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𝐂𝐀𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐓𝐎 the horse's front leg, his hand hovering a few inches from its brown coat. A feverish heat rose up from the leg and Caolán withdrew his hand.

A concerned feeling bubbled in his stomach and he bit pensively on the knuckle of his index finger as he stared up to the horse's head. Its dark eyes were half-closed and though the horse swayed on its legs, it still didn't want to put any weight on the right front leg.

Caolán feared the horse's lifelessness meant more than just a strained ankle, but maybe he also thought too much of it. It had been a crazy two days with the sudden start of winter, the return of the King and Queens, and the arrival of the fifteen strangers.

He nodded, convincing himself he was just seeing things. After all, the horse had just carried three persons out of the winter forest with a strained leg. Of course it would tremble from exhaustion, and it would feel better again after a good night's rest.

Caolán rose back to his feet and softly patted the horse's neck before stepping out of the stable box and locking it behind him.

The smell of straw, horse and leather could be suffocating to some, but to Caolán it meant comfort. There hung a wavering warmth in the stable due to the lit lanterns and the cold wind that still traveled through the ajar windows every few seconds.

The other stable hands thought Caolán was not in his right mind for spending the last three nights by the horses when the sleeping chambers of the servants were so much warmer, but the boy couldn't bring himself to leave the horses unguarded.

Firm stone structures flanked the dancing flames of the lanterns, and they hung far away from anything flammable, but Caolán could never forgive himself if a fire broke out.

He placed the buckets filled with water near the lanterns and stretched his arms above his head as he set course towards the jute bags he had stuffed with straw. He tried fluffing them up to something a bit more comfortable for his back, but he felt quite sure he'd be as stiff as past few days the next morning.

With a suppressed yawn, Caolán reached for the blanket draped over his improvised bed but he quickly dropped it again when one of the doors opened.

He turned towards the opening and the hairs in the back of his neck rose up as the annoying creak split the air apart. The doors tended to make noise but the creak seemed even longer, higher and louder as the person slowly pushed it open.

'Caolán, are you in here?' a female voice asked as a freezing gust of wind howled through the stable, overruling the creaking when the person closed the door behind her again.

'Queen Lucy,' Caolán said in surprise when he recognized the youngest Pevensie in the faint light.

He bowed awkwardly, still not entirely sure how he should behave in her presence, and rose back to his full length when she halted in front of him.

'Please, Cae,' Lucy said with a smile, 'it is only me. You don't have to bow when there is no one else, and I have asked you before to call me just Lucy.'

Caolán placed his hand on the back of his neck, faintly smiling down on the shorter girl. 'Right. My apologies.'

'It's alright. I cannot expect you to change a habit of years in just a day, but I really do prefer it if we can talk to each other as equals. And, wait. . .' Her eyes shot between the pile of jute bags behind him and the blanket at his feet. Realization dawned over her face.

'You sleep here?' The pitch of her voice rose from outrage. 'I thought Caspian would treat his servants better than that. I will talk to him.'

'No, wait,' Caolán said, gently taking her wrist before she could storm off in anger, and a tingling sensation shot up in both of their arms like electricity when their skin touched.

Caolán retreated his hand as if he had burned himself and inclined his head to avoid her eyes when she curiously gazed up at him.

'Forgive me,' he said, still looking down and putting his hands behind his back. What was he thinking, grabbing her like that? 'The King doesn't know about it. I sleep here out of my own free will. The servants share chambers almost fit for ─ well, royalty, under the west wing, I promise.'

'But why would you. . .' Her voice trailed off and she chuckled in understanding. 'For the horses,' she answered her own unfinished question.

Caolán dared to meet her eyes again when he realized she wasn't angry with him for touching her. Maybe he really could act around her as if they were equals.

'Is there a reason you were searching for me?' he asked.

'There is, actually. We were wondering if the horses would be strong enough again to journey to Aslan's How tomorrow morning?'

'Aslan's How?' he repeated in surprise, dropping his hands next to his side as he glanced at the injured horse.

King Edmund wouldn't be able to ride that one yet, but it might be wiser for all of the Kings and Queens to take other horses. Maybe she only meant Destrier, Caspian's horse, since the King never rode any other horse.

'Destrier certainly will be fit enough,' Caolán started, 'but I think it would be better for the other horses to give them a bit more rest before sending them out in the snow again. There are plenty of other horses, though. It shouldn't be a problem if you all are set on going tomorrow.'

Lucy took a deep breath and frowned, making Caolán wonder if he had said something wrong.

'I'm sor─,' he started but Lucy cut him off.

'You apologize a lot, Cae,' she said with a chuckle. 'Even though there is no need for it. Thank you for your honesty.'

Caolán swallowed back in another apology, catching his fault just in time.

Lucy didn't seem to notice it as she silently counted the horses all around them. There would be just enough for all of them.

'The strangers we found in the forest are from Earth, just like my siblings and I are. They should come with us to the How as well when we seek Aslan's guidance,' Lucy said, elaborating their plan even though Caolán was just a stable hand. She liked talking with him.

'Cair Paravel is, however, built on an island and we will be trapped here if there's another heavy snowstorm. We have to act while we still can. We need Aslan's help.'

Caolán hummed in understanding, but he still felt like asking one thing. 'Are you certain Aslan will be there, though?'

Lucy's face dropped as tears welled up in her blue eyes, and now Caolán felt really guilty.

'It is so strange, Cae,' Lucy said before he could utter another apology, and she took deep breaths to prevent herself from crying. 'All the times I have been to Narnia, I have always been able to feel Aslan's presence. I always knew he was watching over us, even when we sailed to the edge of the world. I could always sense he was there. But now, there's nothing. No feeling, no presence, nothing at all.'

Lucy didn't dare to say it out loud, but she feared the Archenlanders and Calormenen were right; maybe Aslan really had abandoned Narnia. . .

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𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓:

𝑪𝒂𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒚 zukkkas

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