The first thing that she buys with her first wage was a pair of good boots and twin knives. Dwarf-made; simple yet very balanced, and all around a good investment. Over the years, she had accumulated several other blades that were scattered under her pillow, in her secret stash and inside her boots.

As for her job itself, she was stationed as Professor Cornelius' assistant. Cornelius was once Caspian’s tutor, and now his most trusted advisors. He was a scholar, learned man, eager to learn more despite his old age and physical limitations–and that’s where Natasha came.

Close to the one closest to Caspian; that was the best place she could ever been, if she really want to keep an eye on the young king.

Everyone knew that there was peace all across Narnia, and that most people wouldn’t think that Caspian was in any kind of threat. But Natasha knew just how deceitful peace can be. Besides, Caspian made a very easy target to any trained assassin.

His schedule was too monotonously predictable. By a month living in the castle, Natasha could already guess when and where he would’ve been at any time of the day. Lunch at 12 either with the professor, or Trumpkin, either in the professor's study, by the garden at the royal court, or at the dining hall if he was to have his business lunches. Next he would spend his day with the council or in his own study until 5 pm, then he would be at the training ground until around 6 pm before cleaning up and go for dinner at 7. After that, he might as well work a little bit more or relax–again, if not in the royal court, the professor's study.

In a nutshell: Natasha could kill him in a dozen different ways, if she wanted to.

“He is more than meets the eye, my dear Natasha,” the professor waved in his cheery, old voice when she casually brought up the matter to him, “It will take a lot to take him down, and everyone here knows every–“ he coughed, “–everyone. I assure you, despite the lack of personal bodyguards and whatnot, as long as the king is in the castle, he is safe. And when venturing out, he's never alone.”

As the professor’s coughing continues, Natasha stood up and fetch some water for him. “Drink, professor. I think maybe you’re right. Instead, we should probably worry more about you. That cough should really get checked out,” she suggested him.

The kind, wise professor chuckled good naturedly. “I am an old man, my dear. It’s nothing that a good nap can’t fix. And you worry too much for everyone. I’m glad Caspian finds you. Surely, when my time comes, I know you’ll stand by and look out for him for me.”

Natasha took the glass of water out of his hand and softly placed a kiss on his wrinkly forehead. “Shush. You know I hate that kind of talk,” she gently chastised him, then flashed him her smile as she helped him up from his comfortable couch. The professor patted the avenger’s hand. “Take a break, Natasha, as I will take mine. I will see you in two hours.”

The professor was this close to being a workaholic, despite his need to take a much needed nap at least once during the day. That time alone was often spent by the redhead researching, reading books related to Narnia and Caspian's history. And when she was not burying her nose inside a book, she would sit by the balcony of Professor's study and chat with her friends that she met last year–a pair of black and blue lovebirds.

The moment she heard their chirping sounds, Natasha smiled and got up from the plush sofa, put down her book and fetched some servings of assorted nuts and put them on the saucer of her tea cup.

“Afternoon, lady and gentleman,” Natasha greeted in her mock sing-song tone.

She sat herself on the ground and placed the nuts in front of the two inseparable lovebirds.

“Afternoon, eh? Not ‘good' afternoon?” teased Zari with his beautiful, whistling voice.

The male lovebird with beautiful black and purple fur whistled happily at what Natasha brought them. Just when he was about to walk up greedily to the saucer of food, his wife not so gently slapped him with her talon, and giving him some sort of an eye. The female lovebird cleared her throat, then bowed her head to Natasha.

“Forgive my husband’s manners, lady Natasha,” Tilly apologized with a deep, almost masculine voice that not at all matched her small body or her gender for that matter. In fact, the first time Natasha met her, she thought Tilly was a male, not the other way around. It took all of Natasha to keep a poker face every time Tilly was talking, “As you know, he is raised by a tree, not actual birds.”

“Why must you blame the tree for how I’ve become?” Zari protested, “They were still my parents, despite the trunk and the lack of colors. I thought you said last night that you’re glad that you found me.”

“My love, I have no problem with the tree that raised you, only the manners that they failed to teach you. And I tried to teach you over and over again and you keep on forgetting,” sulked Tilly with a 'humph' at the end of her speech. “You should not eat before the lady lets you.”

“The lady doesn’t even care about formalities,” protested Zari again matter of factly, this time looking at Natasha for support.

“Oh don’t drag me into your marital problems,” Natasha lifted her hands, smirking in amusement to those two.

“Why are you so tense, wife?” asked Zari.

Tilly threw away her beak to the side like a sulking kid, and Natasha could almost be sure that if Tilly could, she would’ve folded her talons in front of her chest just to animate how upset she was. Zari apparently, couldn’t really stand having an angry wife.

“Alright, alright, alright, honey. I’m sorry,” Zari finally gave in and lovingly stroke Tilly's side with his.

There was silence, and a sigh. “Fine.”

“Atta girl!”

Natasha let out a chuckle. “Finally. The tension was killing me,” she commented. “Please help yourself.”

“Our most gratitude, fair lady,” Zari thanked Natasha.

“So where do you venture to today?” Natasha asked lightly as she watched the birds helped themselves with the nuts she provided. “Any juicy gossip?”

“There definitely one, my lady.”

“One coming straight from the ladies of the court.”

“The ones that shooed us.”

“Those mean girls! They shall never fit to be queen!”

“Mind your grammar.”

“They shall never fit to be queens!”

“None of them shall ever be fit to be queen.”

Zari let out a 'eghh', and Natasha swore, if he could, he would’ve rolled his eyes at his wife.

“I’m not following,” stated Natasha.

“There is rumor in the air that the Council are going to pressure the king to marry soon,” summed Tilly in her deep voice, “The king is fair, kind and handsome, and single as heck. The Council believes that it is time that he finds a wife.”

“And a queen.”

“And bear children to secure the line of succession to the throne of Narnia.”

Natasha nodded at the new information. “It’s appropriate. In Narnia, the Queen also holds much power in the kingdom. He is of age too, a marriage would strengthen the kingdom,” agreed the female assassin.

“Yes. And those shallow ladies at the court ate it all up just to feed their shallow fantasies. Meh.”

“Oh, King Caspian! How charming you are!” mimicked Zari.

“Ohhh, King Caspian, you naughty!” added Tilly with her deep masculine voice.

Natasha burst into laughter at the two birds mimicking what would be the sounds that the ladies of the court made.

“Ohhhhh, my love! King Caspian–OH!–“ Tilly suddenly cawed, causing Natasha to flinch in surprise that the female lovebird looked like she just swallowed a ball of fur. When Natasha looked up and back, then she noticed that the object of their conversation was leaning against the door frame, watching them.

Caspian’s dark hair was unbound today. His kind eyes glinted with curiosity as well as amusement as he folded his hands in front of his broad chest. He was wearing a dark purple tunic with a rich, shining material, embroidered with gold at its collar and edge of its sleeve. His deep brown breeches were secured by a leather belt and a pair of his high quality leather boots.

His face shone with clarity and purpose, eyes kind and wise. The smile on his sculpted jaw emanated welcome and a hint of easygoingness about him despite his title. And Natasha had to admit, that with the carefully trimmed beard that he grew since Dawn Treader, he looked even more charming.

He was, every inch, a king.

Natasha smiled up at Caspian in a silent greeting, unfazed.

Her friend lovebirds, not so much.

The nut that was in Zari's beak had long been fallen to the floor, his beak still gaped as if he had seen Aslan himself. Meanwhile, if Tilly could, Natasha was sure that she would blush and turned pink in color instead of blue.

“By Aslan's mane! My king!” greeted Zari, who upon getting his cool back, spread out one wing and bowed in respect to Caspian. “’Tis great honor to meet you in person, sire.”

“Indeed, my king!” added Tilly excitedly, “Your reputations precedes you!”

Caspian bowed his head gracefully, “Good things only, I hope,” he said with amusement rimmed his voice.

Natasha patted the floor next to her. Accepting the invitation for him to join her, he flashed her his rather boyish grin and sat cross-legged close to her. The redhead gestured the two lovebirds in front of them.

“This are my friends, Zari, and his wife Tilly. They found me last Winter.”

“It’s good to make your acquaintance, Zari and Tilly.”

“Likewise, my king. It is our honor.”

“As a matter of fact, though, it wasn’t us who found lady Natasha, rather that she found us, my liege,” Tilly added, before turning her attention to Natasha, “And we are forever indebted to you.”

Natasha only smiled rather sheepishly at that but made no further comment. Caspian saw this and narrowed his eyes. Gently he elbowed Natasha. “Sounds like a story to tell.”

“It is indeed!” whistled Zari. “It was last Winter when Tilly just hatched our little younglings. Like a good husband that I am, I must venture far from our home to get food. Mind you, food is most scarce in winter and we had more beaks to feed…”

The Avenger placed her hand on Caspian's arm briefly, wordlessly telling him to stay put as she got up. As per usual, she went to work and made 2 cups of tea for both her and Caspian when he visits during his break. When she returned to the balcony with a tray of their tea and biscuits, she found herself at the end of the story that’s been told over and over again by both creatures.

“…I thought I would never fly or see my wife and my children growing their furs. But there, at the brink of death, in the midst of the freezing ground, a pair of warm hands found me,” Zari's voice softened into a reverential tone as he looked up at Natasha, who wasn’t all used to receive such compliment, “Lady Natasha, Aslan bless her, nursed me back to health, even going as far as going with me to the forest in search of my family when I was still unable to go by myself.”

“And the joy to see my husband again!” sniffled the larger bird with blue fur, being emotional again at the memory. The female bird also looked up to her in reverence, her voice soft and solemn, “It is as if, she was sent by the great Aslan himself.”

The last part made Natasha really, really feel uncomfortable. Knowing that Caspian, also boring a hole at the side of her head sent her stomach churning as well. A fake laughter escaped her, as she tried not to confirm anything.

“And in return they gave me daily juicy information,” Natasha quipped coolly before taking a sip of her tea.

Caspian had spent so much time with Natasha to know that she wasn’t one to take credits seriously. But the story that the birds told him was much a heartwarming one to him; had Zari been found by anyone else, there was no guarantee that he would receive any help.

By the time the birds were finished, they said their goodbye sooner than usual, having predicted a storm brewing at the east.

When they were finally alone, Caspian and Natasha were left sitting at the floor of the balcony, enjoying the comfortable silence around them. The king secretly glanced at the woman.

His redheaded friend was pretty, that he had no doubt. But what he heard today confirmed that she indeed, had one of those beautiful souls too that he rarely come by. And in a way, it reminded him so much of both the Queens of Old. He placed his forefinger on her arm.

“You are kind,” Caspian said as he looked at Natasha meaningfully, “Don’t ever change.”

Natasha was surprised by the melancholy hidden behind his smiling eyes. It was out of the blue as well. The birds had portrayed her as this kind of saint; and in a way, she knew it would be an outrageous lie if she let Caspian too, think of her as one.

“I try. But I wasn’t always.”

Caspian was caught off guard with the seriousness in which she said those words. Natasha wasn’t the most open person in the world; he respected that, despite how much he didn’t know about her past.

“Well, I don’t judge people on who they were rather than who they are,” he told her.

Natasha flashed him an easy smile behind that perfect poker face. “So am I. And now you, mister, are late. Your break's over 10 minutes ago.” She got up, taking her empty cup of tea with her.

“I extended my break,” informed Caspian, as he got up and followed her inside.

“Could you do that?”

“Why, yes. Just in case you forgot, I am still king,” Caspian said with a brow arched at her, “I just realized this morning that it was a good day to spend the time outside, yet you, my friend, I realized were always cooped up in this place.”

“It’s my job to stay in,” she said with her signature lopsided smile.

“You have to get out sometimes,” countered Caspian.

Natasha looked at the old clock at the room and shook her head. “Professor Cornelius would be up in about an hour. It’s too little time for us to sneak into the city.”

“Yes, but enough time for you to come to the royal court. I want to show you the garden. The flowers are in bloom,” Caspian offered, “You will love it.”

“Wouldn’t that be against protocol? I am not of rank to go in there.”

“You will be in there by my invitation. So…”

Natasha let out a soft chuckle when he saw her offering his arm to her, which she took gladly. He flashed her his brilliant smile when she did.

“Lead the way, your majesty.”

“Shhh…” Caspian gently silenced her, causing the avenger to laugh.

***

[Author's Note: Yeah or Nah? I feel like I don’t portray enough of the feeling here, but then again, if I do this will end up to be a 500 pages book. No one wants that. So thoughts? Theories?]