Author's Note: Well, my muse finally decided to return on this chapter so I could finish it. From this point forward, we're going to be diverting from the established Narnia canon timeline. Most of the events of the movie Prince Caspian are still going to happen, since this is movie-verse, but in order to make this work with my envisioned plot, events are happening much, much sooner in Narnian history. This is just a warning for anyone who might be a stickler for timeline canon.

Chapter Eight: Fortunate Encounters

"Peter, how far do you think we are from Cair Paravel?" Lucy asked the next morning, after they had all eaten what meager breakfast they could find and started out on their journey again.

Peter looked around at the woods and sighed. "I wish I knew for sure, Lu. I'm hoping we'll make it to the beach today, at least. We should be able to see Cair Paravel from there."

Lucy glanced at Edmund, silently asking him if he thought now was the right time to tell Peter and Susan about the silence of the trees. Edmund eyed his older siblings, studying them with all the knowledge and experience the years of working beside them had brought before nodding at Lucy. Now was the right time. The impact of being back in Narnia had faded somewhat, and although Peter was still focused on getting back to Cair Paravel, he would be more open the things going on around him.

Lucy stepped up beside her brother and laid a hand on Peter's forearm, drawing his gaze. "Peter, yesterday I noticed that something seems very odd. The trees are much more quiet than they usually are, and there's…something dark about this area. I don't know how else to explain it, except that it almost feels like it did when the Witch was around."

Peter's mouth tightened the same way that Edmund's had when Lucy mentioned her feelings to him the day before. For a moment, Lucy wasn't looking at her older brother Peter, she was looking at High King Peter the Magnificent as he assessed what was around him, his own wants and needs pushed aside for the greater good of his kingdom and his people. It was a transition that Lucy was glad to see. It had been a long time since she had seen this Peter compared to the moping, grieving one.

Peter carefully studied their surroundings, listening and looking for any signs of danger. It only took him a few heartbeats to realize that Lucy was right and that something was very wrong. Unlike Lucy, he had to focus harder to sense the differences in the woods, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, since he was responsible for the overall health and protection of Narnia. Each of his siblings had claimed responsibility for a different area of Narnia. Edmund had governed and handled problems with the Western reaches of Narnia, Susan had primarily handled the Southern reaches, and Lucy had managed the Eastern reaches. Peter had governed the Northern reaches, as well as assisting with the other three quarters of Narnia when the occasion warranted.

In addition, each of his siblings had demonstrated skills with dealing with Narnia's residents. Lucy had always had a strong bond with the spirits of Narnia and the creatures of the deep woods, as well as Aslan himself. Edmund had made many friends among the dwarves, and no few of the good giants, while Susan had dealt well with the Fauns and the merpeople. Peter had shown a strong bond with the Centaurs, the gryphons, and the vast majority of the Talking Animals. Their varied skills had been part of the reason that Narnia had prospered during their reign.

Now, however, Peter didn't know what to think. How had this…darkness…this tension fallen over Narnia so quickly? Even without himself and his siblings in the thrones of Narnia, Krisalyn had still been here, and she was completely capable of ruling Narnia on her own if necessary. She'd done it before when Peter and his siblings had been called away for various reasons. Something was very wrong with this situation, and Peter didn't like it. Had something happened to Krisalyn during his absence? He'd only been away for three months, it wasn't even time for the baby to be due, so unless something had caused her to lose this baby too…

Peter shuddered, not even wanting to consider the possibility that his wife had lost their baby again, and that this time it could have cost her life as well. He shook the morbid thoughts from his mind and turned back to Lucy. "I don't know what's going on Lucy, but the sooner we can get to Cair Paravel, the sooner we'll find out what's wrong and put a stop to it."

Lucy only nodded and the four of them set out again, heading towards Cair Paravel.

"I think we're coming to the end of the forest finally," Edmund whispered a few hours later as he saw the trees thinning up ahead.

Peter sighed in relief. The end of the forest meant that they had reached the beach and he was hoping that from here they would be able to see Cair Paravel and know which way they needed to turn. He was really hoping that they were within walking distance of the Cair. He wanted to be home and back with Krisalyn more than anything in the world.

They slowed their pace and began moving more quietly through the trees, just in case. If something had gone drastically wrong in their absence, there was no point in making targets of themselves. They had been Kings and Queens too long to forget caution in unknown situations, especially where the lives of their subjects were concerned. However, it rankled Peter to have to sneak through their own Kingdom. It just didn't feel right, since they weren't on a military campaign.

They crept up to the edge of the trees and peered out. In front of them was a wide open meadow, but not the beach that they had been hoping to see. On the far side of the clearing, the forest started up again. Sunlight poured down into the clearing, but the meadow was too quiet.

"Peter!" Susan whispered. "I recognize this place. This is the Dancing Lawn."

Looking out at the meadow, Peter realized that Susan was right. This was a place they were all familiar with. It had been a favorite camping site whenever they were returning from Anvard because it was large enough to pitch tents for every member of their traveling party. It was also a favorite place to hold festivals and celebrations in the spring and summer months.

Peter frowned, puzzled. "If we're on the western side of the Lawn, then the River must be behind us. But we didn't cross the River yesterday."

"We must have landed between the River and the Lawn," Edmund pointed out. "Either that, or we somehow drifted north at some point yesterday and we started out south of the River. It only cuts through a small part of the woods on the western side of the Lawn, remember?"

Peter thought about it for a moment and realized that his brother was right. They had been traveling east, but it was entirely possible that they had drifted slightly north, due to terrain and not really paying much attention other than that they were traveling in a easterly direction.

"You're probably right, Ed," Peter agreed. He thought a moment, trying to picture a map of Narnia in his head. He'd memorized all of the terrain and territory maps of Narnia at various points during their reign, due to his training with Oreius in tactics and leading an army. After a moment, he had it and he thought about the different routes they could take from here to Cair Paravel.

From where they were, they would have to cross the Rush River, which was a smaller river, but also swifter in some places than the Great River. They really only had to decide whether to bear north towards Beruna or cut straight across to the coast before heading north to Cair Paravel. If they went north now, they'd have to backtrack a little bit to the west, but then they could follow the River all the way north and east, right to the gates of Cair Paravel. If they decided to go east to the coast and then turn north they wouldn't have to backtrack and they would be able to cross the Rush River at one of its smallest points.

Peter bit his lower lip as he thought about the options. The only downside to going north now, other than backtracking, was they would have to cross a second smaller river before they reached the Rush, and it would be a longer walk, although it would probably be an easier one. He wasn't keen on the idea of having to backtrack, especially since doing so would add more time to their travels and keep him away from Kris that much longer. But it was only fair to ask his siblings what they wanted to do and put it to a bit of a vote.

He quietly explained the options to his siblings who all looked thoughtful as they considered what the best choice of paths would be. Susan was the first one to speak. "I think we'd be better off going north and following the river, Peter, but I'll go with whatever everyone else wants to do."

Edmund and Lucy looked equally contemplative and finally agreed with Susan. Edmund reached out and clasped Peter's shoulder gently. "I know you want to get there sooner, Peter, but the terrain always was easier along the River and we won't exactly be able to get lost."

"We're not lost," Peter retorted gently, a little stung by his brother's words.

"No, we're not," Edmund agreed. "That's not what I meant, Peter. But going straight across to the coast…we could get lost if the terrain forces us to detour. If we follow the River though, we're can't get lost because the River emptied out directly into the cove below the Cair."

"We're all agreed then?" Lucy asked. "We'll backtrack to the River and then go north?"

The other three nodded in agreement, before turning around and heading back to the west. Peter glanced back over his shoulder at the quiet meadow, still not liking how different things seemed to have become in such a short time. Whatever had gone wrong, with Aslan's grace, it wouldn't be difficult to correct now that they had come home again.

It hadn't taken them long to locate the Great River where it cut through the forest, much to Peter's relief. Once they reached the river, they decided to stop and rest for a short while. A few fruit trees were in bloom along the river, and Peter and Edmund made quick work of gathering enough fruit for the four of them to have a decent lunch.

As the last piece of fruit was eaten, Peter stood and walked over to the River and quickly washed his face and hands free of the slightly sticky residue that remained. The water was cold and he shivered slightly as a breeze dried the water, chilling him slightly. His siblings followed suit, amid a chorus of complaints about how cold the water was.

While the others were getting ready to start again, Peter was trying to picture their route. If he remembered correctly, there was very little tree cover along the banks of the river until they reached the Ford at Beruna. It would allow for a quick march, but it would also leave them without an escape if something were to go wrong since they were currently unarmed.

Fortunately, Peter wasn't expecting any trouble. If something did happen, between the four of them, they had plenty of evidence to prove that they were the Kings and Queens, and there were very few Narnians who would take any action against them once they knew that. He would have felt more comfortable if he had Rhindon, or at the very least if Susan had her bow, but they didn't so there was no point in dwelling on it. All they could do was make their way back to Cair Paravel and see how things stood in the kingdom.

They were finally ready to set out again and quickly began walking along the river bank, heading north towards the mouth of the river where it emptied out into the sea below Cair Paravel. If they had horses, they could have traveled the distance by the end of the day, or possibly have camped one more night and arrived first thing in the morning. On foot it was likely to take at least two more days to make it all the way to their castle. Fortunately, the walk was an easy one. They did not have to pick their way through the trees and underbrush, so their pace was brisk. The breeze coming off the river was pleasant as well and all in all made for a relatively enjoyable trip. The fact that they were back in Narnia was only adding to the pleasure of the trip.

They had been walking for about an hour when Peter suddenly stopped and motioned his siblings to silence. He had heard the sound of voices up ahead, around the next bend in the shoreline. Moving forward slowly, Peter crept in closer to the tree-line, his brother and sisters following him. They edged around the bend, ducking into the trees so that they would not be observed and then paused to examine the situation that had met their eyes.

A small boat was making its way upriver and two men were sitting in the boat. One was rowing, and the second was holding a crossbow and keeping a wary eye out along the shore. Neither man was making an effort to keep their voices quiet, so the Pevensies heard every word that was spoken.

"It won't stop staring," the rower told his companion, his gaze fastened on something in the boat.

"So don't look," the bowman replied, glancing at his fellow before turning his attention back to the woods.

The rower continued to look uneasy, and finally released the oars. "Here's good enough."

The other man nodded and put his crossbow down. They stood up carefully in the little boat before bending down and lifting up whatever the rower had been looking at.

Peter tensed and felt Edmund doing the same thing beside him as Susan and Lucy stifled gasps of horror. The two men were holding a dwarf, tightly bound and gagged. It was obvious that their intention was to drown the dwarf.

"Peter, we can't let them do it!" Lucy hissed at her brother.

"I don't know how we can stop it, Lu," Peter whispered. "We have no weapons, and they have at least one crossbow. If we had our weapons or some reinforcements, we might be able to do something."

Lucy fell silent, understanding her brother's point, but not liking it. She closed her eyes as she heard a huge splash and tried to stifle the tears that sprang up. "Peter, please!" she pleaded with her brother.

Peter frowned deeply and kept a close eye on the two men as they sat back down in the boat and began to row away. The river's current was swift, and if they left quickly enough, they might be able to save the dwarf before he drowned.

Edmund rose to his feet, his eyes on the men in the boat as they swiftly paddled back downriver and around the bend. As soon as they were out of sight, Peter and Edmund launched themselves out from the trees and towards the water. They couldn't let one of their subjects die in front of them without trying to save him.

Peter launched himself into a flat dive and plunged beneath the water, his eyes searching for the dwarf. The river was deep here, but sunlight still pierced the clear water and he spotted the dwarf almost immediately. The dwarf was trying to kick for the surface, but not having much luck since his legs were bound. His struggles were getting weaker as he began running out of air. Peter angled himself downward, pulling himself deeper with powerful kicks and strokes and soon reached the dwarf. Reaching out, he grasped the dwarf under the arms before turning them towards the surface and kicking as hard and as fast as he could.

Edmund was waiting when Peter broke the surface and quickly reached out and grabbed the dwarf as he was treading water. As Peter took a deep breath, Edmund reached up and pulled the gag down off the dwarf's mouth so that the dwarf could spit out the water he had begun to take in. Amid the dwarf's coughs, Edmund and Peter began to tow him towards shore, since they had no way of removing his bonds while they were in the water.

Susan and Lucy splashed into the water and dragged the dwarf up onto the shore as Peter and Edmund found their footing and exited the water. The two girls immediately began trying to untangle the wet ropes from the dwarf's feet and wrists. It took several minutes while the dwarf simply lay there sucking in precious oxygen before they got the ropes loose enough to slip off.

"Are you two all right?" Lucy asked, looking at her dripping brothers. They nodded and removed their jackets and shirts so they could wring them out. Peter shoved a hand through his soaked hair, scattering water droplets and making the blonde locks stick up in rather interesting ways.

"Are you well, good Dwarf?" Edmund asked, looking down at the dwarf as he slowly rose to his knees.

The Dwarf nodded, a scowl on his face. "I suppose I should be grateful," he muttered. "You couldn't have come a few minutes earlier?"

Peter frowned. "You might consider saying 'Thank you'. We couldn't do anything since we don't have any weapons on us, and I was not about to put my family in danger when they had crossbows."

"Why were they trying to drown you anyway?" Lucy asked.

The dwarf looked sour. "They're Telmarines. It's what they do."

All four Pevensies looked shocked. "Telmarines? In Narnia?"

The dwarf appeared astonished. "Where've you been for the last two decades?"

Peter paled. "Twenty years? Is that how long it's been?" he whispered. His siblings looked equally shocked. They'd only been gone for four months. How had this happened?

The dwarf frowned. "The Telmarines have been in control of Narnia ever since the Kings and Queens abandoned us twenty years ago."

"Good Dwarf," Edmund began, before he paused. "What is your name?"

"Trumpkin the Red Dwarf."

"Good Trumpkin," Edmund continued smoothly. "We didn't mean to leave, and we certainly never abandoned Narnia."

Trumpkin's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'we'?" he demanded. He eyed them more closely.

Seeing that Peter was still in shock over the time that had elapsed, Edmund stepped up. "I am King Edmund. These are my sisters, Queen Susan and Queen Lucy, and my brother, High King Peter."

Trumpkin looked incredulous. "You've got to be kidding me! You honestly expect me to believe that you are the Kings and Queens?"

Edmund frowned. "Indeed. Unfortunately, we don't have any of our weapons or gifts with us, or we could provide some tangible proof. We only returned to Narnia yesterday, and we were on our way to Cair Paravel. "

Trumpkin scoffed. "No one wants to go to Cair Paravel. The Telmarines have taken it over while they build their own castle further south. That's where I just was. I was taken prisoner and sentenced to death by their Lord Protector Miraz and the rest of the Council, just for being a Narnian."

Peter seemed to have gotten past his shock, but there was only one thought on his mind. "What about Queen Krisalyn? What happened to her?"

Trumpkin shrugged. "Not sure, and no one seems to know. Some rumors say that she is in hiding somewhere in the woods, others say she was killed when the Telmarines captured Cair Paravel, and some say that she fled to Archenland."

Peter swayed at this news. Kris…oh, Kris…what happened? He couldn't wrap his mind around it. How had the Telmarines been able to invade? Oreius and the other Narnian generals should have been able to hold them off, at least long enough for Krisalyn to send word to their allies in Archenland. He had no doubt that Archenland would have responded. Not only were they allies, but Krisalyn was related to the Archenland royal family. Her uncle was King Lune, one of Peter's closest friends despite the difference in their ages. It made no sense.

Edmund looked at his brother, concern crossing his face. Trumpkin, however, didn't seem to catch Peter's reaction. "Why do you care so much about Queen Krisalyn?"

Susan and Lucy winced and Edmund reached out to hold his brother back as Peter moved towards Trumpkin. The High King's face was full of irritation and outrage. "For your information, she is my wife," Peter hissed angrily.

"Peter, calm down," Edmund said quietly, leaning up to whisper in his brother's ear. "We'll figure out what's going on. I'm sure Krisalyn is fine. We'll get this sorted out and we'll find her."

Peter closed his eyes and reined in his temper with an effort. Edmund was right. As much as he needed to know what had happened to his wife and child, right now the welfare of Narnia needed to be his priority. He took a deep breath and relaxed his tense muscles. A moment later, High King Peter was looking down on Trumpkin with a cool, calm expression, but one that was full of authority. It was an expression that he had used many, many times over the years, and it never failed to show that no matter how old he was, he had all the authority that Aslan had granted him and he knew how to use it. "I think you need to tell us everything, Trumpkin."

Please. please, please read and review! *drops to her knees and starts begging*