A/n:
I see that you have traveled far, my fellow readers, and have arrived at the third and penultimate installment of my Conquered tetralogy! I must congratulate you and thank you for spending time on my works. If you have not read the first volume, "Always & Forever" and the second volume, "Some Kind Of Loving", I suggest you do so immediately or else I'm afraid you won't understand a single thing in this installment! In fact, it is of imperative nature that you read those two volumes beforehand; you'll need to know clearly the interrelationships between characters.
After reading those two installments, you ought to also check out the companion pieces to the Conquered saga on my profile page, for instance the Christmas special "Christmas Love"!
As I said before, this volume will be focusing on Caslyn's and their children's struggles with love, family, and other issues. It is the story of the next generation.
Now let's get the characters' ages right. While it has been 24 yearsafter the voyage on EARTH, only 18 years have passed in NARNIA. This would be because of Narnia's magic that alters the passing of time and their differing rates in two worlds.
After doing some math, we can conclude that King Caspian X is 41 whereas Queen Kaye-Lynn is 39. Remember the twins Kalyn was pregnant with by the end of the voyage? Well, they're 18 now!
The elder twin is named CASPIAN THE ELEVENTH, but to avoid confusion with his father he is generally nicknamed Levin by his family and close friends (because it sounds like "eleventh"). Though he is referred to as "Prince Caspian" in public. So when I mention "Caspian" I'm referring to the Tenth (in most cases). When I say "Levin" I'm referring to the Eleventh.
The younger twin is named – yes you've guessed it – RILIAN!
At the same time, Drinian and his lovely wife Adriana had a daughter, LAUREL! She is consequently (by birth) Galmian-Telmarine but because she is born in Narnia she has Narnian citizenship and considers herself Narnian anyway.
Soon, Caspian and Kalyn found themselves welcoming their daughter into the world. Named after Caspian's mother, (yup, Ramandu's sister) is Princess FERN, aged 16 here. As Princess, of course she's going to have a lady-in-waiting: Lady Felicity, whose aunt is Kalyn's lady-in-waiting, Lady Letitia!
I'd also like to remind y'all that this story is set a little before the Silver Chair. But please don't be expecting Eustace and Jill because two other characters will be going to Narnia instead. That's because Eustace and Jill are 38 (14 in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader + 24 years = 38 y/o) in this installment, and only those 18 or younger can go to Narnia, so Eustace and Jill can't. Still, they're married (E/J shippers anyone?) and they have a daughter…
~Narrator's POV~
Years into the Age of Exploration under the long, successful reign of King Caspian X of Narnia, society had made various advancements, the most prominent one being the establishment of the Home of the Children, an orphanage set up by Queen Kaye-Lynn of Narnia. This created employment, and also cut the crime rate by half since the homeless didn't have to steal food anymore. There is prosperity across all of Narnia.
Queen Kalyn visited the Home every day, usually to read stories to the little children; some stories of the amazing voyage she went on, some of Narnia's history, some fairytales from Earth too. When the toddlers grew up, they would receive free education, because Kalyn wanted the future pillars of the Narnian society to be well-read, knowledgeable scholars. It was for this reason that by the time these children were of age, they would be given opportunities to put their talents and strengths to good use. For instance, pupils who would like to pursue further studies in fields of politics and law and sociology could sit in during court meetings, to have firsthand experience in the academic fields they're interested in. Gifted athletes had vast grounds, gymnasiums and facilities for training. There were also dance troupes and circuses for acrobats to become members of. Voluntary participation when it came to animals and beasts, of course, because they're sentient and were to be respected.
New industries also thrived – fashion. The workforce consisting of seamstress expanded, and swimsuits emerged. The medical industry also flourished, so did the field of architecture and interior design, needless to say.
Kalyn, personally, had liked very much – without a show of favoritism – the royal choir that consisted of singers who grew up in the Home too. One day, a dozen inventors and musicians arrived at the Narnian court, holding an instrument that was constructed from wood, and was lined with six nylon and steel strings. It possessed a long, fretted neck, ribs, and a flat soundboard and a flat back, with incurved sides. They explained that it was a variation of a traditional Telmarine chordophone, and proudly presented their invention, requesting that the monarchs name the device.
"Oh my goodness," Kalyn gasped, wide-eyed, "that's a guitar."
"A get-tar?" Caspian asked, examining the device curiously.
"No," Kalyn chuckled, still breathless, "a guitar." She enunciated. "An acoustic one. It's a very popular musical instrument on Earth."
"Well, that's splendid!" Caspian beamed. "Do you know how to play it?"
"Yes," Kalyn settled the guitar on her lap. "It's been 20 years since I last touched one, so my skills are gonna be rusty."
"Still, we beg that Your Majesty give it a try." The musicians requested.
So Kalyn obliged, playing the guitar while humming to a Christmas tune to match the time of the year.
Afterwards, the inventors were given licenses and patents and since then, the instrument was mass produced and became common and widespread in Narnia, like the flute and the harp and the piano.
Kalyn also made sure to teach Caspian and their children to play guitar along with other musical instruments. She also sung to her kids at night in replacement of a bedtime story, sometimes.
The invention made Kalyn realized how dearly she missed Earth and how her death must have caused trauma to her friends and relatives but she also came to terms with the fact that there's no turning back and Narnia's her home now. She found love with Caspian and together they had built a loving family. She had no regrets.
Narnia also maintained close relations with its neighboring country, Archenland. Ever since trade routes between the two nations were established, people could ride horses if they wanted to go to and fro between these lands. New routes also enabled the royal families of the two countries to meet more often.
King Caspian and King Nain were very good friends, and frequently met up with one another, more for the sake of friendship than as representatives of their nations. They made an agreement that once their sons were of age, they would be knighted by both Kings, like how High King Peter promised King Lune that he would personally knight Prince Cor and Prince Corin once they were adults.
Queen Cara and Queen Kalyn talked about their children, and as much as they are against prearranged, forced marriages for political reasons, they did reckon that Prince Olvin and Princess Fern had little crushes on each other. Those chats were never serious, but it was very likely that the two royals would be more than playmates.
As for Calormen, well, the Narnians and Archenlanders hardly ever spoke of the horrid nation. Not much had changed; it still kept its barbarian ways. Princess Tequila was STILL unmarried. Only lately things had got worse: Prince Rabastan was now the Tisroc, no wiser than he was many years ago: due to overpopulation in Calormen, he had enforced a one-child policy and as a result, fauns residing by the Winding Arrow River often found infants in cradles floating around. They would carry them to safety, but this sudden influx of babies created the demand for an orphanage to be built, so the Archenlander version of the Home of the Children was born. It was Prince Olvin's idea, actually, and Queen Kalyn endorsed it, and King Nain and Queen Cara needed a way to solve the problem anyway since they weren't cruel and heartless like Calormenes so they needed a place for the abandoned toddlers to grow up, so the construction work commenced as soon as enough capital was raised. Naturally, Prince Olvin was entrusted to monitor the work of the Home. He was a caring and most patriotic person, and many other admirable qualities that made him altogether a perfect husband and Prince, and later on even King. But he wasn't concerned with finding himself a wife. His heart held a special place for a special person.
Today was a special day for Caspian and Kalyn because it was their 19th wedding anniversary. That did not mean that they as King and Queen would be freed from their duties, as Kalyn still had to, and wanted to, visit the Home to see how its operations were, and help out if the caregivers needed assistance.
Caspian still had a court meeting to attend to, and he would not shirk his responsibilities. But because the councilors of the court were generally understanding, they were cooperative and were all on the same page so that Caspian could adjourn a day's meeting a little earlier than usual.
As a result, Caspian took his leave, and arrived at the Home to wait for his beautiful wife who was seated in a classroom, telling a story about the voyage they went on to a dozen pupils who gathered around her. Nodding courteously at the servants and caregivers who saluted him, he bade them not to notify Kalyn of his presence, so that he could discreetly shift near the room without alerting Kalyn's attention. Though the door of the room was opened, she wasn't facing the corridors outside. Some of the little ones caught sight of him, but he gestured for them to keep quiet so that they wouldn't give him away. To his surprise and relief, they were cooperative, even though one or two of them couldn't hold back a giggle.
"What are you laughing at?" Kalyn paused to ask.
"Nothing…" the little boy replied sheepishly.
"So what happened after King Edmund got the keys?" Another tot asked.
Kalyn continued with her story. "He spotted King Caspian in the middle of combating with three other slave traders, and threw the chain of keys at him."
"Did he catch it?" A little girl queried, as all others stared wide-eyed at Kalyn.
"Of course he did. He deftly un-cuffed himself, and as more guards leaned out against the balcony to see what the commotion was about, King Caspian had decisively taken a chance to push them off the balcony." Kalyn described while the kids held their breaths, eager to know the rest of the story.
"And then?" Another child urged.
"And then King Caspian flexed his wrists, jumped off the balcony from three stories high," Kalyn's gesticulations made Caspian smile, "and did a front-flip so that he could land elegantly at the spot closest to mine, and effectively got rid of my cuffs." Kalyn concluded proudly.
The reaction from the children was very rewarding. Instantly, they all began clapping at once, giving their King an ovation for his heroic acts in the Lone Islands.
"That's incredible!" A little boy exclaimed, and was the last one applauding. "I wonder if His Majesty will teach me how to do a front-flip!"
"That's so romantic." A little girl commented dreamily. "I'd like someone who's a brave and capable warrior to be my personal bodyguard."
"Tell us one more story, please, Your Majesty." Another boy, who was possibly a little older since he was the tallest, requested, as others chimed in. "We want to know more about the fun-filled voyage of the Dawn Treader!"
"Well, if you perform well in class tomorrow and behave yourselves, I'll tell you what happened on Terebinthia. Deal?" Kalyn compromised, standing up to smooth out her dress.
"Deal!" The kids chorused.
"Promise, Your Majesty?" The dreamy little girl spoke again, holding out her pinky finger.
"Promise." Kalyn beamed at her and their fingers entwined. "Now, run along with the others." She ushered, gently patting the little one's back.
Kalyn turned away to tidy some documents and exchanged a word with a faun who worked in the Home as a volunteer. Caspian, still standing by the door, grabbed this golden chance, and knelt down to the little girl's level. He spoke, deliberately using a hushed voice. "Hello, little lady. Can you do something for me?"
~Kalyn's POV~
I was about to leave the Home to find Caspian so that we could spend the night together, but then I felt a light tug at the hem of my dress. I saw Alba, and so I crouched a little to speak to her. "Oh, hello, Alba. What can I do for you?"
She handed a rose to me. "King Caspian told me it's from a secret admirer, Your Majesty." She smiled innocently, not knowing that she had just given Caspian away.
I politely took the rose from her hand, and thanked her with a smile, then watched her make her way to another room with other children. Before I could turn around, I had already felt a strong, trusty pair of arms wrapped around my waist, hugging me tightly. I beamed as Caspian affectionately nuzzled his nose into my neck, kissing me lightly. I fell into his embrace, savoring this moment. "Caspian," I murmured.
"Have you missed me, my Queen?" He asked playfully.
"Of course." I turned around to kiss him, resting my arms on his shoulders.
I liked the feeling of being in his arms. I knew that's where I belonged. He endearingly murmured in my ear, "I love you."
A/n: Please review?