Awaiting Redemption

banner by me; yah it sucks, but SHH.

Finally, I caught up with Caspian as he was leaving the courtyard. Since I had his attention, I figured that I could bend down and catch my breath. After approximately 28 seconds, I stood up to my tallest height and held the blade out to him.

"What is this?"

"I never gave Rhindon back to you after the duel, so I figured you'd have it back now..." I trailed off, distracted by the sight of the gorgeous stallion that was now being led past us.

"M'lady, you can keep that sword. I have one of my own and I saw no sword back in that box in your room."

I simply nodded, my head and eyes still following the horse. Caspian, picking up on the fact that I was not paying much attention to him, followed my gaze and his eyes too landed upon the horse.

"By the way Andy, how'd you learn to handle a sword so eloquently?"

I looked back at Caspian and smiled slyly.

"In order to show you, I'm going to need a horse."

***

To my dismay, Caspian did not catch on as much as I thought he had, for he brought me to the stables and saddled a unicorn for my use. I noticed that he requested a brown mustang.

While he was preparing for our impromptu departure, I took a quick look around the barn and saw no sign of the horse that I was admiring earlier. Pity...

"Ready?"

I turned my head and nodded. I mounted the unicorn and rode towards the Western Woods with Caspian close on my tail.

I was leading him to my training ground. The place where I learned to maneuver my first horse. The place where I mastered the arts of archery and my flat-blade sword. The place by the riverbank where Peter and I shared so much time together, isolated from everything else. At this thought, I pulled back on the reins.

Caspian was alarmed at the sudden movement and couldn't stop quickly enough, so he ended up stopping a few lengths ahead of me.

"Everything alright?"

"Do you swear by all of Narnia that this place I am about to show you will remain a secret kept between you and I?"

"I swear?"

Good enough. I laughed in sheer joy and galloped on further into the distance. Caspian chased me ardently but not fast enough to keep up with me. Sooner than I had expected, we reached our destination.

It was a run down field that was well-hidden from each side by trees. It was decorated with stone and plant hedges alike serving as barriers for horses to avoid, a training mechanism. Attached to a tree was a target that was without arrow marks, probably from not being used for so long. Behind the tree, was the renowned river bank.

I dismounted from my horse and tied its reins to a tree branch that was hanging abnormally low. Caspian followed. I threw my arms out in front of me and pronounced, "This is where I learned almost everything I know."

"Almost?"

"I learned to handle a sword back home in San Diego. I was enlisted in a fencing academy and I was the third highest in my class."

Caspian walked over to the fencing strip and examined it. Then, he looked up. Startled, he jumped back in surprise, tripping over a hedge and falling backwards. I walked over to where he had been and looked up. I quirked an eyebrow and looked down at Caspian, "Vines?"

"Yes, but I've never seen them in such abundance."

"Well, like all great things, if you leave them alone, they flourish. You know of the tree spirits, yes?"

"Yes, they helped us in battle. But what have they got to do with the vines?"

"It's how they give hugs."

I smiled after that last comment and walked back over to the target that was attached to one of the trees, a tree I know by the name of Geneva. I removed the target and smiled. There, engraved into the tree, were Peter's initials right next to mine. I frowned slightly, remembering the very big chance that I would never see him again, and I replaced the target.

I turned around and came face to face with a giant black wall. I squeaked in surprise and jumped back against Geneva, only to realize that the black wall was really Caspian's chest. But then I realized Caspian had me backed against a tree... so I squeaked again and tried to exit this really awkward situation by running away. Of course, I ran straight into his chest.

Feeling trapped, I leaned against Geneva coolly. All of a sudden, two vines plunged downward, wrapped themselves around my body and pulled me around the field. They let go of me when I was above the unicorn, and plop! Onto the saddle I went.

With wide eyes, I turned to Caspian and he looked just as shocked as I felt. Needless to say, we rode back to the castle immediately, vacating the clearing I had once felt so at home in.