Sorry for the delay. I know it's been ages. If you're still reading, thanks for sticking around! And thank you to Le Faucon Bleu and Eeramenna for reviewing last time. Anyway, for the recap: Aravis is trying to find a husband for her pregnant maid whilst pushing for a rights bill for single mothers.

Husband Material

Aravis had never thought the day would come so soon when Shasta began to get serious about the two of them. She'd thought he'd grieve his father first. She'd thought he'd find Corin first.

She'd thought she'd have more time to cool both their hearts.

But he'd caught her off guard. And by Aslan, she'd been tempted. There had been a moment in the library when she'd almost stopped herself saying she was joking about looking for a fisher's boy. There'd been a moment when she'd thought of kissing him right there and then.

But she'd stopped herself in time.

It would only make everything harder if she gave in.

Now that she understood the full weight of her situation, she could not justify it to herself.

There was a law.

There was a promise to a dying King.

So she'd said she was joking and she'd run up to her room. Now, as morning dawned, she decided she had to stop thinking about it and get on with her other duties. Merene still needed a husband and having already interviewed the stablehands last week, Aravis needed to interview the guards this week.

Ignoring the two young guards outside Shasta's door and refusing to feel bad a out it, Aravis went straight down to the stone building on the side of the main keep that housed the barracks. She had a plan anyway - a methodical plan - so there was no point talking to Shasta's guards yet.

If they were unmarried, she would come back to them. If they weren't then she wouldn't.

As she stepped into the dim interior of the baracks, she went over her cover story in her head.

She'd say she was taking names and plus-ones for the post-coronation banquet. It was a good cover story because it was a task that had to be done, though Aravis herself had not been asked to do it. Nonetheless, when Aravis took the list to Trel later, she suspected Trel would be very grateful for her help.

Glancing around the tables in the main room, Aravis tried to pick out officer's stripes on any of the men eating at the long tables, but she could see none.

She cleared her throat and twenty faces peered up at her with mild expressions.

"Can anyone tell me where I might find an officer?" she asked.

One of the men gestured to a door at the side of the room. "Officer's quarters," he said. Aravis thanked him and knocked on the door. "Come in," came a voice inside.

Lord Dar.

Aravis grimaced.

She'd never really got on with Lord Dar. It had started badly when he'd passed off her weapons training to his second despite teaching the princes himself and there wasn't much else to build on after that so they just never spoke to each other.

But he was likely to have a list of guards so their history didn't really matter right now. Pushing open the door, she found herself in a small room with three desks. One for Lord Dar and one for his two subordinate officers. Lord Dar's desk was the largest.

"Lady Aravis," said Lord Dar when he looked up. His tone was stiff, but it always was when he spoke to her. "What brings you to my office?"

"Lord Dar," said Aravis, curtsying. She didn't really want to, but it would be impolite not to. "Might I consult with you over a matter of the coronation banquet?"

He gestured for her to continue, the family crest on his sleeve creasing and Aravis was keenly aware she had no family crest on her own sleeve. Not everyone chose to display their family ties so prominently, but Lord Dar had always been proud of his heritage and she couldn't exactly fault him for that. She'd been proud of her own heritage until she'd realised it had just been a method her father had used to control her.

"I will need a list of your men and their wives," Aravis told Lord Dar. "For the banquet seating arrangements."

Lord Dar nodded slowly.

"Of course," he said. Then he pulled open a drawer and set a parchment scroll down on the desk. "You will have to copy it here though. I must keep a master copy at all times."

Aravis took the chair opposite him and unrolled the scroll. She didn't think she'd ever spent more than five minutes in the company of Lord Dar by herself and it was as uncomfortable as she'd feared.

In complete silence, Lord Dar continued examining papers and Aravis started copying names.

Many of them she already knew were married, but others she had never met so as she scribbled, she took note of them and when she'd copied out every name, she asked Lord Dar about the unknowns. Instead of answering, he took the list from her and wrote either a wife's name or "not married - further clarification needed" next to each man Aravis had not been able to fill out.

Briefly, Aravis wondered how he'd feel if he knew what she really wanted the list for.

These days, she often wondered which of the people around her would shun Merene and which would stand by her if they knew the truth of her situation. But for a lot of people, Aravis couldn't decide. Lord Dar was one of those people. He was stickler for rules and duty, but he was also hard on guards who stepped out of line or dishonoured others. If she and Shasta brought the bill before the Lords, she wasn't sure which way he'd vote.

"Right, that's everyone," said Lord Dar at last, handing back the list.

Aravis thanked him and he opened his mouth like he wanted to say something more, but then closed it again without saying anything.

"May Aslan watch over him," said Aravis, deciding he must be thinking of Lune.

"May Aslan watch over us all," said Dar.

Aravis nodded. Then she retired to her room with the list of guards and started copying over the names that didn't have partners. A lot of them did and not for the first time, she wondered if they all loved their partners.

As a child, marriages had always seemed like cold affairs of business. Her father did not seem to love her mother and her mother did not seem to love him either. So as Aravis grew up, she'd always been suspicious of people who claimed they'd married for love.

But when she'd first started realising she felt something for Shasta that she didn't feel for anyone else, she'd begun to believe maybe some of them did marry for love. For a few years, she'd begun to hope she would too.

She felt suddenly nauseous.

Shaking head, she refocused on the list and began crossing out some of the single men. Merene might be in a difficult situation, but Aravis would not drop her standards. Whoever Merene ended up with, she'd be stuck with them for the rest of her life so Aravis had to get rid of anyone who might not be able to provide the security and companionship Merene deserved. And anyone she might not love.

Aravis struck out any guards she knew were drunks or middle-aged or subtly cruel and when she was done, she had a shortlist of eleven men.

Two of whom it turned out were Pel and Yed – the guards outside Shasta's room.

-O-

Aravis began her next stage enquiries with the first guard on her list who wasn't Pel or Yed. Yes, she was aware it didn't make logical sense. No, she would not change her method.

It kept her away from Shasta's quarters for a full aftenoon, but eventually she'd spoken to all eight and crossed off another two because they turned out to be middle aged, another one who had behavioural issues, another three because they had their eyes on particular women already and a final one because he heavily implied he wasn't interested in women.

And then she just had two names left on her list.

And Pel and Yed.

She paced in her room for half an hour trying to build up the courage to go to Shasta's door to talk to them. She had to. She knew she had to.

Merene could not afford for Aravis to leave any stone unturned and Pel and Yed seemed as suitable as anyone else, more suitable maybe since Lord Dar had entrusted them with guarding the new King himself.

Aravis looked herself in the mirror. Reminded herself she had a duty to Merene. Reminded herself that going near Shasta's quarters did not mean she was breaking her promise. Then she straightened her spine, and strode out into the corridor. Pel and Yed nodded to her as she approached and she stopped in front of them, veins fizzing.

"Good morning gentlemen," she said.

The two guards looked at each other.

"Your grace?" said Pel.

Aravis' eye twitched and her palms felt suddenly sweaty. She opened her mouth to ask a leading but revealing question, but nothing came out. Her brain kept locking on one thought and one thought only. That Shasta might be behind that door.

She shook her head, then tried again.

"Are you…Could you…"

The guards looked at each other again and some knowledge seemed to pass between them. "Does your grace wish to see his majesty?" asked Pel.

"No," said Aravis sharply.

"Because he's not currently occupied," said Yed. "We could grant you access now."

Aravis shook her head vigorously, not trusting her voice to obey her. Because she wanted to say yes. Wanted it more than anything.

She wanted to stalk into Shasta's room and take back her claims that she had been joking and kiss him until she couldn't breathe. And then she wanted to bury her face in his hair and tell him she loved him.

But she could not.

She had made a promise to Lune.

She suspected Pel and Yed could see her feelings on her face – the same way everyone in this castle seemed to be able to see them – so instead of going about her enquiries for Merene with subtlety, she got straight to the point.

"Do either of you have someone special?" she asked.

Pel and Yed shared a very pointed look now and Aravis pretended not to notice. Pretended it didn't needle her heart that she could not stalk into Shasta's chambers and kiss him. Pretended she was okay with the fact that she was a Calormene exile who was tolerated by the noble families because they believed her to be a passing teenage love interest who could not be a serious threat to the throne.

Because what else could she do but pretend now?

She regretted never making a move earlier. She regretted not kissing him whilst she'd been blissfully ignorant of the state of play. She regretted hiding her feelings and yet somehow, she still had to. Forever.

The guards both shook their heads and Aravis nodded slowly.

"Thank you," she said at last. Even if she could not be with Shasta, at least she could still try to find Merene someone to love.

Should have the next chapter up in a month or so as I've drafted it, but need to edit. Reviews appreciated.