The Prince and I

5 - The Kings and Queens of Old

Caspian held a finger up to his lips at Willow, before silently drawing his sword and venturing forward.
Willow had heard voices, and the Minotaur had gone ahead to check, but he hadn't come back yet.

Caspian walked ahead, and not a moment later, Willow heard the clang of swords fighting.

"Caspian?" She called, but there was no reply. She tried again. "Caspian?!"

She gave up trying, and ran forwards, into the trees he had disappeared in.
"Caspian, what are you playing at-" she stopped short at the sight of Caspian fighting with another boy, who looked around the same age as him. Their swords clashed, and Willow winced.

"Stop!" Willow cried, and she used her powers to grow branches between them, separating the boys. The branches twisted around their arms, binding them and their swords fell to the ground. The two boys  looked at her in surprise. She remembered that she still hadn't told Caspian about her powers, and gave an awkward smile. "You weren't stopping." She said, and gave a small shrug.

The boy looked between Caspian and Willow before speaking. "Prince Caspian?" The boy asked, and Caspian gave a small start at his full name.

"Yes? And who are you?"

"Peter!" A girls voice rang out, and Willow watched as three more figures came running on the other side. Two girls, one maybe a bit older than Willow and a younger one, and a boy, definitely younger than Caspian's sparring partner but older than the girl. They were followed by a dwarf, who Willow was sure she had seen before.

The group stopped short at the sight of the boys, bound in branches, swords abandoned on the ground. They stared at something behind Willow, and she turned and saw the rest of the Narnians standing beyond the trees, gathered like a real army. She felt a stab of gratefulness for them, and nodded so they knew it was okay.

Caspian gave Willow a pointed look, then glanced at the sword on the ground, and Willow took the hint and picked it up.

"High King Peter." She breathed, and the boy turned to her.

"I believe you called." They stared at one another, and Willow smiled, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Well, yes." Caspian interrupted their stares, and gave an awkward cough. "But, I thought you'd be...older."

"If you like, we can come back in a few years-"

"No! No, that's alright." Willow interjected, "You're just...different to what we expected."

"So are you." The other boy said, and Willow laughed slightly.

"King Edmund, I assume."

"How can you know their names but not mine?" Caspian asked her, and she smiled.

"Jealous?"

Caspian scoffed, and Willow sighed before turning back to the kings and queens.

"A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes." Trufflehunter came up beside her, and patted her arm. Reepicheep came forward.

"We have anxiously awaited your return, my liege." He bowed to Peter, "Our hearts and swords are at your service."

The younger girl, whose name Willow recalled was Lucy, turned to the other girl. "Oh my gosh, he is so cute."

Reepicheep whirled on her, already drawing his sword. "Who said that?!"

"Sorry." She muttered, and Willow shook her head, trying to hide her smile.

Reepicheep backtracked quickly. "Oh, uh, you're majesty, with the greatest respect, I do believe courageous, courteous, or chivalrous might be more befit a knight of Narnia."

"Well, at least we know some of you can handle a blade." Peter said, and Reepicheep beamed.

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

"Good. Because we're going to need every sword we can get."

"Then I suppose you'll be wanting yours back." Caspian said coldly, and Willow sighed.

"Honestly, I think I should just leave you two tied up."

They both immediately began spluttering, and Willow watched in amusement.

"Fine, whatever." She hummed softly, and the branches began to loosen, before fading back into the ground. The other group watched in amazement, and she smiled at the attention. She walked ahead, and Caspian smiled at her, and she turned her head quickly to hide her own blush.
"So, what next?"