Karen's POV

We're in the palace dining room, ready for our dinner to be served. This time, it's not just Entonia and the three of us. We're joined by Darius, Caspian, Cornelia, and Abner as well. I am seated between Darius and Caspian with Kevin straight opposite of me and Iris next to him.

Dinner is fantastic as always and I would have enjoyed it to my fullest if I didn't have to be seated in front of two insanely good looking warriors. Throughout the dinner, I learn that Cornelia is a healer and that explains why her eyes are green. Her husband, the queen's brother, was a warrior and hence Darius also was born a warrior.

Entonia seems to be quite fond of both Darius and Caspian. Although Caspian barely speaks anything, he always gives fully detailed answers to question directed at him. But he never starts a conversation by himself.

Iris is waiting to get in bed and sleep like a log. I've lost count of how many times she yawned just during dinner.

"What was your first thought when you arrived at Eponine?" asks Caspian picking up a grilled shrimp from his plate and I widen my eyes. 

He just asked me a question. Caspian Fransby is actually trying to start a conversation!

"I....uh...I don't know, exactly! I felt like...a mixture of emotions. I was scared, surprised, confused and on top of that...that's when my powers started showing....so yeah!" I shrug smiling at him.

"Do you like it?" he asks.

"What?"

"Eponine."

"Oh, I love it. Even they do!" I say pointing at Iris and Kevin. "I feel very belonged here. Like I just met you guys today, but I feel like I've known you my whole life."

Entonia clicks the glass to draw our attention. "I am so glad, now that you've all met and got to know each other! Karen, Iris, Kevin, Caspian, and Darius, you'll be meeting with me at the meeting room after dinner tonight. We have something to discuss." she informs.

"Sure, your highness. We'll be right there!" assures Darius. He looks at me and I nod in confirmation. Entonia drops her fork and knife to her plate indicating that she is done.

Now, we all should also stop. Once the queen stops eating we should all stop eating. And none of us are supposed to go to bed before she does so. Same British royal family rules. It doesn't make much of a difference though because all Eponians speak in a pure British accent which I find rather funny at times.

***

We're in the meeting room now with me seated right next to Caspian. Iris and Kevin look like they're speaking something serious but only God knows what they're talking about. Darius is talking with his mother at the door but I notice him looking over a couple of times as well.

I turn to Caspian. "You don't talk too much, do you?" 

He gives me a small smile and shakes his head.

"How about you?" he asks.

"Healthy amount. But not as quiet as you, though!" I say and he chuckles. 

The first time, Caspian laughing check!

"I like your friends! I talked to them," he comments.

"Yeah, they're nice!"

Why is this conversation so awkward?

"Do you think our conversation is awkward?" he asks.

"Very awkward!" I say and he chuckles again.

"Tell me, why do you like Eponine?"

I ponder for a while. "Well," I begin. "At first, I was overwhelmed by the luxury of it, then I had this feeling of familiarity and you know...reaching home?". He nods. "Then I started to have euphoric sensations throughout my body and started developing powers and stuff." I shrug and he nods again.

"It's nice to hear that our future queen has powers, is the predicted one," he comments.

"Yeah, I don't know about that too...anyway, you are the chief commander of the army, have you fought big wars?" I ask.

"The biggest one I fought was the one we had to retrieve the Borat from Almine," he recalls.

"Wasn't years ago right? You must have been a kid!" I say and he smiles again. 

I like his smile

"I am physically twenty-three years old!" he states.

"What do you mean physically?" I ask confused.

"It's like on the outside I am twenty-three, but actually I am thirty-six years old!" he explains.

"Oh wow!" I gape. "So how old is Darius?" 

"Darius is physically twenty-five, but actually forty!"

"Forty years old?!" I exclaim.

"We age quite slowly compared to normal humans. But humans will also age just like us if they are in Eponine!" he explains.

"Cool!" 

"However, we have the mixed mentality of both the physical and actual ages," he says.

The couch beside me dents down due to a weight that causes me to turn around. 

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" asks Darius as he takes a seat beside me.

"I just found out that you are forty years old!" I say and he chuckles.

"Well, this guy here is thirty-six," he says pointing at Darius.

"I know, I am shooketh!" I whine dramatically.

"Shooketh?" a confused Caspian raises his eyebrow.

"Slang for shocked shook! Its mundane world stuff, don't bother!" I wave him off and he smiles. He never smiles wide...like showing his teeth. It's always that small tight smile but I like it.

"You guys have fought wars; tell me how is it?" I ask very curiously, about the subject.

"Well, Caspian is ruthless to bad people on the battlefield, but he always plays fair. But his humanity has always got us into trouble many times, though," says Darius.

"You cannot be a person without your humanity!" says Caspian.

"But on the battlefield mate, not a good idea for me!" shrugs Darius.

"Play fair on the battlefield! If you win through aggressiveness and unfairness, you'll have to carry the guilt and burden of committing a crime like that for a lifetime! What would you rather have, a victory through unfairness where both sides lose everything they have or a comprise through fairness?" asks Caspian.

"A compromise through fairness," I answer.

"There you have it, Darius!" shrugs Caspian. "The princess's answer should be your motivation!"

"Woah, princess?" I gasp

"Yes, you are our princess. Princess Katarina Silvus Floarea! It's the name your mum gave you when you were born." states Darius.

"I didn't even know that was my name!" I admit. Katarina Silvus Floarea. Weird, but beautiful and I know nothing of what it means.

"Entonia named you, just before Etine took you away. She destructed half of the palace in sorrow and anger. At one point we even thought that we lost our queen. Only a few of us saw you and knew about you." explains Darius.

"Did you guys see me?" I ask.

"As a baby? Yeah, I did. I was around 19 at the time. My father took me to the chamber where the king, queen, and you were there. You were this small beautiful baby, but looked nothing like any  Eponian baby." Caspian says softly. "I walked over to you lying in a bed, very confused about the shouting and crying happening around you but as soon as you saw me, you smiled." he continues. "You giggled at me and I saw something in that little face of yours that told me to pick you up. And so I did. You were so small, so delicate, yet so beautiful." he says and I blush.

"I never saw you as a baby! I was away that time and by the time I came back everything was done," says Darius.

"Even I didn't want you gone. But I couldn't say anything. When I was holding you, you kept smiling. I kept swinging you and cooing at you so you just.... fell asleep." Caspian recalls looking tenderly at me. "I kept your ears protected from hearing all the nonsense that was going around you. You were sleeping peacefully in my arms when Etine snatched you away from me. You  started wailing loudly and I wanted to badly hold you again but I couldn't stand against the king."

"And then you never saw me." I sigh.

"And then I never saw you until today! All grown up but still beautiful!" he says.

"He's hitting on you princess!" Darius mumbles but Caspian glares at him. 

I have two hotties hitting on me at the same time. And to be honest, it is difficult to choose between the two. But hearing Caspian recount the story of his encounter with me as a baby, made me feel something. He didn't want me gone. 

So what must he have felt when he saw me today, after all these years?

"Katarina, please ignore my brother!" says Caspian. 

Hold on, brother?

"Brother?" I ask confused.

"We grew up together as brothers, so refer to each other as brothers." Darius shrugs and Caspian nods. "And he is a whole different person around me. He talks much more when I am around." 

"Yeah, our conversation was way too awkward before you showed up," I add.

Just then, the doors to the room open, Entonia walking in gracefully and we stand up. She smiles at all of us and then sits down on one of the couches, opposite us. 

If I become Queen, I know I'll never be able to walk that way. I walk like I have something shoved up my ass!   

"Good to see all of you are getting well together!" she comments looking at the five of us.

"I just found out my real name!" I rejoice, causing Kevin to raise an eyebrow at me.

"Real name?" he asks.

"Katarina...I don't know the rest!" I look up at Darius.

"...Silvus Floarea" Darius chuckles at my inability to know my own name.

"It's a mouthful, isn't it?" asks Entonia and I nod. "And I reckon you prefer being called Karen?" 

"Karen or Katarina...anything it's fine. But I need some time getting used to being called Katarina." I chuckle.

"I named you." she sighs.

"They told me," I say.

"Well, anyway," she sighs. "I called you all here for a reason. Since Karen or Katarina's powers are developing at a fast rate, there is one more thing I need to tell you," she says. "Katarina is different, different from all of us and thus she develops the powers that none of us have.

However, you all are aware of the people of Eponine. Healers and Warriors. Now, my Katarina here is both!" she declares.

"What exactly are the powers of healers and warriors?" asks Kevin.

"Well, a healer is able to heal any wound. It can be physical or mental. Most of our warriors are alive after a war only because of our healers. And if a person sinks into deep sorrow or shock, healers also heal them out of it." explains Darius.

"And warriors are naturally skilled in war. But their most important power is sensing danger. Warriors like us mostly die a natural painless death in old age contrary to what you may think. We can sense danger and move out of it and if injured be healed by a healer so we don't die easily." says Caspian. "But we sense it, only if the danger is lethal."

"And you Katarina, have both of these powers in addition to what you are developing." completes Entonia. 

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A/N: Yay! I put in some Caspian scenes...how do you guys like Caspian? Comment below folks!!! And please make me happy by pressing that small star over there!!!