Chapter 4: The King's Study

They awoke early and took breakfast in the garden with princesses Llithus and her daughters. Edmund watched the large family join together around three tables. He watched his sister interact fluently with all and smiled as she did, though he felt a strange melancholy.

The king was mum and watchful, shrewd eyes gliding to Edmund every now and again as though trying to understand what he was witnessing.

They rejoined in a sitting room near the king's private quarters. They were seated at a round table, like the one Lucy had read about, and now only vaguely remembered, from Arthurian legends. The king opened by welcoming all and excusing Hellon which served to spike Edmund's vehement dislike for the man. He and Hellon would never get along.

As the doors closed the room quelled and a feeling of unease overcame the Narnian king.

"Thank you for joining us today, Queen Lucy and King Edmund," The king clapped his hands in welcome. "The reason I have asked my sons to join us is because I feel it necessary that all of them be familiar with the agreements we reach today," He looked at Lucy and smiled. "If the queen will excuse us? I'm sure she has more urgent matters to attend."

Her eyes widened and she glanced at Edmund, who stomped down a second spike of dislike. "My sister has the necessary qualifications to be here, King Baskar, as do I. She, doubly so seeing as it is she, not I, who will attend these meetings in the future. In all fairness I should be the one excused," he tacked on with a glance at Hellon's exit. He returned to the king with all the nonchalance he could muster while the man question processed the information he had just been given.

"But surely-" He looked from Edmund to his oldest son. Prince Bastian nodded to his father.

"With all due respect. Is it my age or my gender you object to?" Lucy asked in a suddenly very adult voice. One she seldom used. One Edmund didn't quite know when she perfected.

The king's face sagged in a peculiar way and he looked almost longingly at Edmund for guidance. With a clenching of his jaws Edmund took pity. "If there are no objections, my Lord?"

The king spent another second in dumbly shock before he nodded. "Yes," He looked once more at his sons. "Very well. Yes. Let's begin," He cleared his throat and gave the word to Edmund, knowing what Hellon had told him about the previous day's conference.

As he spoke Edmund looked from person to person at the table. "As I mentioned to Master Hellon yesterday, Narnia is distancing herself from slave trade. Every ship that docks on Narnian soil is subject to the same rules. Every vessel is searched upon arrival and again before departure."

"That sounds very noble, but as I'm sure Hellon has told you, we would lose merchants should we enforce that law," prince Baro rejoined in, what Edmund had come to learn, was a naturally mild voice.

He nodded. "Hellon mentioned as much and I suggested a possible solution to him."

"To lower docking prices and secure safe passage," the king interrupted. "My wife informed me of your proposal."

Edmund reclaimed his seat and waited. One finger tapped against the table before he stopped it. He knew the king had an opinion on the matter, but wanted him to instigate it. Refusing to raise awareness to any type of hesitation. Even with that strange, longing he was too stubborn for that.

The king took notice and glanced at Lucy before he opened his mouth to speak. "What insurance do I have that my country will not be deprived because of this agreement?"

Edmund opened his mouth to utter the first, directly disrespectful retort since arriving had Lucy not interrupted him.

"Well you shouldn't be deprived of anything if you handle the sale of your precious stones and metals properly," She smiled, thinking she had a good point. "We have excellent advisors in Narnia who can help you determine the value of what you've found."

The king looked down in thought. His youngest interrupted whatever he was about to say. "And how will that work?"

Edmund took over. "I'll send an Albatross with word to Queen Susan. She will send word to the mines. Smithies from the north and appraisers will all come here. The Narnian appraisals will draw in others from around the world."

"And how much will it cost to lodge them?" prince Escar asked crassly. He earned a sour glare from his oldest brother for his tone.

But instead of angering the two royals, Lucy and Edmund both erupted into identical, bright smiles. It was Lucy who answered. "No more than what you will earn from having them here," She shared a glance with her brother. "You see, Narnian miners and smiths have some of the very best reputations. Reputations that have reached as far as Calormen. Even here."

"Once word gets out that Narnian miners are traveling to Terebinthia it won't be long before the rest of the world follows." Edmund finished, smile slipping away.

The king looked less uneasy and more intrigued, whilst Escar looked a little put out. "We could build more inns. Pass legislations particular to inn-keepers," the king mused.

Edmund nodded. "Profit from the visitors who will come," He couldn't completely disregard the ill feeling in the pit of his stomach. The island would change. It would lose its serenity, but her people would survive. That seemed of greater importance.

"Very well…" The king sat back with a hand tapping his chin. "Very well indeed," He tried to keep composure as he looked at Edmund, but excitement was clearly blooming. "It seems you both surpass your reputations, Your Majesties."

Lucy again glanced at her brother, eager to both reassure, and be reassured, but saw traces of the doubt he'd confessed to earlier. She would have to address its reappearance at some point soon.

"You'll need to appoint someone to enforce the law once it passes. It's been our experience that mariners law has fallen to the wayside over the last hundred years for reasons I'm sure we all understand, but they are necessary," Edmund said. "You'll need to keep an eye out. People are still frightened of Narnia and will attempt to protect themselves any way they can. It's your job to identify and stop those who might harm others in the process."

"Rest assured we will see that the law is abided once it passes," the king assured as he read over the scroll Edmund and Lucy had presented him with on the day of their arrival. It was a maritime legislative scroll from the last kingdom before Jadis. The first one to be edited, signed and billed in a hundred years.

"Might I suggest you appoint someone who inspires loyalty?" Lucy chirped. All the men looked at her, except her brother who just smiled softly and listened with pride. "I've found it works better if you lead by example."

He had never been as proud as he was that moment. "Positive reinforcement as opposed to negative consequences," he mumbled when the king still looked confused. "Don't just throw a decree at them, elect a representative."

Though befuddled, the king answered, "Yes of course," and somehow Lucy managed not to let it affect her. Her smile even widened a little.

"Your Majesty?" He looked up. "Might I make a suggestion as to whom it might be?"

Baskar nodded.

She let her eyes drift to the youngest of the princes. Only fifteen years of age, he was as of yet barely an adult. "Prince Hilio has shown admirable qualities," she said primly.

Edmund knew what Lucy had noticed though she mightn't yet. All she most likely understood was that Hilio was trustworthy, honorable and easy to talk to. She didn't need to know anything else about him to like him. Edmund, on the other hand, understood quite suddenly how and why she felt that way. "Your soldiers aren't aware of it, King Baskar, but they look to him whenever he speaks. He commands attention without any effort," He sat calmly under the king's wide-eyed stare and felt Lucy tap a solidary finger against his thigh under the table.

The men all appeared stunned. "But certainly-" The king stopped when he realized he had no reason for not appointing his son with the honorable task.

"He's a child," Baro interjected, less than thrilled.

Edmund noticed that Bastian had remained silent all through the proceedings. "What does the Crown Prince think?" All eyes turned to Bastian.

He spent a long moment, looking at his intimidated little brother. Not really looking at the boy in front of him, but almost looking through him. Edmund saw Peter in that expression. "If he agrees, I think it will be a very good idea," Hilio smiled thinly in the glow of his brother's praise and Edmund instantly related. There truly was no other feeling like it.

"Though, perhaps not until he is a little older."

Hilio sagged slightly, but still looked relieved. Edmund felt something settle inside himself and turned at the king when he spoke.

"King Edmund, Queen Lucy, I believe we have an accord," Baskar rose and grasped each of their hands with a smile, summoning Hellon for quill and inkwell.

Lucy smiled at Edmund with arched brow, as if to say 'That wasn't so hard, now was it?'. Edmund smiled back and felt surety settle a little deeper. "Your Grace?" The king turned, about to sign the legislation. Hellon hovering nervously by his shoulder. "If you don't object I would like to see your mines before Ouranios departs? I'm sure my sister would as well," The king had put pen to paper.

And then, in a lovely uncomplicated reaction he grinned widely and signed the bill in a carefree scrawl. Passing it to Hellon who rapidly made off before Baskar spilled anymore ink on it. "Certainly! We shall all take a trip," He looked at his sons, a couple of whom tried to hide exasperation. The he glanced at the table, as though surprised to find the bill gone. "Fetch Hellon for me, please," he ordered a guard who leant out the door and relayed the order. A strange voice yelled after the man and an amused silence fell over the room.

The harrowed advisor rushed back in. Apparently the old man had been rushed so much he was still holding the scroll, waiting for ink to dry. "Hellon. Inform the stable boys to ready seven horses and a small detail to accompany us to Blue Mine," He looked at Edmund. "Would you like us to inform your captain where we are going?"

He arched a brow at the question, but managed not to sound flippant as he answered. "Yes please."

"Very well. Let it be done," He shooed Hellon away and reached an arm around Lucy. "Now, my Queen, have you ever seen a sapphire before?"

She shook her head and smiled.

"They are like fallen stars, just waiting to be picked up," All Edmund really noticed was her laughter as the king gladly delved into one tale after the other, all the way to the stables. They were mounted within a quarter of an hour and set off without much ado.

The ride to the excavation site took half the day, riding in a slow pace by the mountainous paths. They reached the mouth of the mine a little before noon. The curved mountain pass widened into a broad, dug up groove, lined on either side with mounds of dirt and bedrock. They turned the last bend and came upon the mouth of the Blue Mine. It was unlike anything either Pevensie had seen before. The mines in Narnia were works of art because of the people who created them. Dwarves were many things. Sometimes cruel, often cynical and hypocritical, always single-minded, spirited, passionate and empathetic – though many were loathed to admit it. And all shared one trait, one Edmund valued above all others: Aesthetical. It was true for one as it was for all, that Dwarves enjoyed beauty. Harmonious buildings, objects or places. Every single work of theirs, be it a wooden handle or a fifty foot mine opening, was made to be esthetically pleasing. There was never clutter, never a nail out of place.

Most Dwarves did one thing and did it well. In comparison the Blue Mine looked like a juvenile Giant had been beginnings of attempting to make a sand-castle. Rubble was strewn everywhere. Trenches were only half dug. Support beams were scattered in disorganized piles while they waited to be mounted. Off to the side he saw mounds of something that looked like wilted weeds. People were shoveling them into blazing fires in a long line. Working methodically and without pause.

Again, Edmund felt a stab of foreboding. Everything he had seen so far made the entire island seem like a paradise. A sheltered haven that the outside would encroach upon all too soon. Once Calormenes learned about the precious stones being dug up in the mines they would come here in far greater numbers than ever before. Terebinthia would transform from a simple place of happiness to a bejeweled city. Greed would follow and it would ravish it. Dishonesty would come creeping from the docking ships and slither its way into the royal halls.

For an instant his imagination took over and he almost saw its ruin. The House of Baskar would fall in a sea of fire while Calormenes battled over mining-rights in the mud. He glanced at the smiling king, so at odds with Edmund's ill feeling, and swallowed.

"How deep is the mine, King Baskar?" Lucy asked as they made their way inside. The roof of the opening rose almost thirty feet into the air. The ceiling sparkled with little, blue shimmers here and there. The sunlight danced around the cavity where men were digging them out.

"It is a two day walk from one end to the other. Our master miner is so very excited I'm not certain he will want to stop until he reaches the other side of the mountain."

Edmund wondered if that would actually happen. Given the Terabinthians' recent discovery of wealth it seemed likely that they wouldn't stop until there was nothing left but rock. It saddened him somewhat. It felt wrong to pull every precious stone from the earth where it had made its home for the last thousand years. The Dwarves would have

He followed quietly behind his sister and the king, alongside three of the princes. Prince Hilio had elected to remain outside. Edmund had guessed, from the way he looked at the mine, that he wasn't very comfortable with the idea of going underground. Edmund wasn't either to be honest, but a gentle nudge from Lucy had worked to allay any misgivings upon entry.

Besides it would have been poor taste to decline and it would have meant Lucy going in alone, seeing as most of the Narnian company had elected to remain outside as well. Edmund had known of the Narnian beliefs beforehand and had assured his captain that it would be quite safe. Baskar had ten of his most loyal, armed guards with them and Edmund had quietly reveled in Celer's uncomfortable expression at the news.

"Do you see the stalactites?" the king asked and gestured to massive outcroppings on the ceiling.

"Is this a part of the mine?" Edmund asked. They had walked away from the entrance and taken a left turn through a marked opening. The mouth of the doorway to some sort of chamber. The mine entrance still let in mounds of light which, even in the natural cave, caught in the outcroppings along with the torches.

"Very astute, King Edmund," Bastian answered. "No, they're caverns. We discovered them when we began mining and have yet to discover all their secrets. They stretch deep into the mountains." The prince and young king shared a look. "We mine around them."

Edmund glanced back towards the sun, but didn't comment. The floor was sloped, but at such a wide angle that it didn't feel like descending.

It suddenly occurred to him that the chamber they were entering wasn't man-made. No one was actively mining in the large cavern, but there were men walking around nevertheless, inspecting the walls for cracks and crevices, each with incendiary liquids and torches. Several were dressed as scholars, picking at dark corners and putting things into bottles and canisters. He frowned at the odd display.

"We have more excavation sites just north of here as well if you wish to see?" Baskar offered.

Edmund felt a little flushed over venturing into yet another cave, but smiled and shook his head no before Lucy could jump at the chance. They had only been in the mine a little while and already he was beginning to miss the sky. He had seen enough.

"Your Majesties!" a tall man popped up behind the party. He clapped his hands and welcomed them all as a Faun would welcome family into his hollow.

"King Edmund, Queen Lucy, I would like to introduce Bilfred. Our Master Miner."

Edmund nodded in greeting and Lucy did a lovely, little curtsey. "My King, your son calls for you outside. He wishes to have word."

The king bobbed his head at his sons and the visiting royals. "I shall be back," He kissed Lucy's hand and departed with a smile.

Edmund longed to follow.

Bilfred reached out and kissed Lucy's hand as well. It seemed fanfare came very natural to Terebinthian gentlemen, even if it was a bit more forced in Bilfred than the King, but he deserved praises for trying. "A Lady such as you shouldn't be forced to endure introductions in a gloomy setting such as this," Bilfred said. "Allow me to escort you outside," seemingly not shy in their presence.

Edmund almost jumped at the chance to turn back, but froze when a rumble shook something inside him. "What was that?" He looked curiously at the gathered. The three princes, the eight remaining guards, a handful of workers, the Master Builder, and Lucy.

"Just a shiver," Bilfred chuckled. "She's awfully ticklish."

Baro came over and put a hand on Lucy's back. He looked as worried as Edmund felt. The prince chuckled awkwardly with the master when a second rumble made the walls quiver. Only when it didn't immediately stop did the master builder stop smiling.

Bastian came over and grasped Edmund's arm lightly. "Perhaps we should leave?" he suggested. The Crown Prince was watching the walls with concern. Then it stopped.

"Yes. Perhaps we should," Baro agreed. They were about to guide Lucy and Edmund out when a third rumble swept their feet out from under them. Men cried out in surprise and the guards nervously gripped their weapons. Some grabbed at the walls to remain steady.

Edmund turned in the direction of the exit. He knew Celer was out there. Waiting with five guards. He wanted nothing more than to sprint towards the light as fast as he could, but a cry knocked the very idea from his mind.

"Edmund!"

It was Lucy's voice that rang out seconds before a wall next to her crumbled. It was as though the earth solidified in a wave. "Lucy, here!" Edmund held out a hand. More cries rang out and he saw, to his horror, rocks falling from the ceiling as the rumbling intensified. Black blotches in front of the bright opening, until what dim sunlight that had been was blocked out. Rocks and dirt cascaded down in rivulets that spilled over the cavern floor.

"Edmund!" This time more panicked. Lucy's warm, little hand in his.

He turned and pulled her behind him before the rubble could reach them. They turned and ran deeper into the cave to escape the landslide. The Crown Prince, his brothers and their men were close behind. "Run, your Majesties!" someone cried.

All ran, but a bellow from the depths of the earth swallowed their screams as they were buried alive.

And so it begins...

TBC