King Rilian has gone home. That was the first thought that came to Iva when she woke up the next morning.
Do not think about it, she said to herself. Start doing something.
"I want to invite Geebeseek and Leepecheena over for lunch," she said to her mother.
Her mother was doubtful about the idea. "I haven't had a conversation with mice in years," she said. "What will we talk about?"
Iva tried not to sound impatient. "Geebeseek fought in the Second Battle of Beruna when he was only thirteen. He married Leepecheena, three years later, in the same month that King Caspian set sail on the Dawn Treader. They both love music and books and Leepecheena shares your love of cooking. You will find common ground."
Her mother did not look convinced. However, she was cautious with Iva now, afraid to hurt her, and thus allowed herself to be persuaded.
Geebeseek and Leepecheena agreed to come without hesitation. They knocked on the door five minutes later than the appointed time, both wearing hats that Iva knew they reserved for very special occasions.
At first, Iva's mother was very quiet and Iva found herself chattering just to fill up the silence. However, as the lunch progressed, she saw her mother gradually relax. She managed to ask a few questions, and after that, even tell a few stories about living with Iva's uncle in Terebinthia.
"My older brother and I don't always get along…but then, we hardly ever meet. It is a very large house. I have my affairs and he has his."
"You don't dine together?" asked Leepecheena.
"No, I dine alone. It is true that it can be dull at times. When I first arrived, I did hope that Iva would return to Terebithia with me." Her mother smiled. "I don't anymore. She couldn't be better off than where she is now."
Iva couldn't help wincing. It wasn't that she minded telling Geebeseek and Leepecheena that she would be a tutor at the palace. It was that she dreaded hearing her mother speak of it in that proud way.
Fortunately, Leepecheena took those words to mean Narnia in general, not anything in particular. "Do you also think so, dear?" she asked. "That you are better off here?"
Iva thought about it for a moment. 'Better off'? What did that mean really? "I love Narnia," she said simply.
"I respect your feeling," said Iva's mother. "But I do not share it. Narnia is a lovely place to visit but I do not find it comfortable."
Geebeseek chuckled. "Not it really isn't, is it, from a visitor's point of view?" He thought for a moment. "You see, my lady, it was never meant to be simply that. Our land reflects its' creator. And Aslan was once called "not safe but good."
Iva's mother was surprised. "Really?"
Iva brought out the honey cakes. "Mr. Beaver said it first," she explained. "But King Peter the Magnificent quoted it many times after that."
Her mother began pouring tea. "History," she sighed. "Iva won't play the lyre for me, she won't sing or sit for a portrait, although she used to love music and paintings. Instead she keeps teaching me Narnian history."
Iva froze for a moment as Alerei's playful tone seemed to sound in her ears. It's always history, history!
She looked up and meeting Leepeechina's sympathetic look, tried to smile. "I am a tutor," she said to her mother. "I can hardly help it."
Before leaving, Geebeseek called Iva aside and asked quietly, "How have Sir Vern and Lady Gwelein been faring?"
Iva tried to express what she knew, though she stumbled over her words.
"What about the young centaur?"
Iva bit her lip. She had not spoken to Cerus since the funeral. Actually, the thought of him made her uneasy. "I do not know."
"Do you know where Janus the faun sells musical instruments?"
Iva nodded slowly.
"If you wish to meet Cerus, I've often seen him there in the afternoons. I tried speaking to him but he is shy with me. Perhaps, I lack, ah, the gentleness that is necessary." And Geebeseek looked at her, as if to ask, Will you go? However, he said nothing more on the subject, only bowed and took Leepecheena by the arm, as they walked away.
"Well," said Iva's mother. "You were right this time, my little owl. They are, indeed, wonderful company."
After they had cleared away the things from lunch, Iva tried to persuade her mother to go look at the instruments.
"What for? You already have a lyre, one that you do not…" Her mother trailed off.
"I have no need of anything," Iva said. "But won't you want to bring back something from Narnia to show your friends?"
Her mother sighed. "I had been hoping to bring you. I suppose a flute will have to do."
The collection of musical instruments was arranged prettily on the grass in front of the elderly faun's house. The faun held a small box in his left hand (for coins). He bowed to Iva and her mother. "Welcome, welcome."
There wasn't anybody else there. Iva's mother asked if she might try out a flute and the faun permitted it. She sat down on a cushion, spread out her burgundy skirt over the grass and began to play a cheerful tune with pleasure.
Iva listened. Her mother had always played very well but for the first time, Iva wondered if perhaps, the music was…lacking something.
"Does a young centaur often come by here?" she asked Janus quietly.
"With reddish-brown curls and freckles?"
"Yes."
The faun nodded. "He never purchases anything but he always looks so sorrowful, I don't dare ask him what he wants. Perhaps, his parents do not permit him to study music?"
Iva shook her head. "Do you think he will be by later today?"
"Perhaps."
Well, Iva decided, if he was going to be by, she was going to wait.
"You play excellently," she said, after her mother had finished.
Her mother smiled. "It is a superior instrument. I think I will buy it. Shall we go?"
"I...I have a meeting with someone here," Iva said.
Her mother leaned in closer. "A young man?" she whispered.
"Perhaps."
She knew she wasn't being entirely truthful. But after all, Cerus was a young man, wasn't he?
"Well, why didn't you say so right away?" Her mother proceeded to pay for the instrument and leave with a wink and a smile.
Iva sat down and waited.
It was a curious thing, she thought, what Geebeseek had said earlier about Aslan being "not safe but good". She had heard the phrase many times before but had she really understood it? She wasn't sure. In spite of all the stories she had told Alerei about Aslan, she had never really thought about Him very deeply. She had never bothered to. Only now, when the only bit of hope for Alerei rested in His existence and the existence of His country…she realized that she didn't know much about him at all.
Narnians came and went. Cerus did not come.
To Iva's surprise, her mother did not ask any questions when she came in. She studied her very intently but only mentioned that Leepecheena had invited her to visit tomorrow morning and she was going.
"Really?" Iva teased. "But whatever will you talk about?"
And her mother laughed, blushing at her earlier words.
That night, Iva dreamed.
They were sitting at Alerei's desk. Iva was teaching. Alerei was listening but there was something distant about her that day, something couldn't put her finger on it."You're not trying very hard," she told Alerei.
Alerei rose and said coldly, "I don't want to be here any longer." Then she walked away.
Iva ran after her but Alerei was faster somehow and although Iva pleaded with her to stop, she didn't look back once. And Alerei's figure, retreating into the distance, became blurry like a painting.
Iva sat up in bed.
Her body shook so violently, she couldn't even stand, could only hold onto the bedclothes. Her teeth chattered.
Her mother appeared in the doorway. "Are you all right?"
Iva stared back at her. All right? She wanted to scream. Instead, she said, "There is an absolute evil."
Her mother frowned. "What, dear?"
"There is," Iva repeated positively. And she began to sob, Alerei's cold indifferent face still before her eyes.
Her mother sat on the edge of the bed, put an arm around her and didn't argue. "Perhaps." A little later, she said,"The little girl is in Aslan's country, dear. You said so yourself."
Yes, Iva had said that. But she wished her grief was so selfless that she could be comforted by it.
Long after her mother had gone back to sleep, she lay awake, heart aching. She desperately wanted to speak to King Rilian but knew that that was impossible.
As soon as the sunlight began to shine through the curtains on the window, Iva gave up on trying to sleep. She left her mother a note and headed towards the instrument shop again.
What was she going to say if she did meet Cerus? How could she offer comfort to someone else with the shadow of that awful dream still upon her? She didn't know. But something was telling her to go.
The faun was just bringing the instruments out of the house and arranging them. "Good morning." Her frowned, studying the sky. "I will be bringing everything back in after a few hours. It looks like it's going to rain."
"May I help?" Iva went into the house and began carrying out the smaller instruments. The third time, she came out, there was Cerus, his legs folded under his body and his eyes fixed on the flute he was holding, so that she couldn't see his face.
"Hello, Cerus."
Cerus jumped a little as he looked up. His eyes were rather red. "Hello, lady Iva." He rose to bow to her and put the flute back on the stand.
Now what? Iva wondered.
"How are you?" she asked hesitantly.
Cerus sniffed. "I left school. I ran away. Nobody could catch me." He sat down again.
Iva sat down by him. "I'm sure that you had your reasons," she said carefully.
"I have a classmate named Barksleet. I told her that her essay was stupid. And then she kicked me. Centaur kicks really hurt."
Iva tried to speak gently. "Why did you tell her that her essay was stupid?"
Cerus took a raggedy breath. "Alerei would have."
Iva hesitated. Should she give advice? Or would she make it worse? Perhaps best to not say anything at all?
"Cerus," she finally said. "Surely, you understand...Alerei wasn't perfect. She was...wonderful. But not perfect. Simply because she would have done something doesn't mean that it's the right -"
"It was the right thing to do," Cerus interrupted. "It was. Barksleet's essay was about how Narnia should take over the world because Aslan is on our side and he would never let us lose in a war. It was a perfectly stupid essay written by a girl who squeals and giggles when we boys do fencing because she likes our muscles."
Iva was stunned into silence. Yes, she had to admit, Alerei would have been quite sharp with a person like that. And after all, wasn't that one of the things she and Cerus had so loved about her? Her love of truth, her lack of tolerance for silly nonsense...
"I'm sorry I made you cry, Lady Iva," Cerus said.
Iva looked up and hurriedly wiped her eyes. Was she crying? She hadn't realized it. Still, she didn't mind. Being reminded of the real Alerei made the cruel image in her dream dissolve like mist.
"Did you kick her back?" she asked.
Cerus flushed with anger. "I couldn't kick a lady! I ripped her essay down the middle and left."
Iva smiled. She couldn't help it. Then she reached over and brushed Cerus' red curls to the side, where they had spilled over his eyes. And Cerus, pride forgotten, allowed it.
"I think you need a vacation from school."
"Mother thinks so too," Cerus said. "But she agrees with father, when he says that I must not be idle. I must work or study or do something. And they cannot study with me every day and there is nobody else who can."
"Well…will you spend three days with me?" Iva found herself saying. "I won't be around here for very long…but I can do that much."
She and Cerus went directly to Cerus' home after that to speak to Maplerain, his mother, and it was all arranged. Iva and Cerus would meet tomorrow at Cerus' home and would study until the afternoon, and the day after that and the day after.
Cerus seemed satisfied, if not overjoyed, with the way things had been arranged. Iva was satisfied too for the time being. Only she had a sense that what she had offered wasn't really a solution, that three days would solve nothing.
She decided to wait and see.
