Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.
Summary: Don't judge a book by its cover...or a knight by their rumors... A lesson Peridan and his family learned as they adjusted to their new life in Narnia.
A/N: This is part of my A Light in the Darkness universe. I recommend reading the main story arc (Awakening, Shadowed, and Revealed) first, but you can give this one a whirl on its own too.
Chapter Six
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Marsalla walked into the beautiful yet unostentatious parlor and nearly froze at the sight of who, or rather what, made up the Queens' ladies-in-waiting. There were several normal-looking women, standing or sitting next to the two Queens, but then there were three women who had blue skin and hair, two others with yellow skin and green hair, and another with silvery skin and hair. There was also a Fox, two Rabbits, and a Doe. She hugged Maisee a little closer when she saw the Tigers, Leopards, and Wolves in addition to the two female Centaurs present, one of whom was armed. It seemed every eye in the room was fixated on her, no they were focusing on Maisee. Marsalla immediately began regretting bringing her piccola dolcezza no matter that Peridan had thought it a good idea.
Queen Susan rose and smiled as she beckoned Marsalla to come forward. Marsalla cradled Maisee close as she crossed the room then carefully curtsied to the Queens. "Welcome, Lady Marsalla, we are so glad you could join us this morn. Please come and have a seat."
The woman with silvery skin and hair rose from her seat next to the one Queen Susan had been sitting in and offered it to Marsalla with a smile, which she accepted still clutching Maisee close. Queen Susan smiled at the woman as she retook her seat, "Thank you, Amaryllis." Amaryllis curtsied then smiled at Marsalla once more before she moved back.
Maisee stirred in Marsalla's arms just then and cooed as her eyes opened and she seemed to realize that she was once again at the center of everyone's attention. So far, Maisee hadn't changed in being the outgoing, friendly piccola dolcezza whenever she got the chance to be in a room full of people. And, she proved it by turning her head to smile at the Queens when Queen Lucy exclaimed, "Oh! This must be Maisee, she's just adorable! How old did you say she is?"
Marsalla relaxed for a moment as she watched the young Queen wave at her daughter and then giggle when Maisee smiled wider and let out a giggle in response, "She is nine months old."
She barely hid her startle though when the two Wolves walked over and peered at Maisee. The slightly smaller tawny Wolf stretched her muzzle terrifyingly close to Maisee's arm as the baby reached her hand out to touch her, only to jerk back when a soft barely-heard growl came from the white Wolf. The white Wolf looked at Marsalla, "Forgive us, we did not mean to frighten you, Lady Marsalla. I am Clara Windwolf and this is my daughter, the eldest pup of my third litter, Cleo."
Marsalla forced herself to give a little nod, ignoring the way her heart was pounding in her chest. The larger Beasts probably meant no harm but she found herself studying the less alarming sight of the Fox and two Rabbits...Marsalla blinked when she realized one of the Rabbits was crocheting. That was...that was not something she had expected to see. Maisee leaned her head against her shoulder and Marsalla reached a hand up to stroke her daughter's soft black curls as she watched the Fox daintily pouring tea for everyone...Narnia was such an odd place.
The Fox smiled at her, but Marsalla still found it somewhat disconcerting though not as much as when that Tiger, Kumbali, had smiled. Queen Lucy cheerfully introduced the Fox as Lady Felicia Fox, the crocheting Rabbit was Clover and her young cousin was Poppy, the two Leopards were apparently mother and daughter and called Sherket and Keket, the Doe was Faline, and all the other names blurred together. Marsalla smiled as she realized the youngest Queen was nearly as loquacious as her Raisa, though nowhere near the amount of chatter that her daughter could achieve when she really started talking at someone. Queen Lucy was finally distracted from making the introductions by something Poppy and Faline asked her opinion on, and then Maisee let out a squeal of delight as she lurched forward in Marsalla's arms toward the Leopard who had been walking by them. Marsalla silently bemoaned the effects of her continued illness, as she was unable to keep her baby from latching onto the Leopard's ear. The younger Leopard peered around her mother and giggled, "She got you, Mama."
"So she did, Keket." The Leopard, Sherket, seemed to smile as she stepped closer to Marsalla's chair allowing her to pull Maisee back into her lap even though the baby kept pulling on Sherket's ear as she babbled and patted all over Sherket's face with her other hand. The Leopard's only response was to close her eyes whenever Maisee's little hand came too close to them.
Marsalla could feel herself blushing as she heard the giggles making their way around the room as she failed to coax Maisee into letting go of Sherket's ear. Instead, the nine-month-old leaned forward again, babbling and giggling all the while, and patted all the way down Sherket's face until she could smack Sherket's nose. The Leopard wrinkled her muzzle in response, but then Maisee leaned even closer to Sherket and planted a slobbery kiss on Sherket's nose.
Every female in the room let out a collective 'aww' at the sight. Even Marsalla had to admit that her piccola dolcezza had been even more adorable than usual. Sherket chuckled as she gently moved her head back from Maisee's grasp, "She is sweet and you have other children?"
Marsalla nodded, still feeling as though she were in a surreal dream conversing with a Leopard about her children, "Four others, three sons, and one daughter."
Sherket smiled, "Aslan has blessed you and your mate with a large litter."
Marsalla didn't know what to say as the other Animals nodded their heads in agreement with Sherket's statement. Fortunately, Queen Lucy rescued her from having to say anything as she held her arms out to the increasingly squirmy Maisee, "Might I hold her for a moment, Lady Marsalla?"
She might have hesitated but for the fact that one simply didn't refuse a Queen, especially when one's place was still so uncertain. Maisee gurgled in delight as Marsalla passed her to Queen Lucy who immediately tickled her, earning a squeal of laughter even as Maisee tried to grab her crown. Marsalla watched for a moment as Queen Lucy played with Maisee, and then Queen Susan offered her a cup of tea. Accepting the cup, Marsalla hoped no one noticed the slight tremble to her hands. Queen Susan smiled gently at her, "How are you and your family settling into life here in Narnia?"
Marsalla forced a smile, "It is an adjustment to be certain, your majesty, but...I think we shall all survive intact." At least, that was what she had been begging Aslan for since Peridan first decided it was time for them to move to Narnia.
Queen Susan gave her a knowing smile, "Well, if you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask any one of us." Marsalla inclined her head, and then the Queen gave her a quizzical look, "Lady Marsalla, I am curious to know more about you. Your name...it is Sisemaalian, is it not?"
She felt a flare of fear as she recalled Sisemaal being shamed by the actions of one of its nobles, a Count Hendrik, against the younger King even though supposedly the bond had been repaired between the two countries...this was the elder sister of the injured party, after all. Still slightly cautious, Marsalla nodded, "Yes, my mother was the daughter of one of the King's chief advisors when my father met her while he was on a diplomatic journey to Sisemaal for King Lune's father. They fell in love over the four months he was there and married right before he was to return to Anvard."
Queen Susan smiled, "Oh that sounds like quite the romance. I trust you still keep ties with your mother's family."
Marsalla nodded again, "Yes, we do. It is mainly through letters now that my mother persuaded my father to return to Sisemaal after he retired from court business, and all but one of my sisters chose to marry Sisemaalian men. Nevertheless, they have come to see Peridan and I at least once a year to exchange news when they come to Anvard to trade or participate in the diplomatic talks." Marsalla took care not to mention any names or the fact that her uncle Teppo was one of King Jukka's advisors. It would be unwise to seem to have too strong a connection with Sisemaal.
Queen Susan nodded, but then one of the Rabbits, Poppy, hopped forward with a request for her, diverting the Queen's attention from Marsalla. Marsalla let out a tiny sigh of relief until she looked to check on Maisee and saw her daughter being held by Queen Lucy and fawned over by the Wolves and Tigers, who were balancing upright, in addition to the Nymphs. "Don't worry, Lady Marsalla, your daughter is quite safe."
Marsalla jerked around in surprise to look at one of the shorter Nymphs, a woman with tan skin and black hair. She looked almost human, but there was still some ethereal quality about her that said she was not Human. The Nymph smiled kindly, "Oh, I do apologize. I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Tuulea, by the way. And, truly Maisee is in no danger. It's just there has not been a Human baby in Cair Paravel in over a hundred years and none of these young ones here have ever seen such a young Human, or at least not so close. And, they are curious. I'm afraid your twin sons will and have been spurring much the same fascination." The Nymph suddenly gestured to a stately Nymph with brownish-red skin, which contrasted prettily with her acorn brown hair, "That is my daughter-in-law, Deianeira, and my other daughter-in-law is Caia."
Marsalla's surprise that the Nymph who appeared to be not much older than herself, and she had not even seen five years past thirty, had sons who were grown and married turned to shock when she realized Caia was the armed Centauress. Tuulea didn't seem to notice her shock, thank the Great Emperor and His Son, Aslan. Marsalla was still trying to collect her wits when the chatter took on a softer tone as she watched Maisee be transferred to Deianeira's arms when Queen Lucy stepped a little away from the knot of females in response to some sort of summons from the Fox. Her eyes flicked to where she had last seen Lady Felicia Fox and, upon seeing the vixen watching the other Fox very closely, decided he must be the Rupert she had heard the Wolf, Clara, tease her about whilst she had been pouring tea. A moment later, she stood, intending to collect Maisee before she made her excuses, only to freeze halfway there when she saw the huge Centaur stride into the room. He bowed to both Queens before turning his full attention to Queen Lucy as he held out a note, "A message for you, Valiant Queen."
Queen Lucy beamed up at him as she took the note, "Oh thank you for taking the time to deliver it, General."
The General...Marsalla could certainly see why the rumors described him as one of the most fearsome warriors in Narnia. Maisee burbled happily only a few feet from her, but she didn't want to move...she didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to her or hers. Queen Lucy seemed to deflate a little as she read the missive, "Oh, she says there's been a delay and they won't be able to start the journey home for another week, which means she won't be back for another five weeks if the weather holds."
The General looked no less impassive than he had when entering the room, "Perhaps the estimates are off, Queen Lucy. Katerina is not the best at giving them and she does have a tendency to overestimate when she bothers to give any estimates at all."
Queen Lucy nodded and Marsalla saw a smile reappear as she giggled, "This is true and she also has a tendency to think any travel by ship takes far far too long."
The Centaur nodded, but whatever he had been about to say was cut off by a sudden shout. Marsalla tensed when she realized that was Peridan shouting. "Thane! Shane! Come back here!"
She didn't even time to wonder how her sons had escaped their minders or why their father was the one chasing them when two tiny blurs of arms and legs rushed into the room with gleeful shouts. They didn't slow down until it was too late. Marsalla watched in horror as her sons skidded across the room, just missing Queen Lucy, but they slid under the table yanking on the tablecloth in an attempt to stop themselves. For a brief second, Marsalla thought that might be the worst of it, but it was not to be. As Thane and Shane slid under the table, and Peridan and the Kings skidded into the room, the tablecloth pulled tight and then the large cake that had been sitting on the end of the table toppled forward and hit the General. Marsalla blanched as a collective gasp went up from everyone watching as most of the General's bare torso, left arm, left foreleg, and the left side of his face were covered in pink frosting mixed with chunks of what looked like strawberry cake. She exchanged a look of despair with Peridan as they both reached the conclusion that their sons had once again humiliated the General who still had a strong say in Peridan's final fate.
The General stood there not speaking as he watched the twins peek out from the tablecloth that had fallen over them. They got up and quickly ran to hide behind Marsalla's skirts. Marsalla fought the urge to cringe when she caught a glimpse of the General's silent fury in his dark eyes, fury that flared when one of the Kings snorted with barely suppressed laughter. The younger King turned even paler than he already was when the General turned to look at him. "You find this amusing, How?" The King shook his head and the General moved his gaze to the High King, "And you, Wolfsbane?" There was a brief hesitation before the High King shook his head. The General walked toward the two Kings, ignoring all else, as he spoke in a dangerously calm tone, "Then the two of you shall have no complaints concerning the fact that you are to entertain yourselves with visiting the points of the compass. Now."
Marsalla watched stunned as the Kings turned and nearly bolted out of the room ahead of their General. Everyone in the room seemed to release their breath at once as the door closed behind the Centaur. Maisee shrieked with glee when she caught sight of Peridan, who accepted her from Deianeira, causing smiles to reappear. Caia shook her head, "Their majesties would have been safer if Sepphora had been here to distract the General from focusing on them."
The other Centauress, Alithia, nodded, "If anyone could have, she could. Although they still should have known better than to laugh within his hearing. I think I'll go prepare a fresh batch of liniment for them. They shall need it."
Marsalla couldn't help wondering who this Sepphora was as she and Peridan made their apologies and herded their sons back to their quarters...and why exactly would she be able to influence the General's reaction?
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Edmund ran up the final tower and bent over gasping for breath. Peter stopped beside him and huffed, "D-did you have to l-laugh, brother mine?"
Edmund grimaced at Peter, "I-I couldn't h-help it." The new endurance training exercise was quickly becoming one of Oreius' favorite tasks for him and his brother...and he used to think just running up the Cair's tallest tower was grueling. "I w-wish Kat was h-here."
Peter chuckled, he was breathless from running, but he somehow still managed to chuckle. Edmund would have rolled his eyes, but he was too tired. "Why? S-so she could run c-circles around us, b-both figuratively and l-literally?"
Edmund nodded, "P-point to you."
Peter nodded as he swiped the sweat off his brow and passed one of the waiting goblets of water to Edmund before taking a drink himself. "So, what did she say this time?"
Edmund grimaced at the reminder of the note, "She said they were delayed in being able to put to sea. She also mentioned that her bail money is starting to run low."
He scowled as Peter guffawed, "It's not funny, Peter. I can't tell if she's serious or not. And, this time it apparently wasn't her who landed in jail. Next time let's not send Kat on a diplomatic trip. I'm not sure we can afford it."
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A/N: Please Read and Review! The training exercise of visiting the points of the compass is borrowed with permission from WillowDryad who was kind enough to let me give Oreius a new way to torment the boys during training. So, should Kat come back to the Cair in the next chapter or shall we delay another chapter and let Oreius officially meet Tarrin?
A/N2: Be sure to check out my new poll for my forthcoming holiday story, tentatively titled Christmas in the Cair.