𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓: 𝕺𝖓 𝕭𝖔𝖆𝖗𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕯𝖆𝖜𝖓 𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗

"AND THEN THE BOY SAID; why does mother smell like a goat?"

Killian was telling Muriel what transpired below deck as they made their way to the State room together. The princess had met with the cook's son after providing Lucy with some of her spare clothes. The young queen was pleased to have borrowed them; and although they were slightly large, they complemented the men's garments she had received from Caspian.

Killian couldn't contain his laughter over something the boy, now known to be Eustace, Lucy's and Edmund's cousin, had uttered in his delirious state upon awakening. Nausus, a faun, had kindly offered Eustace a bowl of soup to soothe his seasickness after he fainted. The image of Nausus' expression when Eustace, in his confusion, mistook him for his mother and insulted him by comparing him to a goat, still sent Killian into fits of laughter.

Muriel chuckled along, clearly amused by his storytelling. She was quite surprised to nearly collide with Nausus, who had stormed out just as she entered the small cabin, carrying some of her belongings. She had gone there to check on Eustace and Killian, and to secure the final hammock. With three new crew members on board, Muriel offered Lucy the chance to sleep in Caspian's cabin. Although Muriel had primarily used the cabin, a generous offer from Caspian, she now insisted that Lucy take it, having grown accustomed to the ship's sway. Muriel was content to dress there and sleeping below deck.

They had left Eustace to his slumber, agreeing that a drop of Lucy's cordial would probably do the trick in making him feel better later on. Now they were making their way to the State room, where Caspian had escorted Lucy and Edmund to explain the voyage to them.

"Poor Nausus," Muriel chuckled, opening the door nestled between the two staircases. They stepped into the small hall that housed several doors; one led to the State Room, another to Drinian's—the captain's—cabin. "Eustace better watch his back, you make one comment about Nausus and you have Randy to deal with."

"Wouldn't want to be on Randy's bad side," Killian grimaced, "have you seen his hooves? They're huge."

Muriel snorted, dismissing the image he had painted with a shake of her head. "It's impossible to get on Randy's bad side; he's a sweetheart," she said with a smile, recalling the two fauns who had danced with her by the campfire. "Now," she continued, returning to the matter at hand as she opened Drinian's cabin door, "I promised Drinian to retrieve some maps from his cabin. Can you help me carry them?"

With a single nod, the two of them entered the cozy room. It was not nearly as big as the State room, which also held Caspian's bed. But it was big enough for a captain to get the rest he well deserved.

Muriel quickly noticed the cabinet filled with various maps and instrumens, situated against the far right wall.

"Speaking of bad sides, actually," Muriel hummed as she made her way to the cabinet, "what did you do to get on Caspian's?"

"Oh, you mean the 'see to him' thing?" Killian said nonchalantly, glancing around the cabin. Upon receiving a confirming nod from Muriel, he simply shrugged. "That's nothing. Don't worry about it." As the cook's son became engrossed in a book brimming with various illustrations of plants and marine life, he missed Muriel's skeptical look. Turning a page, Killian tilted his head, intrigued, while gesturing absently. "Maybe he's become aware that I know about that fight between you two. I haven't been exactly subtle, but now I understand why you acted the way you did."

"Killian," Muriel nearly groaned at the confession. Just because she had momentarily put that situation aside didn't mean Killian would do the same. It had been over a week since she told him, yet she still noticed her best friend casting wary glances at the Narnian king. "I should have told you sooner, and I am glad that you see it from my point of view, really. I can see how unreasonable I have been—yes, I have, don't shake your head—and though I'm not pleased with Caspian, I've made an effort to be civil around him. Can you do the same, please?"

"You call that civil?" Killian snorted. It was odd to see their roles now reversed. Killian now understood why Muriel had acted so irrationally. He would not fully excuse her behaviour, but it was hard not to glare at the Narnian King, considering everything that had transpired between them. Caspian was an idiot for waiting too long to tell her of his feelings, especially after undermining her work with the Calormen. Yet, Killian could perceive what the two of them could not; somehow they had moved past the incident. More than just 'moved on' actually. "I call that flirting."

"You should be really careful with your words now," she warned, her tone ominously soft as she cast a glare his way.

But the cook's son had not intended it as something to tease her about. He was genuinely curious, intrigued by her quick response. She observed the sincerity in his gaze, and her stern demeanor softened, revealing a glimpse of her own inquisitiveness.

"I've been meaning to ask," he murmured, pausing briefly, "are you sure that you no longer—"

Her expression hardened instantly. "No, I don't," she cut him off. "That ship has sailed. It's not something to dwell on any longer anyhow. I should've listened to you a long time ago; what's done is done."

If her words, her curt tone, had affected him, he refused to show it. "You should listen more often," he quipped, his eyes following her movements as she opened the cabinet. "But honestly, would it be so terrible?" He raised his hands defensively as she turned sharply to face him "Would it really? Haven't the two of you talked about this? I mean, if he finally returns—"

"He led me on, Kil," Muriel said, shaking her head as she turned back to the cabinet. She did not want to waste another breath on this topic. "Knowing that he cares, well, I can grasp why he battled the Calormen armies, but I can't pretend I'm not hurt that he waited so long to tell me. It's his own fault, it took me a year to move on and settle for friendship, I refuse to be anyone's second choice."

"It's clear he loves you."

"I am done talking about this."

Killian sighed, but respected her plea for silence. He turned back to the book on the desk, flipping through the pages. He cast a glance to ensure she wasn't watching before slipping a small piece of charcoal, previously unnoticed on the desk, into his pocket.

Meanwhile Muriel had a hard time concentrating on the task at hand. Killian's questions had lingered in her her mind for some time, though she had always silenced them as soon as they emerged. Shaking her head as if to dispel the thoughts, she continued her search for the right maps to bring to the State room. While she wanted to move some rolled up maps aside, her hands suddenly halted midair, her attention caught by a faint sound. With the sudden quiet, Muriel realised that she could hear a muffled conversation happening in the room beside them.

Curious, but not so curious that she would press her ear to the wall, Muriel held her breath and listened.

"Since you left the Giants of the North have surrendered unconditionally," she could pick up Caspian's muffled voice first. She gathered he had already begun explaining to Lucy and Edmund was had happenend in their absence. She could picture them standing in the State Room, the place Muriel loved the most for it's murals depicting Narnia's history and the golden head of Aslan. She could remember the event he mentioned, how he'd shared the details of that ordeal with her when she had visited Cair Paravel.

She cast a look back at Killian, but he was oblivious, completely absorbed in sketching a figure of a woman with a tail.

She continued with her listening, simultaneously removing two scrolls from the cabinet and tucking them under her arm. They were two maps, previously sketched in order to get an understanding of what lay beyond the Lone Islands; as of yet, they remained largely blank.

"Then we defeated the Calormen armies at the Great Desert," she heard Caspian continue. The scroll in her hand crinkled slightly as her grip suddenly tightened. She had anticipated his mention of it, and she felt relieved not to be present in the room, for her version of the story would have differed greatly. Yet, it seemed as if he also considered this, for he added, "and of course, Archenland has been our unfaltering ally. There is peace across all of Narnia."

Muriel rolled her eyes at the mention of her home, shaking her head as she hastily collected the remaining scrolls; she had heard enough. In her haste, she had probably grabbed far too many documents, perhaps ones Drinian would not even need,nbut the eavesdropping had made her feel uncomfortable, and she longed to be in the state room instead. With her arms full, she carefully attempted to close the cabinet door with her foot.

It closed softly, just in time for her to overhear the much softer voice of Lucy Pevensie.

"And have you and Muriel gotten married yet in those three years?"

A single scroll tumbled to the ground, though Muriel had almost dropped them all. She held her breath, questioning if her ears had deceived her. Yet, there was no misinterpreting Lucy's question. That girl had not changed at all, still the curious, little meddler she was. Muriel contemplated walking away, but part of her was curious. She wondered, what would Caspian's response be to such a question?

"Let me help you with some of those."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Muriel turned to see Killian stand behind her with outstretched arms. Completely oblivious to what she'd heard, he took some of the maps from her arms, picking up the one from the floor and turning it in his hand. "Does Drinian need all these?"

"Probably not," she said, finding her voice and shaking off the odd feeling to focus on the conversation at hand. "Let's go and find out," she said, trailing him to the State Room.

Killian moved at an agonizingly slow pace, dragging his feet over the ground and taking forever to open and close Drinian's cabin door. She squeezed past him in the narrow hallway, struggling to keep the scrolls in her arm and trying to open the door to the State Room. She wanted to catch Caspian's answer and at the same time, hoped the topic had long passed.

Lucy Pevensie's keen eye had caught the faltering smile on Caspian's lips as he responded to her question. She'd noticed a shift in the dynamics between the two, yet she couldn't pinpoint the reason. She doubted Edmund was the one to talk to about this, so she'd just settled asking Caspian directly. His ambiguous reply left her hoping that Muriel's friend, Killian, would know more. Otherwise she would have to talk to Drinian and Reepicheep, who were also present, but she doubted they were much into gossip nor would betray Caspian's trust. Like she was usually the first to notice these things, she was also the first to notice the door to open.

Muriel stumbled in, a scroll from the top of the pile she was carrying tumbling to the floor. Drinian made an unimpressed sound from the back of his throat, while Caspian's eyebrows lifted in amusement.

Killian entered after her, greeting everyone with a smile as he laid the maps on the table to the side. They all watched as Muriel struggled to close the door behind her. With strands of hair escaping her loose braid and falling across her face, Muriel attempted to balance on one leg to kick the door shut.

With a shake of his head and a chuckle from his lips, Caspian approached the door. He gently closed it for her, gazing down with a smile. "You could've walked twice."

He understood Muriel well enough to suspect that she had probably considered that option, but chose not to. Her nonchalant shoulder shrug and averted gaze confirmed his suspicion. "That would have meant walking twice."

His laughter, light and airy, filled the space as he relieved her of some the scrolls in her arms.

"We were just catching these two up," he said, placing the scrolls with the others. He observed her mirroring his movements, then she approached the map on the table, offering Lucy and Edmund a soft smile. "Now, where were we?"

Lucy slightly raised her eyebrows, struggling to suppress a smile.

"Right, no Lucy," he covered his sudden embarassement with a chuckle. "That's not something that's come up," he joked, the lie leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

Lucy was barely satisfied with his answer, but noticed how Caspian's shoulders had stiffened. She decided not to question it any further. Muriel too struggled to keep her demeanor up, feeling her cheeks start to burn as she wondered if this had been his answer before.

"Hang on," Edmund interjected, showing little interest in his sister's inquiry. "If there are no wars to fight and no one's in trouble, then why are we here?"

"That, Edmund," said Muriel, eyes on the map laid out before them, "is an excellent question."

They gazed at her expectantly. As she looked up, her eyes widened and the blush on her cheeks deepened. Every coherent thought had fled her mind, leaving her unable to form even a simple sentence. She cast a sideways glance at Caspian, who was also observing her. Clearing her throat, she gestured towards him, "One Caspian is most fit to answer..."

"I've been asking myself the same thing," Caspian confessed with a fleeting smile. Muriel exhaled a sigh of relief as their attention shifted from her to him.

"So where are we sailing to?" Asked Edmund.

"Before I took back the throne from my uncle, he tried to kill my father's closest friends and most loyal supporters; the seven lords of Telmar." Caspian explained as Lucy and Edmund looked at the drawn pictures of the Lords behind him. "They were sent away to explore these waters. We're hoping to find them on the Lone Islands. As for Muriel—"

In his pause he looked at her to continue the story. "I'm looking for my mother and brother," she stated, meeting Lucy's surprised gaze she explained further. "After you left Narnia, we went to Archenland. My father showed me a letter, long story short, something happened to them or they could still be out there somewhere."

"Whatever it is," Caspian spoke for them both, "it's our duty to find out. And I had an excellent person to leave as Regent while I'm away—Trumpkin, the dwarf. You remember him?"

"Dear Trumpkin," said Lucy, "of course I do! You couldn't have made a better choice."

Muriel almost snorted, hiding behind her laugh and a cough. It was true in some sense, Trumpkin was wise and capable, but there were always better choices—like Trufflehunter for example, or doctor Cornelius.

"Loyal as a badger, Ma'am," Drinian said. "And valiant as a—as a Mouse." He had been going to say "as a lion" but had noticed Reepicheep's eyes fixed on him.

Muriel had noticed the tension between the two and decided to rescue Drinian from Reepicheep's intense stare. "Our main focus is indeed important," she said, "but Reepicheep here harbors an even greater hope."

Everyone's eyes turned to the Mouse.

"As high as my spirit," he said, his whiskers twitching with excitement. "though my stature may be small. We could venture to the farthest Eastern reaches of the world! And what might we find there? I expect to find Aslan's country."

"I say, that is and idea," said Edmund in an awed voice.

After a short silence Lucy asked, "And where are we now, Caspian?" She gazed at the map before them.

"The Captain can tell you better than I." said Caspian. At this, Drinian approached the pile of scrolls on the table. Shaking his head with a sigh at their number, which prompted Muriel and Killian to exchange a sheepish smile, he retrieved another one of his charts and laid it out on the table.

"That's our position," he said, he said, placing his finger on the map between the Seven Isles and the Lone Islands. "Or was at noon today. We had fair wind from Cair Paravel to Galma, which we made on the next day. We were in port for a week, for the Duke of Galma hosted a great tournament in His Majesty's honor, where he unhorsed many knights—"

"And got a few nasty falls myself, Drinian. Some of the bruises are there still," Caspian added quickly, casting a sidelong glance at Muriel.

"-and unhorsed many knights," repeated Drinian with a grin. "We thought the Duke would have been pleased if His Majesty would have married his daughter, but nothing came of that—"

"Squints," Muriel blurted out, mocking Caspian with a grin as she gave Lucy a wink, "and has freckles." She ended the sentence by raising her eyebrows and a roll of her eyes. Lucy returned the grin, knowing all too well there was more to this story—which she was going to ask Muriel about immediately after—but playing along to make fun of Caspian.

"Oh, the poor girl," she remarked, her eyes alight with amusement as Caspian shook his head, sighing.

"We set sail from Galma," Drinian continued, unfazed by the interruption, "but encountered unfavorable winds. We rowed for two days and reached Terebinthia on the fourth."

"Their sovereign sent someone to warn us not to land," Muriel interjected, concerned he would leave out the crucial detail in his recounting of their voyage. "The island has been plagued by a disease for years."

"Don't suppose you two know more about Terebinthia?" Killian inquired, addressing the King and Queen of Old as he leaned against a wooden beam.

They shook their heads, trying to remember what they knew from the golden ages. "They were always very secluded," Lucy recalled.

Edmund nodded in agreement, but knew little more. "There were no epidemics then. Could be something of the last decade."

"Peter would probably know more," Lucy said regrettably, "he's studying medicine, you know."

Muriel smiled at the mention of the boy. "Oh how—" She was eager to inquire about the young man and his sister, Susan, but it seemed that would have to wait. Drinian was beginning to look a little irked by the constant interruptions. Offering a sheepish grin, she motioned for him to proceed, plucking an apple from the fruit bowl that anchored a corner of the map to the table. She bit into the apple, relishing its sweetness, as he likely relished the quiet.

The captain, with his arms folded, recounted how they rounded the Cape and anchored in a secluded creek away from the city. His expression was grave as he recounted the encounter with pirates following their departure. "We fought them for three days," he answered when Edmund inquired after the fight. "After shooting arrows on either part, they knew us to be well armed and stood off—"

"And we ought to have given her a chase and boarded her and hanged every mother's son of them!" It was Reepicheep who chirped in this time, causing a sigh from Drinian's lips. Muriel bit her lip to hide a smile when she met Lucy's own amused expression.

"—we sailed to The Seven Isles to fix the Dawn Treader. We feasted in