The Last Tree In Narnia

20. Happy Ever After

The next few weeks of Rhea's life were some of the busiest she had ever experienced.
While Aslan had told her she would be able to live three different lives, doing so was proving to be rather exhausting.
The only time she felt that she could relax and let her guard down, was when she was at home with Trumpkin and Trufflehunter.
Their relationship had been strained at first, as Nikabrik's absence was felt every single day, and his betrayal hung over them all. But over time they got used to it just being the three of them, in their little house in the forest.
When she was with them, she could be a child, and forget about her responsibilities as Lady of the Forest.

Rhea was the youngest dryad by far, as there weren't any children that had gone into hibernation.
And being around so many adults, made her nervous, as she knew so little about the world, unlike them.
To reflect her new position as Lady of the Forest, she had subconsciously grown a flower crown on her head, made up of purple flowers, to make herself feel more royal.
She would spend most of the day in the city, or with her family. But each night she would return to the secret dryad grove in the heart of the forest, to be with her people, and inform them of what had been talked about in the meetings at court.

At first, Rhea was the only Narnian on the Telmarine royal court but over time, as Caspian got to know more Narnians, the amount of humans at court began to decrease.
Having other Narnians at the castle made it a much less foreboding place.
But it still took a while before Rhea felt comfortable there.
"A penny for your thoughts".
Rhea spun around and saw that Caspian had joined her on the balcony of one of favourite rooms in the castle.
The room was dedicated to the Pevensies and held all of their things. Peter's sword, Susan's bow and arrows along with her horn, Lucy's healing cordial and dagger, and Edmund's torch.

"You made me jump. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear you approaching" admitted Rhea.
"Sorry for disturbing you" apologised Caspian, as he joined her, and the pair looked out at the city below them.
"You weren't interupting anything, I was just thinking" replied Rhea.
"About what?"
"About what was said during the meeting earlier. The Telmarine lords are very good at complaining and getting their point across. They don't want the Narnians to move into the city, for they fear that it will get overwhelmed. They want Narnians to remain in the forest, for they still view them as nothing more than dumb animals".

"I think that's a bit harsh, the lords aren't that bad" commented Caspian.
"They certainly don't see Narnians as equals" reminded Rhea.
"Maybe not yet. But changing peoples minds doesn't happen over night. It will take a while to undo centuries of tradition" replied Caspian.
Rhea sighed, "I know. But I just want us all to live in peace. After years of being oppressed and slaughtered, the Narnians deserve to be treated with respect. If we can forgive your people for your treatment of us, then the least your people can do is treat us as equals. And while it's true that many Narnians do want to remain living in the forest, those that want to live in the city here, shouldn't be stopped from doing so because of old fashioned Telmarine lords, who want Narnians to remain second class citizens".

"Like I said. Change takes time. And I am doing the best I can" insisted Caspian.
Rhea took hold of Caspian's hand and squeezed it tight.
"I know. You are working so hard to make things right for everyone. And I am grateful to you, for everything you have done so far" she said.
"It is my job as king to look out for all of my people. And I am determined to make Aslan proud. He is always saying that he made the right choice, picking me to be king. Which is why I can't afford to let him down" replied Caspian.
Rhea bit her lip awkwardly and let go of Caspian's hand.
"Speaking of Aslan, I have some news" she revealed.

"What kind of news?" Questioned Caspian.
"He's gone" answered Rhea.
Caspian frowned, "What do you mean gone?".
"After today's meeting, he made his way out of Narnia for the last time. The trees told me that they saw him go" explained Rhea.
"He might come back"
"I don't think he will. He has helped us a lot these passed few weeks. And now that we've got the hang of our new jobs, he probably thought that it was time for him to go".

"But we still need him" admitted Caspian.
"We still want him. There's a difference. Aslan clearly thinks that we can do this without him now. And since Aslan is always right, we must really be ready to do this alone" replied Rhea.
"I don't feel ready" mumbled Caspian.
"I don't think we will ever feel ready. But Aslan has left, so from now on, it is up to us. There is no room for doubt anymore"
"When did you get so wise?"
"I've grown up a lot recently, and not just in height"
"Yes. You aren't the scared broken girl I rescued from that dungeon anymore".

"That girl is still inside me. But I am more than that now. I'm a leader. And this leader needs to go to her people, to inform them of what was talked about in today's meeting" informed Rhea.
"Well, have a nice evening" replied Caspian.
"You too" smiled Rhea.
"See you tomorrow"
"You certainly will. No rest for the wicked"
"No, I can't imagine us getting a day off for quite some time"
"Who needs days off anyway?".

After exiting the castle, Rhea found Trumpkin waiting for her outside.
"What are you doing here?" She asked curiously.
"Waiting for my favourite person, of course" answered Trumpkin.
"I'm your favourite person?" Questioned Rhea.
"Some of the time" teased Trumpkin.
"You don't have to walk me home you know. I am perfectly capable of getting back by myself. Besides, I didn't think I was coming home until much later today".

"There's been a change of plan" revealed Trumpkin.
"Oh yeah?" Quizzed Rhea.
"Yes. Trufflehunter has spent all day making a wonderful soup, which he doesn't want you to miss. Which is why I have come to collect you, so that you don't miss out on dinner" explained Trumpkin.
"I had planned on going straight to the grove. But I suppose I can't miss out on Trufflehunter's legendary soup"
"He would be deeply disappointed if you did"
"Alright then, lets go home".

The dwarf placed his arm around the dryad, who was no longer the last of her kind. And together, the pair walked off into the sunset, heading home to a talking badger, who had soup waiting for them when they returned.
They may have been an odd group, but they were a family, just like any other. A family who loved each other, and every now and again had a king come for tea.
Narnia was safe once again, but peace and happiness never lasts forever...

*****************
Thank you for reading my book.
I'm sorry it is so short, but it was only ever intended to be a quick read.
I got the idea while watching the film Prince Caspian for the 100th time. And I just couldn't get the character Rhea out of my mind, which is why I had to write this book.
If this book gets a lot of reads, I will write my own version of the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with Rhea in it.

If you enjoyed this, please check out some of my other work. I have written fanfics in many different genres, so I'm sure you will find something you like.
If not, have a wonderful day 😊.