The Last Tree In Narnia

9. Shared Sorrow

After Nikabrik's body had been moved from the room containing the stone table, Rhea found herself sitting on top of the building, looking out at the world around her.
Since the tomb was so old, the forest had began to grow over it, so she was able to sit on a small patch of grass that had grown on top of the tomb.
After being trapped in a cell for days, Rhea had no intention of staying inside the tomb, while the others prepared for battle. Which is why she had chosen to sit on top of the tomb, staring up at the blue skies.
Rhea also knew that Trumpkin and Trufflehunter were looking for her, as they both wanted to discuss Nikabrik's betrayal with her. But that was a conversation that Rhea did not want to have, which is why she had hidden herself on top of the building.

"You shouldn't be up here all alone".
Rhea spun around and saw Prince Caspian making his way across the roof towards her.
"I'm good at being alone" mumbled Rhea.
"Can I join you?" Asked Caspian.
Rhea shrugged, "Sure. I won't stop you".
Caspian sat down next to her, and the two of them stared out at the field below them, in silence.
"It really is beautiful up here" commented Caspian, after a few moments of silence.
"Yes, it is" agreed Rhea.

"But there are people inside looking for you" admitted Caspian.
"I know. I will find them later" replied Rhea.
"They're worried about you" informed Caspian.
"I'm fine. Besides, I'm not in the mood to talk to them right now" mumbled Rhea, as she did her best not to cry.
"I'm sorry about Nikabrik's betrayal. And I'm sorry for my part in it. I should have known that resurrecting the White Witch was not a good idea"
"Thanks. I don't blame you for what happened, it wasn't your fault. Nikabrik and his friends probably would have tried to get Peter to bring back the witch, if they hadn't tried it on your first. Nikabrik must have been a traitor for a while, as he joined sides with the hag and the bear, behind our backs... I'm not sure if I'm more upset that he is dead, or that he betrayed us all and tried to bring back the White Witch".

"I take it you two were close then?" Questioned Caspian.
Rhea sighed and nodded her head.
"He raised me... When I was 7 years old there was a forest fire in my villiage. My parents told me to run to the stream, and stay there while they tried to help the other dryads. They told me not to move once I got to the stream, and I did as I was told. I stayed in that stream for days. I used the water to keep myself alive, but I didn't move from the spot I had chosen. I didn't move, even once the screams had stopped and the smoke from the fire had disappeared. After 4 days of sitting in the stream, Nikabrik, Trumpkin and Trufflehunter found me. They promised to look after me if I left the stream and went with. My villiage was the last dryad villiage in existence. And every single dryad died in that fire, except for me. From that day on, Nikabrik and the others made sure that I was never alone. They kept me safe and happy, and they became my new family" revealed Rhea.

"I'm sorry. I know what it's like to have someone you love and care about, betray you. I just found out that my own uncle murdered my father" admitted Caspian quietly.
"Miraz is a bad man. I could ask you how didn't you know that he was evil all along. But you could ask me the same question about Nikabrik" sighed Rhea.
"I knew my uncle wasn't a good person. But I never had any idea that he had killed my father, until last night" replied Caspian.
"He is king now. The trees told me that he was crowned this morning. Since your attack on the castle is public knowledge, he used it to get the other lords to make him king. You are a traitor now, for aligning yourself with Narnians like me. The bridge he is building is nearly finished. The trees think it will be finished today. Which means he will be here tomorrow, with his army".

Caspian sighed, "He wants to attack us, before we have a chance to heal and recuperate".
"That does appear to be his plan. And it will probably work. We can't win a battle right now" admitted Rhea.
"The Narnians have the advantage here, for they know the area" reminded Caspian.
"Having knowledge of the land won't be enough to save us"
"You will be back to full strength tomorrow, so you will be able to fight with us. I saw you back in the tomb, you were amazing".
Rhea's cheeks blushed a darker green at Caspian's compliment, "Thanks".

"I'm serious. With you on our side, we will definitely win. You can take out dozens of soldiers at once, from the other end of the field" said Caspian.
"I don't think I am that powerful. I could only do what I did down there, because I was sitting on the stone table, which is connected to the deep magic of Narnia" admitted Rhea.
"I thought you could draw out power from the earth?" Frowned Caspian.
"I can. But not enough to take out an entire army singlehandedly. I could probably take out a dozen or so soldiers. But drawing out power from the earth makes me very tired, especially if I'm using it to attack people. I won't be as much help as you think. There is only so much I can do by myself. We would need a lot more trees and dryads, if we were to stand a chance at winning tomorrow".

"Are you sure you are the last dryad?" Questioned Caspian.
"Yes. The only reason I am as powerful as I am, is because I am the only dryad the earth is supplying with energy. If there were other dryads, I would not be able to use earth magic at all. The trees in the forest speak to me as well, and if there were other dryads out there, they would have told me by now. My species were hunted into extinction, like most other Narnian species. And the remaining ones transformed permanently into trees, to stop themselves from being killed" answered Rhea.
"And there is no way for us to wake them up?" Asked Caspian.
"I certainly can't wake them up. The only person who can do that, is Aslan. And he hasn't been seen for hundreds of years".

"I don't suppose anyone knows how we might contact Aslan, to ask him for help?" Quizzed Caspian.
"No. The last people to see him alive, were the old kings and queens. But I doubt they know anymore about his current location, than we do" admitted Rhea.
"And you can't think of anywhere he might be?" Questioned Caspian.
"If I were to look for him, I would try the heart of the forest. But it's dangerous there. It's where the deep and dark magic of Narnia is. My parents told me stories of it, but I've never been there, because it's not safe".

"Going there might be our only chance. It won't be safe here much longer, and we are going to need a miracle if we are going to survive this fight. So searching for Aslan might be the only option left to us" said Caspian.
"We should talk to the others. If they think it's a good idea, then I will do it. I will go into the darkest part of the foret, and look for Aslan. Because you are right, we are going to need a miracle if we plan on defeating the Telmarine army. Without Aslan, we don't stand a chance" replied Rhea.