Royal Protector [Narnia]

Chapter XII: Cair Paravel

"I want to believe truly, I do, but I suppose there's still a small amount of resentment for the being that took my entire Narnian life from me."

Enzo grinned widely, the familiar satisfaction of Narnian sun dawning his face, as water pummelled his skin.

His discarded his uniform, favouring the cool relief of Narnian waters, chuckling deeply as he splashed water at his wife, her falling into his arms with jovial smiles.

"We're home." Susan nodded kissing her husband passionately as they swayed,

"That we are husband." The word was a relief, the admission of their marital status providing him with avid amounts of joy.

Edmund gazed into the distance his eyes gracing ruins that glistened, a spectacle to all audiences, his furrowed brows tracing the familiar architecture with perplexmxent.

"Ed?"
"What is is?" The boy turned to his siblings and brother in law curiously,

"Well where do you suppose we are." Peter scoffed his answer screaming is obviousness.

"Where do you think?" Edmund conceded, yet his trepidations remained,

"It's just I don't remember any ruins in Narnia."

His words provoked the siblings silence, their eyes glazing the ruins, as they bounded toward the stone structure.

Enzo and Susan sauntered through the runs, hands clasped as they observed the cracked stone and damaged battlements. Lucy turned to their pair, innocently curious.

"I wonder who lived here?" Enzo deep voice sliced through the ignorant fantasy,

"We did." Susan's hand housed a chess piece, solid gold plaguing her hand,

"Hey that's mine, from my chess set." Peters brows furrowed,

"Which chess set?" Edmund scoffed analysing the piece,

"We'll I didn't exactly have a solid gold chess set in Finchley did I?" Enzo chuckled his eyes bombarded with memories as he mental reconstructed the architecture,

"It can't be." Lucy bounded through the stone, the group following concerned at her desperation,

"What it is?" Peter questioned, desperately attempting to understand his sisters tirade,

"Can't you see? Imagine walls." She adjusted Peter to stand facing outward as she continues, manoeuvring Susan,
"And columns there." She continued moving Enzo, "And a glass roof."

The five all stood the inbound daunting realisation devastating them all at the sight of their once great home, Peter voicing their sadness,
"Cair Paravel."

Susan leant into Enzo's large figure, tears gracing her eyes, refusing to cascade rosy cheeks.

They continued their exploration,
"Catapults." Enzo's expression found reason in the word, his eyes surveying the damage of Cair Paravel.

He pushed against the stone revealing the wooden door it hid, Peter and Edmund both rushing to aid him.

The scampered down the staircase to reveal their statues, "I can't believe it, it's all still here."

Lucy surged foreword to observe her chest and statue with a gleeful smile, as Enzo meandered toward the statue of both himself and Susan, their chests and statues' side by side, as they were so often depicted.

He opened his chest slowly, armour glistening against the narrow rays of light, the slithered past the ceiling, "Are you alright, my love?"

Enzo nodded silently the weight of chain mail burdening calloused fingers. Lucy interrupting his silent contemplation.

"I was so tall." Susan giggled quietly, watching her sisters innocents with admiration,

"Well you were older then." Edmund nodded, wearing a helmet much to large for himself,

"As opposed to hundreds of years later, when we're younger." Enzo strapped his sword to his back, a shield, also burdening broad shoulders as other weapons accompanied them as they changed.

"What is it?" Susan sighed missing an integral element of her traditionally Narnian weapons and clothing.

"My horn, I must have left it on my saddle, the day we went back." Enzo nodded, their eyes gazing at Peter as he opened his own chest, the sound of metal escaping the confines of its sheath echoing the chamber.

"When Aslan bared his teeth, winter meets its death." Lucy chorused the remaining words, a slight frown plaguing her lips,

"When he shakes his main, we shall have spring again, everyone we knew, Mr Thumnus and the Beavers, their all gone." Enzo embraced Lucy gently, tears dampening his shirt, as he comforted her. His voice agitated as he spoke.

"I think it's time we found out what's going on."

"Your awfully quiet, my love." Enzo sighed heavily, embracing Susan surrendering himself to the temporary solace it provided.

"It's nothing my darling." Susan cocked a brow in disbelief a small smile comforting her husbands reserved expression.

"It's never nothing Enzo, do you remember the last time you said it was nothing?" The man contemplated silently his chin resting against her hair, his voice fragile,

"You had just lost the baby." Susan nodded turning to face his stoic figure.

"And what did you do that evening?" A loud breath slipped through thin lips,

"I went out to the pub, drank myself stupid." Susan nodded her brows raised as he omitted the remaining truth,

"Starting fights and getting yourself thrown in the dungeon, to sleep it off. I don't want that to happen again Enzo." The boy nodded, his head dropping to lean on her shoulder, craning his neck, as her fingers traced the hair decorating the back of his head,

"I'm not sure that's possible, it seems that the pubs may have met the same fate as Cair Paravel." Susan rolled her eyes harmlessly irritated at her husband's words.
"Do you ever think about what could have happened, if we hadn't lost the baby?"

Tears prickled Susan's eyes as she spoke, "Everyday."

Enzo nodded, his wife collapsing into his loving embrace, "I want us to get married when we go back. I want to be able to call you my wife in public, I want every arrogant bastard to know who you belong to."

Susan rolled her eyes with a breathy chuckle, "I'm not sure our parents would agree to that."

Enzo nodded sighing in resignation, "Maybe, but it's worth trying, perhaps they'll see reason once we return during the half term."

Susan nodded her chin against his chest, as she gazed at the muscular figure that is her husband.
"Beside we have no money for a wedding, and where would we live?"

Enzo shrugged callously, "I don't know, all I know is that I love you and I want to spend my entire earthly life with you at my side."