The journey to Beaversdam went flawlessly. There were about one hundred that joined them from the tents in the lawn. In the morning they all rode out with the sound of golden trumpets ringing their farewell from the tallest towers and banners were rung from the flagpoles. Blane had agreed to ride with them, but only after a heartfelt conversation with Lucy, who made him promise to watch over all of them. She even tried to give him the cordial but he refused to lighten her from it, figuring it had been a gift from Aslan and that he was not privy to take it.
The first day went well with everyone in good spirits until it started to rain endlessly as if the sky wept. Regardless of the ill conditions, they did not slow their pace and only stopped once the rain became so heavy that they couldn't even navigate by the moonlight. The next two day proved to be marginally better but the torrential rains had caused the land to be soft and it slowed the horses considerably, and the carts were all but stopped.
Blane encouraged Tholyn to take charge of the situation so, with a tight chest, she pulled Jeza to the left and lifted her hand to tell the company to stop and listen. The whole of them, centaurs, cats, horses and other allies all rumbled to a stop as they looked to their chief.
"Narnians!" she shouted, taking Jeza up the left flank so that everyone could hear her. "We cannot afford to lose any time so we must unburden ourselves!"
It did not occur to her that she was taking power away from Peter and Edmund – she was in control of this mission. Any mission that the Charge took was theirs to command and no one else's. Edmund rode up next to her and nodded, trusting her verdict.
Peter joined them and shook his head. "We need those supplies, Tholyn. You cannot order that we leave them."
"I have survived my entire life without a tent, King Peter," Tholyn replied calmly. "We can store them in those caves over there." She said, pointing due easterly to a smattering of low hills along the edge of their sight. "There we can charge someone with keeping watch. Anything that cannot be fastened to a horse or carried on a person is to be stored in those eastern caves! Everybody move!"
Little over an hour later, they had strapped everything they could (mostly large flaps of food, skillets, weapons, and a sharpening stone) to their horses, the centaurs even allowed themselves to be laden with as many things as they could carry. In the end, Peter realized that it was for the best and didn't say another word regarding his earlier protest.
Soon they were on the ride again. Blane kicked his horse and shot up to the front of the line where Tholyn and Jeza were making fine speed. Tholyn noticed her father's presence and a brief smile fell to her lips.
"You're doing a great job already," he complimented sincerely, smiling through a tangled mess of black hair. It was clear that her conversation with Aslan had stirred even more courage in his young daughter. When he looked at her now he didn't see the girl that he held in swaddled clothes twelve years ago, but rather the face of a young woman. He had taught her well. There was no denying that.
Tholyn smiled, beaming with pride. Though her father was always kind and warm, he had spent the past year or so highly tuning her skills and that had created a slight divide between the father in him and the boss.
"Thanks dad. I'm really trying."
Blane grinned. "I know," he shouted over the sound of hooves.
They didn't say anything for the rest of the ride, which went considerably smoother. That night they camped under the stars, fashioning hammocks between trees using the sacks they stored food in. The company was silent under the direction of Tholyn but when someone started singing, they found themselves to be in better moods.
In the morning, they left slightly before dawn and rode without interruption to Beaversdam. The river was loud where they stopped, the current rushing towards the sea miles and miles to the east.
Tholyn, remembering that she'd made Idlebeek promise to meet her at Beaversdam four days ago, roved the skies while everyone else made camp. She and Jeza rode around the perimeter for a few miles in each direction before, panting, Jeza begged Tholyn to let her rest. She agreed and returned to camp.
"Sleep, friend," Tholyn comforted. Jeza nodded with a little smirk and went to lie down in the soft grass next to the river. The sunlight dazzled across the river and lit the spirits of the entire party, who was not thrilled at having to leave some of the food behind. Nevertheless, they cooked what they had left and were made happier when Blane returned from the forest dragging a huge bear between him and a centaur.
Tholyn excused herself from the rest of the party and went to lie in the grass so that she could see the skies. Idlebeek made no mention of when he was supposed to meet her on the fourth day so until the world grew dark she would not worry. With her hands behind her head she hummed a little tune to herself. The grass was tall on all sides of her and she made a hole in the waving green.
Edmund too found himself wandering off and went to get a drink from the Great River, where he saw Jeza sleeping soundly on the bank. He chuckled as he remembered crashing into Tholyn in the stables, and all the stories that Tholyn told on the night of the coronation. After several large cups of water, Edmund began to think harder on the topic of Tholyn. Perhaps Idlebeek was indeed correct about her. She had more reason to value solitude than he did, being raised practically alone in the woods her whole life, not caring for her family because she never saw them, being trained from day one to take her father's place; it all proved that she was a loner. Unlike him though, she was by experience, not desire.
He marched away from the riverbank determinedly. He was going to seek out Tholyn and talk to her just like he would talk to anyone else. Maybe just keep her company. If she was so accustomed to seclusion then perhaps it was enough to just share space. Shaking those thoughts from his head so as to not psych himself out, Edmund strolled leisurely about the grounds, keeping his eyes peeled for her chestnut hair.
As if he'd been called by Aslan himself, Malchior noticed at once that his master was gone and immediately took to the skies to search for him. His falcon eyes were unhampered by the bright sun and in no time had Malchior spotted three lone figures some ways from camp. Upon further scrutiny he noticed that one figure was a horse but the other two were clearly human – one lying down and the other strolling casually south.
On the ground, Tholyn saw a bird flying about in a wide circle and she bounded to her feet and started waving emphatically.
"Idlebeek! Idlebeek! Here!" she shouted, jumping up and down to get the hawk's attention. The bird did not seem to notice however, and instead of flying towards her started flying a bit south.
"Hey! HEY!" she shouted, running toward where the bird was flying. Though she was tired she still made good time and before she knew it she was within ten feet of the bird. Her hair flew behind her as she made good time towards the figure that the bird was flying towards and once she slowed down, she saw that it was Edmund. The bird also happened to be another bird entirely and Tholyn's shoulders sank.
"I didn't know you had a falcon, Ed," she said, trying to mask her disappoint but doing so poorly.
Edmund arched a brow as Malchior perched on his shoulder.
"I didn't until last night, and you make it sound like a bad thing," he replied.
Tholyn laughed and shook her head. "No, its nothing like that. I told Idlebeek to meet me here on the fourth day, which is today, and without his report I cannot make any further decisions, so I've been combing the skies watching for him," she explained with a little smile. She didn't know how but it was as if the awkwardness around them dissipated entirely. He no longer acted uncomfortable or unsure of himself which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Idlebeek is me distant cousin, m'lady!" the grey falcon announced. He didn't try a bow this time but Edmund could tell by the shuffle of his talons that he desperately wanted to.
"Oh, are you?" asked Tholyn playfully, sticking her arm out for him to climb onto. "Then you must be a very honorable and wise bird," she said with a smile as he walked onto her forearm and let her nuzzle his soft feathers.
If birds could blush, he would have.
"Pine needles and pincushions ma'am, you flatter me!" he said modestly. "Idlebeek is a great bird, yes, yes, but I am but a simple cousin."
Tholyn shook her head and continued to stroke his glossy feathers, Edmund watching with a smirk.
"If Idlebeek suggests you then that is all I need to know. He is wise and you are young. You'll soon be just like him," she assured, grinning widely. Then she looked to Edmund. "You're a lucky boy, King Edmund. Malchior seems to be a very loyal subject."
Again, Malchior chirped something about Tholyn being too kind a lady for her own good and all of them laughed and laughed until they were through and a comfortable silence hung over them. Malchior asked Edmund whether there was anything he needed or wanted and perked up instantly when he said there was.
"Yes, there is a way you can help," he said. "Fly around and see if you can't find Idlebeek or anything else. Report back to me in two hours time."
"Sir!"
And with that, Malchior was off and the two of them were alone in the tall grass. Tholyn spread her arms and fell backwards into it, the density sparing her from crashing ungracefully onto her duff. He watched her and decided that lying down sounded like a wonderful idea. Soon they were both lying comfortably in the grass, legs crossed, eyes glued to the sky to keep an eye out of Idlebeek anyway.
"You said you didn't have a bird until last night. What happened?" she asked, closing her eyes now that she had a second pair to help her. In her mouth was a blade of grass she chewed and her hands were again behind her head. She heard him chuckle and shift on the grass beside her.
"I saw something at my window and opened it then in flew Malchior," he replied. "I didn't see exactly what he was for a minute so I chased him around the room for a while."
Tholyn burst into laughter at the thought of Edmund chasing Malchior around his bedchamber, and soon the both of them were in hysterics, clutching their sides and rolling from side to side.
"I can just see you now, trying to catch that little bird!" she cried, her eyes screwed shut with amusement. "I can't believe I mistook him for Idlebeek, he's so small."
"Bloody right! Looked like a dust ball had taken flight in my room. I felt like the biggest goon there ever was when I saw that it was a bird," Edmund said with a smile. The laughter had mostly left them save for a few short-lived outbursts and they laid still, both of their eyes closed to the midday sun. "But, I've got to say that in my defense, I have learned that anything is possible in Narnia that was not possible in my world."
Tholyn thought about that for a minute.
"What's it like? Your world? Do you think you'll ever go back?"
A week ago he would have snorted in derision and made some snide comment about how he never wanted to return there ever again but instead he shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's very different from here but there are good people there."
"But how is it different?" Tholyn pushed further, dissatisfied with his elucidation.
"Well, for one, the animals don't talk. Not a single one of them. There are humans like us everywhere, and I do mean everywhere – not like here where you're practically an extinct race. There are no dwarves or centaurs or naiads or draiads or merfolk except in books and dreams. There are building everywhere and there's not much space left for anything."
She was silent for a moment after that, trying to imagine a world without talking beasts and all manner of other creatures.
"Doesn't sound like a place I'd want to be."
Edmund chuckled and shook his head. "No, I doubt you'd like it there very much. There's no danger that can be resolved with the sword. They use different, scarier weapons."
After that, neither of them said a word for a very long time, both of them falling into a light sleep in the inviting light of the noonday sun. It was warm on their tired bodies and they welcomed the rest after the long ride there. Tholyn, who was accustomed to a nonstop lifestyle, relished the relaxation and stretched her body out entirely before rolling on the grass in order to her on her stomach. Her side touched Edmund's but neither one noticed nor moved.
In her sleeping trance, dreams came easily and she was transported from the meadow into a thick and driving snow. It was not magical like the White Witch's so she knew it was only the Narnian winter around her. There was nothing but black and white all around her in the cold winter night, the sky only visible through the flurries. Above her was a light which she noticed to be a lamppost. There was nothing but trees in either direction, trees covered in snow that bent in the cold wind.
Somehow Tholyn knew, even in her dream, that she wasn't alone and she saw the four Pevensies appear directly in front of her, Edmund taking up the rear. They were traveling as fast as the snow and Tholyn was unable to keep up. They led her deep within the forest, always a little too far ahead of her for comfort. Her body felt slow and stupid as if it weren't obeying. Then, they opened a door which let in too much light to be comfortable in the nighttime and they were gone, with Edmund's face the last thing she saw before swirling darkness.