Part Four: Leaving Cair Paravel
Emma felt herself growing more and more anxious as the morning progressed. The looming journey set her on nerve and the fact that Iva followed Emma around like a dog, keeping up a never-ceasing string of complaints, did not help. Emma fought back the urge to smack her chubby, freckled face, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, trying her best to ignore the girl.
Trufflehunter saw to packing supplies while Eve saw to the horses. Food and water supplies were carefully taken stock of and the map was stowed in one of the saddlebags. Emma wandered around the castle, trying to be helpful. She found her way to the stables where she found Eve resting up against a beautiful, white mare.
"Eve, are you alright?" Emma asked. The girl smiled, straightening and nodding.
"Of course." She patted her horse's neck. "Just tired. I haven't been sleeping well since… well, for awhile." She straightened, composing herself and saying, "I've chosen Windflower to guide you. She knows the land well and will lead you down the safest path. Rosemary will come with you as well to keep you on the right path."
"Who's Windflower?" Emma asked.
"Come with me." Eve led Emma through the stables and to a large stall. Inside stood a small horse with a dapple brown coat, tawny eyes, four white stockings and a bright white blaze that ran from her forelock to her nose. "This is Windflower," she introduced.
The horse blinked at Emma. "Hello, little one," she said aloud, making Emma jump.
"I'm sorry, I'm still not quite used to animals talking," she said apologetically.
Windflower blinked sympathetically. "That's alright. Now let's see if we can find someone willing enough to take on that pessimistic friend of yours."
"Oh, she's not my friend. She's just insistent on following me," Emma said through gritted teeth.
"By the lion, she certainly does complain a lot!" Windflower came out through the open doorway of the stall and led them slowly down the aisle. "How about Kaspar?"
"Yes, I think he would do well. He might be a match for her," Eve said, smiling.
Windflower stopped outside a stall, nickering softly to announce their arrival. A black horse poked his head out of the doorway, hay drooping from his mouth.
"What now, Windflower?" he asked moodily.
"How would you like to go on a journey with us?" Windflower asked.
"Not in the mood." The black stallion turned his back on them.
"It might be dangerous. I need someone to help me protect the humans," Windflower insisted.
"Dangerous?" Kaspar's ears flickered with interest. "I'll think about it."
"Well, think fast. We're leaving soon. With or without you. I might just have to ask someone else to-"
"Alright, I'll come." The black horse tossed his head, snorting. He stepped from the stall. "Well, where are we going, and what human is going to be riding on my back?"
…
Everything was packed and everyone ready to go (more or less) as the sun reached its zenith in the sky. Iva and Kaspar were bickering by the entrance to the castle. Windflower and Rosemary stood a little distance away, ears pricked toward the horse and girl with amused interest. Emma stood with Eve, looking out across the wide expanse of land that lay before them.
"Good luck, Emma. May Aslan's speed go with you."
"Will you be alright?" Emma asked. She realized now just how alone the girl was.
Eve smiled bravely. "I'll have to be. Narnia needs me."
"I'll come back as soon as I can," Emma promised.
"Please do. Here," Eve handed Emma a bow and quiver full of red-feathered arrows, "take this. Queen Susan's bow. You won't miss with this." Emma took the bow, her fingers shaking with the thought of having to use it. "And this." Eve held out a small dagger with a golden lion hilt. "Queen Lucy's dagger. And finally," she handed Emma a small vial filled with a crimson liquid, "Queen Lucy's healing juice. Use it carefully, one drop will heal any wound."
"Thank you."
Mounting Windflower, Emma took one last look at Eve before leading the still bickering Iva and Kaspar out of the castle gates. Rosemary sat in front of Emma in the saddle, her ears flopping with the motion of the horse. Emma took one last look at the castle and then set her eyes forward.
…
"I know I'm just dreaming," Iva said for the hundredth time. "I'm going to pinch myself, and I'm going to wake up."
"I've already tried that, this is real." Emma sighed, exasperated at the girl's incessant complaining.
Iva scrunched up her face at Emma and then pinched herself hard on the arm. "Ouch!"
"I told you," Emma said coolly.
"But this can't be real! Talking animals, centaurs, castles, adventures – that's all the sort of things you find in books; the kind of books that Mother and Father would never allow me to read."
"Look, the last thing I remember is jumping through that crack in the wall. Do you remember something different?" she asked.
Iva glared at her. "Nooo," she drew out the word as she spoke. "But maybe I dreamt up that I was taking your lunch."
Emma shook her head. "It will be easier if you just accept the truth."
"Where are we going anyway?" Iva asked, looking around the land with distaste.
"We're going to the Stormness Head Mountains in Archenland. There's someone there who can help heal the king."
"Why on earth did they choose you to go?"
"I don't know." Emma clenched her fists.
"Well, I hope these people are used to disappointments because there's no way you're going to find this healer or whatever in enough time."
Emma bit her lip, trying her hardest not to retort. "Why on earth did you come anyway?" she asked. "You could have stayed in the castle, but instead you came with me. If you came to drive me crazy, you're doing a good job of it."
"I wasn't going to stay with strangers – hairy beasts and such!" Iva wrinkled her nose.
"Well, here you're going to be sleeping on the ground and eating cold meals," Emma warned.
"Aren't there any hotels around here?" Iva looked surprised.
"Something tells me no." She felt Windflower shake under her. She was surprised to see that the horse was laughing.
They rode onward until the sun began to sink in the sky, washing them with a rich, orange light. Finally, when all the light was expelled from the sky, Emma spoke quietly to Windflower and the horse slowed to a stop. "We can camp here tonight," she said, dismounting and pulling down a blanket from the back of Windflower's saddle.
"Here? Isn't it a little too obvious? I mean, we're out in the open!" Iva pointed out.
"Well, if you hadn't noticed, there is no cover here. We're perfectly safe, I'm sure. We've hardly left Cair Paravel." Emma set out her blanket and then began to look around for kindling to start a fire. Rosemary leapt down from Windflower's back, helping Emma search for wood. All they could find was dry grass, and so they dug a small pit, and Rosemary rubbed the flint together. Sparks showered down on the grass and ignited, creating a warm glow.
Emma checked the saddlebags, pulling out enough food for a meal. Rosemary helped her to prepare it while Iva sat in moody silence. The two horses, once relieved of their saddles, wandered off a few feet to graze, swishing their tails back and forth with contentment.
"This bread isn't going to stay fresh for long," Iva pointed out. "Then what will we eat?"
"Wild berries grow in the forest," Rosemary said helpfully.
"We're not in the forest."
"We should reach the Great Forest shortly after sunrise tomorrow," Rosemary replied.
"How long is this journey going to take? Mummy will be wondering where I am."
"Quit pouting. Time doesn't go by in London when we're in Narnia," Emma told her. "And I don't know how long this will take us. Baair said that if we didn't run into difficulty, it should take three days to reach the mountains and three days to return."
"A week? Ugg."
"Get used to it." Emma finished her dinner and lay down with her back to the fire. Though she could hear Iva muttering under her breath, the girl did not speak to her again, and after awhile the muttering was replaced by soft snoring. Emma lay awake for a while longer, her thoughts on the journey ahead. Just before she fell asleep, she thought she saw something white flashing in the distance.