The Last Tree In Narnia

15. Coronation

Rhea was incredibly nervous as she stood outside the Telmarine town with the rest of the Narnians.
The kings and queens stood at the front of the group, and her and Aslan were directly behind them.
"Are you ready?" Asked Aslan.
The honest answer was no, but Rhea knew she couldn't say that to him.
"I'm nervous" admitted Rhea quietly, so that only Aslan would hear.
The rest of the Narnians were treating her like a hero, for arriving in the knick of time to save the day. And she didn't want them to know that their battle hero, was actually terrified of stepping onto Telmarine territory.

"It is natural to be nervous, for your last visit here was not pleasant. But you do not need to be afraid, for I will be with you every step of the way" reassured Aslan.
"I know, but the last time I was here, I ended up in a prison cell for several days. I had no food or water, and I wasn't able to see the sun. I was disconnected from the earth for the first time ever, and I hated it. If I had been down in that dungeon any longer, I would have died. And so many Narnians did die when Caspian and the others came to rescue me. Which is why I am so afraid of going back to the castle" replied Rhea.
"You will not be locked up ever again, you have my word. I will not let you or any other Narnian by harmed while we are here. Caspian will be crowned King, and you want to see that happen, don't you?"
"I do"
"Then let's go".

Aslan nodded his head at Peter, and the young king began to lead them all into the Telmarine town, with Caspian at his side.
"Remember, the forest will follow your lead" whispered Aslan.
Rhea took a deep breath before stepping onto the stone street.
But to her surprise, the ground was soft and not hard.
She looked down and saw that a patch of grass and weeds had spurted up through the gaps in the stones, making a small green space for her to stand on.
Filled with confidence, she took another step, and like before, the green earth rose up to meet her.

Rhea increased her pace, and with every step the forest continued to follow her through the town.
With a wave of her hand she made flowers and trees erupt out of the ground, filling the streets with nature.
She didn't feel powerless, like the last time she had been there, because this time the forest had come with her.
Rhea hadn't been ripped out of her home, instead she was bringing her home to the Telmarine's, so that they could experience the forest too.

Eventually the group reached the town square, and everyone dismounted their horses.
The Telmarine's had joined the Narnians to see what was going on, and many were confused as to what was happening.
A large circle formed around the kings and queens, and Rhea nearly got swept up by the crowds, but Caspian rescued her and pulled her into the middle of the circle, with the rest of them.
Rhea couldn't help but feel a bit out of place, stood alongside the royals, since she was not a princess or a queen.
But the Narnians seemed to feel like she belonged there, so Rhea tried her best to look confident, and act like she belonged.

Aslan gave a speech to the crowds, explaining what had happened during the battle, and he revealed that the Narnians were no longer to be oppressed or persecuted.
He then nodded at Peter, who withdrew a large crown from his satchel, before approaching Caspian.
The prince knelt to one knee, and allowed Peter to place the crown on his head.
"Arise Caspian, King of Narnia!" Announced Aslan.
Caspian stood to his feet and looked out at the people, all of whom bowed their heads respectfully.

"Long live the king!" Shouted Peter.
The Pevensies copied him, and very soon the whole square was clapping and screaming Caspian's name.
The group mounted their horses, and continued their journey through the town.
The Telmarine's welcomed them and threw petals at them as they passed on their way to the castle.
Seeing it in the day made it look slightly less intimidating, but Rhea was still terrified of it, as it got closer and closer.

As everyone flocked inside the castle, Rhea stood alone, outside the steps, unable to convince herself to go in.
Suddenly Caspian appeared at her side, making her jump.
"Your majesty" mumbled Rhea, as she curtsed.
"You don't have to do that" replied Caspian.
"I do. You are the king of Narnia now" reminded Rhea.
"It still doesn't quite seem real"
"I know what you mean".

Caspian could see how afraid Rhea was of being back at the castle, so he took her hand and squeezed it tight.
"I know how frightening it must be for you, being here again. So how about we do this together?" Offered Caspian.
"I don't want to hold you up. You've probably got loads of important things to do. You need to talk to all the remaining Telmarine lords, and create a new court. You also need to discuss with Peter and Aslan exactly what is going to happen to the Narnians, now that we are at peace with the Telmarine's" reminded Rhea.
"All that can wait. Right now, I want to escourt you inside the castle" replied Caspian.

"Why are you wasting time on me? I'm no one special" admitted Rhea.
"You really believe that? Do you really think an ordinary person could do what you did on that battlefield? You turned the tides during the battle. We would all have died if you hadn't turned up. You saved us all, so you are certainly not a normal girl. Could an ordinary person really do that?" Questioned Caspian, as he pointed to all the patches of green behind them, that had appeared everywhere Rhea had touched.
"I suppose I'm important to the Narnians. But that won't last forever, for this power is not mine to keep. Once it fades, and the dryads have awoken from their hibernation, I will be no one special. I'll be just another dryad" sighed Rhea.

"You will never be normal again, even once your extra power has faded. The Narnians will remember you, and what you did, for a very long time. And I will make sure that no one forgets how brave you were. You saved my life the last time we were here, by jumping in front of that bolt from the crossbow, and I want the whole world to know what you did. I even plan on giving you a title, and making you the Lady of the forest. But I will have to talk to Aslan about it first" informed Caspian.
"Me? The Lady of the forest?" Gasped Rhea.
"I thought it would be a good way to honour you, and remind everyone of exactly who woke up the trees" admitted Caspian.
"I am deeply honoured, your majesty. But I will only accept your offer, if Aslan says it's O.K".

"Well, until I talk to Aslan, how about we both make our way inside the castle?" Suggested Caspian.
"Alright. But there's one more thing I need to do, if you'll let me" replied Rhea.
"You can do anything you like" informed Caspian.
Rhea smiled and let go of Caspian's hands.
She placed her palms against the stone walls of the castle and commanded the earth to do as she said.

Vines began to explode out of the ground and race up the castle walls.
Out of the green vines, multicoloured flowers bloomed, covering the outside of the castle in bright colours.
"It looks beautiful" praised Caspian, once Rhea had finished and removed her hands from the walls.
"It does. Now, lets go and rejoin the others, because I'm sure they are wondering where we are" replied Rhea.
"After you" said Caspian, as he gestured for Rhea to go first.
After taking a deep breath, Rhea stepped inside the castle, intent on leaving her sad past, behind her, so that she could look to the future instead.