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CATALINA DIDN'T KNOW what to feel apart from the overwhelming flare of newfound knowledge and worry. The girl had eaten some of the food from dinner but she left the rest of it, feeling too nauseous to eat. Catalina was quite the over-thinker, often digging herself into a deeper hole than necessary, and eventually ending up being physically sick.

Reepicheep was now sitting beside her at a grand table, chewing away on pieces of food while telling Catalina and other various Narnians the tales and stories he grew up with. A centaur had approached them halfway through the meal, declaring that they needed to run a few things by Caspian, so the boy soon departed, leaving his sister alone once more.

The girl understood the situation, so she did what every other respectful princess would do- Catalina kept her complaints to herself.

"Reepicheep..." Catalina spoke up, looking down fondly at her mouse friend, "Would you mind if I excuse myself from the table?"

"Of course," the mouse replied, "Would you like me to join you?"

"It's alright, Reep." Catalina smiled softly, "You go ahead and finish your stories."

The mouse nodded and turned back to the other intrigued Narnians while Catalina stood up from the bench she sat on. The girl kept her eyes ahead of her, knowing that if she were to look around, she'd begin to believe that everyone was looking at her with judgmental eyes.

Catalina made her way out of the well-lit cavern, and through the large tunnels of the How. She didn't know where she was going but the girl hoped it was somewhere where she could take a few minutes to collect herself.

The girl passed many Narnians, all of whom never spared a second glance towards her. She continued along the perfectly carved corridor, taking a few turns here and there. Catalina glanced around and upon spotting no one, she pressed her back against the wall letting out a huff of annoyance. She shut her eyes before opening them slowly, Catalina hated this feeling of built-up frustration, she didn't even really know where this build-up had come from but it was gnawing at her from the inside, begging for some sort of release.

A single flash of orange light, crossed over the wall in front of her, causing Catalina to stand up straight in curiosity. The girl let her curiosity get the best of her as she let her feet pull her in the direction of the light.

After a mere few minutes of wandering and following the light, she turned a corner, and in front of her stood a large, stone ledge, overlooking the front of the How. Catalina let her mouth fall open in surprise as her eyes met the beautiful surroundings and the sunset in the distance.

"Who's there?" A voice called out, causing the girl's eyes to widen. As a flare of panic arose within her, a figure stepped around the rock, making Catalina sigh in relief.

"I-I'm Sorry, I didn't realize anyone was out here." Catalina apologised, looking towards Peter as he stood ahead of her. "Sorry for disturbing you, Your Majesty- I'll go."

"It's quite alright." Peter replied, offering the girl a small smile, "You can stay if you want...I was just admiring the view."

Catalina feverishly stepped forward, "It's marvellous." She whispered, making Peter nod in agreement. "I've never seen anything like it."

"What, Telmar didn't have sunsets and trees?" Peter mused, looking at the girl with a raised brow.

"They did." Catalina answered, "However, Telmar didn't have the same sense of peacefulness as this place has."

"Narnia wasn't always this peaceful." Peter spoke, walking towards the edge of the ledge, he sat down, letting his legs dangle over the edge. He turned around to face the girl once more before his lips drew back into a smile, "Well come on, I don't bite!"

Catalina took a cautious step forward, "In case you have forgotten, your Highness, I'm not the fondest of heights..." the girl winced, walking slowly towards the boy.

"Catalina, how many times must I tell you that you can call me Peter?" The boy chuckled, "-and I'll have you know, I do remember your fear, this ledge isn't that high up. I promise."

Catalina cautiously stood closer to the ledge, she glanced down, gulping in fear. She sat down on the rock, scooting closer to the edge until her legs were dangling over the rock.

"See?" Peter smiled, "It's not that bad!"

"Maybe for you, but for me, it's t-terrifying." Catalina stammered, trying her best to avoid looking down below.

"Sometimes it's good to face your fears." Peter stayed, looking towards the girl, before furrowing his brows in thought. "What's your favourite colour?"

"W-what?"

"What's your favourite colour?"

"Blue...specifically the colour of the bluest seas under the sun's rays," Catalina answered, her mind drifting away from her fearful mindset. "Like the colour of the oceans you'd read about in stories."

"I never pegged you to be a 'blue' kind of girl." Peter stated, making the other girl chuckle lowly.

"Well, what's your favourite colour?" The girl asked, tilting her head as she examined the boy's thoughtful expression.

"Red." Peter stated, glancing at the girl beside him as she stared into the far distance, her crippling fear slowly dissipating, "It reminds me of the first time I ever felt Narnian."

The two sat in a comfortable silence as their gaze set on sinking sun. Catalina seemed to have completely taken her focus off the fact that she was on the edge of the tall How instead she focused on the dazzling sunset and the King beside her. The girls previous worries seemed to have been temporarily washed away while she took in the ambient setting.

"You know Peter..." Catalina began, her eyes drifting towards the boy on her left. "You really are a great king."

Peter tilted his head towards the girl, with a confused expression. "You think?" He asked, causing the girl to nod.

"You look at your army and you trust them, you trust their knowledge. You listen to them and you strategise accordingly. I think that a man who possesses such qualities can only bear the fine makings of a great king."

Peter was silent for a few seconds as he digested her words. He felt a small smile creep it's way across his face as a faint tint of pink blush washed over him.

"Well, I think that you are a great princess." He replied, earning a small chuckle from the girl.

"When I was younger I never wanted to be a princess." Catalina stated, finding herself recalling her oldest memories. "This is going to sound utterly childish, but I wanted to be an adventurer—to sail from sea to sea and to roam across all lands known to man..."

"I don't think that sounds childish at all." Catalina looked to the boy with a tilted head as he spoke. "I think that it sounds incredible."

"You think so?"

"I do."

The two fell back into that comfortable silence from before, their feet dangling close together. Catalina felt at peace, all her worrisome feelings from before fading into the unknown. She felt a small smile creep its way across her face, as a small laugh left her lips.

"What's so funny?" Peter questioned, suppressing the urge to grin at the girl's laughter.

"It's just that...this- this whole situation, it's surreal." She started, "I don't think I could've ever imagined myself sitting here with the Lost High King of Narnia while on the run from my home. It seems so..."

"Odd?" Peter suggested, his eyebrows raised as his grin graced his face.

"Odd." Catalina nodded in agreement. "I remember all the stories my Professor told me— all the stories of Narnia...I thought they were just silly, ancient tales told to entertain and amuse Caspian and me, but I was foolish not to believe them."

"You weren't foolish. I remember when Lucy first told me about Narnia... I didn't believe her. Edmund and Susan didn't believe her either." Peter told her, "I mean, how are you expected to believe in something that sounds so 'made up'?"

"It's nice to have someone to talk to." Catalina sighed, "It seems that my brother has gotten himself swept up by the storm of it all."

"I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

"I can only hope."

Peter stood to his feet, his eyes no longer glued to the fading sunset, instead, they had refocused on the girl below him.

"Come on, we should go back inside." The boy said, offering the girl his hand as she glanced up at him.

Catalina nodded and took the boys hand in her own as she rose from the rock. The girl continued to hold his hand for balance while she brushed out the dirt from her dress. Peter looked down at his hand in hers. Noticing his staring, Catalina pulled her hand away before clearing her throat.

"Well, we better go inside." She spoke, her eyes locking with his.

"Yeah..."

Peter kept his eyes on the girl, as she, now, looked down at her feet shyly. He straightened up, his eyes shifting to behind the girl awkwardly. Suddenly, The boy's blood ran cold as his eyes landed on man astride a horse as they appeared from behind the trees. Catalina turned around after hearing a sharp intake of breath from the boy.

"He's a Telmarine." The girl whispered, her voice low but filled with panic. "I recognise the armour." Peter gulped as the soldier turned on his horse and galloped away. The boy retook Catalina's hand in his own, pulling her away from the rock's edge.

"We need to tell the others."

And with that, the two ran inside the How with their hearts beating rapidly and their hands still entangled.

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Hey... how y'all doing? It's been a hot minute 😳

And by a hot minute, I mean a hot nine months— I'M SORRY!!

Anyways, sorry for leaving you hanging for a while but I hope this chapter was okay :')

I love you all!