The Princess's Secret [completed]

Chapter 64: Matters Of The Heart.

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Jamaal.

The Three gathered in Caspian's office. The King was not there, he had taken little Ashia to visit the stables and likely wouldn't be back for an hour or more. And that was just fine with them.

It was Isidro who had called the meeting, but Jamaal already knew what it was about. They had been home several weeks now, but Caspian had not been the same. He'd been even quieter than before, and rarely joined them in jesting. His smile was more rare these days, a thing reserved mainly for Ashia.

Hiram sat in the chair by the desk while he and Isidro stood. The giant warrior had had problems with his back ever since his battle with the lion, and had trouble standing for hours on end. Even now he was shifting uncomfortably.

Isidro began to pace, as he often did while thinking, and Jamaal and Hiram watched him. "I called this meeting because I am once again concerned for Caspian's well-being." The leader of The Three began.

"He has been quieter than usual." Hiram commented.

Isidro paused and stared at him, as though he had stated something painfully obvious. "Is that all you've noticed?" 

Jamaal and Hiram exchanged looks, but said nothing. They each knew that their leader needed to get it out of his system, and that it would do no good to add their thoughts until after he had laid all the facts on the table. But they had also learned that that process could be sped up, simply by acting ignorant of the facts.

"He adopted a baby for Pete's sake! How is that not a sign that something could be very wrong?!" Isidro exclaimed, continuing his pacing. "He works twice as hard during the day than he used to, then takes off several hours in the evening to play with Ashia." At this point he was really just thinking out loud, but Jamaal and Hiram remained silent.

After about a minute of this he was finished, and fell silent a moment before posing the question they had been waiting for. "What is going on, and how do we need to deal with it?" His voice was quieter now, calmer, and he sat as one who had finally rid himself of a buildup of agitation.

Jamaal waited until he had sat, and the pair's eyes were on him. Still, he didn't have much to say. He had always been the one they turned to to understand matters of the heart and mind, but for once he wasn't entirely sure how to go about things. But still he had to try, to pretend he did.

"I think we need to look at all the changes as a single problem, not a group of problems. The key must be among them." He paused thoughtfully. "I would prefer to gather my own information from Caspian himself, before doing anything. But for now, let us at least prospect the evidence that something is indeed wrong."

They fell silent, each considering the recent developments. After several minutes Isidro spoke up again. "I think the child is a significant detail. Caspian would not normally have taken her in, not unless there were no orphanages to bring her, and even then, he would probably find another way to get her cared for."

Jamaal nodded. "He is not one to allow people into his personal life unnecessarily. Even we are no longer as close to him as we once were. It's as though he closed himself off when he became King, but now he's letting others in..." He allowed his words to fade, thinking. Why had his friend closed them out in the first place? Perhaps that was the key to unraveling this... 

Normally they would not put in such effort to understand the mind and heart of their King, but they had learned from Thaddias's evil reign, that the heart and mind was instrumental in dictating the future of an empire. And on the other hand, even though there was a lot more distance now than there once had been, Caspian was still their friend.