Note: This first chapter is just a recap of the movie.

On a dark night, beneath a star's eclipse, in the Narnian city of the Telmarines, the dark silence is shattered by the blood-curdling, agonized cries of a woman.

Cries that foretell of extreme pain and suffering. In the bedchambers of Lord Miraz, a drop of sweat tyrickles down the woman's brow as she cfries out again.

More towels have arrived.

Her forehead is patted with a damp cloth. The Head Mid-wife cooes by her ear.

She says its almost over.

One more push, and she falls back in exhaustion.

It is over.

Words of excitement and delight spread among the occupants of the room as the crying form of a small child is laid in Prunaprisnia's arms.

It is a boy.

She smiles.

In a tower not far away, a man stood solitary by a window.

The door opened behind him and footsteps proceeded.

"Lord Miraz" the new arrival spoke "you have a son".

Miraz sighed but did not turn to face his company,

"The heavens have blessed us" he whispered.

The man behind him shuffled uncomfortably.

"You know your orders" said Miraz. There was no answer, "General Glozelle".

"Yes, my Lord" came the eventual answer. The footsteps receded and the door closed.

Miraz was again alone.

In another part of the castle, a lone figure wandered the dark corridors. Coming to a large door they put their hand to the handle. A Hunting Hawk on its stand declared the figure's entrance into the room.

In its middle, the room held a large bed. The figure approached.

The light of the open door fell across the sleeping countenance of Prince Caspian. The figure put out their hand and brought it down tightly on his lips as he woke with a jump and laid startled eyes upon his company. He looked up into the shadowy hooded face.

Closing his eyes Caspian rolled away and groaned,

"Five more minutes".

"You won't be watching the stars tonight, my Prince" hissed his tutor, Doctor Cornelius, "we must hurry".

With that he dragged the royal from his bed.

"Professor, what is going on?" asked Caspian, becoming alert.
"Your Aunt has given birth" he gasped as he paused at an ornately carved wardrobe, "to a son".

He opened the wardrobe door as Caspian stood still, deciphering what that meant.
The Professor had climbed into the wardrobe and opened a door in its back which led to a secret passageway.
"Come" he beckoned.
Caspian paused, but then quickly followed as his bedroom door began to creak.
Someone else was coming.
Out of curiosity, Caspian began to close the door but instead left it slightly ajar, peeking through.

What was going on? What was a cousin a bad thing? Who was this second midnight interloper?

Many dark forms of soldiers filed into the room. They were carrying crossbows.
Caspian's eyes widened in fear as they positioned themselves around his bed and he recognized General Glozelle; his uncle's second-in-command.
The soldiers held up their bows, and with a nod from Glozelle, released fire.
Caspian shuddered as his bed curtains were turned to ribbons and his bed where his sleeping form had been only moments ago was pelted with arrows.
His hawk cried out at the violent disturbance to it's slumber. It's haunted call mingling with the click of the bow triggers and the whistle of arrows.
Suddenly it all stopped.
They had realized that though his bed now lay in ruins, his sheets in tatters; he was not among them.
Everyone stood and watched as stuffing and feathers resettled around the room.

Doctor Cornelius grabbed Caspian's arm. They had stayed too long.

Through the walls they raced. Through doors and passages Caspian never knew existed before now, but still the Professor moved on, and Caspian followed him, dumb with shock of what he had just witnessed.
It was all coming clear:
His Aunt Prunaprisnia having a child; a son. His Uncle Miraz's guards stealing into his room manned with crossbows. That was an assassination attempt.
Now, with an heir, Miraz wanted Caspian gone.

The passageways led to the armory. Caspian Pulled armor and sword from their racks as the Professor threw a heavy coat over his shoulders. The next moment, he was on the back of a black war-stallion and looking down at the man who was his teacher.
"You must make for the woods" the old man puffed. A chill ran through Caspian's spine.
"The woods?" He thought the man had temporarily gone mad, no one entered the woods.
"They will not follow you there" the Professor pointed out. Then, searching his coat he retrieved a wrapped object and held it up to Caspian. "It has taken many years for me to find this" he confided.
Caspian took it and strapped it to his belt.
"Do not use it" continued the Professor hastily, "except at your greatest need".
For a moment they stared at each other in silence.
"Will I ever see you again?" asked Caspian of the man who had been his close friend and tutor. Cornelius frowned,
"I dearly hope so my Prince. There is so much more I meant to tell you. Everything you know is about to change."

A cry rang out, Caspian's disappearance had been noted.

"Now go!" hissed Cornelius and Caspian's mount flew forth from the courtyard.
Cornelius gazed after the prince, praying to anyone listening that the young man escaped successfully.

Caspian raced through the city among shouts and startled cries. Two guards tried to stop him bt barring his way with their spears; alas, Caspian took hold of one of the shafts and knocked the man sideways. The man fell, Caspian still held the spear.
Passing a bin fire, he threw it into the flames.
Passing under a gate he looked behind him. He had succeeded in escaping the inner city.
As his horses hoof beats echoed off the shanty huts, a bang sounded behind him.
He looked back.
No pursuers, yet. Fireworks.
Criers around the city began to call out.
"A son! A son! Lady Prunaprisnia has this night given Lord Miraz a son!"
Caspian's horse shied from the loud, flashing colours in the sky.
The celebrations were suddenly drowned out by the nearing of many hooves. Caspian spurred his horse on harder.

Through the outer city villages they pursued him, but Caspian thanked the stars that they did not gain any ground.
Out of the city and onto the plains they went, across the plains they raced through the moonlit night. the plains were open and exposed. Caspian urged his horse on even faster.
He saw the forest line approaching, his heart quickened in fear.
His earlier thoughts and Doctor Cornelius' words echoed through his mind:

Noone entered the woods.
They will not follow you there.

Sucking in a deep breath, Caspian crossed the border of trees and listened for his pursuers.

Glozelle raced into the trees after the Prince, looking back though, he found his men stopped in terror outside the forest gazing after him. In fury, he rode back to them.
The men murmured among themselves nervously. According to them, he was probably already cursed and doomed to Hell for the few moments he had already spent among the woods.
Glozelle gritted his teeth.
"Which of you superstitious old women wants to spend the night in a cell?" he barked.
He wasn't stupid, he knew the tales of the forest. With goosebumps creeping up his neck he turned and plunged further into the shadows of the foliage.
Like afraid children, scared of being left alone, his men quickly, though nervously, followed him in.

Caspian continued through the trees. Trying to ignore the frightened voice reminding him of all the terrible things these woods concealed. Paranoia played tricks with his mind. He blinked hard and focused on the ground ahead of him.
He looked back.
The soldiers were gaining.
He galloped across an open ridge. Crashing through a clump of trees he came onto a pebble shoreline. The Baruna stretched before him. Without hesitation he plunged in, the water was icy as it crept quickly up his legs. Suddenly, his horse was swimming.
The soldiers entered the river at a canter, one fell as his stead went down in hidden holes below the surface.

Leaving the river, Caspian re-entered the trees. Branches whipped at his face.
He turned back to look for his pursuers. Looking forward again a large fallen trunk, hanging low over his trail concealed his and grew bigger and bigger,until, it swiftly hit him in the face, knocking him from his saddle.
the moment after he hit the ground was the moment he realized he was still moving. His foot was stuck in his horse's stirrup, and the said horse continued to run at top speed.
He struggled to free his boot, loosing it as his horse galloped into the distance.

The soldiers would surely have him now.

Slowly he began to rise, miraz's men were not yet upon him and he took in his surroundings.
The trees seemed to have their own spooky presence, the shadows seemed alive, watching. A movement caught his eye. A light, among the roots of a large tree, little hobbling figures, beady eyes.
Suddenly he was looking into the faces of two dwarves.
"He's seen us"said one freezing, he alone held a sheathed sword.
Caspian grasped for his own but sighted it a few yards away in the leaf-litter.
The armed dwarf drew his sword and charged at Caspian as he scrambled backward on the ground.
But the dwarf stopped short, his eyes on the parcel which the Professor had given Caspian, which now lay loose on the ground near him.
It was a horn.
It's covering had fallen back and Caspian could see that it's mouth was the face of a roaring lion.
The dwarf looked back at him, then back at his fellow dwarf as a horses whinny sounded close by.
Miraz's men were upon them.
"Take care of him" commanded the armed dwarf as he raced in the direction of the oncoming party.
Things counldn't be worse for caspian, unarmed and being attacked from both sides.
The second dwarf approached and revealed that he did indeed have a sword of his own, but before he could reach him, Caspian had scrambled to the horn and held it to his lips.
"No!" yelled the dwarf. The horn released one sweet note before the dwarf's arm came up and blackness engulfed Caspian's Consciousness.