"High King," Caspian said courteously, inclining his head as Susan took her designated throne amongst her siblings.
"Prince Caspian of Telmar," Peter responded with barely concealed distaste. "You are not welcome here."
"I wish I did not have to press on your Majesty so, but I had no choice but to humbly seek sanctuary in your domain," Caspian said.
"We will not aid our enemy," Peter said sternly.
"Our countries were friends once," Caspian pled.
"But not anymore," Peter cut him off.
"My uncle's and my father's war is not mine own," Caspian said.
"You have fought alongside them," Peter insisted.
"I had little choice but to follow my father's lead as a child. Then my uncle took control and I had little choice but to follow him," Caspian excused.
"You are the Crown Prince of Telmar. You could have ended this war," Peter said. "But you did not. And now you dare to seek refuge in our county?"
"I will be of age by the end of this year. Then by all rights, I would be able to exert influence over the Telmarine Court. Or would have if my uncle had not turned against me," Caspian said.
"Peter, he's hurt. Be gentle," Susan whispered as she leaned over to her brother. Although Peter only felt the tiniest bit of sympathy for the Telmarine Prince, he squeezed his sister's fingers reassuringly before facing Caspian again.
"And what influence might that be?" he challenged.
"The war has hurt Telmar as much as it has Narnia. I am willing to offer you this intelligence that I was privy to in exchange for sanctuary here," Caspian said, the idea suddenly occurring to him.
Edmund leaned forward. "You would betray your own country?"
"I do not see it as betrayal but rather as an investment in its future. My uncle ruling unchecked is sure to be the ruin of Telmar. He fears Narnia and therefore will wage war against it despite the pain it is inflicting upon Telmar. If Narnia were to end it quickly with assurance that she will help Telmar rebuild itself, then I do not see it as betrayal but rather what Telmar needs the most," Caspian said.
Peter slowly inclined his head. While Caspian wasn't as eloquent as a king, he certainly had the potential. And the loyalty to his country. If he had been any other prince, Peter might have been persuaded. But this was a Telmarine, and even worse, the Telmarine who had been sweet on his sister in her childhood. Peter absolutely did not want Caspian anywhere near his sister.
"Then you are loyal to Telmar, and our courts hold only those who are loyal to us. But you say you have intelligence which may prove of great importance to us. In exchange for this information, we will grant you refuge as a foreign dignitary for no more than a week before we shall turn you out," Peter said sternly.
"In a week's time, we will visit the situation should you wish to prolong your visit," Edmund corrected smoothly, trying to not point out his amendment to Peter's declaration.
Peter frowned, but allowed it, knowing that to disagree would make Edmund's small insubordination more noticeable. That, and his sisters were sure to side with Edmund, so what was the point of fighting a losing battle? Besides, chances were that Edmund was buying them an out to save face in case Caspian should turn their minds. Something Peter highly doubted was possible. Nonetheless, he inclined his head slight, showing his acceptance to Edmund's modification.
Caspian started to speak, but thought better of it. A week ought to be ample time to change Peter's opinion of him. His eyes flitted towards Susan. Or rather, a week to convince Susan to intercede for him. Assuming any of their old friendship was still there. She seemed determined to look at anything and anyone but him. Little Lucy though was every bit as cheerful as he remembered her being. "Thank you, your Majesties. I promise you, you will not regret this kindness."
"We have our war council this eve. We expect you to attend," Peter said decisively.
"In the meantime, we hope you will be comfortable here, your Highness," Susan said graciously with a soft smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. Caspian's heart was elated by the smile being directed towards him even if it may not be fully genuine.
Caspian dressed in the fine clothes laid out on a bed for him. Feeling the tunic, he knew it had to be an old outfit of Peter's. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about wearing Peter's old casts-offs. But he could hardly complain when anything they gave him was out of charity.
"Your Highness," a wolf assigned to guard Caspian's door said. "Her royal Majesty, the Queen Susan requires an audience with you."
"Anything for the queen," Caspian said eagerly, grateful that his old friend had sought him out. The wolf slipped out to admit her.
"Prince Caspian," Susan said simply as she entered.
"Susie!" Caspian greeted fondly, racing over to hug her, but was stopped by the cold look on her face. His heart fell a little, but he regained his footing and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty."
"I thought it might be prudent for us to speak to one another before war council in order to avoid any…ugliness," Susan said.
"Of course," Caspian agreed. "Although…I'm not sure what you are worried may happen."
Susan merely raised an eyebrow.
"I really don't," Caspian said.
"Your Highness, do you not recall why your parents began this heaven's cursed war?" Susan said frostily.
"Oh, that," Caspian said, awkwardly scratching his neck.
"Oh, that? Is that all you have to say about it?" Susan said, some of the ice slipping away, but only because of the fire that was replacing it.
"Susie! I mean, your Majesty. Please, I did not intend for that to sound as it did," Caspian said.
"Then what did you mean?"
"I merely meant that us… I mean…what they thought of us… which maybe wasn't that far off…it…it wasn't the cause of the war," Caspian stammered, unsure how Susan was going to react.
Susan thought about responding to his comment about it not being that far off, but thought better of it. She didn't particularly want to engage in a battle over the nature of their relationship as children, especially with her not even knowing her feelings on the matter. Instead, she turned to the more pressing question on her mind. "Then what was?"
"I mean… yes, it was the reasoning my parents gave, but I realized later, they had long been looking for a reason to strike against your country. They…they fear the diversity of the Narnians," he said, trying to word it as delicately as he could.
"Ah. The same is true of almost any foreigner who enters inside of Narnia's borders," Susan said pointedly.
"But not all," Caspian said, understanding her and feeling the need to prove himself.
"It seems humans tend to fear what is new to them," Susan said.
"But others may be curious and eager for something new," Caspian countered.
"We have had the science loving types far too eager to dissect our people," Susan countered.
"And those may be the same type who would disturbingly do so to human corpses or…worse," Caspian said, shuddering at the memory of a particular employee of his uncle who delighted in using corpse for unspeakable experiments in the name of scientists. "But others may be curious and wish to be friends with the Narnians."
"So far the only human to do so is Peridan, who fights alongside the Narnians," Susan said, an undertone of accusation in her voice.
"He is lucky to have been born to a country and in a position that allows him to do so," Caspian said after a short pause. While he had been studying, he wasn't quite as adept at this sort of double-speak as Susan was.
"If only he was born in a higher position of power and influence to convince his country to ally with us," Susan said. "I'm sure he would if he could."
Caspian flinched. He sorely wished he had. But there was no way to change the past. "A queen like yourself must surely know how difficult it is to steer a country in a particular direction, especially a country so resistant to change."
"Sometimes it is easier for one to ease their guilt by making excuses than it is to take action," Susan accused.
"I…I…I'm sorry," Caspian said, dropping to mask of cordiality to a genuine speech. "I…I wish I could have done something. I…I do not think much was possible, but I ought to have tried. But now perhaps this is my second chance."
"What can you do?" Susan accused. "You would not even have a roof above your head if not for our charity."
"Of which I am very grateful. But Susa – I mean, your Majesty. By all rights, I am the prince of Telmar. My uncle is merely a usurper. He has many strong allies, but there are still those loyal to me. If I should fight against him, Telmar would be divided."
"How are you going to contact them when the border will be swarming with your uncle's men?" Susan said, suddenly interested. She knew a civil war in Telmar would be much to Narnia's advantage as it would weaken their greatest enemy.
"I…I hope they will rally if they should see me fighting," Caspian said slowly.
"You and what army?" Susan challenged, thinking him a fool.
"I was hoping perhaps the army that has long been opposing my country," Caspian said pointedly.
"Oh…" Susan said, suddenly comprehending. "I see…But what proof do we have that you would not simply take your uncle's place and fight against us as both he and your father did?"
"We were friends once, Susie," Caspian said, daring to use his childhood nickname for her, hoping to see some of the friendly little Susie he had once known in this much colder, distant queen.
"Once. Then you betrayed me," she said coldly. More quietly, almost to herself, she whispered, "They all do in the end."
"Susie, I would have stayed friends with you forever. I…We were both too young at that time. Maybe in time, but I no more wanted to be forced into an arranged marriage as a child than you did," he said. "I never wanted war between our countries. My most cherished childhood memories were those here in Narnia."
"I…I see," Susan said quietly.
Caspian slowly reached out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Susie…I…I was wondering…What do you mean by…they all do?"
"Rabadash," she said flatly.
"Oh, I heard about that briefly. Why did you even entertain the thought of marriage with…with him?" he asked, disgusted by the thought.
"Other than Telmar, the Calormene Empire is the largest possible threat to Narnia. And Rabadash swept me away with his false, honeyed words. I believed him to be quite different from the stories I had heard of him," she said, her lips pressing into a thin line. "But then…"
"You don't have to tell me if it hurts you," Caspian said, pulling Susan into a hug instinctively. A second later, he regretted that he might have pushed her too far, but she did not resist him. So he held onto her tightly, loving having her in his arms as though they were as close of friends as they once had been.
"Thank you," she said, pressing her face into his neck. He could feel her slightly crying and wondered how much more there was to the story than what he had heard of it. There were some dark rumors he had heard. Ones he had hoped were not true, but Susan's reaction to the mere memory of them made him fear the worst.
"I…I've been a horrible friend, but if you allow me to stay, if you help me reclaim the throne, I swear, I will be the friend I should have been all these years. I wish…I wish I could have been there for you in Calormen."
"You are not responsible for me," she said, pulling away slightly.
"We were friends. It's what friends do for each other. And now, you have taken me in – even if it is only for one week – when I had no one else to turn to. I depended on our old friendship, one I have not held up my part of," he said.
"Caspian…" Susan began.
"Yes, my Queen?" he asked eagerly.
She kissed him on the cheek in a friendly manner. "I will plead your case to my brother. You have proven to me that you have matured and truly wish to ally yourself with Narnia. Peter however is less likely to be so easily persuaded."
"Thank you, your Majesty," he said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.
"Anything for me dear friend Cassie," she teased.
He winced. "Oh, please don't bring that name back," he moaned dramatically.
"Cassie. Cassie. Cassie – Cassie – Cassie," she teased, poking him each time and giggling.
"Now there's the Susie I remember," he grinned, pinching her cheek gently.
"I…I did miss you when you left," she admitted. "I...Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me?" he said, bemused. "I've done nothing for year, and you've done everything for me."
"Well, I haven't yet. But the thank you was for making me smile," she said softly. "Thank you. I…I hardly have ever since…Calormen."
"Well, then prepare yourself for a whole week full of smiling," Caspian promised quickly, seeing his childhood friend begin to fade away back to the cold queen she had become. But he understood that she would never be that innocent child he had known. And as much as he would like to pin it all on Rabadash, he knew he had to shoulder some of the blame. He hadn't meant to betray his dearest friend, but he had let her down all the same. But he vowed he would make it all up to her now. He had to win this war. Not just for himself and his people, but for her as well. Perhaps if Telmar was a friend to Narnia some of her stress would be eased and perhaps she might smile on occasion.
He found his way down to the library. He began studying the texts there, trying to find out all about Narnia that he had not as a child.
"The High King requires your presence at war council," a bluejay announced.
"Thank you," Caspian said, returning the anthology he had been reading and heading towards the private room. He took a deep breath, composing himself for the fight that was sure to happen. He walked past the guards who growled slightly, but clearly had been told to let him pass. He finally made it to the entrance and hesitated, rather nervous. He took yet another deep breath and knocked.
Two satyrs opened the oaken doors, allowing him entrance. The four Pevensies were together, surrounded by their closest advisors and friends. Caspian's jaw clenched when he saw Peridan next to Susan. After her constantly pointing him out as the perfect Narnian, Caspian began to wonder if there was something there. Not that it was any of his business. He was lucky that Susan wanted to even be friends with him anymore. Still. Peridan could hardly be the perfect man that Susan made him out to be.
"Now, your Highness. You must keep up your end of our bargain. What intelligence do you have for us?"
"Telmar's greatest weakness is our river. Since it flows from Narnia, they fear it and no one stays there long. Only those with the least seniority are posted by the river. And in addition to being novices, there are very few of them. An attack from the river would be a fast end to the war," Caspian said, feeling like a traitor to his own country. "And be more directly on the castle, so the attack would be more direct and less civilians would be caught in the middle of the war."
"Does Telmar have any Navy?" Peter questioned.
"None at all. No one travels by river, even though it goes through the heart of Telmar," Caspian answered.
"Excellent," Lucy said. "And the Splendor Hyaline is so swift that should a sentry spot her, they would not make it to the castle before us, whether on foot or by horse."
"I know the castle the best as well," Caspian added.
"So map it out for us," Edmund said, finding a blank piece of parchment and pushing it towards him.
"I can do that, but I'm going with you, your Majesties," Caspian insisted.
"No, you are not," Peter growled.
"I have no love of my uncle and his men. Let me fight them with you," Caspian said emphatically. "And if I fight alongside you, those not loyal to my uncle will be conflicted."
"And we can do our part to send our birds to the right people in Telmar to spread the word of Miraz' murder of Caspian's father. A rumor like that is sure to catch fire. And perhaps we might even have some other Telmarines turn to our side," Susan added. "Surely some of them would wish for their prince to return to his rightful throne."
Peter's eyes widened. "So this is what this is all about," he accused, pointing at Caspian. "You want us to fight your battles for you! We will not support a Telmarine like yourself. You caused this battle, and now you plan to use us for your revenge? I'd sooner have you thrown in the dungeons!"
"I swear, this will be as beneficial to Narnia as it is to Telmar. If I were to take the throne, Telmar would be forever an ally to Narnia. And you would then have the King of Telmar forever indebted to you," he said, placing a hand on his heart and bowing.
"You will turn against us the first chance you get," Peter hissed accusingly.
"Oh, Caspian wouldn't!" Lucy protested. "You wouldn't, right Cassie?"
"We can ensure that he will not have the chance to," Susan suddenly spoke up. Everyone – Caspian included – turned to look at her in confusion
"How can we possibly guarantee that Telmar will not be our enemy under his rule?" he demanded. Caspian looked at Susan in confusion. She seemed unusually unsure of herself, fighting some inner battle.
"If I am ruling Telmar beside him," Susan said simply. The shock of the statement made Caspian not understand it for several seconds. He stared at her until realization hit him.
"By the Mane! Over my dead body," Peter said, pounding his fist into the table.
"Susan…you…you can't be serious," Lucy said. Even she was aghast.
"I…I….what?" Caspian said, completely shocked and confused.
"You," Peter hissed, pulling out his sword and aiming it at Caspian's heart. "You tricked her again somehow. Well, I won't let you get away with hurting her again. Draw your sword!"
"What?" Caspian shouted, stepping back. "Are you crazy?"
"I'm ending this here and now! But it is not the Narnian way to strike down an unarmed man, something I will hold to even if it's not the Telmarine way. Draw your sword!" Peter demanded angrily.