"Farewell," Susan said, kissing her brother on the cheek.
"I still don't like this," Peter frowned.
"You don't have to like it. I'm going to do it either way," Susan said decisively.
"Course you would," Lucy teased.
"Don't worry, Pete," Edmund added. "With Caspian's inside knowledge, it's be a cinch."
"Assuming he doesn't betray us," Peter scowled.
"Peter," Susan reprimanded.
"You have your horn?" Peter said anxiously.
"Honestly, Peter. You're worse than a mother hen!" Susan scolded. "And yes I do. Just as I did the last ten times you asked it!"
"I'm just worried about you!" Peter protested as Edmund and Lucy laughed.
"We'll be fine," Edmund promised. "And worst case scenario, we have the horn. So there's no need to worry."
"I'm much more worried about you," Susan added. "I think it's a horrid idea to take the horn out of Narnia when there are still looming threats from Calormene."
"Naw, Rabadash is too afraid of turning back into an ass. I mean, he always is one. But he's afraid of turning into a literal one," Edmund said.
"Are you ready, your Majesties?" Caspian asked politely as he strode up to them.
"Just saying goodbye, your Highness," Susan said hastily. "Family hug!"
Caspian watched as they all shared one big hug and wondered what it would be like to have a family like theirs. Thanks to Miraz, he would never know.
"Let's go!" Susan said cheerfully, swinging up onto her horse and riding up to the front of the army.
They quickly travelled to the border where the Splendor Hyaline was docked, waiting for them.
"So what's the plan?" Edmund said, rolling out a map of the Telmarine Castle that some fauns had constructed from Caspian's descriptions. Well, most of it. Caspian held back a few details so that when he ruled Telmar again, Narnia wouldn't know all their secrets. And he could seal off the secret entrances he had told them about. In case Narnia turned on him.
"We enter here. Your Majesty, me, and Queen Susan," Caspian said. "We go here, turn here, up these stairs two flights, down there, a little this way, and we're headed to these stairs."
"Why not just enter there?" Susan said. "Then it's just through this door to get to those stairs. Or is it more heavily guarded?"
"It's…I don't see why it would be guarded at all," Caspian said, frowning. "But that's…that's not an entrance. And it's on the second floor."
"We'll have the griffins fly us up there and drop us off," Susan said as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Oh. Right. Of course," Caspian blustered when everyone else seemed to think nothing odd of it. He was hoping someone would explain to him exactly what a griffin was, but apparently not. He vaguely remembered some flying creatures too large to be birds saving him and Susan when they were little and got stuck in a tree. Maybe those were griffins?
"If we fly them up though, will we be seen?" Edmund asked. "If there are any guards here…or here we'd be seen. Or even maybe from here."
"There usually isn't, as far as I know," Caspian said.
"We'll have the cover of darkness, your Majesties. And the Telmarines would never guess that some dark object moving in the sky is an attack," Trumpkin said eagerly.
"So…we use…flying griffins," Caspian began uncertainly.
"Are there any other sort of griffins?" Edmund said wryly.
"Uh, guess not?" Caspian said, feeling like a fish out of water. "So the griffins fly us up and we can enter through the window into this library."
"A library? You've got to be kidding me," Nikabrik scowled.
"My tutor will be there. He…" Caspian faltered. He hadn't any good reason for why the Narnian ought to care. After all, his main reasoning for entering there was to protect his tutor. But the Narnian cared only about a quick takeover. "He can help us."
"How?" Nikabrik demanded.
"He…knows the castle well," Caspian tried.
"We already have you for that," Edmund frowned.
"He…He knows it better," Caspian said uncertainly.
"Well, we need to enter somewhere. So we might as well enter there," Susan said. Caspian looked up and could tell from her eyes that she realized Caspian's reasoning. He was relieved that she did not seem upset about that.
"Then how are we getting to open the main gate?" Edmund demanded. "It's here and we're all the way over here."
"There's a servant's passageway from here to right here. It won't be guarded. Then we only have this stretch to worry about," Caspian said nervously. There was a rather obvious way to get there much easier, but he needed to see his tutor. Dr. Cornelius was the closest he had now to family. Edmund frowned and rested his hand on the map. It seemed an innocent gesture, but his hand happened to rest precisely where the best possible entrance would lie. Caspian could feel his heart pounding. He knew that Edmund must have noticed that entrance. Susan's eyes flitted towards where Edmund's hand lay. She frowned delicately for a moment, thinking.
"Alright, your Highness. We'll go with your plan," Edmund finally said, much to Caspian's surprise and relief.
They arrived as near to the Telmarine Castle as they could by ship as night fell the next night.
"Caspian, I must speak to you quickly," Susan said quietly as they began on foot towards the castle.
"Yes?" he said anxiously.
"Don't betray us," she said firmly.
"Susan! You know I won't," he protested.
"If your tutor isn't there, we don't have time to waste," she warned. "Changing the plan on us…that could ruin the entire operation. While I understand, I would consider that betrayal, and we will leave you alone in the castle. As the best case scenario. I can't guarantee that the others won't want to slit your throat."
"I…He's the closest to family I have," Caspian confessed quietly, hoping Susan's gentle nature would take her over.
But it seemed that was a misplaced hope. "If the choice was between endangering all the Narnians here or saving Edmund, I would let Edmund die. And he would do the same if I were the one in danger," she said.
"You…You'd let your own brother die?" he said incredulously.
"More like I wouldn't let scores of innocents die," she said resolutely. "And I would know which choice Edmund would insist that I make."
Caspian had no answer to that. He honestly couldn't see Susan letting anyone die. But a choice with no way out would of course lead to death. But…if his tutor was in the dungeons or such, it wouldn't take long for him to rescue him. They knew the way to the main gate without him. And he wasn't exactly necessary for opening the gate. Maybe when the plan went smoothly anyways they would forgive him.
"Here we are," Edmund said, gesturing to the griffins. Caspian then vaguely recognized them from his childhood. He could feel his heart pounding in anticipation. It was finally time. Time to avenge his father and take back his throne.
Dr. Cornelius was pouring over texts in his study when Miraz entered.
"We have heard our dear Prince Caspian has sided with the Narnians for sanctuary," Miraz said angrily, enunciating each word. "I need all the information you have about Narnia."
"My lord, you already have all the information. I gave you such information when you began this war with Narnia," Cornelius lied. Of course he hadn't given Miraz all the information. While he was a Telmarine by birth, his mother had been a Dwarf who had fallen in love with a Telmarine scholar when he was visiting Cair Paravel and went to Telmar to be with him. While Cornelius himself had never lived in Narnia, he still felt close to the Narnians and his Dwarven brethren especially.
"Indeed," Miraz said so coldly that Cornelius knew that Miraz must be suspicious. At the minimum. He started panicking. Did Miraz know he had withheld quite a lot of information? "Then, tell me, Professor. Why do none of your texts mention Queen Susan's horn?"
"It…I…I don't know what you are talking about," Cornelius lied. "My budget doesn't allow for many newer texts."
"Hmm," Miraz said, judging him. Suddenly, there was a clatter at the window. Both man ran towards the noise. Miraz's guards who had been posted outside burst in through the door, ready to protect him. Three figures dropped through the window. After a moment of confusion, Miraz realized it was his nephew before him. As he drew his sword, he carefully studied the two other figures. Queen Susan and King Edmund. While they were not wearing anything to distinguish them as Narnian, the clearly Dwarven handiwork gave them away.
"Well, well. I generally prefer visitors to come through the front gate," Miraz drawled.
"Draw back," Susan order quietly, just loud enough for Caspian and Edmund to hear her. "The griffins are just outside. We can still call off the attack."
Miraz saw that the three of them were backing up towards the window. While he didn't know how they were to escape from several stories up, he knew they must have some of their dark Narnian magic. But to kill off Queen Susan and King Edmund both at once…The High King and Queen Lucy would be so devastated that they would not be thinking clearly. And it would demoralize the entire Narnian army. Or even better. With them as his prisoners, he could make the High King do absolutely anything he wanted as a ransom. And of course there was the little matter of his nephew. As long as Caspian lived, he was a threat.
"Caspian, my dear nephew," Miraz said, a devious smile on his lips. Caspian paused, looking behind him at Miraz in anticipation. Miraz suddenly grabbed Cornelius and lifted a dagger to his throat. "Hand them over to me as my prisoners, and I'll let your professor go free."
"Caspian! We need to go now!" Susan urged frantically.
"Who is it going to be?" Miraz said coldly as Caspian looked from him to Susan and back again in fear. "A childhood sweetheart and her brother, neither of which you've seen in years? Or your dear, beloved tutor you've known for so long?"
