I THOUGHT sleep would come easy tonight. After two straight days of fighting with nothing but an hour's rest between them, I thought I might finally be able to rest and escape the horrors I've endured. But as it turns out, I'm not so lucky.

The war is finally over — after three hundred years of suffering, the Narnians are free — and I can't sleep.

Figures.

I give up the hopeless battle and search for a dress, slipping it on overtop my shift and leaving Cornelius's study. Without thinking much about it, I start toward the western tower.

It feels strange to walk the halls of the castle wearing my real skin. After so long spent hiding, I can't help but feel as if I should change my hair and sculpt a new face should someone see me. But I have to remind myself those days are over, even though some part of me refuses to believe it. I don't have to hide anymore.

I don't have to worry about maintaining the lies, sneaking into council meetings and dodging Caspian's neverending questions of 'where have you been' and 'why are you always so tired.' I don't have to balance my servant duties with espionage and both my Telmarine and Narnian lessons. I don't have to do any of it.

What am I going to do now? I think. Everything is changing so fast and I'm not quite sure where I'll fit into it all. The thought worries me. No wonder I can't sleep.

Something echoes in the empty walls of the castle and makes me stop in my tracks. Holding my breath, I listen for the noise again.

Footsteps.

I sigh, closing my eyes and leaning my back against the nearest wall, the cool stones like ice against my skin. They're just footsteps. I have no reason to be so afraid of another person in a damned castle full of them.

Except I do. My mind is reeling through all the possibilities and threats; who might be wandering the castle so late and why. Whether it could be a Telmarine intent on assassinating Caspian before his coronation, or one of Nikabrik's followers harbouring a grudge for the black dwarf's death and seeking revenge. All I can think of is whether the kings and queens and Caspian might be in some sort of danger.

Logically, I know each of them has guards posted outside their rooms and heavy locks on their doors, but that doesn't do anything to reassure me. Not when I'm still functioning on the same high-alert survival mode I adopted while travelling with the Pevensies — watching and listening for enemies in the trees.

I know I won't be able to think straight until I know it's nothing, so I follow the footsteps, making sure to keep my own light and silent.

I round the corner and hurry along the corridor, following the steady, brisk-paced echoes of boots against stone. They quickly grow louder the closer I get and I realize we must be headed toward each other. With this in mind, I place myself in their path and duck into a linen closet, listening quietly for whoever roams the halls.

Silencing my breathing, I peek one eye through the sliver of space between the door and the wall. And a moment later, I hear them approaching.

They breeze past the closet so I only get a brief look at them, but that's all it takes. I'd recognize that head of hair anywhere.

The door creaks as I push it open. "Caspian, what–?"

The prince jumps in fear as he whirls around, fumbling for support against the nearest wall with a sharp gasp. "Oh my– Sefi," he breathes, clutching his racing heart. "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" I counter. "It's the middle of the night."

Still trying to catch his breath, he rests his head back against the wall and closes his eyes. "You're awake, too," he accuses. "Why would you scare me like that?"

"I didn't mean to," I mutter. "I thought you were an assassin here to kill you or the Pevensies."

Caspian sighs, turning his head to meet my gaze. "You can't sleep?"

I shake my head.

"Me neither," he admits.

A silent agreement passes between us and we continue down the hall to the western tower entrance: the place we were both headed.

I feel more relaxed with Caspian beside me, knowing that at least he's safe and I can keep him that way. "You shouldn't be walking around without a guard," I tell him, my voice echoing up the tower stairwell.

"I know."

And the exhaustion in his voice is impossible to miss. I wasn't there at the river, but I can imagine all the work that needed to be done: organizing the Telmarines, overseeing their surrender, collecting weapons, armour, and horses. Everyone was drained after the battle, but Caspian and the Pevensies worked tirelessly to set everything in order until after the sun set. They secured all the lords and as many of the more outraged Telmarines as they could in the palace dungeon and the town jail, leaving the rest under careful guard at a temporary camp just outside the village.

As far as I know, the Narnians who aren't busy as guards have been working to help the wounded and clear the bridge debris along the river as well as what's left of the war machines on the plains. While countless birds and squirrels have been sent with messages across Narnia to tell all Telmarines that Caspian the Tenth will be crowned King and if they don't wish to live under his rule, to come to the palace in five days' time where Aslan will provide them with another home. I have no idea how he intends to do such a thing, but I have no doubt he can and will.

Aslan. I still can't believe the Great Lion himself is here, walking among us. And I can't believe how familiar the Pevensies are with him, or how Caspian got to meet him — speak to him.

The soon-to-be king pushes the wooden door open at the top of the stairway, walking out into the cold night atop the western tower's highest peak. I swing the door shut behind me before following him to the battlements, resting my arms along the top of a merlon. In silence, we take in the beauty of the stars and the moon, relish the cool wind on our face and the calming scent it brings from the surrounding woods so far below us, the Great River a shimmering path of silver moonlight wending off toward the distant sea.

Caspian doesn't look away from the sky when he speaks. "Do you remember the night your father brought us to see the conjunction?"

I nod, though he doesn't watch me. "It feels like a lifetime ago." And in a sense, it was.

"Did you think we'd ever be here?"

I take a deep breath, fiddling with my fingers. "No," I confess, causing his head to turn in shock. "Not at first. I thought you were just a kid who loved adventure and magic as much as anyone else your age. But then you grew up and all you wanted was to keep learning about Old Narnia, and I realized Cornelius might be right about you."

Caspian smiles, his eyes swimming with sad nostalgia.

"I started training harder with the Narnians when I noticed it — spied on council meetings and snuck around the castle impersonating guards –"

He snorts. "No wonder I never saw you."

"You had lessons and duties a little servant girl couldn't attend with you," I counter. "Besides, if I'd spent all my time with you we'd both be hopeless and you'd probably be long dead."

"That's not true."

"Uh-huh," I agree sarcastically. "Who hit a bird out of the air with Queen Susan's horn?"

"A talking bird," Caspian corrects, leaping on the defensive. "With talons! And didn't you try to fight Peter — the High King — while you were bleeding out?"

"You tried to kill him, too! And you walked around the How for hours with an open arrow wound!"

Caspian laughs incredulously. "I was busy! And if I remember correctly, Susan said you challenged Edmund to a duel! You know he was the best swordsman in Narnia?"

"It was more like a mutual agreement," I mutter, then raise a teasing eyebrow at the Telmarine boy. "When were you talking to Susan?"

He shrugs nonchalantly, trying to discourage any more questions. "After the raid when she cleaned my shoulder."

I wait for him to elaborate further, but instead he switches the topic.

"How's Nyssa?"

"Good." My eyes drift down to the village and the distant lights from the camp just beyond it, knowing she's down there somewhere. "Lucy healed her, so she's at the camp right now."

He nods. "I'm sorry I couldn't go back with you."

I shut my eyes against the flood of images returning to me; the bodies and the blood and the smell. I have to come up with something to distract myself with before it can overwhelm me.

I swallow the lump in my throat, willing my voice to keep steady when I speak. "What's he like?"

Even without hearing his name, Caspian knows I'm talking about Aslan.

"Terrifying," he laughs. "But incredible; gentle and kind, just like the stories." He shakes his head, still awe-struck from being in the Lion's presence. "I never imagined he was real, or that I'd ever meet him."

Caspian looks away from the stars, focusing instead on his hands with a solemn frown. "It seems like everything I dreamed of as a child is coming true," he murmurs. "The battles, the Narnians, even the Old Kings and Queens and Aslan. But now that it's real and not in a book…I realized I don't want any of it."

My heart twists into a knot hearing the pain in his voice. "I know."

"I used to dream of fighting in wars, Sefi. I…" He bows his head, inhaling a shaky breath. "I don't know if I'm ready to be a king. The Narnians deserve someone better."

I feel my chest cave in when he says that. "Cas…"

He looks up at me with tears turned silver in the moonlight and that does it for me. I surge forward, pulling him into a hug we both need as my own tears spring from my eyes. The biting wind throws itself at us but we hold tight to each other like letting go would mean shattering to pieces.

"Cas, you're never going to feel ready," I say into his shirt. "And dreaming of war as a kid doesn't mean you don't deserve to be king; seeing what it truly is and still dreaming of it makes you unworthy." I tighten my arms around him. "But that's not you."

The stars shine over us and Caspian doesn't let go. "I can't stop thinking of everyone we lost," he whispers hoarsely.

"I know." I see them everytime I close my eyes, hear their voices on the wind. I know. "They believed in you," I tell him. "After everything you've done for them, they all do. You can't abandon them now. I believe in you. And I've seen you jump out windows and try to catch throwing knives with your bare hands."

He laughs and loosens his grasp, finally releasing me. His eyes are red and watery and he looks so tired he could fall sleep right here at the top of the western tower, but he still manages a smile. "Thank you," he murmurs.

I nod. "Are you okay?"

"Are you?" He fires back.

"No. I haven't slept in two days."

Caspian laughs again, more genuine this time. And I take it as a victory.

"Do you want to sleep in my room?" He asks, opening the stairway door.

I lift a suspicious eyebrow at him. "Are you going to snore?"

"No."

"Liar."

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author's note

guess who left writing this chapter to the last minute again

meeee lmao #why do i do this to myself. i've been a source of free labour for my parents and we've been non-stop landscaping (im so over it ugh) but if i hadn't waited so long to write this, it wouldn't be an issue so i'm annoyed with myself

but i was lowkey crying when I wrote that heartbreaking scene between arryn and caspian

anyways i love the pevensies in the pc timeline too much to let them go so soon, so i'm taking inspiration from the book and giving them five days to set the kingdom straight/prepare for the coronation before they go back to london (aka five days of edryn fluff)

okk fun fact because we haven't had one in a while, except it's not film-related like the rest of them i apologize. have y'all ever wondered how to pronounce arryn? well here ya go! it's (are-rin) with the first syllable pronounced how the letter "R" is said

i'm curious whether y'all have been pronouncing it right or not and if i just ruined it for you lol because whenever i read books with unusual character names i start saying it in my head one way then i find a pronunciation guide or something and realize i've been fucking it up but i hate how it's supposed to sound so i keep reading it in my head the way i want anyway lmao. like throne of glass?! i spent the first two books thinking chaol was a different spelling of cole and when i found out it's pronounced "kay-all" i was so distraught and kept reading it as cole anyway lmfao

well, i hope you all enjoyed this chapter! we'll be getting back into some more light-hearted content soon! love you guys!