"Grab your cloak," Caspian stood in my doorway. A dark cloak shrouded half of his face until he pushed the hood back to reveal his kind eyes.
"You scared me," I startled, throwing the covers off of my legs and jumping off the bed, "Where are we going at this hour?"
"It's a surprise," Caspian's eyes twinkled as he watched me tie the strings of my cloak under my chin.
A lantern tapped against his leg casting a golden glow on the wooden floor beneath him illuminating him in a puddle of light. He reached his hand out to me and I slipped my hand into his as he whisked me out of my room. Caspian pulled me into alcoves when we thought we heard servants and nobles coming close by, not because he was some child who had a set bedtime, but the thrill of not being caught was too enticing.
Our kiss out on the waves had been spotted by a stray servant, but it flitted through the castle as every rumor did. At that point, gossip had spread that I had been courting every man that inhabited the castle. Caspian's name had been thrown into that pot so many times already, it was hard for courtiers to tell fact from fiction, so our precious secret stayed one, for the sole reason that we relished the delicious danger of it.
We fled across the fields, hands entwined, just the flicker of lantern light like a beacon in the darkness as Caspian navigated the heavy shrubbery of the forest. Only the sound of our feet and the metal of the lantern clanking filled the atmosphere as we disappeared into the night.
"You're really not going to give me a hint?" I said breathlessly, as I kept up our exhausting pace.
"Not even one," He threw a fiendish grin back at me.
"Taking a poor woman into the woods alone at night? Some might say your intentions are wicked," I said as Caspian slowed our pace.
"I always have wicked plans for you," He said whispering in my ear sending shivers down my spine, "But that will have to wait till after."
Caspian pulled me into a clearing where a large pool of water flowed in small ripples underneath a waterfall that tumbled over a cliff. The water was clear and the full moon reflected off of its surface like a candle in a mirror. Something about the clearing seemed untouched as if it had never had human eyes set upon it before.
"What is this place?" I said, turning in a small circle.
"Ingermis Cove," Caspian's gaze caught mine, "They say this is where the first water nymph was created."
"I thought all creatures were created at the time Aslan brought Narnia into being?"
"Most everything was, but nature has a way of creating what it needs at the right time too."
Caspian threw his cloak on the ground and motioned for me to sit beside him, "The first nymph, Opiris, was born from a maiden crying into this very pool. The maiden was heartbroken over her lover that died in the war. A lover she would never hold again."
"How devastating...but if only one was created how are there so many now?"
"It's a long story," Caspian looked at me out of the corner of his eye, "I'm assuming you don't want to hear it?"
"Of course I want to hear it," I said nudging his shoulder with mine.
"When the maiden cried into the pool, the power of the memory in her tears combined with the water in the glade formed Opiris. She was sewn from a love-lorn woman, so naturally, her desire was to be loved deeply," Caspian gestured to a willow that's leaves gently caressed the water, "Opiris began to talk to a dryad that lived by her pool. The dryad's name was Anthe, and they became fast friends. For hundreds of years, Anthe's leaves dipped into Opiris's water and they say you could hear their laughter in the rush of the waterfall and the whisper of the willow's leaves."
"Where are they now? Do they still inhabit this area?" I said looking up at Caspian, the moon illuminating his face in hues of silvery-blue.
"No, they don't," His face became downcast, "Opiris grew to love Anthe in their time together, and Anthe harbored the same feelings for her as well. If someone happened upon the cove during that time, they would probably find Opiris braiding Anthe's hair or Anthe laying on the bank watching the ripples of water echo around Opiris. Narnia soon went through a hard season, and Anthe's tree began to grow sick with a disease from drought while Opiris's waters began to dry up. Nymphs can find a new body of water, but dryads are bound to their tree, so Opiris stayed with Anthe as long as she could before she would have to move on for her own survival."
"They fell in love only to be separated. How tragic..." I gazed off into the pools of water expecting to see the ghosts of the past there before me.
"Opiris prayed to the gods every night to let her and Anthe become human for one night so she could hold Anthe once before she died."
Caspian laid himself back on the grass, and I laid my head on his chest, a tremor of cold in the summer night sent tingles across my skin at the thought of being in Opiris's shoes, to have a love that was destined to be lost.
"One night, as Opiris sat in her glade crying out to the gods she felt her hands of water turn into flesh and bone. The coursing water of her hair became silky and her legs firmed to be able to walk and dance on the land," Caspian's hand traced up my arm and over my hair as he described Opiris's transformation.
"Did she get to be with Anthe that night?"
Caspian glanced down at me as his hand continued to smooth over my hair, "She did. She and Anthe gained their bodies and Anthe laid beneath her tree, her breathing was unsteady, and Opiris laid her head in her lap. She began to wonder if this was all worth it if only to see her lover die a slow death," Caspian pulled me closer, "Opiris had one last request for the gods as Anthe struggled for breath in her lap. She asked that they let her become water so that she could water Anthe's tree."
I sat up beside Caspian, looking down at him incredulously, "Surely the gods let them both live?"
"Opiris dissolved into water once more, watering Anthe's tree. Anthe's tree did come back to life, and in Opiris's sacrifice, the gods let a great rain that came down that filled the glade again. From that came the rest of the water nymphs-born from Opiris's sacrifice," Caspian raised up beside me.
"That's a tragic story," The willow tickled the waters of the pool as if their souls still lingered there, "Is it true?"
"All stories have a little truth to them," Caspian said, shrugging his shoulders.
"What became of Anthe?" I asked.
"Her tree flourished, but the soul of the tree, Anthe, died. So now, the willow is just a willow," Caspian said with a wave of his hand.
"You brought me all this way to tell me a tragic love story?" I said, wiping tears out of my eyes for the two lovers that never got the chance to know joy in each other's arms.
"No, I brought here because of the gods promise," Caspian's eyes twinkled, "The gods grant all nymphs and dryads one night a year, under a full moon, to be human in honor of Opiris and Anthe's great love to each other, and they celebrate here in this glade."
Out of the shadows, stepped dryads and nymphs in human form. They looked like creatures of a different world. Each one of them would pause occasionally to examine their hands and toes with an expression of glee and wonder.
A dryad off to the side, recognizable by the cherry blossoms woven through her dark hair, threw herself into the arms of a strong, young nymph and kissed him on the lips, "I just wanted to know what it'd feel like." She said, casting her gaze down at her feet before the nymph pulled her back in.
Mixtures of dryads and nymphs acted upon their impulses just as the other young woman did. For they had one night to know what it felt like to have grass underfoot and the feeling of a kiss on their lips.
"They all seem so excited," I remarked looking around the glade as creatures poured in with varying demeanors.
A young nymph sat down and began to sing and other voices joined in a jolly melody that had all those present beginning to dance in a circle. They all seemed so young, yet I knew they could be thousands of years old, yet not bear the lines of age.
The air was crisp with magic. Goosebumps ran up and down my arms as we watched the lively group celebrate their moment of humanity. A moment to feel the tragic feeling of what it's like to be human and vulnerable. Mortality is a death sentence for most, but to them, that night was a godsent gift.
A nymph ran over and extended her hand to me and I placed mine in hers, letting her pull me into the fray. We skipped and pranced through the circles as I tried to keep up with the fancy footwork that those around me were laying out. Hands grabbed mine swinging and twirling me in dizzying circles.
Through each twirl and gap between the bodies, swaying to the melody of voices, I could see Caspian sitting back on his cloak mesmerized as my hair slowly unwound from my braid, becoming free in the fracas.
Caspian's eyes were like searing coals from a fire that had simmered down to just a glow. You could lay your hand on the coal for just a moment before getting burned, but the heat felt good; inviting. He pushed his way through the merrymakers and wrapped his hand around my waist.
"Hello," He said, a small smile on his face. He was only a breath away from me. A slight move and our lips would be pressed against each other.
"Thank you for bringing me here," I said slipping my hand into his guiding hand.
"I hoped you'd connect with the history of Ingermis," Caspian nodded his head at the merriment taking place around us.
"I think it's important to understand the tragedies of the world. It makes the happy moments that much sweeter."
"And you...are you happy?" Caspian asked, his eyes melting with sincerity.
"Yes...I am," I beamed up at him, "I'm happy."
"I would have to remedy that if you weren't, you know," Caspian raised an eyebrow and looked down at me.
"I'll keep that in mind if I ever find myself unhappy. A key to the treasury would solve it rather quickly though," I laid my head against his head and laughed as he shook his head in mock disappointment.
"You would say that," He pressed a kiss to my forehead.
We swayed in the midst of the dryads and the nymphs that orbited around us like we were a maypole and they were decorating us with their ribbons.
"I do believe the last time you danced with me, you announced your undying devotion to me," He laughed, as he continued to move us in a slight sway.
"Did I? That doesn't sound like something I'd do," I said, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Maybe undying devotion was a strong way to put it, but you did kiss me back when I kissed you," Caspian twirled me, bringing me closer to his chest.
"Now who's the one that's announcing their undying devotion?" I laughed, nodding my head as the music of the nymph's voices slowed to a sweet and lilting tune. Their voices could have been mistaken for a melody on a breeze; for that is what their voices are in their true form
"You have it," He mumbled onto the top of my head.
"What?" I tilted my head back up so I could see him.
"My undying devotion," Caspian leaned his head back to look me in the eyes.
Words escaped me as I watched his eyes examine every part of my face as if he were a curator and I was the oil painting he'd been tasked with preserving.
"And-" I began to say.
"Through the tunnel you two!" A dryad came and pushed us into a line of dryads and nymphs clasping their hands across from each other to form a tunnel. Caspian and I ducked through the tunnel as we laughed together. The words that hadn't left my mouth tasted sweet on my tongue. Confessions, whether sweet or burden-lifting, have a way of lighting the spirit. One day those words on my tongue would take form, but in that moment confessing it to myself was like an elixir of life.
The merriment sweetened the air as Caspian's words clung to me like the mist in the morning. Every touch of his hand on my waist sent warmth all over my body. Every word he uttered like a holy text. As the glade become more and more crowded, we moved closer to the outskirts of the gathering letting the revelers lose themselves in their freedom.
"These are the moments Opiris should have had with Anthe," I mused, leaning against a tree watching stolen kisses mingle with the dancing in the cove.
"They call this particular full moon the Lover's Moon because of them," Caspian said bridging the distance between the two of us; his hand sliding into cup my cheek, and then to the back of my neck.
"It's as big of a moon as I've ever seen," I said, fixating on the bright, silver luminary in the sky.
"If you kiss under the light of the Lover's Moon, they say you will be blessed with good fortune," Caspian said, his lips inches from mine.
"I could use some good fortune," Our mouths fell together softly at first. The press of his body into mine sang of a different kind of need as his right leg pushed in between mine pressing right into the growing warmth between my legs.
His mouth traveled to my jaw and then down my neck, his kisses punctuated by the wetness of his tongue sweeping over the tender skin. My arms twined around his neck as he elicited small moans of pleasure without even an item of clothing needing to be removed.
One of my hands pushed into his hair as the other grasped his shirt, as he held one of my legs around his waist so that he could angle his leg harder against my growing wetness. His mouth praised my neck as I ground against his leg, feeling myself pulsate through the fabric that separated us.
The revelers were beyond the treeline unaware of what was taking place in the shadows of the trees. One of Caspian's hands began to hitch my skirt up as my hips keened for the pressure of him against me once more.
The sound of hoofbeats and cries of dryads and nymphs clearing the area startled us out of our haze. Royal guards had ridden into the clearing calling out for Caspian, their eyes desperately searching the shadows for him.
Caspian pulled my dress back down and smoothed a hand over my hair before taking my hand and pulling us back into the confines of the glade and out of our little world. Where moments ago merriment and joy had taken place, there was only emptiness and the sounds of the guard's horses chuffing.
"What is it?" Caspian's eyes darted between the two guards, "What's happened?"
"I don't know all of it, Your Highness. Peter called for us to find you and said to bring you back immediately, and that you might be here," A young guard said.
"Well," Caspian cast a glance at me, "then we must go immediately."
Caspian's horse was tied to the bridle of the guard's. He lifted me onto the leather saddle in front of him and we took off for Cair Paravel. Caspian broke off ahead of the other riders intent on our destination. I could feel his fear in every sharp intake of breath, shaky exhale, and unsteady beat of his heart. Uncertainty is evil in itself. It provides no resolution and cares not for how it can make peace dissipate with a snap of one's fingers.
As the castle came into view, the city gates were thrown open and soldiers poured out on horses and foot calling out a name that was garbled in the fray. Caspian urged our horse faster as we flew past the high walls of the citadel towards a secret entrance that led into the castle grounds.
We dismounted as we slipped through the doorway and into the eerie quiet of the fields that surrounded the castle. Each step into the dewy grass felt as if it would set off some watch guard that would alert the tempest.
As we crept through the fields, closer and closer came a small circle of people crowded around something we couldn't see. From the outside, muttering and the occasional sniffle slipped from the group.
"What's happened here?" At the tone of Caspian's commanding voice, the group broke apart revealing Morgan on her knees clutching a tattered, white cape with entirely too much blood poured over it. More gruesomely, a single, detached hand-laid off to the side.
"It's Lord Destrian, Your Highness," A young squire said, stepping forth, "Some servants heard someone cry out in the field and we found this..."
Morgan's eyes looked haunted. Her hands and dress took on a crimson stain as she clutched the bloodied cape to her chest. In some moments, it was as if she remembered what she was doing there and the storm of emotions would cloud her face only to dissipate back into disillusion moments later.
"Morgan, he could still be alive," I kneeled beside her, hoping to get her to relinquish the bloodied cape, 'They wouldn't be sending out soldiers if they thought he was dead."
Her eyes snapped to mine and anguish bled from them like a star exploding in on itself, "They're trying to find his body. Anyone who thinks he could have survived this attack is mistaken."
"They think it to have been a wild animal, My King," The same squire said, sidling up to Caspian.
"We haven't had reports of feral animals being near this region in years, much less to have attacked, and possibly killed someone," Caspian said running his pointer finger over his lower lip in thought.
"What are you suggesting?" I said, peering up at him.
"Nothing so far. Just that we must proceed with caution if a feral animal is running loose on the grounds," Caspian knelt to the grass hands hovering over the blood-soaked ground, "No drag marks."
"Caspian," I hissed inclining my head to Morgan who was still lost in the heady sensation of grief, "Not now."
"Where's Peter?" Caspian said, pushing himself back up to his feet.
"He's leading the recovery efforts, Your Highness," The squire said.
Caspian and I shared a look. The animosity between Peter and Lord Destrian was no secret, and for him to be galloping through the forest searching for the man who has defamed him and belittled him at every stop came as a surprise.
"Peter is?" Morgan said coming to her feet, letting the bloodied cape sink to the ground.
"Yes, My Lady," The squire said with a brief nod of his head.
Morgan looked to me sorrow bleeding in with surprise, "Did he say why before he left?"
Peter and Morgan still had not exchanged any words since the previous incident. The only interaction that had taken place in the past week had been longing looks cast at each other when the other wasn't looking. Both of them desperate to fall back together, but unsure of where to begin.
"He didn't. He just got his horse and left before the rest of the soldiers could prepare," The squire responded.
Morgan took in a sharp breath, imagining Peter splitting off into the night for her, for someone she loved. He could have just as easily sat back hoping that Destrian wouldn't be found and he'd have the freedom to be with Morgan, but her heart was precious to him. What he saw as an obstacle was a part of her heart, and he wouldn't remove it, even if it kept him from what he truly desired.
"I'm going back to my rooms..." Morgan turned back to scan the group, "Tell me if they find him."
"Of course," Caspian nodded his head, "Go rest."
"I'm going with her," I said to Caspian, but he caught my hand. His brow was knit together as he pulled me off to the side.
"This isn't good," Caspian's eyes searched mine, "Destrian has served as ambassador from Calormen since my father's reign. He's well respected."
"This is clearly some awful accident," I said.
"I don't think so though. I heard some of the guards whispering that a servant saw it happen. They saw two men in black armor. Vidalian armor," Caspian pulled me in closer so that any stragglers from the group couldn't overhear, "After I became king I established tenuous peace with Calormen, and Destrian had a lot of sway in that since he was from the region-"
"And now that he's either severely injured or...dead, that further complicates things. How do they keep getting past our guards?" I said, worrying my bottom lip with my teeth.
"Someone's helping them. Someone inside our ranks, and now they're picking us off," Caspian said, his face growing grim.
"Why is everyone still holding on that it's an animal attack then?"
"I'm sure to calm the hysteria for now. We can't have it getting out to the people just yet, that Destrian has been harmed by the Vidalians."
"First Morgan was attacked, and now they've successfully harmed her father. They want the nobles dead so that the remaining ones will either surrender or rescind their alliance," My eyes went back to the bloodied grass.
"Calormen could easily rescind their alliance after this, which could eventually put us back into needless battles that we don't have the resources to deal with due to the Vidalian war. The nobles should be safe on our grounds, not slaughtered like animals," Caspian ran a hand through his hair.
"War knows no bounds or rules. It will never halt itself because danger lies on other borders. It takes shamelessly," I said, peering into the deep darkness of the night sky. What so often looked beautiful, looked unforgiving and all-consuming under the shroud of fear that haunted us.
"I will send riders to Calormene, specifically to the region of Telmar, and tell them what has happened," Caspian turned to me as he began to walk away, "We have to keep this under control. This could spiral out quickly."
"We'll solve this," I nodded my head assuringly to him.
Even in the thick of the night, one side of his mouth turned up, "Yes, we will." Caspian nodded at one of the royal guards in the group, making sure they watched over me in the field with the wild animal running loose.
As Caspian stalked off into the night to alert the riders I stood there waiting for something to happen. I wasn't sure what it was, maybe a miracle, or to wake up from this nightmare that was seeping into my dream.
Narnia is one of the most powerful and well-allied nations. They will survive this.
As I began to make my way towards the castle, a branch cracked in the forest. I whipped around, sure that I was about to face the Vidalians that attacked Destrian, but instead, there was a flash of gold in the tree line that caught the corner of my eye. When I looked forward again, there stood the great lion just ahead, in between two birch trees.
"Aslan?" I looked behind me and there was no sign of the guard Caspian had asked to look after me.
The lion didn't say a word or so much as let out a breath. His dark eyes stared back at me with sorrow. His head tilted and down his flaxen cheek, a single tear charted and plopped onto the ground below him.
...Remember that when the days grow dark, young one-
That phrase he had once told me lit up in my mind as I watched the lion and he watched me. My heart was beating rapidly and my breaths were shallow as I realized that this was the beginning of the end, but before I could ask the lion to confirm what I already knew to be true, he turned and disappeared into the forest.
The days were growing dark, and dawn wasn't coming.