CHAPTER 36: Going Narnian
Trufflehunter, the Badger, and Hogglestock, the Hedgehog, made their intentions known to Caspian rather quickly.
"We are here to kidnap you, steal you away into the forest, and make you 'go Narnian' because obviously you have forgotten." Alyx had something to say about this proposition and opened his jaws wide, revealed his sharp canines, and politely asked Hogglestock if there was some of his leftover dinner stuck in his teeth. Hogglestock shrunk back and Caspian held a hand to Alyx to tell him not to worry, that they would not actually kidnap him.
"But our friend Hogglestock does have a point," said Trufflehunter wisely. "Castle life has not done you well."
"But it is all I have known!" protested Caspian, genuinely confused. "How can I 'go Narnian,' as you put it if I am not Narnian in the first place?"
"You are Narnian," responded the entire party in unison.
"I am Telmarine," he retorted as if he was talking to a kindergarten class. This only caused everyone to sigh in unison.
"Well, I would have thought that after a week on the road, you would have at least adapted," hinted Trufflehunter. Caspian looked sad.
"Have I disappointed you?" he asked woefully. It was, after all, one of his greatest fears, as he had always highly esteemed the Badger after saving his life when his uncle was after him. Trufflehunter was always on his side and always believed in him; it was he who brought him to the meeting of the Old Narnians on the Dancing Lawn, where he met Hogglestock.
"No, my dear boy," insisted Trufflehunter, patting the young man's leg. "That would be quite nearly impossible. Although I would have hoped that you had learned to drop titles and take off your shoes."
"My… shoes…?" he asked, rather perplexed.
"Well, the lady has the idea," grinned Hogglestock, pointing to Astra. Astra sat in a patch of grass a few yards away, her hair tousled in the wind which sweetly nipped her cheeks, a daisy chain on her head, her shoes cast off to the side, and a braid of grass strands in her hand. Caspian turned and gave her an accusatory look.
"What?" she asked him, dumbfounded.
"Is there anything you are not better than me at?"
"Peeing while standing and drinking. Not to be mixed, of course," Astra quipped and Hogglestock found it rather funny, while Trufflehunter and Caspian grimaced.
"You have been in Narnia for four months and you are better at 'going Narnian' than I am… the King!"
"That is because I always preferred flowers over formalities." Trufflehunter declared that he thought Astra to be a charming girl once he recovered from the first words uttered from her mouth. Introductions were made and the chance of her appearance in Narnia was vaguely explained.
"Well, we are delighted to have you here! You will make a lovely addition to our party at the Dancing Lawn!"
"The Dancing Lawn?"
"Oh yes! We thought we would travel with you there. You actually timed your trip quite well: there will be a large festival tomorrow night."
"Oh please Caspian, can we go?" Astra begged.
"I thought you would wish to be as far away from dancing and parties as possible," responded Caspian.
"Oh, but it won't be formal dancing, will it?" she turned to Hogglestock for confirmation. "I am very good at informaldancing. Besides, it will not be like a Cair Paravel party, it is a festival, far more rustic, I would imagine. And no wine, I presume, so we will not have to show our friends what you excel in comparison to me." There were chuckles all around and it was declared a plan: they would spend the rest of the day at the How and then in the morning, make their leisurely journey to the Dancing Lawn.
Spirits were high the rest of the day. Astra spontaneously jumped on Caspian's back, demanding a piggy-pack ride.
"I am not a pack mule!" he protested, although he smiled gleefully. Being outside made Astra smell like sweet wildflowers and cut grass. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and he held her thighs against his waist. Her dress had hiked up some and her calves peeked out from under her skirt. Astra declared Caspian to be an exceptionally slow pack mule ("I am not a pack mule!") and Ros wryly suggested he was far better suited to carrying crazy girls on his back. Astra naturally had to take him on this offer and Ros gave her an arm up. Astra wrapped her arms around his torso and Caspian felt a pang of jealousy as the Centaur took off with Astra screeching and laughing.
"She is a sweet child," said Trufflehunter to Caspian. "How old is she?"
"Nineteen."
"I find her exceptionally bright, but she does not act her age. However, it only adds to her charm, does it not?" asked the Badger, observing Caspian's reaction.
"It does, Trufflehunter," he said plainly, his eyes still glued on the brunette.
"She looks very much like Queen Susan, does she not?"
"Oh, no. Astra is shorter, stronger, far less graceful, and a little rough around the edges. Astra has freckles, her eyes are darker, her smile is bigger, and their speech is vastly different."
"Oh. I see you have made your comparisons, then," Trufflehunter, trying to hold back a grin.
"I suppose. But I have learned through my comparison that there is not much of a comparison. They are two very different women."
"Yet you love them both." Caspian did not know how to respond and stammered for a few seconds.
"I am not in love with Susan. Maybe I was, but I am no longer in love with her. Nor am I in love with Astra."
"But do you love her?"
"Why does everyone automatically assume that we will be wed?"
"I said nothing of marriage." Trufflehunter could no longer hold back his smile, delighted at Caspian's own insinuation. Caspian, on the other hand, groaned.
"Well, Trumpkin kept asking me when our wedding would be! And we are not getting married. Oh no, we are simply very good friends."
"As glad as I am that you have a friend, a friend that has obviously changed you for the better, my dear Caspian," began Trufflehunter, "I may have my own suspicions on the matter."
"You think I am in love with her."
"I know you love her. There is a great difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. You are of a fine age to marry. However, that may not be the case for her."
"I have not the slightest notion of marrying Astra," Caspian growled, feeling like a dumb animal backed into a corner.
"I do not mean to agitate you, nor pressure you, Caspian," Trufflehunter assuaged the young man. "I simply feel I must point out that even though you are good friends, your dispositions are very different and your age difference does not help. Yes, yes, I know you are only a year older than her, but you have had to mature much more quickly than she has. She is still so very young, I cannot see her cooped up in a castle and feeling well."
"She has not quite adjusted to castle life. She is very antsy and spends much of her time roaming, reading, or running amuck outside. I believe she is far happier out here."
"Oh, Maria must adore the girl," Trufflehunter said sarcastically. Astra finished her gambol with Ros and slid inelegantly off the Centaur's back.
"Ros is a much better pack mule than you are," she declared. "I suppose the real question is, who is a better pack mule, you or Raymond?"
"Like the King, I am not a pack mule," said Raymond in such a decided and dignified manner that everyone was quite puzzled as to how in a matter of minutes, Astra had May, red-faced and her arms around Raymond's neck, and Raymond lined up to race with Caspian and Astra. May was utterly embarrassed and flustered while Raymond had been shamed just enough to make him humble and not a complete "Negative Nancy." Raymond won by a landslide and the four of them lay sprawled on the grass, trying to catch their breath between bursts of laughter. Astra declared that she saw a cloud that resembled a pavander, the fish near Cair Paravel, but May heartily disagreed, insisting that it was obviously a hare. They then continued to argue about the shape of every cloud in the sky. Astra eventually tossed her arms over Caspian's stomach, declared she was tired, put her head on his abdomen, and promptly closed her eyes before he could even bat an eyelash. Raymond lay next to the King, one hand behind his head and the other on his knife. He was not tired in the slightest and his eyes were still darting every which way, always on the lookout for danger. May lay next to Raymond on her side, curled up in a little ball and enjoying the feeling of the fading sunlight on her skin. Caspian felt vaguely awkward with Astra sprawled across him, her fingers absentmindedly tracing his abdominal muscles, causing his breath to hitch in his throat.
"Astra…" he began, although he was unsure what he wished to say.
"Oh, Caspian, sorry, I did not even both to ask if you were comfortable!" Caspian thought for a quick moment before replying.
"I am not uncomfortable in the slightest," he said, and it was true.
"Good because you are very comfortable," was her retort, ceasing her tracing (Thank Aslan, he was losing his mind) and clutching a handful of his shirt. She offered him a sleepy smile and Caspian admired how the sun glinted so maddeningly in her eyes and had made her freckles stand out. Every time he breathed, her body would rise and fall in time with his chest. With hesitation, he brought his hand to her head and toyed with the brown strands. The corner of her mouth twitched and she remained calm. The grass tickled his bare feet and calves and it was nice to have his shirt un-tucked to allow the Narnian breeze to billow the fabric. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes, deciding that this adaptation of "going Narnian" would be quite tolerable.