Chapter 3

Over with Caspian, his head had been bandaged and his was lying on a bed in a tree. He takes off the bandage and gets up.

Nickabrick the dwarf was sitting on a stool in the next room complaining saying, "This bread is so stale."

A badger with a kind voice named Trufflehunter said, "I'll just get him some soup then."

Nickabrick looked at Trufflehunter and said angrily, "You said you were going to get rid of him."

Trufflehunter moved about and said, "No, I said I'd take care of him. Lucy asked us to do it so I will."

"Well, I don't think I hit him hard enough." Nickabrick said complaining.

Trufflehunter went round to Nickabrick and said, "He's just a boy!"

Nickabrick bit back, "He's a Telmarine, not some lost puppy!"

Trumpkin moved off again and said, "We can't kill him now, not after bandaging his head. It would be like murdering a guest. And besides Lucy is married to him."

Nickabrick made a face of disgust and said, "Ah and how do you think his friends are treating their guest? And I don't care what Lucy is to him."

"Trumpkin knew what he was doing." Trufflehunter said while moving to the table with a bowl of soup in his paws.

Caspian got up and bolted for the door, making Trufflehunter drop the bowl of soup. Nickabrick stood in Caspian's way swinging his sword. Caspian pulled a hot poker from the fire and blocked Nickabrick's blows.

Nickabrick seeing this as his chance to make his point said, "See? I told you we should've killed him!"

Trufflehunter looked at them and answered, "You know why we can't!"

"If you're taking a vote, I'm with him." Caspian said motioning to Trufflehunter.

Nickabrick still not giving up said, "We can't let him go! He has seen us!"

Nickabrick swung his sword a few more times, but Caspian blocked him.

Trufflehunter walked in to the middle and said, "That's enough, Nickabrick! Or do I have to sit on your head again?"

Nickabrick not liking that stops swinging his sword.

Trufflehunter looked down at the floor and said, "Now, look what you made me do! I spent half the morning on that soup."

Caspian sat down on a step behind him and asked, "Wh-what are you?"

Trufflehunter turned back to his fire and said, "It's funny. You'd think more people would recognize a badger when they saw one."

Caspian quickly defended himself saying, "No, I mean… You're Narnians. You're supposed to be extinct. I mean Lucy and Mara said you still existed but I didn't really believe them."

Nickabrick wanting to sound as harsh as he could said, "Sorry to disappoint you."

Trufflehunter returned with more soup. And placed it on the table saying, "Here we are. Still hot."

Nickabrick looked at Trufflehunter and asked, "Since when did we become a boarding house for Telmarine soldiers?"

Caspian stood up tall and said, "I'm not a soldier! I'm Prince Caspian… the tenth."

Nickabrick not quite believing what he's hearing asked, "What are you doing here?"

Caspian turned away covering his sadness by putting the poker back and he said, "Running away. My uncle has always wanted my throne. I suppose I have only lived this long because he did not have an heir of his own."

Trufflehunter being more willing to believe things said, "Well, this changes things."

Nickabrick not understanding said, "Yes… It means we won't have to kill you ourselves."

Caspian got up and started to get his things saying, "You're right."

Trufflehunter walked toward him and asked, "Where are you going?"

Caspian still continued to get his things as he said, "My uncle will not stop until I am dead."

Trufflehunter called after him and said, "Wait, you're meant to save us! Don't you know what the horn means?"

Over at the castle Miraz had just arrested Caspian's Tudor and was looking for his old nanny. Sopespian was just watching from the side lines planting seeds of mistrust in anyone he could. When Miraz couldn't find Mara he started in on the tales of old trying to find whatever he could about the Kings and Queens, not knowing one had been under his nose for two years.

Edmund was looking around and noticed something Lucy normally would and said, "They're so still."

Trumpkin looked at him and answered, "They're trees. What do you expect?"

Edmund looked at Trumpkin and said, "They used to dance."

Trumpkin looked around at the woods and started to tell them, "It wasn't long after you left that the Telmarines invaded. Those that survived retreated to the woods. And the trees have retreated so deeply inside themselves that no one has heard from them since."

Edmund looked around once more and said, "I don't understand. How could Aslan have let this happen?"

Trumpkin looked at Edmund and said, "Aslan? I thought he abandoned us after you lot did. And I thought it was Lucy who always thought of Aslan."

Peter turned his head slightly and said sadly, "We didn't mean to leave, you know. And Lucy is like that but Edmund also is like that. They both have their days."

"Doesn't make much difference now, does it?" Trumpkin said.

"Get us to the Narnians and it will." Susan said finally butting her head in.

After almost getting eaten by a bear they all started to walk to the camp. Lucy had long ago left to ride back to the Howe, Mara had joined her. The only one who had stayed was Sarah, and she was getting sick of Susan's prising.

Over with Caspian, Nickabrick and Trufflehunter were following him through the forest. When up behind them came other Telmarines with crossbows and swords. They start firing at them and one hit Trufflehunter and making him stumble and fall. Suddenly they saw soldiers getting cut down by nothing, and out of nowhere Lucy came up and drew one of her swords and started taking the soldiers down. Suddenly Caspian was knocked off his feet by a mouse with a sharp sword.

The mouse pointed his sword at Caspian and said, "Choose your last words carefully, Telmarine!"

Caspian looked to his sword then back at the mouse and said, "You are a mouse."

The mouse sighed and said, "I was hoping for something a little more original. Come on, pick up your sword."

Caspian looked back at his sword than said, "Uh, no thanks."

The mouse then said, "Pick it up! I will not fight an unarmed man."

Caspian trembled slightly then said, "Which is why I will live longer if I choose not to cross blades with you, noble mouse."

The mouse sighed again then said, "I said I wouldn't fight you. I didn't say I'd let you live!"

Trufflehunter quickly called out, "Reepicheep, stay your blade!"

Reepicheep looked to Trufflehunter and said, "Trufflehunter? I trust you have a good reason for this untimely interruption!"

Nickabrick still not being happy said, "He doesn't. Go ahead."

Trufflehunter turned a glare to Nickabrick then said, "Reepicheep, he's the one that blew the horn!"

Suddenly they heard laughing and when they looked up they saw Lucy sitting atop Astra, laughing.

Then they heard a deep voice say, "Then let him bring it forward." And they all saw a dark centaur. "This is the reason we have gathered."

Lucy bowed her head then said, "He doesn't have the horn, for I have returned it to my sister."

They all bowed in return and then turned to go back to the dancing lawn. Lucy looked down on Caspian then held out her hand. Caspian grabbed it and Lucy pulled him up behind her, then followed the centaur whom she told Caspian was named Glenstorm.