The Princess's Secret [completed]

Chapter 58: Home Again.

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Caspian.

Caspian had gathered The Three in his study, where they also had a tray of food delivered for breakfast. He studied them as they bantered back and forth between bites of food. 

They looked much better now that they'd had some rest, and the sadness from yesterday seemed to have faded in sharpness, though it still sat in the room thickly. It was painful, and he couldn't stand the familiar feeling of going back to the way things were. He had changed, and it felt like everything else should've changed too. But it hadn't.

He needed to dive back into his work here, or else he feared he would never recover. He took another sip of his tea and set the cup down. Something about the movement gained their attention, and they guessed he was ready to begin the meeting.

"There are three main things on our list right now. First, there have been reports of wild beasts causing trouble for the villagers near the west woods. Hiram, I want you to investigate this and do what you can, then report back."

A smile cracked through the large knight's usually stony face as he set down his plate and leaned back in his chair. Killing wild beasts had once been his main occupation, and it seemed to be the man's favorite past time.

"Jamaal and I will take a group of knights out to investigate the claims of raids on the villages, see if we can find their hideout and ensure they aren't connected in any way with Damon and Thaddias." He paused as Jamaal nodded his agreement. "Isidro, I need you to stay here, keep an eye on things, keep it running smoothly, and heal up."

Isidro glanced down and nodded, clearly disappointed. "We meet back in three days." He finished, rising from his seat. "Pack what you need, we leave in an hour." 

Jamaal and Hiram stood, but Caspian stopped Isidro with a hand, waiting for the other two to be gone before turning to him. "I want you to stay for more reasons that just your injuries." He said quietly, glancing around uneasily. "There is a tension among the people, I felt it yesterday."

"What kind of tension?" The knight asked, quickly growing still at the tone in his voice.

"I'm not sure, but I have been gone a long while." He paused. "It may just be that they feel I have dedicated myself to Adrelawin more than to them, but this is no time to let our guard down. That is why I want you here, to play the role of a leader here while I go settle other issues. Listen carefully to what the people say, but don't take action except in the gravest of circumstances."

Isidro nodded, though his concern was obvious. "Do you really think there is something more going on?"

Caspian thought a moment, then sighed, feeling tired all over again. "I'd like to say no, but they lost their faith in me very quickly after I left... I suppose the loss of their trust made me lose my trust in them as well." He admitted.

Isidro was silent a moment, then placed a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye. "The people will not easily forget what you have done for them. They simply need some assurance that nothing has changed since then. They will relax soon." Caspian nodded, and Isidro left him, off to his duties. 

Once alone once again, he grabbed his bag and began selecting items he would need for the journey. He moved somewhat stiffly, the chair not being the most restful place to spend the night. When he had finished, he picked up the lists he had been reading last night and glanced over them again.

Moments later there was a knock on the door and he added the pages to his bag, deciding there would be time to read as they traveled. He slung the bag over his shoulder and went to the door, opening it. Jamaal stood there, wearing leather and chainmail armor, which was lighter and easier to move in, better for travel.