Disclaimer: I do not own Chronicles of Narnia. I'm the wrong gender and several decades too young to be C. S. Lewis, at least.

Summary: See previous Chapter.

Chapter Six

All right, Caspian could accept that yesterday had been a disaster on many levels, but you would think that it would make the rest of the company easier to convince, even if it was the middle of the night.

To the contrary, it only made the others even more convinced to just roll over and go back to sleep. It finally took Lucy and Caspian threatening to just go on their own to get them up and moving, and even then they were less than enthusiastic about it.

Personal faith in and even affection for Lucy aside, Caspian had thought that all the times that they youngest queen had been right, especially yesterday, would have encouraged the others to at least listen to her. Firmly reminding himself that he really couldn't tell Queen Susan to shut up and stop complaining, Caspian took Lucy's hand and started to walk off.

Let the High King deal with his sulky sister, but Aslan had implied that Narnia's need was only growing greater, and if Caspian was ever going to be able to look in a mirror again, never mind try to win the Narnians trust, he couldn't sit around just to humour Queen Susan's temper. Their companions could follow, or not, but there was no more time to waste.

They followed Aslan to the cliff where everything had started the previous day. At first, no one could see the path, but when Aslan seemed to walk right off the cliff and both Lucy and Caspian rushed over, they could see a steep and narrow path winding. Really not in the mood for another round of arguments and complaints, Caspian decided that the best route would be to simply follow. You could see the path easily enough if you looked, and seeing two of their companions disappear into thin air would bring the rest of the party over to the edge quicker than anything else Caspian could think of.

It only took them a few minutes to get to the bottom of the gorge, but several more difficult minutes to get across the river, followed by a long and tedious climb up the other side, which was admittedly far higher than the side where they had started. Caspian was nearly out of breath by the time they finally scrambled over the top onto a grassy, wooded area, but had no complaints.

In the distance, rising out of the trees, he could see a hill, and by Trumpkin and Trufflehunter's sighs of relief, it was probably Aslan's How.

Everyone was exhausted from the previous day, the lack of rest, and the hike up the gorge, and the surrounding area would be much easier to see (and not tumble over any high ledges) in the daylight, so the party settled down for what remained of the night.

Perhaps it had something to do with meeting Aslan, but Caspian felt fully refreshed, and sat talking to Lucy, who seemed much the same. "What do you think will happen when we meet the Narnians? Will they fight with us?"

Lucy leaned back against the tree they were sitting under, resting her head against his upper arm as she considered the question. "The Centaurs will probably fight with us. They watch the stars and follow whatever they see written there. The others, I don't know. Narnia is very different from what I remember, so I don't even know what races still exist, let alone how they interact with each other. Besides, while we know it doesn't matter, you are a Telmarine. You will need to win them over, show them that you want what is best for Narnia, not just for humans."

That would probably be the hardest part of all. Caspian had been popular amongst the Telmarine people, and still had a duty to them as much as he had to the old Narnians. Miraz aside, this was going to be a long, uphill battle. Still, the news of the Centaurs was encouraging. "What do you mean, how they interact with each other?"

Lucy tilted her head, a slightly endearing habit whenever she was thinking about something. "For most of our reign, there was a lot of tension between those who had sided with the White Witch, and those who had trusted in Aslan. Time and a common foe have probably reconciled that, but we don't know that."

Not for the first time, Caspian wished that there had been more detail in the stories and legends that his nurse and Doctor Cornelius had told him. "Well, we need to find the Narnians, first. It's still a few hours until dawn, so I suppose we should try to get some sleep."

Caspian decided that this was starting to become a very tiresome habit. Be unable to sleep, dozing off after taking to and being reassured by Lucy, and waking up again to face an irate presence. Last time, it was Lucy's brothers, and this time it involved waking up with a curved sword at his throat, being glared at by a minotaur as Trumpkin and Trufflehunter tried to explain things to a decidedly hostile group of Old Narnians.

A Black Dwarf who obviously knew Trufflehunter and Trumpkin was all for killing Caspian on sight, and highly sceptical of the Pevensies being anything more than Telmarine spies. Luckily for the humans in question, a faun caught the inscription on Peter's sword, and a centaur noticed that Caspian still carried Queen Susan's horn. This got the Kings and Queens off the hook, but didn't stop the Old Narnians from dragging them off to a kind of impromptu council, where it seemed everyone wanted to kill him on principle.

The Black Dwarf, Nikabrik, despite the testimony of Doctor Cornelius and despite his friendship with Trufflehunter and Trumpkin, did not share their tolerance, and was entirely unwilling to listen to any explanations. "All this horn proves is that they've stolen yet another treasure from us!"

Caspian had known that bringing Narnia together would be hard, but it seemed very easy in comparison to talking the Old Narnians out of killing him. "I didn't steal anything."

This was apparently the wrong thing to say. The Minotaur who responded to his claim sounded particularly outraged. "Didn't steal anything? Shall we list the things that the Telmarines have stolen from us?"

This prompted an outcry from just about everyone and Caspian inwardly winced. This was not going well. "You would hold me accountable for all of the crimes of my people?"

To his credit, Nikabrik did not try to deny it. "Accountable, and punishable!"

Caspian tried not to be startled when a mouse wielding a rapier jumped off a rock and marched up to Nikabrik. At least someone was willing to go against the dwarf, even if he wasn't siding with Caspian. "That is rich coming from you, Dwarf! Or have you forgotten that it was your people who fought at the side of the White Witch?"

Lucy frowned at the mouse. "Dwarves weren't the only ones to fight with the Witch, and it's very unfair of you to blame an entire race for the actions of a few, especially when several Dwarves fought with Aslan."

This earned Lucy several looks in varying degrees of consideration, surprise and/or admiration. Unfortunately, the mellowing atmosphere didn't last, with Nikabrik and the mouse still arguing. "And we'd gladly fight with the Witch again, if it would rid us of these barbarians!"

A glance to the side showed King Edmund turning a few shades whiter, Queen Lucy giving him a concerned look, and the older siblings sharing a hard expression. Fortunately, Trufflehunter chose this point to interject. "Then it is lucky that it is not within your power to bring her back, or are you suggesting that we go against Aslan now?"

This also prompted cries of outrage, although this time they were not directed at Caspian. Trufflehunter continued, "Some of you may have forgotten, but we badgers remember well, that Narnia was never right, except when a Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve ruled."

This brought everyone back to the crux of the problem. "He's a Telmarine! Why would we want him as a King?"

The outrage was slightly more subdued this time, and Caspian jumped at what was likely to be the only chance he would get. "Because I can help you. Beyond these woods, I am a prince. The Telmarine throne is rightfully mine. Help me claim it, and I can bring peace between us."

There was a thoughtful silence, broken by one of the centaurs. "It is true, the time is right. I watch the skies, for it is mine to watch as it is yours, badger, to remember. Tarva, the Lord of Victory, and Alambil, the Lady of Peace, have met in the halls of high heaven. Now, a son of Adam has come forth, to offer us back our freedom."

It seemed that Lucy had been right about Centaurs and Stars. This time, the cries of fury were replaced by murmurs of speculation, and a squirrel asking if it was really possible. A glance to the side showed Peter just managing to hide a pained grimace at the excitable beast, and Lucy giving him an encouraging smile.

Taking strength from her faith in him, Caspian searched for the right words to convince the Old Narnians. "Three days ago, I didn't believe in the existence of Talking Beasts, or Dwarves or Centaurs. Yet here you are, in strength and numbers that we Telmarines could never have imagined! Whether this horn is magic or not, it brought us together, and together we have a chance to take back what is ours!"

There was an agonizing pause, in which Caspian reflected that 'we Telmarines' might not have been the best choice. Finally, it was broken by the same centaur. "If you will lead us, then my sons and I offer you our swords."

All around the clearing, the Old Narnians drew weapons, holding them in salute. The mouse twirled his sword, holding it out to the side as he bowed. "And we offer you our lives, unreservedly."

Peter finally spoke up. "Miraz's army will not be long. We should get inside the How, and make preparations."

A few of the Old Narnians turned away, presumably to find and warn other Old Narnians who were not present. The rest led the way toward Aslan's How. Taking Lucy's hand as she struck up a conversation with a Minotaur, Caspian couldn't help but feel a small thrill of triumph.

It would take time to earn the trust and respect of the Old Narnians, but in this small clearing, he felt like he had taken the first steps toward a bright and peaceful future.

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A/N: Yes, I know, it's been forever since I updated. My only excuse is job-hunting, my sister borrowing and losing my 'Prince Caspian' book, and a bad case of writer's block. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try not to take so long this time.

Someone pointed out that my last A/N sounded like I was begging for reviews, which was very unintentional. Seriously, constructive criticism is a writer's greatest reward, and I would love to know what you think, even if it is just to say that my work is horrible and I should go to hell.

Thanks,

Nat.