Giant's Skull

"This is a skull," Roland realized suddenly. "A giant's skull. Another one."

It seemed a macabre thing, to rest inside such a place. Still, it served as adequate shelter from the wind. 

The wide plateau and giant's skull had to be the same place Finn and Mayra described on their journey high within the mountains. It was too big a coincidence to be anything else. 

The man wished he'd brought a bedroll, but his initial scouting mission was only intended to last a few hours. The interminable night and the normal-length day had to add up to at least thirty or forty hours of travel, if not more. 

He suddenly felt it in the deepest parts of himself. The exhaustion of running, scouting, fleeing… Roland had been subsisting on adrenaline, dry crackers, and the contents of his water skin. 

Judah's softly glowing white spots were the only light in the shelter as the sun set outside. The cat yawned his intimidating jaws, curled up, and turned yellow eyes on Roland. 

The man gulped a little nervously. The creature had been nothing but helpful, even affectionate, towards him, but the mental image of Roy's broken body disappearing into Judah's toothy maw was not something he could easily shake off. 

Yet, he wouldn't survive the freezing night without sharing the animal's body heat, so there was little choice about how to move forward. Judah shifted to allow Roland a space between his first and second pairs of legs. The fearsome claws were retracted, and the large, soft paws pulled the man closer to the large, furry chest of the creature. 

"Thank you, Judah." Roland spoke to calm himself. If he was going to die tonight, he supposed he would rather be quickly eaten than slowly frozen. 

A low, creaking sound like a deep snore responded. A purr. 

Giving in at last to the exhaustion that ached in his bones, Roland fell asleep.

______________

Caspian arrived back at his host home with a weighted disposition. The discussion about whether to execute Brenna had been a heavy one. The Council had pressed him for his opinion, and he had reluctantly admitted that he held some hope that his brother might be released from the enchantment if she was no longer alive. 

The decision was made. 

Brenna would die. 

He felt responsible. Without his words, they might have come to a different decision. After all, she had done nothing in the jail that evidenced her serving the Void. The Council was eager to make the new alliance official with a formal treaty signing. 

Once they had his opinion on the matter, however uncertain he was about it, they moved to please him and his people… perhaps they, too, held out hope of freeing the heir to power from the enchantment lest their potential ally become unstable with political strife. 

Caspian wondered just how much of the situation Roland had reported, knowing it was likely most or all of the details of Edmar's escape and journey. A civil war or a coup would be devastating to Ceto, but also spell potential disaster for Klain and Rhone. 

The possibility of freeing Edmar from the Void's influence was too big of a potential benefit to ignore. 

Caspian had agreed to sign the treaty regardless of the decision on Brenna, being authorized by his father to finalize negotiations begun by the emissary. 

The execution and the signing were scheduled for the same day. 

It happened to coincide with a festival within Klain: The two year anniversary of the official alliance between Klain and Rhone. Caspian sighed, removing his thick coat and warming himself by the fire. 

Day by day the air grew less accommodating. It had been warm in the heat of the day today, but now, it seemed the land was getting colder by the minute. Snow seemed like it was creeping down from the mountaintops towards the city like an invading, frozen mold spreading across the land. 

He wasn't sure what it would be like when it arrived. He wasn't looking forward to it. 

Pulling a chair closer to the fire, he sat and leaned forward to warm his hands. He used gloves at home to work difficult or dangerous jobs, but the people here used them for warmth. It was a strange thing. He had not brought gloves since he did not anticipate laboring. He would have to acquire some. 

Mayra's fashion advice had not extended to gloves as an accessory. Or had it? He hadn't particularly listened to her, if he was being honest. The woman talked too much, unlike his precious wife. Naomi's every word was valuable. 

"Dinner will be ready soon," Naomi said from behind him, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders. She kissed him on the cheek, warming him more thoroughly than the fire had. 

With a mischievous grin, he lashed out, snaking one arm around Naomi's waist before she could turn away and pulled her down onto his lap.

"Oh!" She squeaked, flailing slightly. Clearly, she hadn't expected to be grabbed and handled that way. Her face burned and she glanced towards each doorway, checking on whether anyone was a witness to the rather indignant position she now found herself in. 

"There are guests coming for dinner," She said quickly, "They'll be here any moment!" 

"Then you better kiss me quickly," He grinned.

"I need to–" She began to say, trying to stand to complete her tasks. 

"Kiss first," He said seriously, holding her in place. "Am I to be neglected by my wife so soon after marriage?" 

She froze, and with a final darting glance to make sure no one was watching, pressed her lips passionately to his, winding her fingers behind his head and relaxing her body against him in a way that made his pulse race. 

A knock at the door caused her to be out of his lap and into the kitchen before he could even open his eyes. He blinked several times, not a hundred percent certain whether he'd just imagined the entire interaction or not. 

He cleared his throat and stood as Finn swept into the room, patting her hair and opening the door for the visitors.

"Dierdre! Lysander! So good of you to come!" The hostess smiled broadly and ushered the couple in. "How are you doing?" 

"Much better," admitted Lysander. "I've slept peacefully since returning home. There's nothing like sleeping in one's own bed." 

"And how is the little one?" Deirdre asked, a little more softly. 

"She is… better." Finn's voice changed slightly, and Caspian tilted his head in thought. 

"Oh?" Deirdre responded. Clearly she had noticed the tension as well. 

"Yes. Although, Lysander, perhaps you should stay in the city if you wish to keep the dreams at bay." Finn advised. 

"Has something happened?" Deirdre grasped her husband's arm protectively as she questioned Finn. 

Their hostess hesitated, looking between the three people in front of her, as if debating whether to speak. 

"We had a picnic outside the city. Quilina fell asleep on the blanket and had a nightmare. She is all right now. I'd rather not talk about it." She gave a brief smile and changed the subject. "I hope you're hungry, dinner should be ready!" 

She moved out of the room before anyone could respond, and the couple exchanged a loaded glance before looking at Caspian for more information.

"I only arrived a few moments ago." He shrugged. 

They followed their hostess to the table, which was set with wonderful food. Caspian's eyes found Naomi, who was putting a final dish on the table and avoiding his gaze. Her face was red. He grinned. 

The conversation over dinner was pleasant. Quilina remembered Lysander from the journey on the river, and chatted with him excitedly. 

"The dreams are gone! The light chased Tamas away and he can't come back!" The child was saying. 

"The light?" Lysander was humoring the child, but sending questioning looks to the adults at the table. 

Caspian noticed that Finn was gripping her fork rather tightly and avoiding Lysander's eyes. 

He reached his hand under the table to take his wife's, squeezing it to gain her attention. Instead of looking at him like he expected, she swallowed and took another bite of food. 

That was strange. Was she still that embarrassed about before, or was something else going on? 

"Yes, the light! It pushed Tamas away and he's gone." Quilina declared. Jacqueline put her hand on her daughter's shoulder to quiet the child. That also seemed a bit odd. 

"That's wonderful, Dear. I hope he stays gone forever," Deirdre smiled and brought up a new topic of conversation. "Are you excited for the festival?" 

"What's a festival?" Quilina frowned. 

"Like a big party, for the whole city. There are foods and performers and music and dancing!" 

Caspian sighed. It would also be the day he took responsibility for his people in a way he never had before. To sign the treaty was a step towards leadership, a role which normally would have been reserved for the heir.