Chapter Nine: A Great King
What followed the adventure at the river was more of what the group had had that morning. Walking, walking, and still more walking. Only now, with spring quickly on the way, so quickly that they were actually watching it happen before their very eyes, the group began feeling uncomfortable in their great coats. The snow was melting all around them, revealing lush green grass and moss beneath it. The trees quickly went from blooming to leafy green within an hour. After a while, the group decided to stop and take a rest.
Aria did not sit, though, but merely took off her bag and stood with her arms folded across her chest. She shook her head. "I don't understand it." She murmured.
"Neither do I." Said a soft voice from beside her, and Aria turned to find Susan standing next to her with an incredulous expression that she was quite sure matched her own. "It's not possible."
Aria shook her head again, looking back out at the trees. "I've seen snow melt this fast, but it never goes strait to stuff like this." She said, gesturing. "It feels like it's the middle of spring already, not the very beginning of an end to winter."
Susan turned to her, her face now bearing a look of resignation. "Well," She said, and Aria looked at her. "At least it won't be so cold anymore." And Aria nodded as the younger girl began to shed her fur coat. Then she just looked at it, grimacing. "I really don't want to have to carry it around, though." She said.
"Here," Peter came up behind them, holding both his and Lucy's coats. "I'm just going to put them on this branch over here. I doubt they'll hurt anything."
Susan just looked at him. "But shouldn't we at least take them back to the wardrobe?" She asked.
Peter chuckled and took the coat from her hands. "We're still in the wardrobe, aren't we?" He asked. Susan huffed slightly, but apparently had to agree, and Aria declined to point out, again, that she had not come through any wardrobe. Then, throwing Susan's coat over his arm as well, he looked at Aria.
"What?" she asked, shaking her head slightly.
Peter smiled. "Did you want to get out of your coat as well? It doesn't look as hot as these, but it is fur, isn't it?"
Aria fought a chuckle, but unzipped her jacket anyway, actually relieved to get out of the wet thing. "Sure it is." She said, knowing that it was really only faux. She shrugged out of it and handed it to Peter with a 'thank you'.
"Oh." He said, taking it from her.
"What?" She asked again.
Peter shook his head. "Nothing, I had just been wondering how warm you could possibly be in this." He said, gesturing to the coat in his hand. "But you had on another one, too, I see."
"Oh." She said, smiling and yanking on the lapels of the short plaid jacket she wore over a black tank top. "Yeah, well, it's pretty thin actually. I only wore it so that I could take that one off at school if I got too hot."
"Did you want me to take that one, too?" He asked her, but she shook her head.
"No, thank you. If I get too hot, I'll just put it in my bag." She said, looking down at the said object. Then she gasped when she realized that it was soaking wet. And was then surprised when the first thing that she worried about was the new journal that she had no idea what to do with. She knelt down quickly and opened the bag, quickly dumping the contents out and spreading them around on the grass. It had contained some of the food that Mrs. Beaver had collected for the journey, two of her schoolbooks, three composition books, four novels, a small bag of hair ties, a bag of writing utensils, and of course the journal and the bag containing the quill and the ink.
Now, of course, the schoolbooks were completely soaked, the composition books ruined, and the novels were completely destroyed, their ink bleeding so much that the words within the pages were impossible to decipher. She sighed, tossing them aside, thinking that at least they hadn't been her favorites. And then she picked up the journal, almost wincing in fear. But there was no need, for the journal was just as dry as it had been when Father Christmas had given it to her about an hour ago. She turned it over, stroking the leather cover and then the pages. Then she took the rose pendant in her fingers and pressed it into the lock, turning it slightly to the right.
The locked popped open and she opened the journal, caressing the dry pages with her fingers. Then, satisfied, she closed the journal and pressed the lock back into place. Then, placing the journal down, she touched the bag containing the quill and the ink and found that it, too was completely dry. Then she stood, thinking that at least she could save the bag of hair ties, which she would desperately need if it got any hotter. The rest she would just have to leave here.
"Is everything all right?" Peter asked her, having finished placing their things on the tree branch.
"Not everything." Aria said. "But everything that was really important, I guess."
Peter looked down at her soggy books. "I'm sorry." He said.
Aria shrugged. "It's all right. I didn't really need them anyway." She said, moving back to the group with him so that they could all grab a quick bite to eat before moving on.
When they were ready, Aria gathered her salvageable things and placed them back in her bag, which was thankfully not as wet as it had been, and they all began walking again, this time Aria walking in the back. That was when she noticed that Lucy and Susan had both shed their sweaters, and that Peter was no longer wearing his suspenders, but had rather buckled his sword at his waist and his shield on his back. Susan had her bow and arrow on her back as well, and Lucy had strapped her small dagger and the flask thing to her waist.
This time, they didn't have that far to walk before they began hearing horns. Mr. Beaver told them that the scouts were merely announcing their arrival. Lucy hung back for a moment as the petals of a nearby blossoming tree grouped together in the wind to form a little girl in her likeness and waved to her. Aria stopped next to Lucy, staring at the creature in amazement, but then Lucy took her hand and pulled her along for a moment before releasing her.
Then, almost as if they had planned it, the two Beavers began walking together off to the side of the siblings, who in a moment were at each other's sides. Aria, however decided to just keep to the back of the group, since she was not one of the 'foretold kings and queens'. But Peter, apparently, would have none of it, and the group slowed until she walked to his left.
When they entered the camp, it was all Aria could do not to stop dead in her tracks and simply stare all around her. There were creatures from every fairytale she had ever heard from every fantasy novel she had ever read. Centaurs and fauns, and animals too like jaguars and dogs, and birds. There were even a few gryphons, and many things she couldn't for the life of her remember the names of. As the group walked through the canter of the camp, every single one of the creatures stopped whatever they were doing and watched the group.
A smile Susan, through her teeth, asked, "Why are they all staring at us?" And Aria had to fight the urge to pat her hair, knowing that it more than likely looked like a rat's nest.
"Maybe they think you look funny." Lucy said, smiling cheekily up at her sister. Peter and Aria couldn't help their slight laughter, but Susan lost her smile at that, and looked around at the creatures as if hoping that wasn't true.
Mrs. Beaver, however, had had the same urge as Aria, but had not stifled it, and was busy trying to brush out her fur. "Here, stop your fussing." Mr. Beaver told her. "You look lovely."
The group soon reached the end of the camp, and stood facing a very large, very ornate red and gold tent. A Centaur stood near it, as if guarding it and, blinking, Peter drew his sword and held it forward. He swallowed nervously and said, "We have come to see Aslan." They heard the whispers immediately begin behind them, but did not have long to wait for the great King of Narnia.
The curtains of the tent rustled softly in the wind, and everyone behind the four knelt in a wave. Then, slowly, a huge lion emerged from the tent and walked towards the group. Peter was the first to kneel, present his sword, tip to the ground, to the lion, and the rest of the group following him.
"Welcome Peter, Son of Adam." The lion said, greeting the siblings in turn. "Welcome Susan and Lucy, Daughters of Eve. And welcome to you, Beavers. You have my thanks. But where is the fourth?" He asked.
Lucy looked up at Aslan, wondering why he had not greeted Aria, as Peter stood. "That's why we're here, sir." He said, as the rest of the group rose to their feet as well. "We need your help."
"We had a little trouble along the way." Susan added, her face also confused.
"Our brother's been captured by the White Witch." Peter said, trying to explain the situation in as delicate a way as possible, whilst throwing a glance at Aria, but her face was closed as she stared mutely at the great lion.
"Captured?" The lion repeated, looking a bit alarmed. "How could this happen?"
The siblings couldn't bring themselves to tell the lion how the thing had occurred, but Mr. Beaver, noticing their dilemma, did it for them. "He betrayed them, Your Majesty." He said haltingly. The whispers behind them began again, all shocked and astounded.
The Centaur guard exploded with "Then he has betrayed us all." But Aslan gave a slight growl.
"Peace, Orius." He said, then he looked at the siblings. "I'm sure there's an explanation."
Peter looked down, but then said, "It's my fault really. I was too hard on him." Susan and Lucy both looked at him, both wanting to tell him that he was wrong.
Susan placed her hand on his shoulder before turning to Aslan. "We all were." She said, telling this to both Peter and Aslan.
"Sir," Lucy pleaded quietly. "He's our brother."
Aslan looked down at the little girl sadly. "I know, dear one." He said. "But that only makes the betrayal all the worse." He turned to look at Peter. "This may be harder than you think." He said. But then he shook his mane and looked at Aria for the first time. He cocked his head slightly as he studied her, and she looked down, uncomfortable with his scrutiny. "My dear Aria." He said at last. She looked up at him as he gestured towards his tent. "Join me while your friends are shown to their own tents."
Aria glanced quickly at Peter and the girls before swallowing thickly and stepping forward, her fingers going to her rose pendant nervously. "Why can't she come with us?" Lucy asked quickly.
Aslan looked down at her, smiling. "She'll be with you shortly, dear one." He said. "But first, there are things we must discuss." And Peter and his sisters watched as Aslan led Aria into his tent, the heavy curtains shutting behind them.
