Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia or Cair Paravel or anyone or anything that you recognize from elsewhere. Peridan's family is mine as is Tran's wife. The men themselves however, are cannon and thus do not belong to me. Bummer.

When the party passed a the gates of Cair Paravel some ten minutes after their first sighting of the castle, Jaerin could hardly believe his eyes. There were people everywhere! But then, "people" was hardly the best word to describe the members of the crowd. There were Animals and Creatures of every possible description. Everything Jaerin had ever heard about or dreamed of was there. Two centaurs and great cats stood on either side of the gate and armed satyrs guarded the door of the castle. Bears, cats, dogs, horses, fauns, and creatures which defied description thronged in the courtyard. Yet despite the crowds, there was no chaos and the path from the gates to the doors remained clear. Few paid much attention to their passing aside from a casual greeting as the party made their way to the steps leading up into the Cair. Their horses were taken by several creatures, some of whom looked vaguely like trees to the boy's inexperienced eyes. Jaerin shivered in anticipation as the massive doors swung slowly open and they passed through into the castle itself.

It was quieter and less crowded inside than in the courtyard though there was still no shortage of people. A faun detached himself from a chattering group and hurried over to them.

"Good day, sirs and ladies! Welcome to Cair Paravel, the castle of the four thrones. In what manner might I be of assistance to you?" The faun addressed himself to Tran as the oldest of the party and the apparent leader.

"We come seeking an audience with King Peter and his royal consorts," Tran replied. "I believe they should be expecting us; we sent a letter two weeks ago."

"Ah! Then you must be Lord Tran and his kinsman, Sir Peridan with your families. We are quite glad to welcome you to Narnia. At the moment, the kings and queens have adjourned the court for lunch; we should gather again in about an hour. Perhaps you would like to rest and refresh yourselves while you wait? I can show you to a room if you wish."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you for your hospitality."

"It is nothing more than what I am commanded. Come."

The faun led them through the halls and to a large, well-furnished room not far away. Jaerin gaped at the plush furniture and rich hangings that decorated the walls. Even King Lune's castle did not have anything this fine! He turned to where his brother had been only to find him at the enormous windows in the far wall. He was about to run over to him when he caught the edge of the conversation between his father, Uncle Tran, and the faun.

"…have provisions of our own," his father was saying. "There is no need for you to…"

"Nonsense. It is but common courtesy. I would never hear the end of it if I allowed such a thing. No, Sir Peridan, I will send some food to you shortly. When the Four are ready to receive you, Master Donovan will come to escort you to the throne room. Fare well for now!"

Hardly had the door shut behind the faun when the room erupted into excited exclamations.

"Can you believe this place? This is the most amazing place I've ever seen! I counted eight leopards, two panthers, six centaurs and who knows how many others in the courtyard! And this castle is so huge! There must be hundreds of passages and thousands of rooms. Do you really think they'll let us live here, Father?"

"Did you see the ocean, Father? It is beautiful! The water is bluer than anything I've ever seen. And I there are two boats out there. Do you think we could go sailing, or, better yet, swimming some time? Do you think we could?"

"They have a garden, Mother! A rose garden! They aren't really blooming yet but they'll be so pretty when they do! And there were wildflowers everywhere! Do you think we can pick a bouquet of them? Did you see the gardens, Father?"

"Oh, Peridan! You were right! The air here is so clear! I haven't been able to breath this well in years!"

"You know, Tran, perhaps we should consider moving to Narnia also. I rather like it here."

"See, Peridan, I told you that you would have trouble keeping your children in check…"

"Quiet!" Peridan's deep voice cut across the cacophony of noise and instantly brought silence to the room. "Please," he continued with a smile, "speak one at a time! Jaer, yes, I think we will be able to go swimming at some point during our stay at Cair Paravel. Rien, yes I did see the gardens but you'll need to ask before you start picking flowers. And Jaerin, we are here to ask permission to dwell in Narnia, not necessarily to live here in the Cair itself. As for you, my wife." Peridan leaned over and kissed Saera firmly on the lips. He smiled as he pulled away, "I am glad that you feel well here."

A few moments of excited conversation later, the door opened and two badgers walked in. Both were carrying heavy trays from which a delicious smell was coming. Jaerin's mouth watered at the sight of the food. The badgers smiled and set the trays on the table in the center of the room.

"If you'll be needing anything else, feel free to call," one said. "There's bound to be someone near enough to assist you."

"Thank you very much, kind badgers," Lord Tran replied. "The hospitality of the Narnians exceeds all expectations."

"Thank you, Sir! You are kind to tell us so. Enjoy your meal. When the Four are returned to court, Master Donovan will come to lead you to them." With those words, the badgers bowed roughly and hurried out leaving them alone once again.

The two boys could hardly wait until their father gave them permission to begin eating. It was wonderful. There was rich, juicy ham (from a dumb beast of course), fresh, hot rolls with butter melting on their tops, bright carrots and fresh salad all of which was quickly devoured.

"That was good," Jaerin said as he licked his fingers for the last time. "If that's what every meal is like here, I really hope we get to stay."

"And if the food isn't like this all the time?" Jaer shot back. "Then what will you do?"

Jaerin shrugged. "I don't know. But if they can make it this good some of the time, why not do it all the time? And who's to say they couldn't do better?"

"I don't know. You've got lettuce in your hair."

Jaerin's hand shot to his head feeling for the errant leaf. He found nothing and glared at his grinning brother. "No I don't!"

"Yes you do. See?" Jaer leaned over and placed a leaf of lettuce on top of his brother's head.

"Jaer!" With a shout, Jaerin dove at his older brother and within seconds the two were rolling along the floor, playfully trying to put lettuce in each other's hair while Rien shrieked in delight. Jaerin caught hold of a pillow off of one of the chairs and began pummeling Jaer. "I do not have lettuce in my hair! You do!"

"Boys, boys!" Saera cried. The two broke apart almost instantly and looked sheepishly at their mother. "This is neither the time, nor the place for such roughhousing. Calm down. If we are to present ourselves to the kings and queens of Narnia, we must be on our best behavior. Jaer, come here and let me brush your hair; you've gone and mussed it badly."

"But mother…" Jaer stopped his protest at the look on his mother's face and walked obediently over to her. Jaerin snickered at his older brother's plight and Saera's gaze was instantly on him.

"Don't laugh, young man. You're next."

A/N—There you have the next chapter. The next one you should be able to expect in a week. Do let me know what you think. Thanks to elecktrum for beta reading this.

Next Chapter: Before the Four