The next morning, Caspian woke to a deliciously soft, warm pillow. He turned his head, letting the soft fur caress his cheek. Wait, why was his pillow furry? Vibrations rumbled under his ear and he jolted upright, quickly looking away from Roskin's amused face. "Why are you embarrassed?" the cat purred. "Don't you remember last night?"

Slowly, the mortification faded from his face as last night's events played out in his mind. As they'd bedded down for the night, Edward had lamented the fact that they had no pillows, mostly as a joke, and Roskin had offered to provide such comfort. Edward had turned her down, saying he didn't want to wake up with a face full of fur, but Caspian had accepted.

Now, he reached out and ran a hand between her ears and down her thick strong neck. "Yes, I remember. Thank you."

Edward chose that moment to speak up. "Well, now that you're awake, you should come outside. Some of the others have arrived." Caspian quickly threw his boots on, which he'd removed the night before the sleep, and headed towards where the light filtered in from outside. The blond met him and Roskin halfway through the tunnel entrance and they continued out together.

"What are all of those," Caspian asked, noticing the carvings along the walls. Most depicted scenes, but a few were landscapes or portraits of Narnians.

Edward glanced at a few as they passed. "They're pictures from the war between the White Witch and Aslan. The whole How will probably be covered in them. We can probably take a better look later, if you want. Bring Zachary if you do. He knows more about the history than anyone I've ever met. Speaking of Zachary," he added, "he's here."

Indeed, a whole bunch of Old Narnians were waiting outside of the entrance, including Zachary and his family. Quite a few people were missing from the council, like the bears, but Caspian figured they would show up later in the day or the day after that. Glenstorm stepped forward and bowed his head to Caspian. "We have come, Prince Caspian. Now, I suggest we move into the How. Men will be arriving soon to work on the Fords and we do not wish to be discovered."

"Yes, of course," Caspian quickly capitulated and the many outside followed the two men into the How. Luckily, the chamber where Caspian's small group had spent the night was a large one, big enough to hold almost all of the makeshift army. The taller members were persuaded to stand at the back, where they could still see the goings-on and not block anyone else's view. The prince took a moment and looked around. The walls were covered in depictions of the different races of Narnia, from the images of talking animals to the portraits of good giants. Their own giant friend, Wimbleweather, was one of the friends in the back, stooping a bit but still quite happy. His breath stopped a moment at the sight, but the moment passed and he said, "Now we must plan on how to proceed. First, we will explore this fortress and find places for everyone. We will not be changing it unless we absolutely must," he added, remembering the argument he'd overheard between Zachary and a few of the dwarves, "but there should be enough space for everyone. Most of you are free to do this, but report to Trumpkin what you find, and he will inform Edward and myself of anything we need to know. In the meantime, I ask that Glenstorm, Roskin, Reepicheep, Zachary, Metaphil the griffin, and Trufflehunter accompany Edward and I to one of the smaller chambers to plan our next move."

With that, the crowd broke up into the individual races and went to hunt for lodgings best suited to themselves. The six individuals Caspian had asked to remain behind fought through the rushing crowd until they reached the two men at the front of the room. Once they'd all taken a seat on the floor, Caspian began. "As I see it, we need to do two things in the next few days; slow the construction of the bridge, and gather more allies." Heads nodded. "For the first, I say we send Reepicheep and his fellow mice to sabotage the work they've already done. Chewing through the bridge's bindings, spilling their food supplies, hiding their tools, that sort of thing. As long as it's not too noticeable and no one gets severely hurt, they can choose what to do." He looked the mouse in the face. "Can I trust you with this, Reepicheep?"

The mouse twirled his whiskers with a grin on his face. "My fellow mice and I will do all that your majesty asks. When shall we set out?"

"Tonight," Caspian answered with a grin.

"Then," the mouse continued, "I shall go and begin making the preparations for tonight's raid. Might I be excused?"

"Of course, my good mouse. Good luck go with you."

The mouse smiled again, but said in a stronger voice, "We need no luck, simply Aslan." With that, the small figure departed, dashing off to find the rest of his people.

"What about gathering allies?" Zachary asked. "Most of the Old Narnians I know of have already joined us. Who else is there to ask?"

"My tutor, Dr. Cornilius, told me that there are many in Narnia who wish to see my uncle's regime gone and a return to Old Narnia," Caspian began to explain. "If we could reach those who wish for the old days, without alerting those who would fight against us, our numbers would increase dramatically."

"How do you propose we do this," Roskin asked. "Should we parade through human towns and see who runs to pet us?"

Caspian winced, but continued. "Something like that." He turned to the griffin. "Can you organize those among us who can fly? They can make passes over towns, high enough that those who aren't looking won't see you, but those who are looking will. If they know anything about Old Narnia, they'll be able to recognize you and might follow you. Then you can land somewhere safe and talk with them."

"What if the wrong sort follow us, sire," Metaphil asked, but the idea sounded good to him.

"We can have defenders waiting in the clearing where you land, or perhaps some of our smaller comrades could ride you."

Metaphil shook out his wings in distaste. "We dislike being ridden, sire. But the first idea has merit. I will ask my brethren and the others who fly what they think of this idea. Is there anything else," he asked.

Caspian shook his head. "No, that is all." And so the first gathering of Caspian's future generals came to a close.

I've been in a writing frenzy! This chapter just sort of happened, with the council of war. Also, I changed the original council to people who would actually know what to do in war, or have a unique perspective. We have our air force, Metaphil, fastest, Roskin, scouts, Reepicheep, Tactician, Zachary, Glenstorm, one of the generals, and Trufflehunter as mediator, along with of course Edward and Caspian. Isn't the butterfly affect just wonderful? Also, I must thank my husband for helping me think of the recruiting plans. That aspect will get better when the Pevinsies and Cornilius get there.

Although, I'm wondering if Caspian will need to blow the horn at all. Should I bring in Susan, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy? Review and tell me what you think!