Hi there,

in today's chapter it's already autumn (my favorite season), but it won't be that cozy for Ria. You can surely guess what's going to happen, but yet another turn might surprise you still ;)

Have fun, let me know what you think if you like :)


Chapter 29

Rilian

"I must admit I usually enjoy visiting your old town."

When they arrived at the gates of the palace it was already dawning, and Branan turned around to overview the busy streets of the capital once again. A warm autumn had just begun and it was true - Cair Paravel was particularly beautiful at this time of year.

The leader of the most powerful clan in the Wild Lands was a serious and very stoic man, but he had always tried to support Caspian. The levity with which the King ruled, at least in Branan's opinion, did not bother him as long as they were allies. And regular visits maintained the friendship.

The King went through the gates of the palace with Branan, Addison and Trumpkin following them when he said, "Rest assured that Harfang is just as impressive."

Caspian lied through his teeth, yet he managed to seem very sincere by doing so. The northernmost castle of the Wild Lands was cold, draughty and as grey and bare as the weather that usually surrounded it. Due to the snow and rough winds, life there was not easy for the people, and so it was only understandable that they were neither squeamish nor sensitive. Probably not least because of that, Ettinsmoor and the Wild Lands were almost as foreign to Telmarines and Narnians as Calormen.

"Yet I must admit that I prefer Narnia's mild weather," Addison pointed out what they were all thinking.

Trumpkin, however, was quick to waggle his eyebrows. "You're just not tough enough for the cold, Addison. You'd get used to it."

Branan, who did not even notice that Trumpkin was not being serious, agreed at once. "The silent majesty of the icy temperatures makes a man modest and strong."

"For sure," Addison nodded as convinced as possible. He usually was a very open-minded traveller that, due to his amiable nature, got along well with people from all over the world. Visits from the North, however, did not only put the others to the test, Addison struggled as well. The clans would never understand any joke, they hardly cared for good food and nothing but concrete facts could ever be discussed in a conversation with them.

Branan meant well, but even his invitation sounded like a complaint when he said, "Addison, why won't you join the King for his next visit? Be our guest in Harfang!"

Caspian and Trumpkin hardly managed not to laugh as they went on towards the palace. Addison had, so far, successfully avoided accompanying the King into the cold he so loathed, it had always been Trumpkin in his place. But after this demanding offer he probably had no choice but to join them the next time.

"Well, that's too kind," the Grand Vizier forced a desperate smile. "I will gladly try to do so..."

"And Addison is a man of his word," Trumpkin added gravely, not letting the opportunity to tease slip.

"That's how it's supposed to be," Branan said.

For lack of better words, Addison only nodded a little wearily. He let unpleasant silence arise as casual conversing with the Northman was impossible anyway.

Soon, however, it was not longer necessary to come up with another topic. They noticed a woman and a young boy running towards them from the distance.

"Caspian," Branan said almost indignantly, examining Valena as she neared them, "has nothing changed in regard to the ladies' dress code here?"

The King tried to hide his utter confusion as he turned to the clan leader, hesitant to answer for a moment. Valena did not wear a low neckline, her dress was long and simple and not even her forearms were bare. He could for the life of him not imagine what more she could have covered, and he almost smiled at the mere thought of his cousin who had now entirely discovered her love for light fabrics since her time in Calormen.

"We're still trying to figure this out," the King managed to sound diplomatic and held Branan's demanding gaze until the clan leader looked back into Valena's direction again. She was closely followed by Tavish, who seemed just as excited as Ria's maid.

When they were within earshot, she struggled for breath and shouted, "Your Majesty, you must come with us!"

"Not now, Valena," Caspian replied when they finally caught up with her and Tavish. He could not possibly leave his guest, and whatever she had in mind had to wait.

"It has to be now!" Tavish helped her, looking up at Caspian with big round eyes.

At the sight of the boy, Branan was immediately ready to reproach again. "How... What... Your Majesty, is that an illegitimate son?"

Caspian gave him an incredulous glance, how more indiscreet could the old man be? He took the boy by the shoulders as they went on, "Yes, in a way - Tavish belongs to the family. A long story for tonight, if you'd like to hear it."

Valena was simply unable to remain politely silent any longer, she cried, "The Queen is about to give birth to your child!"

Caspian was wide awake at once.

She was right indeed, this could not wait.

"You'll have to excuse me," the King turned to Branan cheerfully before he ran off with Valena and Tavish.

The grumpy clan leader watched him and shook his head in irritation. "This is unheard of! How inappropriate for a King to be present at the birth."

Trumpkin and Addison exchanged tired glances, and the otherwise so contained and etiquette complying Grand Vizier cynically said, "Well, mind you he was also present nine months ago…"

Branan, to their mutual surprise, seemed to be amused at his own parochialism for the first time.

"Mh. Never thought about it that way. Quite true, you're right."


The King, Valena and Tavish quickly passed the guards in front of Caspian's chambers when they walked into an old midwife. She was about to fetch fresh linen and her stern face was overtaken by bewilderment as she saw Caspian.

"But, Your Majesty - it's not common for men, for a King at that, to witness childbirth..." she tried to question his very presence, remembering the many years she had served women well in Telmar.

A load moan, well audible in front of the closed door, let Caspian rush past the old woman anyway.

"I don't care," he decided.

Valena winked at Tavish, "We didn't do so bad, right? Will you wait here with me?"

The boy was happy to nod and watched the door close behind Caspian again.


Maía and Lorella, all tensed up, stood around the bed to hold Ria's hands. They tried to encourage her and took turns recommending different breathing techniques, desperate to help. When Ria's contractions had started to be only a few minutes apart, the two called the midwives - hours that seemed like an eternity ago. By now, however, the intervals were very short and it was about to get serious soon. The Telmarine women were both completely beside themselves. They mainly spoke to Ria in their southern Spanish accent, and she hardly understood a word. So many thoughts crossed her mind and she only wanted the quickly recurring pain to cease at last. She felt as though her stomach was about to burst at any moment, but she was not yet allowed to push.

"A little more patience, we will soon be ready," one of the midwives said in an attempt to cheer her up, but Ria just wanted to get the birth over with to finally hold their child in her arms.

As if to prove that she had to put in a lot more work first, she felt yet another contraction, worse than the previous ones. The burning pain caught her off guard each time and she could not help but whine and gasp for air.

And then the door opened.

Caspian hurried to hold her hand, and worry was clearly written all over his face.

"You shouldn't see me like this!" she pouted tormentedly.

But that relieved him in a way - as long as she was still able to send him away, she did well under the circumstances.

"Sorry, love, we only got back a couple of minutes ago," he apologized for his absence in the last few hours and kissed her forehead.

Ria, however, looked at him in frustration and sighed, "Won't you please leave again?"

He smiled and shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere."

It did not take the midwives much longer to finally allow her to push, and that she did as if her life depended on it. She was sweating, she cried, she was sure she looked horrible and Caspian's hand was probably already blue because of her firm grip, but she did not care.

She tried her best, but it was not enough - she had not expected the process to be that frustrating. Ria sank back into her pillows, dejected and exhausted, and all she could do was close her eyes. Only for a brief moment, she told herself.

"She's doing fine, it's perfectly normal she wants to give up," one of the midwives told them sympathetically and winked at Caspian, "Encouraging words often help..."

He got a bit anxious when he noticed that the elderly woman had the same challenging expression on her face as Maía and Lorella - apparently he had to say something.

"Ria, look at me, mírame," he therefore tried to find the right words. She drew in a deep breath and he could tell that she was fully blaming him for her suffering, even though it was irrational.

"Cielito, I'd do it for you if I could," he said and mumbled the rest, "even though I'd probably die from the pain…"

"Encouraging words!" the midwife hissed at him and Caspian quickly nodded.

"Yeah, sure… Listen, I won't put you through this ever again, but you can do it this once. Break my hand if you must, but please push!"

Ria knew too well that it was only half the story. If she gave birth to a girl, she would of course have to go through this again.

But it did not matter at that moment. Even though she was in unbearable pain, she did as she was told - including his hand - and Maía and Lorella kept shouting '¡Puja!' while the midwife informed them about what she could already see. (1)

Caspian was tempted to take a look over her shoulder, but, as dainty as Ria was, her tight grip successfully prevented him from moving anywhere until she finally gave birth to their child.

And when Caspian heard the first cries of the little bundle, it almost took his breath away. Ria's heart was about to explode as the midwife looked up joyfully.

"Congratulations - it's a boy."

Caspian was so overwhelmed he could hardly believe his ears. He kissed Ria's cheeks, then her lips.

She knew that all he ever wished for was a healthy child and that he would have been just as happy about a girl. But she was also aware about the fact that all eyes were on them, and that everybody expected an heir to the throne. That unspoken tension suddenly fell away from them.

The midwife took her time and they were all in a daze as she cut the cord and wiped and wrapped the crying child.

"A healthy, pretty boy," the old woman raved. It felt like eternity until she put the child in Ria's arms.

She was exhausted and her body ached all over, but when she felt her baby's heartbeat, Ria was more grateful than ever before in her life. Caspian bent over her and looked at his son in awe. He carefully touched the little face like he had never seen anything more beautiful.

"Me muero, que dulce... What's going to be his name?" Lorella asked excitedly as she clung to Maía and tried to hold back her tears of joy. (2)

Ria looked up from her baby. "Caspian?"

"Mh?" he asked, proudly admiring his son.

"No, the name… Caspian - right?"

The King shook his head with an amused expression. "Are you serious?"

"Your family's been doing this for ten generations, I thought it's... tradition?"

"It's about time we break with it," he grinned. "What would you like to name our son? After your father?"

Obviously excited to get to choose, Ria pondered as she looked into the little face. Then she shook her head.

"No, but what would you think about Rilian?" she finally asked. "I can't get the name out of my head, and it'd fit for all three countries."

Narnia, Telmar and Archenland would approve of the name. Caspian did not have to be convinced, he beamed.

"Rilian," he repeated and nodded, unable to take his eyes off his son.


"He's such a cutie," Jhara mumbled, eating grape after grape as she watched Tavish play with Rilian. The Calormene was carrying the little boy across all trees' shades on the meadow and it was obvious that the two were like brothers.

The Prince would soon be one year old, so his aunt was almost sad at the thought of how quickly time flew by. Rilian was a clever, curious child, and ever since he had learned to crawl, he would not stop exploring everything around him with great enthusiasm. But Ria did not have to worry too much because Tavish constantly kept an eye on him.

Jhara stretched herself with an extended yawn, she smoothed over the blanket they had spread on the grass and finally leaned against the pavilion again. Midsummers in the park of their family's hunting lodge in Anvard were full of life. Everything was blossoming, the birds sang incessantly and any guests and visitors that wanted to see the Grand Duchess just came by unannounced. That would have been unthinkable for safety reasons not long ago, but it had become common practice again. Archenland was doing well, there was no doubt about it, and the unrest and riots seemed to belong to the distant past. But nothing came for free - the King was constantly on the run and had his hands full.

Jhara kept chewing a particularly huge grape and raved, "He's the spitting image of Caspian."

"That's what Tavish keeps telling me as well," Ria sighed and touched her belly. "Maybe the second one will be more like me... Be honest - if you didn't know, would you already be able to tell I'm with child again?"

"Not at all," Jhara replied a bit too fast for Ria to believe her. But she did not mind, she had nothing to hide. Especially not from Caspian - this time, he had been the first to know, and he was very much looking forward to the birth of their second child. Soon after they had Rilian they knew they wanted more children, but nevertheless it had surprised them both that things went so quickly again.

"Did you already come up with names?" Jhara chewed.

"Yes," Ria got excited. "Joaquín if it's a boy, Kiana for a girl."

"Joaquín?" Jhara repeated in disbelief, but her little sister only gave a half-shrug.

"We'd only call him Joa anyway, but Caspian had a traditional Spanish name in mind. Because of Telmar, to make it clear that he remains loyal to his roots, you know..."

"I see, well... Joa sounds cute," Jhara smiled until a thought crossed her mind. "Maybe Dylan and I should think about children, too. But right now everything is so wonderfully quiet and simple."

"Then do not think about it," Ria laughed and stole some grapes from her sister.

"Yes, I guess being an aunt is enough for now. But may I be so bold as to point out that I want you to have a little Princess?"

Ria chuckled, "I think Caspian would be very happy about a girl, as well. But let's talk about you! When will you marry Dylan?"

She knew exactly how to annoy her big sister, Jhara immediately snorted and rolled her eyes. "You sound exactly like mother."

Ria could not help but laugh out loud, touching her chest as though she had been hit by something painful.

"What a mean comparison!" she said in mock indignation and Jhara giggled.

"I know, I know, we're way behind," she admitted. "But we're so terribly lazy, you know? And it would also stir up the issue with Diorn again."

She winked and grabbed more grapes while they watched Tavish approaching them with Rilian in his arms.

"Look who's here!" Jhara sang and stretched out her arms so the Calormene could hand her over the little one. A joyful smile in the round face of her nephew was enough to melt her heart.

While her big sister was no longer responsive, Ria reached out to the basked they had brought to offer Tavish some pastry. He did not hesitate long until he sat down with them and took a big bite.

"He's a bit tired now, but he likes all the flowers in the park, and the bees," Tavish beamed and Ria simply had to hug him.

"Thank you for looking after him." She was relieved because she had not had the opportunity to privately talk to her sister in months.

And there was a lot to catch up on. Since Ria had left Anvard, she had not been to her home country again. At first the people had been worried - after the unification, Caspian had visited Anvard far too seldomly.

But events had been moving quickly. The incident in Tashbaan and his subsequent health condition had turned all his travel plans upside down and the King had no idea how to accept all the incoming invitations. But not attending was hardly possible, it was his duty to visit the countries of the empire regularly.

And then, of course, they had their son. For the first few days after Rilian's birth, Caspian could not bear to be away from his small family. But his duties quickly forced him to take action, even though every separation hurt his soul. He did not want to miss anything, especially not the first formative months in his son's life, but his responsibilities left him no choice.

Also now, during their stay in Anvard, he could barely be with them. Ria only saw him between appointments with the nobility, except for one occasion. She and Rilian had accompanied him to the reopening of the old town's theatre. Caspian had been invited by the master builders to this special occasion. He had, of course, given a speech, and after his long absence in Anvard it was the ideal opportunity for him to strengthen the people's trust. It seemed to reassure them that Archenlandish blood was flowing through the veins of the heir to the throne, and that the Queen was one of them. As hard as it was for Ria in Cair Paravel, the people of Anvard loved her. She was the one who gave Archenland worth at Narnia's court, just as it had been intended during the vote at the time.

The crunching gravel that came closer finally startled her out of her reveries. She did not have to turn around, Ria recognized his quick steps at once. Caspian, on his way to the hunting lodge, separated from Trumpkin and Valerik to seize the opportunity to greet the small group behind the pavilion.

Ria wanted to get up, but he was so fast that she did not have to move at all. He bent over her and gave her a kiss, then he grinned and patted Tavish on the back and Jhara did not hesitate to hand Rilian over to him when she saw his wistful look.

"Mira lo cansado que estás," Caspian smirked at the sight of his yawning son. "Did Tavish take you on adventures again?" (3)

"Why don't you sit down with us?" Jhara was quick to suggest, but that was out of the question.

Caspian glanced to Trumpkin and Valerik and shook his head wearily. "I have to go."

Ria was hardly surprised and tried not to sound too disappointed as she asked him about the day's meeting, "What did Ebdon and Tarrim say?"

"The reconstruction is almost finished in the outer riverlands," he sighed, looking almost as tired as his son. "It won't take much longer."

"How nice," Jhara said and changed the subject for her sister yet again. "Oh, by the way, have you heard? Mother has invited all of us for tonight."

Caspian's dull look was rather telling at these words. "Did I forget about some special event? Excuse me if I did..."

"No," Ria calmed him down and smiled. "She only wanted to be with the whole family, including you..."

Caspian let out a harsh breath and guiltily looked from his son to Ria. "You know I can't join you, Lynnea is expecting us."

It would be a three-day trip to the Countess of Mount Pire, he had to pay her a visit. And Ria understood that and nodded, yet she could not quite hide how much she missed him.

"Caspian, come on!" they heard Trumpkin call him and the King was clearly unhappy to be forced to leave Ria and his little one behind. He placed his son back into Jhara's arms and gave Ria a kiss on the forehead.

"I'll make it up to you, cielito," he promised.


Translations:

1. ¡Puja! / Press!

2. Me muero, que dulce / like: I'm dying, how cute

3. Mira lo cansado que estás / Look at how tired you are