So this chapter is a bit shorter, but the next couple will be long. =] Wah, it's starting to get good now!

Katriana enjoyed the next few weeks very much. It was summer time, so the weather was amazing as always in Narnia, and it was also a very peaceful time. Lazy summer nights were spent on the beach or quiet afternoons wandering in the gardens. Katriana learned how to help with the flowers and other plants. She found this a bit more difficult, but she loved it as well. All of the work at Cair Paravel seemed to be enjoyable. This was mostly because of the amicable nature of the other workers. They deeply cared about their kings and queens, so they did not mind doing their service to them.

She found herself letting down her guard. Her time here had made her much more relaxed and easy going. She realized that she was allowing herself to laugh out loud and to make jokes of her own. This was something she had never done before. It had felt so good the first time she had done it that she purposed to never go back to not doing it.

One day, in the early afternoon, something happened. The Pevensies were playing a game with some of the servants on the main lawn outside the castle when Orius the centaur came galloping up with a message. Katriana was there, and heard everything that was said. It seemed that someone from far away had arrived at the castle and was demanding an audience with their majesties right away. Orius did not describe the person, but all of Katriana's old fears welled up inside her again. The Pevensies quickly went inside, as did the rest of the party. Alia dragged Katriana in as well, saying that they should see what was going on.

Their majesties had decided a long time ago that any business that went on inside the castle was to be made public. So something of this nature would take place in the throne room, where anyone could see and hear what happened. This was how it was now. The word about the message had spread quickly throughout the castle, so that the room was now fairly full. The middle aisle was left empty as normal. Somehow Alia had managed to get the two of them to the front, where they would have a perfect view of what was going on.

The kings and queens had taken their spots on their thrones. Katriana noticed that they had put on their crowns as well. The crowd that had gathered hushed as the large doors to the throne room opened. Two centaurs in full armor escorted a man down the aisle. As they drew nearer, Katriana's heart stopped. It was him.

He walked with a sneer on his face as he approached their majesties. When the centaurs and he reached the edge of the platform, the centaurs bowed and then stepped aside. The man did not bow. Katriana gulped noiselessly for breath as complete silence filled the room.

"Greetings, sir! What brings you to our dominion?" asked Peter, who was trying to be civil to a man who obviously was not.

"Nothing good, but perhaps you can help me," said the man in a gravelly voice. "I run a decent business deep in the woods. Far beyond your borders, but that's beside the point. I own a… a hall, you might say. A place where folk can gather and enjoy themselves. We have entertainment, as you have probably guessed, and one of my workers has disappeared." Katriana's hands balled up into fists. Decent! That would be the last word she would have used to describe it.

King Peter waited for a moment, thinking that the man would explain himself further. "And what do you wish for us to do for you? Since your business is beyond our borders, I do not see how we can help," he finally said. He did not like the looks of this man.

"Ah, but the worker was one who is from your own country. She broke her contract with me, either by running away, or by her being captured, so it is your problem now."

"Did she sign this contract you speak of?" asked King Edmund.

The man groped for an answer, "She… she did not. But she did agree to it verbally! And I had… assurance that she would stay."

"What kind of assurance do you speak of, sir?" asked Queen Susan, looking a bit confused.

"She… she was a dryad. Dryads never break their word. Ever. And now she is gone. She was one of my best; she was the favorite. And now my business suffers from it." Everyone in the room gasped when he said this. The man's steel gray eyes glared at Peter. Peter felt his chest tightened. The man had a dryad working for him. How low was this man? Peter got up and paced the floor in front of the four thrones.

"I do not understand what a dryad would be doing working for you, sir. What benefit would she receive from it?" asked Queen Lucy. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. The young queen had a very good point.

"She did it to help me." The vague answer made Peter suspect that there was more to this situation than the man was willing to tell. He could tell that foul play was at hand.

"If that is so, then she would not be a worker, but a volunteer. Either way, I still see nothing we can do to help you. Since this is the case, I dismiss you. I am sorry that we could do nothing for you." Peter turned his back to the man at this point to prove to him that the conversation was over. He leaned over his throne and placed his hands on the armrests and sighed quietly.

The man stood there for a moment, looking like he was going to rush Peter, but the centaur guards resumed their places by his side, so he had no choice but to let them lead him out. The sneer resumed on his face, and he proudly showed it to all the servants. Everyone wanted to spit on him. How dare he enter Cair Paravel with a legal issue against a dryad?

Peter stood in front of his throne, rigid, till he heard the door to the room close. As soon as it did, the room instantly filled with loud talk, and he relaxed slightly. Susan reached out her hand and placed it on him. He looked at her with a grateful smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement against the wall. He turned as he saw Katriana slip out one of the side doors. She ran like she was running away from a demon.

Peter bolted after her.

Katriana ran. She couldn't stay here. He would find her. It was only a matter of time. This place with all of its happiness had given her a false sense of security. Of course he would find her. She did not realize that her frantic running had gotten her very lost. She had never been in this part of the castle before. It must be a level that was off limits to the servants. Panic rose in her as she slowed. How would she get out now?

Behind her she heard footsteps. Every fear she had ever had clouded her head. He had recognized her. He had seen her leave. He had followed her. He would take her back. She fled, looking for somewhere to hide. She saw a balcony and ducked into it. To her dismay there were no trees outside of it for her to climb onto, so she was trapped. The footsteps got closer; they were almost there. She turned, and saw a man there. She screamed.

Peter grabbed her shoulders as she fell to her knees. "Katriana! Are you all right?" He set her on the seat that was in the balcony. He moved to sit next to her. His arms were still on her shoulders. She looked at him with eyes so wide open that he thought they would pop right out of her head. She trembled violently.

"He was the one, wasn't he?" Peter asked gently. "He was the one who abused you." She met his gaze and nodded. Tears welled up in her eyes. He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed uncontrollably. He just sat there and rocked back and forth, trying to comfort her.