Chapter 10: The Queen's Guardian

When they entered the hallway, Cirdon saw his father's men waiting and quickly ushered Lucy down the corridor. "We do not want to be overheard," he whispered to her. When they were safely out of earshot, he turned to his men and said, "Go and get everything ready. Be sure you are not seen." His men nodded and left immediately.

Hyreus started to protest. "Your Highness, I must insist on knowing what your men are doing."

"All that we can for our country, and yours," he replied.

"Hyreus!" Lucy exclaimed. "After all this, you still have reservations about the prince, and suspect his men of wrongdoing?"

"Nay, my queen," said Hyreus. "But I still answer to my kings. I made a promise to protect you, and I do not intend to relinquish my duties." Lucy suddenly felt a great wave of love and gratitude for Hyreus, who had spent his past weeks trying to keep Lucy out of harm's way (which, Lucy had to admit to herself, she did not make a very easy task). She gave Hyreus a kiss on the cheek, which made the Faun blush furiously. Stammering, he said, "Where to now, Your Majesty?"

"Shall we take that stroll, my lady?" asked Cirdon, offering his arm. Lucy nodded and accepted the arm. The walked out a side door and through a little clearing to find the trail that wound leisurely through the garden. The moon was only half full, and everything was bathed in a muted silver light. Hyreus followed them, but kept a respectful distance behind.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness," Lucy said. "I certainly never intended to lie to your father. Please do not be cross with me."

To her relief, Cirdon laughed. "Not at all, Madam. Although I had much practice in my youth, I could not have done it better myself. I admire your quick thinking!" He looked around, admiring the trees, whose leaves were golden colored and just poised to fall to the ground. "It is very beautiful here. I was only in this garden once, with the Queen Susan." Sighing, he said, "I wish that we could have really been spending our evenings strolling through these paths. Now it seems that there will not be a time for that again."

"It is unlike you to be so low-spirited," she replied. "You must hold faith. Trust in Aslan. Your father may be difficult to manage, but—"

"Your Majesty," he interrupted. "I must tell you the truth." He led her over to a small bench, which had been carved out of the trunk of a great oak tree. Images were carved all over the back of the bench, and in the middle, a picture of the great Lion. They sat down, and Cirdon looked at the Lion, running his fingers over the grooves in the wood. "Do you remember the day we rode out to the Stone Table? I felt such power that day—such magic in that place . . . I have never seen Aslan, as you have. He has not come of Terebinthia in several lifetimes. It is easy to tell that my country has been absent from his sight. Narnia has been blessed by Aslan, and it is covered in a grace the likes of which I have not seen. Terebinthia . . . is in turmoil."

Lucy's eyes were wide. "You have never spoken this way before."

"I do not wish to burden you with concerns that are not your own," he said quietly. "But now you are involved, the one thing that I had hoped beyond hope would not happen." He sighed deeply. "Forgive me, my queen. I never meant for this to go so far—and never really believed that it would."

"What is there to forgive?" she asked.

"My father is going to force a marriage between us." Cirdon spoke quickly, as if the faster he confessed, the easier it would be for Lucy to take. "Most likely, he is speaking to your royal brothers of it now. He wants Narnia as his own, and the desire is driving him beyond reason. He thinks that if I marry you, I can make a legitimate claim to the throne." Shaking his head, Cirdon continued, "I cannot dissuade him from his plan, and I fear he will destroy both of our lands unless he is stopped."

"You are his son. He will not even listen to his own kin?"

"I have tried more times than I care to remember."

"Do you honestly fear that my brothers would hand me over like that? I can tell you that Edmund will see through him in an instant."

"No doubt, my lady. And I meant no insult to you or your family. I know that all of Narnia would fight to protect you, and the kings would lead the charge. That is why I am afraid. I can see Terebinthia and Narnia locked in an endless war for years to come." They fell silent, both thinking about Cirdon's words. Lucy was trying not to imagine Narnia at war again. Sometimes, it seemed that the battle against the White Witch's army was so long ago, and then other times, the memory was still fresh as if it had been yesterday. Although she had missed most of the Great Battle, arriving in the aftermath was somehow worse: she could see all of the wounded Narnians everywhere—and Edmund, pale-faced and bleeding. They had fought many battles since then, but they had never felt like war the way that first had. Cirdon had never seen battle, but had traveled with the Terebinthian army. The army seemed to be everywhere, soldiers keeping the restless people under control for the king. The thought of those soldiers tramping through the happy homes of the Talking Animals he had met filled Cirdon with dread. And although he had never seen the Narnian army, he could imagine how fierce they must be, and feared for his own people.

Lucy's head was bowed. At first, Cirdon feared that she was weeping, and tried to comfort her. But when she raised her eyes to his, he could see that weeping was the furthest thing from her mind. Her eyes were set, her face determined, and a glint of something he could not quite pinpoint in her eyes. "What if you refuse the marriage?" Lucy asked.

"I have. I told my father that I would never marry anyone against their wishes." Cirdon looked slightly embarrassed. "I believe that marriage should be for love, not for land or power. Marlan sees differently. If I do not agree to his command, he will name my cousin Rehidar his successor. Rehidar will become king, and then my father will be seeking him a bride, instead of me." Cirdon closed his eyes, feeling ill at the thought. He and Rehidar had spent their entire childhoods together. It had not been pleasant.

"Even if your father were to deny you the throne, would your cousin accept it?"

Cirdon gave a harsh laugh. "Rehidar is nearly as impossible as he. All he cares about is battles, and power, and making his name the most feared and honored in all of Terebinthia's history." The prince sighed, suddenly overwhelmed with sadness. "You must understand, my queen, that my father was not always like this. He was a good king, and even though Terebinthia had to struggle, he did his best. But as time went on, he became bitter. When he heard of the White Witch's defeat, and King Edmund came to visit us, he expected a great warrior. Although King Edmund is a soldier of great renown, my father was almost insulted. He began to plot then how he could overthrow the four children who were 'playing make-believe', as he called it. In his bitterness, he has become a ruthless king, and reigns with little love or mercy for Terebinthia. Sometimes I wonder if he hates being king, and if he hates all of us. The people have been suffering, but they remain silent, remembering his past kindness, and looking for the future for when I will be king and can set things aright. But I shudder to think of what will happen if Rehidar is made king. There may be civil war."

Somewhere nearby, a nightingale was singing. Occasionally an owl hooted. Cirdon wondered briefly if it was one of the Talking Owls that had rescued them from the riverside. But then Lucy jumped up and said, "There is much to be done. If we are to stop King Marlan, then we must get to work as swiftly as possible."

"Work? How, Your Majesty? The choices I see before us are all foul."

"So then you would do nothing!" she cried.

Cirdon stood to face Lucy. Over her shoulder, he could see Hyreus watching them, obviously concerned by Lucy's outburst. "Nay, Your Majesty," he said in a low tone. "That is why I have a plan."

"And what is that?" she asked in a whisper.

"I am leaving again, tonight, as soon as everything is ready. And I want you to come with me."

"What?"

"If we flee together, then my father has no power here. He'll have no choice but to leave." Cirdon took hold of Lucy's shoulders. "Please do not refuse me. I believe that if we go, my father will be so furious that he will forget this whole Narnia business. He will not be able to threaten for your hand if you are not even here. We will be able to protect both of our lands and return when things are right again." He leaned close, his face only an inch or two from hers. "Say you'll come with me. I will take care of you."

"I— I—" she stammered. She stood looking at him, her mouth open. "Leave my family? My home?" Her mind was whirling with the possibility.

His fingers were chilled by the cold night air, and as his hands moved to the base of her neck, she shivered. "Do you not see? This is the only way that I can protect you."

"I don't need protecting," she said.

"Lucy," he said softly. He pulled her face even closer to his, his fingers grazing through her soft hair. "I have thought of nothing else ever since yesterday. It is the only option that I see. All of our other choices will end in misery." Cirdon's voice broke for a moment. "I would leave here, and never return, if I knew that you would not be in danger, even though the very thought of it breaks my heart. I believed it was Narnia, but it is not. It would be leaving you, Lucy." He pressed his forehead against hers. "I know you feel the same way."

Lucy's heart was pounding. She had never felt so confused before. She tried to pull away a little. "I do not understand how running away will solve anything. I need to speak with Peter and Edmund, tell them of your warning—"

"And they will persuade you not to go," he said, sadly. "I wish you would trust me, and believe that this is the right thing to do."

"I do trust you, Your Highness. But I could never leave without a word to anyone." She reached up and took his hands, pulling them from behind her neck. Cirdon held onto her hands. "Please do not refuse. It is the only way to stop my father!"

"What if it does not? What then? You said that your cousin would make your people suffer. Will you abandon them so willingly?"

He felt as if she had slapped him. Cirdon's face burned. "I am not abandoning them! Please, Lucy. Please come with me."

Lucy shook her head. "I'm sorry, Your Highness." She stepped back and turned to go, but Cirdon held onto her arm. She turned and they looked at each other for an intense moment. Then, Cirdon looked up, and saw Hyreus walking over, staring at him. Cirdon let go of her arm. "As you wish, Your Majesty," he said in a despondent voice.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, and then turned and fled back into the castle. Cirdon watched her for a moment, and then started to go after her. But his way was blocked by Hyreus. "I know not what you spoke of with Her Majesty," said Hyreus in a grave voice. "But I think it is best if you return to your own quarters for the night."

Cirdon tried to brush him aside. "What you think is best is not my concern, Faun," he answered. "I must finish speaking with the queen."

Hyreus stood as tall as he could (he only actually reached the prince's shoulder). "Those who wish to speak with the queen must go through me, Your Highness. She is in my charge, and I will not have her disturbed tonight. Good night, Your Highness." They stared at each other for a long moment, and Cirdon seemed to have something more to say. But instead, he turned abruptly and walked quickly away. Hyreus watched him until he was out of sight, and then turned back to the castle, on his way back to the queen's side.

A/N: Much love and thanks again to all of those who have been patient with me and my bursts of writing. Your comments and questions have been helpful, and some of you have inspired more than you realize.

This chapter was both frightening and cathartic to write. The scene was actually the first thing I had when I began this story: Lucy deciding whether or not to leave with the prince. The rest of the story has sort of grown around this idea, and I wanted this chapter to be perfect. I occasionally still have doubts about Cirdon's character and who's side he is really on. I feel like I am on this journey with the rest of you.

Lastly, I apologize for anything in this chapter that is annoying: namely, the length and the talking. This chapter is shorter than I would have liked, but I wanted to end it before I drove myself crazy with rewrites. And I know the past couple of chapters have been overly talky-talky. I promise, the action is starting soon!

Thanks again for reading. Please review and let me know what you think!