The Naiad Trilogy

Part 1: The Naiad Within

Chapter 10

In the week following the return of Aslan and the end of Narnia's persecution, the Pevensies and Caspian remained busy. After waking up the day after the bonfire, messengers were sent all over Narnia proclaiming the defeat of the Telmarines and the return of Aslan and the beginning of the reign of Caspian X. Ava walked alongside Dr. Cornelius as Caspian rode into his castle at Beaver's Dam; the crowd cheered joyously as he entered. Within the next few days the coronation was planned, and before Caspian knew it, the day was upon him.

XOXOX

The ceremony took place outside on a ledge in the town of Beaver's Dam where a great number of citizens could gather to witness the event. The stone ledge overlooked a small canyon where the Great River flowed. A lone tree and a small patch of grass sat along the edge against a backdrop of mountains. The castle could also be seen sitting off to the right. The crowd of citizens consisted of Narnians and Telmarines alike, this would be the first coronation that the latter would have the chance to witness first hand. Through the center of the crowd an aisle had been marked with rose petals and cherry blossoms.

The crowd had been bubbling with excitement and anticipation, but all drew quiet and still as the Great Lion appeared at the end of the aisle. With a fanfare of trumpets Aslan began to walk down the aisle towards the lone tree. Some of the older Telmarines slightly drew back in fear, but the younger ones were filled with the urge to run forwards and embrace the Lion. When Aslan reached the end of the aisle he walked up the four steps to the ledge and stood in its center. He turned majestically and looked over the crowd.

The four Kings and Queens of Old were the next ones to come down the aisle. Peter and Susan were first, walking side by side and Edmund and Lucy were a few steps behind them. They were clothed in their finest Narnian garb and their ancient crowns, both of which had been fetched from the old treasure vault of Cair Paravel. As they approached the ledge they bowed to Aslan before walking up the steps and taking their places beside him. Peter and Edmund stood to the Lion's right, while Susan and Lucy stood to his left.

A line of Narnians came next. The badger Trufflehunter and the red Dwarf Trumpkin led the way. They were followed by Reepicheep the mouse and Zephyrlias the Gryffon. Then there was the mighty Centaur Glenstorm who walked alone. At the end of the procession of Narnians was Ava, the Naiad Princess. She wore a dress that was very similar to the one she wore when she emerged from the river, only this one was a rich sea green. None of the Narnians advanced up the stairs to the ledge, instead they stood on either side of the stairs with Glenstorm and Ava in the center. Ava stood to Aslan's right and Glenstorm to his left. They too all bowed before the Lion and the Kings and Queens before taking their places.

At last it was time for Caspian to make his entrance. His walk down the aisle was regal and steady. He was clothed the traditional Telmarine garb; his robe was held off the ground by two Naiads and two Dryads, with Chérie being one of the Dryads. Dr. Cornelius walked behind Caspian carrying the King's crown on a soft pillow. Caspian walked halfway up the stairs before stopping and kneeling before Aslan. Whatever murmur or buzz that remained in the crowd after Aslan began his procession quickly died away as the Lion began to speak.

"Citizens of Narnia," his voice rang over the crowd. "You have been called forth this day to bear witness to a new age, the Age of Peace between two races. The days of living in fear and shadow are over."

At this, most of the crowd cheered.

When the crowd fell silent once more, Aslan gave a brief recap of the history of Narnia. He told of how he formed the world through song and of the reign of King Frank and Queen Helen, the first king and queen of Narnia. He told of the White Witch's cruel tyranny and of the Pevensies' discovery. And he told of the invasion of the Telmarines and the persecution of the Narnians. Throughout his speech, Caspian looked intently upon the Lion absorbing every word.

"Now," Aslan said as he began to end his tale. "Prince Caspian, tenth of that name, having defeated the usurper and freed the Narnians, has come before you today ready to pledge his oath and swear his allegiance as king."

"Caspian, tenth of that name," Glenstorm's mighty voice boomed from Caspian's right. Caspian turned his eyes upon the Centaur. "Do you so promise to rule Narnia with a strong hand and a meek heart? And if enemies came against her, *would you be the first in the charge and the last in the retreat?* Would you place the good of Narnia above all else?"

"All this, I promise so to do," Caspian affirmed confidently, regally.

"Caspian, tenth of that name," Ava began. Her voice, though soft and gentle, was able to be heard by all present. Caspian turned his head to look at her as she spoke. "Do you so promise to care for Narnia wholly, treating its inhabitants kindly and fairly whether they be beast or man remembering that none are slaves, but all are free subjects?"

"I promise so to do," Caspian answered.

Lucy spoke next. "Caspian, tenth of that name, do you so promise to teach your children and your grandchildren to do the same?"

"If I be blessed by Aslan with wife and child, I promise so to do."

"Caspian, tenth of that name," Edmund began, "do you so promise to hold no one in favor either among your own children, or among the citizens of Narnia be they beast or man, and do you so promise not to *let any hold another under or use it hardly?*"

"All of this, I promise so to do."

Next it was Susan's turn to speak and she recited a poem.

A king is mighty and meek

A king is first and last

A king is caring and compassionate

A king is always teaching and always learning

A king is fair and merciful

When Susan finished her poem Peter stepped forward and withdrew his sword. With the flat of his blade, Peter struck Caspian on each shoulder, and as he did this he said, "I dub thee, Sir Caspian, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion." Peter returned his sword to its sheath and took his place next to Aslan once more.

Without further hesitation, Aslan spoke with a voice that shook the earth beneath their feet. "*Under us and under the High King you shall be King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands, you and your heirs while your race lasts.*" With a nod from Aslan, Dr. Cornelius stepped forth and placed the King's Crown upon Caspian's head. "Arise, Caspian, tenth of that name, King of Narnia. May you be magnificent, gentle, just, and valiant in your reign."

As Caspian arose and faced his people, the crowd erupted with a chorus of "Long live the King!"

XOXOX

Following the coronation ceremony there was a great feast and celebrating throughout Narnia. The festivities carried through most of the day and into the night when fireworks lit up the night sky with vibrant colors. When at last things began to settle down around the castle, Ava and Lucy could be found sitting on Ava's bed still talking with great animation about the day's activities.

"Oh Ava, you and I will have such great fun together!" Lucy exclaimed. "I will teach you to ride properly, and show you how to shoot an arrow and wield a sword. And you shall tell me all you know about the water. And we shall swim together. Oh what fun it will be!"

Ava laughed. "Oh, that does sound like great fun. I can hardly wait until we can begin."

"Well you won't have to wait long. We can begin tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Lucy we cannot begin tomorrow."

"Why not?" Lucy's face grew sad.

"Well, because I shall have to return to the river soon."

"Why?"

"Lucy, there is so much I still have yet to learn about being a Naiad, about what it truly means to be the Princess. I have a magic within me Lucy; I can feel it bubbling inside me, but I have no idea how to wield it. I must learn, and the Naiads are the only ones who can help me."

"Oh… oh, well I suppose you must go then." There was a moment of silence as Ava looked upon Lucy's sad face and Ava desperately wanted to make her friend feel happy again.

"I am sure that there are many dances that I must learn too, and we shall have to practice them. I suspect I will spend much time on the Dancing Lawn, and I see no reason why couldn't be there as well."

Lucy's face began to grow brighter at the thought. "Oh! Do you think I could learn the dances too?"

Ava smiled. "I was hoping you would ask that because I couldn't imagine learning them without you." Lucy and Ava laughed together, nearly drowning out the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"You may enter," Ava replied through her laughter. Her laughter quickly faded away when she saw who her visitor was: Dr. Cornelius. Though they had seen one another since the war ended, Ava and Cornelius have had no time to discuss where their relationship stood, now that Ava knew of her true lineage.

"Oh, hello Dr. Cornelius," Lucy greeted warmly.

"Good evening, Your Majesty," the professor replied. "Pardon the intrusion, but I was hoping to have a word alone with my dau…with the Princess."

"Oh," Lucy looked back at Ava before continuing. "That's no problem at all. It is getting rather late, and I should be going to bed soon. I must be fully awake for the gathering Aslan has called for tomorrow."

"Yes, we wouldn't want one of our Queens yawning while Aslan is speaking," Ava said with a small smile.

"Good night, Ava."

"Good night, Lucy." The two friends embraced one another before Lucy jumped off the bed. Lucy bid the professor a good night as she passed by him. There was silence after Lucy left; Cornelius really didn't know how to act now or what to say. It was Ava who broke the silence.

"I know why you have come here." She slid off the bed and slowly began to walk towards him. "I know the fears that lie on your heart, and I know what troubles your mind. Speak them."

"It's just... I don't..." Dr. Cornelius stumbled over his words. He raised his head and looked upon her with sad eyes. "I almost called you my daughter just now, and I don't know if that is appropriate any more. I have raised you since you were just a baby. I have done all I could to provide you with a happy life. I have known all along that you were never mine to keep, and yet I could not stop myself from thinking otherwise. In my heart you have always been my daughter."

"And yet I am not. My parents were Naiads; my great ancestor is the River God. My family lies waiting in the water."

Dr. Cornelius dropped his head to keep Ava from seeing the tears that formed in his eyes. Ava gently lifted it back up.

"You need not worry, learned Cornelius. For in my heart, you have always been and always shall be, Father to me." Ava wiped away the few tears that had escaped the old man's eyes as the sides of his mouth rose up in a smile.

Ava embraced her father as tears began to leak out of her own eyes. They stood like that for a moment or two before pulling apart. Ava guided Cornelius to one of the sitting benches in her room where she proceeded to tell him everything she knew about being a Naiad thus far, which really wasn't much. When Ava had told him all she could, they found that a good half hour had already passed. It was now growing quite late and they both agreed that they needed to get to bed. Neither wanted to miss what Aslan had planned.

XOXOX

The morning after Caspian was crowned King, he found himself standing once more before a large crowd. This time though, he was not before them as some young prince experiencing the most nerve-wracking day of his short life, but as king. They were gathered at the same ledge where the ceremony had been held, and this time around a majority of the crowd was made up of Telmarines for this gathering had been called especially for them.

Caspian stood in the center of the ledge platform. The four Pevensies stood to his left while Aslan, Ava, and several other Narnians stood to his right. Caspian explained to the crowd that Narnia would once more belong to both the talking beasts and creatures of Narnia as well as the Telmarines, and that Aslan would return any who did not agree with that to the land of their forefathers. When one of the crowd members protested the return to Telmar, saying it had been generations since they left, Aslan further explained that the Telmarines had originally come from the world in which the four Pevensies lived and that he would return them to that world not Telmar.

Caspian really didn't know how he felt when his aunt was one of the first to speak up to say that she would leave. He had never really been close with her, but still she was the only family he had left and she was choosing not to be a part of it. He gave her a short nod as she walked past him and through the hole in the tree that Aslan had created seconds ago. He was just as surprised as everyone else though, when his aunt suddenly disappeared.

The sudden disappearance of the former queen and her small child obtained a great deal of protesting from the crowd. They were worried and fearful shouting things like "He's killed them! He'll kill us all! Why don't one of you go through?" At the insinuation that Aslan was being deceitful, Reepicheep boldly stepped forward and offered to go through with his eleven mice. But before Aslan could respond, Peter stepped forward and said that they would go through.

Ava's heart seemed to stop beating.

"What?" she and Lucy said at the same time. Ava's eyes locked with Lucy's and saw that the Valiant Queen was just as surprised and heartbroken as she was. They had not been expecting this. They thought for sure that they would get to spend more time together. They had been counting on it. Ava hardly even noticed Peter stepping forwards and handing over his sword to Caspian. She did not notice much at all until Susan spoke up.

*"…we're not coming back."* Ava had missed the first part of what Susan had said, but Lucy had not.

*"We're not?"* Lucy asked desperately, locking eyes with Ava again. Ava could begin to feel tears forming in her eyes.

*"You two are, at least, I think he means you two,"* Peter said to Lucy and Edmund before saying more to Lucy.

Ava felt hope spring back up. Lucy would return, or could return at least. Ava might be able to see her friend again. As long as she held onto this hope, everything would be fine. But as Lucy approached her to say goodbye, Ava couldn't stop the few tears that fell.

"This isn't the end of our friendship, Ava," Lucy said.

"I know. Ours is one that will never end," Ava replied.

"Oh," Lucy threw her arms around Ava and they embraced. "You will be a great Naiad Princess, I know it. And I will miss you."

"Thanks, I'll miss you too."

Lucy pulled back reluctantly and moved on to bid farewell to Trumpkin, while Edmund stepped in front of Ava. She smiled sheepishly at him.

"Just promise me one thing while I'm gone," he said.

"Anything you ask, Edmund."

"Don't go running about the castle at night if it's being raided, because I won't be there to rescue you."

Ava smiled sheepishly. "I shall try." They embraced briefly before Edmund moved on and Peter stepped up. Ava found this curious but did not question it.

"I wish to apologize to you," he said.

"Whatever for? You did nothing wrong."

"I wasn't very kind to you, and for that I am sorry."

Ava smiled. "You were never cruel to me either."

"Still, I should have been kinder."

"Well, if it will ease your mind, then I will say all is forgiven, though I still see nothing to forgive. Your apology is accepted, Your Majesty."

"Please, call me Peter."

"Alright, Peter."

Peter smiled, relieved to have Ava's forgiveness. Unlike Lucy and Edmund, Peter and Ava did not embrace but he nodded at her politely and she gave a small curtsey to him before he went to stand beside his siblings. Lucy and Ava shared one last tearful glance and whispered goodbye before Lucy followed her older siblings through the tree. Just as Caspian's aunt had disappeared upon stepping through the tree, so did the Pevensies.

Caspian turned to face the crowd of citizens again and addressed them. "Now that you have seen our friends step through the portal, is there anyone else who desires to leave Narnia?"

Slowly, one by one, Telmarines began to come forth requesting to leave, and they followed the Pevensies through the tree. A great deal of Telmarines chose to leave that day, but a fair few stayed behind as well. When the last of the Telmarines who wished to leave disappeared, the gathering ended and the crowd dispersed.

XOXOX

In the days that followed, Caspian assembled his council selecting half from the Narnians he had fought beside and half from the Telmarines that chose to stay behind and brave a new nation. Ava journeyed to the Great River to spend time with the Naiads where she learned a great number of things. For many months there was peace throughout all of Narnia.

End of Part 1

Well, there's the end of The Naiad Within. The coronation ceremony in here was inspired by the Magician's Nephew. I took the questions Aslan asked Frank when Aslan told Frank he would be king, and I sort of reordered and rephrased them for Caspian. As usual, any direct quotes are marked with an *. There are direct quotes from the Magician's Nephew, Prince Caspian the book, and Prince Caspian the Disney movie. I'm really proud of the coronation, but I'd like to know what you think.

I hope you all have enjoyed this part of the trilogy. I know there weren't a lot of Caspian/Ava moments in it, but don't worry there will be a bunch in the next two parts. The next part will be titled The Naiad and Her King and it will be posted as a separate story. I will add a note at the bottom of this chapter when I have chapter 1 posted. If you want to know what part two will be about, you can check out the banner I made for it and a summary on my profile page. Speaking of part two, I have a gift for you. Here's a sneak peak.

Sneak Peak

Scene: Aboard the Dawn Treader. After leaving Galma, before Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace arrive.

"How about a toast," Ava said. "What shall it be for?"

"To adventure," said Caspian.

"To the open sea," added Drinian.

"And to all that lies beyond," Ava finished. They clinked their glasses together and took a sip. Caspian wandered over to look out the window, while Ava took seat in one of the chairs. Drinian remained where he was by the table.

"The Lord Peddelton seemed quite taken with you, Ava," Drinian said.

"Yes, I suppose he was. He said he'd like to court me."

"He made no such request to me. Did he ask you for permission, Lord Drinian?" Caspian asked turning away from the window.

"No, Your Majesty, he did not," Drinian replied.

"And why should he have to ask either one of you for permission? Why should I not be allowed to speak for myself?"

"Ava, you must know the proper Narnian etiquette when it comes to such matters as courtship. If your father Dr. Cornelius were there, then the Lord Peddelton should have asked him." Caspian declared.

"But in father's absence, who should one ask?" Ava stood up and took a step towards Caspian. "The ship's captain? You? You think I belong to either of you?" With each question, she took a step closer until she was standing in front of him.

"No, My King, I do not think it would be proper for the Lord Peddelton, or any Lord, to ask you for my hand, nor do I think it proper he ask the professor. If one truly wanted to court me properly, he must call up the great River God and ask him, or else ask all the talking beasts and creatures of Narnia for it is to them that I truly belong."

"Forgive me, Ava. I did not mean to offend you. I meant nothing by it at all. I was merely surprised," Caspian said apologetically.

Ava heard his sincerity and smiled. "It's alright, Caspian. I know you meant no harm. And you should know," she began walking back to her chair before she finished with, "I politely told him no."

"And what of your time Galma, Caspian? You and the Duke's daughter seemed to be getting along. Might there be something there in the future?" asked Drinian.

"No, I think not," Caspian replied.

"Did you not find her pretty enough for your liking?"

"She was pleasant enough, I suppose. But I don't know why I would settle for 'pleasant enough' when I know for a fact that there are greater beauties much closer to home." Caspian said as he looked over Ava; she blushed under his gaze.

"Surely, My King," she began. "You are not suggesting that one should marry for beauty alone. If that be the case, then perhaps I should have said yes to the Lord Peddelton's request." Ava smiled teasingly enticing a mischievous grin from Caspian.

"I suggest nothing of the sort, fairest Princess." Caspian unknowingly began to describe many of the aspects of Ava that he had come to admire in the last three years. "For you see, what truly makes a lady beautiful in my eyes is not only her looks, but her character also."

"Your majesty asks a lot of a lady," said Drinian. "But regardless, I feel I must agree with you." There was a slight pause in which the Captain and the King nodded at each other in understanding.

"And what does the Princess say?" Drinian looked to Ava. "Do you agree with His Kingship? Is that what you would seek in a man?"

Caspian looked at Ava curiously, somewhat surprised to find himself eager to know her answer. Ava took a long sip of her cup before responding.

"I imagine I would seek the same, if I knew I were seeking."

"What do you mean?" Caspian asked.

"Well, to speak my mind," she glanced at Caspian who smiled faintly, "I'm not so sure that I will marry any one."

"You would choose to be unwed? I thought marriage and motherhood were the dreams of every lady."

"My King easily forgets that I am not like every lady. I am not like them at all." Ava said the last bit quietly to herself. When she noticed the curious looks from Caspian and Drinian, she proceeded to explain.

"I am the Princess. I can integrate myself with the dry land more easily than the other Naiads. They may come up for brief stints of time, but I can live years on land without the true need to replenish myself in the water. What's more, I've spent the majority of my life believing I was human. In some cases I almost feel more human than I do Naiad.

"And yet in my heart I feel the hearts of all Narnians. I know their fears and their desires. I feel their pain and their greatest joy. My magic draws me to them, while my head draws me to the world of man. I am caught between two worlds; I can have one, but not both. For me, the Naiad Princess, to marry a man is to forsake the Naiad magic, which holds so much of my heart. It is for this reason that I am not sure if I will marry.

"But know this, if ever I do wed a man, then he would be a great man indeed to have won my heart over." At this, Ava locked eyes with Caspian.

5-12 Update... Part 2 is now available for viewing! The Naiad Trilogy: The Naiad and Her King