Chapter Fourteen: Meeting and Reunion

Aslan's How…

The impromptu meeting between the four monarchs, the Telmarine prince, and the Archenland lady had broken up a short time ago, and Aislynn was showing the Pevensies where they could get dinner. Their supplies were high, but their army was still large, so food was still somewhat rationed. Several of the Narnians had offered to give their dinners to the Pevensies, but all four had gracefully declined the offer, stating that they would eat under rations the same as everyone else. None of the Pevensies believed in using their rank to get more than everyone else, and in fact they stood near the back of the group that was currently dining, allowing everyone else to proceed them in getting their meals.

After all of them had had a chance to eat the simple, if filling meal, Aislynn turned to King Peter. "Your Majesty, what sleeping arrangements would you like us to arrange? We can set aside a room just for you and your siblings, or, if you prefer, Queen Susan and Queen Lucy can share the room where I have been sleeping, and you and King Edmund could share with Prince Caspian?"

The four siblings glanced at each other, before Peter turned back to Aislynn. "If it isn't an inconvenience to you and Caspian, we can share quarters the way you suggested. There's no need to set up a separate room just for the four of us."

Aislynn nodded and beckoned for the four Pevensies to follow her. She led them on a short trip through the various tunnels until they came to a room that had been set aside for storage. Piles of pallets and blankets were stacked neatly in the room, and Aislynn stepped aside as the Pevensies each selected a blanket and pallet. She stopped them when they tried to leave the storeroom though. "You'll need more than that." Turning back to the piles, she handed each of them a second pallet and then handed several blankets to Caspian before taking several more herself. When Susan looked like she was going to protest, Aislynn explained. "We actually have more pallets and blankets than we need. We put the children to work gathering supplies for making them so they could feel useful, and the adults that are too old to fight or don't know how to make weapons have been assigned to making bedding. I knew that Cor and Corin were likely to come and bring the army with them, and I also know that in order to make the best speed possible, they'll be traveling lightly as far as possessions like bedding goes."

Edmund looked equally hesitant. "Are you certain?" he asked. "It wouldn't be the first time that we've slept in rather rough conditions."

Aislynn nodded. "I'm certain, King Edmund. Besides, these caves get rather cold at night, except right next to the forges, so you'll need the extra blankets just to stay warm. We learned that the hard way when we first set up here."

Peter nodded. "We bow to your more experienced judgment, Aislynn."

Aislynn smiled at Peter, but oddly enough, he noticed that it seemed to be a distant, unfocused smile. When she turned and began leading them back through the tunnels, he frowned slightly. He wasn't sure what he had said to elicit that reaction from her, but at the same time, it didn't seem to be important, so he filed it away for later consideration.

When they reached the passage where most of the sleeping rooms were, Peter and Edmund followed Caspian into the room he was using, while Susan and Lucy followed Aislynn into a second room a few rooms down. Caspian quickly helped them set up their pallets, stacking the two pallets on top of each other, with two blankets on top, and a third blanket folded up into a makeshift pillow. Just as they were finishing, a voice called from the passage. "Prince Caspian? Your Majesties?"

"Come in, Trufflehunter!" Caspian replied instantly.

"Am I disturbing you, Your Majesties?" the Badger asked poking his head into the room.

"Not at all, good Badger," Edmund answered easily. "Did you need to see all of us, or someone in particular?"

Before the Badger could answer, Lucy and Susan poked their heads into the room as well. "What's going on?" the eldest Queen asked.

"Your Majesties, one of our scouts has asked permission to give his report to you in person," Trufflehunter explained.

Caspian and Aislynn, who entered behind the Queens, exchanged looks of amusement. Aislynn looked at Trufflehunter. "Reepicheep?"

Trufflehunter nodded. "Reepicheep."

Caspian looked as if he was trying to smother a laugh, but he nodded after glancing at Peter for permission. "Send him in, Trufflehunter."

The Badger nodded and backed out, re-entering a few moments later, followed by a sight that none of the Pevensies were expecting. The scout in question, who was apparently named Reepicheep, was a sixteen-inch tall Mouse who walked on his back legs, had a tiny rapier belted at his waist, and a jaunty feather attached to a ring that surrounded the base of one of his ears. His fur was a light tan and his wide, dark eyes gave him a charming appearance.

Caspian had managed to compose himself, and no trace of the amusement Trufflehunter's announcement had brought showed on his face. "Sir Reepicheep, your report please."

"Your Highness, I have just returned from my patrol and am happy to report that the Telmarines have yet to discover our location. They are making a methodical search of the woods, since that is where they last saw him. If they continue at the pace that they are currently moving, I would expect them to locate the How within two days."

Caspian nodded gravely. "How many men do they have searching at the moment?"

"Roughly fifty, sire, spread out in patrols of ten, covering all directions beginning at Beruna." Reepicheep's attention was focused on Caspian, not on the other four monarchs, whom he had not spared a glance.

Caspian's look was thoughtful. "Is there any chance of ambushing the patrols south of here? We're expecting Prince Corin to be leading the first group of reinforcements up from Archenland some time within the next two days. If we could clear a path for them, they could reach us that much sooner."

"My mice and I will endeavor to discover a way, immediately, Sire!" Reepicheep vowed, bowing deeply.

Lucy, who had been watching the exchange avidly, finally couldn't hold her tongue anymore as she leaned over to Susan. "Oh my gosh, he is so cute!" she whispered softly.

Unfortunately, Reepicheep's keen ears picked up the whispered comment. "Who said that?" he roared, full of indignation as he yanked out his tiny sword and whirled around, looking for the offender, before his eyes came to rest on Lucy.

"Oh! Sorry," Lucy replied, sheepishly.

Reepicheep's eyes narrowed, but before he could do anything else, Caspian broke in, his voice full of amusement that he didn't bother to conceal. "Reepicheep, may I introduce you to Her Royal Majesty, Queen Lucy?"

Reepicheep nearly fell over in surprise as he grasped what Caspian had said. "Queen Lucy the Valiant?" He quickly sheathed his sword and bowed humbly to Lucy. "Your Royal Majesty, forgive me for drawing my weapon on you. It was most improper of me and I beg your forgiveness most humbly."

Lucy bit her lip to stifle a laugh, shooting a glare at her brothers and sister, who were having almost as much difficulty restraining their amusement, before she knelt down and gently touched Reepicheep's shoulder. "Please, rise, Reepicheep. I took no offense." As the Mouse straightened up, looking at her with awe and admiration, she gestured to Susan. "Reepicheep, this is my sister, Queen Susan the Gentle."

Reepicheep bowed again, but he kept his eyes on the older Queen, rising when Susan indicated. Lucy gently indicated that Reepicheep should turn to face behind him again, and when the Mouse did so, the young Queen continued. "These are my brothers, King Edmund the Just and High King Peter the Magnificent."

This time, Reepicheep almost threw himself face down on the ground at Peter's feet, so reverent was his bow. Peter shook his head, sending an amused glance his siblings before speaking softly to the Mouse. "Please, rise." As Reepicheep did so, Peter smiled at him. "I appreciate your dedication to our cause, noble friend, and I know Caspian, Aislynn, and my siblings do as well." Nods all around met that statement.

"Thank you for your report on the situation. It will be most helpful as we begin planning the campaign to take back what has been stolen from us."

"It is my honor, your High Majesty, and if there is aught else that I may do, know that I am at your command, day or night!" the valiant Mouse replied. Bowing again, he backed out of the room, Trufflehunter following him after bowing to the monarchs, the Badger shaking his head at Reepicheep's audacity.

The gathered group waited until they were certain that Reepicheep would be out of earshot before they all broke down in a fit of giggles.

Edmund managed to get hold of himself first, and wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, he looked at Caspian and Aislynn. "That was certainly…unique."

Caspian nodded, controlling his own laughter. "Reepicheep is quite loyal, and quite fierce, despite his size. His attitude makes it easy to forget that he is as small as he is. I met him when we were trying to escape Trufflehunter's house. A Telmarine patrol spotted us and as we were running, they were suddenly cut down without warning from something among the ferns and undergrowth. When I turned to go back after the last Telmarine, Reepicheep killed him first, and then leaped out from under cover and knocked me to the ground, he hit me so hard."

Fresh snorts of laughter were heard as that image passed through everyone's minds. "What did you do?" Susan asked.

"My sword was knocked out of my hand when I hit the ground, and he stood on top of me, grabbed his sword and pointed it at my face and told me 'Choose your last words carefully, Telmarine!'" Caspian replied. "All I could think to say was that he was a mouse. His response was a sigh and 'I was hoping for something a little more original. Pick up your sword.'"

More laughter followed that statement. Caspian continued. "When I refused, he demanded that I pick it up because he wouldn't fight an unarmed man. I pointed out that I would live longer if I didn't fight him, and he only replied, 'I said I wouldn't fight you. I didn't say I'd let you live!' Fortunately, Trufflehunter stopped him from killing me outright."

There was a final fit of giggles from the two Queens at that, before that got hold of themselves again. The levity had been much appreciated after the seriousness of the last few days, and they all sobered, knowing that further danger still lay ahead of them, and that they would need to be well-rested for the days ahead.

Peter took charge of the situation. "I think that would be an appropriate moment to call it a night. We'll all need to be rested so we can begin planning come morning. There are sentries posted, so we'll be alerted if something goes wrong in the middle of the night." He stepped over to his sisters and kissed them gently on their foreheads. "Good night, girls."

They returned Peter's kiss as Edmund stepped over and also bid his sisters a good night and pleasant dreams. With that, the two Queens followed Aislynn out of the room that Caspian and the two Kings would be sharing, and headed for their own bedrolls.

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"Mother? May I ask you something?" Eight-year-0ld Aislynn hurried up to her mother as dinner ended and her mother began heading back to their own quarters. She matched her mother's pace easily, despite her shorter legs.

Krisalyn looked down at her daughter, a warm smile on her face. Although she seemed tired, and moved slowly that night, her eyes were still full of love for the child at her side. Aislynn was all that she had left, after all, and Krisalyn wouldn't trade her daughter for anything. "Of course, precious. What did you want to know?"

"Why don't I have a father?" The question was innocent, the lupine-shaded eyes open and doe-like, but the words themselves brought a sharp jolt of long buried pain through Krisalyn's chest. She quickly closed her eyes and turned away from her daughter. "Aislynn, please don't ask me that."

"I just want to know, mother. All the other children have fathers. Cor and Corin have a father…why don't I?"

Krisalyn bit back the harsh reply she almost made. She had never raised her voice in anger to her daughter before and she didn't intend to start now. Aislynn didn't understand; her question we purely curiosity about a difference between her and the rest of her friends. "Wait until we get to our rooms, sweetheart, and then I'll explain."

Aislynn didn't know why her mother wanted to wait to answer the question, but she was obedient and fell silent as they traversed the elegant hallways towards the suite that they shared. She knew from her mother's tone that her question had upset her mother in some way, but she didn't know why.

For as long as Aislynn could remember, it had been her and her mother. She watched her friends with their fathers, but never really feeling the lack herself. The concept of "father" was just a foreign idea to her, one that she rarely dwelt on. She had her mother, and that was all she needed. But lately, watching her friends, she had begun to wonder why all of her friends had fathers and she didn't. What was different about her?

When they reached their own door, Krisalyn pushed it open, escorting her daughter inside. She closed and locked the door behind them, indicating that she did not want them disturbed. Then, taking Aislynn's hand, she led the little girl over to a couch in the middle of the sitting room and sat down with her.

"You do…did… have a father, Aislynn. All children have fathers," Krisalyn said quietly, fighting hard to hold back her own emotions and give her daughter the answer that she was looking for.

"Where is he?" the logical follow-up question came immediately. "Why have I never seen him before?"

Krisalyn took a deep breath and forced her emotions back. "Your father died before you were born, Aislynn. That's why he hasn't been here. He died just after I told him that you were going to be born."

"Oh." The little girl fell silent for a moment, thinking about this new information. "What was he like?"

"He…your father…he was a good man, Aislynn. He was handsome, and brave. He loved everyone, and he took his responsibilities very seriously. I loved him dearly. His death hurt me deeply. That's why I don't talk about him. It's too painful of a subject." Krisalyn closed her eyes against the rush of tears that threatened. She wasn't ashamed to cry, but Peter's loss was her own pain to bear. She looked down at her daughter. "Aislynn, promise me you won't ask about this again. It's too hard for me to talk about. Your father was the most magnificent person I've ever known…and he would be so proud of you. That's all you need to know."

The little girl looked up at her mother, trustingly. "I promise, mother."

Aislynn's eyes opened, coming awake all at once, as was her habit. She blinked several times before sitting up on her pallet, quietly, so as not to disturb the two Queens who slept nearby.

The day had been full of too many revelations and surprises to count, from the arrival of the Kings and Queens, to the surprising tidbit of news that King Peter had dropped about his wife…Aislynn shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Her mind kept latching on to that tiny detail, and she had no doubt that it was what had inspired the dream/memory she'd just had.

She sighed softly, glancing over at the sleeping Queens. After a moment, she rose to her feet, shoving her feet into her sturdy leather shoes and picking up a blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders to ward off the chill in the caves. Checking to make sure she hadn't woken the two Queens, she moved quietly out of the small chamber.

Once she reached the main passage, she paused, wondering where the best place to go to think would be. While she tended to favor the outdoors when she needed to be alone, for some reason, the passage leading down to the Stone Table was beckoning to her. Few of the Narnians went down there, considering it too sacred of a place for them to disturb. She could be guaranteed privacy down there, and all the torches would probably make it the warmest place in the How at the moment.

Realizing that she had made up her mind, she turned and headed down the passageway that led to the Stone Table. She paused before entering the chamber, a sense of awe and reverence washing over her as she entered, as it did every time she stepped inside this room. There was something…she shook her head. The Narnians considered this their most sacred place, because of Aslan's victory here forty years ago, but in those forty years, the Stone Table had not lost even a fraction of the power and magnificence that it had likely held when it was on the surface. The decision made by the Narnian Council to bury the Table in order to protect it was a wise one, she felt, and having it hidden in this way did nothing to lower the significance of this place in the eyes of the Narnians.

Aislynn hesitated for a moment, before walking around the Stone Table and sitting on the steps on the far side so that she faced the relief of Aslan that was carved into the wall. Her mother had raised her to have faith in Aslan and his power, and sitting here with the relief in front of her…it almost felt like she was actually sitting at the great Lion's feet while she worked out her feelings.

Leaning back against the edge of the Table, Aislynn let out a deep sigh. She was quiet for a few minutes as she put her thoughts in order, before she began speaking softly, not addressing anyone in particular, but speaking just to sort through the thoughts that had been racing through her mind ever since that afternoon.

"Some part of me always wanted to know who my father was," she mused. "Even when my mother wouldn't speak of it, and no one else seemed to want to discuss the topic with me, I think some part of me always wanted to know, even though I had accepted what my mother told me about my father being a good man." She looked up at the relief, wondering for a moment if it was just the firelight that made the carved eyes of the relief seem real, or if it was just her imagination.

"Now…I meet these Kings and Queens…they seem to be everything that I had ever heard about them, and I've only known them for half a day. I feel…drawn to them in some way. I was starting to think it was just because we were sort of close in age, even though I am older than any of them…but now…King Peter's words…"

She trailed off and shook her head. "It just doesn't make sense! If my mother really is King Peter's wife, why did she tell me that he was dead? Why would he have abandoned her before I was born? Why wouldn't he acknowledge me as his daughter?" She huffed a breath. "That's ridiculous…even I know the answer to that one. He disappeared before I was born, he probably doesn't even realize who I am. Why should he make a connection between me and a child that he never met?"

She closed her eyes. "But it still doesn't make sense! I'm twenty-five years old, my mother is fifty-six, and my father is barely sixteen? There's no way it can possibly be true! King Peter must have been referring to a different Krisalyn! It's the only thing that makes sense!" She opened her eyes and regarded the relief again. "But…then why do I want King Peter to be my father? Is it because of what my mother told me all those years ago, about my father being a good man…a magnificent man? King Peter's title is "the Magnificent"…maybe that's all it is?"

"It's not." A quiet voice broke the stillness of the room as Aislynn allowed her question to trail off into the silence. Aislynn jumped and spun around, looking towards the entrance of the room to see Queen Lucy standing there, also wrapped in a blanket to ward off the chill.

Aislynn quickly rose to her feet and curtsied to the youngest Queen. Lucy entered the room and smiled at Aislynn. "You need not curtsey to me, Aislynn. I would like us to be friends…since we're already so much more."

Lucy took a seat on the smooth steps and indicated that Aislynn should resume her place. As Aislynn settled herself next to the Queen, Lucy looked at her frankly. "I didn't mean to startle you. I've been hoping for a chance to talk to you all afternoon, and when I heard you get up and leave, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity."

Aislynn shook her head. "Don't apologize, Queen Lucy. I just wasn't expecting anyone else to come down here, and it is I who should apologize for waking you."

"You didn't," Lucy replied. "I was already awake. I envy Susan sometimes. She can sleep through almost anything, but my mind is too active for me to fall asleep easily sometimes. Given everything we've learned today, it's not surprising I couldn't sleep. As for coming down here…I was here the night that Aslan was killed on the Table, and I was here when the Deep Magic brought him back the next morning. I've always found this to be a peaceful place. I didn't get many opportunities to come here during our reign, but whenever we were nearby, I always came here, just to revel in the peace and remember Aslan's triumph."

The two girls sat in silence for several minutes before Aislynn finally broached the quiet. "Queen Lucy…what did you mean? You said…we're already more than friends…I don't' understand."

Lucy smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. "First, let me ask you…and please, answer honestly this time…is your mother's name Krisalyn?"

Aislynn hesitated again, but finally nodded. "Yes."

Lucy nodded, her suspicions confirmed. "Aislynn…Peter is your father. Edmund, Susan, and I are your aunts and uncle. We're a family. That's what I meant when I said we were more than friends."

"But it doesn't make sense!" Aislynn exclaimed. "The High King is only sixteen! I'm twenty-five, and my mother is fifty-six!"

Lucy sighed. "That…was an unfortunate side effect of our disappearance," the young Queen replied. When Aislynn shot her a confused look, Lucy sighed again. She tried to decide how she could explain it so that the older girl would accept the explanation. "How much do you know about our lives before we became Kings and Queens of Narnia?

Aislynn frowned, not sure where the youngest Queen was going with that question. "Well, I know what Narnian history says, that you were the rulers of the land of Spare Oom until Aslan called you to serve Narnia."

Lucy shook her head. "Unfortunately, Narnian history is wrong." She regarded the older girl with a serious expression. "Before we entered Narnia, we were four regular, normal children…not royalty at all, and not destined to be royal. We never lived in a land called Spare Oom."

Aislynn's frown deepened. "I don't understand," she admitted. "What does this have to do with King Peter being my father?"

"Everything," Lucy replied. "We lived in another world…we call it Earth. Specifically we lived in the city of Finchley, in the country of England. There was a great war going on between our country and many other countries. For our safety, we were evacuated out of the city and into the countryside. While we were there, we discovered the doorway that led to Narnia…a wardrobe inside a spare room in the house we were staying in. We came to Narnia, defeated the White Witch, and ruled as Kings and Queens.

"Your mother was the niece of King Lune…and, at the time we first met her, she was the heir to the Archenland throne, because she was the oldest child of King Lune's younger brother. This was before King Lune married Adele and had Cor and Corin."

Aislynn looked surprised at that. "She always called Cor and Corin her cousins…I never thought to ask her why, since she'd been doing it as long as I can remember. But she was the crown princess?"

Lucy nodded. "She and Peter met during the fifth year of our rule, when she and King Lune came up to celebrate the anniversary of our coronation. It actually wasn't love at first sight, like you might expect. They saw each other two or three more times over the course of that year, and when we went to Archenland to celebrate Christmas, Peter had decided to ask your mother to marry him. They were married six months later."

Aislynn looked thoughtful. "My mother never told me any of this," she admitted. "She always said that talking about my father was too painful…but she did tell me that he was dead, that he had died before I was born."

"He didn't die," Lucy replied softly, squashing down an irrational anger that rose at the thought of Aislynn having gone through her whole life not knowing who she really was (the heir to the Narnian throne), or who her parents really were. She didn't know why Krisalyn would have felt that she couldn't talk about Peter, but it wasn't important right now. "Peter loves your mother very much, Aislynn. He never stopped worrying about her, or missing her."

"But why wasn't he around when I was growing up?" Aislynn replied. "Where was he? If he cared so much…"

Lucy sighed. "We ruled for nine more years after your mother married Peter," she answered. She hesitated, wondering if she should mention the son that had been lost, before finally deciding that it wasn't something that needed to be discussed now. That was something that Peter and Krisalyn needed to discuss with Aislynn. It wasn't Lucy's place.

"In our fifteenth year of rule, word came that the White Stag had been seen running through the Western Woods. Your parents were both twenty-two when they married, and they were both thirty-one at this point. We decided to go on a hunting trip, to try to capture the White Stag. The morning we departed, just before we left Cair Paravel, your mother told Peter that she was pregnant with you, but she insisted that Peter come with us so that we could have some time together as siblings. The previous months had been somewhat chaotic. Peter had just returned from a campaign against the giants in Ettinsmoor, and Susan, Edmund, and I had just returned from Calormen and Archenland."

Lucy shook her head. Chaotic was too mild a word for those last few months in Narnia. Between the (predictable) assault by the giants, and the incident involving Rabadash and Susan…they had all been ready for a break. "We tracked the Stag to the Western Woods, and while we were there, we accidently discovered the passage back to England…back to the world we had come from originally."

Aislynn's confused look cleared up. "You went back to your original home?"

Lucy nodded. "We stepped back through the wardrobe into the spare room of the house…only to discover that there was a difference in the way that time moves. While fifteen years had passed for us here, no time at all had passed in England." Aislynn raised a skeptical eyebrow at that. "We suddenly found ourselves children again, back at the same moment we had left…the only difference was that we still retained all the knowledge and memories of the things we had learned in Narnia.

"Peter was horrified at being back, especially when he realized that the passage through the wardrobe had sealed itself behind us, and we couldn't get back to Narnia. For us, we've only been gone for four months, but when we came back and learned that it has been twenty-five years…" Lucy finished.

Aislynn was silent as she considered the story that the youngest Queen had just told her. She had to admit, as extraordinary as it was, it did go a long way towards explaining what had happened…why the four of them had simply vanished, why Aislynn had grown up without a father, and why, now that he had come back, Peter was younger than his daughter. She looked at the youngest Queen – her aunt – she suddenly realized. She was looking at a member of her family. Her family had suddenly grown from her and her mother to now include a father, two aunts, and an uncle.

"How did you know I was his daughter, Queen…Aunt Lucy?" Aislynn asked, before pausing and thinking over what she had just said. Aunt Lucy…it had a nice ring to it. Given the smile that erupted on the young Queen's face, she obviously liked the sound of it too.

"You look a little bit like both of your parents," Lucy replied. "Your eyes aren't exactly blue like Peter's, but they aren't exactly the same violet as your mother's either. Your hair does look like your mother's, and you're tall like Peter was when he was older." Lucy shook her head. "That seems odd to say, but it's true. Your age also was a strong indicator, although it wasn't the only thing." The younger girl smiled and shrugged. "You might just call it instinct, and when you told me your mother's name was Serena…I could tell from your tone of voice that you weren't telling me the whole truth, and your face when Peter mentioned his wife's name was Krisalyn…"

Aislynn nodded thoughtfully. She could see how the clues had added up for Lucy. She looked at her aunt and sighed, the smile fading from her face as she thought about the situation. "What do I do now? I want to talk to him. I want to know what he thinks about me. Does he know who I am?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, I don't think so. If he had figured it out, I don't think anything would have stopped him from acknowledging it." She regarded her niece thoughtfully for a moment. "He was very, very worried about you and your mother. It's all that he's been talking about for the past four months."

"I want to tell him. I want him to know who I am…I want to get to know my father," Aislynn said after she considered what Lucy had said.

Lucy hesitated, not quite sure how the older girl would take what she was about to say, but she was hoping that she would understand. "I don't think that would be a good idea right now, Aislynn." Before her niece could say anything in protest, she held up her hand and continued. "I know my brother very well, Aislynn. I know how tempting it must be to want to tell him everything, but Peter is the type of person who needs to keep his focus on one thing."

Aislynn frowned. "I'm not sure I understand."

"When we were ruling, Peter was able to keep track of many different, minor situations easily, but for more important matters, like a battle campaign, or his family, he always does his best when he's focused on one thing. He's been worried about your mother for four months. The only thing that's shaken some of that worry from him was transferring the worry to helping our people now. Right now, we need to keep his attention on that. If he gets distracted, things could go very badly. As much as I hate to say it, finding out that his daughter is here, alive and well…it would distract him badly. Even more, he has a tendency to be very overprotective of the people he loves. He'll feel like he needs to make up for everything that he has missed in your life, and that will be the only thing he'll be thinking about," Lucy explained.

Aislynn sighed. "I see. What do you suggest?"

Lucy smiled encouragingly. "Don't tell him yet, no matter how tempting it may be. Let him get through this campaign, and help us counter the Telmarines. When everything here is settled and done with, his attention will turn back to your mother, and that will be the time to tell him. Just the fact that you're alive and you can tell him about your mother will go a long way towards easing some of his worry and fear…but right now we have to keep his attention on the campaign."

"I guess that makes sense," Aislynn replied. "But…he's my father. I want to get to know him."

Lucy nodded. "You will. I'll make sure of it, even if I have to physically drag him away from the battlefield to get him to listen long enough while you talk to him. As soon as you tell him, you'll have his complete attention. In the meantime, I'm here and I'll tell you anything that you want to know."

Aislynn smiled at the offer and blinked back tears that were suddenly threatening to spill over. "Thank you…Aunt Lucy." She leaned down unexpectedly and embraced this aunt that she had just discovered. Lucy stiffened in surprise for a moment, before returning the hug willingly. The two girls sat on the steps leading up to the broken Table, sharing the embrace and their love…the love of one girl who had just discovered family she had never known she'd had…and the love of another girl who had known her family was out there, but whom she had never met.

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