-ˋˏ *.·:·  CHAPTER THREE ·:·.* ˎˊ-
— BADGER & DWARF  —

2306 | NARNIA — This time, Star was the first one to wake up of the two. Her head ached, her eyes were tired and suddenly she recognized the faint outlines of her surroundings. A brown wooden ceiling. Realizing this, her heart raced as she remembered the strange tree the dwarves came out of. It only gets creepier, she thought. Still, she forced herself to not let a single sound escape her mouth and instead tried to wake up Caspian.

Star only had to turn her head a little to notice that Caspian was lying right next to her. He had a white bandage around his head, but otherwise he looked unharmed. She nudged him carefully with her elbow in his side, trying to wake him up. "Cas." She whispered, as softly as she could and straightened up a bit from the bed on which they were lying. It wasn't exactly big and was made of wood, which didn't make it any more comfortable.

Just as she called his name, he finally opened his eyes. Star carefully held a finger in front of her lips to signal that he shouldn't make a sound. He nodded to her and let her carefully help him up.

"THIS BREAD IS SO STALE!" An annoyed voice complained as Caspian pulled the bandage off his head. "I'll just give them both some soup. They should be coming around soon." Said another voice, which sounded a lot calmer. Star would be lying if she said that her stomach didn't growl a bit at those words. "We should have left the two of them on the ground." The grim voice shot back as Cas and Star hid behind the wooden wall and tried to sneak up a bit.

"Nikabrik, they're just children," protested the other, the clearly nicer one. "They're Telmarines, not some lost puppies." Nikabrik shook his head. "You said you were gonna get rid of them!" The eyes of Cas and Star widened at these words. For a few seconds, they were able to catch a short glimpse of their kidnappers, before they had to turn around again – a badger and a dwarf.

"No, I said I'd take care of them." Said the badger who set the table. "We can't kill them now. I just bandaged his head and put medicine on the girl's wounds. That- That would be like muttering a guest." He explained when Star licked her lower lip and tasted the disgusting herbal ointment. She made a disgusted face, which almost made Caspian laugh, but after all, both had to keep quiet.

"And how do you think the Telmarine treat their guest?" Said the dwarf impatiently, remembering his friend. "Trumpkin knew exactly what he was doing. It's not the children's fault." The badger replied simply.

Caspian nodded to Star and indicated that the two of them had to get out of here immediately. The two jumped out of their hiding place and stormed towards the stairs, but were stopped by the dwarf, who drew his sword and aimed at Caspian.

"HEY! HEY!" Yelled the badger, raising his hands.

Next to the fireplace, Caspian found several fire hooks and armored himself with one before throwing Star over the other one. The dwarf did not hesitate to cross his blade with Caspian. "Stop it!" Objected the badger, trying to intervene. "Hey, hold it!"

"I told you, we should have killed him when we had the chance." Said the dwarf, when there was a short pause. "Nobody is killing anyone!" Warned the girl and put the sharp fire hook on the dwarf's neck.

"You know exactly why we can't! Didn't you see the light?!" The badger shouted at his friend, but the dwarf remained suspicious.

"If we're taking a vote, I'm with him." Caspian said and pointed briefly to the badger with his head. "Me too." Star agreed, hesitant to draw some blood.

"We can't let them go. They've seen us!" Said the dwarf and pushed the girl back before he crossed swords with Caspian again.

"ENOUGH NIKABRIK!" Said the badger when Caspian fell to the ground, or rather the steps of the short stairs. "You know what happens when I get really angry!" He added, but this time his tone was a lot more serious that even Nikabrik didn't dare argue with him. Both men now took their weapons down.

"And you-" the badger began, turning his gaze from the boy to the food and wooden dishes that lay on the floor before picking it up. "Look what you made me do. I spent half the morning, on the soup!" The badger walked over to Star and extended his hand to her. "Come on, little girl. The floor is freezing cold." He said and scurried her to the dining table as he pointed to one of the small chairs. "Eat something, please. I don't want you to faint again."

Star just did as she was told, but Cas was still pretty confused and suspicious. "W-what are you?" He asked. "You know, it's funny that you would ask that. You'd think more people recognize a badger when they saw one." The badger replied with a little laugh.

"No. No, I- I mean ... you're Narnians. You're supposed to be extinct." Said Caspian, when Star was already sipping a small spoon of the mushroom soup.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Nikabrik rolled his eyes and sat down at the table too, leaving Caspian alone.

"Come on, sit down." Said the badger to Caspian. "It's still nice and warm." he added, this time in an equally warm voice. "Your girlfriend, seems to like it." He said with a genuine smile as Star nodded thanking him. She had to blush a little, since he called her Cas' girlfriend. Of course she wasn't though, he'd never be with someone like her.

The dwarf groaned in annoyance because he couldn't stand the whole thing any longer. "Since when did we open a boarding house for lost telmarine-soldiers?" Ninabrik grumbled.

"I'm not a soldier." He protested and finally got up from the steps. "I'm Prince Caspian. The tenth."

"W-what are you doing here then?" Nikabrik asked, confused, before catching the gaze from his equally confused badger friend.

"Running away." He admitted sadly. "My uncle has always wanted my throne. I- I suppose I have only lived this long, because he did not have an heir of his own." He added.

"And what are you? a princess or something?" Nikabrik asked, pointing to the girl before she shook her head. "No, I- I'm a mapmaker. Star Cornelius, the professor's daughter." She replied, a little embarrassed. She was nobody special, nobody worth saving...

"Just a mapmaker?" He asked, but then remembered the light once again. "Are you sure? I- I could have sworn you-"

"Oh, that changes a lot." The badger murmured apologetically to Caspian as he put the puzzle together in his head. "Yes, that means, then the others will kill him. If you're lucky, the girl will stay alive, though." Nikabrik said, leaning back in the chair.

"You're right." Caspian nodded and went to the exit when he took his chain mail from a hook on the wall. "Where are you going?" Called the badger confused. "Yes, Mr. Badger is right, Cas. You should stay here and save your strength!" Star agreed. "My uncle will not rest until I'm dead." Cas objected and put on the blue telmarine armor.

"But ... you can't leave. You're meant to save us!" He said when Caspian turned around to him once again. "Both of you. " badger corrected himself and now Star turned to him as well.

"Pardon me?" Star asked, confused.

"Don't you know what that is?" He said, holding the magic horn in his hands.