Elizabeth did not know quite what to think, the day had been a complete whirlwind. Her father had had her and her sister woken earlier than usual to prepare to meet the Narnian delegates and present a united front, but the last thing Elizabeth expected was to be confronted with children. Children, and yet the leader they had been told to expect, General Oreius, had deferred to them!
Perhaps she was being unkind, as she herself was only a year older than the eldest boy, Peter, but their story had been rather hard to believe, even with the evidence sitting right in front of them. Unless one looked closely, one would not believe that all four were in their twenties, especially the youngest, Lucy. It was the eyes though. Everything else about them might reflect children, but their eyes, striking blues and wise brown, had seen war, hardship and love in measures far beyond their physical years.
Breaking away from such heavy thoughts, Elizabeth turned to look at her sister, eleven-year-old Margaret who was riding on a black stallion with a satyr. The little pixie of a girl hadn't stopped giggling since Elizabeth nearly fell off her horses halfway through the journey. Honestly, how was it her fault that a talking horse startled her? Shaking her head she turned back around as the group came into the main courtyard of the Narnians' rather impressive castle. The castle staff and court immediately swarmed the four Narnian royals, making a ruckus.
As Elizabeth and Margaret dismounted, Lucy managed to extract herself from the swarm and approached them, followed by two ethereal women with faintly green tinted skin and bedecked in blossoms and trailing ivy. Smiling, the littlest queen addressed the sisters in a brisk tone, "I apologise for the noise, but I'm afraid we did leave without notice." Smiling indulgently at the crowd, Lucy gestured to the women standing respectfully behind her, "These are Lily and Fleri; they will be your maids during your stay here in Cair Paravel. Dinner is in an hour, so they will take you to your rooms for now. We will be introducing you to the court before the feast."
Before Lucy could continue, Edmund came up behind his sister and laid his hand lightly on her forearm, letting her know he had need of her. "Excuse me, Your Highnesses, but I need to steal my sister away, there are matters my royal consorts and I must attend to. We shall see you at supper." With a quick bow and a genial smile, the Just King walked back to his elder siblings, Lucy in tow. The four fell in line with each other before entering the castle, which was apparently a sign for everyone else to enter as well.
Unsure of what to do, Elizabeth gripped her sister's hand tightly and turned to their maids for direction. Dropping a quick curtsy, Fleri gestured for them to follow her as she led the sisters through the castle to their shared suite while Lily directed the servants carrying their luggage. The young princesses relaxed on their four poster beds while they waited for dinner and the maids unpacked and aired out their things. It was not until they were being helped into a pair of beautiful, Narnian gowns the young Queens had sent for them that Elizabeth gathered her courage and asked something that had been confusing the Crown Princess since she met the fae like women.
"I do not wish to be impertinent," the elder princess began tentatively, "but what are you exactly?"
The maids glanced at each other over the princesses heads and giggled. After a moment Lily took pity on the confused girls and explained, "Begging your pardon, milady, but we were wondering when you would ask, we could tell you were curious when Her Majesty introduced us. We are dryads, Milady, nature spirits."
"Is that why you are green?" Margaret asked impulsively as Fleri finished lacing up her delicately embroidered bodice.
"Yes Milady," She answered with a fond smile, "but that's enough about us now. It's about time we get you down to dinner. It wouldn't do to be late and show up in the middle of the High King's welcome speech, now would it."
With that, the two dryads hustled the princesses out of their rooms and through a labyrinth of tapestry covered corridors until they reached a small door that led to the Royal's thrones at the end of the Great Hall. The girls were led onto the dais and stood on either side of the High King's throne. Peter flashed them both a quick smile before he stood and began to address the gathered Narnians.