Chapter Fourteen

Hi guys: first of all huge apologies for the tardiness of this chapter. It isn't an excuse but I have had an insane month, I have finished my PhD and been travelling in Europe (expect Germany, Belgium, France, Poland, Austria and Italy to feature in future stories). I took my laptop and expected to be able to upload but unfortunately that was not possible.

Therefore today I will be uploading three chapters today to make up.

Please review, I haven't had many reviews on this story, but most of all enjoy.

Love C.J.

Terebinthians began to return to Halpa over the next few hours, most appeared to be a little dazed and tired. They went into their houses in rags, covered in soot and rust and reappeared clean and tidy as though different people.

"Victoria!" Rillian shouted at her seeing her stood in the centre of Halpa's square.

"Rillian!" She called they ran towards each other and although he was sure it was unkingly he hugged her.

"How is Jax?" Rillian asked as they broke apart.

"Good, Lant gave him Queen Lucy's cordial."

"Excellent." She held it up.

"I have it here. Where is Henry?"

"He is fine. I will explain all." He paused taking a deep breath. "The people of Terebinthia have been held as slaves by men who wanted gold. They have been mining in the hills of the island. Henry is helping them he will be here soon."

"Are they ok?"

"I don't know some of them have been injured I believe and others seem to have been there a long time."

"How can I help?" She said and he smiled.

Victoria and Rillian set up a field hospital in the centre of Halpa's town square. They treated cuts, burns, blisters, scars, coughs and eye diseases. Rillian tried to help but he often felt as though he was getting in the way. He instead stood at the edge of the make shift hospital. He watched Victoria and Fallamore as they rushed around pushing bandages onto people, healing injuries and giving medicines. He admired them with a skill that he was sure he could not master.

Victoria often deferred to Fallamore's greater knowledge but for the first time in her life felt as though she had found something she was actually good at.

"Hullo Rillian," Henry said from beside him suddenly interrupting Rillian watching his sister heal a young woman's arm injury with the cordial.

"Henry," Rillian said "where have you been? Victoria has been worried."

"I wanted to see that all the Terebinthians could travel home. That they were well enough."

"That is good of you Henry. I should have thought of that."

"You were too busy trying to stop the people killing their captors."

"They never were. They simply locked them up with kindness and compassion that I could barely have believed possible."

"I guess we were all surprised today."

"Henry you can be very wise sometimes."

"But only sometimes," Henry laughed with Rillian. He was interrupted by his sister who had just seen him.

"Henry!" She shouted grabbing him in a hug.

"Get off Victoria." He laughed "I'm fine." She took his face in her hand.

"Are you sure?" She said more seriously.

"Yes." She hugged him again.

"I think your patients might need you." He said looking at the growing queue behind her.

"Ok we will talk later." She nodded at him looking at Rillian for a second before turning her back to them.

"How could this have happened?" Henry asked more seriously to Rillian.

"I don't know," he said seriously "greed and grief are both powerful emotions." There was a silence between the for a few minutes before Rillian noticed Henry holding his arm.

"Henry, have you been hurt?" He asked sincerely.

"Not too bad," came the reply.

"Go see your sister or Fallamore." He said seriously. Henry knew that tone with Rillian by now and simply nodded.

Jepson, Matton and Pippin left the ship some hours later at Rillian's insistence. He had told the three to join them at the party for the freed slaves. Jepson had been all for staying with the ship "you never know what might happen sire," but Rillian had insisted they join him and the others.

The streets of Halpa were full of people they cheered as Rillian and the others entered the square. Victoria in particular got a big shout. She had treated many people earlier in the day for cuts, bruises and lung disease and they remembered her for it.

Rillian walked through the crowd with shouts and cheers he stood on a large barrel in the centre.

"People of Terebinthia," he began "you have humbled me. You have been captured and kept in the wickedest of circumstances yet you showed kindness and love in a place that I could never have expected. I proudly now renew the bond of friendship between Narnia and Terebinthia." The end of his speech was greeted with the loudest of cheers and shouts. Victoria looked around her and saw glasses of wine and mugs of beers and trays of food being passed around the collective.

"Lady Victoria," a young woman said to her.

"Yes," she replied "and I'm not really a lady."

"Oh well that is what the others of your ship call you so I will too." Victoria almost rolled her eyes.

"I have a gift for you."

"No," she said "I could not possibly take anything from you." She recognised the young woman's face now. She had cured her arm injury with Queen Lucy's cordial. It had been nasty and painful and she was afraid of infection. However the young woman now had colour to her face and her rolled up sleeves showed no sign of the cut on her forearm. The girl caught her looking.

"It is much better, thank you." They exchanged a smile. The woman led Victoria to a shop front it was a dressmakers shop such that don't exist in our world anymore and looked to Victoria like something from a Dickens novel. The shop was dark until the woman lit a candle, by the light she could see the most exquisite blues, purples, reds,

greens and yellows in threads, ribbons, buttons and cloth. "Here it is," she grabbed a package and pushed it into Victoria's arms. "It is a dress," she smiled at Victoria's amused face. "I saw you were wearing boys clothes."

'Yes."

"Well try it on." She indicated to a space behind a curtain. Victoria put the dress on the dark. It fitted well but she couldn't see as it was dark. "Would you like some help?" The girl asked.

"No," she said exiting the curtain. "I think it fits." The young dressmaker smiled.

"Yes it does better than I could have dreamed. It suits you too. Come here," she motioned to a mirror and held a candle before her. Victoria saw the dress for the first time. It was an emerald green with elbow length sleeves and a slender cut. With her hair free Victoria felt she looked more Narnian than she could have thought possible and that thought made her smile. "Just one thing," the girl said passing her a green ribbon the exact shade of the dress. Victoria plaited it into her long chocolate brown hair.

"Perfect," the girl said.

"Thank you," she smiled sincerely. "Rillian was right you really are the kindest of people."

"Don't you mean the king?"

"Yes sorry I guess it's sea travel you get awfully familiar with people." The girl giggled and Victoria was reminded of her good friends at school in England. Before she had chance to dwell on it too long the girl grabbed her hand and pulled her outside.

The streets where louder and busier than before, a bonfire had been lit in the centre of Halpa's town square and people were dancing around it.

"Vic," Henry shouted at her grabbing her hand "come on," and she felt herself being pulled into the dance.

It felt like the entire island was in Halpa and they danced until dawn. So that when Rillian and the rest of the ships company dragged themselves to the Queen Elspeth they could thing of nothing but sleep. Which almost every man who could be spared proceeded to do.