~By the Lion's Mane: See You Again~

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

“We thank you, loyal friend of Narnia, for informing us of the deaths of your sheep. I assure you a hunting party will be sent out to find and slay the beast responsible,” Caspian said to the group of farmers before us as they bowed deeply and turned to leave the Great Hall.

I looked at Caspian before the next citizens approached, hoping he would see the fierce longing for adventure in my expression. He glanced at me and raised his eyebrows. What? the gesture asked.

I gave him another look that said, I want to lead the hunting party!

He smiled and gave me a We’ll see look.

I was about to reply with another telepathic response, but was interrupted by the arrival of a Dwarf and his companion. They looked weary and had the worn look of travelers.

“Majesties,” they addressed us, bowing low.

“Citizens of Narnia,” we answered them, nodding.

“What brings you to Cair Paravel? You appear to have traveled a great distance,” I observed.

“Indeed, my Queen,” one of them, a Black Dwarf, said gruffly. His companion nodded his agreement.

“We come from the far northern border of the country. We traveled here to report to you about the earth.”

I shared a glance with my husband, both of us raising eyebrows. He addressed them.

“About the... earth?” he asked.

“Aye sir,” the Red Dwarf said through his bushy beard. He reminded me of Trumpkin, who was a constant fixture at the Cair. “The earth.”

“Ye see, we being Dwarfs, we are... attuned, ye could say, to everything about the earth. Rocks, soil, and the like, it all has a certain feel to it that’s unique to whatever the location.” He saw mine and Caspian’s blank looks. “Well, I guess ye’d have to be a Dwarf to properly understand,” he shrugged.

The Black Dwarf gave him a look, and then took up where he left off. “Anyways, the earth, it don’t feel right in our parts. It’s unsettled like. Just a hint of it, but it feels... it feels sort of sinister like.” The Dwarf cut his speech short; he seemed discomfited.

Caspian was thoughtfully quiet, and I was suddenly remembering the farmer and his wife and the group of Animals that had complained of strange happenings several years ago. They too had been from the farthest northern borders.

Finally, Caspian spoke. “My friends, I thank you for reporting this, and I will take it into account and remember what you have told us. However, I’m afraid that I cannot, at this point, send any troops that far North as there is nothing there for them to confront.”

The Dwarfs nodded. “Aye, Your Majesty, we understand.”

Caspian gave them a half smile. “You are good, loyal subjects of Narnia, and I thank you wholly for bringing us this news. Please, if anything else occurs, do not hesitate to contact us by the quickest means possible.”

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That evening, as we readied for bed and tucked Rilian in down the hall in his room, I spoke with Caspian.

“I don’t see what would be wrong with me leading the hunting party for those wolves!” I said, frustrated he was being so stubborn.

“You have responsibilities here at Cair Paravel,” he answered levelly.

“The hunt would not take more than a few days at the most. What responsibilities could I have that would be so pressing that I couldn’t leave for that long?”

“Your son, I should think.”

I glared at him, crossing my arms. “Rilian is ten years old; he would be fine without me for a few days. And he has you and Trumpkin and Cornelius and everyone else at the castle to watch out for him! Don’t try to twist this around to me being irresponsible with my son!”

Caspian stayed infuriatingly calm and cool. He had almost always been like this, throughout any arguments we had had. It drove me mad. “That was not what I was implying. I do not think that you are irresponsible with Rilian at all.”

I huffed. “Then why wouldn’t it be acceptable?”

He frowned, as if annoyed that I wasn’t seeing something. “Because it would be dangerous! What if something were to happen to you?”

I sighed. “Caspian, I... you seem to have forgotten who I am, who I have been. I’ve been locked up in this castle for too long. I miss... I miss having adventures, going off to battles, exploring new lands. A wolf hunt won’t be anything like that really, but at least I would have something to do, something that would make me feel like that again.”

He studied me, his dark eyes flicking over my face. He looked almost sad, maybe even... regretful. But then, I had never been able to read Caspian very well.

He sighed and gave me a small smile. “Very well, Rose. You may lead the hunting party. But please don’t do anything stupid or dangerous just for sentimentality’s sake.”

I jumped up and grinned, and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you Caspian! And I promise to be careful,” I teased him.

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Later that night, as we lay in bed, I asked him, “What do you make of what those Dwarfs said. About the earth feeling sinister?”

“I’m not sure what to make of it. But they reminded me of what that group from a few years ago had said, about strange feelings and occurrences up North.”

I nodded. “Yes, I thought of that too. I just wish we had more of something than how the earth feels. I don’t like concealed or intangible adversaries. I’d rather there be an army to face, or something that at least I can fight.”

Caspian nodded in agreement. “Yes, I feel the same. As of right now, I can’t really do anything about it, because I don’t know if there really is a problem.” We both sighed.