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 Twelve
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13 Mayblossom 1006
Stonebrook clapped Oreius on the shoulder and chuckled, "Alambiel certainly knows how to keep us all practicing constant vigilance, does she not?"
Oreius smirked, "And she does it well."
They walked further away from the council room, though Oreius could still make out King Edmund grumbling about being pulled out of bed too early, but even as he absently adjusted the morn's training regimen, Stonebrook spoke again. "I noticed Alambiel did not head for the training yards."
"No, I ordered her to take today to herself since she confessed to not sleeping last night...I also forbid Dame Sepphora from so much as entering the armory much less the training yards until Firstday. For once, she didn't offer even a token argument...probably too weary from the stress of dealing with the situation she found in Redhaven and dealing with Nausus and his allies' accusations, not that she would ever admit to such a thing...too busy being her typical stubborn self." He barely noticed Stonebrook's amused expression as he caught sight of Katerina Alambiel talking to Queen Lucy as they walked across the hall ahead of them. His tail swished against his flank as he watched Alambiel shake her head, clearly begging off whatever Queen Lucy's request was, before she disappeared down the corridor that led to her quarters. As they resumed walking, he muttered, "I need to remind Ardon and Cletus to let the other officers know they should be on alert for Sepphora's pranks. She gave in almost too easily, now that I think about it."
Stonebrook chuckled, "Stubborn young ones." The Centaur elder went his own way before Oreius could enquire as to his exact meaning. Oreius dismissed it as something that did not require his attention as he exited the main palace and trotted toward the training yards and his waiting students.
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As soon as he returned to his study that afternoon, Oreius knew that Katerina Alambiel had been informed of at least one incident involving Peridan's sons. He glared at the item sitting in the middle of his desk and growled, "Sepphora."
"Cyneward." He turned as she came around the other side of the door and grinned at him as she rocked on her heels, "Well, that was fun." He had to work to keep his glower in place as he watched her cast him another mischievous glance as she moved a stack of reports before she perched herself on the edge of his desk. Some things would never change. She picked up the plate and examined the large slice of cake it held, "What do you call a Centaur who's had a strawberry cake with pink icing mashed on him?"
"Unamused."
Katerina Alambiel threw her head back and laughed. "Well, I was just going to call him Oreius. But, I like your label better." Oreius watched as she picked up one of the two forks on the plate and ate a bite of the cake, "Personally, I prefer chocolate, but this isn't half bad. Actually, it's pretty good. You should try some." She held the plate out to him and snickered at the disdainful look he graced it with, "Oh come on, surely the great General Sir Oreius Cyneward of Narnia isn't afraid of a harmless little slice of cake...with pink icing."
The mischievous glint of laughter in her blue eyes warned him that Katerina Alambiel would never let him live it down if he refused to meet her challenge. But, he wasn't going to give in immediately...no need to provide her with any encouragement to be even more cheeky than she was already. He folded his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, "Who told you?"
She gave him an amused look as she took another bite of the cake before answering, "Shesheta told me that the little Scátháin I met yesterday had smashed into every officer in the Cair and they mashed a cake on you. And, then I got the full, unabridged story from Lucy. I can't believe I missed seeing you splattered with strawberry cake and pink icing!"
He snorted, "I don't doubt you would have laughed at me had you been present, Sepphora. And, your little mirrors, as you call them, will not be getting another chance to cause such an incident again." He hoped.
Katerina Alambiel merely responded by once again holding out the plate. He shook his head slightly, but picked up the second fork and took a bite from the opposite end of the cake slice. Then, in order to win the challenge she had issued, Oreius took two more bites before setting the fork down. She snickered and set her own fork down, "So, the solarium at eighth hour?"
Oreius nodded, "I'll be there." He waited a beat, and then continued, "Now, get off my desk." She rolled her eyes then yelped in surprise when he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off his desk although he took care to set her down gently enough that she didn't lose either the cake or the cutlery. He gave her a slight push toward the door, "Go pester someone else for a little bit, Sepphora. I have work to do."
She laughed as she walked out the door, "All right, all right, I can tell when I'm wanted anywhere else but here. Until later, Kentauri."
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Katerina felt a sense of normalcy finally settle over her as she watched Oreius pour wine into two goblets. It was good to be able to resume their tradition of having these Sixthday talks. Accepting the goblet, she waited only until Oreius had settled himself across from her before she asked the question that had been following her for weeks. "Do you think I did the right thing?"
Oreius met her gaze and held it. "Yes."
She smiled in silent thanks before taking a drink. "I don't understand why Nausus and the others with him refused to see the truth of the matter."
The Kentauri looked at her for a moment and then stated, "They can't handle the truth."
She had to hide a smile at his emphatic declaration. Instead, she raised her goblet in salute, "Well, at least I knew enough to leave sorting out the nobles and their fates to the Four."
Oreius chuckled as he raised his own goblet, "Thank the Lion for that, otherwise you truly would have landed in more trouble than even you could handle."
She smirked, but didn't challenge the assessment since she actually shared it. Their conversation moved to discussing what she had done with the orphans she had rescued. But, during the next lull, Katerina couldn't resist the temptation to tease him a little more. "Can I have a catapult?"
Oreius didn't even blink as he responded with a resolute "No."
Katerina barely hid her amusement as she protested, "Oh come on. I've wanted one for years. Why do you always say no to the catapult?"
"Because you have no concept of what the proper use of a catapult is, which is why I am keeping any catapult as far from you as is possible."
She feigned a scowl, "Why do you have to be such a stick in the mud, Kentauri?"
Oreius raised an eyebrow, "I'm not."
"No, you're not." She took advantage of his surprise at her agreement to quip, "You're a log...in bedrock." They stared at each other in silence for a moment, then two, and then they burst into laughter before continuing their conversation, which now had a distinctly teasing tone as Katerina once again attempted to coax Oreius into allowing her to get a catapult...and as per usual was refused with more reasons than she thought warranted.
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A/N: Please Read and Review! Okay, so a nice fun chapter before things get interesting and complicated again. Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.