Three chapters in one day! Woo. I had this chapter nearly finished, so I pumped it out to make up for my gap in updating this fic. Okay, so I'm officially all up to date with my chapters that I had already written, so I should have another chapter up in a couple of days. I'm going back to uni tomorrow, so I won't have as much time to write, but I will. Enjoy! xx.
Chapter Seven
The Aftermath and Deathdrop
Dinner was a somber affair. If his siblings or Caspian thought anything of his bad mood or the fact that Emma's seat remained empty, they said nothing of it. They left Edmund to glare at his meal in silence. No one spoke; all that could be heard was the clinking on cutlery on plates and the chewing of food.
The doors to the dining room opened and everyone paused their meals to look up at the interruption. It didn't escape Edmund's notice that the others all had looks of relief on their faces as the awkward silence was broken.
A herald called out the new arrival, which in itself was strange because no one ever got announced to their informal dinners. "Presenting: The Lady Emma Sutherland of Aslan's Chosen." With that, Emma stepped into the dining hall and everyone bar Edmund stared in shock. Edmund just glared as she approached the dinner table.
Emma was dressed in the most extravagant attire Edmund had yet seen her in. She wore a dress of various shades of blue. The underdress was light blue, the overdress royal blue with sleeves that flared out and hung down almost to Emma's knees. The bodice of the dress crisscrossed, the corset tight and restricting. But Emma held herself like a queen as she entered the room. She showed no sense of discomfort as she glided towards the dinner table. Her dark brown hair was styled in waves, pinned back in the front to keep it out of her eyes. Emma completed the outfit with a dark blue necklace and jeweled pins in her hair. She had even put on makeup to bring out her eyes and put colour in her cheeks. She beamed at them all as she sat down in her usual seat beside Edmund.
She looked beautiful, and Edmund hated himself for thinking that she did.
"Greetings, Your Majesties," Emma said politely as she sat down. Charlotte trailed behind her, but instead of keeping her distance like she normally did at meals, she served her Lady her dinner and filled her drink before stepping away to her normal respectful distance.
His brothers and sisters uncharacteristically looked dumbfounded. Peter pulled himself together, "Lady Emma," he said. "You look…" Peter trailed off, apparently so shocked at Emma's extravagant appearance and her grand entrance that he was unable to find the right word.
"Beautiful," Susan supplied for him. She too looked awed, but she was getting over the shock.
"You look absolutely lovely," Lucy agreed.
"You look wonderful, Lady Emma," Caspian said, nodding along with Lucy, "But may I ask why you are so … lavishly dressed? I'm afraid you've put us all to shame. We look quite casual in comparison to you."
Emma took a drink before answering. She had a positively regal air about her. "I apologise if you feel that way, Your Majesties," she said politely, looking at them all and pointedly ignoring Edmund. "– Edmund," she added, almost as an afterthought, putting venom in her voice before addressing the others kindly again. "It was not my intention to make you feel as such. It had just been brought to my attention that I don't fit in here in Narnia. That I don't … belong," Again, she shot a pointed glare at Edmund. The exchange wasn't lost on the others and they watch the interplay between he and Emma with identical expressions of confusion. "So this is my attempt at being a bit more Narnian," Emma concluded. "I am one of Aslan's Chosen, after all. I was brought here for a reason."
Edmund's angry voice echoed in his ears. How could someone like you be one of Aslan's Chosen? You should just go back to your world, you don't belong in Narnia and you are not wanted here. So this was her way of proving him wrong?
Edmund violently pushed his chair away from the table and turned in his seat to look at her. "What are you playing at?!" He demanded; his anger evident in his tone of voice. His siblings all looked shocked at his outburst. Normally Edmund was polite, quiet and charming. He rarely lost his temper.
Emma turned to face him. Her expression was cold, nothing like the kind and excitable girl he had come to know in the past few days. "I told you, Edmund" she said icily. "I am attempting to be more Narnian. Or did you forget what you told me not even half an hour ago?"
Edmund laughed harshly, "That's rich coming from you! Or do you forget what you said not even half an hour ago? And I told you, you are to address me as King Edmund. You no longer have the right to address me so familiarly."
He was well aware of the others around him exchanging uncomfortable and confused glances, but all that mattered to him was the woman in front of him and the burning feeling of anger that was in his chest.
A silence fell as Emma and Edmund glared at each other. Finally, Peter broke it. Edmund turned and saw a frown on his elder brother's face. "What is the meaning of this?" The High King demanded.
"Emma," Edmund spat, "Is unworthy of being here. I told her to keep her distance from me, yet she chooses to appear here in this manner."
"This dinner looks delicious," Emma said loudly, completely ignoring Edmund. "I wonder what is for dessert. Perhaps some Turkish Delight?"
Everyone at the table gasped. The situation had become painfully clear.
Edmund jumped to his feet. "You go too far!"
Emma stood as well, taking a few steps forward and getting in Edmund's face. "Apparently I had to in order to get your stupid attention!"
"You dare speak to me like-"
"Yes, I dare!" Emma shot back. "You walked into my chambers unannounced, heard part of a conversation and automatically jumped to the wrong conclusions!"
"You called me a horrible person for betraying my family! You were insulting me! Proving exactly why I trust only a few with the details of my past."
"I was saying the complete opposite of that, you stupid infuriating king!"
"If we could all just calm down," Lucy spoke up.
Edmund scoffed, "You made your opinion quite clear," he said, totally ignoring his sister's attempt at soothing the tension. "Apparently it was a dick move – whatever that is – I presume it's an idiotic 21st century insult?"
"Pray tell, King Edmund, how old are you?" Emma asked randomly.
Edmund frowned in confusion at her abrupt change in topic, "I'll turn eighteen next month. What's it to you?"
"Ohhh," Emma said with the air of making a great discovery, "I could have sworn I was talking to a five year old!"
"You insolent-" Edmund began.
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Peter bellowed, standing up in frustration. Emma and Edmund turned in unison towards Peter. He wore a scowl on his face as he looked at the two of them. An air of authority hung about him and Edmund knew he was dealing with the High King of Narnia and not his brother at that moment. "Explain yourselves!" Peter demanded.
Edmund told his side of the story while Emma glared at him, her hands poised on her hips. Peter, Susan, Lucy and Caspian all gasped as he told them exactly what he had heard Emma say. They were as surprised as he was to hear of such hurtful words coming out of Emma's mouth.
The dining hall was silent when Edmund finished speaking. " Lady Emma Sutherland," Peter said seriously, breaking the silence and taking on the solemn expression he always wore when holding trails in court. "You stand accused of insulting my royal brother, King Edmund the Just. Such actions demand justice. This particular topic is grievously serious. What do you have to say in your defence?"
Emma looked around at them all. Everyone at the table had risen to their feet. Emma sighed and bowed her head, dropping into a curtsy. "I'm sorry. I have acted foolishly here at dinner, but I am innocent. However, I did say those things that King Edmund has said." Edmund frowned at her. She pleads innocent and then admits to insulting me? What foolishness is this?
"You say you are innocent, but then admit to what you have been accused?" Susan asked, voicing Edmund's confusion.
"I said those things, yes, Queen Susan, but I did not mean them in the way King Edmund believed," Emma said. She turned her attention to Edmund and the King was surprised to see that the anger had died from her eyes, replaced by a solemn and earnest expression. "Yes, I said those things, but I was saying them as someone else. I read your book, my Lord, and I did not think any different of you. I was upset because I found it a little – how shall I say it? – Insulting – that you would think I was a type of person who would instantly change my opinion of you."
"You-" Edmund began, feeling a blush burn his cheeks. The anger in him disappeared, replaced by shame. I have been a fool.
"-What you heard me say was my pretending to be someone who had changed their opinion" Emma said, cutting him off. "I believe my exact words before you came in were 'I'm not some person who is like', and then you heard the rest. I was not insulting you, sire, but simply angry for being presumed so little of. If you do not believe me, my maid, Charlotte, can verify this."
They all turned towards Charlotte, who blushed under their attention. "Please, Lottie," Emma entreated, beckoning her forward.
Charlotte joined her mistress, but seemed unsure of who to address. Peter noticed this and said "It is alright, Charlotte. Don't worry about anyone else. Just tell me what happened." His voice was kind and soothing. If Edmund hadn't been so caught up with the proceedings, he would have added Peter's behavior to the growing mental list Edmund had been keeping of evidence that his brother fancied the maidservant.
Charlotte nodded, "Lady Emma speaks the truth, my King. We were in her chambers this afternoon when she revealed that King Edmund had given the book he had written of your history. I knew how important it was to His Majesty, for it is well-known he is reluctant to speak of his past and for him to open up about it after two days of meeting my Lady … Well, I knew it was important for Lady Emma to read it. She had left the book in the library. I had distracted her, you see. I was … upset and she left it there. I retrieved it for her and then left my Lady to read, promising to come for her when it was dinnertime."
As she spoke, Charlotte had become more confident at addressing them all. She now addressed all the monarchs at the table, instead of merely focusing on Peter. "Some hours later, when I came to prepare Lady Emma for dinner, she had finished King Edmund's book. But she was angry – like she said – for King Edmund presuming that she would change the way she thought of him. Lady Emma defended the King – quite vehemently – and she was impersonating someone who thought less of His Majesty."
"Charlotte had no other part in this," Emma added. "She was trying to stop me from speaking. She has spoken in my defence. That is enough. I would have her excused from all this."
Peter nodded, "The truth is evident in your eyes, both of you. My royal brother is in error here." Edmund bowed his head, shame coursing through him. She defended me, and I have acted horribly towards her.
Emma nodded graciously, "Now that that is settled, I wish to be excused. I am afraid I have lost my appetite. Good evening, Your Majesties. Come, Charlotte."
She left the table, Charlotte trailing loyally behind her. Edmund needed to do something. He couldn't just let her leave without saying anything. "Emma-" he began, raising his arm out in desperation to stop her retreating figure. There was no tone of malice in the way he said her name this time. It was back to how he had normally said it before the drama in her chambers.
"No-" She cut him off. She stopped and turned to face him. "Actions of the past do not excuse actions of the present. You have behaved appalling towards me and that cannot be forgiven so easily."
"Please, Emma-" He tried again.
"No," she repeated. "From now on, you will refer to me as Lady Emma. You no longer have the right to address me so familiarly."
Hearing his own words repeated back to him silenced Edmund. Emma turned and continued on her way. No one tried to stop her or Charlotte. They disappeared out of sight, the huge doors to the dining hall shutting loudly behind them. The room fell to silence, but all Edmund could do was continue to stare at the doors the two women had gone through.
"Well, Ed," Peter spoke up, breaking the silence.
"I know," Edmund said, sitting heavily in his chair and the others all followed his example. "I have been a right pig."
"I have never seen someone challenge you so defiantly," said Caspian.
"Yes," Susan agreed, "I have seen knights twice the size of Emma cower under your fury. Never have I witnessed anyone besides us dare to argue back. Nor go to such extravagant lengths to prove a point."
"That doesn't matter!" Lucy exclaimed, an uncharacteristic frown upon her face, "She is upset. You need to make this right, Edmund." She frowned at her brother. If Emma's grand entrance and heated words didn't make a point, that certainly did. Lucy rarely frowned. And her frowning at Edmund seldom occurred ever. The two youngest Pevensie's had a close bond with one another.
"Lucy is right," Peter said. "This is all on you, Ed. Emma was right, she is one of Aslan's Chosen and was brought here for a reason. Aslan himself said that we will need her. We cannot have her upset and angry at us. And what's more, she is a kind girl. In fact, I was of a mind that there was a rapport between the two of you before all of this nonsense."
"I know," Edmund said quietly. "But something tells me it will not be easy to earn her forgiveness. She is…" He trailed off, unable to find the right word to describe Emma.
"She is proud and fierce," Lucy finished, "But she is our friend and a friend of Narnia."
Edmund nodded, "I'll make it up to her," he vowed.
And so, the rest of the meal continued in silence.
Emma felt neither proud nor fierce when she returned to her chambers, but she held herself together gallantly. It was only after Charlotte had gotten her out of that damnable dress and put her in something more comfortable, took the pins from her hair, and wiped the makeup from her face that Emma allowed herself to cry.
"Oh, Emma," Charlotte said gently, wiping her tears and leading Emma from the vanity table she sat at to her bed, tucking her in. "It is alright. Peter believed you. They all did, even Edmund. I knew they would."
Emma sat up in bed, cushioned by huge pillows. "Yes, but that doesn't make me feel much better. Edmund was so angry, I was so angry and he was such an arsehole. And now I'm crying! I hate crying!"
Charlotte gave Emma's hand a comforting squeeze, "You know, my mother used to say that having a big cry would make you feel better. Perhaps that's what you need to do now."
Emma squeezed Charlotte's hand in return, "Used to?" she asked softly.
Sadness was etched on Charlotte's face, "She died when I was eleven. Almost seven years ago now. I miss her every day."
"I'm sorry," Emma said sincerely.
Charlotte put on a brave smile. Emma could tell it was forced, but she didn't say anything. "It is okay," Charlotte said. "Some days are worse than others. Some days I don't even think of her, and some days she is all I think of. But my mother would tell me not to mope and to look forwards, not backwards. And besides, I still have my Papa and my little brother."
"Tell me about them. Your family, where you're from," Emma said, sitting up in interest.
"My Lady, you should be resting," Charlotte admonished. "You have had a trying day."
"No," Emma said stubbornly, "I want to hear about you."
"Very well," Charlotte relented, perching on the edge of Emma's bed. Emma immediately shuffled over to give her room. "My family were originally from the Lone Islands."
"The Lone Islands?"
They are islands in the Great Eastern Ocean," Charlotte explained. "They have always been a part of Narnia. We were from the Island of Felimath, but it became a centre for slave trading and my family left to escape that. We have lived in Narnia since I was seven, so I can barely remember the Lone Islands. Father tells me that Felimath was beautiful, but that the people and slave traders made it impossible to raise a family there."
"Slaves?!" Emma gasped.
"Their Majesties have long since taken care of it. Felimath is free once more and now being governed by Duke Bern. He was a close friend of King Caspian's late father, and so treats the Crown of Narnia with the utmost respect."
"Have you gone home since then?"
Charlotte shook her head, "No, my Lady. The Narnian mainland is my home now. But perhaps one day I would like to walk the beaches of Felimath once more."
Emma gave her a smile, "I'm sure you will."
Charlotte returned the smile and stood up, "I will let you rest."
"But I want to hear more and it's not even late, it's dinnertime!" Emma protested.
"No, Emma," Charlotte said, walking to the door and speaking with the air of authority of a queen. "There will be plenty of time for that, but right now you should sleep. Like I said, you have had a trying day."
Emma knew it would be pointless to argue, "Fine. Goodnight Lottie."
"Goodnight, Emma," Charlotte said, "I will see you in the morning."
She shut the door and Emma was left on her own. She shuffled around in bed to get more comfortable. This is pointless, she thought. I'll never get to sleep this early.
But when Charlotte came to check on her not even half an hour later, Emma was lost in a deep and peaceful sleep.
Everyone around him looked so disgustingly happy.
It made Sopherian sick.
Everyone in the town surrounding the castle were all so excited for the royal wedding. The general had arrived some days before the event to do some reconnaissance. Yes, one extra person in a crowd of well-wishers would go unnoticed, but there was one flaw in Sopherian's plan that needed to be dealt with.
Queen Lucy's cordial.
Although Sopherian himself didn't put much stock in the tales of the Queen's magic healing cordial, he wasn't to take any chances. He needed to draw Edmund Pevensie away from the castle and from the supposedly magic drink.
Sopherian walked through the town, ignoring all of the stupid Narnian folk and the talking beasts that chattered animatedly about the upcoming celebration. He knew that not everyone here was as excited as the rest of them, and it was one such person that he was going to see. She was a contact of their rebel group, The Darkness, and she was an expert in poisons.
He made his way through the crowd, sticking to the shadows. He wore a cloak with its hood up, but Sopherian knew it was pointless. No one here would recognize him. Hundreds of strangers had crowded into the town in celebration of the wedding. One new face would not be a problem. But still, he knew how Lord Racilion would react if he were caught and the plan a failure. Sopherian did not wish to entice his Lord's fury.
He finally arrived at his destination: a dingy little hut on the outskirts of the town that surrounded the Telmarine castle. Without knocking, he went inside. The interior was just as derelict as the outside. It was dark, dirty, and dust covered every surface. But that didn't matter to Sopherian. What mattered were the hundreds of vials and bottles that took up the every dusty surface. Each table, each bookshelf, even parts of the floor were covered in vials. Poisons. Each and every one of them.
In the centre of the hut stood the woman he had come to see. She stood mixing at a great cauldron, adding different ingredients as she did. She was old, grey haired, and wrinkled. She stood hunched over the cauldron. Her grey hair was knotted and frizzy, and her clothes were rags as filthy as the hut she stayed in. Sopherian was at loathe to work with her, but there was no on better in the art of making potions and poisons. "Well," she said in a gravelly voice. "If it isn't General Sacrface. Racilion sent you?"
This sent a spark of anger through Sopherian, but he pushed it down. He was here for business, nothing more. The sooner he dealt with the old hag, the sooner he could leave. But that didn't stop him from wishing he could gut the old woman and be done with it.
"Adira," he greeted, "A pleasure as always."
Adira snorted, "Keep your flattery to yourself, Sopherian. It won't get you anywhere with me."
Sopherian scowled and dropped all pretenses at pleasantries. "You have the order?"
The old women nodded and hobbled over to a bench and picked up a vial. It was tiny, the liquid inside was pure black. Adira hobbled back over and handed it to him, "Deathdrop," she said. "My finest concoction and a deadlier poison you'll never find."
"And it meets the criteria?"
Adira glowered at him, "Of course it does!" She snapped, "It's my most powerful and fast-acting poison. One drop of this sets a person's blood on fire. It will feel as if they are burning from the inside. One drop is deadly. One drop is all you need. Within minutes, the poison will give the target excruciating pain, sap their strength and kill them. As I said, a deadlier poison you'll never find."
"And if I were to coat my sword in this, then…"
"One scratch and your opponent is dead."
The general grinned. Soon, he thought, soon I will have my revenge on Edmund Pevensie."Excellent," he said aloud.
"But you had best allow me to cover your sword in Deathdrop," Adira said, "An idiot like you would kill yourself in an instant."
"Do not insult me, woman!" Sopherian snapped. "I am quite capable-"
"-That poison is too valuable to risk you wasting it. Give your sword here!"
Sopherian scowled and unsheathed his sword. As he handed it to the old woman, he imagined driving it through her stomach, but Adira was too valuable of an ally to waste. Instead, he grudgingly looked on as she painstakingly covered the blade in a layer of Deathdrop. As she worked, she chanted in an unknown language and the air in the hunt was filled with the feeling of Dark Magic. Yes, Sopherian thought begrudgingly, she is a valuable ally indeed.
When she finished, she laid the weapon on a table and looked up at the general. "The blade is dry, but the poison is still active. I have infused Deathdrop into the blade. It isn't permanent. It was last until your assassination of the King and no longer." Adira gingerly picked up the blade and handed it back to him. Sopherian didn't thank her, he merely sheathed it without a word.
"Need I warn you of Queen Lucy's cordial?" The old woman asked.
He scoffed, "No, witch. I know the dangers of that supposed cordial."
"It's not 'supposed', Sopherian, you arrogant fool! The juice of the fire flower has incredible healing abilities! If you are to succeed in your mission, you need to draw the king away from the castle and the Queen's cordial!"
Sopherian growled in frustration. Adira was testing his patience. "I am aware of that, Adira. I have been planning this since before I left the camp. I know what I am doing."
He knew that to draw the king away, he would need something serious. A man wouldn't just leave his sister's wedding due to a mere whimsy. No, Sopherian knew that line of thinking was pointless.
But if it were a person.
Yes, the gallant King Edmund would give chase if someone was forcibly taken away from the proceedings. Especially if the one taken was his partner for the evening. And there was no doubt there would be some air-headed female courtier fawning over the king during the ball. Someone Sopherian could overpower easily. Someone the King would race after. Someone to be the doom of Edmund Pevensie.
"I'm sure the brave King Edmund will have some idiotic girl on his arm that evening," Sopherian told Adira mockingly, "If I were to take his partner away from him, there would be no doubt that he would give chase. I'll lead him into the woods, far from the castle, and with one cut…"
Adira cackled delightedly, "Goodbye King Edmund!"
The general nodded, a savage smile lighting up his features, "Indeed."
"I think, perhaps, I know the girl of which you speak."
Sopherian looked interested at that, "Oh?"
Adira grinned, "Oh yes. There have been whispers. Whispers that have reached even old Adira the Potion-Maker. Of a girl King Edmund rescued from the forest. One of Aslan's Chosen, they're calling her. I've heard tell that she is going to be formally introduced to the Narnian's during the ball. It is said she is close to the King, for he is the one who found and rescued her, perhaps she will be the one on his arm that night?"
Sopherian nodded, looking thoughtful. But then his expression turned scornful, "Aslan's Chosen? Nonsense. She will be just another air-head in awe of the king. I will take her, and then Edmund will be mine!"
"Yes, yes, revenge is wonderful," Adira said impatiently, "But I have another matter to speak with you about."
Sopherian raised his eyebrows, "Oh really?"
"The whispers say you seek to revive the White Witch, Jadis."
Sopherian had his hand on his sword in an instant, "Where did you hear that?!"
"Relax," the old woman snapped, "I told you. Whispers. Whispers only known to The Sisterhood. Even now your Lord Racilion traverses towards Aslan's How to find traces of those who were said to have summoned Queen Jadis. He goes in vain. Aslan's How is scared to the Narnia's, he will find no trace of the battle under the How there. Instead he should go to Lantern Waste and find my sister, Efira."
"Efira?"
"My twin. She will know how to resurrect the Queen. We are of The Sisterhood of Jadis. Witches sworn to serve the Rightful Queen of Narnia. We were once many, now we are few. But still, after all these years, those who are left are loyal Queen Jadis. I may be a part of you group, The Darkness, but my loyalty remains to The Sisterhood. When you overthrow the usurpers, it will be Jadis who takes the thrown."
Sopherian frowned at that. He had never heard of this so-called Sisterhood and didn't like the idea of their supposedly using The Darkness to reinstate some myth-Queen of legend back on the thrown of Narnia. The Darkness had always meant for a Telmarine – as in, Lord Racilion – to wear the crown.
"No," he argued, "Lord Racilion-"
"-Will be King, of that you can be sure. But Her Majesty, Jadis, will be the Queen."
Sopherian didn't bother with arguing. Although he was suspicious of this Sisterhood, if Lord Racilion was King than what did it matter if some witch from ages past was his Queen? All that mattered was getting revenge on Caspian and other four Kings and Queens. All that mattered at that moment was his mission.
Sopherian merely needed to watch and wait for the right moment to strike. He would kill the king and bring the Narnian monarchy to its knees. Their rebel group, The Darkness, would rise up and overthrow the Usurpers in Miraz's name.
Soon, so soon that Sopherian felt a thrill of savage excitement. Soon they would have their revenge.
