serendipity - narnia [EDITING]

chapter 23

Chapter 23
An Oddly Timed Heart-to-Heart

"May I sit?" Caspian jumped a bit at the question, but his gaze softened when he realized Dahlia was the one who asked it. He was sitting outside the How overlooking the field when Dahlia found him. She'd just finished speaking with Peter for the first time since the night raid and wanted to make amends with Caspian as well.

"Of course," the prince said with a gentle smile. Dahlia sat down on the ledge next to him, leaning back on her hands with her legs dangling over the edge. A pleasant silence settled over them as the mage thought about what to say, but it was Caspian who spoke first. "I am sorry." Dahlia looked over at him, head tilted slightly to the side. Caspian spared her a quick glance but seemed unable to hold her gaze, so he looked back over the expanse of grass below them. "I shouldn't have even considered bringing the White Witch back. I was just-"

"Afraid," Dahlia concluded for him, smiling when he finally willed himself to look at her. She turned her whole body towards him, crossing her legs and playing with the shrunken crown on her finger. "It happens to all of us. And I don't blame you for wanting the help, you've got this huge destiny hanging over you. The Telemarine who will save Narnia. I've been there, Cas, I'm literally a child of prophecy." Caspian cracked a half-hearted smile, looking over her shoulder at the woods where they'd taken the bodies of the werewolf, the hag, and Nikabrik.

"I had no idea they intended to bring back the Witch. Nikabrik just told me there was a greater power than Aslan that could help me stop Miraz. And I should have fought back when I realized it was the White Witch but I just...froze," the prince said, staring down at his hands.

"She has that effect on people. The Witch fed on hopelessness and fear, it's how she ruled this place for so many years. Narnians thought they had no escape, and until the Pevensies arrived we really did have no choice but to live with that hopelessness," Dahlia said in an attempt to make him feel better, or at least make him feel less guilty about the Witch situation. She paused for a moment, turning back around and hanging her legs over the ledge again. "You know before Aslan's faux sacrifice on the Stone Table, I offered to take his place." Her voice was just loud enough for him to hear, and although she knew Caspian was looking at her she couldn't force herself to meet his eyes. "I told myself it was part of protecting the kings and queens, and that our troops needed Aslan more than they needed me. But a tiny part of me was so afraid of going into war and being a part of the prophecy that I wanted to just...give up. And I know that sounds extreme, but it was my only escape."

"Dahlia..." the prince started, but he couldn't think of anything to say. The mage looked at him and saw guilt, sadness, and concern all at once; she was reminded of how she felt when the White Witch announced she'd be taking Edmund's life. Dahlia thought back to the hours she spent in the forest after Aslan spoke to her in his tent that day, remembering how she'd managed to talk herself into accepting her destiny.

"I lost my parents, too. And I knew they'd be proud of me for defending Narnia, for being the mage protecting the kings and queens. So I decided to fight," the mage paused for a moment, looking away from Caspian to examine her lion pendant. "Well that and Aslan yelled at me, but you get my point." The prince laughed; it was quiet and airy but it was the first sign of real joy he'd shown since before the night raid. Dahlia accepted the small victory with a smile.

"Thank you, Fey." The mage nodded, giving his hand a quick pat.

"Any time." Neither of them spoke for a while, enjoying the bit of peace after the chaos of the days before. Dahlia's brows furrowed when a rhythmic thumping rose in the distance. She glanced over at Caspian, who obviously heard the sound as well. He helped her up and the pair of them scanned the tree line for the source of the noise. It grew louder and louder until rows of Telemarine soldiers appeared on the horizon. Trebuchets also came into view, pulled by several armored horses.

Dahlia turned and ran back into the How, weaving through the halls in search of any one of the Pevensies. She quite literally ran into Edmund, who grabbed her arms to steady her as she caught her breath.

"Get the others," the mage blurted out when she finally calmed down enough to speak. Edmund opened his mouth to say something but Dahlia cut him off. "They're here."