The room froze and all eyes fixated on the tension in the middle of the room.

"But who am I to question the loyalties and leadership of the throne, eh?" Adair continued with smug bitterness.

He gripped Caspian's shoulder and let out a far too loud laugh.

"And who, if I may ask", Caspian replied bitterly, "is this so-called murderer you are talking about?"

Adair's gaze met Reepicheep's again.
"The son of these street rats, this mously orphan", he spat out.

Reepicheep already dashed forward, his hand up in the air, clenched to a fist, but Drinian reacted fast.

He grabbed his left arm, and pulled him back with such a force that Reepicheep would have fallen.

But Drinian stood there like a rock in a storming sea, and he was what Reepicheep stumbled against.

The captain's grip around his wrists was tight; unbending and hard as steel.

"Don't, Reepicheep", Drinian exclaimed through all the noise that had suddenly broken out.

The ground and the people were blurry and as much as Reepicheep tried, he just couldn't see what was happening.

"He called them street rats", he urged outside, only now hearing that he was crying.

"I know, I know. But he just wants to you be angry."

The governor exclaimed something, Reepicheep didn't understand, but it was clear and loud as thunder, deafening all the noise.

After that it was silent.
Drinian let go of Reepicheep's wrists.

It was a silent I trust you, and even though Reepicheep still wanted to rush forward to Adair, he stayed where he was.

"You have no right", Caspian said, his voice bitter, angry, and threateningly even. "You have no right to twist around what happened and make my men the villains of this story. You have no right to insult people in whose killing you took part. And you have no right to insult Lord Reepicheep."

"In…what?", Drinian mumbled behind Reepicheep.

In whose killing you took part.

Adair had been there? He had been there, when the farm had burned to the ground, together with the bodies of Reepicheep’s family?

Confusion and shock filled the faces of Caspian’s crew.

Adair sported a wickedly satisfied smile, making it all the worse.

Caspian, on the other hand, looked like a thunderstorm on the brink of unleashing madness. His chest rose and fell as he forced down his anger. He stood unmoving, blocking Adair’s path.

As if he was mocking them, Adair let out a small:"Hm", and shrugged his shoulders a bit.

No one knew quite what to do or say.

The governor cleared his throat a little awkwardly and nodded toward the captain of the guard.

With faces of stone, four guards led Adair away, but Adair’s face held its wicked smile. The governor’s company looked on with expressions of concern and fear.

Caspian turned to face his men but looked straight at the governor.

“I…I had no idea your Majesty.” the man stuttered out, clearly concerned for his own fate.

“We can discuss this at another time.” Caspian dismissed, easing the governor’s nerves slightly. “Right now you have a room full of hungry people to distract.”

Reepicheep couldn’t keep his eyes from Caspian’s face.
What else did he know about his parents’ death and why hadn’t he told him?

But Caspian avoided his gaze, looking almost everywhere but never at him.

He knew that Drinian was at his side and that he wouldn’t leave it, but that only was a small consolation, because he still saw Caspian talking with the Princess and other Galmian Lords and he saw him laughing and chatting and he couldn’t help but feel betrayed.

The dinner seemed to last forever.

“Let’s go”, Drinian said quietly and Reepicheep looked up, realising that the dinner seemed to be over.

He didn’t realise much of the way on which Drinian led him, he only saw that the sun wasn’t hanging very low in the sky. If only Adair hadn’t been here and the governor hadn’t wanted this stupid tournament, then they would all stand together on the deck and laugh.

But Caspian would still know about his parents.
And what was better?
Knowing that Caspian was hiding something, or not knowing?

Drinian led him to the ship and as soon as they were there, with almost the whole crew following, Reepicheep went into his cabin, which Caspian had wanted him to have.
If it had been up to him, Reepicheep would have slept with the other crewmates but here he was, with a full room to himself - and that was good now.

What could Caspian know and how had he found out?

The crew left him alone and Reepicheep was very thankful for that.

“Reep?”, suddenly Caspian asked, outside the closed door.

“No”, Reepicheep answered.

“Please, I found out two days ago, I didn’t-”

“You didn’t what?” Reepicheep snapped. “Two days is enough time to tell me and also, if you didn’t notice, we spent the last two days together, wasn’t there one point where you could’ve told me, that you found stuff about my parents?”

"You were happy, there was no way I would have found a good time to tell you-"

"That still would have been better than this!"

"I didn't know this would happen!", Caspian screamed back.

The door was still between them, adding to the weight of silence hanging after their shouting had subsided.

"Reep..." Caspian's voice pleaded, softer this time.

Reepicheep stalked across the room and opened the door with a jolt.

Tears stains streaked down his cheeks and his eyes were red and puffy.

"I never meant to hurt you by not saying anything. I know the pain-"

"Stop." Reepicheep bristled tone interrupted.

"I don't want your sympathy. I lost my family. All of them. And you robbed me of their justice."

A frown formed on Caspian's brow but he gave Reepicheep time to speak.

"I needed you to have my back but instead you protected yourself!"

"Hey!" Caspian retorted, his neck turning red as emotion swelled in his voice, "I protected YOU. You throw the word justice out there as if knowing names would have changed anything. Well, now you know and look, nothing's changed. Justice had already been served to Adair by the time I found out."

"But it WASN'T!" Reepicheep cried. "He's here, Caspian. HERE. Not as banishment or paying for his crimes. Just existing as he had before. Who knows how many other people have suffered because you-"

Reepicheep caught himself before he could say any more but the damage had already been done.

Caspian knew what came next. A dark frown fell over his face.

Reepicheep looked on, in horror, yes but also in pain. He felt betrayed yet also guilty somehow.

"If that's how you feel, then." Caspian said curtly, his tone icey and emotionless.

Turning on his heel, he left Reep at the door not so much as hesitating to look back.

Another wave of anger rushed over Reepicheep, only this time at himself. He slammed the door and pounding his fists against the textured alder, cried out.

Flashes of the past ran through his mind; haunting memories once defeated now playing on repeat.

Reepicheep knew he had never truly moved past the deaths of his parents. The need for justice was like a hot ember...just waiting to spark a raging fire.

And so it burns.

⊱⌑❦⌑⊰

A/N
I am very very sorry that I didn't update for so long, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter 😁