Thank you for your lovely reviews. As I said before, the name for this story becomes apparent in this chapter. Enjoy.
Disclamer: I don't own it.
After she grabbed her shoes and shoved them on her feet, Lucy raced to the massive front doors the the castle. She opened them as quietly as her haste would allow. She dashed to the royal stables. She checked Phillip's stall, her brother's Horse. Just as she suspected.
Empty.
She would have to run if she wanted to see what that boy was up to. Thankfully they weren't too far ahead of her. Once they entered the woods she nearly lost them a couple of times, but thanks to her classes - and Phillip's heavy steps - she was able to track them.
After crossing a bizarrely cold stream - for they were in the high of summer - and coming out of the woods, then continuing on to a part of the beach she had yet to explore, Lucy saw her brother pull the Talking Horse to a halt. She saw Edmund slide from the saddle. She saw him crouch on the sandy beach at the mouth a small cave, then enter.
Lucy knew he had a knack to be danger-prone, but she didn't think him daft enough to crawl into a cave if it was potentially dangerous. At least, she didn't think so (she had been wrong before).
She slowly approached the cave, hoping (and praying) he hadn't somehow discovered her and then jump out and scare her. She would bean him if he did, the little meany.
Lucy reached the hole in the side of the hill and knelt before it. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't as much a cave as a tunnel of sorts. Gathering up the skirt of her nightgown (she hadn't bothered to get dressed), she ducked her head and crawled in. It wasn't a long tunnel, but long enough, and pitch black inside. She bopped her head on the hard-packed earth ceiling more than once. It was quite dark. No, wait. It began growing brighter, a light reflecting off the dirt wall from around a smooth curve. She had come upon Edmund's secret refuge.
She saw him by the steady, dim glow of a lantern, on his hands and knees, his back turned to her. He was talking to something or someone, though she could not make out the words being said. When he paused - as if for an answer - Lucy took the opportunity and called his name softly. He started, smacking his head on the ceiling with a thunk. "Ow!" he cried, rubbing his noggin as he turned to face her. "Lucy?!"
The girl tried to stifle her giggles, smiling innocently. He crawled (for he could not stand properly) over to her. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"Me?"
She looked around. "Is there anyone else here?"
"I'm not doing anything, if that's what you mean."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing."
Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed. "What's your secret?"
He looked taken aback. "Secret? What are you talking about?"
"The secret you're trying to hide by asking me what I'm talking about to throw me off guard."
Edmund blinked. She spoke so fast he could barely comprehend it.
She sighed again. "You know you can trust me." She looked down at her hands (for they were still on all fours), quietly adding, "Don't you?"
Edmund couldn't stay mad when she used that tone of voice. She sounded positively crushed. His heart melted. "Of course I do. It's just that it's late and you should be in bed."
Lucy huffed. "And what about you, Mister?" she retorted.
Edmund smiled at the gentle teasing. "You've a good point. But I would have liked to know you were tailing me. You could have gotten hurt."
"But then I could have screamed and brought you galloping back and you and Phillip could have saved me. You weren't that far ahead of me," she stated smugly.
Edmund's eyes grew wide at her logic. "I've taught you well," he declared happily.
Lucy smiled complacently. "Now," she chirped, "what are you hiding?"
He finally gave in. "Promise you won't tell?"
She crossed her heart without a word.
He scuffled about a bit until he was against the wall and she could see past him. A large black thing, colored brown by the mud and dirt, squirmed. Lucy cautiously advanced towards it. It moved again and suddenly she was staring into two ice blue eyes. The girl let out a high-pitched squeal as realization hit when it licked the tip of her nose. "A dog!"
Edmund smiled again at her enthusiasm. "I found it last week. It was alone and limping and caked with mud. I haven't the means to clean it, because, well, one can't exactly carry a pail of water on Horseback. But I have been able to fix her leg. Somewhat."
Lucy didn't even acknowledge he was speaking. "It's so cute! Is it a boy or a girl? Does it have a name? How'd you find it? Can we bring it home? Please?" and on and on.
"Yes, it is; girl, I think; no, it doesn't; she was in the woods; and I don't know about that. Peter and Susan would have a cow if I just showed up with a strange dog."
"True." She finally calmed down a bit. "Well, we can't just leave her here. Anything could happen. So we have to bring her to the Cair." She nodded once firmly. "I'm sure Peter and Susan will love her."
"Maybe, but I haven't been able to coax her out of this cave."
"Oh." Lucy looked thoughtful. "Have you tried food?"
"I've tried just about everything."
The next half-hour was spent using every means thinkable to drag her out - in one case, literally - when Lucy let out a huge yawn.
"Lu, you shouldn't have come out. You need to be in bed."
"Yes, daddy." She giggled tiredly. Edmund smirked and shook his head.
"I'm cold," she said.
He turned to crawl toward his cloak. When he faced her again, she was curled up with the dog. He covered her with the light, midnight blue wool cloak and settled himself with the wall at his back, lifting her head off the poor pooch's side. She was already asleep. It was way past her bedtime, after all. He smiled softly as he rested her against his side instead. She snuggled closer, seeking his comforting warmth. He planted a gentle kiss to the top of her head, trying to find a bearable position against the wall. He knew he was in for a long night. Within minutes, however, all three were fast asleep.
-}-
Peter awoke the next morning well rested and relaxed for the most part but for the feeling hanging over him. He just couldn't put his finger on it. He started feeling like this last night about suppertime. It was some kind of impression of foreboding. But what could be wrong? All was well when he went to bed the night before. He had exchanged a few words with the guards on duty and made doubly sure his siblings were all tucked in bed, safe and sound-
That was it! Peter's eyes widened. The girls! Edmund! He leapt out of bed, snatched up a robe, and flung the door to his chambers open. He didn't even acknowledge the guard who bid him good morn. He had to check on Susan and Lucy and Edmund. What if this feeling was correct? What if something had happened to them? He would never forgive himself if any of them came to harm under his watch.
The first room he came to was Susan's. He gently pushed open the door a crack. As he peered around it, he saw her lying quietly, snug in her down comforter and linen sheets. All seemed well by her.
Next was Lucy's chambers across the hall. He opened the door, this time entering the large room. Might as well wake her for breakfast. He crept up to the bedside. He was never one for stealth - that was more Edmund's department - but when Lucy was asleep, almost nothing could wake her. Save her family, that is.
As he approached her bed, he saw a rather strange sight. The covers were tossed aside haphazardly. A strange element for his littlest sister. She was always very neat and organized, a trait she shared with the other two, but Peter was sometimes lacking in. Granted, it was early. It could be that her ladies-in-waiting hadn't gotten to it yet, but Lucy would usually be in her room until breakfast. Again, that feeling in his gut told him something wasn't quite right. Perhaps she had gone to the dining hall early and was waiting for them to wake, and he still had Edmund to check on, anyway.
Peter slipped from the room and came to the last one in the hall. Edmund's. He opened the door, not caring how loud he was. In fact, he tried to make his entrance as noisy as possible. Just to annoy the other. Edmund did it to him all the time, only he brought Susan and Lucy with him and jumped on Peter's bed. Peter wouldn't do that. Maybe…
He saw a lump in the bed. Edmund always was a very heavy sleeper. He needed some motivation to get up. Peter gave him just that. He crossed over to the other side for the room and yanked open the curtains, flooding the chamber with light. He expected to hear grumbling and growling from his little brother, but it never came. Odd. Edmund was a deep sleeper, but never that deep. Peter frowned and walked to the bed. He held his breath, though he wasn't sure why, and threw back the covers.
Pillows.
It was pillows making the lump in the bed, not Edmund. Peter had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He forced himself to be calm, however. It was decidedly difficult when he remembered Lucy saying something about Edmund sneaking off at all hours.
He exited the room and called a guard. Now he was starting to get scared. This was eerily similar to the dream he'd had last night. He was fervidly praying this scenario would not end the same way.
Kath, a Cougar in charge of the castle guards, was by his side in an instant. He gave a questioning glance. "Majesty?"
"Search the castle. Find King Edmund and Queen Lucy."
He bowed his head without a word and took off. Peter went to wake Susan and search themselves. She roused with little more help than Peter saying they needed to look for the two youngsters. As they dashed back into the hall, Kath came back around the corner, breathless. "Majesties!"
Susan and Peter whipped around to face him.
The Cougar pulled up in front of them and tried to regain his breath. Peter could have sworn he'd run the whole search. "We have not seen your Royal Brother or Sister anywhere." He bowed his head in remorse. "I am sorry."
Susan let out a strangled gasp. "Do you mean they're gone?" Peter could plainly hear the horror in her voice.
"Yes," Kath replied. "I'm sorry."
"What could have happened?" Peter demanded.
"I do not know," the Big Cat said. "I have gotten some Dogs to pick up their scent."
"Good." Peter racked his brain for what Lucy had told him the night before. She'd said Edmund was acting strange and sneaking off at all hours of the night. She'd wanted him to talk to Edmund about it, but he had forgotten. How could he have forgotten something as important as that? Had they snuck off last night too? That was likely, but he wasn't sure. If that was the case, though, anything could have happened to them. If Lucy had followed Edmund, who knew what trouble those two could get into? They could be hurt. They could be-
No. He clamped down on that thought before it finished. They were safe. He was sure of it. His dream was not reality. Aslan would keep them safe until he could find them.
"What are your orders, Majesty?"
Peter snapped out of his reverie as the Cougar addressed him again.
"Search the woods, the beach, everywhere, until you find them, good Kath."
The Big Cat bowed his large head and left once more.
When he was out of sight, Susan turned to Peter. "I want to go with you," she stated.
He shook his head. "No, Su. I need you to stay here in case they come back. If that happens, I need you to send word right away." As he spoke, they heard the distinct howl of Dogs picking up a scent. They looked in the direction the call sounded from.
Susan turned back and nodded. "Just be careful, all right?"
Peter smiled slightly. "Of course."
With that, he went back to his room to dress. When he joined the small hunting party, they were waiting for his order to move out.
As they set off, Peter called for a Gryphon. "Demari, please search the air for sign of our royal brother and sister."
The young Gryphon didn't reply, just nodded once and shot into the air swiftly with a piercing cry.
Within moments, he came back, landing heavily in the grass on the hill they had topped. "Majesty, your brother's Horse is not far off. Just on the other side of these woods."
"Was he all right?"
The Gryphon bowed his head. "I do not know, Sire. I will admit I did not get close enough to see."
"I thank you, my good sir."
The Creature launched into the sky once more. Peter kicked his horse into a gallop, closing the gap between him and his goal quickly. And quick work he made of it. In no time, he came out on the other side of the woods. He had no trouble spotting Phillip. The horse was standing on the beach alone. In fact, he was the only thing on the beach. Peter slid from his saddle, calling to the Horse.
Phillip blinked in surprise - as if just waking up - looking around before seeing the boy coming towards him. He whickered his greeting.
Peter reached the Horse and stroked his neck. "Phillip, where is my brother?"
"Inside." The Horse nodded toward a small opening in the side of the hill. Peter looked to the spot he indicated.
"Is he okay?"
"I'm not sure. He went in there last night and hasn't come out since."
Peter groaned. "And you just let him?" he scolded.
The Horse ducked his head, ashamed, but said nothing.
"I'm going in," Peter resolved.
One more part after this.
