Hi there,
let's move on to Cair Paravel - hope you like the new chapter!
Chapter 13
Cair Paravel
While Ria collected and packed all her belongings she had not thought of the night before, Caspian had briefed Aláseya and Tesreau. Archenland would no longer pay protection money, instead, the payments, as well financial support from Narnia, would flow into the reconstruction of Anvard and its outskirts. The troops at the borders would be called back to service and any order and decision was to be kept in record. The King hated that he would be unable to supervise the steps out of the chaos himself. But he could not stay in Archenland and allow the Lords of Narnia to doubt his decision any longer.
The hardest part for Ria was to say goodbye to her sister, her mother, the staff and her home, and that was painfully obvious. Many bitter tears ran down her face as she hugged her family one last time in the park. Her only and unexpected consolation was that Maía, and her husband along with a lot of luggage, had loudly announced she would not let 'her girl' leave alone and come with her instead.
Caspian was more than relieved to hear of the courageous decision of the caring housekeeper - and in the end it was only because of Maía and her motherly nature that Ria could be consoled in the carriage after they had left. It broke Caspian's heart to see her cry, knowing that she gave up everything just for him. All his further attempts to talk her out of the engagement failed. To her, it was not about the crown, a title or wealth. Only about him - and what was he supposed to do about that? He could only hope and pray that she would be happy in Narnia.
They passed the mountains and dense forests of Archenland in all their glory. The trees had already begun to throw off their colorful leaves, but the landscape was still as quaint. As time flew by, their journey gradually got less bumpy, the ground flattened and Caspian knew that he would soon be back home, far away from the mountains.
The sea he had missed the most. As restless and dangerous as the ocean was, he always felt rather cramped and isolated whenever he was away from waters. At the time, he deliberately chose chambers that allowed him to view over the ocean instead of the capital, because if he had to think, or did not want to think at all, he often watched as the waves crushed relentlessly against the rocks of the coast for far too long.
It was incomprehensible to him why his ancestors had avoided the sea when it was such a crucial part of their origin. After his coronation, rebuilding the navy had been an urgent matter to him and the Dawn Treader had played an important role in that. She lay in the harbor as the carriage drove by and Ria did not miss Caspian's wistful look.
"That's her?" she asked and he nodded with a smile on his face. It was only a matter of time before Ria had to wave her future husband goodbye as he set sails and that she knew well.
The city around Cair Paravel was full of life, although this year, it was even colder in Narnia than in Archenland. Their path on the main road led them around the capital, but one could still see the countless cobbled streets from the distance. Children were playing everywhere, wrapped in warm coats. Many of their parents carried their groceries in baskets, chatting and laughing. The people seemed so beautifully carefree, and after all the riots and troubles Ria had witnessed in Anvard, she had almost forgotten how nice that felt.
The palace extended majestically over an area directly on top of the coast - the capital lay at its foot. Climbing plants had covered countless towers and all the domes and colonnades that were visible from their angle were only an indication of the buildings' spaciousness. High walls of sandstone surrounded the impressive complex and Ria was lost for words at the sight of her future home. She had never seen anything like it before, everything seemed to be at least twice as big as in Archenland.
Maía could not wait for them to arrive as well. She was not born in Narnia, but she had often visited Cair Paravel and it was where she had spent lots of days of her youth.
She seemed awestruck as she muttered, "Por fin, aquí estamos…"
Trumpkin was already standing by the stables. With his arms crossed and a serene smile on his face he waited patiently for the King to arrive.
As he knew Caspian long and well enough, it was perfectly clear to him that his letter made him return to Cair Paravel as soon as possible. The sun already began to set when he finally watched the royal carriages glide over the crunching gravel and the stable lads hurried to get to work. Trumpkin was good at hiding his emotions behind well-considered cynicism, but he did not want to hide his sincere curiosity about Caspian's fiancée. How long had he refused to marry? Who had finally made him fall in love?
He approached the King's carriage and did not have to wait any longer - Caspian got out and offered his helping hand gallantly to a young girl.
Trumpkin could not help but grin as he took a mental note - she clearly matched Caspian's preferences.
"So you're finally back!" Trumpkin exclaimed, examining Ria attentively. "And you're not alone."
"You bloody well knew how soon I'd come back after reading your letter!" Caspian laughed and then introduced them to each other. "Trumpkin, this is Taliah - though she'll likely only listen to Ria... And Ria, meet Trumpkin, one of my closest friends and my esteemed adviser vehemently refusing to take a title."
She was excited and nervous and it showed. But Ria's smile was honest and heart-warming and Trumpkin had to admit that she had something very sweet about her.
"Enchanté!" he gladly welcomed her.
Caspian had already told her a lot about his friend, she knew that Trumpkin was very important to him, and so almost shyly, Ria said, "The pleasure is all mine."
"No need to be so polite, dear," Trumpkin blinked. "Charming though…" He turned to Caspian as if she was not there and said, "Lovely choice, I'll give you that. But you were gone for a long time…"
"I know," Caspian nodded and gave a lopsided grin, "and yet the West Wing is not nearly finished."
"Yes, ain't that annoying? My bad…" Trumpkin laughed. "But seriously - we have a lot to discuss. I know you've just arrived, but it's important." He shrugged at Ria and added guiltily, "I'm afraid I'll have to steal your fiancé for an hour or two…"
Ria nodded immediately, yet she felt a bit queasy at the thought of entering the palace without Caspian. But before she could picture more of the scenario, Trumpkin relaxed her as he said, "The journey was certainly exhausting, and it's already quite late, too. Why don't we introduce you to tomorrow?"
Maía did not leave Ria's side and the young woman was incredibly glad about that. In a foreign country, surrounded by strangers, it was better not to be alone. Wherever their gaze wandered as they passed through the palace, everything seemed to be extraordinary, huge and impressive. Stucco ornaments on every ceiling, lots and lots of high windows, never-ending hallways and too many doors and rooms to count. It was almost intimidating and Ria immediately had doubts that she would ever feel at home.
"This way and up the stairs, just follow me," Valena tried to make the intrigued women move on. She had been introduced to them as Ria's maid, and they liked her cheerful nature from the very beginning. Valena was probably only a few years older than Ria herself, and while she led the way, she tried to meanwhile give them as much background knowledge about the palace as possible. She had been instructed by Trumpkin to take Ria to Caspian's chambers in the top floor of the East Wing. But they had yet to climb a considerable amount of steps to finally arrive there.
"It's worth it," Valena assured exhaustedly, "you will be amazed, the King has a fantastic view of the sea." When they finally arrived, Valena was excited to open the heavy door and gesture for the two to enter. She had not promised too much, Maía only mumbled 'Maravilloso' while the view almost took Ria's breath away. The spacious, bright chamber, round in form, was so high-lying that one could see all over the coast. It almost made the women forget about the otherwise bare walls and the Spartan decoration. Where there were too many statues and works of art in every other corner of the palace, Caspian's were entirely empty of kitsch. Only a large bed stood in the middle of the room and right next to the door there was a table with a few open books and unfolded maps on it.
"I have to admit His Majesty's interior is quite… modest, I guess?" Valena shrugged with a grin on her face.
Maía nodded vigorously. "Sí, very… functional!"
Ria was not afraid to say it. "Could use a woman's touch…"
The three giggled and Valena went on with showing them around.
"Next door, there is a bathroom, the dressing room and another study as addition to the King's actual one in the heart of the palace," Valena explained. "Your belongings will be here soon, I guess. Oh, and if you need anything, my rooms are just one floor below. Maía, yours as well, would you follow me so I can show you around?"
"Ricura, I'll come back to look after you soon, prometido," Maía winked, lovingly pinching Ria in the cheek before she left with Valena.
Caspian had expected the day of his return to be a bit rough, but what he found upon his arrival made him frown - to say the least. When he shook hands with Valerik on the day of the vote, he had already known that not every Lord of the Narnian council would find it agreeable of him to marry a girl from Anvard. Of course they wanted him to finally find himself a Queen, it had been a concern for years, but their narrow-minded obsession regarding said queen's origin was still more than irritating.
"Didn't you read the papers?" Addison groaned, shaking his head angrily in front of the assembled council.
Caspian had already explained the matter in a comprehensible way, and yet many of the Lords present, including Argoz and Bern, kept on asking the same questions over and over again. "He had no choice! Without this agreement, Calormen would likely already march to the gates of Anvard!"
"Isn't that a bit too pessimistic, Addison?" Lord Argoz sneered.
Trumpkin looked at him in disbelief and exclaimed, "Have you lost your mind during that long sleep on the Lone Islands? With all due respect, this statement proves that you have no idea about politics anymore."
"Believe me - the Tis'roc was just waiting for Narnia to hesitate," Addison nodded in agreement, glancing intently at the Telmarine. "To take a girl from Archenland as Queen is a sign of respect and it will unify the Empire."
"That makes perfect sense!" a high-pitched, overbearing voice suddenly echoed from the entrance. Heels clicked on the stone floor as Lorella approached the round oak table in flowing steps. She enjoyed it to the fullest to attract attention, and that she always did.
She continued with a smug smile and turned to Caspian, "But some Lords wished you'd choose a Telmarine woman - solamente a razones de tradición."
Unlike anyone else, she could hardly twist Caspian around her finger, but at least he had, so far, supported her at court whenever it was required. She was well aware of the fact that he only did that because they were related by blood; she was the last living person he could call family. But that did not bother Lorella at all. As long as she got what she wanted, that was just fine with it.
"I've almost missed you," Caspian greeted his cousin without much emotion, though everyone, including Lorella, knew well he was just teasing.
"Oh, dear cousin, why so cynical?" Lorella grinned and sat down on one of the wide windowsills. "I, for my part, have missed you quite a lot."
"Because of lack of special treatment during my absence I suppose," Caspian smiled complacently.
"Well, no, actually I just wanted to congratulate you on your engagement! Which is far more than we can say about some of those present… Am I not right, Lord Bern?"
Visibly surprised to be mentioned, Bern's eyes grew wide and he shook his head eagerly. "Don't twist around my words! At the announcement of the engagement I've only raised concerns over the girl's origin!"
"And you were not the only one, Lord Bern, not at all…" Trumpkin added grimly.
"How strange, given your own wife is from the Lone Islands…" Lorella winked slyly.
"This is outrageous!" Bern exclaimed, he was just as provoked as Lorella intended him to be. "How is my personal life of importance in this matter? I'm not the King of Narnia!"
Caspian looked at the Lord with an indefinable expression and said in a piercing voice, "So why don't we assume you were? What would you have done during the vote?"
Bern gulped and remained silent as he realized he did not know what to answer. He only knew one thing - a queen from Archenland seemed inappropriate.
"Your Highness, with all due respect, this girl - is she even, well... aristocratic?" Lord Evonil stammered from the other side of the table.
Addison could hardly believe his ears. "She's the daughter of Grand Duchess Aláseya, that probably makes her more aristocratic than even you, doesn't it?"
"Well, sure," Evonil said, just to drop his voice adding under his breath, "if you label nobility in Archenland as aristocracy…"
"Excuse me, come again?" Caspian said sharply, though he had heard him very well.
Evonil looked up in surprise and forced a smile. "Oh… nothing. Your Majesty, please don't get us wrong, we're just concerned about your well-being!"
Bern and Argoz agreed by nodding heavily, still it was flimsy.
Caspian voice was suspiciously dark when he repeated, "There is no cause for concern."
"Yes, but if the people is displeased about - " Argoz began and was immediately interrupted by Trumpkin.
"The people didn't respond negatively to the news in any way! Only this council is disturbed by Taliah's origin. But if she were Telmarine, it might look as if the King preferred Telmar - if she were from Narnia, it would be the other way around."
"Trumpkin is right, we're avoiding that in a pleasant way," Abney remarked. He was one of the youngest Lords, open-minded and about Caspian's age.
"Maybe, but this council was not at all involved in the decision," Lord Bern protested and Trumpkin knew the young King well enough to identify this as the last straw immediately.
"This council does not have to be involved in the choice of my Queen!" Caspian shouted, then forced himself to calm down the very next moment. "And if I had returned with a Calormene, you'd have to accept it as well. I had to act, there was no time to involve you. I was asked to make a decision and do I did."
Lord Bern seemed skeptical at first, but neither him nor anyone else wanted to enrage the King even more. Still many of the Lords looked more like displeased children than elderly men.
"Let's get to know the girl before we judge, shall we?" Lord Abney finally said and smiled confidently. He did not know Taliah yet, but she caused controversy and he liked that fresh air already.
When Caspian entered, not even the clanking of the lock on the heavy wooden door could wake Ria up. She lay across the huge bed, looking almost lost in it. How paradoxical it was that this delicate girl caused so much excitement among the Lords of the council, even before she was introduced to them.
Caspian was tired from the journey, the discussions and the thoughts that were constantly occupying his mind. He took a deep breath as his gaze came to rest on one of the books next to the entrance. The ancient version of the Chronicles of Narnia made his thoughts wander yet again. It was bound in thick, brown leather by Cornelius himself and the many years of history lessons had clearly worn it out. But of what use were all the notes, all the comments on the edges of the pages now? They did not change the past. Maybe their only purpose was to teach Caspian to shape the future differently, for better days to come. But did he still do that?
He had always known that one day he might become King, like his father before him. But the scenario had always seemed so far away. As a youth, he had never wasted a single thought on the future. It was much rather the past that determined his life after both his parents had gone. And the history of long forgotten ages was always present because of Cornelius anyway. Miraz had always treated the doctor disparagingly, Caspian knew that well. His uncle hated that the old man taught his nephew the truth about Narnia, and he made no secret of that. But without the courageous professor, nothing would have changed in Narnia. It was Cornelius who made Caspian pursue justice.
And even today it was his duty to maintain the peace of the empire he had vowed to protect. But it was as difficult now as it was then, considering that even the supposedly wise council members still struggled to accept new ways. Archenland had always been a trusted ally, an esteemed neighbor - the Queen, however, should not be from there…
He took off his heavy coat and let himself drop onto the bed lifelessly and lost in thought. It was only when Ria turned around to him yawning that he could think clear again.
"You're back," she smiled.
"I didn't mean to wake you up, cielito," Caspian said, his voice as soft as it could get.
"And I didn't mean to fall asleep so early," she purred, then she remembered why he had been gone. "What did the council say?"
"They can't wait to meet you."
Ria examined the look on his face, then she shook her head.
"Of course they do," he tried to convince her though his dull expression gave him away again.
"You lie, and terribly bad to be honest," Ria smiled though he could see her eyes flicker with sorrow.
He ran his hands through her hair and said, "It doesn't matter what they think."
Ria knew he meant it, but what if he changed his mind one day?
"That's what you say now," she almost whispered and made him shake his head.
"Now and always, don't ever doubt that," he smiled, lowering his face to hers. "I haven't made my choice lightly, Ria."
He drew so close to her that it made her forget everything around them. Ria sat up and let him pull her into his arms, then he raised her chin and his lips brushed hers. And finally he kissed her with such devotion that no impulse to question his affection could possibly be left for her.