AN: I would like to state that the section headings of "Peter, Susan, Edmund or Lucy" do not mean that a section is entirely from that character's point of view. What it does mean is that a section is about that character. This chapter is much longer than the previous two, although I think the next will be shorter. Thanks to all who left reviews for the last chapters and reviews for this one are appreciated.

Chapter Three: Advice

Peter

"How do I look?" Ethnee asked her older sister, Marna, fussing with her curls and smoothing her wedding dress.

"You look just like a porcelain doll," Marna replied smiling at her. "I wish that mother were here to see how lovely you look right now."

Ethnee felt tears come to her eyes. She had been emotional all day and Marna's mention of her mother, who had died over five years ago made her feel terribly sad. "I wish that she were here too," she said through her tears. "I wish that Kiara were here." Kiara, the sister who had been closest to Ethnee in age, had recently married a man from the islands.

"Don't cry Ethnee!" Marna exclaimed. "It's your wedding day. You should be happy."

"I am happy," Ethnee said, smiling through her tears. "But it seems horrible in a way. Kiara has left for the islands and we shall probably rarely ever see her and now I'm getting married. Soon, we shall all be married and spread all over the world. All my dear sisters."

"You'll always have me, dear sister," Marna said with a joking tone to her words, "for I intend to be an old maid."

"Oh, don't say such things, Marna! You'll find someone."

Marna turned away from her sister. "Who said that I wanted to find someone to marry? Now, listen to me Ethnee," Marna took her sister by both hands and Ethnee felt she was in for a lecture. She didn't much mind; she missed having a mother and liked it when Marna gave motherly advice. "You mustn't let Peter misuse you just because he is King –"

"Oh Marna, please don't. I know that you dislike Peter, but –"

"This is important, Ethnee," Marna looked her straight in the eye. "I would say it no matter who you were marrying because you are such a gentle, timid little thing. You mustn't let him misuse you just because he's a King, but mostly you mustn't let him misuse you just because he's a man."

"He would never do such a thing, Marna! Why, Peter is the most chivalrous boy I know. He's – he's …"

"He may be, but don't depend on him to chivalrous; depend on yourself," Marna hugged her tightly. "And now I must leave you alone, dear," she sighed and before Ethnee could frame her thoughts, Marna had given her a sisterly kiss on the forehead and was gone. Ethnee called her attendants to help fix her veil and soon forgot Marna's gloom in the excitement over her wedding.

--- -- ---

Peter paced across the width of the bridal chamber trying not to look at the nervous, trembling girl in the bed before him. When he had pulled back her veil and looked into her beautiful blue eyes, he had wanted her so badly that he could hardly think straight. Now, however, Peter was unsure of how to proceed. The trouble was that Ethnee looked so vulnerable, so breakable. He had never been with a woman, but whenever men discussed such things (and they often didn't in his presence), they always spoke of taking a girl's virginity or of possessing a woman or having her. They always spoke as though it was somehow harmful to the girl or as if it made her less. Peter certainly didn't want to take anything from Ethnee. He loved Ethnee.

For the first time, he noticed how much bigger he was than she. Ethnee was short and delicate of frame, while he was quite tall with broad shoulders and obvious muscles. He approached the bed slowly, as though she were a wild animal that would bolt if he made any sudden movements. Peter sat down beside his wife, not looking at her.

"We don't have to do it tonight, you know," he said with some difficulty, though the idea sounded better and better to him as he went on. "There's no rule that says it has to be tonight."

She didn't answer for a long moment, but presently, she rose up so that she was resting on her knees, turned Peter's face gently towards her own, and kissed him. Peter could feel her lips and hands trembling. "I'm your wife, Peter," she said simply, when she broke away from him. If there was one way in which Peter and Ethnee were alike, it was in their sense of duty, their desire to do what was required of them.

She drew him down onto the bed and soon all sense of reason and thoughts of honor were gone, replaced by the sheer beauty of her eyes, her lips, her breasts, her skin.

"Thank you," he said to her when it was over, feeling a bit awkward. She didn't reply.

Susan

"What do you think?" Susan held up the dress that she intended to wear to the Christmas ball up for her sister's inspection.

"Oh – Susan …" Lucy hesitated and Susan could tell that she didn't like it. Lucy could never lie. "It – it looks expensive," Lucy offered.

"It's the most expensive dress I've ever had made," Susan informed her. "Those are real sapphires on the bodice. The Christmas ball is the most important of the year and this is a dress fit for a Queen."

"It seems a little extravagant," Lucy admitted. "I think that you look best in a simple white silk. You're so elegant that you don't even need all these frills and trinkets. Besides, it isn't even fashionable. You are usually so stylish, Su."

Susan frowned and smoothed the beautiful gown. She could still change her mind if she wished – the Christmas ball was over three months away – but she had been so excited about the dress. "It isn't the current fashion in Narnia, it is true, to sew the jewels directly onto the gown, but in other parts of the world it is quite stylish."

"The only place where I've ever heard of women wearing so many jewels on their dresses," Lucy said shrewdly, "is in Terebinthia."

"It is because they are all bloody pirates," came a voice from Susan's doorway, "and the spectacle of a woman covered in loot is about the best sight in the world for them." Both girls started and turned around, but it was only Edmund.

Susan scowled at her brother. "Don't you think that you a getting a little old to come barging into ladies' rooms unannounced? Even you sister's? What if we had been undressed?"

Edmund raised his eyebrows. "I hope that you would not be undressed when your door is standing open like this."

Lucy laughed, but Susan scowled at him again and turned her attention to the dress, pretending that he wasn't in the room.

"I was very surprised to learn that King Torim was coming back to Narnia so soon after his last visit," Edmund commented, pretending to inspect his fingernails. "Do you have any idea why he would do this, Su? I can't think that it would have anything to do with diplomacy."

"I don't know why you think I should know anything about it."

"Oh, do stop it," Lucy said, addressing both of them. "We all three know that Susan got that dress because Torim sent word that he will be spending Christmas here and we all three know that he's coming back for Susan. But Susan," Lucy continued, "are you so sure that you want to impress Torim so much? What about Alberic?"

Susan twisted her hair a bit guiltily. "What about Alberic?" she asked Lucy.

"Well aren't you –" Lucy stopped and lowered her voice, "aren't you sleeping with him?"

Edmund rolled his eyes and Susan blushed. She decided to change the subject. "I didn't think that either one of you cared much for Alberic," she commented.

"Alberic tends to come off as a bit pathetic," Edmund told her, "but he is a thousand times preferable to this Torim."

Lucy took her hand gently. "The only complaint I ever had with Alberic is that I thought that perhaps you didn't love him. Do – do you love Torim?"

Susan was unsure of how to answer this question. "I'm not sure if I love him yet, but I feel – I feel …"

"Enthralled?" Edmund suggested.

Susan started, surprised at the aptness of the word. "Yes, I suppose that enthralled is right." Really, she thought, Edmund and Lucy were right. Torim didn't deserve her attentions. He was often rude and insolent, even to Peter and though he had made his interest in her known on several occasions, at other times he would act completely indifferent to her. This was very different from most of Susan's suitors (and she still had many, despite all the rumors about her and Alberic) who would make fools of themselves all day for a few of her smiles.

The next thing Edmund did rather shocked Susan, for it was not something that her little brother was prone to doing often or freely. He hugged her. "I'm afraid that I can't trust King Torim, Su," he said sincerely, "I've told you my reasons several times. I shall to keep an eye on him, but will have to otherwise trust in your judgment."

Oddly, Susan wasn't annoyed with him. She hugged him back, thinking that, on rare occasions, a brother's affection was even better than a suitor's.

Edmund

"It won't work, you know," the young Lord flung his hair back, insolently. Peter watched him with growing impatience. "You think that I've corrupted your brother and that you can fix him if I stay away, but I have always enjoyed the company of young ladies. It is Edmund who won't even look at them."

Peter ground his teeth, trying very hard to keep his temper. He always tried to keep his temper when dealing with his subjects, but sometimes it was particularly difficult. When the first report had come to him about Edmund and this cheeky Cade, he hadn't believed a word of it. He had dismissed the story as scandalous lies meant to impugn his family's honor. He had practically accused the bearer of the tale of treason! The second time that the rumor was brought to him, from a different source, he had been more troubled, but had convinced himself that it couldn't be true. Edmund wouldn't do something so base and why on earth would he even want a man in that way? It wasn't as though there were any shortage of ladies for him to kiss, if he liked.

The third time the rumor was put to him, it came from person whom Peter considered to be very reliable and who had witnessed them kissing with her own two eyes; his wife. Ethnee had fidgeted nervously while telling him and said that she was unsure if she should say anything at all, but that she thought it best that he knew because perhaps he could say something to his brother to stop it – for Edmund's own good, of course. Peter had stewed with anger inside at his brother; the last time that he had felt so disappointed and betrayed by him was when they first came to Narnia – but Peter didn't even like to think of that. He hadn't let his anger show, however, for he had learned that Ethnee hated, above all things, when people were angry. He had merely kissed his wife on the head and assured her that she had done the right thing.

Peter chose his words to Cade carefully. "I really feel that I better try to do something about this … inclination … of King Edmund's while he is still young enough to influence." He was very careful to say "King" Edmund, for he felt that there was something in Cade's manner that was disrespectful of both Edmund and himself.

"You could try beating it out of him," Cade suggested amiably, "shall I fetch the whip?"

That was most definitely rude! Not only that; something in Cade's voice gave the comment a certain lewdness. Peter involuntarily brought his hand to his sword hilt and Cade stepped back, alarmed for the first time. After only a moment, however, Peter regained control of himself and sat back down in his throne. "Don't be ridiculous," he said evenly, "Your manner has convinced me that your removal from Cair will have an immense effect on my brother who is sometimes particularly susceptible to bad influences." He frowned as he said this. Peter hated to admit it, even to himself, but his statement was utterly true; Edmund did fall under bad influences with remarkable ease.

"You mean to banish me?" Cade cried, for the first time dropping his derisive mannerisms and showing real panic. "But I've done nothing that is against the law!"

"I don't mean that you should leave Narnia entirely, only the immediate vicinity of Cair Paravel, where Edmund would be likely to see you on an almost daily basis. Perhaps western Narnia would suit you? Or the south?" As Peter was making this speech, he was growing increasingly alarmed by the expression on Cade's face. The young Lord was becoming quite pale and looked as though he may even be sick.

"I grew up not three miles from this castle! I've never traveled farther than fifteen miles from Cair Paravel in my life! You cannot ask this of me."

This took Peter aback. He had not expected this degree of resistance. "You needn't worry," he said, shifting uncomfortably, "I shall provide for your traveling expenses and you shall have the best horse in the kingdom to go wherever you like." None of this appeared to cheer Cade in the least and Peter was at a loss. Most young men, especially ones of such a fickle disposition, would be more than tempted by the High King providing for their adventuring, but Cade was unmoved. He had expected the only resistance to come from some sort of professed affection for Edmund, but that was obviously not a problem.

The two young men stared at each other for long moments, almost in a battle of wills. Finally, Peter spoke again. "I'm afraid that I must strongly urge you to leave. I will think of my brother's best interest."

Cade turned even paler and shook with more anger than Peter believed that the situation warranted. He should be the one who was angry. When Cade spoke, his words were rash and filled with hatred. "I was here before you, Peter Pevensie," he said and Peter started to hear himself addressed in such a way, Cade had apparently abandoned all pretense of respect, "and I shall be here after you." With this, the young man turned on his heel and walked away.

--- -- ---

The four Kings and Queens always ate breakfast together and, with a very few exceptions, they weren't joined by anyone else. Even Ethnee was usually excluded from these meals. Edmund sometimes wondered if they were wrong to leave Ethnee out, but as these breakfasts were the best time for discussing what each other really thought of matters of importance in the kingdom with no one else present, and as Ethnee wasn't a Queen, he saw the sense in it. Besides, Peter seemed to have no problem with it. They had indulged in these meals since the very beginning of their reign and Edmund had always liked them, though he was often the last of the four to arrive. He always had more trouble waking up in the morning than his brother or sisters.

This was why Edmund was very surprised to find, after waking up a full half an hour late, that when he arrived in the apartment where they usually took breakfast, Lucy was absent and there was no food on the table. The moment they noticed him, Peter and Susan stopped whatever they were talking about and turned their full attention on him. Edmund realized that he was in for what he privately always thought of as an "ambush".

Peter and Susan seemed to still think it their duty to reprimand their younger brother and sister – particularly Edmund – and they often waited until a moment when they could both pounce on him. Edmund had certainly walked into this ambush easily. He sat down at his regular place at the small table and resigned himself to being told that he had hurt Lucy's feelings or offended one of Susan's beaus or damaged a priceless antique. He was surprised when neither Susan nor Peter said anything to him, but merely looked grave. He began to imagine that this was perhaps more serious.

"Well, what is it?" he asked finally. "What's up?"

They still seemed unable to speak, but Peter, Edmund noticed, was very pale and was clasping his hands together tightly, as though to prevent some emotion. "You talk to him, Susan," Peter said finally," I can't." His voice conveyed so much anger, disappointment and worry that Edmund began to feel quite afraid.

Susan hesitated for a moment longer, giving Peter a sidelong glance, but she finally took Edmund's hand and spoke. "Ed, I – I – don't quite know how to say this, but you have been seen having very … intimate … contact with one of the young Lords here at Cair."

Then, of course, Edmund realized what this must all be about and he felt himself blush bright red. He looked down at his hand, held in Susan's on the table. Susan was studying him closely and he realized that if she had harbored any doubts, he must have just given himself away.

"Well," Susan breathed, "well, well."

All three were silent for a moment, as though unsure of what to say next.

"I didn't think that it was so very important," Edmund ventured, at last, "it didn't seem relevant to anyone but me."

"Relevant? Relevant!" Peter burst out, as though unable to restrain himself. Edmund realized that he had not been speaking in an effort to keep his temper. Peter didn't lose his temper often, but he did it was dreadful; righteous, stern, and unyielding. "I suppose that you didn't have a thought as to how such a relationship would affect your good name or your family's reputation or our position as rulers! I suppose you never thought of moral standards or decency or – or –" Peter trailed off, making a frustrated hand gesture, as though too disgusted to go on.

Edmund could have said a lot of things at this point. He could have brought up how Susan's flirtatiousness and her apparent indiscretion with Alberic were affecting the family's reputation. He could have said that Peter's meek little wife was not the best choice of consorts for a High King. He could have said that the four of them were so well liked that nothing short of a disaster of nation-altering proportions would threaten them now. However, Edmund didn't say any of this because he felt so very ashamed and guilty. Peter was right, he hadn't been thinking of anything but his own pleasure. He hadn't even been discreet about it!

Edmund was sorry that he had lost his clean conscience and risked losing the respect of his subjects, but what stung more than anything was that he had lost his brother's trust which had been so hard earned.

"I'm sorry, Peter," he whispered. Peter didn't answer him, didn't even look at him.

"Now, Ed," Susan said sympathetically, "don't look so stricken! You'll be good and in a month's time, we will forget that any of this unpleasantness ever happened. And I must find you a girl. Why I know a dozen girls who would adore having your attention – even girls my age, if you can imagine that," Susan giggled as though this were absurd, though she was really little more than two years older than Edmund.

"I think that a wife would be just the thing to steady Edmund," Peter said more seriously.

"A wife?" Edmund asked, incredulously. "But I'm only sixteen!"

Peter looked at him sharply, as though Edmund having an opinion about it were out of the question. However, he spoke calmly. "You'll soon be seventeen," he said, "and by the time anything could be decided upon, you would be eighteen at the very least."

Edmund liked the sound of this less and less. Peter and Susan may have been right to reprimand him and perhaps he should find a girl to court to get his mind off of being with Cade, but marrying someone most likely hand picked by either his brother or his sister was a concept that was quite repulsive to him.

"I dare say that now that Peter is married off, that half the girls in the kingdom will be chasing after you at the Christmas ball," Susan said. "Especially if we put the word out that you are looking to marry."

Edmund was growing seriously alarmed. Surely none of this would be likely to attract the right type of woman. Peter seemed to agree with him. "I don't think that will be necessary," he told Susan. "I' m convinced that sending the young man away will have the greater effect than anything else we can do. I was very dismayed by his general conduct."

"Hold on!" Edmund exclaimed, shocked, and angry for the first time in the conversation. "You're sending Cade away? You can't do that!"

Susan winced at the words, but Peter looked at him in stony silence. "It's already done," he said, "he's gone."

"He's gone?" Edmund repeated. "You had no right – no authority to send him away."

"No authority? I'm High King!"

"Yes, and do you normally banish people based on who they bed?" Edmund blushed while saying this, but stood his ground.

"You won't catch me up in the law, Edmund," Peter said softly, as though pitying him for the first time since they had begun speaking. "I didn't order his banishment. In no way, did I abuse my authority and everything that I did was for the good of my brother." Anyone would have thought that the brother he was talking about wasn't the one that was sitting before him.

"Cade wouldn't have left unless you used your position to push him around," Edmund insisted. "He's very attached to this area – almost strangely so. He did nothing that was any worse than what I did and he was sent away from his childhood home for it." Edmund got up angrily and left the room, hoping that he could find out where Cade had gone, for he knew that Peter wouldn't give him any clues.

Lucy

Lucy loved her sister, but she resolved to never let Susan dress her up again. Susan meant well, of course, but anytime that Lucy let her sister choose her clothes and mess with her hair, she ended up looking a bit ridiculous. Lucy always felt uncomfortable in the finely detailed dresses and elaborate hair styles that Susan favored and she hated it when Su pinched her cheeks to make them rosy. The fashion didn't suit her warm features in the same way that it did Susan's elegance and Lucy was certain that everyone must know that her sister had helped her with her dress. Lucy had let Susan help her, however, because she knew that her sister thought that a fancy dress was just the thing to help Lucy feel better about herself; the dress did no such thing, but Susan could be excused for the thought because fine dresses were the one of the things that made her feel good.

Lucy sighed and thought of how nice it would be to discard the dress in favor of something more sensible and go for a ride on her horse – it was such a nice autumn day. Still, the meeting that she was in wasn't so very bad. It was with a Prince from a far away land to the west of Calorman that Lucy had barely even heard of before. Being from so far away, the Prince could be of little threat to Narnia and so, rather than spending the whole day dealing with delicate issues between their two countries, they could talk pleasantly with one another and compare notes on their respective cultures and governments.

The meeting ended by mid-afternoon and Lucy immediately hurried towards her room, thinking of putting on something more practical and having some fun for the rest of the afternoon. On her way, she bumped into Roydon.

"Oh, Hullo Lucy," he said, sounding a bit confused and Lucy immediately guessed that he had been walking without paying much attention to where he was going. He looked her up and down. "By the Lion's Mane! What are you wearing? You look dreadful." This all came out in one burst and Roydon immediately clasped his hands over his mouth. He was very blunt, which was one of the reasons that he didn't get on very well with Susan who greatly valued tact. Lucy didn't much mind, however, especially during times like now when she agreed with him.

"It is not my usual style, no," she laughed. She didn't tell him that it was

Susan's doing, for she always tried very hard not to bad-mouth her sister in front of him. "I'm just about to change, in fact, so if you will excuse me, Sir," she nodded her head at him and he bowed, still looking a bit confused.

"Lucy, wait!" he called out when she had began to walk away. She turned around and looked at him. "Would you mind going for a walk?" he asked. This surprised her, for she had half-expected that he was standing about, hoping to bump into Susan.

She nodded. "Just let me change my outfit.

--- -- ---

"I didn't know we were going hiking!" Lucy exclaimed, good-naturedly, after slipping down a small hill. They had been walking for over an hour and had entered the small, relatively tame forest outside of Cair Paravel.

"I'm sorry," Roydon helped her up, looking concerned. "I should have mentioned it. We only have a bit farther to go, but we can turn back if you like. Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Lucy answered. "I wouldn't dream of turning back now. Roydon was still behaving as though they were walking aimlessly, but he had given himself away on several occasions without even seeming to realize it. He had a particular destination in mind. Something that he wanted to show Lucy. She was curious to see what it was.

After another ten minutes or so, they came to a small clearing and Lucy was just thinking of what a lovely place it was when something hit the back of her head.

"Ow!" Lucy said, reaching into her hair and pulling out a hazelnut. She puzzled over this for a few seconds, for she was not standing directly under a tree and there weren't even any trees bearing hazelnuts in the area. However, before she got a chance to think much on it she was hit by another nut, and then another.

"Dunk and cover!" Roydon yelled, pulling her down and shielding her head from the rain of nuts. Lucy could now hear high-pitched laughter and shrieks of glee.

"Chatter! Nutmeg!" Roydon yelled. "It's me, Roydon!"

The attack stopped very suddenly and Lucy heard the voices talking. "It's only Lord Roydon," one of the voices said.

"Why don't you check before you attack?" another, older sounding voice said. There was some rustling in the trees and Lucy almost squealed in delight for three of the fluffiest, most adorable brown Squirrels that she had ever seen in her life climbed down onto the ground. Two were not quite full grown and one appeared to be much older.

"I'm so sorry, Roydon," the oldest Squirrel said. "I should have been keeping a better watch on these two …" the creature's voice trailed off as it caught sight of Lucy standing up and brushing off her dress. "Queen Lucy!" she exclaimed, Lucy now realized that the Squirrel was, in fact, female and that the two others were most likely her offspring. "I'm very sorry, Your Majesty," she said, bowing, "sometimes my son and daughter don't look before they leap." Here, she shot a stern glance at the younger two Squirrels who looked subdued and a little ashamed.

"Don't worry about it at all!" Lucy exclaimed. "You didn't know who we were. I'm sorry that we snuck up on you like that."

"Doesn't matter at all, Your Majesty, doesn't matter at all," the Squirrel said, sounding pleased, all the same, "I am Mrs. Quirrel and these are my children, Chatter and Nutmeg," she bowed again and gestured for her children to do the same. "I hope that Your Majesty and Lord Roydon will join us for some dinner."

Lucy was about to politely decline, but seeing the look on Mrs. Quirrel's face she remembered that many people considered it an honor to have royalty dine with their family and she told the Squirrels that it would be an honor.

The squirrels spread a blanket out on the ground for them, saying that they were sorry that they didn't have any furniture big enough to accommodate humans and that Lucy and Roydon wouldn't fit into their home, which was in a large tree, anyway. Their meal was mostly of nuts and fruits, although they were some of the best and biggest that Lucy had ever eaten. Roydon, who seemed to know the family, talked gravely about things of interest to Squirrels such as the coming winter and the benefits of nuts over seeds. At first, the younger squirrels were very shy of Lucy, but she talked to them kindly until they were soon chattering away to them in the way that Squirrels do. Word must have got out that Queen Lucy was among them, because before the end of the meal they had been joined by several other Talking Animals, mostly of the small and cuddly variety.

"But Mrs. Quirrel," Lucy said when they were almost done eating, "why did you attack us? Surely you are not under any threat, here, so close to Cair Paravel? I didn't think that there were any leftover pockets the Witch's supporters."

"We thought that you were those horrid boys!" Chatter squealed before his mother could say anything. "We hate them, hate them, hate them!" Lucy was surprised at the young Squirrel's vehemence.

"What boys?" she asked.

"Oh, there have been some boys coming into the forest lately – I believe that their parents recently settled in the valley. They used their slingshots to try and hit us with stones if you can believe that!" Mrs. Quirrel said, hugging her son as though grateful that he was there.

Lucy looked at Roydon. Being attacked by nut throwing Squirrels may be amusing, but boys with slingshots were another matter. A large, well aimed stone flung from a slingshot would be enough to kill or seriously injure a Talking Squirrel.

"This is a grave matter!" she cried. "Don't they know that killing you or one of your children would make them murderers?"

"To tell you the truth, Your Majesty," an old Badger said slowly, thinking it over, "I don't rightfully think that they do. These boys are new to Narnia and I don't think that it has been fully impressed upon them, the difference between Talking Beasts and those dumb beasts that they used to kill their old home for sport."

"Have they been bothering the rest of you, then?" Lucy asked, looking around. Several of the animals nodded. Lucy was very angry now. "I send someone to speak with that family immediately," she said and she even rose as though she intended to do it right that second.

"Don't be too harsh on the boys, Your Majesty," Mrs. Quirrel said. "They are only children and I don't think that they understand."

On their way home, Roydon spoke with her on the matter. "What you are doing for these creatures is good Lucy, very good, but it won't stop the problems. I've spoken with many Talking Beasts lately and nearly all of them have been having trouble with humans."

"They have!" Lucy asked. "Then why did I know nothing of it? Why were their grievances not brought before myself and my brothers and sister?"

"When I asked them, they always seemed to think it was something they could handle themselves. But do you realize how many humans have come to Narnia since the beginning of your reign? Of course there are going to be conflicts between them and the native inhabitants. It may not amount to much now, but in time the small grievances may grow into hatred between the two groups, maybe even into war."

"Then we'll halt it. No more humans are to come into Narnia."

Roydon frowned. "I'm not sure that is the answer, either. I mean, I came here because it was so free and beautiful and prosperous. I'm not sure that I would want to deprive other humans of that – I lived on Galma before and it was nearly so nice as here."

Lucy frowned also and slowed her walk. Despite leaving at top speed to tell her brothers and sister about this meeting, it was now mostly dark. "Then what is the answer?" she asked softly, almost to herself.

Roydon scratched his head. "I was hoping you would know. You or your sister or brothers."

Lucy sighed, but then gave him a sly smile. "So you brought me there on purpose to show me these things?" she asked. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I thought it would have more impact if you saw the Squirrels for yourself. And I wanted you to meet them – they are one of my favorite families. Aren't they just delightful? Sometimes, I like the Talking Animals better than most humans."

Lucy laughed and was about to say something when they topped a hill and they both saw Cair Paravel, its white stones gleaming in the moonlight, looking like a great beautiful ghost. Lucy sighed with pleasure at the sight, as she always did upon seeing her castle and she heard Roydon give a similar sigh.

"She's always most beautiful in the moonlight," he breathed softly.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"Oh – I just think that Cair Paravel looks best in the moonlight."

"Is the castle female?" she asked half-teasing.

He blushed. "It's just a fancy," he said, "It's stupid, I know."

Many girls would have thought it stupid and changed the subject, but Lucy cocked her head to one side, then the other, regarding the castle. "Yes, I see what you mean," she said finally, "it is so elegant and stately and beautiful – I think that it must be female also. Though I must admit that I find Cair just as lovely by day when the sun cheers her up a bit and she has happy people bustling about all around her."

Roydon shook his head seriously. "She will always be most beautiful by the moon and the stars to me. By day she is a cheerful girl, but by night a noble lady."

Lucy frowned. No matter how hard she looked at the castle, she couldn't see that it was any more beautiful by night than by day.