Chapter Seven – Blackness and Guilt
Queen Susan the Gentle was concerned. For the hundredth time in the last few minutes, her eyes scanned the crowded dining hall in search for her younger brother. And once again she didn't see him anywhere. The queen couldn't shake the feeling that her brother was in trouble, or needed her assistance in some way. She turned toward Peter and asked whether he had seen Edmund at all since that morning.
The High King shook his head with a frown.
"No I haven't, and you know I haven't; I've been with you the entire day. So if you haven't seen him, neither have him I," he said gently, watching her closely.
Yes she knew that, but it did little to ease her mind. Something was wrong; she knew it. Her face must have showed her thoughts for Peter said;
"You know how cranky and tired he was this morning. I'm sure he just decided to take a nap."
Susan wasn't so sure. If her brother wanted to go back to sleep, he would have brought Susan the fan he volunteered to get, and then would have gone back to the camp and slept. He'd know she would worry if he didn't. Susan was about to respond, when she suddenly felt as if someone was watching them. She looked to her right and saw Duke Cedric gazing at them suspiciously over his glass. When he noticed Susan looking at him, his features immediately rearranged into a cheery and relaxed smile. He stood up, and walked over to the Narnians steadily, as if refusing to look weak. Susan though, could see in his eyes that he was worried. Why? The queen frowned to herself.
"Good afternoon your Majesties," said the duke when he reached their table.
The siblings repeated the greeting automatically, while looking at him curiously.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble Queen Susan," started the duke. "I would like to have a private word with you."
The siblings each raised an eyebrow.
"Regarding what?" Peter asked staring at the man intensely.
Duke Cedric licked his lips nervously, as if not knowing how to explain whatever it was he wanted. Susan couldn't blame the man, Peter did have a rather intimidating glance when he wanted to.
"It's alright Peter," said Susan, standing up gracefully. Her instincts told her somehow Edmund was involved in this; in spite of himself, Edmund was always getting himself in the middle of things.
"We'll only be a quick minute your Majesty," added the duke, as he offered Susan his arm, which the queen took. Susan gave her brother a look that clearly said she'll tell him later. Peter nodded.
When the pair were a reasonable distance from the dining hall, the duke unhooked his arm from the queen's and turned to face her. His face was determined though wary, as if he wasn't sure how this would go. The wind ruffled the branches of the trees around them. A few leaves gracefully fell to the ground.
"What is it you wish to speak to me about dear Duke?" Susan asked after the duke didn't begin.
The man chuckled to himself.
"I am not sure how to start your Majesty," he began. "Just know that I mean no offense to you at all, but I must do as my instincts tell me."
"Why would you be concerned about offending me?" Susan smiled, her face betraying none of her inquisitive thoughts.
"You see my Queen, I went to my home before coming to lunch and I noticed that a few of my processions have been taken from my home."
The queen's smile faded as her face hardened. Why was the duke accusing her?
"And you believe I had some hand in this?" Susan accused coolly.
Cedric smiled sadly, and nodded slowly.
"With all due respect duke that is a rather harsh accusation, especially with nothing to support it," she said.
The duke silently held up a pretty but broken fan. Susan's heart skipped a beat though her face betrayed no emotion. It was her fan, her favorite fan to be exact. The dryads had made it for her birthday a few years ago. It was rather horrible for cooling oneself down, but it was very pretty and made a decent accessory. The only person who would have that was Edmund. What was he doing stealing from Duke Cedric's house and then leaving her fan behind? Her brother was hardly that forgetful. The queen wasn't sure whether to be more annoyed or worried about her brother. Oh he was going to get an earful when she got her hands on him!
"This is your fan isn't it Queen Susan?" Duke Cedric asked, he sounded much more confident than he had before as he sneered her title.
Susan narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She didn't like the change in his tone and manner, it caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up. A loud snap filled the air. The queen spun around quick enough to see someone – a man – hit her over the head with the hilt of his sword. Everything after was just a whirl of blackness.
***
"We have to tell King Lune and Calormen as well," said Agatha to Edmund as they speed walked across the beach. They had spent the past few minutes discussing what they just learned and speculating what the helper and the project could possibly be. Now they were heading toward the Narnian camp to send out letters. Edmund to his younger sister Lucy, and Agatha to her sister Asana and Tristan.
"I'll tell King Lune," she continued. They reached the red tents of the Narnian camp and walked into the closest one. Edmund immediately took out two pieces of parchment and handed one to Agatha. After handing her a quill, he quickly started his letter, wanting to get it to Lucy as soon as possible. If something happened to her because he wasn't quick enough to learn about this conspiracy he didn't know what he would do. The next several minutes were spent explaining everything in written words, something Agatha learned wasn't as easy as she thought, when Edmund suddenly put his quill down with a hard frown.
"I feel like I've forgotten something," he said quietly. "Something very important."
Agatha signed her letter before looking at him. He was glaring off into the distance lost in thought clearly wanting to remember. The girl blew gently on the ink wishing it could dry faster. It was true that the Seven Isles were involved in this, but Agatha would bet her and her sister's lives that Tristan and the majority of the Brenn Council knew nothing about it. The old healer still had some influence in the government as did Asana, no doubt they could find out more information about this helper and project. She folded up the letter, and wrote the address on the envelope before sticking the parchment inside. Edmund was doing the same.
"Did you remember?" Agatha asked as they stood up and walked out of the tent. Edmund wanted to find fellow Narnian, Shallowpad the Raven, so he could deliver the letters. He didn't want them to fall into the wrong hands.
Edmund shook his head, frowning. Up ahead Agatha saw people walking out of the dining hall; they had missed lunch. After everything they had found out, it seemed odd that something as simple and normal as lunch could still happen. It was almost surreal.
"Agatha! King Edmund!" A voice shouted. The girl turned around and saw Rotan, Corin, and King Lune walking toward them moving out of the mob of people. The pair stopped walking and let them catch up. Agatha bit her lip as they all smiled at her. As much as she knew King Lune needed to know about this, she didn't like being the bearer of bad news. Edmund caught her eye and slowly nodded, telling her now was a decent time as any. The sooner everyone knew, the sooner it could be taken care of. Before she could ask for a private word, an interruption came in the form of High King Peter.
"Peter, there's something I need –"
"Have any of you seen Susan recently?" The High King asked, cutting off his brother.
"Not since lunch sir," said Corin as Rotan nodded in agreement.
"Why? Did something happen to Susan?" Edmund asked quickly.
Agatha gasped, she recalled what Edmund had been trying to remember. The fan....
"Duke Cedric asked for a private word with her –"
"She went off alone with Cedric?" Agatha asked quickly.
Edmund sucked in a horrified gasp, and covered his face with his hands.
"The fan...." he groaned obviously remembering.
"Fan?" Peter repeated with a frown. "What's wrong with Duke Cedric? Edmund what is going on? I can tell you know something."
Agatha looked at Edmund, expecting him to start explaining, but he looked too shell-shocked and guilty to really say anything. Feeling as though she was intruding on a personal moment, Agatha turned back to the group.
"Well this is something you all should know, though I'm not sure if Rotan and Corin should listen,"she began, looking at the young boys who scowled at her. "But the other night I was walking by the woods...."
***
Susan woke up with a splitting headache and a sour, metal taste in her mouth. It was beyond ironic that the one time she didn't have her Horn, a horn that when blown help would come no matter what, she needed it. Thinking nothing bad would happen at Casca she left it with Lucy. Oh the irony...
Slowly the queen opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. She was in a very small room with no windows, lying on a single blanket. From the rocking sensation, Susan was sure she was on a boat. But why? Simply because Duke Cedric thought she had stolen something from his house because he had found a fan. That was preposterous! If a case like this were put in front of Edmund, the Just King would have made mincemeat of that evidence.
Edmund...
Susan knew beyond reason that her younger brother had stolen whatever it was that was stolen and most likely left the fan behind. The reasons why, she didn't know, but she was determined to find out.
Click.
The door in the front of the room suddenly opened, revealing a tall man she recognized but couldn't place a name to. He had brought a chair in with him, which he set on the floor before shutting the door behind him. Sitting down on the chair, he smiled at her. Susan didn't like being smiled at that way.
"You are aware that when my brothers find me, because they will find me, you and the rest of your cohorts will be executed," she said bravely. Her heart thumped in her chest, threatening to pop out and spill onto the floor.
He merely continued to smile at her.
"I highly doubt that little queen," he whispered. "Where we're taking you there's some...ah... large towers; we can see for miles."
Large towers? Susan frowned, even if you did have large towers that doesn't mean the person up in them is watching. Unless... the queen's eyes widened and she stared at the man. Large as in big, as in over sized, as in...giants. They were taking her to Ettinsmoor.
