Chapter 23
Somebody to Love
Part II
"Caspian, sit down."
It was coming on early evening. The future King and his comrades were situated in a small chamber attached to the main Hall. While the small chamber was cramped and sparsely decorated, the Hall was grand. It had only a fraction of the natural light that once filled the Hall in Cair Paravel, but the ornate chandeliers that hung from the fifty foot ceiling were more than enough to brighten the usually dim room. The walls were covered with the emblem of the Great Lion, his kind eyes watching as both Old and New Narnia filtered into the magnificently decorated room. This was, of course, the direct cause of Caspian's returning anxiety and inability to sit still.
Truly, Caspian could not even pin point who was responsible for yelling at him this time, for nearly everyone in the room had made some comment pertaining to his newly acquired twitch, but he did not care. He could not control the suffocating weight of responsibility that was bearing down on him. Caspian recalled Peter's advice from earlier; kind words urging him to stand tall and remember that he was not alone in his duties. Those words seemed meaningless now.
Apart from Caspian, everyone else seemed rather calm, if not bored even. Edmund was currently fighting sleep in a luxurious, gold chair, his face slipping repeatedly from his perched hand, while Peter stared blankly out an open window. Also accompanying the royals were Glozelle, Glenstorm, and Trumpkin, each entertaining himself in a different way. Glozelle spent his time glaring intensely at Peter's back, while Glenstorm and Trumpkin played a heated game of chess and shared an old bottle of whiskey that the latter had found after a long snoop around the kitchen.
After another ten minutes of pacing, sleeping, staring, glaring, and drinking, the two huge doors leading into the chamber opened revealing Susan and Lucy. All stood—apart from Edmund—at their arrival, and nodded their heads in greeting. "Gentlemen," Susan said before walking directly to Edmund's sleeping form and thumping him harshly on the head. He jumped up in a fit of fright before realizing that his newly acquired pain was his sister's doing.
"You could have just shaken me," he said with a glare as he eased himself back into his seat. "That's what a sane person would have done."
"You shouldn't be sleeping at all," Susan retorted.
Glozelle's eyes twitched to the bickering duo before a brilliant sight pulled his attention towards the door. It was Catalina. She stood awkwardly at the threshold of the chamber wearing a magnificent gown of deep green lined with gold. The gown was obviously made for a Queen, and even though the colors made her eyes seem more hazel than brown, and the tight corset and billowy skirt extenuated her soft curves, it was obvious that she was far from comfortable wearing it. Catalina's fingers twitched nervously in front of her, an old habit that she inherited from her mother, while her still slightly puffy eyes surveyed the room.
Glozelle saw none of this, his eyes moving quickly over Catalina's figure before stopping on her long, dark hair that cascaded down her back and over her shoulders in soft waves. It was a look that Glozelle had never seen upon her before, and a look that he instantly found breathtaking. Before Catalina seemed like nothing more than a little girl with an unwavering crush on an older man. She was no longer that little girl. She was woman; a woman that was proud yet terrified, learned yet innocent, and independent yet desperately in need of love.
Catalina could feel Glozelle's eyes upon her, and even though she earned to look at him, she refused herself the pleasure. Instead she studied the chamber's other occupants. Sitting in the corner were two creatures that she had never seen before. One was a tiny man with a head and face full of thick, red hair, while the other was a half-man half-horse beast with a shiny dark coat and piercing eyes to match. Her breath hitched when she saw them, but she made no outward indication of the shock she was feeling. Lucy, the youngest Queen, had described these two men thoroughly not long ago. Her voice was filled with admiration and love, both sentiments that Catalina could not fathom at the moment.
After skimming past those that she recognized and one brilliantly dressed young man fighting sleep in a plump chair, Catalina's eyes found the man from the hall. His beauty caused her breath to hitch in another way, and her mind hoped subconsciously that Glozelle had noticed. The High King was regarding her as well, his blue eyes seemingly transfixed. Catalina blushed under the weight of his stare, and finally finding the courage inside of her, met his eyes with determination. Peter stepped forward instantly, his movements causing Catalina's heart to tighten in her chest.
Then the truth became apparent.
Peter was but a step away from Catalina when a breathtaking smile graced his features and his large, warm hands stretched forward. "Cara," he whispered with more love and devotion than Catalina had ever heard. The High Queen appeared instantly from behind Catalina, her arms moving easily around Peter's neck as he pulled her to him and kissed her softly upon the lips. "You look beautiful," Peter breathed into her hair once they had parted.
Catalina felt foolish as her earlier conversation with Glozelle swiftly came crashing down upon her. He is a path that will only break your heart. So this is what he had meant. Peter's heart was already taken.
Tired of crying and tired of feeling weak and brainless, Catalina's body became enveloped with rage. Her eyes sought Glozelle's as she picked her heavy skirts from the ground and moved heatedly towards him. She reached him in only a few long steps, and after a moment of staring angrily into his eyes, Catalina lifted her hand and slapped Glozelle harshly across the face. The sound echoed throughout the chamber, causing all within it to stare in shocked silence.
Glozelle's head shot to the side from the force of the blow. A moment later his eyes dropped to the ground as he lifted his fingers to touch his quickly swelling cheek. Catalina watched him with quivering lips, her chest and face filling with red blotches as heat rushed through her body.
"Catalina," Glozelle said once he had composed himself.
"Don't," she responded. "You've already done enough." Without another word Catalina turned on her heel and fled. Her eyes looked sadly upon Peter and Cara, whose fingers were now wrapped tightly together and whose eyes shared the same blank look of confusion. Such love she saw between them that her chest once again restricted as she fought to control her tears. Before any could escape, Catalina pushed past the guards at the door and disappeared in a mass of green and gold down the corridor.
Once again enveloped with silence, the remaining company looked at each other with puzzled expressions. "What just happened?" Edmund finally questioned.
"Catalina slapped Glozelle," Lucy explained as she shot Edmund a look indicating that his question was ridiculous. He rolled his eyes in response.
"Thank you for pointing out what I clearly missed," Edmund responded.
"Are you just going to let her run?" Cara asked Glozelle in disbelief, her words completely cutting off Lucy's counter to Edmund's remark. The room became silent as everyone awaited Glozelle's answer. He shifted awkwardly from foot to foot before finally meeting Cara's intense glare. "What did you do to her?" she continued after Glozelle still refused to speak.
"I did nothing," he responded in a harsh whisper as he eyes moved to Peter. Cara's eyes followed Glozelle's until they came to rest on the High King.
With a frown she looked repeatedly between the two. "What is going on?"
Peter's face filled with confusion as he thrust his arms in the air in a gesture of innocence. Glozelle's brow furled at the action. "I'm at as great a loss as you," Peter responded. "I've only seen the girl once before."
"Once is all it takes when the moment is meaningful," Glozelle retorted. Cara's eyes immediately flew to Peter.
"What is he talking about?" she questioned softly after a moment of silence, her face filled with uncertainty.
"Nothing," Peter responded. "I collided with the girl in the hallway, I apologized, Glozelle appeared and introduced us, and then I left."
Maintaining her look of skepticism, Cara glanced between the two men. Both were eyeing each other, Glozelle's gaze heavy with loathing and Peter's filled with confusion. Although the High King was not sporting a look of guilt, his arms where now crossed tightly over his chest.
"This is ridiculous," Caspian said in frustration as he flung his arms into the air.
"I'm rather entertained, actually." Edmund's comment received glares from both of his sisters, their looks of disgust causing him to sink even lower into his chair.
"No." Caspian interjected as Cara attempted to continue her line of questioning. "The three of you can continue this nonsense after my coronation, but I refuse to be burdened with it any longer."
Cara let out an irritated huff and stepped towards Caspian. The standoff was an obvious test of authority. Only days prior Caspian's cold demeanor would have swayed under the commanding weight of Cara's dark eyes, but he felt different now—empowered—and he refused to show any form of weakness.
"Cara," Peter said softly after a moment of intense silence. Caspian watched as Cara's character softened. She still avoided Peter's eyes, but her blatant disregard for Caspian's authority lessened under Peter's look of disproval. "Cara," Peter repeated, his voice sharper than before. With a visible glare of hatred Cara moved hastily past the future King and sat heavily on the couch beside Lucy.
The once quiet, lazy air was now thick with tension and unease. Peter attempted to situate himself beside Cara, but one pointed looked from the High Queen quickly altered his plan. Glozelle snickered at the small exchange; his rude behavior eliciting another glare from Cara that resulted in the General being as quiet as the High King.
"Why was Catalina wearing a gown?" Glozelle asked randomly after a few minutes of charged silence. His eyes were one Cara, but her still fowl mood kept her from even attempting to look at him.
"She came to us in tears," Susan explained after she realized that Cara had no interest in talking. "We were simply trying to make her feel better."
"Because of you," Cara added with a sarcastic chuckle. With a look of dejection, Glozelle turned his eyes towards the ornate rug at his feet.
"She mentioned another boy as well," Lucy added in an off handed whisper. Cara's leg, which had previously been twitching sporadically, instantly stopped at Lucy's words. With a looked of realization, Cara's eyes turned to Peter. He looked back at her with confidence, his poise silently daring her to question his honor. She went to speak when the massive doors once again creaked open. A feeling of calm immediately wafted throughout the room.
Aslan had arrived. It was time.
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Despite the obvious tension encompassing the royal party, the coronation ran rather smoothly. Edmund escorted his sisters behind. All three were smiling, but Lucy wore the only look of true happiness, for Edmund's face displayed more or a smirk than a smile, and Susan was attempting to keep from grimacing as Edmund pinched her delicate hand harshly in his own.
"Stop," she had whispered between clinched teeth.
"Apologize for whacking me," Edmund replied, his smirk even more evident than before.
Cara and Peter entered not far behind the trio. They walked beside each other, but it could hardly be claimed that Peter escorted her, for Cara refused to allow Peter the honor of touching her in any way. After a few futile attempts at holding Cara's hand, Peter decided to forgo the fight and opted instead to keep a steady distance from the volatile High Queen. He would deal with her later.
Caspian and Aslan entered last. All stood in the future King's honor as he walked slowly to the head of the Great Hall. The fighting siblings and lovers put aside their quarrels for the short time that Caspian stood before them, each smiling honestly and proudly as they watched Aslan bless Caspian and Glozelle place the thick gold crown worn by Caspian's ancestors upon his head.
"Subjects of Narnia," Aslan's deep voice bellowed as he turned towards the crowd, "I present to you King Caspian the Tenth." The cheers were deafening as Caspian stepped forward and waved awkwardly to his people. After a few long moments of celebration, Caspian ushered his people back to silence.
"I pledge to all of you that Narnia will no longer be divided by discriminating ideas such as old and new, barbaric and civilized, but will be one strong Kingdom of creatures and humans forging lives together. Today, we are all Narnians!" Caspian's words elicited a cheer so loud that the surrounding forest shook from the sound. The wild beasts called in their native tongues, while the human's clapped and whistled and hugged each other in happiness.
The Hall quickly changed from a place of quiet homage to an outright celebration. Bacchus and his followers entered through the back of the room in a parade of music, food and wine. Dryads shook their leafy heads as they scattered around the great room and began a dance that shook the marble floor beneath their root shaped feet. Many of the Telmarines in attendance grabbed goblets of the rich wine and entered into the dance with hardly a second thought. Others fled from the room in outright fear, their hearts and minds not yet ready for dancing trees and talking animals.
Lucy quickly disappeared into the mass, her face bright with happiness as she too joined the dance. Susan opted instead to grab two goblets of wine, one for herself and the other meant as a truce between her and Edmund. The young King accepted the respite openly, but refused the wine with a look of repulsion. Caspian took it instead, his previous anxieties no longer apparent as he greeted his subjects and allowed them to kiss his fingers and offer their words of admiration.
Cara seemed only slightly less miffed than before. Tired of her childish anger, Peter had long left her side and entered into a conversation with Glenstorm and a few other soldiers. He seemed unfazed by their lack of communication, and that small fact had altered Cara's mood from angry to sad. She held a goblet loosely in her finger, her eyes mesmerized as she sloshed the deep red liquid around in circles.
"You should be celebrating," a deep voice said from behind Cara. She jumped slightly at the noise before turning towards it. She sighed at the realization that it was Glozelle, but her hardened scowl was no longer visible.
"I am," she replied with a gesture towards the glass in her hand. Glozelle nodded, a smirk gracing his features.
"I must admit something," Glozelle continued after a moment of hesitation, his voice suddenly serious. Cara looked at him expectantly. "Peter," Glozelle started as he cast his eyes towards the High King before returning them to Cara, "Peter, truly did nothing to warrant such feelings from you." Cara held the General's gaze for a long moment before nodding in understanding. Glozelle returned the nod as he squeezed Cara's shoulder affectionately. "I will see you later then," he added as he turned to leave.
"General?" Cara's soft voice questioned. "Where are you going?"
"To find Catalina."
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It took Glozelle nearly an hour to find her. He half expected that their reunion would be nothing short of a fairytale. She would be crying in the garden surrounded by deep red roses and the vibrant green of her dress. Upon his arrival she would run into his open arms with her face wet with tears; tears that he would brush softly away to reveal the beauty of her smile. Perhaps he would kiss her. Perhaps that kiss would lead to something more. Glozelle smiled when a visualization of the last part entered his mind.
But seeing that Narnia is no land of fairytales, their reunion went quite differently. Instead of surrounded by rose bushes, Glozelle found Catalina between an array of brooms and mops. Her gown from earlier was now nothing more than a tousled heap on the floor at her feet. She once again wore servant's attire with her beautiful hair pulled back in a thick, haphazard braid. Glozelle kneeled before her, his eyes noting that her cheeks were now dry.
"Catalina," he whispered as he attempted to move a stray strand of hair from her cheek. She pushed his hand violently away before rising to her feet and shoving herself in the corner farthest from him.
"Why are you here?" she asked in weak voice.
"I came to apologize." Glozelle maneuvered back to his feet and rested heavily against a dusty wall. Catalina eyed his movement with unease.
"For what? Nearly allowing me to humiliate myself?" she responded as she picked a bucket off of the floor and chucked it at Glozelle's head.
"Are you mad?" Glozelle questioned as he ducked away from the bucket. It clamored heavily to the floor and rocked onto its side.
"Yes!" Catalina shouted. "Livid, irate, and enraged are also words that come to mind." She accentuated each new adjective by heaving any throw-able object at Glozelle's moving form. He dodged all but the last, a thick bar of old soap that collided happily with the side of his head. Her anger still not subdued, Catalina went to grab another bar of soap when Glozelle lunged towards her and pinned her arms to her side. She screamed in protest.
"Listen to me." Glozelle was far larger and far stronger than the struggling girl in his arms, but Catalina seemed unabashed by this. If anything, it only fueled her more. "Catalina, stop!" Glozelle finally barked as he used all of his strength to force her into submission. Her struggles ceased but the hatred in her eyes nearly made Glozelle falter. "I'm sorry," he repeated in a softer tone. "It was cruel of me not to tell you of Peter's affections for Cara."
"Yes, it was," Catalina responded. Her tone was still cold, but the edges seemed warmer than they were before. Glozelle looked deeply into her eyes, his fingers lessening their tight grip on her arms as his lips moved steadily closer to hers.
Catalina's breath became shallow as Glozelle slowly inched closer. She could see the gold lining of his eyes and feel the warmth of his breath across her lips. Was he really going to do this now? After nearly tearing her heart from her chest and allowing her to make a fool of herself before Narnia's royal party, was he really going to attempt to kiss her?
With a heated shove Catalina forced Glozelle away from her body. He stared back at her with a dumfounded expression. Catalina held his heavy gaze before fumbling over the fallen buckets and mops and leaving Glozelle alone amidst the mess. He stared blankly at the spot that she had once occupied, his mind milling through the past few minutes in an attempt to discover what had gone so horrible wrong. Soon he followed her footsteps and left the broom closet behind.
Fairytales be damned.
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Peter did not know what had caused Cara's anger to instantly subside, but he was quite content to go along with it. After their earlier tiff, he had prepared for the full-war that arguing with Cara often became, but all of his mental preparations and calculated arguments went unused, for Cara sided up to him not long after the celebrations began, her fingers fitting perfectly between his and a brilliant smile back on her face.
At first Peter had instinctively tugged his fingers from Cara's, fear filling him that another girl was attempting to cause an additional bout of trouble, but after seeing that it was only Cara, Peter once again pulled her close to his side and retightened his grip around her fingers.
"Why did you pull away?" she had asked, her eyes creased with concern.
"I was afraid it wasn't you," Peter responded honestly. Cara laughed at Peter's response and rose on her toes to kiss his lips.
"Come dance with me," Cara commanded with a smile as she pulled Peter towards the mass of swaying bodies. He complied easily.
They spent the majority of the evening in each other's arms—a near repeat of the night before. The chandeliers took the place of the stars, their light more blinding than the dim twinkle of the night sky, and the air was still and heavier within the stone walls, but despite these changes the night seemed as perfect as the last.
Then, only a few minutes shy of midnight, Aslan moved past Peter's side. The High King followed, as did Susan, both strangely aware that the Great Lion had something of importance to discuss with them. Cara paid little attention to the exchange, her arms now wrapped tightly around Lucy as they moved amongst the other dancers.
Aslan led the two royals to a large balcony that overlooked the Shuddering Wood. Peter's heart thumped wildly in his chest. He could not pinpoint the exact reason behind his growing anxiety, but he knew in the deepest part of his soul that it concerned Cara. So when Aslan recalled the tale of the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve that defeated the White Witch and ruled over Narnia during her happiest years, Peter knew that the fear burning within him was justified.
"Calm your heart," Aslan whispered as his breath warmed Peter's face, but the usual feeling of immediate tranquility that accompanied the Great Lion did nothing for Peter's mounting anxiety. Instead, Peter's eyes closed as Aslan explained the importance of growing up and finding a home and a life in the world of their birth, and his fists clinched tightly when the words leaving and never return hit his ears.
The realization came too quickly for Peter or Susan to argue. It was over. Their final task was completed the moment that Caspian became King. The Kingdom of Narnia was no longer in need of her older sovereigns.
Peter walked numbly back to the Great Hall. Early that evening he had the world at his fingertips, now all he saw was blackness. Susan's mood seemed only slightly swayed by the news, her lips moving into a brilliant smile as they made their way back into the excited commotion. Peter could not force a smile if he had too.
And then there Cara was; a beautiful sight of slender curves and a blissful smile. Peter sighed as he eased himself into a lone chair and ran his fingers through his already tousled hair. He was going to have to ruin that smile. He was going to have to break her heart.
I want to thank everyone that has reviewed thus far! I can't believe that this story is only two chapters away from being done :( Some of you have been with me from the very beginning, and I cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate your support. The next chapter is ALL Cara and Peter, so if you want to read it please, please, please leave a review!