In less than a week Alessandra had been tortured, met Kings and Queens that she wasn't sure she believed existed, met a dwarf that she also wasn't sure she believed in, and now was surrounded by even more of the creatures she thought only existed in stories. The books and illustrations that Professor Cornelius and Caspian had didn't do them justice.
Minotaur's were larger than she expected, fawns were leaner and centaurs. Centaurs were just majestic in her opinion.
Caspian migrated to her side the moment they started moving through the woods again, this time with a true destination in mind, and there he stayed.
He didn't try to hold her hand or waist but he paused at every fallen log and low branch to make sure she got over or under safely. The problem was that Peter was the one who was helping her, he offered his hand before Caspian could. Her prince was locked in a conversation with Edmund but his eyes hardened each time it happened.
Thankfully they soon reached a rather large clearing, far beyond lay what looked to her to be a pile of ruins, but when they continued to press forward she knew it had to be more. The closer they got the more people, creatures trickled out of the ruins, like they'd all been waiting for this moment. Finally they arrived at what she assumed could only be the entrance and it was lined on either side by centaurs. Upon the approach of the Kings and Queens of Old, in a practised uniformed manner they unsheathed their swords and held them high up creating a long arch.
Heads held high the four royals of Old marched forward, Alessandra smiled seeing the respect and hope garnered from their mere presence but it shrank when she turned to her lover. Caspian wasn't looking at the display, instead his head was bowed and shoulders hunched, a stark contrast to the princely posture she normally teased him about. Not giving it a second thought she took his hand in his and squeezed, his eyes shifted to their contact then trailed upwards until they met hers, the soft smile she was wearing made his lips quirk up slightly. She tilted her head in question towards the ruins and he nodded his grip tightened and together they pressed onwards.
The entrance is short, so much so that the minotaur's and centaurs have to duck to make it through, just inside though the pit opens up to a large room, almost cavernous, lit by torches all along the walls.
"What is this place?" she whispered to Caspian.
"They call it the How," he responds, squeezing her hand once, "The Narnians that were left built it over the stone table centuries ago."
"To protect it?" She guessed, She remembered Cornelius telling her about the Stone Table, its history and most importantly Aslan's ultimate sacrifice.
"Most likely," his voice lowered slightly as they continued on the company behind and around slowly dispersing, "It was around the time the Telmarines invaded, it's been a hidden sanctuary ever since.'"
As they walked Alessandra peered into the hollowed out rooms they passed trying not to gawk at the creatures she saw, in the open cave of a room, armour was being circulated and different crates were being pried open, some of them she recognized as the ones she and the Pevensie's saw at the lake.
"When did you acquire those?" She asked Caspian glancing back at the room they'd just left.
"Yesterday," he responded, his hand moving to cup her back, "We raided Miraz's camp on the Beruna Ford, been keeping an eye out for scouts since." That raid had to have been either before or after she was there, they could have been within mere feet of each other and would never have known.
"Sire?" A deep voice called from behind before she could tell him this and they paused, turning to see a centaur, "I thought perhaps it'd be best to introduce your Lady to my mate, so that she may be settled in while we convene with the Kings and Queens."
She wanted to scoff at being referred to as a 'Lady', and had it just been her and Caspian like old times she would have. But it didn't feel appropriate to tease him right now.
Caspian's first instinct was to refuse, now that he had her back he didn't want to let her out of his sight for a moment. But Caspian understood that this all may be a bit much for her, she wasn't raised for this type of company or conversation like he was, there would come a time for her to learn to navigate and be a part of these conversations, but perhaps not yet.
He glanced at her to gauge how she felt about the proposition, and she met his gaze and gave the smallest of nods.
"Thank you Glenstorm, we would appreciate that." The centaur that Caspian was coming to respect a great deal nodded.
"The kings and Queens pressed on, you should be able to catch up. I'll be long as soon as I see your Lady off."
Caspian nodded and wondered if the centaur could sense that he needed the assurance of knowing his every step, he took her hand in his again and brought it up to kiss the back, "I'll find you as soon as I can." She squeezed his hand once before releasing and taking a step closer to the centaur.
"My Lady." She glanced over her shoulder as she left and Caspian almost had to lock his knees to not follow her, the urge to not let her out of his sight was strong but for the moment Caspian resisted.
The centaur was tall and had the advantage of four legs instead of Alessandra's mere two, for almost every step he took Alessandra took nearly four, almost at jog trying to keep up. She hoped that her breathing wasn't betraying how fast her heart was beating when they finally came to a stop.
Glenstorm had to duck again to enter the room where there were various creatures at work, a female centaur immediately came to them and took Glenstorm by the arm and the two of them seemed to be communicating with their eyes. Given all she'd seen and experienced in the last 48 hours she wasn't going to dismiss the idea entirely.
"My Lady?" Glenstorm called getting her attention.
"Alessandra," she corrected him once he and his mate had finished their moment, " Alessandra, please."
"Lady Alessandra," not exactly what she meant but for the moment she'd accept, "This is my mate, Windmane."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, My Lady."
"The pleasure is mine," perhaps some of Caspian's manners had rubbed off on her.
"This is where I leave you, for now," Glenstorm said , "I'm sure his highness will find you when we've adjourned."
She nodded but Glenstorm didn't move, he seemed like he was waiting for something but she wasn't sure what. A glance at his mate didn't offer much help, after a moment she cleared her throat, "Thank you, Glenstorm," she said adopting the dismissive tone often used on her back in the castle, hopefully hers lacked the biting edge that was also present. That seemed to be what the centaur was waiting for as he slightly tilted his head in a bow before leaving.
"Come along," Windmane said cheerfully, "Allow me to show you around."
She nodded and followed the centaur even deeper into the How, thankfully the lady centaur seemed to be aware of Alessandra's struggle to keep pace and slowed considerably to compensate. The How as deceptively large, she learned the further in they went, She wondered how long it took to build and if it took even longer to learn how to properly traverse it.
"How long have you all been down here?" Alessandra asked when they took a break in the dining hall. She sits on one of the packed slabs of dirt that doubles as a bench while Windmare folds her legs beneath her, for the time being they're nearly at eye level.
"Most of us only started to migrate here mere months ago, for a long while it's been occupied by mainly the dwarves and mice."
"What brought you?"
"A call," the centaur says as if it's a completely normal answer, "Deep magic that told as a change was coming that we ought to prepare for, my mate and his stargazers saw it too."
"Stargazers?" she echoed trying to recall if she'd ever heard the word before.
"Prophets," She further explained, "Those that watch the skies to predict the future, what may come next."
"Interesting." Alessandra hummed.
"Exhausting would perhaps be a better word My Lady," the centaur corrected with a wry grin, "Imagine being with someone that has the ability to predict your next move."
That made her laugh, she doubted the centaur's predictions could be that accurate but who was she to question?
"Well when you put it that way, I can see how that can be frustrating."
Whatever the centaur was going to say next was cut off by the arrival of two smaller centaurs, younger she felt like she could safely assume, bearing matching grins. Though they were smaller they still towered over her especially in this sitting position and if she stood she doubted the space between would diminish by much.
"Have you two been causing mischief?" Windmane cooed with a soft smile on her face.
"Is it true?" the slighter of the two asked.
"Is what true?"
When the two spoke next it came out in a rush of words, "What the King and Queens of Old returned?" "Are there more humans in the How?"
Windmane sighed but it was backed my warmth, "Has your father taught you nothing about being aware of your surroundings?"
It was then that the two centaurs took notice of her, "Hello." she said shyly.
The two gaped before they both placed a fisted hand over their chests before bowing deeply, it was Alessandra's turn to gape as she wasn't sure how to respond to that, luckily, or perhaps unluckily she didn't have to since the smaller of the two took a step forward and bent himself to be closer to her height, she was given half a second to wonder what he was doing before the front of his forehead met hers in a nudge that smarted probably more than he meant it to.
"Ironhoof!" Windmane chastised, "Gentle, she's not used to such greetings."
"It's fine," Alessandra blinked hard a few times, resisting the urge to reach up and cup her throbbing forehead, "It's a pleasure to meet both of you."
"My sons," the female centaur said gesturing for them to sit so they could get closer to her level, "Suncloud, and you've already been greeted by Iornhoof."
"My apologies, my Lady."
"No apologies necessary, although I can't say I've ever been greeted quite so enthusiastically."
"You'll find that much of the enthusiasm lies in this one, my eldest son Rainstone, he's with his father right now, he's the serious one."
"What does that make me?" Suncloud cut in, teasing present in his voice.
"The calm one." his mother told him evenly and Alessandra smiled feeling the warmth in their interaction.
The brothers stayed within their company. They started off telling Alessandra stories about their upbringing in the woods and training with their father but it quickly dissolved into them teasing one another over who was the better swordsman.
"Windmane?" she whispered to their mother who was content watching them bicker, she hummed giving Alessandra her full attention, "Do you know where I might find something else to wear? I don't really fancy meeting all these creatures in my nightclothes."
"I'm sorry my Lady, but I believe that in the last raid only armours and trousers were produced," The centaur explained sadly, when Alessandra sighed she added, "But some of the Queens of Ols things have been stored here for quite some time, perhaps once they've gotten settled you can see if they've something."
"I might do that, thank you."
Their conversation continued, and took a turn when Alessandra asked them to tell her a bit more about the creatures around the How. The Old Narnians as it were, but that particular lesson would have to wait as they were interrupted by the arrival of their respective partners.
Alessandra stood as Caspian and Glenstorm approached along with another younger centaur who she assumed was Rainstone, Windmane and her two sons stood a second later, their impressive heights all but swallowing her. Caspian pulled her to his side with a wry grin, sliding a hand around to cup her nape.
"Are you well?" he asked leaning close to whisper in her ear, she nodded and he made to pull her from the room but she resisted for a moment.
"Thank you for the company, Windmane." she spoke to the centaur.
"It was a pleasure my Lady," she said bowing her head slightly, her sons following suit, "If ever you are in need of company again, don't hesitate to find me or my sons."
She nodded then allowed Caspian to take her from the room. He takes her down the opposite hall that she and Windmane had entered from and again she wondered if learning to navigate the How was going to be as difficult as she was imagining it to be.
Like he could read her mind Capsian, squeezed her hand, "It's not too difficult once you get used to it."
"Easy for you to say," she shot back, gripping his hand tighter. She caught the small smile on his face before they turned a slight corner near the end of the hall and then another before a room opened up before them. It's just as dimly lit as the rest of the underground but she spies Caspian's armour in the corner along with his cloak laid out on the ground in a makeshift bed. The corner they'd turned acted as a makeshift divider between the room and the rest of the How, not completely private but not as open as the other rooms she'd seen.
"This is where we'll be staying for the time being," he explained.
"Charming."
"I know it's not what you're used to."
"Actually, it might be better," she told him, relishing at the fact that she could still pull those soft smiles from him but she longed to see a full one light up his face like she'd only seen a handful of times before. The smile faded as he looked her over, taking in the bruising on the side of her face. She didn't have a mirror handy but she could hazard a guess as to how it looked, the haphazard wrapping on her shoulder was easier to hide under Peter's cloak but Caspian's keen eyes didn't miss that either, "Don't," she cut off the words she could see forming in his eyes before they could escape his mouth, "Don't apologize."
"I shouldn't have left you."
"Did you have a choice?"
He sighed, "How did you make it out?"
"Bruno," that simple name eased the tension in his shoulder slightly, at least that part of the plan had gone accordingly. "He came and got me, helped me escape. Though not without some resistance." she teased.
"Remind me to only give him half his pay." he shot back, the banter between them flowing like no time had passed at all.
She breathed a laugh before her hands reached up and her thumb gently traced underneath his eye, his eye bags seemed darker and his eyes were rimmed with red like he'd been rubbing them. She knew that she didn't sleep well these past few nights, could the same be said for him? "Are you okay?"
One of his hands landed on her waist while the other came up and took hers resting them lightly on his chest, just over his beating heart, "I should be asking you."
She huffed, "Cas, I'm not the one leading an army of," she paused, "Fairytale creatures."
"Don't let them hear you calling them that." he warned even as he leaned down further ready to catch her lips with hers. The nights without her had been torturous, not knowing where she was or even if she was alive had left him out of sorts. The fact that he had to put his emotions on hold in order to be the leader that the Narnians expected didn't help, but she was here now. A little worse for wear, and wearing another man's cloak, but here nevertheless. Before his lips could touch hers though they were interrupted by a gasp.
"Oh," Alessandra opened her eyes, unsure when they'd closed and peeked around Caspian's board shoulder to see Susan retreating back around the corner, "Windmane said that I might find you here, I brought you something to wear." she explained still from her hiding place, face red from the display of affection she stumbled into.
Caspian retreated with a nod but kept a hold of her hand, "Thank you," Alessandra said loudly which Susan took to mean that the coast was clear.
"It's no problem." she said handing the wrapped cloth over to Alessandra, which she had to drop Caspian's hand to accept, "I also wanted to invite you to the grounds for a bit of archery training, if you're interested." At the tilt of her head Susan further explained, "We think it best for everyone to be prepared for whatever comes next."
Alessandra nodded, "I suppose that makes sense." She unfolded the dress in her hands, unsurprised to see that it differed from her work clothes. In colour and cut, "Could you um," she bit her lip, "Help me get this on?"
Luckily Susan's smile was warm, "Of course." she came to Alessandra's other side and they both looked at Caspian.
The man himself looked back and forth between a pair of brown and blue eyes in confusion for a moment before understanding bleed into his features and he nodded to the silent demand from his Light and the High Queen, "I'll meet you outside." he told them, mainly to his love before pressing a kiss to the side of her head, bowing slightly to Susan before he left.
Alessandra blushed, unused to such affection from Caspian in the presence of other people. She wondered for a moment upon their arrival if things at the How would end up being similar to that of the castle where they were forced to hide, with every gesture Caspian told her without words that that wasn't the case.
"Sorry about that." she apologized to Susan as she removed Peter's cloak and reached around to start undoing her laces.
"Here let me," the High Queen stepped around Alessandra when she flinched, clearly tugging at the wounds on her shoulder to help undo the ties holding her dress together, "You have nothing to apologize for by the way. But my brother is going to be awfully disappointed."
She sighed, "Right."
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed."
"I've been trying very hard not to." Alessandra admitted holding her dress to her chest as it fell slack.
"We should clean that." Susan said before she could pull the thing off, nodding to her shoulder. Alessandra sighed again looking at the offending injury before nodding.
Thankfully Caspian had a bowl of water and a small cloth sitting on the ground near his clock. She and Susan neared next to the divots in the earth as the queen reached for the bowl, Alessandra knew that it was protocol to keep extra bandages on hand so she dug through Caspian's satchel to find those while Susan set about dunking the cloth into the bowl.
When it came time to unwrap the cloth she hesitated, "Are you alright?" Susan asked softly, living up to the 'Gentle' in her title.
"Yeah," Alessandra nodded without thought, "I'm just not sure what's going to be under there." though she could hazard a guess.
"Let's find out together." Susan said, covering her hand with hers. Alessandra took a deep breath and nodded.
The younger girl gently unwrapped Bruno's rushed binding and before the last piece was removed she glanced at Alessandra again for confirmation as her nod she removed the last piece, cleaning up the blood that trickled down from being dried stuck to the bandaged. Susan's face remained impassive so Alessandra couldn't tell whether the damage was good or bad.
"Well thankfully it's not infected," she said diplomatically, wiping with the wet cloth, "Although it will probably scar."
At that Alessandra took another breath and glanced down at her shoulder only to whimper at what she saw. It wasn't that it was particularly gruesome or gory, she'd seen worse from a misplaced knife in the kitchen or the odd time she saw a soldier being carted to the castle healer after battle, rather it was the implication of what resided on the front of her shoulder.
Miraz's words came back to her she remembered as he growled them into her ear pinning her arm down as he carved the mark into her shoulder,
"You're willing to risk your life to be a whore for my nephew? Fine!" he spat, "Let the world see who exactly you'll be dying for."
Right about now she was regretting not taking Peter up on his offer of letting Lucy's cordial work its magic.
"I think the scarring will be the least of my problems." she tried to joke but it came out more solemn than she intended.
"Nothing a few well made dresses can't cover up." Susan said as she continued to clean the cut, "My brother never showed interest in anyone the first time we were in Narnia," the sudden change in topic made Alessandra tilt her head in confusion, "In fifteen years, he never married, never really showed any interest in the ladies of the court. And now all of a sudden." she trailed off glancing up at Alessandra.
"Me?"
"You." Susan nodded, beginning to wrap her shoulder in fresh bandages, "Although I think he sees you more as his second chance to do things right this time."
"So he doesn't really like me?" she teased and Susan smiled as they stood and helped her into the borrowed dress.
"I think he likes you, but I also think he's infatuated with you. You're different from anyone we've ever met, and my brother has never backed down from a challenge."
"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked as Susan began to lace her up.
"Because anyone with eyes can see that your heart already belongs to someone else." she touched the necklace hanging around her neck and instead of tucking it away like she'd gotten used to she pulled it out, Susan came back around to the front of her, "I think it's best you let him down gently, he may be an idiot but I don't want to see my brother hurt."
"I will."
Susan smiled looking her over, "You look lovely."
"Thank you," she said looking down at the green dress that now adorned her, "And thank you."
"We should head out, I'm sure the others are starting to get impatient." Alessandra nodded following her out, sparring a glance back at Peter's cloak before ultimately deciding to leave it behind, there would come a time to talk to him, but not right now.
The others weren't impatient since 'the others' had yet to exit the How, nonplussed Susan walked Alessandra to where she had designated a spot for training and walked her through the basics figuring the Narnians would at least have those down and she didn't want her at a disadvantage.
"Keep your elbow up," Susan told her gently as she pulled back the string on the bow, "I know it's uncomfortable but you'll get used to it." She doubted that but listened, correcting her drooping arm, "Loosen your grip," she said next, tapping her fingers on the neck of the bow, "You want to give the arrow room to move." Again she followed instructions and Susan nodded pleased for now.
"Go ahead." The badger that she met yesterday, Trufflehunter, was the only Narnian present and he had the unfortunate pleasure of propping up a dummy dressed in Telmarine armour for something realistic to aim for. Both the badger and the dummy were spared from the arrow as it flew over them both.
Alessandra sighed, "Try again," Susan said encouraging she corrected a few more things before encouraging her to shot again, where she missed again,
Susan hummed, biting her cheek, "Here,'" she said and Alessandra turned to see her offering her famed bow and arrow, "Try this."
She was shocked even as she took it at Susan's quiet insistence "But this is your bow."
"Trust me, I want to see something." She nodded for Alessandra to try again, this time when she fired the arrow actually hit the dummy. It was Far from a fatal shot but still it had landed.
"Well done." She distantly heard Trufflehunter praise but she was distracted by the look of wonder on Susan's face.
"Just as I thought."
"What?"
"When Father Christmas gifted us our weapons, he told me that as long as you trust in this bow, it won't easily miss. I guess that didn't only apply to me."
"But if the bow is enchanted, is that not unfair?"
"Not many people care for fair in war Les'." She didn't like the truth of that statement and made to hand Susan her bow back but the Queen stopped her.
"Keep it, for now."
"But-"
"I've had loads of experience with regular bows too," she said evenly, already picking up one of the bows they dragged out for training, "Keep practising. Get comfortable firing." Shortly after they were joined by a group of Narnians.
Susan gave general instructions on how to properly hold a bow and take aim but spent less time correcting grips and posture like she had with Alessandra, with such a large group and the threat of war looming on the horizon it seemed like hitting the target took precedence. Though that too they struggled with.
"Not a scratch." Trufflehunter announced after the latest attempt at firing hadn't gone as well as Susan hoped it would.
"It's alright." She said loudly following the dejected noises of the Narnians, "Rome wasn't built in a day." She mattered under her breath.
"How long did it take?" A minotaur asked in the same low tone Susan had used, but Alessandra had a more pressing question on her mind.
"What's Rome?"
"It's just a phrase." Susan explained bashfully, she was about to further explain what it meant but was cut off by an arrow flying past and embedding itself in the shoulder of the practice dummy.
"Hey!" The badger snapped appalled at someone's recklessness.
"Nice shot," The High Queen mused looking around expecting someone to take credit, "But who?"
"Good afternoon your majesty," A certain Telmarine Prince's smug voice said as it approached, from the corner of her eye Alessandra could see Caspian come to a stop near her side, "I thought you could use some help."
"Things are well in hand." Gentle though she may be, the High Queen didn't bother to hide her indignation at Caspian's showboating as she looked him over and to the crossbow in his hands, "Thank you."
"I didn't mean to suggest otherwise." Caspian said slightly deflected looking to his Light to see if she'd offer some kind of support from the Queen's annoyance, only to see her smothering a grin as she pulled back on the bow in her hands, "I only meant to offer another set of hands."
Susan was certain that wasn't the only reason he'd joined them but she relented for the moment, "I suppose it couldn't hurt." she said with a shrug turning to help a faun leaving Caspian to turn his attention to the true reason he'd joined archery training.
He corrected her posture the same imperfections that Susan had pointed out but his hand lingered slightly longer than was necessary. When he deemed her ready he took a step back and nodded for her to fire, "Wait," he said, suddenly stepping behind her and placing a hand on her stomach, she sucked in a breath at the contact but he was unperturbed, "Relax your core."
"Easy for you to say."
He smiled but squeezed her hip once, a small gesture to remind her to focus, "Deep breath," his hand moved to feel her ribcage expand beneath it and rather than checking to see if her aim was correct he was staring down over her shoulder, the sight of her welding the bow and arrow were having effects on him that were wildly inappropriate for the present time and company, "Fire."
Her shot lands in the shoulder of the dummy just below Caspian's and his beaming grin is proud, for a moment she allows herself to believe that things were different. They weren't hiding in a cave surrounded by Kings and Queens and creatures of legends, rather he was teaching her to use a bow as an excuse to hold her close. The illusion is broken by the thwang of more bows and Trufflehunter muffled expletives.
"You know," she said, lowering the bow and turning to face him fully, "Peacocking doesn't become you Caspian.
"Forgive me I don't often get the chance to show off for you."
"Let's see it then."
With that he grinned, quick practised hands reload another bolt into his crossbow. "Pick a target."
Glancing down the line to be sure Susan was still occupied before scanning the tree line, then Leaking higher, "Do you see the pinecone?"
Caspian scorned the trees before nodding, lifting his Crossbow and peering down its sights, before lowering it slightly "Are you sure that's not an acorn?"
"Too far for you?" she teased, Caspian quirked a mischievous brow at her sass before lifting his how again, taking aim and firing. Only to miss the pinecone by a hair.
"Your turn." he said with a smirk, she was about to ask him if he was joking when another voice cut in.
"Not bad." Susan said from behind her, making her flinch in surprise.
Clearly in a showboating mood Caspian's chest swelled again, "Well I was trained by the best in the Telmarine army."
"If that's the best they've got, we may yet stand a chance." Susan shot back with a smirk of her own, lifting a borrowed bow and arrow taking quick aim and shooting down the same pinecore that Caspian had missed, that certainly proved that the High Queen didn't need an enchantment to be a force. As the pine cone fell it landed in front of the hooves of an unfamiliar horse, its rider looking just as shock as they did when he met their eyes
As quickly as the Telmarine spy turned and left, Caspian and Susan reload and fire after him, Alessandra ushering the creatures back into the How as quickly as she could.
