The Faded Portrait of a Bygone Era

Time at Last to Rest

The next morning, Caspian awaited her just outside her chambers, no doubt hoping to speak to her about last night.

"Margaret," he started, taking her hand in his, clasping it close to his heart.

She knew she ought to pull away, but she allowed herself this moment of weakness.

Just a moment.

"I simply wish to talk about last night, if I may," he said, glancing around.

"Caspian," she whispered, holding his hand tightly, like a lifeline. It was a bad idea, she knew, but she moved closer to him, and he moved closer to her as well.

"I will not abandon you," he said firmly. "Whatever it is you have seen in your dreams, I am not afraid. You are the one who holds my heart. I--"

"Margaret!" came another voice.

Peter rounded the corner just then. His expression at seeing the two of them so close made it quite evident that he hadn't expected Caspian to be there as well. A muscle in his jaw went taut.

Margaret released Caspian's hand from her grip, and took a step back, suddenly realizing just how close they were. In fact, they had been dangerously close to recreating the event of last night.

"You'd better come quickly," Peter said, his tone clipped. "The sentry's just seen a Telmarine scout. They know we're here."

-

The leaders of each kind of Narnian creatures gathered in the room where the Stone Table stood. Lucy sat upon the Stone Table. Margaret thought that perhaps it made her feel closer to Aslan.

She too was drawn in by its magic, however. It gave her a sense of peace. After all, she would soon be following in the Great Lion's footsteps.

And so, she stood beside Lucy, leaning against the Table just beside the great split down the middle.

"It's only a matter of time," Peter said, once the matter had been explained by the faun who had been on sentry duty at the time. "Miraz's men and war machines are on their way." He paused, turning to look at as many of the soldiers as he could. "That means those same men aren't protecting his castle."

Something didn't feel right to Margaret, about the way that Peter acted. It seemed as if he were trying to play the role of High King rather than just being the High King. Perhaps the matter of how he had come across her and Caspian had something to do with it.

"What do you propose we do, Your Majesty?" Reepicheep asked. It was unclear whom he had been addressing, and since Caspian had grown used to being addressed as the sole leader of the Narnians til now, both he and Peter answered at once.

"We need to get ready for it--"

"To start planning for--"

The two of them stared at each other. Peter, more so, glared.

Caspian, perhaps in a way of apologizing for his closeness with Margaret earlier, nodded in deference.

"Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us," Peter continued, as though nothing has happened.

"But that's crazy," Caspian said, "No one has ever taken that castle."

"There's always a first time," Peter insisted.

Margaret thought, with an odd feeling growing in her heart, that perhaps it might be wiser to listen to the one who had grown up in that very castle, but she said nothing.