littlebitfierce - Tumblr blog

littlebitfierce · 9 months

Text

Prince Caspian fanfic part 1

Disclaimer: I am not a writer, but I always escape reality by daydreaming a fanfiction version of movies, books, or shows I like. I've been rewatching the Chronicles of Narnia and always had a thing for Prince Caspian.

This is just the first part of I believe will be three parts. I'm almost done with part 2 so if you like this, stay tuned. There will also be smut in part two and three, so if you are 18 or under, this is your early warning. For reference, Terra, the main character of this story, is a young woman about Caspian's age disguised as a man. Hope you enjoy :)

Terra was trying to calm her breathing. She had been walking when one of the men shouted that there was a group approaching. They all quickly and quietly scurried to the trees and bushes to wait and see who it was. Terra was pretending to be Tellus, who was a man of smaller stature and had to work a bit harder to keep up with a group of brawny, wild men. Tellus was on a secret mission to protect Mall but no one knew or suspected it. She needed to blend in as much as possible. Mall was also a bit younger and smaller than most of the men as well. They were both two of four younger men that were allowed to travel with Fogarty’s crew. Fogarty was one of the most well known men in the land. He was tall, muscular, and the very definition of wild. He had deep red hair that was roughly shoulder length, but he usually kept it in braids and rarely washed or brushed his hair. He normally did not wear much armor, he also typically showed off his arms which were riddled with a variety of scars. They seemed to be badges of honor to him. Fogarty was well-known for traveling the land in search of witches or anyone who supported witches. He typically used methods that were neither condoned or condemned by the king. He would burn them alive in the middle of towns, he would desecrate their homes and murder their entire families in there and burn them alive inside. This included young children that showed signs of later becoming a witch.

Terra did not want to be here. She did not want to be in this group but she needed the money. She played the part of being a young man who hated witches and wanted to grow as a man under Fogarty’s guidance. He was still new to the group but it had been two months of traveling to the village of Falmouth and they were looking for signs of witchcraft before entering the town and preparing to stay and rid the town of witches. Terra already knew the signs of witchcraft. She knew what to look for and already knew there were multiple witches in the town but she dare not reveal she knew more than what the men suspected.

Terra heard a group of men and could feel the ground and sense a variety of feet walking and different…hoofbeats? But only two, not four? She peaked through the leaves and she was baffled. She had always heard of minotaurs, never seen one though. She wasn’t even sure five minutes ago that they were real. And were those fawns? How? She knew she was losing concentration when she finally saw some horses approaching. All of these men and …creatures were walking in a mostly singular file line with the apparently the most important people on the horses towards the middle of the group. Terra noticed a bald, serious-looking man on a horse with a young man behind him. Sje figured the bald man must be the leader, but the man stopped and waited for the younger man to reach his side before mouthing something. They knew there were attackers waiting. Fogarty must have noticed the exchange between the men as well, and Terra knew he respected warriors who were on their game. Suddenly, without a command from Fogarty, one of the young men jumped the minotaur.

“Moron.” Terra thought. She did not jump out along with the others, she held fast while in an instant Fogarty’s men jumped out and began attacking and the travelers began defending themselves. The bald man and young man both unsheathed their swords and to Terra’s surprise the young man shouted something which was quickly obliterated by the sound of Fogarty’s booming voice.

“Cease fighting!” Fogarty’s voice boomed through the entire forest.

He jumped out of a tree and he was almost as tall as the minotaur. He stood between the travelers and his own men facing the men on horses.

Terra noticed one of the fawns looked awestruck at Fogarty. He was intimidating and compared to other men, he was truly a wild thing to behold. Terra still had not revealed her position. If this did not go well she at least wanted the element of surprise. She could still sense where Mall was, felt him shift his feet on the forest ground, and she silently begged him to stay put. He was honestly not a brilliant fighter, but it was her job to protect him. Get him to Falmouth alive and get payment for getting him there alive.

“My name is Fogarty. I have never seen any of you before nor heard of minotaurs or fawns in these parts. What brings you to the forest?”

“I am King Caspian.” The young man’s horse took a couple steps forward. Unlike the king of Warkinles, he did not cower. Terra noticed that his horse did not do any nervous prancing or stepping, which showed a sign of being fully comfortable with their rider.

“We just came from the capital and have a letter to travel to Falmouth and pick up one of the prisoners who is a Narnian.”

“Narnia. I remember hearing months ago that our kingdoms had negotiated peace.”

The air seemed to shift from tense to relaxed.

“But why is a king traveling to oversee the release of a prisoner?”

The air became tense again.

Caspian smiled a bit, “Because he is a very important prisoner to me.”

Fogarty nodded once in acceptance. Everyone sheathed their swords, but Terra knew that Fogarty did not fully trust this new group of men. Magic was forbidden here in Warkinles but minotaurs and fawns were legends here and there was never any mention of magic in stories about them.

Fogarty bellowed to his men about setting up camp and Caspian’s men seemed to understand they would be doing the same, Terra noticed without Caspian yelling at them. She went to go find fresh water. She needed a moment to recharge and scout a bit. It took a lot out of her to be ready to fight and keep focus on the ground to know where everyone was and keep track of Mall. She could not tell anyone about her abilities of feeling the earth, communicating with it, and the earth communicating back. Terra had figured out at a very young age that no one else had this ability. And she certainly didn’t live in a place where unfamiliar behaviors were accepted. Even to those closest to her, she rarely revealed the powers she was capable of. Other witches she knew assumed she was a blue witch, but she always kept her powers to herself. She heard water bubbling nearby and felt the deer and other wildlife creatures scurry away. It was still always a good idea to look around and be aware of your surroundings. As she kneeled close to the water she looked around to make sure no one was nearby. She took a sip and opened a few leather sacks she had gathered to fill with water. Curious, she felt hooves coming near the water. Not a deer, the two little hooves weren’t as graceful as a deer. A fawn appeared from the bushes with the same task as her. She wondered if they were magical. Could they sense she was a woman or could they see through her guise completely? The fawn nodded at her and she reciprocated. She figured making friends with this group would not be a bad idea.

“I’ll stay with you while you get your water and we’ll go back together, yeah?” She hoped she didn’t sound odd to a Narnian, but they weren’t from here so ensuring he got back to his group safely surely wasn’t a bad idea.

He simply nodded and quickly filled his pouches to return to others back at his camp. The walk back wasn’t long but Terra wanted to at least introduce herself. Try to figure out what she could, if not for her own benefit if she somehow needed help in the future, but because she was rather curious.

“My name is Tellus. How long have you been in Warkinles?” She asked. She needed to remember she was disguised as a man, but the lies seemed to roll off her tongue now that she had been doing this for a while.

“We have been here roughly two months. My name is Edgar.” the fawn replied.

“I see. I’ve only ever heard of stories of Narnia, what’s it like over there?”

“You mean, are there more fawns like me?”

Terra felt her face getting hot, but she was curious. She figured everyone else in her camp was going to ask it more bluntly, at least she was somewhat polite.

The fawn chuckled, “Narnia is similar to this place. We have trees, grass, snow, rain, and different terrains just like here. But we also have fawns, minotaurs, dwarves, talking animals, and Aslan. Not too different from here.”

“Tellus!”

Terra and the fawn had reached camp, where both Fogarty and Caspian’s men had decided to camp together but they were still on two different sides. Fogarty’s men were mostly keeping to themselves, making sure to glace often at any fawns or dwarves, and whispering to themselves. Caspian’s men seemed to be a friendly bunch, still cautious and they appeared to be just as capable of defending themselves as Fogarty’s men. Terra was sure the men saw them as a traveling circus, but she certainly didn’t see them that way.

Mall had yelled her name as he was sitting in a group of men around a fire.

“I’ll be seeing you, Tellus.” Edgar said to her as he went to his side of camp. She would much rather head that way, but she needed to not create suspicion.

“What did you learn about them?” Mall asked her as soon as she got near them.

“Nothing. His name is Edgar and Narnia isn’t much different from here, but they do have fawns.” she reported back.

A couple of the men snorted and chuckled. Honestly, what did they expect her to find out and what did they really expect from Narnians, she thought.

Over on Caspian’s side there was a larger tent Terra assumed was Caspian’s. Fogarty, one of his men, the stern bald man, and Caspian all emerged from the tent. Fogarty made his way over towards Terra’s group.

“Bring some firewood and some beer. These men are alright, friends of our king, and we’ll be traveling with them to Falmouth. Who here wants to hear tales of Narnia from Narnians?

Terra hadn’t noticed the firewood close to their group, but she did have a small pouch of beer and knew where some men typically hid larger pouches. She quickly walked over to some of the other men’s things and found a pouch of alcohol. Caspian’s men were working on a larger fire for more men to gather instead of everyone remaining separate. A circle was forming and Terra noticed Caspian helped out rather than simply ordering his men. Fogarty simply commanded things from his men, sat and waited for them to do his bidding. The fire was lit and Terra was carrying a pouch full of beer, she decided to place herself between some Narnians and some of her crew. She shared some of the alcohol with both the men and Narnians and Edgar happened to be sitting in the group she was near.

“Care for some beer, Edgar?” She asked.

Edgar took the pouch and passed it around. The fire was crackling and it seemed the men and Narnians were starting to not only enter conversation but get along as well. Foharty had moved closer to where Terra was sitting and the Narnians seemed a bit uneasy around him. Not that she blamed them. Caspian also sat amongst his men and as did the serious bald man. Terra also noticed there was a large mouse wearing a gold ring with a feather attached and a sword that was very close to both men. Terra couldn’t help but notice Caspian was a handsome young man. He was too far away earlier for her to notice the brilliant smile and big, dark eyes; she found him attractive. Too bad she was pretending to be someone else in a crew that was not always the best to be around.

“...didn’t know they had witches in Narnia.” One of Fogarty’s men was saying as all the conversations around the fire had lulled. Of course this caught Fogarty’s attention, as well Terra’s. She honestly hadn’t thought about witches in other lands.

“So you hunt witches over in Narnia as well, eh?” Fogarty said.

“Not hunt them, but the White Witch is a large part of Narnian history.” the mouse said. “It’s been many years since we had a witch like her in Narnia.”

“Just one witch? I doubt it, there are probably hundreds by now. You just don’t know it.”

“Well, if there are, they aren’t causing any problems. As long as they choose to live peacefully, I’m perfectly happy to have them in Narnia.” Caspian stated.

Fogarty’s men silenced. Terra internally cheered. Did he mean it, she didn’t even know this man but she hoped he meant it. She had never in her life heard anyone say anything remotely human about witches, let alone a man.

“Do you know what witches are truly capable of, boy?”

Caspian’s back straightened, he clearly was not a boy. Even with scruffy facial hair, half of his long, dark hair tied back, and a loose tunic; there was something about him that demanded respect without ever needing to say it. Although Terra had the ability to see a person’s aura, anyone could be able to tell Caspian was a man to be respected.

Fogarty continued, “Witches are not to be trusted. They are cunning and spend their entire lives plotting to rule the world. For years men like myself have been tricked by a female claiming not to be a witch, only for the bitches to trick us into making more witches. They are like locusts. They prey on innocent men, take what they can and then some. They have no regard for human life.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you saying every female in this world is a witch?” the mouse asked. Terra still hadn’t caught his name.

“I have met very few women who aren’t. For centuries, witches have run these lands. Enslaving the men to do their bidding and working together to take over the world. Me and my men travel from town to town to hunt down and kill every witch we find. For too long this heathenise race has been allowed to run rampant through these lands. We will put an end to them.”

Fogarty’s men raised their glasses, some cheered, and others nodded in agreement. Terra simply drank from her cup, noting that Caspian didn’t seem too keen on the idea of killing people.

“What do you do if a woman truly isn’t a witch? How can you tell? Are there truly no good witches?” This was a very curious mouse.

“Who do you think you are to question my methods?”

“His name is Reepicheep. He is one of my loyalist and bravest knights.” Caspian stated with a proud look.

“I think I liked it better when I thought mice couldn’t talk,” Fogarty growled.

“Yes, it’s getting him to shut up, that's the trick,” the serious bald man said.

“Lord Drinian, I simply want to understand this new world and how it works. Forgive me, sir, I did not intend to offend you. I simply wish to understand.”

“There is no one way to tell if a woman is a witch. There are three different types of witches. Green, they can command and communicate with all of nature. Trees, flowers, mushrooms, grass, the soil, the earth essentially. They’re extinct-they have been eradicated. Blue witches command water. That’s your lakes, streams, oceans, etc. Those witches are usually located near a large body of water. So if we go to town and hear of a woman who always has fish or always seems to have a way with water near the ocean-she’s most likely a blue witch. Red witches are the most cunning. They command fire, heat and they can sometimes manipulate the energy from the sun if they are powerful enough. These witches used to be used for war. Their passionate energy could manipulate others around them to feel rage and hatred. The regions that used these witches almost always won their battles.”

“So the witches were used as well? Not just the men. The men used witches for their own gain such as for war and conquering.” Reepicheep was really growing on Terra.

“You misunderstand. Witches were more than happy to be given a title, jewels, the finer things that our leaders' before us offered them. These men did not account for witches betraying them and taking over the different regions and using them to enslave innocent men. Every kind of witch has the ability to manipulate the area and people surrounding her. If the majority of people in a region are passionate and constantly fighting, you know there is a red witch close. If they are depressed and going through hardship after hardship, you know there is a blue witch close. Again, no one sort of method, but we always find them.”

Fogarty sounded so proud of himself. Caspian happened to look at Lord Drinian who raised his eyebrows at the king.

“So, forgive me, it sounds like you are speculating and making a decision based on rumors.” Reepicheep continued.

Fogarty looked annoyed, almost angry. Terra was never thrilled to see him get angry.

“He truly means no disrespect. We haven’t had witches in Narnia for centuries, and we certainly didn’t know there were different kinds of witches.” Caspian’s words seemed to calm Fogarty down a bit. Terra was more than happy someone of some authority was there to speak to him on his level. It was always difficult to calm him down once he was enraged. Throwing knives, screaming, hitting men, and making rash decisions were common behaviors from Fogarty.

The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful, most everyone seemed to get along or tolerate each other. Fogarty was quite open about his dislike of Reepicheep but most of his men and the Narnians seemed to not only enjoy the mouse’s company but respect him as well. He was quite the warrior in Caspian’s camp. He seemed particularly fond of Tellus, the young man wanting to become a better fighter and prove himself worthy. Sometimes Terra found the mouse’s optimism exhausting, but Reep always had good things to say to those he spoke to.

Terra had to learn how to fight from a young age seeing how she had no parents and was left with a couple at one of the shops when she was just a child. That’s all she could remember about where she came from. The couple was decent enough, but they never failed to remind her she was bought to help them. They planned to open a tavern that would connect to the shop someday, but Terra never stuck around to see it. She was always running errands alone and rather often left on her own while her owners would leave for weeks unannounced. She would have to fend for herself on the streets. One of the homeless men who regularly wandered the streets would sometimes teach her what he knew to defend herself. Terra found herself feeling not so unguarded as she got older. She knew how to get herself out of a bad situation using what the man had taught her.

Reepicheep mentioned to her one time he could tell by her fighting skills she learned them on the streets. Which would have come across as an insult from anyone else, but Reep continued by saying most of the men were not near as quick and clever as her. Terra had also figured out when she was very young that she could sense where people were stepping on the ground and could sense where they were most likely to strike. It could only be felt on the ground, soil, grass, but not elements like stone or rock. She could sometimes sense those but she had to be completely focused and not distracted at all. She kept wondering if Reep could sense that she was a woman or could sense her powers but he was keeping quiet about them. She didn’t have any evidence but she thought some of the Narnians might be magical in some way.

It had been a week traveling with them, and Terra was enjoying spending time with the Narnians. She learned how it wasn’t too different from where they were. Narnia had different regions, islands, and Caspian was the young king who brought the Telmarines and Narnians together. Terra hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to him much, she wasn’t in Fogarty’s inner circle and she was fine with that. She still didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself. But Fogarty and those closest to him found Caspian and Lord Drinian to be the only Narnians worthy of their time. Unfortunately for Forgarty, Reepicheep was one of Caspian’s closest knights. Terra found watching them rather amusing. Reepicheep would say something and most times everyone would laugh and Fogarty would look annoyed, he never was good at hiding his emotions.

“Tellus, why don’t you join us, sir?” Reepicheep called out from near the campfire with Caspian, Lord Drinian, a couple Narnians, Fogarty and his closest man, Alastor.

Terra simply happened to be walking by and was actually on her way to go lie down, she didn’t have watch duty tonight.

“I was actually on my way to get some shut eye. I don’t have watch duty tonight.” She didn’t like the idea of being so close in proximity to Fogarty.

“All the more reason to join us!” Terra knew Reepicheep was not one to relent and it would look odd if the young Tellus refused an opportunity to be in the mighty Fogarty’s presence.

The closest open spot was in between Caspian and Alastor, with Reep quickly scurrying to sit between Caspian and her.

Alastor continued the conversation the group was having, about how he was the greatest fighter from his village and he considered it a great honor to be in Fogarty’s group. Terra did not care for Alastor at all. He was a mean-spirited person. He never talked well of the men, he especially enjoyed picking on those that were weaker. To Terra’s relief he never seemed to notice Tellus much or Mall much either. Terra tuned Alastor out, she had heard him talk about himself far too many times. She hated pretending to be Tellus, a young man who admired Fogarty and wanted to learn so much from him. She was thrilled they were getting closer to Falmouth.

“Ah, you are lucky indeed. We are in the boat as you. We have our King Caspian who has led up for years and continues to challenge us with adventures and inspire us with his leadership.” Reep looked genuinely proud to speak about his king. Terra realized she might have tuned out for too long because clearly Alastor was no longer speaking.

“If anything Reep, I think I’ve learned more from you these past years than I’ve ever inspired you. Thank you, friend.” Caspian smiled at his knight and Drinian was looking at the fire and he smiled as well. He seemed proud of the young king.

“How long have you been king?” Fogarty asked.

Caspian paused. “About eight years now.” He seemed surprised, like he had forgotten how long he had been doing this. He must have been a kid, thought Terra.

“You must have been a child, you’re still quite young.” Fogarty seemed surprised as well.

“I was seventeen when my uncle was killed.”

“Twenty-five is still young.” Fogarty was never impressed by a person’s youth. Terra knew quite well that Caspian was wiser and she assumed a bit smarter than Fogarty.

“Your uncle?” Terra was confused. She didn’t mean to draw attention but how does that work? She thought Caspian’s father would have been king before him, not his uncle.

Caspian looked right at her. Well, at Tellus, but it was still her eyes.

“My father was king before him. But he was killed.” Caspian looked back at the fire. “My uncle told me it was an accident. But years later I discovered he had my father killed in order to gain the crown for himself.”

Terra’s eyes widened. While the idea of killing a brother to gain the crown is not unheard of, keeping your nephew alive seemed almost cruel.

“So, he kept you alive…why?” Terra didn’t want to push her luck with a king, but he didn’t seem to mind her questions. Or at least he didn’t mind Tellus questioning him.

“So as not to raise suspicion. He pretended to care about me when he needed to, he pretended to include me in important matters when it suited him, but he was waiting to kill me once he had a son.”

Terra had assumed Caspian was born with good parents and people around him who loved him. She didn’t imagine he had already gone through such traumatic circumstances as a boy.

“Did you kill him?” Terra wouldn’t hold it against him if he did, but she just didn’t think he was that kind of man.

“No. One of his men killed him and tried to make it look like the Narnians had done it.”

“Forgive me, your highness, I’m just curious…”

“Caspian.”

“What?” Terra looked up at him. He was already looking at her.

“I prefer Caspian to your highness.”

“He never was one to follow the rules.” Lord Drinian spoke up.

“You want to know how he managed to bring the Telmarines and the Narnians together?” Reepicheep seemed eager to tell a tale.

“Yes, how did you manage to create peace when the Telmarines were against the Narnians?” She chuckled as she spoke.

“Oh I love the story of how we met and I almost killed you, your highness.” Reep teased.

Caspian grinned and chuckled while looking at the fire and Drinian smiled and looked over at Reep.

Caspian talked about how his tutor helped him escape, he saw soldiers who were supposed to protect him, shoot at his bed when he was supposed to be asleep. He was still just a boy, Terra kept thinking to herself. Apparently his tutor gave him a magical horn, he ended up at a dwarf and badger’s home, and Reep really might have killed him. The Narnians didn’t trust him, he was a Telmarine prince. His people had slaughtered Narnians for years and thought Narnians were extinct. Caspian talked about the kings and queens of old, how they helped him secure his place on the throne and they left him to figure out how to rule. She didn’t completely understand how they came and left, Reepicheep tried to explain but it went completely over her head. Another land that none of them can see or get to? Terra wondered about Lucy, apparently she had seen Aslan (who she had also heard mentioned endlessly) before anyone else and Caspian mentioned she had infectious energy. When Caspian was finished it was quite a bit to take in, and Terra knew she was going to be tired tomorrow but she had so many questions, even after she kept interrupting to understand.

“After you lost the siege, you said Narnians tried to kill you, did you kill them?” Fogarty asked and he seemed serious. He had simply sat back and listened while everyone talked and Terra and Alastor asked Caspian question after question.

“No, I believe Peter and Edmund killed them. Edmund put an end to their conspiracy.” Caspian didn’t elaborate and he was looking right at Fogarty. Terra couldn’t put her finger on it but something about Caspian’s aura seemed different. If she had to guess, she didn’t think he liked or trusted Fogarty that much. Was he hiding something-he didn’t seem to elaborate on his story much. Maybe he was hiding something from Fogarty.

“Edmund and Peter were just boys themselves, but everyone in that room showed remarkable bravery. It was a hard day and they had all stepped up to do what needed to be done for Narnia and its people.” Reepicheep really had a way of making tense situations dissipate.

Terra looked at him and smiled.

“So you haven’t seen the kings and queens of old since? Will they ever come back?” Terra wondered. She secretly wanted to meet Edmund and Lucy.

“We actually were fortunate enough to go on more adventures with Edmund and Lucy and their cousin Eustace a couple years ago.” Reepicheep piped up.

“Quite fortunate.” Drinian didn’t seem too thrilled about these stories.

“Hmmm, that’s enough stories for me this evening. We have an early start tomorrow.” Fogarty stood and Alastor stood as well. Everyone nodded, said good night, and they walked towards their section of men.

Caspian POV

Caspian felt much better after Fogarty left. He simply wanted to get to Falmouth and then they would part ways. Fogarty reminded him of his uncle and for that reason alone, Caspian was wary of him. He was surprised Tellus was still sitting by the fire after he left. He had certainly seen the young man before but didn’t think he stood out much. He was young and still figuring out who he wanted to be, but he did seem a bit standoffish. He was clearly a bit more curious than the others, Caspian just appreciated he wasn’t enamored by Fogarty like the rest of them. Fogarty was not a good man, he may be a talented fighter, and stronger than most men but he was not to be trusted. Caspian wasn’t a fan of witches based on his own past experiences but he certainly didn’t kill people simply because of how they were born.

He was glad to have Reepicheep and Drinian by his side, two trustworthy individuals who shared his views on how to treat people regardless of who they were or their status. Fogarty only ever talked to Caspian or Drinian, and he clearly did not like Reepicheep. He seemed to look down on all of the Narnians and his own men because he deemed them not as important.

Tellus was looking at him with his big, crystal clear eyes. Caspian couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about his eyes were enthralling. Tellus tilted his head and looked confused, Caspian guessed he had asked a question.

“I apologize, what were you asking me?”

“I was asking about the last time you saw Edmund and Lucy” Tellus repeated himself.

Caspian went on to talk about how they found Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace in the ocean while traveling on the Dawn Treader and the adventures that followed. Tellus listened intently, his facial expressions clearly indicating what he was thinking as Caspian spoke. He knew of some of the places they went, so he wasn’t quite as ignorant about other types of people as the rest of the men he traveled with. To be perfectly honest, Caspian wondered why Tellus was with them at all. He seemed smart, quick, and a bit more thoughtful than the others he encountered in the crew. As Caspian reached the part about Aslan’s land and met him, Drinian spoke up about feeling tired. He and Tellus both said goodnight and the way Drinian paused before leaving, Caspian took that as a sign it was probably time they all got some sleep.

“I believe we should all follow Lord Drinian’s example, let’s all get some sleep before we wake up and start moving again.” Even Reepicheep seemed a little sleepy.

Caspian glanced over at Tellus and noticed him blushing, he seemed a bit embarrassed. “Probably didn’t realize how late it had gotten,” Caspian thought.

Caspian wanted respect but he didn’t want anyone treating him differently simply because he was king. He still wanted to be able to have a conversation with someone and not have them agreeing with everything he said or continuous compliments. He genuinely enjoyed talking with Tellus.

That night sleeping on the ground, Caspian had trouble sleeping. It had been years since he had nightmares about his uncle or his father, but this was different. He felt restless and it seemed as though the very ground beneath him was alive. He woke up several times thinking someone was beneath him, breathing, panting, wanting, and he could have sworn he felt a heart beating. He simply shook the feeling, turned to his side and tried falling back asleep. Drinian finally woke him up, apparently for the second time. Normally he was awake the first time Drinian woke him up, but then he remembered how restless his night was. Caspian knew that finding someone to be intimate with would fix those feelings, but that would have to wait. As he prepared his horse to wake up, he thought of some of the ladies at court, back at Narnia that he knew. Some of them were rather pretty, but he found them lacking in humor, independence, and passion. He certainly wasn’t going to settle for just anyone but eventually he would like to share his life with someone, and he liked the idea of someone to sail with and explore new lands with. But also a lady who could take care of herself. He enjoyed the idea of being a knight in shining armor when he was younger, but he much preferred the idea of not worrying everytime trouble came around. He wasn’t sure any of those ladies matched that description. But he would have to focus on that later.

His horse all saddled, he mounted and started riding with Fogarty’s men and his Narnians to head towards Falmouth. They were still a few days away, and he was quite looking forward to being on the Dawn Treader heading back towards home, Narnia. Drinian rode a little ways ahead of him with Fogarty and the majority of his men leading the way. Caspian noticed Tellus was normally a bit separated from the others in his crew. He had asked Caspian several questions about Narnia so he figured it was time he asked questions. Just a few paces and Caspian was walking next to Tellus.

“Tell me about yourself, Tellus. How did you end up with Fogarty, traveling with his band of merry men?” Caspian added a slight grin as he said the last part. He may be tired but he was never one to not have some fun.

Tellus chuckled and went into how he lost his parents when he was a child. He had been staying with a couple in the town he grew up in but they always considered him troublesome. He talked about how most of the time they never even provided him food, he would have to go and beg for it. When the opportunity to travel with Fogarty came up, he took it. He wanted to learn how to defend himself, how to fight, and how to be a great warrior like Fogarty.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that.” Tellus shrugged and seemed focused on looking down at the ground while he walked. “I understand you didn’t have any opportunity to learn. So I’m astonished you know and understand so much about places across the sea. Where did you learn all that?” Caspian didn’t believe Tellus really wanted to be with Fogarty. Perhaps it was because he had no other options.

“Well, you meet a variety of people when you are on the street. I didn’t just go out to beg for food, more often than not I was out on the streets trying to find a place that I could sleep safely. Or get away from the man of the house. He wasn’t exactly the most pleasant individual when he was heated or drunk.”

It’s a miracle he didn’t end up a slave, Caspian thought. He believed Tellus was telling the truth about his upbringing, but something about it didn’t quite feel right. Of course he had every right to keep some things to himself if he wished to, but it still didn’t feel completely honest.

Caspian happened to look down at Tellus, and he was no longer looking at the ground. His head was slightly tilted and he was looking ahead with a look on his face. Caspian couldn’t make it out exactly, and he was on a horse so perhaps he was looking from a certain angle, but he thought it looked like concern.

Caspian looked ahead and Fogarty’s men had stopped and they were gathered in a huddle with Drinian on the outside waiting for Caspian to catch up. As he approached Fogarty came up to him.

“There’s a house just up ahead. My scouts informed me there is a witch inside.”

Caspian looked directly at Fogarty. “How are you sure?”

“Your Highness, with all due respect, I was merely giving you a heads up for your men’s sake.”

Caspian’s horse shifted and he did not feel comfortable.

“I feel you don’t agree with my methods. But I did say I would guide you and your men safely to Falmouth and I plan on honoring that agreement. This is but a short stop along the way.”

“Don’t kill her.” He looked directly at Fogarty again. “If what you say about witches is true, the town will be suffering in some way or another. If the town is doing alright, no one is in distress, fighting, what have you; then you will have killed an innocent woman.”

Fogarty’s men stared at him. Caspian just wanted to buy a little time and hopefully reason with Fogarty later to “buy” her. He never purchased a slave, but to save someone’s life and offer them their freedom, he would happily do so.

“I’m asking to see how witches can truly transform a region next to them. If you kill her before we get there, I will have learned nothing, and she truly may be an innocent woman living in a house away from town.”

“Do you understand who you sp-” Alastor started.

“Go and get her from the house, we will set up camp and wait for you there.” Fogarty talked over Alastor. Caspian was a king after all and an ally of theirs, he would get respect.

Caspian waited to dismount while all the men worked on setting up camp. He wanted to have a better viewpoint of when the men returned and ensure she wasn’t killed on the way back. He would have gone himself but he did not think Fogarty would like it. He wanted Fogarty to feel he could trust him a little.

He saw the men with an older woman. She clearly wasn’t old enough to struggle to walk but she did have mostly gray hair. As they all approached the camp, he dismounted and walked over to where Fogarty was with Drinian and Reepicheep closely behind him. He noticed Tellus was working on helping gather some sticks for the fire and kept glancing towards the approaching men and the woman. He caught Caspian looking at him and did a quick nod. Caspian felt more sure he was doing the right thing.

The woman was thrown on the ground and she gave a slight grunt. She had fresh blood trickling down the side of her face. He was certain one of the men enjoyed hitting her with something heavy hard enough to make her bleed.

“What is your name?” Fogarty was the first to speak.

“Metis.” She did not look up.

“What were you doing in a house so far away from Falmouth”

“My husband and I enjoyed living away from people. We would walk to town whenever we needed something but we were mostly self-sufficient.”

“Where is your husband now?”

“He died about six months ago.”

“Where are your children?”

“I have no children sir.”

“No children? So you live alone then?”

“Yes, sir.”

What bothered Caspian so much was, she wasn’t trying to fight. Had he been taken from his home for no good reason, he would have fought the whole way here. She didn’t seem surprised to be there, she seemed almost defeated.

“Place her over there. I don’t want her too close to the men.” Fogarty nodded towards a tree that was close enough to the fire to feel the warmth but far enough away to not cause trouble.

Caspian hadn’t noticed that tree earlier. Granted he wasn’t really preoccupied with where trees were at all times.

He, Drinian, and Reepicheep walked towards the fire. It was mostly Narnians and Tellus gathered around. Reep crawled up on Caspian’s shoulder.

“I shall be quite glad when we get to Falmouth, get the professor and we can be on our way.” Reep said.

He nodded, he wanted to tell Drinian to ask one or two trusted men to keep watch quietly throughout the night to ensure Metis’s safety.

He sat next to Tellus and Drinian sat on the other side of him. Most of his men were talking amongst themselves, and he could feel that every Narnian wished to be on their way home.

Just a few more days, he thought to himself.

“What you did back there was rather brave, Your Highness.”

Tellus’s comment brought Caspian back to reality. Tellus wasn’t looking at him, rather looking into the fire. Caspian figured he didn’t want to make a big deal about his standing up to Fogarty. However, the fact that he said anything meant that not many stood up to the witch-killer.

“I don’t understand how you can flippantly take a life without first investigating and having proof of their wrongdoings. Perhaps that’s how things are done here versus Narnia but it doesn’t make sense to me.”

“That’s how things are done, mostly for women.” Tellus continued to stare at the fire.

Caspian thought that was a strange comment. Most young men without many responsibilities seemed to lack the understanding that other people need to be considered. He wondered what exactly he had gone through while wandering the streets trying to survive.

“What exactly do you mean? I understand Fogarty may be a bit zealous in his pursuit of ridding the world of witches. But do you mean he honestly treats every woman like this?” Caspian knew Fogarty wasn’t a good person, but this was a new level.

“Yes, Caspian.” Tellus’s voice got even quieter and lower. “I think if he had his way, he would enslave or kill every woman in the world.” He looked directly at Caspian, but quickly turned his head back to the fire. He took one last drink.

“I have watch duty tonight.” He said standing up and he walked away from the campfire.

“He is a fine young man.” Reepicheep said and it surprised Caspian. He hadn’t realized Reep was sitting on a log positioned between him and Tellus.

“There is something about him that isn’t quite right though.”

“What do you mean?” Caspian felt it too but he wanted Reep’s thoughts. They were normally spot-on.

“I mean, I believe him when he speaks. I believe he tells the truth, but I believe there are some things he holds back. Something about himself that may be a bit dark, or cause judgment from others. Especially from our dear friends.” Reep emphasized the last bit and Caspian picked up on the sarcasm.

Perhaps he knows a witch, comes from a witch, or loves a witch, he thought. That would surely cause Fogarty to cast him out. He felt whatever the reasoning was, it wasn’t his place to push Tellus to admit anything he hadn’t already. If anything he felt better for Metis’s sake that Tellus was on watch duty.

Caspian leaned over to Drinian and said he wanted him to find an additional one or two trusted men to quietly keep an eye on things tonight. He didn't want anything to happen to Metis. He stood up and walked over to where he would be sleeping, but he noticed the tree Metis was tied to looked slightly different. She almost appeared comfortable the way the tree curved and a stump was supporting her feet. Caspian tilted his head for a moment but quickly went back to going to bed.

You really are losing it, he thought to himself as he laid down. He must have been more exhausted than he thought because the ground he chose was cool, but not damp and soft. It felt so comfortable. Caspian quickly dozed off.

Terra POV

She didn’t understand why she told Caspian about how she thought Fogarty wanted to kill every woman. That was a bit dramatic, but in all honesty, she wondered if he actually did want to kill every single woman.

She felt Caspian stand up and she saw him through the dark walking over to where he would be sleeping. But she felt him pause and knew he had noticed the trees and that stump. She didn’t want to make it obvious but she could sense Metis was sore and depressed. She wanted to do what she could to make her a bit more comfortable. Just for tonight at least.

He continued walking and when he stopped and started undoing this belt to lay his sword next to him, she focused on the leaves and the dirt. She quietly shifted the dirt underneath the grass to loosen up and the roots of the grass to go a bit deeper, so the ground wasn’t quite as hard and compact. She felt him sit on the ground and vertebrae by vertebrae she felt him lay back. His head finally rested on the ground, he let out an audible sigh and she felt the thumping of his heart.

She turned her head to look out past the campground. She only noticed someone’s heartbeat if she truly focused and channeled her thoughts to that one area. She needed to be keeping watch not focusing on him. But she couldn’t get his dark eyes out of her mind. They looked perfect with his long, dark hair falling out of the ribbon tying half of it up. His beard was getting a bit scruffier but it wasn’t scarce. Sometimes men who grow out facial hair have patches missing on their face and this wasn’t like that. She could tell that beneath the scruff was a chiseled jawline, and she had seen him clench his jaw while telling Fogarty not to kill Metis. She shook her head, she didn’t have time to think about his smile, his laugh, or the way he would completely focus on you while you were talking to him.

She stayed up on watch duty most of the night. No one seemed to pay any attention to Metis or concerned with what she could possibly do. But Terra could sense Metis had no powers. Her aura wasn’t that strong or contagious. Terra knew it was true that witches possessed an aura that could influence others like Fogarty told Caspian about, but what he didn’t know was every single person alive had an aura about them. Some people had an aura that was bright and contagious or dark and contagious. Some people had a noticeably aggressive presence about them, some people naturally had a calming presence, but Metis’s was a bit gloomy, almost depressing. Terra knew that everyone could sense she was not someone that would put up a fight. It was just the attitude she was putting off.

Terra woke up with a start but most of the men were awake, with a few clearly still trying to wake up and get moving. She stood up and started gathering her things so she could get moving and keep an eye on Metis. But she noticed Caspian was helping her up on a horse, she still had her hands tied but at least she wouldn’t have to walk everywhere. Terra really liked the way Caspian treated people. So far he still hadn’t yelled at any of his men, degraded anyone, and he was quick to offer appreciation to his men.

The next couple of days of traveling were quite uneventful, but it gave her a chance to get to know Metis and talk more with Caspian. Terra was rather thankful to have Metis around, anytime Caspian or Reepicheep would ask questions about witches, she would normally answer. Terra didn’t want people thinking Tellus knew a lot about witches. He was supposed to be a young guy learning all sorts of things from Fogarty. Not secretly possessing a vast knowledge of witches, that would look suspicious. Terra knew they were very close to Falmouth, it was possibly less than a day's ride now.

It was almost dusk and Fogarty stopped his horse and everyone knew it was time to set up camp for the evening. Tomorrow everyone would be arriving at Falmouth and Terra was secretly sad but also thrilled. Tellus would be leaving Fogarty’s men without an explanation, and she could go back to being Terra. What no one had ever noticed about Tellus was that he had a necklace under his clothes. Very few people had these necklaces, as they were forbidden. The crystal pendant contained the ability to hold a magical enchantment or power as long as someone with magical powers wore them. Terra knew if anyone ever saw the necklace, they would know immediately Tellus was not who he claimed to be.

She didn’t want to think of that right now, she honestly wanted to spend all her time with Caspian. She knew he had a mission in town and after he would be heading to his ship, the Dawn Treader and returning to Narnia. She wished she could think of a way to stowaway on the ship, but figured he and his men kept a very good track of what should and shouldn’t be on board. They most likely kept a very watchful eye for stowaways.

She was currently riding the horse Caspian was letting Metis ride with Metis in front of her. Earlier Metis had said something about the difficulty of riding while still having her hands tied. Not that she wanted to be ungrateful, she had said, but she wondered since Tellus was a bit more slender than the other men if he could help direct the horse. Terra was secretly thrilled to take a break from walking, and that’s when she heard a shout from one of Fogarty’s men. She looked up ahead and saw men approaching from the bushes and some jumping from the trees. She looked to her left and saw men with swords running up to her and Metis. The horse they were riding reared up and Terra couldn’t hold on, she fell.

The wind knocked out of her and it took her a moment to understand she needed to keep track of Mall, figure out where he was and ensure he arrived at Falmouth safely. Otherwise she wouldn’t get paid. First, she needed to stay alive, but also how was Metis? Terra had pulled out her sword and had used her small frame to crouch to the ground and use her body as leverage against a taller man running straight towards her. He stumbled over her, fell to the ground and she had stabbed him on the left side, or his right side she guessed. She quickly looked up to see Caspian on the ground standing next to Metis’s horse and she was still seated on the horse. Caspian’s men surrounded him with Lord Drinian and Reepicheep shouting to hold them off and protect the king. Terra focused on her immediate surroundings and quickly noticed she was surrounded by Narnians and they were fearless fighters. But she focused her energy on feeling the different footsteps on the ground and felt unfamiliar feet moving about and where they were shifting their weight to strike next.

She picked up another sword that had dropped to the ground and used both swords to clang, block, slice, and defend herself and the men in her vicinity. She felt indestructible, she maneuvered her body side to side, up and down, and it almost felt like dancing to her. While she knew her smaller frame didn’t have the strength that most men seemed to possess, they didn’t have her ability to sense the enemy and their next move. While working on defending herself, she sensed the familiar footsteps of Fogarty’s men and the Narnians. She felt some of them had been injured and she shifted the earth beneath their enemy. It wasn’t much, just enough to cause them to misstep and give her comrades a better advantage. That’s the thing about forests, the opportunities to trip and fall are endless, and she was doing what she could to help without being noticed. But it was taking quite a bit of energy to focus on everyone at once.

Their attackers had surrounded Fogarty and Caspian’s men as a whole, but each group had sort of circled amongst each other. There were almost two attacks happening at once, and Terra felt Caspian’s was faring much better than Fogarty’s. She looked over and saw Mall, and he was keeping up, but she knew he was not the most agile young man and just simply wasn’t born to be a fighter. In her left peripheral, she saw Caspian look in the same direction as her and shouted a command to aid Fogarty. Drinian repeated his king and Reep was already quickly sneaking his way to the center of the attack using his little mouse body as an advantage. All Narnians let out a great shout and she joined them in running over to join in the fight. There was so much shouting and it was more chaotic on this side of things. Fogarty’s men didn’t have a clear sense of playing into each other’s strengths and they didn’t wholeheartedly have each other’s back like the Narnians did.

Whoever the leader of this group of outlaws was, noticed they were losing all their men and this was the group they should not have attacked. Something about a retreat was yelled and they started leaving. Fogarty shouted to his men to follow them and find them, and Terra knew every single one of the attackers was going to die. It was happening so fast, attackers were scrambling to leave, Fogarty’s men were charging after them, some Narnians were cheering, some were still defending themselves, Terra was still fighting while shifting the earth and trying to focus on Mall, and she didn’t feel someone come up on her right and slash their blade on her right side. She immediately screamed in pain and fell to the ground. There was still so much shouting and confusion no one really noticed. She was a bit on the outskirts of the fighting and looked down at her side.

So much blood. On her right side, on her chest. Right below her ribs, but not her abdomen. Gods. She would have to remove her shirt to treat it. She couldn’t. Her necklace. She would be discovered. She would be killed.

Focus, Terra, she thought.

She looked around, and saw no one coming up behind her or around her really. Fogarty was already gone, chasing after the men who had the nerve to attack them. She had to leave. Now. She would not survive without treating the wound, but she couldn’t treat the wound here.

Go, she thought.

She quickly ran over to the right, towards Falmouth. She glanced behind her and saw everyone was preoccupied with fighting the remaining attackers or helping those that were injured. She ran.

It was not a fast run, and she stumbled more often than not, but she needed to get out of there. She had no choice. She knew of one inn in Falmoth that a woman and her husband ran that once helped witches. Terra even had the advantage of being disguised as a man, maybe that would convince them to allow her to go there and heal even if they didn’t do that anymore.

She stumbled again and this time, getting up was difficult. She could tell she was losing too much blood and she was starting to lose any ounce of focus. She looked up from the ground and could see smoke above the trees. It was faint but she knew the town was close.

She stood up once more and immediately sat back down, leaning up against a tree. She had almost fainted and she didn’t have time for that. She couldn’t do that, if she was found she was dead. She had to get to town.

“Leaving the fight so soon?”

She knew that voice but could barely muster the energy to turn her head to look over at Reep. Reepicheep didn’t look pleased initially but the look quickly faded and Terra saw his little eyes glance down at her right side.

“The idea of death scares us all at times, Tellus. But I don’t believe your time has come quite yet. I’ll go fetch aid.” Reepicheep started back where Terra came from and she tried to stand up.

“No. I-” she started and quickly fell back down.

She was not going to last much longer. Damn it, she thought.

“I have to go to town.” she stated with as much authority as she could muster. She wanted to make it clear to the mouse she couldn’t go back.

“Tellus, you ran far, but it’s still further to town than you think. Why must you go to town?”

She felt awful, not just physically, but the thought that she had lied to him, Caspian and everyone about who and what she was weighed heavily on her at this moment. Also, she knew she was going to faint, she had one chance to make it clear to the mouse that she would die if she didn’t go to town.

“Fogarty will kill me. I have to go to the inn in Falmouth” she felt her head roll and her eyes closing as she said it.

Caspian POV

Most of the attackers were gone, some had been captured by Caspian and his men. He was surveying where everyone was and the damage that was done. Fogarty was nowhere to be found, and all of his men had followed him. He understood the need to find out who these men were, but Caspian was sure Fogarty was more upset someone had attacked him instead of being upset because there were bandits in the woods likely preying on innocent people. Caspian noticed Reepicheep was staring off a ways and he started taking off, normally he would leave Reepicheep to handle his own, but the fact Reep didn’t say anything before leaving was a bit unusual. Reep had a bit of a headstart and although he was a mouse, he was unusually fast for a small creature. As he was walking, he noticed Drinian and Metis had started following him from a distance, perhaps Drinian noticed Reep being distracted as well. Caspian looked down at what Reep could possibly be looking for and a bit further ahead he noticed the blood trail. It was quite a bit, whoever it was coming from was going to need attention. Caspian was glad Metis was around, she had proven she had knowledge of local plants and cures to small ailments. She was probably going to be useful to help a badly injured patient. No matter who it was, Caspian was going to ensure they didn’t die at the hands of Fogarty. A little further ahead, he could see smoke above the trees. They weren’t too far from Falmouth but still close enough they could return to camp to treat whatever the wound was, hopefully. Then he noticed someone sitting by the tree, and a couple more steps he noticed it was Tellus. He couldn’t see the injury from the direction he was approaching but Tellus’s shirt was blood soaked, it was either his chest or abdomen. Then he saw Reep talking in a low voice and Tellus slumped and fell to his left side. Caspian reached him and Reep and saw the gash in his side. He most likely wouldn’t die, but he needed attention immediately.

“He wants to go to the village, my King.” Reep said.

Reep normally only used that kind of talk for when he was rather serious about something. But Caspian needed more information.

“He may want that, but camp would be closer and he needs to be treated now.”

Caspian looked around them, no one was approaching expect Drinian, Metis, and couple of his soldiers who were even further behind Drinian.

“He said Fogarty would kill him, Caspian.”

Caspian looked directly at Reepicheep and now he wanted to know why Tellus had risked leaving everyone else behind, including his leader, with an injury like this. He had to be in fear for his life as Reep said.

“Why?”

“He didn’t get a chance to say, he fainted before I could get any more information out of him.”

Now Drinian and Metis had reached them, and Metis’s hands were unbound.

“He didn’t get a chance to say what? Does he know who was behind the attack?” Drinian seemed to like the young man but now he seemed rather accusatory.

“He did not say my lord. I don’t know why he would think Fogarty would kill him.” Reep repeated himself and he made a point to look at Metis. Perhaps she would know more.

Caspian knew they may not have long to figure out what to do, he had to act quickly.

“Metis, why would Fogarty kill Tellus?” he questioned the woman.

“I…I don’t know, Your Highness. Fogarty is rather quick to kill anyone for a variety of reasons. But none comes to my mind while I look at the young man.”

It was puzzling, Tellus did fight, but was it simply because he was injured? Surely that’s not the reason, there were other men in Fogarty’s crew that were injured as well.

Caspian lifted Tellus’s shirt to look at the wound, they would most likely have to remove the shirt to properly treat it. Drinian motioned for the other soldiers to stay were, keep watch, and then they rolled Tellus onto his back. Caspian started to loosen up the top part of Tellus’s shirt and he noticed a chain around his neck. He had never once noticed Tellus’s necklace, in fact he had never even seen the chain peeking through the shirt. Without even thinking he pulled the necklace out and a bright crystal gleamed. It almost looked like something was swirling around in the crystal, it looked, alive.

Metis gasped. Caspian, Reep, and Drinian all looked at her. She knew something.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. He will need to go to town. He cannot stay at the camp.”

They were all silent.

Caspian wanted to know more about this necklace and what it meant, so he pulled it over Tellus’s head.

“No, my lord-“ Metis started but it was too late.

Before all of their eyes, Tellus transformed. His face shifted slightly, it grew a bit more narrow and petite. His hair started to grow a bit longer, and his entire body shape transformed. He stayed small and slender but there was a definite breast shape, and his hips seemed to widen slightly.

Tellus was a woman?

Caspian and Reepicheep’s mouths were hanging open and everyone was speechless.

“He’s a…she?” Drinian was the first to speak after what felt like an eternity.

“Yes. That’s why he was saying Fogarty would kill him. And that necklace,” she gestured to the necklace in Caspian’s hand, “only works for those with magical powers.” Metis said.

“You mean witches.” Drinian looked right at Metis, and she looked at him.

“Yes, my lord.” she looked back down at Tellus, or whoever the young woman was.

Caspian was thinking. Also the necklace had lost its glow, and nothing was moving around the crystal. They would have to send her to the village, but how to get her there without Fogarty noticing. Also, when would he be back? He had to move quickly.

“Drinian, get those soldiers over here. Reep, can you accompany them to Falmouth?”

“Anything I need to do, sir!” Reepicheep was the most loyal knight Caspian was ever going to have.

“I want you to go to the inn she mentioned and-“

“He, my lord.”

Caspian looked at Metis.

“I understand you have seen the true form, but if you slip and say ‘she’, I’m worried Fogarty will notice. Tellus is a he.” she made a good point, they would have to be more than careful.

“You’re right. Thank you, Metis. Reep, go to the inn he mentioned with the soldiers. I want you to make it seem like one of them is severely injured and had to go to town. When we get there, we will come see when it feels safe, so stay hidden if you can.”

The two soldiers approached and their eyes widened at the sight of the young woman.

“Metis, can you address the wound to make due until they reach ????”

“Yes, my lord.” She was already on the ground lifting the shirt and bandaging with what little she had.

Caspian turned to the soldiers and they both looked directly at him waiting for orders. They were both men, one of them roughly Caspian’s height with a little extra muscle to him, Caspian remembered his name was Aldo. And the other was a bit shorter and more slender, but Caspian had seen him fight before and knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself, his name was Banyan.

“I’m sending you to Falmouth with Reepicheep as your commanding officer. This is Tellus, he may look different but continue to treat him as the young man we fought with moments ago. He won’t make it if we return him to camp looking like this, he must go to the village. There is an inn there and they should be able to take you in. Stay hidden with Reep until the rest of us reach the village and I come to get you. Is that understood?”

Both of the men nodded and Caspian stepped aside and Aldo lifted Tellus. Reep nodded at his king and they all started moving towards the village. Caspian saw them disappear into the bushes and he and Drinian and Metis all headed back. They reached the camp, the prisoners were tied up, most of the injured had been tended to and no one seemed to question why Reep was gone with Aldo and Banyan.

Soon it would be dark, and Caspian silently hoped the darkness would aid his men and Reep. He hated the idea of sending someone else to do something life-threatening. He always had the motto that if he wasn’t willing to go do something himself then he certainly wasn’t going to ask someone else to do it for him. But if he went with Tellus or whatever her name was, Fogarty would absolutely have questions, and that’s the last thing they needed.

Fogarty came back, covered in blood splatters and sweat. They didn’t talk much that night, but everyone was pretty well exhausted. He didn’t seem to notice Tellus was gone and Caspian wasn’t going to mention anything about his men or Reep at all if he could help it. Fogarty stopped at the prisoners Caspian’s men had tied up. And Caspian reasoned they could take them to the village to face justice, surely they had preyed upon travelers from the village and the people might like to see justice served. Fogarty didn’t say much, simply nodded and he retired for the night. Caspian stayed up later than usual with his men that were on watch duty. Drinian offered to stay up as well, but Caspian wouldn’t hear it. He wanted at least one of them to have some sleep before the next day. Caspian and Drinian both quietly hid Metis within their camp earlier and pre-tied some rope with a slip knot she could easily maneuver out of to keep on her in case Fogarty lost his temper at any point. Caspian was trying to prepare for any situation that might arise, but tomorrow would be a challenging day regardless of how much he prepared.

He pulled out a book from his pack, he missed his professor and he was beyond excited to see him again tomorrow. Cornelius had been traveling but on one of his expeditions he was caught by slave traders. He ended up in Warkinles and had the opportunity to write to his former pupil. Caspian had arrived by Dawn Treader to Warkinles and was curious to get to know the land and its people better. He was already working on an agreement to become allies with Warkinles. But shortly before Caspian had arrived at Warkinles, Cornelius was sold again to someone in Falmouth. But the king of Warkinles had sent an order the professor not to be moved as King Caspian was in court signing an agreement to be allies and partners in trade. Caspian always loved a new adventure and in order to get to know Warkinles better he decided to go and retrieve his friend with his men. He instructed some of his soldiers to stay on the Dawn Treader and wait at a particular dock King Westlow, the king of Warkinles, had mentioned was close to Falmouth. They should be at the dock by now, and it would only be roughly half a day's ride to the dock from Falmouth, and then they would all be on their way home.

But Caspian had not planned on running into Fogarty or a witch when he embarked on his journey to get his professor back. Caspian had been staring at the same pages for a while now, but he wasn’t reading. His brain wouldn’t let him focus. She was beautiful. He liked Tellus before, but it was a friendship. But seeing Tellus, or whoever that was, in his true form, he felt slightly attracted. He thought back to seeing him fight and realizing that he had never actually seen that fighting style before. While he was certainly preoccupied with his own doings during that time, he couldn’t help but notice Tellus was remarkable at moving and his timing during a fight was impeccable. He now wondered if that woman was using her powers. He didn’t understand witches that much but how could a blue witch fight like that? Perhaps she was a red witch but it didn’t seem likely. Tells was more calm in nature, quick-witted but did not possess a passionate energy that Fogarty said red witches had about him. Caspian understood blue witches to be more calm and soft, not fighters. But perhaps she had to learn how to fight. Gods know what she had to do to survive.

Caspian remembered the transformation that happened right before his eyes. Tellus’s face was already handsome as a man, but it went from a slightly wider proportion to smaller and petite. Her hair had grown longer, but Tellus’s hair was already at his shoulders. Granted Caspian didn’t get a great look at her, but what he did see attracted him. Before he knew it he had fallen asleep with her on his mind.

The next morning Caspian didn’t even need Drinian to wake him up. He was up shortly before everyone else. When Fogarty woke up everyone was awakened and everyone prepared to finish riding to Falmouth. Drinian stayed a bit closer to Caspian than he had previously on the journey, but no one seemed suspicious about it. To Caspian’s relief the ride was uneventful and they reached Falmouth around the afternoon. The judge of the town accepted the prisoners and Caspian went with the judge to his home where Cornelius was staying as a guest. After King Westlow wrote that Cornelius was to be prepared to go home, that King Caspian was coming to get him, the judge gave him his spare bedroom. No one had known that this small man was a beloved professor of the king of Narnia.

As soon as Caspian walked through the door and saw his beloved professor, they embraced in a hug. Caspian had learned so much from him and looked up to him so much, words couldn’t describe how thankful he was to have his friend back.

“Your Grace, I have missed you. I hope I did not cause you too much trouble.”

Caspian smiled as he hugged his professor. No matter how many times Caspian told him to call him by his name, he simply wouldn’t do it. At this point, Caspian had given up trying to convince his teacher.

“Well at least you ended up being traded in ally territory and gave us the opportunity to explore King Westlow’s lands.” Caspian looked down at Cornelius, he forgot how short his teacher was sometimes.

Cornelius chuckled, “I suppose I am lucky you’ve always been a curious, adventurous pupil.” His eyes twinkled and Caspian was sure he was remembering a time he neglected his studies in favor of running off to go explore. Cornelius had always encouraged him to embrace his natural instincts for exploration and allowed his imagination to run wild. Caspian secretly supposed he was lucky he had a half dwarf for a professor while he was under his uncle’s thumb.

Caspian thanked the judge for taking care of his friend, paid him, and he and Cornelius headed to the inn. Caspian listened as Cornelius talked quickly of some of the things he saw and people he met while away from Narnia, and Caspian was sure he would go into more detail during the night and once they boarded the Dawn Treader. They drew closer to the inn and as much as he wanted to tell his professor about what was going on with a witch and Fogarty, he thought it would take too long to explain, so he decided against it for the time being.

Once inside he saw Fogarty and most of his men sitting around drinking and some of his own men as well. Which he was perfectly fine with, they had certainly earned a rest. But he was concerned in case they needed to leave quickly. He caught Drinian’s eye who gave a slight shake of the head, he hadn’t contacted or seen Reep yet. Caspian noticed Metis sitting in a corner with her hands tied again, but with the slip knot Drinian had tied so she could easily slip out if needed. Caspian wanted to buy her freedom before they left, but he wanted his two men and Reepicheep back and he needed to figure out what to do about this witch. The inn had a second floor with stairs going up to a walkway leading to the rooms so guests could have some privacy as they came in and out of the rooms. He noticed a slight red feather peeking from behind the bars of the handrail above and he knew that was Reep on purpose trying to catch Caspian’s attention. He whispered to Drinian he saw Reep, and he was going to go up there and try to figure out what to do next. Drinian was more than capable of holding his own against anything that might happen downstairs while Caspian went upstairs. As Caspian climbed the stairs, he knew he wasn’t going to have a lot of time. He walked past the walkway, turned the corner and there was Reep waiting outside the door.

“It’s wonderful to see you again, sire.” Reep said in a quieted tone.

Caspian reached for the handle of the door, and Reep cleared his throat. He looked down at the mouse.

“I believe it’s considered polite to knock, sire.”

Caspian gave a couple quiet little raps, and he heard her voice.

“Come in.”

Caspian opened the door and she was standing before him. The bed was made and there was a little chair beside the bed and she was standing next to it, leaning on it. Her hair was braided but it was loose and some strands were hanging free and framing her face. He walked all the way into the room, and shut the door behind him and Reepicheep.

“We don’t have much time,” he said as he was sure she and Reep had both heard Fogarty and his men downstairs.

“I know, I cannot thank you enough for what you did for me. But I must hurry and leave this place.”

Terra POV

She quickly put her cloak on after she told him she needed to leave. She was worried if Fogarty heard the innkeepers were hiding and aiding a witch, he would kill them. Caspian nodded and pulled out her necklace. Terra had woken up before the sun was up and felt her necklace was gone. But she had woken up in a comfortable bed and Reepicheep was nearby looking out the window. The other two Narnians were in the room with her as well and Reep had explained what happened after she passed out in the woods. Everything Metis told them, Caspian’s plan of Reep going into Falmouth while he and the others stayed behind, and how one of them was faking an injury to cover hers. They didn’t talk much more than that, Reep insisted she needed more rest as he wasn’t sure what the day might bring and she would likely need all her strength. She had fallen back asleep and woke up with a start roughly an hour or so ago. It took everything in her to quickly braid her hair and get dressed. The other two Narnians were already out of the room and Reep said he would wait outside to give her privacy and keep an eye out for Caspian. Fogarty’s men were already downstairs and loud, that’s what had woken her up so abruptly.

Caspian was holding out the necklace in his hand and Terra reached for it.

“Where will you go?”

She looked up at him, because to be perfectly honest, she wasn’t sure. She needed to find someplace she could lie down safely and focus on resting. But she also needed to go to a house to collect her payment for delivering Mall to Falmouth safely. She would need her disguise for that, and having the necklace contain some of her power took energy as well.

She took the necklace. “I’m not sure honestly.” She looked down at the crystal, it was still usable. “I need to rest but I can’t stay here, I don’t want any harm to come to these people.”

Caspian nodded and looked directly at her again. Gods, his eyes are beautiful, she thought.

“Is there anything I can do to help you before you leave?”

She was still looking at him, but she turned towards the window, walked over to it and opened it. The barn for guests horses was right next to the inn and the roof was just a little ways down. If he could lower her down, that would soften the fall for her and she could jump off the roof from there. Caspian followed her and seemed to understand her plan.

“I’ll lower you down.”

She nodded but she wanted to put on her disguise before she left.

“Give me one moment.” She sat on the bed with the crystal in her lap and slowly inhaled and slowly exhaled. She needed to focus on the spell to transform her appearance. She opened her eyes and the crystal was glowing and she quickly put on the necklace. It didn’t feel much different, but her shoulders and hips felt a bit off, like she was being stretched and condensed at the same time. She had gotten used to moving around as Tellus, but she had been Terra all her life so shifting into Tellus mode took her a second. She stood up and felt Caspian’s eyes on her, she turned and as she guessed they were wide and wondering.

Reep scurried to the door and Caspian and Terra both turned that direction, “It’s Fogarty.”

They all looked at each other, Reep scurried back towards the window and the door burst open. Fogarty looked at Caspian, who straightened his back and walked towards the door.

“We were just heading back downstairs, I needed a report from Reep.”

Terra followed Caspian and Reep was right by her side. They started on the walkway and Terra looked down. All of the men were talking, drinking, and laughing. They seemed to be completely unaware that Fogarty and Caspian were gone. Without warning, she felt a giant hand around her neck from behind, felt him pick her up and she was flying in the air. She landed hard on her back on the table downstairs. It knocked the wind out of her and she saw Fogarty standing above all of them.

Caspian was running towards the stairs, and Reepicheep was scurrying across the beams and landed right next to her with his sword drawn.

She coughed and started to roll on her side to stand when one of the men snatched the necklace from her neck. She wasn’t sure who it was and it happened so fast and she was so tired. She knew she wasn’t going to make it.

“Looks like we had a witch amongst us the whole time, boys!” Fogarty’s voice boomed and his men started drawing their swords. Narnians started gathering towards the side of the room Drinian was on and Caspian was running towards her.

Terra closed her eyes and slowly inhaled, she could smell and sense a tree next to the inn and that would have to do. She opened her eyes and willed the branches to break through the windows. Glass shattered and every head turned towards the sound and saw three branches growing, twisting, and shooting towards them with a velocity no one had ever seen. She wanted to part them so she could leave. The branches were thick and swords were no match for a tree under the power of a witch, and none of the men had seen anything like this before. Reep had moved from beside her to climbing the branches and using them to fend off the soldiers that were closest to her. Most of the Narnians were in shock as well, but a few had picked up their swords and were fighting against Fogarty’s men as well. Drinian was trying to reach Caspian with his sword drawn and Caspian was across the room from her. She had a smaller branch extending from one of the thicker branches acting as an arm to push him back away from the fight. She wasn’t about to allow him to get hurt because of her.

In the midst of all the chaos, she hadn’t noticed that Fogarty had jumped down and he was behind her. Reep had shouted at her, but all of her focus and attention was on the tree performing her will so she could make escape. Everything ceased when Fogarty hit her on the back of the head. She stumbled off the table and onto the ground, she wasn’t knocked out but she was already in pain. She was lying on her back panting when Fogarty stepped over her and was staring down at her.

“I thought all you green witches were extinct.” he sneered at her. Everyone had stopped fighting and they were staring at him, watching what he would do next.

Caspian walked past most of the men and was in the area where she had started to clear a path for her to make an escape and Drinian was right behind him, sword still drawn.

She could barely move, breathing was hard enough at this point, and Fogarty decided to use his boot to step on her throat. He made it just hard enough for her to gather any air at all.

“I’m going to make you wish you never met me, let alone traveled with us, tricked us, just to try and kill us!” every part of his sentence got louder and louder until he was yelling, and Terra was clutching his boot at this point to try and get any air.

“When did she try to kill us?” Reepicheep piped up. Every head turned towards the mouse who was standing on one of the branches. He was only a few steps away from Fogarty and he was at his eye level. Fogarty had whipped his head at the mouse without releasing Terra even slightly.

“Do you not see the damage that was just done, mouse?”

“Yes, but I believe she was trying to escape. She had plenty of opportunities to kill us and not a single person here is dead.”

“You seem to think that I care about what she intended to do.” Fogarty turned his attention back to Terra. “She is a witch and she will suffer the consequences.”

Terra couldn’t see, she was barely getting any air, but Caspian was close to her and Fogarty with Drinian right behind him.

“I’ll buy her.”

Fogarty stared right at the young king. He hadn’t said what his plan was, but Fogarty wasn’t planning on killing the witch. At least not right away. He wanted information out of her. She was the only green witch anyone had seen in years.

Caspian continued, “I doubt you plan on killing her right away. You said you thought green witches were extinct. I’m willing to pay your price. For both of them.” he gestured to Metis.

“My kingdom does not have witches. We need to learn from them, what they are capable of, and how they think. And you don’t want any more green witches in your land. I’m willing to pay you to get rid of her. Of both of the witches in your party.”

Fogarty eyed the king. Terra did not even have to think what Fogarty’s answer was. He was a killer and he wanted her dead. However Caspian was a king and he was willing to pay whatever Fogarty’s price was. At the end of the day, Fogarty needed money for him and all his men. This kind of offer didn’t come up often. But neither did green witches or the opportunity to torture them for information.

“I want 40 gold pieces for the green witch. And I want 20 gold pieces for the other.” Fogarty’s boot was still on Terra’s throat but it was eased slightly and she could breathe with more ease.

“Done.” Caspian turned his head to Drinian who nodded to a particular fawn who went outside to fetch the payment.

“You’ll want to keep both of them chained. Even on the boat, the green witch won’t hold much power but I wager the other one to be a blue witch. You’ll want to keep her below deck the entirety of your journey.” Fogarty offered his advice but Terra was having a hard time grasping why he was allowing the king to buy the witches. She was trying to catch her breath and trying to grasp why on earth Fogarty was allowing them to be bought.

The fawn appeared with two bags and presented them to the king. Caspian opened one of them, shuffled a few of the coins in the bag around and reclosed the bag.

“Here. There’s 70 pieces total, extra for showing us the way here.” Caspian stepped towards Fogarty. Fogarty took the bags and opened them to observe what was inside. He glanced at the witch lying on the ground and released his foot. Terra wheezed all the air she could into her lungs.

She didn’t trust Fogarty, why was he letting her go so easily? Something didn’t feel right. Caspian reached down and helped her to her feet as Fogarty was walking towards the door with his gold. Fogarty shouted at his men they would be leaving and heading to another inn that was a little ways away in the village.

The entire room was a mess after Fogarty and his men left, but Terra had found a chair to sit on while Caspian and Drinian stood discussing what to do next. Metis was heading to the kitchen area to find some herbs to help Terra with the pain.

“I don’t like that he let us go so easily.” Drinian stated.

“I don’t either.” Caspian said. “If we stay here, he will likely attack us here. If we head out now we may be able to get ahead of him. Or he may already be lying in wait.”

Metis appeared from the kitchen with a root Terra knew was going to at least dull the pain. She would be able to travel and not want to die the whole way. Caspian had not tied any restraints on her and Metis was walking free from her ropes. Caspian had bought them but Terra was sensing he did that because he wanted them free without having to fight Fogarty. She didn’t feel like staying and getting killed but she knew she wanted to return a favor to Caspian by helping him return to his ship. She would need to be at full strength.

“He’s going to kill you here tonight.” Caspian, Drinian, and Reepicheep all turned to her.

She continued, “He thinks you’re going to want to stay here to rest before you head to your ship or you’re going to stay because I’m injured.”

“Fogarty is not a reasonable man, Your Highness.” Metis handed Terra the root which she had crushed so it would be more chewable for her.

“He sees you buying us as an opportunity for him to make money and reason to kill you. When is he ever going to get an offer of that much money from someone? And while you did just become allies with us, witches are forbidden. Unlike Narnia, this is basic common knowledge to everyone here. King Westlow is not always the brightest and likely assumes you understand and think the same about witches. Buying some and keeping them alive is suspicious. We need to leave now, Your Highness.” Metis was standing and bowing her head.

Caspian was standing with his arms crossed and one hand rubbing his beard in thought.

“My lord, there is no reason for either lady to lie about this to us. And we know Fogarty to be relentless. Our men are more than ready to go home. We can reach the Dawn Treader within a few hours.” Reep was standing on the table looking at his king and Drinian next to him.

“I agree with him, my lord.” Drinian turned to Caspian.

Caspian kept his eyes staring off into space and nodded. He then seemed to snap out of it and turned to Drinian and they both walked to the other side of the room where Drinian gave order to some of the men and told them to tell everyone they would be traveling through the night.

Caspian came back with another bag and walked to the kitchen area.

“The owners will need to head to another town.” Metis was sitting next to Terra who was done eating the root. It was already working slightly although she was still in quite a bit of pain. She was beyond thankful Metis could explain the danger they were in to Caspian.

Caspian came out of the kitchen area with the bags gone and Terra knew he had paid the innkeepers. They would need what they could get to get out the town safely for harboring a witch. Even if they argued they didn’t know who she was, Fogarty was not going to believe them and Caspian knew that. Once again Terra found herself watching him and thinking how he was clearly born to lead because he genuinely cared about people and used his privilege to help them. She also noted he, Drinian, and Reep had all listened to her and Metis. They didn’t talk over them or argue with their logic. They seemed to accept that women were just as capable of understanding danger and making decisions. They treated her and Metis as human beings.

Unknown to Terra, Metis caught her watching the young king walk towards his second-in-command. She simply kept a mental note, the king was certainly handsome and Metis knew he was a leader she would happily follow. The young witch was a beautiful woman, and while she didn’t know her very well, Tellus had been her favorite of Fogarty’s men. He had been different from all the others and she knew the young witch had secretly done everything in her power to protect her. She secretly hoped they both would be a good match and realize it for themselves in time.

Metis stood and walked over towards Drinian to assist in how she could, while Caspian came over to where Terra was sitting. The root was working and she stood up as he approached.

“Are you alright to travel?” He looked genuinely concerned.

“I am, we really ought to leave now. It hasn’t even been an hour but you know he is preparing his men to kill all of us. He’ll want to kill you himself.”

“Well the feeling is mutual.” He turned to head back to everyone else with Terra following him. But he stopped abruptly and turned back around towards her. Gods, he’s tall, she thought.

“You don’t have to come with us if that is not your wish or your plan.” He said.

She looked up into his big, dark brown eyes. They were soft and gentle.

“I mean I bought you, but I have no intention of owning you. You are a free person, I did not want him to kill you. I want you to go where you’re going to be safe.”

“I gathered that, I didn’t think you were a slave owning man.” She smiled softly at him. She wanted him to understand she thought he was a good man. A good king, she reminded herself. She really needed to remember her place.

“Narnia is welcome to everyone who needs a home. Regardless of race, looks, or abilities.” He continued to look at her. “If you would like to join us on the Dawn Treader, we will welcome you with open arms.”

She lowered her head for a moment. She had never been anywhere else, and not too long ago, Narnia seemed like a myth. But she was not welcome here. Just being alive, her breathing was a crime here. She looked back up and smiled.

Caspian softly smiled, nodded, and they headed towards where Drinian looked ready to go. He had assembled Caspian’s men and everyone looked slightly anxious as nightfall was quickly approaching. The sun would not be up much longer.

Drinian offered a horse to Terra without saying a word, he simply motioned to the horse and as she approached he handed her the reins and she saw him smile softly. Without uttering a word, he had made it clear he did not think it was her fault. It was not her fault they had to leave suddenly and all their lives were in danger. He trusted his king’s guidance and his actions of saving two people from being murdered for no reason. Are all Narnians like this, she wondered. She was no longer pretending to be a man and it was known she was a witch. The two leaders had both accepted her in less than thirty minutes after she had destroyed the main hall of an inn. As she sat in the saddle and straightened her back, Reepicheep scurried over and stood on the horn of her saddle. Drinian was mounting his horse and Caspian was assisting Metis on her horse and talking to her in a slightly hushed tone. Everyone was preparing to head out, the air was thick with uncertainty.

“I am certain Caspian has already told you and is informing Metis now, but you are most welcome to come with us to Narnia, milady.” Reep had turned to her and Terra loved how proud he was every time he spoke of Narnia or Caspian.

“I truly do want to make the journey with you, Reep. But…” She glanced around her and the small uneasy feeling in her stomach started to grow. “I worry about being a lone witch in a strange land. In a land that claims to welcome and want me but doesn’t quite understand what I’m capable of. It may choose to reject me later.” She did feel relief confessing to the mouse.

“Fear is only natural, milady.” Reep reached his little paw to touch her hand on the reins. “But it is what we do with fear that truly determines who we are and what we are capable of.”

Terra saw Caspian mounting his horse in her peripheral and she knew she would be getting on that ship but she was scared of what came next for her. She opened her mouth to say something, but Reepicheep continued.

“Even when your enemies tried to kill you, your concern was protecting those you cared about. And you traveled with those who want you dead and you did not kill any of them during that time when you had ample opportunity? Milady, your fearlessness and determination will be nothing but an inspiration to everyone in Narnia. We would be more than lucky to have you.” The mouse smiled and scurried over to Drinian’s horse. Terra closed her mouth and had no time to let the brave mouse’s words sink in because Caspian and Drinian were riding and everyone wordlessly followed. The crew was silent because it would be night soon and everyone needed to be on high alert and sharp.

The night passed rather uneventfully, and even though Terra couldn’t sense anyone through the ground, her abilities allowed her to focus on the trees and sense what they could feel. This method wasn’t always spot on, but it was better than nothing. She was sensing nothing in the forest. Just everyone walking as silently as they could to reach the port where the Dawn Treader was waiting for them.

Hours went by and then they had reached the port. Soon they would be boarding the Dawn Treader and heading to Narnia. As Terra dismounted she saw Metis being guided on the ship by Drinian. It appeared Fogarty miscalculated Caspian staying behind and it seemed like they would be heading to Narnia without any hiccups. Terra was relieved Metis wouldn’t be in danger of Fogarty anymore.

“May I escort you aboard the Dawn Treader?” Caspian said from right behind her. He walked in front of her and gestured his hand to point towards the ship.

This place Terra grew up in had nothing to offer her. She would always be on the run, especially now Fogarty knew there was a green witch alive. She turned to her left to get another look at the skyline but everything was dark and it seemed as though the ground beneath her did not want to communicate with her. She quickly took this as her final sign that this land was not for her and she needed to leave. She turned back to him, looked in his soft brown eyes and smiled. She began walking with him towards the ship and a new beginning.

Caspian stopped and she stopped to peer up at him. He tilted his head and looked down at her.

“I feel as though we shouldn’t begin this voyage without me first learning your name, m’lady. Or is your name truly Tellus?”

She laughed, she wasn’t exactly sure why this was funny. It had been so long since anyone asked for her real name or even bothered to call her by her name. It felt nice to have someone genuinely curious about her.

“My name is Terra, Your Highness.” She smiled up at him and her fears began to dwindle. She felt easier about sailing to Narnia.

He smiled back at her and they continued towards the ship and towards whatever the sea might hold for them.

#fanfic #fantasy #chronicles of narnia #prince caspian #writing #witchcraft #romance

3 notes · View notes