His Majesty, Her Grace - Sequel to A Prince Caspian Love Story

Epilogue

"When you wrote about your improvement in combat, I didn't think you'd gotten this good." Caspian laughs lightly, trying to catch his breath.

I sigh and shift my weight, sticking out my hip in the process. "I did try to warn you. It's not my fault the letters couldn't prepare you properly."

I've been back at the Lone Islands for almost six months now. The day we returned, Caspian insisted on staying for a few weeks to help me get things in order. Those few weeks quickly became three months full of boring meetings. Because my country was and is still in shambles, I had to start from the beginning when hiring castle staff and rebuilding the monarchy.

Tavros, the minotaur who traveled with us on the Dawn Treader, was a tremendous help due to his new position as my personal advisor and head of the royal guard. Caspian was glad that he was the one I picked because he knows him personally, but also because he gained plenty of experience while traveling with him all over Narnia.

I haven't gotten used to having maids doing everything for me and I eventually couldn't handle it and sent them away to do more important things. I kept one for the sake of tradition but Anna knows that I like doing things myself and respects it. The castle of Narrowhaven was, for the most part, intact, but several parts of it were aged by war and weather. Everyone has been working hard to repair the essential rooms of the castle. The progress has been astounding and it's almost been restored to its former glory.

After the three months of Caspian's stay, he had no choice but to go back to the mainland without me. The Dawn Treader was repaired and there was no reason to stay and he'd been away too long. It was a difficult day for both of us but the letters we sent over the sea on merchant ships were enough to tide us over until we got to see each other again.

"I should've given your trainer more credit," Caspian says while sending a partially annoyed glance at my trainer from across the courtyard.

Tavros fully supported the idea of my getting a trainer. Eryx, the most skilled swordsman in the Lone Islands, was a difficult man to find but he immediately replied to my request. He trained alongside my father when he was a boy and agreed to train me without any persuasion needed. Caspian had been looking forward to training me himself and was disappointed but clearly, it paid off.

Eryx holds Caspian's stare with a steady gaze from across the courtyard.

"Let's take a break," I say with a huff.

I lower my sword as Caspian closes the distance between us. He grins and uses his free hand to pull my body against his.

"How is the sword treating you?" He pants.

I grin. "Quite well."

"Quite well?"

"I love it."

Caspian could tell how upset I was by the loss of my dagger while fighting the sea serpent. The emptiness that lightened my belt didn't feel right so I stopped wearing it. Until a few weeks ago. The daily letter from Caspian was accompanied by a beautifully wrapped gift. Inside was a one-of-a-kind sword made to match my remaining dagger. Anna was more excited about the sapphire engagement ring but I loved both equally.

It wasn't 'queenly' of me, but I continued to wear pants around the castle as well as my new weapon. Eryx made sure that no one gave me trouble for it.

"Have your advisors been bothering you much?" Caspian asks, not letting me go.

"No. And they were never bothering me. I know how important it is to restore port cities. Without them, the Lone Islands will remain poor. The trade routes and merchants are what make this place. The fisheries managed to stay in business which made for a good starting point but figuring out which owners are trustworthy and which are not is proving to be difficult." I explain with a sigh.