Chapter 1 A Birth, a Little Girl, and an Escape
Miraz's Castle Narnia 1300 years After the Golden Age of Narnia
A scream of pain emanated from one of the rooms in the castle making all within hearing distance wince in sympathy as Prunaprismia labored to bring her child into the world. Inside the room midwives rushed around the room trying to ease Prunaprismia's pain and to deliver the child at the same time. A few seconds later it was all over as the baby slid into the world with a cry of its own. A smiling midwife handed the child to the new mother who, upon seeing the gender of her child, smiled and put the child up to her breast.
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Lord Glozelle approached his liege with the news that his child had been born. Miraz cocked his head toward his friend's footsteps not turning away from the window he was satnding in front of.
"Well?" he asked.
"You have a son milord," Glozelle said slomenly causing Miraz to sigh in relief.
"You know what to do then," Miraz said staring out the window again.
"Yes milord," Glozelle said with a heavy heart as he turned to carry out Miraz's orders. Niether man saw the five-year-old girl slip away toward the rooms of Doctor Cornealius.
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As Glozelle hurried to carry out Miraz's orders he didn't see the bundled figures of an old man and a little girl. Quickly the duo entered the chambers of a young man who was sound asleep. Silently the old man parted the bed curtains and placed a hand over the young man's mouth making him start in surprise and struggle breifly against the hand before realizing who it was and seeming to sigh in relief before pulling the old man's hand away from his mouth.
"Five more minutes Doctor," he muttered as he rolled over to go back to sleep.
"You won't be watching the skies tonight my prince," Doctor Cornealius said as he gave the eighteen-year-old prince a shake causing the young man to stare at the doctor in surprise.
"What's going on?" he asked as he scrambled out of bed and running a hand through shoulder length black hair, pushing it out of his face.
"Your aunt has given birth," Doctor Cornealius replied as he grabbed the young man's hand and dragged him to the wardrobe and opening the doors before grabbing the little girl's wrist and pulling her into the wardrobe and pushing the back open revealing a secret passageway. "To a son."
The young man scrambled into the wardrobe and started to pull the doors shut but left them open a crack so he would be able to peer out of the wardrobe without being seen. Just then soliders, led by General Glozelle, marched into the room and took up positions around the bed. On Glozelle's signal the soldiers fired their crossbows into the bed hangings, which the doctor had shut, tearing holes into the curtains making the little girl, who had also hung back to see what the soldiers would do, whimper causing the prince to hastily pick her up and press her face into his shoulder to stifle her whimpers.
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Stunned at the betrayal by his uncle the young man stumbled after his tutor down the passageway the little girl still in his arms. Once they were in the armory he set her down on the ground, grabbed a leather jerkin with metal studs on it, and hastily pulling it on over his sleep shirt before grabbing a sword. Handing another leather and metal jerkin to the little girl he started saddling his horse as the doctor fastened the little girl's cloak around her neck before handing the prince his cloak. Noticing the little girl's tearstained, frightened face Doctor Cornealius knelt and embraced her.
"Be brave Sarah," he whispered into her ear. "Be brave." Stepping back the doctor watched as the young man boosted Sarah Whitlock into the saddle before swinging up behind her.
"Here," the doctor said handing his prince a wrapped package causing Sarah's eyes to widen in surprise. "Blow this in your most desperate hour. And stick to the woods, the Telmarines fear them."
Startled the young man accepted the package before kicking his horse into a gallop out into the courtyard and out across the bridge. Pausing in the city he turned his horse around for a last look at the only home he had known for the last eighteen years as fireworks shot up into the sky.
"Caspian!" Sarah exclaimed pointing toward the castle gates where a group of mounted soldiers were charging out after the two fugitives causing Prince Caspian the tenth to wheel his horse around and send it plunging through the city and into the night.
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As they raced through the night Caspian glanced down at Sarah who had fallen asleep at some point during the wild ride when a shout alerted him to the fact that their pursuers were gaining on them. Silently cursing Caspian kicked his horse into a gallop so that they were putting more distance between them and their pursers. Sarah woke up as they thundered over a beach and the horse jumped into a swiftly moving river causing Caspian to hang onto Sarah so that she wouldn't be swept out of the saddle. As the two gained the other side Sarah risked a glance over Caspian's shoulder and gulped because the guards had just rode their horses into the river. As she watched several of the horses lost their footing and went down spilling their riders into the fast moving river.
"Hurry!" Sarah mumbled as she turned around and clutched at the horse's mane.
"We're going as fast as the horse can run," Caspian muttered as he continued to urge the horse on and into the forest up ahead. "They won't want to follow us into the forest."
As they plunged into the trees they heard the soldiers rein their horses in causing the poor animals to whinny in surprise.
"Which of you ladies wants to go back and tell him we failed?" they heard Glozelle say before they heard the general's horse race through the trees quickly followed by the soldier's horses.
As they thundered through the trees Caspian glanced over his shoulder and saw the soldiers racing through the trees after them. Turning around he saw a low hanging tree branch at the last minute cracking his head on it getting knocked out of the saddle taking Sarah with him. The horse dragged them through the trees before Caspian managed to get his foot out of the stirrup finally ending their wild ride. Caspian lay on his back trying to catch his breath when he heard Sarah give a squeak of surprise. Sitting up he saw two dwarfs charge out of a tangle of roots and stop in surprise. Looking at the ground they gasped. Looking around Caspian and Sarah saw that the wrapping had fallen off of the item that Doctor Cornealius had given to Caspian. It was the horn of Queen Susan. Suddenly the four of them heard the unmistakeable sounds of horses thundering through the trees.
"Take care of them!" one of the dwarves growled at the other one as he ran toward the soldiers brandishing a sword.
Seeing the other dwarf rushing toward them Caspian grabbed the horn and blew it making Sarah cover her ears in protest. The dwarf lashed out with the blunt end of his sword hitting Caspian on the forehead and knocking him out. He turned to Sarah who was staring at him in awe.
"What?" he growled and was unprepared for when Sarah tackled him in a hug.
"I've heard so much about dwarves that I've always wanted to meet one," she babled as she squeezed him causing the dwarf's face to turn red.
"You might want to let him go little one," a gentle voice said sounding amused. Releasing the dwarf, who gulped in air gratefully, Sarah turned and saw a badger standing on its hind legs grinning at her in amusement.
"Hi. I'm Sarah," Sarah said grinning at the badger.
"I'm Trufflehunter," the badger replied as he lifted the unconscious Caspian up by his shoulders while the dwarf lifted up his feet.
"Nikabrick," the dwarf grunted as he struggled toward the small house. Sarah stood in the clearing looking throughly worried.
"Sarah you can come in too if you would like," Trufflehunter said catching sight of the worried look on her face. "And could you please bring the horn with you?"
Sarah beamed as she picked up the horn and trotted into the house after Trufflehunter and Nikabrick.