[au] Narnia and the North

[the_seafarer]

There's a chill bite to the air, these days. The horses have been growing out their winter coats, and they look shaggy and plump as Caspian turns them out into the paddocks. Behind the stables, in the makeshift woodshop he'd cobbled together, the sleigh from his drawings is starting to come together. 

He hopes he'll have it finished by Christmas. With a little luck, and maybe some assistance, he thinks it should be possible. The tack, he's largely left up to Susan's devices, though he'd commission Gimli the dwarf for the various buckles and other metal pieces they'll need.

Once the horses are turned out, he gets to his other morning chores with a will, whistling cheerfully as he does. The stable stays strangely quiet around him. It takes him the better part of an hour to realize the strangeness is because he's become accustomed to Susan's cheerful presence working alongside him, talking or humming or simply working in companionable silence. 

Caspian pauses in his task – refilling the grain chest – and looks around. Susan's nowhere to be seen, and when he later wanders through the stables, checking each stall and outside, he can't find her there, either.

Comments

[the_seafarer]

"A trick of the light," he explains, though a deep, warm joy fills him. If anything could ease Susan's mind, if anyone could offer her counsel...

But, of course, He comes and goes as He will. For now, Caspian leads her in that direction. He's expecting to see some reason for the hint, and he isn't disappointed; the hill dips down to a vale bordered on all sides by green slopes and brilliant with wildflowers. One end of the little valley houses a bubbling spring and the other a nearly perfectly flat circle of grass. On closer inspection, it's clear that the grass circle is so flat because it was trodden that way, by dozens upon dozens of neat, cloven hoofs.

[sai_delgado]

Susan blinks at the ring in true surprise and narrows her eyes at it, but oh, there's naught here that feels of wrongness, and how could there be in such a place, say true?

"It's not for summoning, is it?" she murmurs, cautious but still fascinated. "So many hoofprints - what's it made to be?"

[the_seafarer]

"Not for summoning anything but joy," Caspian laughs. "If we're still here when the moon and stars rise, we ought to come back. This is a dancing circle. The fauns will come when the moons rises, and dance all the night long."

[sai_delgado]

"Oh, and I like that far better than the circles I've heard tell of," she admits. "Fauns like the one you told me of that helped Lucy, in the snow?"

[the_seafarer]

"Precisely like that," he tells her. "And like the ones I met on the Dancing Lawn, when Trufflehunter introduced me around as the rightful King."

He leads her over to the little spring and kneels, then cups his hand into the water to take a drink. "Here, Su, try this – sweeter and more refreshing than wine."

[sai_delgado]

She mirrors him, delighting in his joy at sharing this place with her. And just as he's said, the water is pure and cool and sweet, and tastes better than any water she can ever remember having tried.

"Everything here is more," she marvels. "I've never imagined anything like."

[the_seafarer]

He grins at her and stands, offering his hand to help her up. "I know," he agrees. "It feels like how the world is meant to be, doesn't it?"

[sai_delgado]

“It feels like a world that’s new, not like one that’s moving on, do’ee ken?” Susan lets him help her to her feet, then throws her arms around his neck and beams up at him. “It’s wonderful, and so are thee for thinking to show it to me.”

[the_seafarer]

"I think I do."

He settles his hands lightly at her hips and smiles down at her. "Everything's fresh, like it's just been born. I suppose this was how Narnia felt, when Aslan first sang it into existence."

[sai_delgado]

"Thee has the right of it, I wot," she agrees, smiling up at him. "It suits thee. Or mayhap thee suits it. But --"

She's not even sure how to explain it, just that he belongs, fair and bright and shining, with ease in his manner and laughter in his sea-colored eyes, and she's ever so enchanted with him all over again in a way that has naught at all to do with the evils of magic that are so very, very far away from them both now.

"It's right, somehow. And it's wonderful, say true."

[the_seafarer]

"I'm happy to be able to show it to you," he tells her. The sweetly scented air tugs at a few strands of hair that have pulled loose from her braid, and he smooths them back over her ear, then laughs and takes her by the hand, tugging her up along the next rise.

"Come further up!" he calls. "Come further in."

[sai_delgado]

Her laughter ripples out again as he draws her along, and Susan keeps pace with a will as they climb the grassy slope, dotted with flowers. When they reach the crest, she pauses, trying to see everything that she can. Light sparkles on the rolling waves of the ocean, and the land below them falls down in a long, gentle curve toward the distant shore.

"It reminds me of the Drop," she murmurs, looking and looking with every little bit of her. "In a way, that is."

[the_seafarer]

"Does it?"

He'd always been fascinated by her descriptions of the Drop, and it does seem as though these high meadowlands sloping to the sea might seem familiar to her.

... Especially so, perhaps, when a wild whinny pierces the air and a herd of horses comes galloping over the soft green grass, manes and tails flying like flags.

[sai_delgado]

"Oh aye," she assures him, glancing away from the view to meet his eyes. "Ye could see for wheels and wheels, across the grass and fields where the herds would range and graze, all the way down to the sea--"

Her head jerks back around at the oh-so-familiar sound, and delight fills her yet again. "Oh, Caspian, look!"

[the_seafarer]

His glance goes from the horses to her, then turns from thoughtful to mischievous. Caspian lets go her hand so he can cup both his around his mouth like a speaking-trumpet, then inflates his chest and calls out, his voice sure and strong.

"Hail, friends! How goes the day?"

The lead horse – or Horse, as he suspected – lifts its head, then wheels the whole herd around to come and approach them, shaking the ground with their approach. As they come nearer, he can see the lead Horse is a large gray stallion, mane and tail white as snow, flanks thickly dappled. "Greetings, Son of Adam," it says, politely, and flicks its tail. "Daughter of Eve."

[sai_delgado]

And oh, but she's glad in this moment that she's had the meeting of Reepicheep, and lady-sai Neysa before that even, or else Susan feels sure she'd have been knocked over with a feather for all that Caspian's told her before of such things.

(the stories are true)

Susan drops into a graceful half-curtsey, making her manners proper, jeans or not. Her smile is a bright and shining thing. "Sai Horse," she greets the stallion. "Long days and pleasant nights. It's so lovely to meet ye."

[the_seafarer]

The Horse paws at the grass, pleased with her manners. He seems a bit vain in the way of most Talking Horses, and Caspian hides a smile. "I am Rhinny-Hinny-Neny-Wiehy-Haah, but you may call me Rhin."

"May I introduce Susan Delgado," Caspian says, politely, in return. The herd clusters a little closer, soft noses nudging curiously at Susan.

"Long days," Rhin says. "Pleasant nights! Yes, we enjoy both, here in His country. But we don't often see Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve up here in the high meadows."

[sai_delgado]

It's too bad that she doesn't have a handful of sugar cubes to offer, but she'll just have to make do. Susan's entirely unconcerned by being surrounded by the curious herd, and offers nose-pats to any Horse that wishes without being so foolish as to touch where not invited.

"'Tis a visit only," she tells Rhin. "Caspian - I mean His Majesty," she corrects herself hastily, a little flustered, "-- he were so kind as to bring me here to see these lands."

[the_seafarer]

"Hmm?" Rhin noses at Caspian, curious. "A bit coltish to be Caspian, isn't he?"

"By the grace of Aslan," Caspian says, mild. By Susan, a gleaming bay mare, the sunlight touching her coat with glints of gold and copper, seems more taken than the rest and nudges shyly forward for more petting and attention.

"Indeed," Rhin agrees. "By His grace are we all here and restored. Well then, good day, King Caspian, and we-he-helcome back from the Shadowlands."

[sai_delgado]

She raises her hand to rub the mare's poll and pet the arch of her neck, doing it slowly enough that she could react to any objection, and manages to swallow the giggle that wants to emerge at the idea of a coltish, wobbly-legged Caspian.

"Ye say true," she says, instead. "The Lion's well known and loved in many and many-a world."

[the_seafarer]

The mare stretches out her neck, long and reaching, in pleasure at the attention, then nuzzles at Susan's pockets, which probably smell like the treats she sometimes carries. "You're nice, Susan, Daughter of Eve," she says. "You smell like hay and roses."

For his part, Caspian addresses Rhin. "If you see any horses in your roaming, would you send them our way?" he asks.

The stallion nods his head, ears flicking. "This land is wide for those with such short legs," he says, comfortably. "And only two each! How you get anywhere at all is a mystery to me."

[sai_delgado]

"Thankee-sai," Susan tells her. "I'm fond of both, say true. If we're ever to pass this way again, I'll bring apples and sugar to share."

She glances over at Rhin and smiles at him. "Slowly, I wot."

[the_seafarer]

"I'd like that," the mare says. "And there's nothing wrong with going slow. Take some time to roll in the grass, Daughter of Eve. It's lovely and soft up here."

[sai_delgado]

"I will," she promises, petting her again. "Ye can set yer watch and warrant on it."

Not that a horse or even a Horse is likely to have either, but a saying's a saying all the same.

[the_seafarer]

One by one, the Horses begin to wander off, some nosing at the grass and nibbling on it, and the gray stallion tosses his head. "Well, better to be off while the sun's still high. If we see any dumb horses, we'll send them your way."

"Thank you," Caspian says, politely. "It was a pleasure, Rhin."