"No! Richard!" the queen screamed despairingly just a moment before Darius was about to cut off the man's head.
Richard? Darius thought incredulously. So this man wasn't the High King. Since when do the Narnians have other humans in their employment? he thought furiously. That would have been an extremely useful bit of information to have had. Darius held the two swords above Richard's head, debating whether to kill this man anyways or not. Usually it would have been a good idea to kill him, but he just wasn't as hard-hearted anymore. Richard looked up at him with frightened eyes, like prey that knows it's about to die. It won't hurt to let him live, Darius thought, slowly lowering the blades. He then quickly used the hilt to hit the man on the forehead and knock him out. Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him. He turned just in time to see the queen creeping up behind him, dagger drawn and ready to kill. He blocked her dagger in time with one sword and used the hilt of the other sword to hit her arm so she would drop the dagger. Her eyes widened, but instead of running away as he expected her to, she dove for her horn and blew it. A beautiful crystalline sound filled the air.
The tree behind the man awoke slowly. He looked at the human appraisingly. The dryad then looked at Susan. She lifted her hand to show her ring that identified her as a queen of Narnia. The man seemed oblivious to the silent tree behind him. He walked over to Susan and raised his two swords above her.
"I'm actually sorry that I have to do this," the man said, surprising Susan with his words. She looked into his eyes and saw guilt there and knew the truth of what he said.
A moment later the dryad knocked the man down. Arianis, the leopard who had earlier attacked the man, got up shakily and prepared to attack.
"Wait," Susan ordered. "Do not kill him; let the tree knock him out." Arianis bowed to her queen in acceptance of the order, despite being quite visibly eager to tear the man to shreds. The dryad used the trunk of his tree to deliver an extremely forceful blow to the man's head. He fell unconscious instantly and a red bump began forming on his head.
"I thank you, good tree. Tell me, what is your name?" Susan said to the dryad as various other animals started appearing who had come running at the sound of her horn.
"Kuruk, milady," he said bowing. "May I be dismissed to return to my sleep in my tree?"
"Of course, good tree," she said, waving her hand in dismissal. A moment later Peter ran in, too late to help, and was almost instantly at his sister's side.
"Susan! What happened? Are you alright?"
"Yes, brother. Tigers," she gestured to the Tigers who were flanking Peter on either side, "Please guard this man and make sure he does not wake. But do not harm him unless necessary."
"Did he attack you?" Peter asked, hand grasping the hilt of his sheathed sword. Susan knew when he touched the hilt it was for assurance, but when he grasped it he was about to act.
"Brother, wait before making any rash movements," Susan cautioned, looking pointedly at Peter's sheath. Peter moved his hand away but was still visibly tense.
"Did he attack you?" Peter repeated more firmly. "If he did, then by Narnian law-"
"Then by Narnian law he should be put on trial, not dealt with here in the forest," Susan interrupted. "And he did not succeed in killing me, so execution may not be the only option for him."
"Your majesty, he seemed incredibly dangerous!" Fezzichup, the mouse that had saved her said.
"Sir Arianis, Sir Richard, Sir Fezzichup, are you all alright?" Susan said. Peter's eyes narrowed, knowing his sister was purposely changing the subject. The three knights assured her they were fine, even though it was not entirely true.
"Then let us proceed to Cair Paravel," Susan said standing up. Two of the fauns rushed to her side to help her up. "I'm fine, thank you."
He turned to the Narnians to address them. "Friends, let us press on to Cair Paravel with all due haste. This blackguard may be followed by others should we not be vigilant. Bind the criminal's arms and legs and tie him inside one of the carriages. If anyone is caught trying to speak with him or help him in any way, we will assume you have betrayed us. There is to be a guard of at least 2 creatures on him at all times. We ourselves shall interrogate him at Cair Paravel."
Once they had returned to Cair Paravel, Peter gave everyone a few hours to get themselves settled and refreshed from their journey before having them all come to council to go over the events that occurred. He rummaged through some of the paperwork that someone, most likely Mr. Tumnus, had piled on his desk. One of them caught his eye. It was a report from a squirrel that Calormens, some soldiers and one who appeared to be a Tarkaan, had been seen with some male human of lighter skin color in a cave near Lantern Waste.
That's strange, Peter thought. Two incidents involving humans in Narnia? It's not like humans weren't allowed to be in Narnia, and he knew there were a few living here, but
He walked down to the library.
"Bliss," he called to bluejay who ran the royal library, "Have a list created for me of all humans who live near Lantern Waste and a short summary of what we know about them. How long will it take?"
"About an hour, your majesty," the bluejay said.
"I will be at a private council. You have my permission to interrupt it," Peter said.
At the council, Peter instructed Susan to tell her story.
"So I went out to seek him, then he suddenly appeared behind me. He accidently grabbed me, um… here, and then apologized and raised his hand higher," she said, to much confusion. "Once he had put a dagger at my throat he made some comment about it being too easy and hoping the next half would be more difficult," Susan explained.
"Next half?" Edmund asked frowning.
"I have no clue. I asked him who he was and what he was after, and he only responded with 'You, your majesty.'"
"The assassin referred to you as 'your majesty'?" Oreius said confused.
"Yes, that is one of the reasons I think there is more to the story then I know of. If he was truly against Narnia or myself, he would not have said that," Susan responded, replicating Oreius' confusion.
"Continue with the story, Su," Peter said impatiently. "We can analyze afterwards."
"Alright," Susan said, figuring it was easier to not argue. "I told him you would reward him for letting me go, and he responded... with…"
"With what?" Lucy prodded after Susan trailed off.
"He said Archenland would pay better for my death." The room was dead silent at those words. After a few seconds the room started bursting into outbursts.
"Traitors!"
"But the alliance!"
"How dare they!"
"QUIET!" Peter yelled, pounding his fist into the table. The room instantly grew quiet. Peter took a second to take a breath and compose himself, knowing if he lost his temper the entire meeting would spiral out of control, like it had often done when he was younger and less in control of his temper.
"Your majesty, we cannot assume the assassin was at all truthful," Mr. Tumnus intervened, giving Peter more time to collect himself. "We can't accuse our new allies without proof. I suggest we wait to point the blame until after we figure out the full story."
"I agree," Lucy said. "But we should proceed cautiously and keep a watchful eye on Archenland just in case. We just can't let them know we're watching them."
"Indeed," Peter said. "Sister, continue recounting the events of that night."
When she got to the part of the assassin lowering the swords, several Narnians interrupted her. She raised a hand for silence and continued, "I did not understand his actions either. But even stranger: before he did try to kill after I blew my horn, he… apologized for trying to kill me."
Every Narnian except those who had been there looked shocked at those words.
"Apologized?!" Peter and Edmund exclaimed simultaneously.
"Yes, and I saw guilt in his eyes. I truly believe he actually meant it. That is why when the dryad that my horn had awakened knocked the man down, I ordered him to knock him out rather than kill him."
"This is all very strange, sister," Peter mused, still unconvinced.
"So a villain who tried to kill you, supposedly for Archenland, felt guilty about it, and wouldn't kill anyone but his target, you," Oreius said, trying to make sense of a nonsensical situation. The door opened and they all turned to see who had interrupted.
"Ah, Bliss, you have the information I asked for?" Peter said as the bird flew over to him, a paper dangling from his mouth by a string. He dismissed the bird and looked over the information.
"What's that?" Edmund asked curiously, leaning in towards his brother.
"Just reports on the humans living near Lantern Waste. Apparently there was suspicious activity there involving humans, so I requested information in case it was connected to this. Edmund, Susan, come to my room to go over this with me after we finish our meal. Interrogation on the prisoner will take place directly after."
"A-hem," Lucy said, glaring at him. "I'm not a little girl. I will be joining you for this."
"Peter, let her please," Susan said.
"Fine," Peter said exasperatedly, knowing arguing against both girls at the same time was generally futile. Edmund snickered a little until Peter shot him a glance.
Darius looked around at his surroundings when he finally came to consciousness. They must have knocked him out for the whole trip from the forest to this… dungeon? He was locked in, so it probably was a dungeon, but quite frankly, he had stayed in dungeons much, much worse than this. He had a bed that was actually relatively comfortable and warm. And he was given a sizable cell all to himself. Most dungeons Darius had been in – which was more numerous than he'd like to admit – were nowhere near as comfortable. Unfortunately, the security also seemed to be much more vigilant, and the dungeon seemed better designed for keeping people in. Darius had been thoroughly searched earlier and those dratted animals managed to find even his most hidden weapons, something that rarely happened. It would be tricky trying to escape from here.
He heard the sounds down the hall. The door to his cell opened and two minotaurs grabbed him and chained his arms and feet together.
"Move," one of them said, prodding him forward. They marched down the hallway and went into a room marked "Interrogation Room." Who the heck labels stuff like that? He glanced behind himself and shook his head when he realized his room was labeled "Cell #4." Someone is way too into labels. Weird. The minotaur knocked and the High King opened the door with a look of disgust at Darius, who quickly looked at the floor instead of meeting his glare. So the drawing didn't exaggerate. Darn. This is definitely the king. Darius quickly took in his new surroundings to see if there was anything helpful. He was surprised to not see torture equipment. It was actually a cozy looking room. He would've though he was in a living room if it wasn't for the sign outside. Maybe that's why all the labeling. So one wouldn't think it's a living room, he thought sarcastically.
"Chain him to the chair," the High King ordered, pointing at a wooden, cushioned chair in the center of the room. And who thinks cushioned chairs are appropriate for interrogation? Not that I'm complaining. The minotaurs unchained the chains between his arms and legs and reattached them to the chair and then stood guard on either side of him. They seriously think of everything… damn.
"I am High King Peter," the High King said, "My royal sister Queen Susan, although it seems you are familiar with who she is based on what you said in your attack, my royal brother King Edmund, and my royal sister Queen Lucy."
Don't they have way more titles than that? Usually the royals are all about telling all of their annoying long titles. And pointless lineage. Maybe they just want to get my execution over with quick. Which means I need to work even harder to kill them sooner.
"General Oreius is the centaur over there, and Captain Sirius is the faun here. The guards there are Killroy and Bernadette."
"Really? Bernadette?" Darius said surprised before he could stop himself. A female minotaur? And what a misnomer. Or is it even called a minotaur for females? The Witch had only male minotaurs in her army. Maybe she didn't want to be embarrassed by having someone named "Bernadette" in her army.
Bernadette snarled at him. Compensating for her girly name?
"But we are at a disadvantage here now, for you know our names but we do not know yours," he continued.
"And what makes you think I'll tell you anything, your majesty?" Darius sneered.
"At the very least, what would you like use to refer to you as?" he said after taking a deep breath. Darius was surprised. He had been trying to get a reaction out of the High King so that he would act on emotion. People acting out of anger, or annoyance, or anything similar usually made stupid mistakes that Darius could then exploit.
"Usually when I'm being interrogated I'm referred to by insults and such," Darius said, still determined to be difficult, no matter how kind the royals might be acting.
"That is not the Narnian way," Susan said imperiously. Darius turned his head to really look at her for the first time. She had cleaned up since the trip. She was pretty even unkempt in the forest, but now that she had bathed she looked glorious. Fair skin, full red lips, dark mysterious eyes, and black hair tumbling down her back in loose curls. Ohh, and he almost didn't notice… she was wearing a tunic and pants? He noticed her sister who was sitting next to her also was wearing a tunic and pants.
"Yeah, I've noticed you seem pretty different. Most of the others use a few torture devices and don't allow women to be present," he said, pointedly looking towards the queens.
"What is the point of this? I believe the criminal is trying to drag this out with useless talking to delay his execution!" the faun - Certius? Serious? – said, pounding a hoof against the floor.
"Peace, Sirius," the younger king said in a regal voice. "You, prisoner! We do have torture devices, but we used them only as a last resort. I hope that you will not push us that far."
"Get used to disappointment, little boy," Darius sneered. When the king started getting up angrily, Darius grinned, knowing he had finally found something to anger one of them.
"Ed, sit. You, what is your name?" the High King said, more fiercely this time.
"Maybe it's Bernadette," Darius said sarcastically. The little queen giggled. Susan tapped her sister disapprovingly, but Darius could see that she was trying not to smile as well. Well then. He had been going for annoying, but maybe he could work with this too.
"How about we find some name to call you for now?" Susan said diplomatically. "How about… Roger?"
"That's a weird name. Where'd you come up with a bizarre name like that?"
"It's a common name in our world!" Susan said exasperatedly. "Fine, how about… Sebastian?"
"How about you just call me prisoner? I'm more used to that. Practically answer to it now. Or actually, your mouse called me imbecile. That's a new one for me. I rather like it," Darius said cockily. He had learned from his former mentor and friend that cockiness was a good way to annoy others into getting angry.
"Fine!" the High King said a bit testily. It seemed like his patience had its limit too. "Prisoner, who is your master?"
"I don't have one."
"High King, we're not going to get anything useful out of him this way!" the faun said angrily.
"He's right unfortunately, Pete. Should I?" the younger king said, raising a dagger, although not in a particularly threatening manner. The High King sighed and nodded. King Edmund then cut into Darius' skin. He grimaced, but managed to keep from shouting out.
"C'mon is that the best you've got?" Darius taunted, although he knew he was probably going to regret it. Edmund grimaced, but then pulled a vial out of his coat. He poured a few drops of the potion on Darius' skin and it burned horridly. His blood started bubbling to the surface. He felt the pain in his whole body. What barbarian potion was this?!
"Now are you ready to talk?"
"Archenland! I used to be part of the army there. They gave me this assignment thinking if I screwed up you would assume I was doing it because I worked as a mercenary for the White Witch." The four monarchs looked stunned at the mention of the White Witch. Or maybe it was the idea of Archenland betraying them. At least they didn't seem skeptical about his story.
"We tracked down almost all of her army…" Susan whispered, looking a bit nervous. Darius wondered why. An assassin trying to kill her she's fine with, but she's afraid of someone who worked for the White Witch? Seriously? She really needed to get her priorities straight.
"Darius! That's one of the human who we never found. And he's the right age and fits the description of his looks. And the description of one of the humans living near Lantern Waste, but not the right name. Could easily be a alias though," King Edmund said, sounding proud of himself. The High King suddenly looked very interested and smiled at his brother. The younger king looked thrilled by his brother's approval. Little know-it-all ruining everything. They can't come after my family!
"We should have the squirrel take a look at this man. If it was he the squirrel saw, then Archenland did not break our trust," Susan said with a small smile. Darius started panicking. My family could die if the Narnians don't think it was Archenland! And what did the squirrel see!?
"He's panicking now; it must be him," Edmund announced. Darius sneered at him. Susan got up from her seat. She put a hand to her brother's chest and gave a light push. He took this as a signal to return to his seat. Her next move shocked Darius. She took his hands in her soft, gentle hands and bent a little so she could look him in the eye.
"Susan!" both her brothers, the faun, and Oreius said. The little queen seemed to find the whole thing rather amusing still. She looked up around the room and frowned. She managed to somehow even make frowning beautiful.
"Don't dirty yourself by touching him!" the faun said, jabbing the hilt of his sword into Darius' side. It didn't hurt too much, but since the queen seemed to oddly be feeling sorry for him, it wouldn't hurt to make her think that the jab caused him pain so he winced.
"Sirius, enough! Or else I shall ask you to leave us. Darius – if indeed that is your name – you told me you were sorry for what you were doing. And you made an effort to not hold me inappropriately. This is why I do not believe you are the hardened criminal you appear to be."
"Well you're wrong, silly girl," Darius shot back. "Just like you're wrong about me being anywhere near Lantern Waste." He yanked his hands away from her, hating himself for it because he desperately craved her gentle touch. At this, the High King got up and slapped him.
"Don't dare to speak to my sister that way, prisoner. Apologize!"
"Then why did you let Richard live? And you hesitated before trying to kill me the first time? I don't truly believe you wanted to kill me and-" Queen Susan said to Darius, pushing her brother back so she could approach him again.
"I'm really starting to see why you're called the Gentle Queen," Darius interrupted, feeling guiltier by the second. I tried to kill her and have been doing everything I can to annoy her. Why is she being so damn nice? It's so much easier to kill people who treat you like scum.
"Enough! We aren't getting anywhere here. We will continue with this when we have the time. For his rudeness, give him only bread and water for his meal," the High King commanded, his arms folded against his chest.
Like that would bother me. Loads better than the food – nah, gruel at best – in Calormen jails, Darius thought. The minotaurs unchained him from the chair, and rechained his arms and legs before escorting him back to his cell.
