This is Home

It was obvious that Caspian wanted to get some news out of his old Professor, so he approached him the next morning as they all continued on the journey.

“Professor,” Caspian gulped. He had not stopped calling Cornelius that, because it just felt so familiar and close to home. “I... I never thanked you properly. I owe you my life now.”

“No, no,” Cornelius disagreed. “Anything for the king.”

Caspian sighed, as they continued to walk in a strange silence. “I do not think I am ready to be king.”

“Of course,” Cornelius took off his glasses and began to polish the lenses on his shirt, another thing that Caspian had missed seeing him doing, “Nobody is ever ready. The important thing is that you have to be the king that Miraz was not; you have the chance to become the biggest contradictory in Telmarine history.”

Caspian bit his lower lip. That was a lot to think of.

“Professor,” Caspian whispered shyly. Cornelius looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Caspian looked away nervously. “Professor, I loved her more than a friend.”

Cornelius chuckled, a reaction that Caspian had not suspected. But Cornelius only continued his magical little laugh. “Of course, Caspian. I always knew.”

“And...?” Caspian asked, urging the professor to keep going.

“Well,” Cornelius hummed. “I managed to speak to her before her wedding. She looked... I mean, I remember when you had just met her. Unbelievable to know she was getting married.”

“Professor,” Caspian whined. “Please. Did she say anything?”

“Umm,” Cornelius thought. “I don’t know. I left just before she was going to be wed. A pretty dress, as well, it was. That Felix didn’t know who he was about to marry.”

Caspian groaned inwardly. The name ‘Felix’ had made him sick to his stomach whenever he heard or thought about it. “Please, Professor. Just the important details.”

“I do not know! Her mother was... she looked just about on her deathbed, and all she wanted to do was see Estella wed. I do not know. She was always a bizarre one, Beatriz,” Cornelius rambled. Caspian rolled his eyes.

So that was it, then. Cornelius had seen Estella before she was married.

Caspian decided to focus on the war.

* * *

“I was thinking,” Peter suggested, his words rushed as if Caspian were to walk away in the next moments, “Perhaps we could raid the castle. At night. We would have the element of surprise.”

Caspian forgot why he had chosen to talk to Peter. Peter was only interested in beating Miraz, and Caspian didn’t know why. Sure, he did want Miraz dead, but he wasn’t as power-hungry as Peter.

“Nobody has ever taken the castle,” Caspian replied. “It would be... impossible to do it. Especially with the size of our army. What if it fails? Then we will have lost. I suggest a battle closer to here, because we have the known territory on our side while Miraz just thinks of how many of us to kill or take for slaves.

“Clever,” Peter noted.

They had reached the How, and everyone was chatting about how Caspian had had a sudden change of heart. He thought about the war more constantly now, actively throwing his ideas into the conversation. It was weird for some, but at least he wasn’t the quiet mess he was the other day.

They all sat around the place that, more than 1300 years ago, had been the stone table. Now there was a roof built over it, protecting it from the skies.

“Why do we have to pick a place to die?” Lucy asked. She was seated on the crack in the middle of the table. “You all treat this as if we’re going to lose the army when we fight.”

“Lu, perhaps we should keep our minds to ourselves,” Peter glared.

“Pig,” Lucy glared back. “Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?” She got up from her seat and ran outside.

“You should really stop quarreling with her,” Susan suggested, bitter tears in her eyes. She ran after her younger sister. Caspian was surprised at how cruel Peter was to his siblings, in his quest to win the war note yet started by Miraz.

That night, when they camped, Caspian was staring at the stars again. I will soon be among the stars when the war is done and Miraz gets his wish, for me to be dead, he thought before drifting off into cloudy dreams.