Well after a long wait her you go, this chapter may be a bit confussing but bear with me and you'll see why everything is hapening ;)

Chapter 14 – In a Pool of Blood

Edmund

Leuad was still in a huff about Waen and Frith taking too long to eat the grass. He couldn't understand why they even ate that stuff. The only reason he could see for eating that abdominal stuff was if you were feeling so sick that you just wanted to vomit and get all over and done with. But those horses just never seemed to stop eating it, at the slightest chance they would bend their necks and munch at it.

Once again Firth was lowering his head to get a bite of the grass they were trotting past. Leuad snapped at his heels, fed up with all this delay, caused the stallion to rear.

"Frith, don't try to kick my off." Edmund shouted clinging to horses neck.

"My apologies your majesty, this dreadful guard thing you insist on having with us was snapping at my feet."

"And for good reason, you –" Leuad stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. Edmund knowing something was wrong furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you smell, Leuad."

"Someone's approaching. I'll go and see who it is." Leuad jumped off into the forest leaving Edmund and Acontia alone with their horses.

Both of them looked around uneasily, looking for any sign of an intruder. But before they saw anything a small sharp stone was skilfully aimed at the back of Acontia's head knocking her out in one blow. Waen bucked up in fright but Edmund immediately dismounted and putting his hand on her head calmed her. Frith also being frightened by an unexpected attack was whinnying frantically. Edmund hushed words of comfort into their ears and looked around for the attacker.

As his eyes flicker towards a darker patch in the trees, when an arrow flew straight for his head, only a timely ducked saved his life. Drawing his sword he slowly moved over to Acontia who was lying on the floor face down, looking around him all the time.

Just as he could almost reach her another arrow flew past his hand and he turned to look at where the arrow had come from.

"Don't touch her." A voice said as several mounted men showed themselves from the forest all of their bows pointing at Edmund.

Edmund knew better than to attack, he was more likely to survive if he used his tongue and not is sword. Lowering his sword to the ground he lifted his hands up into the air as an act of submission. He was no coward, just clever.

"What should we do with him, sir? Kill him?"

"Yes, why not?" The first man to have spoken said. Several men dismounted drawing their swords now and forcing Edmund to back away from them into Firth.

"No, leave him. All men found on this land report to my master, especially people concerned with her." Another man said pointing to Acontia lying on the ground. This man was dressed in purple instead of the brown that the other men were wearing, this man was from another allegiance.

One of the other men sneered at this remark and the man dressed in purple gave him such a look that the man began to quiver on the spot.

"You would do well to remember who is in charge here." The one in purple said.

"This is not your land, we control things here." The man who had showed himself to be the leader of the men dressed in brown said.

"And who is the overall leader." The purple one said.

The brown one only huffed at this remark and ordered his men to lower their bows.

"We will take him back to our master." One of the brown men said.

"It seems I have no say in this matter then." Edmund put in daringly, openly questioning the men's authority.

The leader of the men in brown dismounted and drawing his sword walked towards Edmund. He moved his sword so that it scraped a line of blood on Edmund's chin. The man then wiped the blood on the grass and looked at it intently. When noting happened he looked back at Edmund and grinned a horrible grin, baring all his blackened teeth.

"You are no star, then why do you risk your life accompanying this traitor? Surely you have enough sense to not aid her." The man kicked Acontia, and Waen now infuriated attempted to kick the man's head in but Edmund intervened, holding her bridle tightly he said to her in hushed words.

"Do not attack, our greatest chance of survival is to play along." He whispered to the enraged horse.

The man dressed in purple stared at Acontia with great interest Edmund noticed and when the leader of the brown men had kicked her he had winced as if it had been he himself who had been kicked. Edmund let go of her bridle and bent down to inspect Acontia. The man had kicked her hard and his spurred boots had drawn blood. The red liquid pooled from her back onto the ground and when it touch earth magnificent blue and white flowers, similar to morning glory in appearance sprouted from where the blood touched.

"Do you know what those are?" The man in purple questioned.

"No." Edmund said on astonishment.

"Do you know who she is?"

"Only that he name is Acontia and by your questions I have gathered that she is a star." Edmund said, knowing that acting as if he was insolent was the best option open to him.

"Why were you with her then?" The man continued.

"We were passing in the forest and were going in the same direction so decided that we would go together." This lying thing wasn't going too badly. The man in purple dismounted and drew his sword raising it above Acontia he turned to Edmund and said

"Then you won't mind if I do this." The sword swept down until it almost sliced Acontia's neck away from her body. Edmund didn't even have time to think as he drew a dagger and with all his might thrust it between Acontia and the sword.

"As I thought." The man in purple said as he put away his sword "Take him."

Before Edmund could react he was hit on the back of the head and all went black.

"He's waking up."

"Go and get some warm water."

"Yes, sir."

All was fuzzy, he couldn't see anything and all sounds were groggy and muffled. He could just about see two figures in his room. He was on a bed and one person was sitting on a chair by the bed, another, a faun was leaving the room.

Edmund slowly tried to prop himself up and immediately found two helping hands propping cushions for him and handing him a glass of water.

"How are you feeling now?" The man said taking the glass of water back and putting it on the bedside table.

"Where am I?" Edmund asked ignoring the question.

"That is of little consequence now, you are still too tired for information to be piled on you." The man said soothingly.

"Who are you?" Edmund said, his list of questions never-ending.

"I might ask the same question from you, but I believe I already know the answer." The man looked at Edmund as if he needed permission to carry on. Edmund continued to inspect his room from the comfort of his bed. It was quite spectacularly built all from wood and leaves making a room, a style of house that he enjoyed.

"If you don't want to answer me you don't have to, but this sword belonged to King Edmund from the Golden age and I have heard rumours that the four have returned once again to Narnia, though for what purpose I know not, Narnia is not at war – but at peace. I was wondering whether you were possibly King Edmund and what you were doing here?"

This man seemed friendly enough, perhaps this was the camp of the west, although he thought that messengers had been sent to announce their arrival.

"Yes, I am King Edmund and what I am doing in these parts are my business and my business alone."

"I must apologise about the harm of which my men did to you."

"Where are the horses? Where is Acontia?"

"Hush, hush, you are still confused. Just go back to sleep."

"NO!" Edmund said placing his legs over the edge of the bed to get up. "You know so much about me, now tell me about yourself."

"Only if you go back to bad."

"I am not a child!" Edmund shouted losing his temper "I am your king, and you will do as I command."

Edmund had realised what he had just said, he was no dictator, his old world had seen too many of those. He was fair and just. King Edmund the Just, this man had been nothing but kind to him and all he could do was shout at him.

"I'm sorry." Edmund finally said "I lost my temper suddenly."

The man raised his eyebrows, silently questioning whether this was something that all Kings did. "You are still tired, I see. You must rest."

"Would you please leave me for a while, I need some time to gather myself." Edmund said, almost half believing that he would love to go back to sleep.

"Of course, your highness." The man said bowing and leaving. Shutting the door behind him Edmund heard the key turn in the lock and the man's footsteps leave.

He immediately jumped up from his bed, and grabbed his head, getting up so quickly wasn't a good idea. He walked over to the shuttered window. Locked as predicted. He walked over to the door, also locked. There was no way out that was for sure.

Edmund, where are you?

"Acontia?" Edmund said unconsciously out loud. I'm in some sort of room, they've locked me in. Where are you.

I'm underground, Edmund, they've tied me up. They know I'm a star. These people are in league with Sorugyn. Edmund they are bad people, please don't trust them.

They have acted kind to me so far.

I know that was how it was for me, but I promise you that no matter what they are like on the outside they are very different on the inside, please trust me on this one.

Edmund heard footsteps and immediately sprung back into bed. He wished to carry on this conversation with Acontia, he wanted to find out who everyone was, where they were and what was happening. The key turned in the lock and the door was pushed open.

The man in purple, whom Edmund had seen earlier, barged in and roughly forced Edmund's hand behind his back pushing him out of the door.

"I can walk without assistance, you know." The man let go of his hand making sure to give it an extra hard twist before he let Edmund walk free.

"Where are we going?" Edmund dared to ask. However the man did not say anything. "Don't you speak?"

"You wanted to see your little friend didn't you, see how weak she has become."

"What?" Edmund said but before he could say anything he felt a blind fold being put over his eyes and both his hands were taken and he was led roughly down some steps, into the open air and down some more steps.

"Where are you taking me?" He was suddenly pushed against a wall and a knife shoved to his throat.

"If you don't shut up I will slice your throat. I am just trying to help you, I thought you wanted to see your 'friend' so come and see her."

Edmund said nothing but followed trying his best to memorise the directions in which this man was taking him. After going down another flight of stairs he heard a new voice.

"You don't have permission to be here, Allem. You know that."

"I have a special visitor, let me through."

"What was that, a threat?"

Edmund heard a knife being drawn and the other soldier hurriedly said

"Of course, you may pass, my apologies."

Edmund was pushed roughly passed a doorway into a place that stank of damp, rotten flesh and blood. The blindfold was ripped off his eyes and he saw very little apart from the darkness in front of him.

Edmund could hear voices, and one was certainly Acontia's. Almost involuntarily he ran forwards, but the man in purple, or Allem as the guard had called him, held him back and forced him to walk slowly by his side. They reached a door and Allem swung it open revealing a pool of blood, a man whom he had thought so kind before – the one who had given him water, and above all Acontia beaten, kicked and gloved hands tied so firmly behind her back she could barely move, there seemed so little life left in her that Edmund ran over to her and cradled her in his arms. But Acontia seemed to barely notice Edmund's presence as her eyes were fixed upon Allem, who in turn did not take his eyes off her.

The man who had given Edmund water earlier that day was sitting in the corner staring at Allem who suddenly turned all his attention to him walked over and hit him with the side of his sword of the head, knocking him out.

"Who are you?" Edmund asked still cradling Acontia in his arms who looked as if she had seen a ghost "What are you going to do with us?"

"I will take you to Sorugyn." Edmund had to quickly remind himself that Sorugyn was the man they were all fighting "These people here wanted to keep you to themselves, you would never leave this place, but Sorugyn will treat you kindly, of course if you do what he says, Acontia please." This time Allem was looking her straight in the eye "You must do what he says, or it will be your end."

"It will be my end to ever submit to Sorugyn, I will never do what he commands me. He killed my brother, you killed my brother. He trusted you Allem, my dear brother Iliad trusted you. Why do you do this Allem? You look upon yourself and think you are doing me a favour but in reality you are sentencing me to a certain death."

"Sorugyn will not kill you, he loves you Acontia, we all loved you, I love you, and that is why I want to help you."

"Then unleash me, Allem, take off the metal from my hands, take off the gloves."

"You would kill me Acontia."

"Then let it be my revenge for what you did to my brother." Edmund watched this little conversation between the two and standing up between Allem and Acontia he addressed Allem.

"Do as she says." He knew his command sounded feeble and weak but it was the most he could do.

"You will stay out of this conversation." Allem shouted kicking Edmund out into a second part of the cell, then pulled a lever causing bars to fall from seemingly nowhere, separating him from Acontia.

Acontia he shouted in his head as he watched Allem stalk back over to her and lift her up by her hair and pushed his knife to her throat. Acontia struggled but her feet were off the ground and her hair was literally being pulled out of her head. Edmund instinctively put his hand in his shoe, where he always kept a secret knife hidden, and was surprised that it was still there skilfully threw the dagger so that it flew straight underneath Allem's hand cutting off Acontia's hair in one big swipe. Acontia fell to the floor and seizing the opportunity kicked Allem between the legs, then kicking him on the chest forcing him onto the floor knocked him out with one big swipe to the head.

She quickly ran over to the lever and released Edmund who in turn ran over, seized the keys and unlocked Acontia's handcuffs. Before Edmund could say a word, Acontia had seemingly drawn some strength and ha scrambled over to his fallen knife and was about the stab Allem with it when Edmund quickly grabbed her hand to prevent her.

"Please, we was only doing what he thought best, I don't know what he has done to you but please, don't spill more blood than is necessary."

Acontia looked at him, then at Allem, then at the man who had given Edmund the water earlier, she stood up and handed Edmund the knife.

"How little you know, Edmund, how little you know."

But he was not listening any longer; he led Acontia past many hallways, rooms and entrances. Edmund was surprised by how little people there were around, only once did they pass anyone, and they were far too absorbed in their shoes to notice to fugitives heading towards the stables. They reached the stables and Acontia was so weak she had to be lifted onto Waen. Edmund spurred both the horses on into the forest.

Hope you liked it, if you are confused about anything, don't hesitate to ask me, or just post it in a review.

Oh and on that note, please reveiw.

Thanks