The Lost Legacy

Chapter 3: Apologies in Order

Glenstorm's council was the most important to Sophie. She would need his help for even the littlest matters if she would have to be treated as who she was. And so, she and Thomas journeyed back to the castle. She locked him in his stall and gave him his lunch, since he never ate unless she was around. That made her feel important in the middle of all the chaos going on. She did have a friend that she could turn to in times of need.

Déjà vu hit her once again as she ran to the castle, trying not to trip over the ends of her dress, and entered the dining room that was empty except for the king and the Professor. "You should have started without me." She smiled as she took her usual seat on Caspian's left, opposite to the Professor.

"We could never, dear," said Professor Cornelius.

"Not without you," continued Caspian.

"What happened with the Council?" She asked after they started to eat to break the silence that took over.

The Professor and Caspian looked at each other as usual. "They found your voicing out of opinion to be really bold," said Caspian. 

"They want a proper coronation ceremony," said the Professor. "On the day you were born."

"What!"

Sophie should have expected this. Damn that council, she thought. 

The original agreement had been on having the coronation in the first place, and when the topic came to whether she wanted to take over the kingdom, she decided on continuing her lessons and to make her decision in time. But she had assumed that the ceremony would be in a couple of months, definitely not in two.

"I showed them the prophecy when they came to my study one by one. It seemed that they needed more proof to what there was, which is what is expected of them. You are the Lost Legacy and no doubt can change that," explained the Professor. 

Sophie smiled. She liked her title but hated being called a princess because she believed her to be only Sophie Adams - an orphan, a person in need of help, a loner and a human being.

"They happen to believe that the sooner you get crowned, the sooner they could handle the diplomatic relations," Caspian explained and noticed Sophie nibbling on her lower lip, which she only did when she doubted herself. "We can keep it small. There is no need to call the entire world as we had for the ball. It will be the council members, a few important dignitaries, the Fae ambassadors and us."

"But we have to send out word to other kingdoms that you are the Heir of Narnia."

"Saints." Sophie leaned back on her seat. "I cannot believe that this is happening. But....we don't want to offend the members of the Council." She sighed. "All right. Bring it on." The two of them smiled reassuringly, happy that Sophie was getting used to this. "But nothing fancy, and we are not spending a lot on this. I know that you like to keep lavish parties but we're not spending more than necessary on this. I don't want you to....I don't want to spend on me."

"You can look over the arrangements if you want to." 

"You can decide what you want to wear and how you want your crown to be."

"And there is the royal painting." 

"Oh yes," Caspian said, disappointed because he hadn't had his painting done. 

The Professor constantly reminded Caspian to get it done because he had avoided it for as long as possible. The young king had always postponed it because the last time the painter was in town was the last time Caspian saw his father. Superstitions and feelings were inevitable, but seeing how happy Sophie's painting had made him, this would be a different time. It had to be.