Chapter VIII

Elise barely slept a wink that night, which was understandable, really. Because, despite her door being locked and sealed with a heavy wooden writing desk in front of it, she did not feel safe. In fact, she was elated that Caspian had chosen that particular day to leave because she did not want to spend another minute in that castle.

Her first activity of the day was packing her bags. She didn't have a vast array of possessions, so this was a fairly simple task. When she'd finished stuffing her dresses, shoes, toiletries, and the Narnian Encyclopaedia(because, you know, it could come in handy), into her trunk, she set off to inform Ophelia of their intention to depart.

She didn't know quite where to find her, but she figured that the laundry room might be a good place to start. Indeed, it was, because she immediately spotted her friend washing a pair of trousers in a large, circular stone tub.

"Ophelia!" she called above the clamor.

The girl's head shot up and scanned the bustling crowd for the source of the noise.

"Over here," Elise said, waving. Ophelia let the garment sink into the water and began to walk towards her.

"What are you doing down here?" she asked.

"Come outside, I have to tell you in private."

"Alright. What is it?" she whispered once they were in the courtyard.

"Caspian and I are leaving today to find a way for me to return home. You should come with us – it's not safe for you to stay here."

"I appreciate your concern, but I really can't – I need this money to send back to my mother and sister…"

"But it's not worth the risk," she insisted.

Ophelia smiled sadly. "It will be fine. Don't worry about me."

"You can't stay here – when they get out of prison, they're not going to be happy…"

"I've nowhere else to go," she said quietly, "I can't leave."

"We could take you back to your family," the other girl offered.

"I'm not from the city. Plus, what would I do there? Like I said, we need the money – my mother doesn't make enough on her own."

"I'm sure we could find you something… How about this: we go to your village and if we can't find work for you, you can always return with Caspian on his way back."

"I suppose that would be all right…"

"Brilliant! Where exactly are you from?"

"It's a fairly small town on the Telmar River; it's called Mareisola."

"Oh, good. It's on the way, then?"

"I suppose – we're going west, right?"

"Yeah. Okay, good… You should start packing your things, then – we're leaving at noon."

As she and Ophelia parted ways, Elise decided to pay Caspian a visit. She didn't know where his bedroom was, which was probably for the best, but she knew that his private quarters took up an entire wing of the castle. So, she went into said area, only to be stopped by a guard.

"Oi, what are you doin' 'ere, Missy?" he asked her.

"I'm looking for the King. Do you know where I can find him?"

" 'e's in 'is room. You'renot allowed in there. No one is. Not without special permission, they're not."

"Oh. I see."

She turned to leave, but he stopped her.

"Wait a moment – what's your name?"

"Elise d'Orsay."

He narrowed his eyes. "You're that girl the King's taken a fancy to, then, aye?"

She remained silent for a while, not quite sure of how to respond. Eventually, she meekly replied, "I guess you could say that…"

"I s'pose I could let you in," he said, winking. "Don't want to be a spoil-sport – 'specially not for the King."

"It's the middle of the day," she protested, "I just want to talk to him."

"So that's what they're callin' it nowadays? Don't think I didn't 'ear about your little escape last night - everyone's been talkin' about it."

Elise looked at him disparagingly and simply brushed past him. "So crude," she mumbled under her breath, watching the ground as she walked.

As she turned the corner, someone asked, "What is?"

She knew that voice – it was Caspian, and he was smirking at her.

"Er, no one – never mind that. I was just looking for you."

"I can see that."

She scowled at his baiting tone, but continued, "I've spoken to Ophelia – she's coming with us. I told her we'd be able to drop her off at her town on our journey."

"Where is she from?"

"Mareisola. Have you heard of it?"

"Of course I have, it's part of my kingdom," he joked.

"Oh. Right. Well, where are we meeting?"

"At the stables. I just have a few things to take care of before we go."

"Okay, I'll see you later then. I'll go tell Ophelia where to meet us."

"Alright," he said, starting to walk away.

Before he had left completely, she stopped him. "Wait, Caspian?"

"Yes, what is it?" he asked, somewhat impatiently.

"Thank you again. And Ophelia thanks you as well. Maybe I should be able to trust you with my life, after all."

He smiled kindly. "You're very welcome. But I think perhaps you're just saying that as an excuse to get out of practicing your sword fighting and archery. Don't think I'm not on to you… Your lessons will continue as we travel."

"Great," she said sarcastically.

Again, he grinned at her mischievously. "See you in a bit!" he called enthusiastically, continuing on his way.

Elise shook her head, turned around, and walked back towards the servants' quarters in order to inform Ophelia of their plans.

(Later…)

The two young women waited for Caspian outside of the stables, just as he had requested. It had been a bit of a hassle leaving the palace unnoticed, but, luckily, Ophelia knew all the secret nooks and passages and was able to get them out stealthily.

Just then, Caspian's silhouette appeared in the distance.

"Hello, girls," he greeted once he was in earshot.

"Hello, Your Majesty," Ophelia said with a quick curtsey.

"Hi," Elise said rather unimpressively. After witnessing Ophelia's extreme sense of politeness, she realized that it might be odd travelling with a King and a maid. Their social stations were so far apart – they hardly knew how to deal with one another on a regular basis.

"Does she really have to call you 'Your Majesty'?" she asked rather boldly.

"Er – no, I suppose not…" he said awkwardly. "When it's just the three of us, you can call me Caspian." Elise had kind of put him on the spot, but, he had to admit, it was a topic that needed to be addressed.

"Really?" Ophelia asked. She seemed very nervous.

"Sure. I mean, we're all peers, when you think about it. There's not really any need for formality."

"Alright, if you're certain…"

"Now, Caspian," Elise interrupted eagerly, "do you have a horse for her as well?"

"Yes, there are many. Come inside, we have to get ready."

The inside of the building was just as decrepit the outside; there was hay and dust everywhere, along with several fluffy barn cats lounging on the windowsills. She immediately spotted Xanthus and Rex, who were standing in parallel stalls. However, there were many other horses besides theirs – nearly twenty, she estimated.

"You can have this one," he said, patting a chestnut mare on the nose. The name written on the stall was Nelly. Curiously, Elise looked to see what was written on Xanthus'.

"I took the liberty of labeling her door," he said, following her line of vision.

"Oh, thanks."

The two Telmarines began tacking up their respective horses, and Elise watch attentively while trying to imitate them.

When the trio had finished, they led their horses outside and climbed into their methods of transportation. Caspian rode through the gates first, with the two girls trailing behind him.

"Here we go…" Elise mumbled to herself.

Once they were out the guards' line of vision, Elise saw Caspian take out a map and rode up alongside him.

"So where are we heading first?" she asked.

"We have to cross through the Shuddering Woods. There's a small village called Archenbrook at the start of the woods – it's very old, mostly inhabited by Narnians. We can pick up camping supplies and stay the night there before heading through."

"Camping supplies? We're camping?" she asked distastefully.

"Yes, you didn't think we were staying in resorts along the whole way, did you? Where's the fun in that?"

"But – but isn't it dangerous?"

She heard Ophelia snicker behind her, but ignored it.

"I suppose, but what do you think I wanted to train you for? Plus, what with all that nonsense about trusting me and such, I'd think you would feel perfectly comfortable."

Elise faltered – he had a point. "Fine," she grit out.

They travelled for roughly three hours, before reaching the outskirts of Archenbrook. The town did indeed look ancient, and many of the stone cottages were either drowned in ivy or simply falling apart. The streets were unpaved, and pictorial wooden shop signs hung above them. It seemed to be a quiet town, but there were various semi-human and bestial creatures meandering about. Once they'd entered the village, they tied up their horses.

"I'll get the supplies," Caspian began. He tossed Elise a pouch of coins, "You two can get us rooms at the inn. We'll meet there in a half hour. Alright?"

"Okay," Elise agreed. "But wait, won't people recognize you?"

Caspian shook his head. "The only images of me that people have seen are paintings and sketches. That's the irony of it – no one would recognize me if I wasn't wearing a crown. I have to say, though, it does come in handy."

The local inn was called the Wandering Toad, and the girls were able to procure two rooms – one for them, and one for Caspian.

The innkeeper was an old, kind faun named Mr. Kerok, who was extremely happy to have customers.

"It's hardly very often that we get humans around here," he told them amiably. "What brings you to Archenbrook?"

"We're on our way through the Shuddering Woods," Elise explained vaguely. She didn't want to have to answer too many questions because she didn't know exactly just how much information she was allowed to divulge.

"Just the pair of you? That's a bit of a dangerous mission for two young ladies such as yourselves," he noted.

Elise bit her lip in an attempt to think of a response, but Ophelia beat her to it. "Actually, my brother is accompanying us," she said, "That's who the other room is for."

"Oh, I see. And why is it you're trying to go through the woods?" What is this, an interrogation? Elise thought.

"We're going to see my family in Mareisola," Ophelia answered.

"How wonderful," he said, handing them the keys to their rooms, "Well, I hope you have a safe and successful voyage."

"Thank you," the two said in unison.

Their room was definitely… cozy. It was small, and there were two twin beds, a dresser, and nearly nothing else. But, it was only for one night so it would have to do.

Caspian arrived a half hour later, just as he had told them he would. For someone so used to royal accommodations, he seemed quite unperturbed by their sub-par lodgings and very lax about the hardships that were to come. Although, she did remember him saying something about having defeated his uncle, so perhaps he was more than just a posh, catered-to monarch who had never worked a day in his life. His battle techniques didn't seem theoretical enough to have never been put to the test. Whatever the case, Elise was thoroughly impressed (though she would never admit it) with the way he was handling the whole ordeal.

That night, they had dinner, which consisted of various boiled vegetables, at the only restaurant in the village. They then returned to their respective bedrooms and readied themselves (some more than others - Elise had quite a bit of mental preparation to do) for the voyage that was to be undertaken in the morning.