The day of the wedding was nearing, but that didn't make anything easier. Sophie took a stroll towards the stables to meet Cassie, who never left her side from the time Sophie returned. On her way, she saw a certain General who was talking to the boy that had once been imprisoned by Jadis. "General Tavros. Samar."

The minotaur turned around and bowed down to her. "Your Majesty! It is so good to see you this lovely morning."

But Samar sat down on one knee and hung his head. "Your Majesty."

"Oh, Samar!" Sophie held his shoulders and made him stand up. "You don't have to pay so much respect to me, dude." He put his arms around her waist and hugged her. The seven-year old was beyond grateful to her for having defeated the White Witch and removing the prison that he was trapped in. "Oh buddy...."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'll never forget your help." He clamped a hand on his chest and bowed to her again. "I'll let the two of you talk to each other. I'm sure mother must be wanting my help. I must visit Cassie too and take her out for a run!"

"I'll come to your lessons soon. Don't forget. You have to recite the-"

"Tale of Two Lost Souls." Samar smiled as he walked backwards towards the palace doors. "I'm prepared for it."

"He's a nice boy," General Tavros said as Sophie smiled. "It's upsetting that he had to go through what he did. But he is really trying to move on. He's enjoying his new life, and it is all because of you."

Sophie bowed her head at him. "I am honoured by all your praises. I would like to extend the same courtesy. What's up? What's going on?"

"I have been selected to go on yet another voyage, Your Majesty. I will be going on the signing of the treaties. It is like a renewal of a contract that I must overlook while representing our land.."

"Well, I wish you a safe and fun journey."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." He bowed down once again, indicating that he was going to be leaving. "I'm afraid that I must take my leave now. We will be leaving once the wedding gets over."

"Oh, thank goodness that you can attend."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

That's when Caspian's other request entered Sophie's head. "Tavros? I know that we are friends and everything but...." She couldn't ask him. She couldn't ask him to consider the position of her personal guard. His life was at the sea, not in the land, no matter how many 'sea the land jokes' she made. So, she talked about the other matter that concerned. "Keep an eye out for the Enchantress."

Tavros saluted her. "Of course, Your Majesty. One of the main reasons I am accompanying on this mission is so that I am able to watch out for her. You don't have to worry about her anymore. What you did must have scared her off if death hasn't already taken her in its veils."

"I do feel safer that you are going on this assignment, Tavros. Truly."

Once the Minotaur General took his leave, Sophie managed to make her way to the lower stables without tripping over her dress. Claire had been leaving the hem longer because she was worried about her growing taller. It was one of those motherly affections that always left Sophie in tears.

When she reached the familiar stalls, she saw a certain black-haired soldier feeding his horse in the stall on the opposite side. An idea clicked inside her head. It would make perfect sense that she ask him for help. After all, he had stood up for her in front of other travellers when she most needed support.

"Sahil Bennett."

He turned around, panicking a little because he couldn't since his hands were busy. "Your Majesty!" He bowed his head at her. "I'm afraid that I won't be able to pay my respects right now. I hope you can forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive you for. I know. I've caught you at a very difficult time. My apologies about that, but I wanted to talk something rather important with you."

He looked stunned, as if to ask, "With me?" He nodded. "Yes of course, Your Majesty. How may I be of help?"

"As you already know, it has been a few years since I found out who I really was. It hasn't been easy but I wouldn't have asked for a different life either. I'm sure that you are wondering how I am speaking quite openly right now."

He nodded. "That thought did cross my mind."

"The thing is, the King wants me to appoint someone as my personal guard. And though I don't see how that would work, I told him that I would think about it and I have a request." Sophie took a deep breath. "Would you, keeping all obligations aside, be interested in taking up the position?"

The horse had finished eating and Sahil walked over the water brim to wash his hands. Sophie followed the feat and stood next to him while he thought about what she was asking him for a few seconds. "I didn't think that Queens would have to request such matters. No offense, that is, Your Majesty."

"I don't want to be that kind of a Queen." Sophie smiled. "And none taken, don't worry. One of the main reasons that I'm asking you for help is because you are one of the only people that I can trust to treat me like another normal person, if you know what I mean. All the formalities get to me sometimes. To have such a connection is quite hard from my side."

"And mine." He admitted. "I don't really engage in conversations that don't concern me. I'm pretty fair at sparring and I can wield a blade, alright. Do you mind if I use an axe or a crossbow?"

Oh my God, he was actually considering the role. "No! Not at all! I love crossbows!" 

He looked at his hands and considered the situation. "And I suppose that you want me to take this role as your friend and not because I'm your subject."

"That's exactly right. See? You get it. I need to be who I am without having the royal title get to me, and you are the only one among the list of candidates that was shown to me whom I was comfortable to be myself around."

"I understand, Your Majesty," he said. "I accept."

"Oh my Saints! Thank you, Sahil!"

A laugh escaped his throat as he considered how surreal this situation was. He was a skilled academic and couldn't find a job that would put that knowledge to use, but he could protect the Queen of Narnia with his life. This was something that only the blessed would get. "The honour is all mine, Your Majesty. And I promise to keep our conversations as informally-formal as possible."

That was the best part about Sahil. He always put himself in other people's shoes and that was one quality that she really admired about him. Their conversations onboard the Dawn Treader had taught Sophie that.

That night, Sophie was taking a late night stroll with Cassie when I saw something that she had never expected, but loved with all her heart. Rumira and Sahil were talking to each other at the stables.

If Sophie had approached them, they would have stopped talking. Sahil had told Rumira that he had been considered for the job, but it was Rumira's turn to include him in the ultimate plan that she and Evelyn were a part of. They had been building up to this for a while, and there was one more person that needed to be a part of it.

But Sophie did not interrupt them. She took Cassie to her room and left them to have their conversation. The next morning, Sophie, Evelyn and Rumira met each other at the palace gardens for a nice brunch. There were sandwiches, pastries, crackers and tea for all of them. They talked about their interests and favourite things and she had to admit that she loved their company. As much of a tomboy that Sophie was, she liked talking with them.

"Rumira?" She looked up at Sophie. "Now, I need you to know that we are friends and as a friend, I need to ask you this. Um...." Catching her train of thought, she came back to reality. "Yesterday evening, Cassie and I were out for a stroll. You know how she can get if Caspian and I are not around. Anyway, that was when I saw you. And Sahil Bennett. Talking."

Evelyn gaped at Rumira. "You little liar!"

Turned out that Sophie wasn't the only one who knew about this potential couple. "It's nothing." Both of them stared at Rumira. "Really! It's nothing!"

Evelyn then started to tell Sophie all about the two of them and how they seem more than just friends. She had known that Rumira was talking to Sahil about the job but there was definitely something bigger going on. "They've known each other practically all their lives and I wasn't allowed to tease them about what you suggested, Sophie, but-"

"It's really nothing!" 

"Really?" Sophie asked. "Is that why you are blushing?"

Rumira held her cheeks in surprise. "I didn't realise that I was."

"Oh, come on. It's us! Spill the beans! Or I could ask Sahil about this. I'm sure he'll tell me. He is coming to the castle to sign the form about the personal guard anyway and according to that, he would be under oath to speak the truth."

Sophie wouldn't have done that. She was simply pulling Rumira's leg. "Okay, fine!" She conceded. "I might like him more than a friend."

Evelyn and Sophie looked at each other in awe.

"Oh my God!"

"I knew it!"

"And how does he feel about it?" Evelyn asked.

That was when Nina walked up to them with more sandwiches. Evelyn walked over to her and hugged her. "She fessed up!"

"Who did?" Nina looked concerned but Rumira's innocent face said it all. "Oh, finally!" She exclaimed. "I was wondering when this girl would tell me about Malcolm."

Rumira gasped dramatically. "You knew?"

"Of course, I knew! I'm your mother! And Henry and I are great friends. Of course I would know about the time you've been spending with Sahil."

"It's not like that."

That was when Sophie intervened. "Except for the fact that their hearts were literally in their eyes."

Evelyn gaped at Rumira once again, but Rumira interrupted because she could talk. She asked her mother the question Sophie was waiting for, "Are you okay with it though? Sahil and I....the potential of us courting each other."

Nina kissed the top of Rumira's head and cupped her face. "You two will be the end of me." She joined Sophie and Evelyn's fun of teasing Rumira about her crush. 

"So what is he really like?" Evelyn asked. "I hope he knows that he doesn't talk about his time at the navy."

Rumira sighed. There was no point in bottling her emotions up. She knew that the others weren't going to let it go and she had to face it at some point. "He is a thorough gentleman. He always keeps his distance when we talk. Not once has coffee brown his eyes left mine when we talk. I really enjoy spending my time with him. I haven't exactly told him that I like him as such, but I'm sure he feels the same way."

"Of course he is!" Nina said. "That boy! I knew he would be trouble when he is, in fact, one of the most respectful that I've come across." She chuckled. "But I am glad about this."

"How long have you both known?" Sophie asked Nina and Evelyn.

"I have known for a long time, dear, but I never asked her about it because Rumira told me that she wasn't interested in such things," Nina said.

Aye aye, Rumira. I knew that we had a lot in common than we were letting on, Sophie thought.

"But the rock inside her changed every time we would meet Sahil's company." 

"I don't have a rock inside me!" Rumira exclaimed.

Once their first batch of teases were over, Nina asked Sophie about the wedding. "Have you gone to Claire's yet?"

Sophie set her cup down, becoming the next topic of conversation, and she hated when she was the center of attention. "Not yet. She asked me to come the day after tomorrow. She needs to stitch the hems once again and something about lace."

"I'm sure that you would love gorgeous, no matter what," Evelyn told her.

"I hope that I don't fall down." Sophie closed her eyes at that vision - the entire hall staring at the Queen who couldn't manage her dress.

"Well, we will be there to help you," Rumira said, glad that she was off the spotlight. "Enough about me and Sahil."

"When will you talk to him about this?" Nina asked. "I need to talk to his parents, Rumira. Courting is not as simple as you think it to be. So please talk to him and find out what he feels."

"Yeah," Sophie said. "And tell us all about it."

All of them laughed at Rumira going pink because she was finally going to go get the guy. If she had been honest with herself, she did like Sahil more than a friend, and maybe, she hadn't talked to him the previous night about the job only.

*****

Cast

Chosen Jacobs as Samar