Author's Note: This idea came to me completely out of nowhere and certainly wasn't going to leave me alone until I wrote this down. In Prince Caspian the book, Trumpkin actually got a little bit with Aslan (not alone, but still), and all we got in the movie was a roar at him… I'm sure we could assume Aslan actually spoke to Trumpkin off-screen (though I do wish they'd somehow kept the scene from the book in the movie), so I decided to try and imagine what may have happened and what their talk may have been like.

I hope Trumpkin sounds in-character… I've never written for him before, so I tried my best.

Anyway, enjoy and please review!

I found Aslan not too far from the castle, down near the river. He was sitting, his back facing me, his face towards the river, as I tentatively approached, but I hesitated and stopped. Never had I been so terrified like I was now. There was just something about this great, powerful Lion that just terrified me and set my knees shaking. It wasn't necessarily a bad sort of terror, just a kind of awed sort. I'm not completely sure how to explain it, to be quite honest.

But here I was, approaching the one being that both awed and terrified me, and for what? To beg his forgiveness, of course. I didn't believe in him at all for so many years and I hadn't trusted him. I didn't believe Queen Lucy when she said she had seen the Lion. I should have had faith in my Queen and in the Great Lion, but I hadn't, and I knew there was no excuse for my disbelief.

And though I desperately wanted to continue forward, I found I could not take another step. I was becoming troubled with doubts once again. What if Aslan did not forgive me? What if he held me accountable for all my wrongs? What if-

"Come, son of Earth." It was Aslan's voice. He'd noticed me standing there – though I'm not sure how since I don't remember seeing him turn his head – and he had told me to come. It was a harsh order though; instead it was perfectly patient and kind. And I was able to move again. Slowly I walked over to him, my heart pounding in my chest, and soon I was beside him. He did not yet turn his head, though he knew I was there. And I had a feeling he could see me anyway.

I took a deep breath before I began, "Sir, I-" He turned his head to look at me then and I stopped. His eyes stared straight into mine, and it was so overwhelming that I wanted to drop my eyes, yet I could not. He held my gaze firmly in his and I was certain he could see right into me, even to the farthest depths of my soul. I was certain he could see everything about me, everything I had ever done, and yet…and yet I saw no judgment in his eyes, no condemnation, no hatred, nothing. Nothing except love and forgiveness.

"Son of Earth, shall we be friends?" The question caught me off-guard. Had I heard him correctly?

"I…beg your pardon, Sir?"

"Shall we be friends, son of Earth?" he repeated, still perfectly patient and loving.

It seemed like a strange question, and yet it wasn't. I wasn't quite sure how to answer, but then I knew. "Yes, my King, I would love being your friend very much…but…" I paused, finally able to drop my gaze to this ground. "But I must ask for your forgiveness first. I-"

I stopped again as I felt him touch his tongue to my forehead – a lion's kiss. "You are forgiven, son of mine," he said, smiling. "Do not doubt it."

And as I looked up at him again and was once more overwhelmed by the love in his eyes, I smiled as well. No longer was I a son of Earth; I was a son of Aslan.