Chapter Twenty-five: Drinian's Advice

Arrani's reaction had baffled him more than anything else ever had. He had thought that she would be happy for him, glad that he had solved the mystery that she'd been obliquely helping him to solve. Instead, she'd assumed this suddenly distant, skeptical attitude that simultaneously confused and irritated him. What did it all mean? Her sudden coldness hurt far more than it should have, and he was angry at himself for allowing her to so easily contradict him on his own oath.

He must have been glowering, because Drinian jumped to his feet and set down his wine glass the second he entered the patio that enclosed Aslan's Table. "Drin," he said tersely, "I need advice."

The older man raised his eyebrows in surprise. "This doesn't have anything to do with the lovely lady of this island, does it?" he said by way of reply.

Offering a very un-kingly snort, Caspian tugged a chair out and dropped into it. "She wasn't even happy for me," he muttered, forgetting that he hadn't even told his captain why she should be.

"Well, perhaps you should start from the beginning," Drinian said pragmatically, "and why she should be happy for you."

Sighing reluctantly, he proceeded to explain his private reasons for embarking on their voyage and for lingering so long on the island. He then explained his dream and what it meant, and then he recounted his most recent conversation with Ramandu's daughter.

"And you promised her that you would never speak or think of this dream girl of yours again?" Drinian asked when he'd finished. "Aslan's mane, Caspian, did you really mean that? I'd have thought, knowing you, that you'd be tearing Narnia apart looking for such a girl by now."

"No, I never meant it like that," he objected. "I mean, I do want to know what happened to her after she left, but no more than anyone else would be curious about old friends."

"She sounds like more than just an 'old friend' from the way you tell it, Cas," Drinian observed gently. "If I recall correctly, you just said that she 'meant the world' to you, didn't you?"

This line of questioning was throwing him off-balance. He sent an annoyed look at his captain, which Drinian subsequently ignored. "Well, she did. I remember feeling like the world was ending when she told me she was leaving."

Drinian smirked. "Are you sure you're not romanticizing that just a little bit?"

"Yes, maybe a bit," he admitted, "but that's not the point! She did mean a lot to me."

"I think we're agreed on that," Drinian replied calmly. "What I want to know is if she still means that much to you now."

"Well, why wouldn't she?" he replied, feeling a little defensive. This wasn't exactly what he'd meant when he'd asked Drinian for advice. His captain was just rambling on about then versus now, rather than dealing with the issue at hand, namely, what he was supposed to do about Arrani.

Drinian seemed to be well aware of Caspian's growing ire, but he persisted nonetheless, a sly smile twitching under his mustache. "I'm sure I have no idea. Can you think of any reason you might not feel the same about this girl from your past now that you're here?"

Caspian tried to see where his friend was going with this, but he was still too worked up over everything to focus clearly. It struck him that Drinian might be trying to mimic Doctor Cornelius' style of questioning, but he didn't really want to deal with that, either.

"Let me put this another way," Drinian said after a few minutes of watching Caspian stew. "Why did you make – or try to make – that promise to Arrani if you really care so much about this mystery girl of yours?"

"Oh come off it, Drin," he replied peevishly, "I was being a gentleman and trying to fix whatever I'd done wrong."

"So you didn't really mean it?"

"Of course I meant it! I meant… every… word…" he trailed off, thinking about his motivations and growing increasingly amazed at himself for being so dense. Really, he should get an award for being so monumentally stupid. He looked up at Drinian. "I did mean it," he repeated.

"Why, though?" Drinian asked, beginning to smile broadly.

Caspian thought for a moment before answering. "She's like my best friend. I feel like I've known her forever..." he trailed off as an idea occurred to him. "Drinian! I should bring her back to Narnia! I know she would love it."

This time, Drinian laughed out loud. "Are you just doing this to be nice, or do you have another motivation?"

Nonplussed, Caspian stared at his friend. "What are you talking about?" When Drinian continued laughing, he narrowed his eyes. "Remember what I told you, Drin. One word about courtship and I'm demoting you."

Still laughing, Drinian raised his hands appeasingly. "All right," he said between breaths. "I won't say anything. But when you've decided to stop living in denial, let me know."

Caspian made a face at him, which only made him chuckle more, but he said no more. Eventually, he finished his meal and headed off on some errand that called his attention, leaving Caspian lingering behind, thinking about what their conversation. What nerve! He, Caspian, was in no way ready to fall in love any time soon. The nagging of his lords and the simpering of his Narnian ladies had cured him of that for the time being. He'd know when he was falling in love, he was sure of it, and this was not it...

I keep yo-yo-ing back and forth on whether or not this is too sudden. If you guys think so, I'll rewrite, it's no big deal, but right now, I think it's fitting with everything else that's been leading up to it. Besides, they're not into smooth sailing (pun intended) yet.

Thanks to all of you for being so patient and faithful as I work on balancing school, work, and writing. I'll try to get more soon.

As always, please review!

Elena