When the day for the council of war at the Dancing Lawn finally dawned, Edward arrived at the location breathless and with a very tired horse. It had turned out that, while he had been in the army, his old friends had made a great many connections with other old Narnians, and had given him both proof of his friendship and directions to the hiding spots of these others. As a result, Edward had covered more than half of Narnia on horseback in the few days after he parted company with Caspian and really didn't want to see a saddle again for a few weeks.

Still, the results were worth it. The look on Caspian's face when the veritable crowd of old Narnians walked into the clearing was priceless. Several fawns, centaurs, two griffins, and several larger talking animals were in the crowd, which doubled the number gathered in the clearing. Then, as if that were not a big enough shock, Fa Mung chose that moment to land in the clearing and Edward heard Caspian utter a breathless "It's a dragon."

Trufflehunter chuckled. "My, my, old friend. You have been busy."

Edward went to reply, but was interrupted when a high voice said from right in front of the dragon, "Are you friend or foe, good sir?"

Fa Mung lowered his great scaly head and stared down the small talking mouse. Their gazes held for a long moment, as did the silence in the clearing. Dragons may not have fought on the side of the White Witch, but many Narnians were wary of the great beasts. Finally, after a full minute, Fa Mung broke the stare with a bow of his head. "I will fight by your side, if you wish. I'm really only here because someone," he shot a glower at Edward, "promised me a chance to put Miraz in his place." With that, Reepicheep jumped on the great beast's head, and the tension broke.

The clearing started to fill up with chatter. Introductions, arguments, a few plans, but mostly arguments filled the previously silent area. When talked turned to whether they should start the evening off with a dance, a feast, a midnight attack on the fortress, or throwing up embankments around the clearing, Edward put his foot down. "Hey!" He yelled across the clearing and ears turned to him. "We need to have the council before we do anything else. Now sit down, everyone, so we can start. Fa Mung, get out of the middle of the clearing." The dragon strode off to the side and the different beings around the circle took a seat. Edward very visibly chose to sit next to Caspian.

The Narnians turned to Caspian and sweat broke out of the back of his neck. What was he supposed to say? "I…uh…" He shrank into himself a bit as he looked at the centaurs and talking cheetahs staring at him. "I am Prince Caspian and I want to see Old Narnia again." That seemed to be the right thing to say, because shoulders relaxed around the clearing and many began to look at him with slightly less suspicion. He took another deep breath. "Since I was a little boy, I've heard stories of Old Narnia, first from my nurse and then from my tutor Dr. Cornelius and Edward." He gestured with a hand towards the blond. "I promised myself that, if I ever had the chance, I would try to rebuild Old Narnia. I thought that I would have to wait until I became king, but it looks like I'm starting now."

He could see their eyes on him again, but this time it did not make him nervous. "My uncle killed my father, the rightful king, so that he could take his place. He would have let me grow up in the palace and rule after him because he had no son to pass the throne to. That changed a few nights ago, and now he is after my life because I stand in his way." He looked around the clearing again, meeting the eyes of as many people as possible. "Help me reclaim the throne. Help me, and we will rebuild Narnia together."

One of the dwarves spoke up. "And just how are we going to do that? Storm Miraz's castle?"

Caspian looked around for help and Edward came up next to him. "Miraz's castle is built to withstand warfare. Attacking him there is a suicide mission. But," he added when it looked like a clamor would break out again, "the Telmarines are trying to construct a bridge over the Fords of Beruda. The construction project is guarded by soldiers, mostly for show." He let out a small, fierce smile. "If we attack there, we'll get Miraz's attention, but we'll have many more advantages than them."

"What do you mean," Pattertwig asked from his seat in one of the trees.

"There's a place we can use as a fortress near there," said one of the fauns.

Caspian had not met this faun previously, so he asked, "What is your name?"

The older goat smiled at him. "Zachary Tumnus, descendant of Mr. Tumnus, much beloved by the kings and queens of old. My family has kept records for Narnia over the years, so we know many secrets. Such as Aslan's How." An excited chatter began at these words, though it quickly died again when Zachary continued. "Aslan's How is a veritable fortress, though not like Miraz's castle. It's greatly feared by the Telmarines and in the outskirts of the great forest. There are also many tunnels dug into the ground there which we can utilize. It is also said that prayers said before the Stone Table have a special connection to the Emperor over the Sea and the Great Lion. We could ask for no greater help."

Glenstorm nodded. "The faun speaks wisely. Aslan's How will be the seat of the new Narnia. What say you, my king?" He looked at Caspian.

The young prince's head reeled. Aslan's How? The story about Him and the White Witch was true? "I…yes, that sounds like an ideal place. When should we move there?"

"Soon," Edward answered almost before Caspian had finished his question. He glanced over at the prince and then continued. "Miraz will start to look for Caspian soon and we need to get to the How before that happens, leaving no tracks behind. The longer we can manage to keep the rebellion a secret, the better it will be for us. We go tonight."

After that, quarreling broke out. Some, like the three Bulgy Bears, protested loudly against going anywhere before they'd had dinner. Fa Mung and the two griffins wanted to leave immediately, and suggested carrying a few of the smaller members of the party. Reepicheep claimed he would ride the dragon all the way to the How. The moles thought it would be better to dig a tunnel that lead there, but the fauns refused to go underground for such a long time. The raven and Pattertwig both chattered away with no one really listening to them and Zachary argued with a contingent of dwarves about how to best use the tunnels under the How. The big cats paced around growling at anyone who came to close and Caspian tried his best to get everyone's attention.

Finally, Edward again shouted, "Hey!" The chatter died and many looked a bit sheepish. "We can all start when we chose, just as long as everyone gets there in the next three days. Caspian and I will ride out first with those who can fly or run fast enough to keep up." He looked straight at the cats when he said this and many nodded. "If you aren't there in three days, we'll assume you either can't or have chosen to run away from this fight." Loud protests rose until the former alchemist had to shout again. "This meeting is adjourned. Zachary, I need to talk to you and get directions." With that, the Council ended and various members either went to get dinner or started packing up and preparing to move out.