnians, full of rage from past sorrows as they were, were quick to catch on this.
"Your kind destroyed Narnia!" a bear roared. "We'd rather die than fight beside you!"
"I say we kill him!" a minotaur thundered, and was joined by a chorus of agreement. Ina felt her hand curve instinctively around her dagger hilt.
"All this horn proves is that they've stolen yet another thing from us!" To her dismay, Ina saw that it was Nikabrik who yelled.
Caspian's face was calm, but his voice wavered. "I didn't steal anything."
"Didn't steal anything?" another centaur hurled, her sword glinting dangerously. "Shall we list all the things the Telmarines have taken?"
"Our homes!"
"Our land!"
"Our freedom!"
"You stole Narnia!"
Caspian pressed on, his tone imploring. But it did little to sway them. "You would hold me accountable for all the crimes of my people?"
"Accountable," Nikabrik spat. A shiver of steel, and his dagger was in his hand. "And punishable."
Before she knew it, Ina was on her feet.
"Funny that you should say that, Nikabrik." She marched across the clearing towards the dwarf. He bared his teeth, menacing despite only reaching half her height. "Or was it not your ancestors who fought alongside the White Witch?"
"Do not speak to me about Narnian history, girl," he snarled. "I would gladly side with her again if it means getting rid of your kind." Ina saw that the others were glaring, but remained silent; they knew she'd spoken the truth.
"Then we're lucky that it is not in your power to bring her back," Trufflehunter said calmly. "Or are you suggesting that we ask this boy to go against Aslan now?"
A cry of dissent rose at that, and Nikabrik took a step backwards.
"Some of you may have forgotten, but we badgers remember well," Trufflehunter continued, "that Narnia was never right except when a Son of Adam was king."
At this, Nikabrik snapped. "He's a Telmarine! Why would we want him as our king?"
Another roar of voices, and Ina felt her heart sink. But Caspian eyes glowed instead, a new hope rising in them. "Because I can help you," he said.
"It's a trick!"
"At least hear him out!" a faun yelled. Kerissa. Ina made a mental note to let her win in their next game.
The muscle in Caspian's cheek feathered again—a nervous habit, Ina realised. She wanted to yell at the Narnians, tell them that the boy was not the evil they thought. But she knew she could not. This was Caspian's battle to fight, and his alone.
"Beyond these woods, I'm a prince," Caspian went on, careful—but not without fervor. "The Telmarine throne is rightfully mine. Help me claim it, and I can bring peace between us."
For a moment, no one had anything to say to that. The idea of peace between Telmar and Narnia was so foreign that no one would dare entertain it. Not until today.
The quiet was mercifully broken by Xanthos, leader of the centaurs. He stepped forward from the shadows, his imposing figure cloaked by moonlight, and Ina thought she had never seen anything more beautiful and terrifying.
"It is true," Xanthos announced. "The time is ripe. I watch the skies, for it is mine to watch as it is yours to remember, Badger," he said, inclining his head at Trufflehunter. "Tarva, the lord of victory, and Alambil, the lady of peace, have come together in the high heavens." Then, his gaze shifted from the vast skies above to Caspian, a mere mortal in the eyes of the gods. But the boy stood unflinching. "And now here, a Son of Adam has come forth to offer us back our freedom."
A sudden, squeaky voice sounded from the right, drawing both Caspian and Xanthos's attention. "Is it possible?" Squirrel, who was a squirrel, asked. For years, the Squirrel family had never bothered with first names. "Do you really think there could be peace? Do you? I mean, really?" He sounded like a hopeful child.
Surprise and intrigue chased each other across Caspian's face. "Two days ago, I didn't believe in the existence of talking animals," he admitted. "Or dwarves, or centaurs. And yet here you are, in strength and numbers that we Telmarines could never have imagined." There was a note of steel in his voice, conviction that Ina thought would be difficult to fake. She could only hope the Narnians thought the same.
"Whether this horn is magic or not," Caspian continued, raising the gold-and-white relic in a firm grasp. "It brought us together. And together, we have a chance to take back what is ours."
A flash of understanding passed between him and Xanthos. Then, the centaur said in his deep, glorious voice, "If you will lead us, then my sons and I—" he drew his blade in one swift motion— "offer you our swords."
What happened next sent goosebumps prickling over Ina's skin. One by one, the Narnians— those who wielded weapons—drew and raised them, but not to attack or intimidate. No, this was a sign of honor and loyalty.
Caspian stared, not bothering to hide his awe. He looked as if he couldn't believe this was real. Reepicheep marched forward, whipped out his sword, and swept into a low bow. "And we offer you our lives, unreservedly."
The boy remained speechless, but Trufflehunter did not allow the silence to prolong. "Miraz's army will be not far behind us, sire."
In a second, Caspian collected himself, lifting his head like the prince he was. "If we are to be ready for them, we need to hurry and find weapons and soldiers," he told Xanthos.
The centaur bowed his head. "Come with us," he said, and trotted away.
Ina took that as a sign that the meeting was over. The others filed out of the clearing slowly, the crowd thinning until there were all but a handful left. A lone silhouette remained in the middle of the clearing—Caspian. Ina made her way over to him.
"That went well," she drawled.
Caspian's mouth curved into a wan smile. "Better than I expected."
"You're lucky that Tambil man and the peace lady decided to meet up in the skies." She feigned a shrug. "Xanthos might not have believed you if they hadn't."
"It's Tarva, the lord of victory."
"Oh, look at that," she teased, folding her arms. "Someone did their homework."
He rolled his eyes, a corner of his mouth lifting. Then his expression changed to one of seriousness, and his voice dropped lower. "Are you... are you coming?"
Ina frowned. "Of course. Why do you ask?"
"It's just... You agreed to help me find the Narnians, and you have." He looked at her, eyes searching. "I wasn't sure how far you would come."
Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Ina paused to consider this. Truthfully, she hadn't thought she would come this far. She could walk away now, and Caspian would understand. She had already upheld her end of the bargain.
But if she left now... what would she be returning to other than thieving and drinking? Besides, Ina reasoned in her mind, it wasn't as if Caspian had gold to give her now.
"Don't be silly," she smirked. "You're not getting rid of me that quickly."