Thank you so much to reviewers Arquenniel, Autumnia, imakeladrygirl, Padawan Jan-AQ, .life, Bookworm, jc, rolletti, 7Kyuubi7, KCS, Golden Ashes, Window2MySoul, barelypassing4sane, and LunaNigra!
A/N: Thank you also for your reponse to my question about whether I should write more drabbles. And yes, I planning on writing several more. :) So, thanks again! Finally, I do apologize about the lateness of this chapter. I recently moved and just when I got things in order, school started. Ah, life!
Anonymous Reviewer Replies:
bookworm: Thank you so much for the review! Wittiner had me giggling, too. Something about a fox in spectacles protecting his books... :)
jc: Thanks very much for the review! Its so much fun to think about what the Pevensies would be like to other people. Even though they are royalty, they're also kids. :)
Chapter 4: The Gardener
Cair Paravel was known far and wide for its grand expanses of carefully tended gardens. Herbs of every kind, flower beds of every variety and color, and the finest fruit trees on the west side of the seas.
And Eoyass was the caretaker of the south-eastern region of the gardens.
She'd always preferred working in the rain to working in the sunshine, despite the damp sheen that coated her needles for days afterwards. For in the rain, the plants showed their true colors, and it was breathtaking.
The blossoms opened and the bright heads lifted to catch the cool droplets of water. The herbs straightened, their savory scents threading into the patter of rainfall. The dirt was receptive to the wet freshness, loosening to accept the changes the gardener might nurture.
Not only were the plants and soil ideal for working, the gardens were always empty. The knights and lords left their entertainment for a warm fire and the King Edmund introduced game of chess. The ribbon bedecked courtiers ran for cover and the pages sought shelter under the wide awnings by the stables.
It was then that Eoyass would venture in bliss throughout the plant filled garden, inhaling the clean scents.
For a hedgehog wasn't bothered one whit over rain. She had never understood the game of chess—her good cousin had tried, without success, to teach her the miserable game. She had no ribbons or fine satins to keep safe. She had no rose oil scented love letters or armed forces memorandums to deliver.
And so she was free to tend the foliage in the solitude of a rainstorm.
Today, she was pleased to venture out into a clear spring rain. Feeling the fresh shower of rain, she pattered towards a bed of snowdrops that needed a bit of care.
To her utter delight, she was greeted by a fresh blanket of pure white blossoms just opening to catch the water-diluted rays of sunshine.
Eoyass held out a gnarled paw and brushed a crystal droplet of water gathering on the tip of a petal, as smooth and as pure as any of the satin hiding in the walls of the palace. Yet this satin didn't flee from the rain, it reveled in it.
She breathed a swift thanks to Aslan for the new day and set about checking the wide bed of flowers for unwanted green guests.
She'd accumulated a pile of weeds reaching the tip of a rosebud twice her height when a whimper, followed in quick succession by a sniffle, transferred her attention from her task to what other creature could possibly be out in the rain.
The sounds appeared to be coming from near the petunias—a new addition to the garden Eoyass had personally seen to.
Eoyass had a gentle heart, but it was thought that she might loose the freshly transplanted blossoms that sent her around the lily pond and peeking past the lilac bushes to see a crumpled satin-clad form right in the middle of the tender plants.
Feeling an overwhelming urge to pinch her nose at the ruined work, she cleared her throat and moved closer. Two bright blue eyes stared back up at her in a round face dusted with freckles. Eoyass noticed something as the pair of azure eyes widened.
It was either the strangest centaur she'd ever seen or this…this was one of the daughters of Eve and therefore a Queen of Narnia.
However, now didn't seem like the time to bow and exchange pleasantries. Judging by the redness in her eyes and the unnatural water streaking her cheeks, Eoyass wondered if this daughter of Eve had been weeping.
"Oh! Oh my!" the Queen scrambled to her feet, squashing more and more of the delicate petals. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-I mean your garden is lovely." She sniffed, tried to take a breath, and wept anew.
"Your highness, shall I call for your sister? Or your brother, perhaps?"
"No, no," the small daughter of Eve managed between hiccupping sobs. "I'm well."
"Your highness…" Eoyass paw brushed the edge of the trowel she held. "I do believe you are unwell." For Aslan's sake, the Queen's cheeks were as crimson as a begonia.
"I'm fine…it's just this-" The words were drowned in a harsh sob.
Eoyass set her tools carefully on the side of the walking path and took a ginger step towards the weeping monarch. She knew how to coax a tender sapling up from the earth, or even to persuade a naiad from the depths of a pond, but she was embarrassingly inexpert about sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, especially sons of Adam or daughters of Eve who wept.
Yet a young sapling and a timid naiad both had one action that comforted in common. A gentle hand stayed many fears. Perhaps, with a daughter of Eve it was the same.
In that grove of thought, Eoyass reached out awkwardly, stood fully on her hind legs, and patted the trembling arm closest to her. The two bright eyes, round and damp, once more fixated on the hedgehog.
"I am dreadfully sorry." The young Queen sniffed and valiantly straightened her shoulders. "I had no intent to disturb you. It's merely…oh, bother. I do wish I could stop blubbering." She rubbed at her cheeks, trying to dry her tears with the edge of her rain-soaked sleeve.
Eoyass waited for the daughter of Eve to compose herself. Any gardener knew that a plant could not be prodded and poked at constantly. There were times for acting straight away to correct and there were times to wait carefully for the outcome and then ascertain what was to be done. This was a time for waiting.
A full minute passed before the Queen managed to choke out, "Pete and Ed are going to renegotiate a new treaty on the southern border and, well, it's just that, I don't want them to leave." Yet another broken sob conquered her voice.
"Your highness… I wouldn't worry about your brothers." Eoyass easily recalled the tales she'd heard under a willow tree by the gate from a few of soldiers who'd trained with the two Kings. "My friends say they have the swiftest, surest swords within one hundred miles."
"That's exactly what Su said," Her little hands curled around her waist as her shoulders rose and fell in a pitiful, shaky sigh.
In the moment where the young Queen's eyes were cast down to the damp earth, Eoyass recognized a glint of apprehension in the expressive face.
Queen Lucy was frightened, frightened by change. Even though Eoyass knew so little about the ways of sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve, she knew a good bit about change. The timing had to be precise, the care meticulous, or the entire project would be in vain.
Eoyass stooped and gently lifted one of the broken stems of a petunia, the blossom trembling under the rain. She extended the flower so that it was in the monarch's full view. "I planted these over a month ago. The soil was at the perfect temperature and moisture was in the air. But the seedlings were still so small. I was afraid that they would not survive the transplant.
"However, the conditions were too optimal to be ignored and with the oncoming rains, I continued with my plans. As you see before you, these flowers have thrived. They struggled but they also persevered."
Queen Lucy's brow wrinkled in confusion.
Eoyass merely smiled, took the Queen's hand in her paw, and laid the velvety blossom in her palm. "Life is full of changes, your highness. Do not let the blossom be conquered. Persevere."
A long moment passed as Queen Lucy stared down at the flower in her pale hand. The volume of her voice was barely a whisper "And if I'm afraid?"
The hedgehog's smile grew. "The petunias are growing, are they not?"
The Queen was quiet for a minute longer before the edges or her lips curled up. Then something happened that Eoyass had not expected. In a flurry of bright fabric, the Queen crouched down and her two arms were suddenly flung around Eoyass' neck.
"Oh…oh my…" The rigidity in Eoyass muscles slowly eased as the warmth of the daughter of Eve's arms seeped through her needles.
The Queen pulled back, eyes still seeping tears, but an expression of contentment had settled over her face and there was a peace about her that hadn't been present previously. "Thank you."
"You're most welcome, highness."
"Oh, I'm just Lucy."
"But-"
"Phooey. I don't much care for the 'your highness' business." The daughter of Eve wrinkled her freckled nose for an instant and then nodded her head politely. "My name's Lucy."
"I am called Eoyass." The hedgehog gave the monarch before her a respectful bow.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Eoyass." Queen Lucy looked as though she would have continued but a male voice echoing across the garden's expanse prevented either from continuing the conversation.
"Lucy? Lucy!"
Queen Lucy took few quick steps to the cobbled pathway. "Peter?"
Eoyass watched as a tall, lanky son of Adam pass through the ivy grown archway. His golden blonde hair was already plastered to his head with rain and his fine tunic and breeches were showing the consequences of traipsing about in a rainstorm.
His head lifted as the wide green lawns came into view, obviously searching for something or someone, and the brilliant blue eyes roved the foliage. "Lucy?" he called again.
"Yes?" Queen Lucy's voice was timid, not at all the bright chirp it had been only a few short seconds ago.
"There you are." High King Peter's shoulder slumped, with relief no doubt if the tone of his voice was any indication.
"I was just…" she trailed off, unconsciously wringing her hands in her dripping sleeves.
The two siblings fumbled for words, each trying to bridge the uncomfortable gap. In Eoyass' eyes, all they needed was a slight nudge in the right direction. "I beg your pardon, your majesty. Your sister kindly offered to help me replant some of these petunias."
Queen Lucy glanced back at the hedgehog, a silent thanks emanating from her face.
"No pardon is necessary. I trust she was helpful?" High King Peter asked as decorum demanded but his gaze flicked back to his sister as often as possible, clearly concerned for her wellbeing.
"She was a true pleasure to have present, my lord."
"Excellent." He faltered as Queen Lucy had only moments ago. "Lucy? We…That is to say-"
The freckled face fell. "Su's in a mood because I've got my dress all ruined, isn't she?"
"No, I don't think she even knows that you're outside. You see…I've got an idea."
Like a plant that had finally burrowed roots down enough to find water, Queen Lucy's spirits visibly brightened. "Tell me about it?"
"Since Ed's gone and beat all the nobles at chess, I was wondering if you and I might team up and show him that's he's not the only Pevensie who can strategize. What do you say?" The High King's eyes scrutinized Queen Lucy's face as she thought. After a moment, he added, "Su even talked the kitchen staff into baking a batch of cookies."
He held out his hand, a wide, inviting grin on his face. "Come on, Lucy. It'll be fun, the whole day just for us four."
"Really?"
High King Peter nodded.
The smile that was talked about far and wide as being the most glorious, joyful smile ever beheld suddenly encompassed Queen Lucy's face. "That sounds lovely!"
"Then shall we go? I warrant Ed's already pacing the floor."
Queen's Lucy's voice lowered conspiratorially. "And we don't want him to wear out the wood."
A light trickle of laughter passed between them until the High King offered his hand and Queen Lucy did not hesitate an instant before taking hold.
Not even the sight of rain bringing the garden alive could have brought such a feeling to Eoyass' heart as the sight of the pair of siblings moving towards the palace, hand in hand, both sopping wet but utterly content.
Eoyass felt the quiet pleasure witnessing a tender moment and turned away with a soft smile to her mouth…until she saw the trampled petunias.
She sighed, shouldering the long hours of needed to return the flower bed to its full glory, and lifted her trowel. "Persevere."
Fin