Chapter 2
Just as Confused as Everyone Else
"When did you get married?" Edmund asked Peter with a look of confusion.
"I didn't!" Peter responded; his voice filled with disgust. "And I most certainly would have invited you if I had."
"Then how can she be the High Queen?" asked Susan.
"I'm quite sure that there is a reasonable explanation for this," added Lucy, whose eyes were gleaming with joy at Cara. The entire situation was very exciting.
"Well," started Peter, "I for one would like to hear it." Soon the remaining Pevensies agreed and all eyes once again fell on Cara. She looked back at them with defiance.
"It is only fair that you four offer your names in return," she responded coldly.
"I suppose that is the proper thing to do," said Edmund. "I am King Edmund the Just."
"And I am Queen Lucy the Valiant," Lucy piped in.
"Queen Susan," Susan said with a small curtsy, "the Gentle."
Peter stepped forward, his face still covered in drying blood. Cara watched as a change past over him. He stood taller, with his chin high and his eyes steady. "I am High King Peter the Mag-"
"Magnificent," Cara finished for him. "The bringers of the Golden Age left this land hundreds of years ago, how am I to believe that you are truly them?" she questioned, the expression on her face a mix of apprehension and disbelief.
"Hundreds of years ago?" Lucy asked as she glanced around at her siblings. "But it seems like just yesterday."
"It practically was for us, Lu," responded Susan, her face suddenly looking dejected and tired. "The times between the two worlds must be different."
"Well I already figured that," added Edmund.
Cara watched as the four Pevensies calculated and collaborated as they tried to figure the time period that had passed in Narnia. It was easy to tell that although each sibling was an individual, all four worked well together, each adding a piece of his or her unique perspective. Susan questioned everything; always wanting the answer that seemed most reasonable, while Lucy, whom had the carefree mind of a child, derived her answers from the blatant facts, whether or not they led to any sort of logic. Edmund tended to be the peace keeper in the group. He managed to take everyone's ideas into account before coming to a decision. Peter mainly watched, only speaking at the end of every dispute, for his answer was the final one. As Cara watched them, she began to see glimpses of their greatness, and the Kings and Queens that they once were broke through their childish core. Although she hated to admit it, the four children in front of her did resemble the paintings and statues that decorated Cair Paravel. Is it possible? she thought to herself.
"I believe you," Cara said suddenly, causing Peter, who was currently talking, to stop. "I believe you were sent to aid me, and I am grateful for the assistance, but we must hurry. The Telmarines are approaching our shores quickly."
"The Telmarines?" questioned Edmund. "In Narnia?"
"Yes. Come I will show you their ships." Cara quickly darted past the Pevensies and ascended the stairs that led out of the treasure chamber. Peter swiftly followed after her, with Edmund, Susan, and Lucy not far behind. When they finally reached the top of the stairs, they found Cara standing with a dumbfounded expression between two trees. Rubble and grass lay at her feet, while the clear night sky glowed above her. Peter quietly stepped up beside her.
"Not what you expected?" he asked. Cara made no response. Instead she continued to glance around the former throne room of Cair Paravel.
"It seems we aren't the only ones not quite certain about the date," Edmund said after a few minutes of silence.
"You were a statue," Peter added. "It is possible that you were closed in the treasure chamber for quite some time."
"Why would he do this to me?" Cara asked softly. Her eyes continued to take in the rubble surrounding her, pain shown clearly on her face. "They needed me."
"Who?" asked Susan. Cara turned to look at the dark haired Queen.
"My people—your people. The Narnian's. Can you not tell what these boulders are?" Cara answered, her arm swept out before her as she gestured to the mounds of broken stone. The Pevensies looked around as well, but only Edmund seemed to grasp what she was saying.
"They are rocks for catapults," answered Edmund. Cara looked at him and nodded.
"But what does that mean?" asked Lucy, her voice quivering slightly as she small arms wrapped themselves tightly around her body.
"It means Cair Paravel was attacked," said Peter, his voice grave.
"But why would anyone attack Cair Paravel," asked Susan. "We were quite nice to everyone."
"I think that Cara should fill us in on some things, or at least what she can. Maybe then we can make sense of all this," said Edmund. Peter and the three Queens agreed that this was best, for none were tired any longer. Edmund and Peter took a few minutes to rekindle the fire, while the girls arranged themselves around it for warmth. Soon the boys joined them, and Cara began the tale of her life.
"I was born in the year one thousand, nine hundred and eighty. Cair Paravel lay empty; the four thrones abandoned hundreds of years earlier. A few Kings and Queens had attempted to rule the people of Narnia after the disappearance of the Four, but the Golden Age was as far gone as it is now. I lived with a family of centaurs until the age of ten, for the whereabouts of my family was never known. When Aslan deemed me old enough, he came to me in a dream. The Great Lion told me of my future, and the destiny that I had to fulfill. Cair Paravel was slowly being taken over by Telmarines. The woods of Narnia were infested with human filth; the talking beasts pushed from their land. With the help of the centaurs, I gathered together an army, and with little difficulty we took back Cair Paravel and the surrounding woods. At the age of twelve Aslan crowned me High Queen of Narnia and I found myself sitting on a thrown in the Great Hall of Cair Paravel.
"Narnia found peace again, but it was only for a short time. The Telmarines wanted our land and would do anything in their power to have it. War broke in the year one thousand, nine hundred and ninety six. Without a King to lead Narnia into battle, I was forced to do so. We were successful, winning every skirmish over the two years that followed. It was a dull morning when they came; fog rolled in from the sea, and with it came hundreds of Telmarine ships. I gave the order to ready for battle when Aslan came to me. He told me that death was approaching and that my time had not yet come. His breath hit me, and that was the last thing I remember. That is until I awoke in Peter's arms."
The end of Cara's tale was met by silence. Each Pevensie seemed to be absorbing the story differently. The anger of Peter's face was illuminated by the dancing flames of the fire, while Edmund simply looked deep in thought. Both young Queens seemed as if they could cry.
Lucy was the first to speak. "Everything—everyone we ever knew is gone. I wasn't expecting Narnia to be like this when we returned."
"Things generally aren't as you expect them, Lu," Peter said softly. "But we are here now, and we can do something about this."
"What can we do, Peter? We don't ever know how long it has been since our reign," said Susan, tears swimming in her eyes.
"Well," started Edmund. "We do know when Cara ruled, which was over nine hundred years after us, and by the look of Cair Paravel, it's been a few hundred years since the attack. I'd say we are anywhere between one thousand and fifteen hundred years since the Golden Age."
"And where does that get us?" asked Susan angrily. "We still don't know what's going on."
"What we do know, is that we need to get off this island," said Peter as he tossed another stick into the fire causing the flames to shoot higher into the air and crackle excitedly.
"Island?" asked Cara, her forehead scowled in confusion. Peter quickly explained that Cair Paravel was now its own island, which further proved the time gap between the past and the present.
Silence followed once again, all occupants engulfed in their own thoughts. Cara stared into the bright flames, memories of her past moving in her mind. She felt as if she failed the past Kings and Queens that sat beside her, even though none had claimed such things. During Peter's reign, complete peace spread through the land; peace that she was unable to bestow upon the Narnians.
"It seems we are the last awake." Cara's eyes left the flames and searched out the owner of the voice. Peter glanced back at her with tired eyes. Blood still coated parts of his face.
"Oh dear," Cara responded, her hands searching for the ripped part of her dress. Finding it, she tore off another strip and disappeared into the woods. Peter watched in confusion as she retuned holding the now dripping cloth.
"For your face," she said softly and handed Peter the piece of her dress. He thanked her and began to rub the cold water over his nose and chin.
"I do apologize for that," she said after finding her seat once again.
"It's quite alright," responded Peter. "I can imagine waking up after hundreds of years in the arms of a stranger is rather daunting." Cara chuckled softly at this, which caused Peter to smile in return.
Peter watched as Cara returned her eyes to the flames, the smile now gone from her face. Her dark hair lay wavy and full down her back, small pieces of dust and leaves tangled in its layers.
"How did I come to life?" Cara said as she glanced at Peter. Suddenly, her bright brown eyes seemed very scrutinizing to Peter, and a blush spread through his body.
"Well, I. Um. Well," Peter mumbled, trying to find the words.
"You mentioned to Queen Susan that you touched me," Cara added in a challenging tone.
"More or less," Peter responded, his eyes never leaving the fire.
"That's all very strange," Cara replied as she watched Peter's forehead wrinkle into a frown.
"Indeed."