Hello there! So I've had this plot bunny for several years now but I've finally decided to put it to paper. It is a Caspian/OC story because I was never really a fan of Ramandu's daughter. As the title suggests, this will be a trilogy and this is just chapter 1 of part 1. It follows the Prince Caspian story line and is movie verse, which includes the lovely Ben Barnes as Caspian and the castle raid. I do hope you enjoy it.

On my profile you can find links to Character Biographies, which includes a picture of the primary characters and relative information such as their relation to other characters and birthday's where applicable.

Disclaimer: I do not own Caspian, Dr. Cornelius, the Pevensies, Narnia, or any other of C.S. Lewis' characters, but Ava (AH-vah) is completely mine.

The Naiad Trilogy

Part 1: The Naiad Within

Chapter 1

"Come, Ava, dance with us!" the Dryad exclaimed as she grabbed Ava by the hand.

"I'm not sure I know all the steps," Ava declared despite being drawn into the dancing circle between the Dryad and a Faun. Ava found however, as one often finds in dreams, that she not only knew the steps but was able to perform them with great ease. And it's a good thing too, because the dance was exceedingly intricate. Up she jumped and around she spun, under the arms of the Dryad and back around the Faun. Then with another jump and another spin, the Faun danced under her arms and back around.

Ava laughed with a bell-like tone as she looked around the Dancing Lawn. All of Old Narnia was in attendance for the great dance. There were Satyrs and Fauns, all the Dryads and the Naiads too. Great Centaurs stood around and the Dwarfs played their drums. Amongst the Old Narnians were a few human faces too. Ava recognized the lovely Queen Aravis of Archenland, and His Majesty Prince Caspian of Narnia. Why even Ava's father was there. But Ava seemed most surprised when she looked to her right and suddenly saw a Queen of Old dancing next to her. Queen Lucy the Valiant.

"Take my hand, Ava," Queen Lucy said with a laugh. Ava laughed back as she took the hand of the great Queen and the dance continued.

XOXOX

When Ava opened her eyes she half expected and wholly hoped to find the Dancing Lawn and the great dance continuing. But as her eyes took in the grey dismal light of the early morning and the bare wooden walls of the servant's chambers, she knew it was time to wake up, time to stop dreaming, and time to get to work. With a despondent sigh, Ava threw back the single blanket and crawled out of bed. All around her, the girls who shared a room with Ava were doing the same; although, the term women would be more appropriate since they all had years of experience on Ava.

Ava stepped into her shoes and quickly pulled on her working dress and apron before heading off to her first chore. Ava was the youngest servant and as such she got the worst of everything. She got the worst bed to sleep on, the worst blanket to cover up with, the worst clothes to wear—though in all honesty, none of the clothes were all that great, nor all that bad—and the worst chores to perform. Ava's first chore of the day was cleaning the horse's stalls while the stable boys took them into the field, and after that it was off to clean the chicken coup.

Now, Ava may not have liked her chores, but she was never one to voice her complaints. After all she knew she was fortunate enough to live and work at the King's castle, even though the King's throne was currently empty. His Royal Highness King Caspian IX had died before Ava could walk, a near sixteen years ago. And the King's son His Majesty Prince Caspian X was not yet old enough to rule according to ancient Telmarine Law. That would soon be remedied, however. The Prince's eighteenth birthday was just a few days away and the coronation ceremony was set. Unbeknownst to Caspian though, a danger lurked the grey stone halls of his father's castle.

In the absence of a true King, the land of Narnia was governed by a Lord Protector, the Lord Miraz. Lord Miraz was the younger brother of the late King Caspian IX, and thus Prince Caspian's uncle. Miraz had never been content with being a Lord or Lord Protector, though. He coveted his brother's throne, but without an heir of his own, and with the true heir still living, there was little Miraz could do to claim it. Miraz had a plan though, a plan which hinged on the birth of his first born. If the child was a boy, then Miraz would give "the order" and his loyal men would commit the highest crime of treason: the murder of His Majesty Prince Caspian X. Miraz, having years of practice, already had a cover story set to hide his crimes, and his wife was only moments away from giving birth.

Though Ava did not trust the Lord Protector Miraz, she knew nothing of his malicious intent. Ava believed that Prince Caspian would become King, and she hoped that he would be a better king than all the rest. With the teachings of her father, Dr. Cornelius, that just might be possible.

Dr. Cornelius had been the Prince's tutor for nine years now. A few hours each day, the Prince would study grammar, mathematics, or history. His favorite lesson though was astronomy. For when he studied astronomy, the Doctor would take Caspian to the top of one of the towers—though not the tallest tower, but the one with six empty rooms below—and after doing a bit of astronomy, Dr. Cornelius would tell of Old Narnia. Caspian longed to hear these tales, tales his uncle, most certainly, would not approve of.

Narnia had not always been ruled by the Telmarine race and the Caspian line. Before Caspian I came and conquered, Narnia was inhabited by talking beasts, Centaurs, Dwarfs, Dryads, and Naiads. And centuries before the Telmarines invaded, Narnia was governed by four sovereign rulers; the Kings and Queens of Old. They were High King Peter the Magnificent and his younger siblings, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy the Valiant. Then of course there was the greatest Old Narnian, Aslan the Great Lion; the King over All Kings in Narnia and its creator. These Old Narnians were now thought of as nothing more than myths and fairy tales, even Aslan. Caspian X, Dr. Cornelius, Ava, and a few other Telmarines, however, secretly wished that Narnia would return to the way it had once been.

This was Dr. Cornelius' hope, that in feeding the Prince's secret desires and educating him on Narnia, Caspian X would do all he could to restore Narnia when he became king.

XOXOX

When Ava finished her early morning chores, she stopped by the servant's chambers for a quick clean up and then went to the kitchens for a bite of breakfast, as was her usual routine. Ava never really had long to sit before it was back to work, but this morning her rest was even shorter. Ava was halfway through her small breakfast when the Senior Maiden walked in and called for her.

"Come, Ava, you're needed for linen changes."

"Ma'am? Isabel usually helps with the linen changes. I still have cleaning to do."

"That can wait. We need you now. Come."

When the Senior Maiden gave an order there was no disobeying it. So, Ava threw away the rest of her meal and quickly followed after her. About an hour later, Ava was standing outside a room waiting to be let in, with a pile of clean linens in her arms. A short old man with a long grey beard and spectacles answered the door with a smile.

"Oh, Ava dear, so lovely to see you," he said.

"Hello, Father. I've come to change your bed linens," Ava replied, lifting her arms. Dr, Cornelius moved aside to allow her to enter.

"Has the Senior Maiden given you a new duty, my dear?"

"Hardly, Father." Ava walked to the bed. "One of the linen maidens has fallen ill, so I've been called to fill in for her. And I believe the Senior Maiden only called me because I was the first she saw. I imagine when I've finished with this, then I shall have to finish my normal chores as well," she explained as she pulled off the old linens and began to put on the new.

"Oh, well that is something else entirely."

"Oh, Father, I do look for the day when I shan't have to do this anymore."

"What do you mean, my child?"

"Well, when His Majesty is made King, he will have no need for his tutor anymore and we may leave this place. Or else, perhaps you could at least convince him to let me go… if only for a few days," she added hopefully. Ava finished changing the linens and moved to look out the window where she leaned against the window pain.

"Oh, Father! I long to be outside these walls!" she exclaimed dreamily. "I wish to run through the fields and feel the wind in my hair. I dream of lying in the soft grass and feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin. Father, I…" Ava's next hope was interrupted by a knock on the door and the entrance of His Majesty Prince Caspian.

"Professor," the Prince called as he entered the room.

Ava turned from the window with a start and went into a hasty curtsy. "Your Majesty."

"And who is this?" Prince Caspian asked as he walked over to Ava. Not caring about the properness of it all, he placed his thumb under her chin and carefully lifted the young girl's face so as to look her in the eye, but Ava kept her eyes down as directed by the Senior Maiden. "Eyes down and mouth shut," that was the mantra of the servant girl when in the presence of royalty.

"Young Maiden, I asked your name. Will you not answer your Prince?" Caspian asked with a slight teasing tone.

"Your Majesty, I—I am no one." Ava's voice quavered only a little and her eyes stayed down.

"Prince Caspian," Ava's father called, diverting the Prince's attention to him.

"Yes Professor?" Caspian's eyes looked to his tutor but his hand remained on Ava.

"This is my daughter."

"Ah," Caspian turned back to the girl before him. "Ava is it?"

Ava's eyes flashed up, startled to hear the Prince voice her name. Their gaze locked; Ava's blue eyes meeting the Prince's brown. "Eyes like the river," Caspian thought.

"The Professor has told me of you," Caspian said softly.

"Surely, Your Majesty, my Father has not told you much, for there is not much to tell." At this, Ava's eyes looked to her father to find him smiling.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," Ava began with a curtsy, breaking Caspian's hold on her. "But I must be going. I have tarried from my work long enough. I imagine the Senior Maiden would be quite angry if I did not finish all I should." As she spoke, Ava gathered up the old linens and made for the door.

"Goodbye, Father. Your Majesty." She curtsied to the Prince again before hurrying off.

There was a moment of silence between the Prince and his tutor before the younger voiced his thoughts.

"Professor, you did not mention that your daughter had such a fair face."

"Oh? Didn't I?"

"Nay. I believe her's is the fairest face I've seen in all my life," the Prince said in a dream like tone. "Though, I must admit, my Uncle has not allowed me to see many young faces. Yet still, with one look at her I feel the desire to run about in the fields and lie in the sun."

"Yes, her countenance has that very effect on me as well. She has always made me feel younger and lighter at heart."

"Indeed. Will we be studying astronomy tonight?" The Prince's change in topic may have seemed sudden, but the feelings stirred by Ava were the same ones usually stirred by stories of Old Narnia.

"I shall hope so, my Prince. I shall hope so." But the professor and Prince did not study astronomy that night, for they were doing something much more dangerous.

XOXOX

The castle was in an uproar. Lady Prunaprismia had given birth to a son during the night, and His Majesty Prince Caspian was missing. When Ava heard the news she was only halfway through her morning chores and could do nothing but wait for the day to end so she could seek out her father. And all through the day a fear and an excitement she could hardly explain grew within her. All day she had thoughts of Old Narnia, of dancing with Fauns and Dryads, of dinning with the Queen Lucy—though don't for an instant think that she thought herself worthy of such an honor. Ava thought on these things so much that she could hardly do her work, but work she did until all the work was done and she could visit her father at last.

"Gone. He's just gone. I can't believe it. How did this happen?" Ava asked her father. They were holed up in his rooms with the door shut. They were sitting very close together and very far from the door, and yet they spoke in whispers.

"I do not know, my child."

"Maybe he's not really gone. Maybe he just went out for an early morning ride. Destrier is gone too, Father."

"Then why hasn't he returned? I do not think this is a case of an early morning ride."

"Why, you—you don't think he's dead, do you, Father?"

"No. No I do not believe he's dead. Surely if he were, Miraz would not make the show of a disappearance."

"But then where is he?"

Just as Ava finished speaking a deep, penetrating sound filled the air around Ava and her father. They could both hear it, oh yes, but what's more they could feel it. It was a bellowing in their soul, deep and reverberating. It was not a sensation of pain or pleasure, but of hope, of life, of magic.

"What was that?" Ava asked.

"He blew the horn," the Doctor said standing up suddenly.

"What? Who? What horn?"

"Queen Susan's horn, my child. I gave it to Caspian before we parted in case he needed it."

"You gave Prince Caspian Queen Susan's horn?" she said with questioning doubt. "But, Father, it took you years to find it. How could you part with it so easily?"

When her father did not answer, Ava thought again on what he said and realized its true meaning. "Wait a minute, before you parted? You helped Prince Caspian run away, didn't you?"

Ava stared at her father accusingly but he did not respond. She stood up in anger.

"Didn't you father? You helped him. All this time you've just been pretending not to know what happened. You lied to me."

"I was only trying to protect you, my child. I thought the less you knew the better. I couldn't have Miraz thinking you were involved with any of this."

"You mean to say, you didn't trust me not to say something. All these years I've kept your secret, Father. I would have kept this one too."

"No my child, that is not…"

"Stop it! I'm not a child anymore. You should have trusted me."

"Ava, please I was only thinking of you."

"NO! You weren't. You were thinking of him, of His Majesty. Ever since we've moved in here all you ever do is think of him. You're more concerned with instructing him, of teaching him the history than you are with my needs. Every day you live your cozy life as the Prince's tutor, while I have to clean up after the horses, all in the hope that he might be a nicer king to your kind, and yet not four days from his coronation you help him runaway. It was pointless!"

"Ava, you don't really believe that, do you? You don't think that I care more about Caspian than I do you, my own daughter."

"I do. And I—I wish—I wish that someone else had found me that day!" Ava left the room in a fury of anger and tears, leaving the old professor crumbling with his pain.