Edward grinned and grabbed the arm back at the elbow in a loose approximation of a handshake and waved Caspian over. "Come on, let's discuss this inside," the blond urged, but before he could continue, a voice from inside the tree cut him off.

"What' she doing here?" The voice was deep with a hint of gravel and didn't sound all that friendly.

With a roll of his eyes, Edward said, "He's a friend of mine and he's in trouble. Let us in?" The previous voice grunting which Edward took as a sign of consent. He and Caspian ducked through the small door and into one of the strangest houses Caspian had ever seen.

It wasn't dirty or wet, like one would expect, but it was obvious what they were inside of. Great roots curved across the ceiling in natural arches and slid down into other roots to form the walls. The floor was level, which was a relief to Caspian since it meant he wouldn't be constantly tripping, but he could tell where someone, one of the inhabitants probably, had packed earth and in some cases smooth rock around the tree's roots to make the floor smooth enough for safe footing. Small windows placed high on the walls let in plenty of natural light, a small fire lit in an area entirely dug out of earth gave the place a warm feel, and a delicious smell wafted over from the large pot over the flames.

The smell drew the prince's attention to what looked like the kitchen and the three…well, Caspian wasn't quite sure what they were. Humans weren't that small and he was pretty sure one of them was covered in fur. They all sat around a small flat-topped rock on roots that had been curved into seat shapes growing up from the floor. And then there was no more time to observe as his sword teacher rushed past him, scooped up one of the smaller figures, and hugged it close.

"Put me down, you great buffoon, you're far too tall now! This is no way to treat a Narnian," said a growly voice that wanted to be scornful but was too full of cheer to manage it.

Edward held out the smaller body with both arms and smirked at the scowling furry features. "Is that any way to greet an old friend, Trufflehunter?"

The badger, though it was a bit too large to be a regular badger, frowned even darker and chided, "If you'd put me down, I might be able to greet you and our other guest properly."

The remarked reminded Edward of Caspian's presence and he waved the prince over. "Trufflehunter, Trumpkin, Nikabrik, this is Prince Caspian the Tenth. Caspian," he started, "these are my friends. Trufflehunter is the badger, he's a talking beast," he introduced as the now named badger walked over and shook Caspian's hand. "Trumpkin, the redhead, is a red dwarf," Edward continued.

The short man got up from his place at the table and circled the younger man. "Tabletops and tankards, never thought I'd see two humans in this house," the dwarf muttered, but he too shook Caspian's hand and there was a hint of a smile around his mouth when he sat back down.

Edward then finished introductions, scowling at the last figure. "And the black dwarf acting very rudely and not saying hello is Nikabrik."

The dwarf with a black beard ground his teeth a bit and stared at the soup pot. "Is it ready yet?"

Trufflehunter snapped, "It'll be ready in a bit. And Edward's right, you're being very rude." He grabbed Caspian's hand with his paw and pulled him over to the table. "Why don't we all sit down and have some soup? I'm sure Edward and…Caspain, was it? They surely have a story to tell."

So the furry friend busied himself at the soup pot and Trumpkin managed to find two stools shaped out of branches for the guests. Once they were all comfortable, with a still slightly nervous Caspian seated next to his sword tutor, Edward began the story. "There are some who could tell this story better, because they were there, and what I know is only what I've been told." He looked sideways at the young prince. "Hold your temper and your questions until I've finished." Caspian nodded. "It started when Miraz decided being brother to the king wasn't enough." He told of how the current ruler had undermined the council by sending off its members or subjecting them to "accidents". Caspian's hands clenched on his thighs and Nikabrik's face became smug.

When Edward told of how he appointed his friends as generals the black dwarf snorted. "Just goes to show you. Rotten, the lot of them."

Caspian's fury crescendoed and he would have leapt across the table if not for the hand gripping his arm. Golden eyes skewered the smug face. "No race is entirely good or evil. You should know that best of all, Black Dwarf." Nikabrik muttered something uncomplimentary but backed down and Edward continued his story. "Once his brother was out of the way, Miraz took the throne, but he kept Caspian as a backup and tried to mold him into a second version of himself." Then, for the first time during the telling, Edward smirked. "Luckily, the boy had teachers who prevented that. But now Miraz wants his own son to inherit, and ordered the military to kill Caspian. His tutor and I got him out in time and the court won't know he's gone until tomorrow morning at the earliest."

"Twigs and truffles," Trumpkin moaned, "You've brought trouble right to our doorstep."

Edward's grin widened. "That, or a chance to get Narnia back."

Trufflehunter's face near shone with hope, and though Trufflehunter looked a great deal less pleased, there was fire in his eyes." Nikabrik looked between his two companions and the man they'd once fished out of the River Rush. "Alright," the black dwarf asked, "What's the plan?"

I'm so happy! I got my first review for this story! Hearing how someone liked my work was such a treat for me, especially since this story is sort of hidden where a lot of people don't know to look. So every comment I get, I treasure! That said, how did I do with keeping the three Narnians in check. It's been a while since I read the book or watched the movie, and this story will have elements from both. For instance, I loved the older Caspain from the movie but the whole siege thing was a disaster.

Please tell me what you think! Oh, and check out my youtube account. I've got some great Narnia stories!