Our Long Awaited Return Book #8

Chapter 6 We Meet Trufflehunter and Nikabrik

Well, they had been stuck in a tree trunk, really it was supposed to be a house, for a few hours. Caspian had been knocked out and was resting in a back room.

Leona was sharing her silence with that black dwarf and badger. Well, she was silent; they weren't. She had already figured out their names. The badger talked; his name was Trufflehunter, and the dwarf was Nikabrik. He mentioned another dwarf once in a while, Trumpkin, was his name.

"Hungry, child?" the badger asked her. Leona stayed in her seat, frightened.

"She's probably deaf; this bread is so stale," Nikabrik sighed as he cut it.

"I'll just give them soup; then the boy should come around soon," Trufflehunter said.

"Yeah, well, I don't think I hit him hard enough," Nikabrik mumbled.

"Nikabrik, he's just a boy!" protested Trufflehunter.

"They're Telmarines, not just some lost puppy. I should have killed him when I had a chance," he said.

"No, I'll take care of him; we can't kill him now; I've just bandaged his head; it would be just like murdering a guest," the badger said, sitting down at the table.

"Well, how do you think their friends are treating their guests?" Nikabrik replied sarcastically.

"Trumpkin knew what he was doing. It's not the children's fault." At that moment, Caspian came out of his room and grabbed for the metal stick near the fireplace.

Nikabrik charged towards him, while Leona screamed, "Caspian, don't!" He grabbed Caspian's sword.

"Stop you two!" the badger and Leona said at the same time.

Caspian dropped his weapon, but not Nikabrik. "I told you, we should have killed him when we had the chance!"

"You know why we can't," the badger told him, frustrated.

"You can't just kill my brother!" Leona protested, stepping over to him.

"If you're taking a vote, I'm with him," Caspian said.

"I thought she was deaf," Nikabrik looked at Leona, surprised. "And we can't let him go; he's seen us."

Caspian put an arm on Leona, "She isn't; after the scare she had, there's no wonder she didn't talk."

"Enough, Nikabrik, or do I have to sit on your head again," Trufflehunter told his friend.

Leona laughed at the look of disgust on the dwarf's face as he sat down again.

"And look what you've done. I've spent half a morning on that soup," Trufflehunter scolded her brother as he picked up a bowl.

"What are you?" Caspian asked, confused.

"That's funny; you'd think everyone knows a badger when they see one," chuckled Trufflehunter.

"No, you're Narnians; you're supposed to be extinct," Caspian explained.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you," Nikabrik smirked.

"I'm not disappointed; I think you're a lot nicer than the Telmarines," Leona said boldly.

"Here you go, still warm," he motioned to her and Caspian as he set two bowls on the table.

Leona sat down beside Trufflehunter, realizing how hungry she was.

"Since when did we open a boarding house for Telmarine soldiers?!" exclaimed Nikabrik as he glared at Caspian and Leona.

"I'm not a soldier," Caspian stood up, "I'm Prince Caspian, and this is my sister, Princess Leona."

"What are you doing here?" asked a confused Nikabrik.

"We're fleeing from our uncle," Leona began, but turned to Caspian to finish for her.

"My uncle has always wanted to have my throne," he placed his metal weapon back to the fireplace, "I've only lived this long because he couldn't have an heir of his own."

"We should go," Leona whispered to Caspian.

"Well, that changes things," Trufflehunter sighed, and he gave them a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, at least we don't have to kill you ourselves," Nikabrik scoffed.

"You're right," Caspian nodded. He reached for his mail shirt, "Come on, Leona, we have to go."

"Where are you going?" asked the badger; Leona knew he was troubled about something.

"My uncle won't stop till I'm dead," Caspian explained.

"But you can't leave; you're meant to save us." He held up the horn, "Don't you know what this is?"

"It's a horn," Leona replied, stating the obvious.

"Not just a horn; this horn is the horn of Queen Susan. Legend has it that if you believe that help will come, the horn will call the seven kings and queens of Old and maybe Aslan. But it only works with faith," Trufflehunter explained.

"Aslan and High King Peter, King Andrew, Queen Susan, King Edmund, Queen Verity, Queen Ruth, and Queen Lucy!" Leona gasped, "I thought it was all a fable. So the horn's magic."

"Not magic, no," Trufflehunter shook his head, "That is the witch's power, and as Aslan told us, to meddle with the witch's power instead of trusting in him is a great offense. This is just a horn, and it does what any horn does."

"We were also a fable in your eyes," Nikabrik added. He turned to Trufflehunter, "Haven't you given up on Aslan yet?"

"No, I can't because he is the king," Trufflehunter said, hope in his eyes.

Leona looked at Caspian, "We have to stay."

"But there's more hope," Trufflehunter added, "You are the future king; you can bring us back our homeland."

"How can you be sure I'm a fugitive?" Caspian asked. Leona patted his arm.