Chapter 3 The Gentle Queen

"Oh, your majesty. I'm sorry I didn't realize that you were in here." Brind said putting the book back. He stood with his head bowed to Queen Susan and awaited for the scolding he would receive. It wouldn't surprise him to be cast out of Narnia for this. Swallowing hard Brind tried to calm himself as the panic started to rise.

"What would you have done if you had?" she asked pleasantly.

Avoiding eye contact Brind hesitated to answer and believed he would just dig himself into more trouble if he didn't.

"I would not have intruded. But, I should not have entered here without permission and for that I am sorry."

Susan stared at boy partially amused by his humbleness. She couldn't help but smile at his response. He wasn't about to chide him for his curiosity, there was something about him that kept the awkward silences away.

"Why would you need permission to enter a library? Your name was Brind wasn't it?"

He nodded.

"Well Brind, I say that permission is not needed for the library. Its contents are open for anyone who wants to read them." she stepped lightly over to the bookshelf behind Brind. His eyes were still adverted away from her; even though Brind could feel her eyes linger on him.

"What were you reading about just now?" Brind didn't say anything. Susan's smile turned down a little, "Brind. Please don't feel that you can't look at me because I'm a Queen. It makes me feel that I'm doing something wrong, or that I am unpleasant to look at."

Susan's hand hovered over the binding of Tales of the Dryads. Sparing a quick glance at Brind before she plucked it from it's resting place. He slowly turned his toward her, but his eyes danced back and forth from her face to something over her right shoulder.

"I didn't mean to offend your majesty." Brind half whispered.

He couldn't bring himself to look fully at her. It was easier around Queen Lucy and King Edmund because they were his age and younger. It was even easy to look at High King Peter back in the throne room. Queen Susan was different though for some reason. He was alone with her that might have made the butterflies in his stomach come to life. Swallowing hard he tried to play it off and ignore the queasy feeling in the pit of stomach.

Susan ran her fingers over the cover of the old book. She hadn't visited this section of the library in some time. The cover had a fine layer of dust on it. With the back of her hand she brushed it off.

"Are there many libraries like this in Calormon? I've never been there myself. Peter has visited once or twice. The farthest south I've been has been Archenland, the libraries there were nice, but nothing like Cair Paravel."

Brind shook his head, somehow finding a voice to speak. "No, nothing like this at least not that I have seen. There may be in the Tisroc's palace, may he live forever." he added with slight nod. Susan raised an eyebrow as Brind continued. "I have never been of course." he paused. "Do you read a lot your majesty?"

"Recently I have." she replied opening the book to a random page. "The library is a quiet place. Sometimes I read, sometimes I feel like I am here to hide away from wondering thoughts."

"What kind of thoughts?"

Susan just turned a page with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, forgive me." Brind said quickly with a bow.

"It's all right." Susan lied. It wasn't all right, not the fact that Brind had been bold enough to ask, but because of the actual thoughts themselves. Susan replaced the book back on the shelf and looked to Brind. He was no longer staring at her.

"You said Kendra was to be sold as a slave in Calormen, were you meant for the same fate?"

Her voice seemed troubled and uneasy. Brind couldn't help but look up at her for a moment before going back to gazing at the bookshelf across the room. He drew in a breath, "Yes." he let it out with ease. "I was. You're not going to send Kendra and myself back are you?"

Brind tensed up at the thought of being deported back to Calormen. Terrible images of the soldiers and Kendra struggling in their arms flashed back to him.

Catching the troubled look on Brind's face Susan moved a little closer tilting her head up at him to catch his eyes she granted him an honest smile.

"No. I won't." she paused for a beat. "Brind, would you mind taking a walk with me?"

Susan stepped forward hoping Brind would follow her, after a few small steps he did. They began to circle the room pausing now and then at book shelves for Susan to point out a few volumes of Narnian history. Slowly Brind began to keep his eyes on Susan longer and longer. He didn't tear his gaze away from her so often; his extreme politeness did not fade however.

Susan did not expect Brind to be rude, but she had not expected a boy of his age to be so polite. He was just about Edmund's age, though Brind was taller. And Edmund was anything short of a gentleman at times. Perhaps Brind could save Susan the trouble and give Edmund a lesson or two.

She chuckled lightly at the idea and when Brind noticed she just played it off by asking, "What is Calormen like?"

"Nothing like this. The company I mean, all merchants and fishermen. And soldiers." Brind added with a bit of hatred. "Sandy too. Where I lived anyway, my family and I lived close to the desert."

"You and Kendra and your parents?"

He chuckled slightly, "No your majesty. Kendra is not my sister only a friend. Although, there are times where I feel that she is my sister. Our families have known one another for some time. I grew up looking after Kendra. She has no siblings, and I had my older brother to look after me. I didn't think it was far that she was left alone."

The way Brind talked about Kendra, Susan couldn't help but imagine Peter and Lucy. He spoiled her every chance he got, Susan pretended not to notice. He was a sap when it came to Lucy and always seemed to give into her every wish. Lucy never took advantage of it, for the most part.

Susan admired Brind for his brotherly act toward Kendra, someone who he didn't have to be attached to. He risked his life to save her from becoming a slave. There was a bravery that Brind seemed to have even if he didn't show it on the outside.

"What about her parents, where were they?" Susan asked.

"Her mother died when Kendra was young and her father was a fishermen, always away at sea and refused to subject Kendra to that life. My parents and I looked after her. And then when they died, I was left to watch Kendra. I didn't mind in the least. Then her father returned, married a women from the Lone Islands. Kendra didn't like that too much." he added with a cute smirk before continuing on seriously, "They didn't budge a finger when came time for her to be sold. Her stepmother encouraged it, her father acted like he had no daughter, wanting to please his new wife. Figured I was all she had left, and I wasn't going to let her be taken."

Slowing in her pace Susan turned her head to Brind with sad eyes. She couldn't imagine losing her parents. Or maybe she could, seeing as how they hadn't seen them in years. Not to mention having her father turn against her like that all because of some new women in his life.

"That's awful, what about your brother though?"

Brind looked back at her and in an instant felt guilty for seeing the sadness in her expression. He hated that he was the one who put that there.

"He became a fishermen as well, left my parents and myself when I was twelve, he was my age when he took off. Even though it was work we still felt like he had abandoned us. It's nothing to be sad about though your majesty. He wrote that he has married. I can't recall her name. He wrote us a year after he left, haven't heard from him since. I like to think that he is still well."

Susan tried to smile, "I'm sorry to hear that though."

"I've made it through without him or my parents around."

The more Susan talked with Brind the more she got the feeling that he was hiding something, maybe not intentionally, but there was something different about him. Sure she had thought this before but now seemed like a good a time as any to say something.

"That seems to be true." Susan said. "If you don't mind me saying Brind, you are not at all how I would have imagined a Calormene. From what Peter has told me they are dark skinned, and seem less—" She hesitated for a second. "Friendly towards Narnians. Peter's visit there wasn't exactly as welcoming as he would have hoped."

She didn't go into any more detail than that. But Brind could imagine what kind of hospitality the High King of Narnia would receive. Nice accommodations, friendly encounters, but behind closed doors Brind expected that there be talk of a less than friendly nature. False smiles and words that the High King must have caught onto, maybe even called them out on it at some point.

Brind hesitated himself. He knew that this factor would be pointed out sooner or later by one of the Kings or Queens. It was no secret that Brind was trying hard to keep; he just always thought it was best to keep his past to himself. It was easier that way.

"There are many times when this topic arises." Brind said with a smirk like he had just been caught in a sneaky lie. "It is because I am not Calormene, neither is Kendra. Technically we are because it is where we lived and were practically raised. However I was not born in Calormen."

"Were you born in Archenland then?"

"No. Kendra was though, except her parents were cast out when she was just a baby. Me, I'm not from around here not even the Lone Islands. My mother and father some how found themselves in this world with my brother and myself when I was only five."

"You're not from Narnia at all?"

This caught Susan off guard but intrigued all the more. She felt a strange comfort in suddenly knowing that she her siblings were not the only ones to travel over from one world to Narnia. Although it only seemed to be a one way trip, and the comfort faded slightly knowing there was no way to get back.

Brind noted her somber attitude and tried to lighten the mood, "Must be weird to think that someone could come over from another world. Must sound insane."

Susan pleasantly shook her head, "No. It does not sound insane at all. In fact Brind, we may have more in common than you may think."

The last comment puzzled Brind and before he could press for more information, they had stopped. He looked from the Queen to the shelf she was facing.

She pulled out a thickly bound book with a simple cover. The letters were written in some language Brind could not read. The symbols were nice to look at though; they wound prettily through each other. It was so elegant just looking at them drew Brind in. He reached out for the book but withdrew his hands after lightly touching the ancient cover.

"It's the language of the Dryads. It reads The Light of the Morning. It's an entire book of their songs and poetry. It's one of Lucy's favorites. I thought you might be interested in it. Calormene are said to be known for their poetry. Even though you are not pure Calormene I still thought you would enjoy it."

She held it toward Brind for him to take. Looking it over for a second Brind reached out and slowly enclosed it on his arms holding it close to his chest. He smiled at Susan and bowed his head in a thank you.

"Some have been translated, others are not. I can't read half of it." she confessed.

"Thank you your majesty." Brind said still smiling warmly at her.

"Susan, please call me Susan."

They both fell silent standing there staring at one another. Brind tried to take a deep breath but couldn't, it was like he was paralyzed. He just grinned stupidly at her but she grinned back.

Susan tried to see beyond the dried dirt and partially healed cuts. Her eyes darted down to his arm, "How did you get that?" she asked breaking the silence.

"Calormene soldier while we were escaping. They fired at us." Brind said noticing the wound for the first time since the arrow grazed him a couple days ago.

It was healed but the cut was still pretty nasty looking, the bandage he had made around it must have slipped off after they went into the river. Unfortunately the water didn't wash off all of the mud or dirt from his clothes, nor did it take the mud from his hair. In fact he seemed to have a new layer there somehow. Suddenly realizing how he might look in front of Queen Susan, Brind flushed and tried to push any thoughts about how pretty she looked out of his mind. Although it was difficult to do, when he finally acknowledged this it was hard to look at Susan again.

"You must have been very brave." Susan said pushing a piece of hair out of her face.

He went back to starring at her after this, a soft smile pressing on the back of his lips. The next silence was an awkward one, and long. The two of them didn't have to endure it for much longer as a fit of giggles erupted from behind Brind. He turned his head as Susan snapped out of her daze and stormed over to the edge of the bookshelf. Peering around the corner, Lucy, Kendra, and Edmund were hidden. Edmund's hand was covering Lucy's mouth to keep her from laughing again. It was too late though; her giggles gave away their position.

Susan stood fuming at her two younger siblings. She didn't need to say a word to scold them. The look she was giving them said it all.

"It was Lucy's idea." Edmund said trying to save his own hind.

Lucy shoved Edmund's hand off her mouth and scoffed in outrage. "It was not!"

"Yes it was, it's always your idea."

"Maybe you shouldn't listen to 15 year old." Susan chided.

Edmund scowled. Lucy smirked triumphantly at him, but the smirk faded when she turned to face her sister. The same look of anger rested there still. The entire time Kendra stood behind them her hand clasped around the small trinket that hung from her neck. She looked scared, almost like she was ready to make a run for it. But she stayed put just watching the scene between the siblings play out.

Brind walked up next to Susan still holding the book she gave him. His eyes darted to Kendra and the smile on his face faded. He didn't like seeing Kendra scared. Brind held out his hand and she ran to his side taking it.

Susan noticed the action and made a small mental note that Kendra acted younger than what she really was. She had to be about Lucy's age and yet she acted like a young child. It was odd to Susan but she didn't dwell on the matter because Lucy and Edmund had begun to argue.

"Both of you stop it right now and try acting the way a King or Queen would act. You're acting like selfish children, just stop it." Susan tried to keep her voice as hushed as possible but it still echoed around them.

Edmund rolled his eyes at Lucy, "Calm down Su, you don't have to bite our heads off."

Susan drew in a breath and sighed, "We have company and it would be nice to not argue or bicker for a change. Now what were you three doing over here besides spying?"

She looked to her younger sister when she said these words. Lucy frowned slightly under the guilt.

"We didn't mean to spy Susan. I was giving Kendra a tour of Cair Paravel, and then when we got a head, Edmund came looking for us. When we got back Brind was gone so we went in search for him that's all. Edmund is right you don't have to yell at us, we were just trying to find Brind."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. But next time don't hide behind shelves and eaves drop on other people's conversations, it's rude."

Edmund nodded even though he had tuned out a while back. He was used to Susan's lectures, wishing he could say that Susan was used to him ignoring her. She knew well that Edmund was not paying attention and as much as it annoyed her to no end she let it go this time turning to Brind and Kendra.

"Brind, I hope you find that book to your liking. Be careful with it though, it's old. Peter would be upset if it were to break. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go. Kendra I hope you and Brind like it here at Cair Paravel, and don't worry you are both safe here in these walls."

And for the second time Susan left with out Brind getting a chance to say good-bye, or say anything else to her. He looked to Kendra and showed her the book explaining the title. Lucy danced over with a broad grin eager to talk to Brind about one of her favorite books in the whole library.

Brind had to force enthusiasm as Lucy began to explain the first song; he'd rather have continued his conversation with Queen Susan. It was unfair that they were cut short. While Lucy proceeded to hum the tune to the song on the page Brind's thoughts where elsewhere not focusing on the tune. He wondered what exactly she had meant by 'We may have more in common than you think.'

"Brind what did you think?" Lucy asked her voice snapping him back to reality.

"Oh, it was lovely your majesty." He said his voice distant.

"I couldn't do the song justice, but I like to sing them anyway. Would you like to hear another?" she asked flipping through the pages.

Brind nodded absently but his thoughts remained on Queen Susan throughout the next one and the one after that.