An Unexpected Romance

Chapter 4

"You know who summoned us?" Lucy steps towards Trumpkin.

"I do, your majesty, but I can't say for certain I know why," the dwarf replies with a shake of his head. "However, I do know where we need to go."

We all get into the small boat the Telmarines had arrived in. Trumpkin gets in first and heads to the front to guide us to the remaining Narnians. I'm standing behind Susan and Lucy waiting to step onto the boat when Susan leans back and whispers to me,

"Do you like Edmund?"

"What?" I ask, genuinely shocked at the question.

"You were looking at him," she says knowingly. "I know what I saw."

I roll my eyes and smile. I haven't thought of Edmund like that before. I know him decently well, and I've spent a lot of time with the Pevensies in the last few months especially. We get along well and everything. We have the same sense of humor and enjoy each other's sarcasm. Ed likes that I put Peter in his place sometimes, but other than that, I don't think we've spent much time getting to know each other well.

Sue steps into the boat and helps Lucy on after her. I step forward to follow them, but Peter catches me by the shoulder.

"I'll sit in the middle and row," he says. "I assume you don't want that job."

I throw my hands up saying, "It's all yours, I'm good."

Edmund steps into the boat after Peter and stabilizes himself. He looks up at me with a small smile and holds out his hand to help me into the boat.

"All aboard, my lady," he says with a smile.

I glance over at Susan. I know she's getting a kick out of this by the way her eyebrows are raised and the corners of her mouth twitch as she hides a smile.

I lightly take his hand and step one foot onto the boat. I lift my foot off of land to bring it over, but Peter shifts his weight in the boat as I do so, causing me to fall sideways. I squeeze my eyes shut preparing to fall into the shallow water, but I feel myself stop. I open my eyes to see Ed has grabbed me by the waist to keep me from falling.

"You alright?" Edmund asks, clearly trying not to laugh at my flustered state. I can't decide if I'm flustered due to my near fall or because Edmund's hands are on my waist.

"Yes, no thanks to Peter," I shoot him a teasing glare.

"Sorry, Y/n," Peter says with a sheepish smile.

I sit down next to Edmund at the end of the boat, and I feel Susan staring at me, hoping to get my attention. I don't like Edmund like that, and I would tell her if I did. I just was seeing a new side of him. Genuinely. And it didn't help that I so happened to need his version of rescuing soon after Sue noticed my noticing him.

"Trumpkin, now would be a good time to explain why you think we're here," Peter says as he pushed off shore with his oar and starts rowing.

"Right," the dwarf starts. "The short version of the last hundred years is this: Telmarines invaded Narnia. Many of us were killed. For the last hundreds of years, we've been quietly rebuilding our numbers-trying to anyways. A few days ago, someone who looked to be a lone Telmarine soldier stumbled upon my home where I live with Nikabrik, a fellow dwarf, and a badger called Trufflehunter."

"A single Telmarine? That's unlike them. They tend to travel in packs, like wolves," Edmund notes. "Why was he alone?"

"Not sure. He didn't wear the traditional Telmarine armor, but he was one of them nonetheless." Trumpkin shakes his head. "I ran towards him with my sword drawn, but more soldiers appeared out of nowhere. Before I could do anything, they threw me down and grabbed me. They put a bag over my head, and that's when I heard the sound of the horn. Your horn."

He nods to Susan.

"The Telmarine? He blew my horn?" Susan asks.

"Well it wasn't any Narnian. We haven't had the horn for centuries," Trumpkin replies.

"Why would he blow the horn? Why would he want Narnian royalty to appear?" I asked.

"I don't know," Trumpkin answers. "I was taken away and imprisoned. I was briefly in front of the Telmarine council, and Miraz, the uncle of the rightful king of Telmar: Prince Caspian. He said something about the Prince disappearing, and I believe it was the prince himself who blew the horn."

I know I don't know much of Narnia yet, but as I look around, the Pevensie siblings look just as confused as I feel.

"It seems we have a lot to figure out," Peter says after a few moments of silence.

"First things first, I'm taking you to the remaining Narnians," Trumpkin says.