Chapter 3: Soreus

They all rose early the next morning. Caspian immediately summoned Gilamaud, and enquired as to the health of their guest. After a good night's rest, it seemed he was now well enough to join them in the great hall for breakfast.

Numerous citizens attended, as word about the unusual visitor had already spread throughout the surrounding regions. They thought it only polite to wait until after the meal to question him, although they were deeply curious. But the man ate too rapidly to talk between bites anyway. Once he finally appeared full, and stood up from his chair, and everyone eagerly fell silent.

"Your majesty," he said, bowing low. "Friends. My name is Soreus. I was born in a land far, far to the west. When I came of age, I left my home and sought adventures in this great wide world. Since then, I have visited many strange and wonderful lands. I have dined with beings too numerous to count. I have had enough adventures to fill an entire series of books. But I have never, in all my travels, encountered such generous hospitality as I have here. You saved my life without knowing so much as my name. All I've seen of your country is the view from my infirmary bed, but I can already see this is a glorious place."

"Well, I can see I was wrong about him!" Trumpkin whispered.

"He probably says that to every country," Trufflehunter replied. The expression on his face was the closest a badger could get to a frown.

"I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting my rescuers," Soreus continued. "Please, let me have the honour of knowing their names and thanking them personally. Are they present?"

Trumpkin held up Trufflehunter's paw and said loudly, "Here's one!"

Everyone turned to stare, and Trufflehunter pulled his paw back. "I'm afraid the good dwarf has me confused with Lord Drinian," Trufflehunter said, hastily jabbing a paw across the table, where Drinian sat.

"Nay," Drinian said. "It was Trufflehunter's keen sense of smell that first alerted us to your plight, Soreus. Truly, we are in the presence of a heroic badger."

"Indeed," Caspian said, smiling. "May I propose a royal toast -" he raised his glass, "- to Sir Trufflehunter, a truly heroic knight."

As everyone drunk to Trufflehunter, Soreus walked down the table and grabbed the badger in a full embrace. "My savior," he said. "I am forever in your debt. You saved my life."

"Your thanks is unnecessary, but warmly received," Trufflehunter said, reversing out of the embrace. "I assure you, Lord Drinian did most of the work. But pray tell us - how did you come to be in the situation we found you?"

"I spent last winter with the Mina creatures on an island in the far north. In the spring, I joined them on an exploration voyage. Two weeks in, we were boarded and attacked by pirates. My friends were all killed in the fight, but they took me alive ... I discovered later that they had mistaken me for the royal prince of a distant land in the north. Then the pirate's ship was attacked by a sea serpent. It wrapped its loathsome coils around the boat and then crushed it to pieces. It was only by sheer luck that I discovered a lifeboat. From there, I drifted on the ocean, never knowing if I would live or die. I must have fallen unconscious from lack of water, for the next thing I knew, I awoke in this wondrous castle."

"I believe we encountered the same serpent on our voyage to the eastern edge of the world," Drinian said. "So it finally came by a meal then? And of pirates!"

The table burst into laughter, with many comments that they undoubtedly made the poor creature drunk from the taste of rum.

"A voyage to the eastern edge!" Soreus said, returning to his seat. "I can see I am in the company of kindred adventurous spirits."

"Only when duty requires us to be," Drinian said, sharing a glance with Caspian.

"Aye, Lord Drinian," Caspian agreed. "Soreus, we will look forward to hearing your tales of adventure unhindered by duty. You are welcome to stay here as a royal guest, until you feel the call of adventure again."

"Which shouldn't be long, by the look of him," Trumpkin mumbled.

"I hope you are proven right," Trufflehunter said, quietly.

Over the following weeks, the halls of the castle often rang with laughter, and many creatures stopped by to listen to the grand tales of exploration. Soreus was truly a pleasure to have around. He was quick of wit, and had an almost boyish energy about him. His blue eyes shone with memories of his great travels.

In Drinian's opinion, perhaps the best thing about him was the affect he had on Caspian. No more was the King moping about the palace, seeing to his royal duties like he was a slave to the cruel master named duty. As they quickly discovered, the longer Soreus stayed, the more fantastic and elaborate the stories of his adventures would become. So all those in the court who enjoyed a good tale, went out of their way to keep Soreus entertained. And no one enjoyed a good story of adventure more than Caspian.

So, once again, the grounds of Cair Paravel played host to many friendly tournaments, of sword-fighting, jousting and archery. This time, Caspian participated to the best of his ability, and found Soreus to be a worthy opponent. He claimed to have been taught by noble sportsmen the world over, and shared many tales of great contests that had lasted for years before a winner was declared. As eager as their guest was to tell a story, he was also curious about their own adventures. One afternoon, Caspian gave him a personal tour of their private Dawn Treader museum, within the lower rooms of the palace.

"Even if he isn't from the other place," Drinian said, watching the two of them walk in the gallery down below, "I swear that Soreus was sent by the Lion himself. This is the first time I've seen his highness be enthusiastic when showing a guest those wonderful maps that Coriakin made for us."

"I don't trust him," Trufflehunter replied.

"What's not to trust, my friend?"

"Do we really know who he is? Perhaps he is a spy. Perhaps his whole washed up shipwreck act was an elaborate trap, designed to put us off our guard."

"Since when have you been so suspicious?" Drinian said, surprised. "This isn't like you."

"Since I know that something isn't quite right. Badgers have a sense for this kind of thing. Besides, if he was really taken captive by pirates, why did they not steal all his belongings? And how did he manage to make it to a lifeboat when he was supposedly their prisoner ... and with all his belongings in a water-tight sack!"

"Have you shared these concerns with his majesty?"

Trufflehunter shook his head, looking down. "I, too, can see that his highness is much happier than he was."

"Soreus is what he might have been if he wasn't a king," Drinian observed. And perhaps what he now wants to be. He didn't say this aloud, as Trufflehunter wouldn't stand to hear one word against Caspian's loyalties. Even when it was a spoken by a friend. "Perhaps it is time for this Soreus to leave," Drinian said, after thinking about it further.

"Are you suggesting we drop some subtle hints?"

"Yes," Drinian said. "I will tell him there's much adventuring to be had in Archenland at this time of year."

As it turned out, no hints were needed, subtle or otherwise. At the feast that evening, he stood up after the first course, with a serious expression on his face.

"Friends," he said. "The time I have spent here has been like a fantastic dream. But the night has come for me to depart. The friendship and camaraderie I have experienced here has left me homesick for my own kin, and I desire to head west."

His words were followed by sad whinnies and quiet mumblings from all those courtiers who enjoyed his stories.

"We will miss you, friend," Caspian said. "You will always be welcome at Cair Paravel."

"A toast," Trufflehunter suggested, suddenly in bright spirits.

They all drunk to Soreus, and then the meal continued. Afterwards, there was a long line of creatures who wished to say goodbye to Soreus personally, and he was treated to a hug from one of the bulgy bears, something that he would undoubtedly never forget. It was almost dark by the time he finished packing up the horse Caspian had given him, but he insisted he didn't mind travelling by night. Caspian and Trumpkin saw him off at the western gate of Cair Paravel.

"Once again," Soreus said, mounting the horse, "my eternal gratitude for your hospitality. And Sir Trufflehunter -" he bowed to the badger, "My life is forever in your debt."

Trufflehunter smiled, but it appeared a little forced, to those who knew him well. "Only happy to be of service. But it really was Lord Drinian who -"

"Fair weather, friend," Drinian interrupted. "And happy travelling."

"Yes," Caspian said. "Remember, if you are ever passing this way again, do not hesitate to visit."

Soreus bowed once again, and then galloped off into the twilight. They watched until he disappeared into the forest, and then turned back to the palace.

"Now, no more forced politeness, eh Tufflehunter?" Trumpkin said, chuckling.

"Forced politeness?" Caspian said, surprised. Trumpkin had forgotten that Caspian did not know of Trufflehunter's concerns. "You did not like our guest, Trufflehunter?"

"He was friendly enough," Trufflehunter said, carefully. "But perhaps too charming. I sometimes wondered if all his stories were strictly factual."

"Oh, they were more than likely entirely made up," Caspian said. "He was probably an ex-pirate himself. But he told the stories so wonderfully."

"I don't understand the need to make up stories," Trufflehunter said. "The real ones are so much better."

"The real stories are so strange, no one believes they're real," Trumpkin said. "I think everything Soreus told us was the truth."

"This from someone who used to think the golden age of Narnia was mythology," Caspian said, with a grin.

"Aye, and I certainly had that rubbed in my beard often enough. So now I believe everything. Better to be gullible than find yourself eating breakfast with a high king you thought was a made up tale."

"True enough," Caspian said. "But there were certain contradictions in Soreus' tales that made me doubt them - not just the fact that they were fantastic. Still, perhaps one day we shall find ourselves reduced to mythology. The historians will say, 'yes, there was a king named Caspian. But he didn't sail to the ocean of lilies. Only to the Lone Islands'."

"Aye," Drinian said. "And they will say, 'how could he have sailed further, when his captain was a mouse named Reepicheep?'."

Everyone laughed as they entered the great hall, and the leopard guards stared at them in surprise, clearly wondering what was so funny.

"Back to work, tomorrow," Caspian said, turning to make his way up a tower staircase. "No more idling away the days. I think I might write to Rilami and Master Cornelius in the morning. Then perhaps ride north in the afternoon."

Drinian nodded. "I must visit the harbour and see how the ship building is progressing. Rhince has been urging me to come for weeks now."

"I should join you," Caspian said. "I promised Lord Bern we'd have another ship protecting the Lone Islands before next summer. I'd love to give him a whole fleet, but one sail at a time, like you say."

"Like I say," Drinian agreed, cheerfully. It was a blessing to see Caspian so interested. The King had barely spoken of their maritime plans since the return of the Dawn Treader.

"Tomorrow then," Caspian said, "Goodnight, my lords."