A/n: Hi! First of all, HighQueenP and I would like to say a big thank you to Guest1, elomeno, Narniafan, Anon, Emily, QueenLucyfan, KesseGirl1, GoldenAgeNarnian, Guest, QueenElenaofnarnia, EC, sarahwood, and all the other guest reviewers for your feedback! We're very glad to know that our readers are liking Gilda's character so far, and Caspian's honorable personality. Your voices aren't unheard, though: as promised, here is chapter 4, in which we're going to have a look at how Ines and Katrina are doing! So, enjoy! :)


(Chippingford, Narnia)

~Chronicler's POV~

Miles and miles away in the small but busy town of Chippingford, a fortnight had passed since Ines and Katrina met the Narnian Queens. It had been an incredible experience for both Farmington sisters. They, with the consent of their uncle and aunt who had taken custody of them, decided to enroll into the ladies in training program. If they were accepted into the course, they'd receive a letter from the royal council. If their applications were successful, that would mean more money for the family as well. They didn't really want to think about what would happen if only either of them were accepted. They were both very thrilled, and were presently awaiting their letter.

It was almost noon now and Katrina had just finished preparing lunch for her family. Her uncle and aunt had gone to the market to collect other supplies they needed, while Ines was still asleep. She went to bed really late the night before, because one of their customers were hosting a wedding and she needed to stay up till very late to get everything ready for the big event that same morning, so Katrina decided to let her sister sleep for a while longer.

Suddenly, Uncle Hugh and Aunt Eileen hurriedly dashed into the house. Aunt Eileen looked very exhilarated, brandishing an envelope, and Katrina dashed out from the kitchen. The royal seal on the envelope caught her eye first, and her eyes widened.

"Is this really happening to me?" Katrina promptly dried her hands with a cloth, and paced to her aunt.

"We just received this when we got back from the market and it was in our mailbox," Uncle Hugh reported, grinning.

"Come on, love. Open it and read to us," said Aunt Eileen, beaming.

Katrina could barely contain her smile and thrill. She took and deep breath and unfolded the letter, reading aloud:

"To Ines Farmington and Katrina Farmington of Chippingford,

Referring to your application to the lady-in-waiting training course, commencing in Fall 2303, the Kings and Queens of Narnia are pleased to inform you that you are hereby accepted into the training program. You have the time period of one week to pack your belongings. The royal council will send carriages to collect you from your hometown.

Signed Their Majesties of Narnia."

There was also an attached document, which was a checklist of what the ladies had to bring along with them for training. To Katrina, the royal stamp even seemed to glow. She was already jumping and running around the house, exclaiming in joy and hugging her uncle and aunt who were equally exhilarated.

"What is going on here?" A sleepy, groggy Ines asked with a croaky voice. Before she knew it, a pair of arms were flung around her shoulders and making her spin around.

"Stop. You're making me dizzy, Kat. I just woke up," Ines rubbed her tired eyes. "Why are you so happy at this inhuman time of the day?"

Katrina grinned proudly and showed the letter to her sister. Ines immediately snapped to attention and was not sleepy anymore.

"We made it!" Ines exclaimed breathily. "We made it! Yes!" She embraced her sister. "Can you believe it? Oh this is marvelous! But, wait, what are you gonna do without us running the business?" She turned to her uncle and aunt anxiously.

"No worries at all; we've got it covered," Uncle Hugh assured.

"I suppose we could hire a shop assistant, if need be," Aunt Eileen pointed out.

"Like you did a few years ago with Emma?" Ines asked. Emma was a former employee at the florist store. She was a few years the sisters' senior, and she worked here previously, when Hugh and Eileen were too busy raising their nieces to run and manage the business. Ines looked up to Emma a lot as she was a 'big sister' figure in her life. But not long ago, she got married to a foreigner, so she moved away, and as Ines and Katrina were also older now, they could help out with business operations.

"Exactly. Now, go pack your belongings and be ladies. Be sure to write to us whenever you have time!" Uncle Hugh added.

And so, the two sisters, beaming, got ready for a new adventure in their lives.


(At the Narnian-Archenlander border)

A Narnian Queen, a Telmarine King, and an Archenlander Princess were comfortably seated in a royal carriage, on their way to the north. They had mutually agreed to stop referring to each other using their royal titles, since addressing one another by their first names was much more convenient and much less verbose.

"So, Lucy," Caspian inquired. "How was your trip to the towns with Susan?"

"Oh! You mean my tour to recruit ladies-in-waiting," Lucy grinned at the memory. "Well, Susan and I thoroughly enjoyed it, actually. And in particular I loved Chippingford. It's a small town, but the atmosphere and the vibes – so friendly and welcoming!"

"I've never been there before. Someone didn't want me meddling with commoners," Caspian admitted, and Lucy noticed how her friend didn't say his uncle's name.

"You should visit some time then. The villagers are lovely and I'm sure you'll love it," Lucy beamed.

"Maybe you'll find a lady in waiting in one of them," Caspian grinned at the Valiant Queen, and turned to his fiancée afterwards. Gilda was listening attentively, as she was eager to know more about Narnia, since she was to ally her country with the noble northern nation.

All royal women and noble ladies in the uppermost aristocracies were assigned ladies in waiting. The duties of a lady in waiting weren't necessarily fixed, but functions historically discharged by a lady in waiting included proficiency in the etiquette, languages, and dances prevalent at court; secretarial tasks; reading correspondence to her the noblewoman she attended to and writing on her behalf; embroidery, painting, and participation in other queenly pastimes; wardrobe care; supervision of servants; keeping her mistress abreast of activities and personages at court, and discreetly relaying messages upon command. A lady in waiting would also provide adequate companionship to who she served, so that there would be a female partner that royal women could confide in, should they find a need to.

"It was actually Caspian's idea to have me and Susan visit these towns located in suburbs in search of ladies in waiting," Lucy beamed.

"Well, it's an annual tradition, but I reckon my forefathers' exclusion of towns of smaller populations when recruiting ladies in waiting, thinking talent there is unimpressive, is quite unfair," Caspian added.

"This is merging both change and continuity in one national event," Lucy smiled. "You're doing a great job, Caspian. You'll be a great King, I trust."

And a good husband too, I hope, Gilda thought to herself.

"And a good husband too, I hope," Caspian smiled at the Archenlander, who beamed when he had read her mind.

Lucy had taken the opportunity to observe the interactions and the dynamics between the newly engaged couple, on their way. And she thought to herself that maybe there'd be a chance that they'd be marrying for more than political reasons after all.


(Telmarine Castle, Narnia)

~Gilda's POV~

Now we had arrived in Narnia. It was my first time visiting, so naturally I was very excited. And my exhilaration was taken to a whole new level when Caspian was introducing me to two of Lucy's siblings, King Peter and Queen Susan, who were at the entrance of the Telmarine Castle to welcome their sister and friend back. They weren't expecting me, so I felt their curious gazes on me, and I got a little nervous. They were King and Queen after all.

Lucy, who was three years my junior, ran to her siblings and hugged them. I instantly could feel the strong sibling, family bonds between them. They had been through so much and stood by each other through all the times, and I wished I had siblings too, but I had a feeling I would get along pretty well with the four ancient sovereigns, as from what Caspian told me, they seemed pretty friendly and agreeable.

"Peter, Susan," Caspian nodded at me, "I'd like you to meet Her Royal Highness, Gilda Parr-Colson, the Crown Princess of Archenland." At this, I smiled shyly at them. "She's my fiancée."

Right away, just as I had expected, I saw the look of slight surprise on Their Majesties' faces at the word 'fiancée'. I had sincerely hoped they wouldn't dislike me.

"Caspian! You're engaged!" Queen Susan was grinning, clearly elated. King Peter immediately beamed in approval as well, much to my relief.

"I am," Caspian nodded, as he and I were showered with congratulations. I thanked Their Majesties profusely. I had only dared hope they would approve of my engagement to Caspian, and they seemed pretty favorable of it, which was good news and a delightto me. I knew that the engagement ought to be entirely a decision between Caspian and myself, solely, even though my father had a part in arranging for us to be together, and that I should not have to seek for other rulers' permission, but it was nice to have their support, especially when they'd be my colleagues, once I was the Queen Consort of Narnia.

"Well, celebrations can come later, but first I think it would be better to show you to your room first," said the Magnificent King.

"Indeed; now why don't you follow me? I'll lead you there," the Gentle Queen offered. She didn't have to do a servant's job, but she genuinely seemed to want to have a chance to walk with and to talk to me, so I accepted right away.


~Chronicler's POV~

As Gilda followed Susan to her guest chambers, she looked around, and found that the Telmarine Castle was pretty grand, but it was what Archenlanders commonly perceived of Telmarines. The Castles weren't particularly welcoming since they consisted of mainly tall walls and columns, and they formed quite a contrast with the warm environment in Anvard Pass where she was from and used to. It was really the rulers' hospitality that made Gilda feel welcome in Narnia.

"You'll love Narnia," Susan said, grinning and stopping in front of a door.

"I'm loving it already; it's so beautiful," Gilda smiled at the Gentle Queen.

"Well, here we are," Susan said, opening the door, and they both entered in a richly adorned chamber in tones of light green. "I hope you like your bedchambers."

"Oh yes. I love it. It's perfect. Thank you for taking your time to show me to my room, Your Majesty," Gilda curtsied formally.

"Please, call me Susan. And you're welcome. I'm glad you like it. This wardrobe is all for you," Susan gently stroke the mahogany wardrobe with her fingertips, thinking of a past adventure she had and intended to continue in her days to come. "Your bathroom is to your right. If there's anything else you need, just ask and you shall receive. There usually will be servants around and they'd be happy to bring you what you need."

"Thank you, Susan. You're a most organized person," Gilda said heartily. She thought that the Narnians must be lucky to have their Queen who'd keep everything in check. "I really need to take this dress off and take a nice bath."

"I thought you would. Have a bit of rest first, and there's no need to rush. Dinner will be served at nightfall as usual, so there's no hurry. You can take all the time you need. By then, you can dine with my family. And, by the way, I'm really sorry that my royal brother Edmund just vanished. Aslan knows where he is," Susan rolled her eyes at her brother's sudden disappearance.

"I can't wait to meet His Majesty as well," Gilda beamed.

"I think you'll like him. He's kind of a clown but a good brother," Susan said and both ladies giggled. "I've instructed some servants to lead your handmaids to their respective quarters as well, and we'll be happy to show you around the palace afterward. But for now I shall leave you to unpacking, and getting refreshed. See you at dinner!"

And with that Susan left the bedroom, leaving Gilda alone. She looked around for a while and frankly she had to admit that her bedroom was quite perfect, and everyone was so nice to her. Originally she didn't quite know what to expect of or what to make out of her trip to Narnia, but now she had a feeling that she'd love it here.

Smiling, she walked to her suitcase, and took out one of her favorite dresses, placing it on top of one of the chairs nearby. Her quarters were remarkably capacious. As a royal herself, she would have expected the best hospitality any nation could afford, but this wasn't just extravagance and expensive decorations. Surprisingly, she felt at home, even when she was miles and miles away from it.

The next thing Gilda noticed was that there were no towels around for her to use after her bath. She searched the room thoroughly, and paused to think. What should she do?

Then she remembered what Queen Susan had said to her if she needed anything, so she marched towards the door and opened it, stepping outside, and looked around, trying to spot a servant. She found one rounding a corner at the very end of the long hallway, but she wasn't bothered to run all the way from one end of the corridor to the other, and it was not ladylike to yell at the fellow as well, for she was taught that a lady must never shout. Besides, the servant was already holding three baskets. Being the considerate one, Gilda waited, and looked around once more.

Ah, there. She found one, and he was making his way to her. She paced to him briskly. "Excuse me, could you please inform your Queen Susan that I don't have towels in my bathroom, and would like some before dinnertime?"

The 'servant' frowned, and stared back at the Princess, looking a bit surprised and a bit confused at the same time, which, in turn, only caused Gilda to appear even more puzzled, as the paranoid part of her was beginning to wonder if there was anything wrong or improper about her simple request for towels.

The 'servant' was slightly shorter than the average male height, but since he looked to be only about Gilda's age, he was still a growing boy. He had very dark brown hair and intense hazel eyes. He wasn't particularly muscular; he had a leaner build but he did look rather athletic.

"I'm sorry. Are you talking to me?" He couldn't help but query.

Gilda's jaw dropped slightly. This was the weirdest conversation she had ever had in her life. "Yes, of course. Do you see anyone else around?"

The 'servant' was about to reply with something snarky, as it was in his nature to do so, when a maid showed up suddenly, popping out of nowhere, curtsying at Gilda. "Excuse me, Your Highness. Her Majesty the Queen Susan had instructed me to bring you these towels," she explained as she handed the towels to Archenlander guest, and then turned to the 'servant' politely. "Your Majesty," she curtsied at the 'servant', like it was the most natural thing to do, then turned on her heel and left.


A/n: Ooh, the suspense! And the excitement, too, now that Ines and Katrina are about to be trained to become ladies in waiting. What did you guys think of this chapter though? Please tell us in the reviews! :D