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Author's Note: This one was hell to write. Enjoy. :)

Chapter 21 – The Tower of Darkness

Edmund sighed and allowed his tears to cool his cheeks. An orc named Saga had just visited him. Four of his friends as well. Edmund was still shivering in sheer panic over nearly being eaten. The orcs came every other night or so when the wizard was out. They came under the cover of darkness and stole his blood.

That night four orcs had visited him with a small knife and a leather skin. "We just wan' a little sip," one of them had drawled.

Edmund could barely move and had scrambled to a corner. His limbs were shaking. He hated it. He hated feeling weak and exploited, but could do little to stop it. That's not to say he didn't try. He kicked and cried out as loud as he could just before one orc clamped a filthy hand over his mouth. He whimpered as one grabbed him from behind and pressed him against itself. He struggled as another pulled out a small, sharp blade and reopened an old wound at his hip.

It was hidden under his shirt, by the hem of his pants, so the dark slacks would disguise the blood. They had reopened the wound and one of them had leaned down and licked it. Edmund's skin crawled and he had let out an involuntary whimper. He was shaking and twitching to try and wriggle away from the horridness of it all.

They did this almost every night. Snuck in, pinned him down and opened a small vein. They claimed his blood tasted better than others'. But they only took a little. They let it bleed into the leather skin until they deemed they had enough. Edmund had also quickly figured out that Saruman knew about this obsession of theirs. One day Edmund told him. It had been at the beginning of another interview, before Edmund had been exposed to the wickedness of Saruman's mind.

But the wizard had simply chuckled and left. He returned with three orc heads and slapped them onto the floor of Edmund's "chamber" before he left again. He calmly explained that the beasts had been taken care of, but Edmund knew he was lying. The next night, four more came. They bled him and taunted him before they left. They never stayed for more than half an hour, but with every passing night he feared it more.

It was wearing him down. The blood loss, though not profound, was enough to make him tired and weak. Coupled with very irregular sleep-patterns and hardly any food, Edmund could barely fight back.

The only consistent thoughts were of escape. It was always on his mind. He was sure he would escape. Just not when. He was sure Lucy would come for him if he didn't find a way out himself, which meant he had to find one before she came looking. There was no way in hell he would risk her getting caught and undergoing the same treatment he had for the past week.

He was almost sure it was a week, give or take a day. He slept most of the time anyway. At first he had been so concerned with escaping he had been trying to stay awake for longer than his body could handle. Then after two and a half days he finally passed out. He slept for almost a whole day and was haunted by strange dreams all the while. Fiery eyes and monsters. Old men who looked nice on the outside, but were as rotten inside as that apple he once bit into on midsummer's eve.

Since then, he had slept too much. The dizzying shift from not sleeping at all to sleeping twenty hours of the day had made him lose track of time completely. That day, the eighth day in his prison cell, Saruman visited him again. "I trust you slept enough?" The wizard had noticed his sleeping pattern and, Edmund was sure, was the prime cause of it.

He glared at him from his spot in the corner.

Saruman smirked and walked further into the room.

"Why are you keeping me here?" Edmund's voice was worn, but he still tried to sound neutral.

"You have asked me that many times now,"

"And you have still to give me a satisfactory answer." Edmund tried to keep his voice dull as he glared up at the White Wizard.

Saruman seemed to consider. "I have kept you here, Edmund, because your mind interests me."

Edmund sighed and tried to disguise the sudden rush of sadness with a huff. Why was this always happening to him? Not this particular situation, but he had a tendency to attract attention from the worst sorts.

"The day you helped your sister escape, you brought attention to yourself, but I assume you know this?"

Ed didn't answer. He had found a chink in the polished wall and was staring intently at it.

"Perhaps you expected an expedient trial?"

Edmund was doing his very best not to rise to the curiosity to glance at the wizard. He knew where the conversation would lead. Where it always led.

"What are the names of your siblings?" Saruman tilted his head. "How did you get here, Edmund?" His voice was still soft and probing. Not yet the burning scythe it would become.

"I walked." He folded his hands when they began to shake.

Saruman sighed. "Why do you fight me?"

"Because I. Don't. Like. You." He turned his eyes to Saruman and hated the smile that creased the man's face. Edmund was trying to keep frightened and tired tears at bay, but barely succeeding.

"Haven't you learned by now that it does not matter what you want?"

Edmund glanced at the rotting orc heads in the corner and scooted closer to the wall.

"You will show me." Saruman jutted out his hand. His fingers resembled claws.

A sharp pain flared up Edmund's spine and his back arched off the wall. "Please. . ." He shook as the pain crept from his spine to his skull. "P-Please, don't. . ."

Saruman's hand began shaking and a greedy expression came over him. "You will show me everything."

"No!" He flinched when the pain went into his skull and images started flashing behind closed lids. He could feel the cold floor and the burning pain all at once, and it was wreaking havoc with his brain. He saw himself as a young boy, fighting with his family. After his father had left for the war. He saw himself go to Professor Kirke's. He watched as a younger version of himself followed Lucy through the Wardrobe- "Stop!" He flinched back and let out an earsplitting scream. He wouldn't let Saruman see what he so desperately wanted.

"Why did he choose you?" His voice was venomous and jealous.

Edmund curled in on himself with a groan, but the wizard wasn't done. More pain lanced through his body as if it was on fire. He screamed again. Saruman's fire dug deeper into his memories. He saw flashes of Narnia. The first few years after being crowned. Later, when he finally learned to let go of his guilt. Later still, when he became the Just King, not just by name, but by action as well.

"Show me everything," Saruman whispered.

Edmund saw flashes of the troubles he and his brother had faced. He saw the wars and the darkness, but the worst parts were the happy memories. The way he knew Saruman was watching them, was worse than seeing all the horror and darkness. Because those memories were private. His and his family's alone. Not for some wizard to use against him. "No. . ." he whimpered into the floor.

But then something happened. Saruman suddenly stopped. He lowered his hand and turned when an orc appeared at the door. "The army is ready, my Lord." it said.

Edmund was on his stomach, panting. Fisting his hands and trying to wedge himself as far into the corner as he could.

"Good. Have the Warg riders left?"

"Yes. They left during the night as instructed, my Lord."

"Very well. Send Spang to me when they return." Saruman dismissed the orc and turned back to Edmund. "We're not finished," He stepped further into the room. "You will tell me what I want to know because it is the only option you have."

Edmund hated many things about the man before him. His kind face that hid his true nature. He had known too many men like that. He hated how well he articulated. How he was so unshakable in his belief that keeping Edmund was the right thing.

Those were just some of the many traits.

And the only thing that comforted Edmund was how Saruman was able to view all of his memories, but not able to understand their context. He hadn't yet figured out what Ed's title was, only that he had been king. He didn't know his siblings' names. He didn't know Aslan. Edmund scoffed mentally. The idea that Saruman assumed Edmund was a former king. There were no such things as former kings. Once you were crowed, you remained king or queen until the end of days.

And right then and there, Edmund realized what Saruman's greatest weakness was. The wizard, for all his terrible power, was unable to imagine a life after death. He hadn't the imagination to draw conclusions from the flashes and images he pried from Edmund's mind. That discovery almost made him smile. He could probably let Saruman see all he wanted and he still wouldn't know what to do with it.

"You asked me why I'm doing this to you?"

Edmund looked up, no longer feeling quite so terrified. Also the pain was lessening for the first time in days, and a strange sense of anticipation rose in him. As if something was about to happen.

"You are here because your appearance belittles your age. I see something truly confusing. Something I have never seen before, and I have seen more than you ever will."

Edmund doubted that.

"Yours, is a state of being one cannot find, even in the elves." Saruman relaxed as if he was carrying on a civilized conversation. "One that exists in your siblings as well. And I want to know how it works," The greed slipped back into his voice and made Edmund draw back slightly. So immortality was what he thought he could dig out of his mind?

The wizard approached him with his hand out-stretched as if he could pluck Ed's thoughts from the air. But then, without any warning, he suddenly stopped. Some of the tension evaporated and he smiled. "They have arrived," He whispered and left the room without another word. The door to Edmund's chamber was left open as usual, but he still felt unable to get up. He watched as Saruman started mumbling. There was no one but the two in the whole tower. He seemed much more absorbed in whatever was happening, than he usually did in anything else. He was standing in front of a black orb, speaking with someone through it.

From his spot on the floor, Edmund stared up at the wizard. It was as if he was in a trance and completely oblivious to anything outside his daydream. He stood in the center of his tower and let a claw-like hand hover over the black orb. Edmund had seen this several times. Each time an orange glow came to life in the center of the ball. He didn't like it. Each time it was as if a dark voice filled the entire tower. A strange whisper.

The agony in Edmund's body had only just dropped to a dull throb when Saruman cried out in anger. He jolted when the wizard reeled back in shock, and then became downright furious. With a loud "No!" Saruman was catapulted back. A boom vibrated through the tower like an almighty growl. Saruman's head connected with the marble with a loud crack.

He froze. The wizard didn't get up. In fact he seemed quite unconscious. The near constant pain in Edmund's head lifted and he suddenly became able to move. He was sitting and about to stand when five guards burst through the doors.

Five Uruk-hai warriors. They gawked, first at the unconscious wizard, then at Edmund. "What did you do?" The voice of the one who spoke was like a hoarse growl.

Edmund scooted further into a corner. The movement made a dull ache flair up in his muscles. The Uruk-hai entered the chamber and stood in a circle around him.

One of them growled. With a sneer, it leaned down and grabbed his hair in a cruel grip. It yanked him to a kneeling stance, only inches from its putrid face. "You'll wish you were never born." it snarled.

Edmund was panting. "Please. I didn't do an-"

The first punch hit him the side of the face. Next a powerful kick to the ribs. And so on it went with abuse, far too violent to describe. I will say this though: Just as the lead Uruk-hai was about to pull out its dagger and use it on Edmund, Saruman awoke.

"Stop, you fools!" His booming voice was like a warped beacon of hope and Edmund sagged in relief. "He's not to be touched!"

The Uruk-hai pulled back. "We thought he attacked you, my Lord." It looked slightly confused.

Saruman viciously pushed the Uruk out of the way to get a good look at Edmund. He was lying in a heap on the floor. He had curled in on himself a while back and was only just beginning to uncurl.

"It seems your little friends brought the help of an old friend of mine." Saruman hissed. His face was no longer serene as it had been. It now resembled that of a mad man. He wouldn't come near Edmund, though. "I will get what's mine!" he hissed and slammed the door to the chamber.

Edmund was left in silence to fret over the torture to come, though he needn't have worried. The next day there was an almighty uproar. Saruman's angry voice drifted through the closed door several times. At one point he heard the wizard addressing someone in charge of the army. He ordered the troops to prepare for departure that same night towards something called Helms Deep. The general, probably an Uruk-hai, informed him that the army was too grand to pass through the gap between Fangorn and the Great Mountains, and that they would have to go around. Not realizing its specific importance, Edmund filed it away for later.

Saruman agreed in a sour voice and the tower fell silent again.

As evening light entered his chamber, Edmund was still feeling the pain from the beatings. His entire body ached so bad it hurt to move. The chill in the room had stiffened his muscles and made them almost immobile. The only positive thing to come of Saruman's outburst was the clarity in his mind. He felt as if the wizard's hold over him had somewhat lessened.

As the sky went from a glowing orange to light blue Edmund started a mocking count all his fortunes. He only made it to one before the door once again opened to reveal Saruman. The Just King prepared for another exploratory invasion of his obstinate mind, but froze when nothing happened. He straightened and looked up when someone blew through the tower doors. He frowned as the wizard turned to see who had interrupted him.

A hunched, dark-haired man entered and bowed. His meek voice pleaded with Saruman for mercy, but Saruman's body went rigid with anger. Edmund felt a little sorry for whoever had enraged him so, but was much too drained to seriously muster up any kind of concern. And the man looked a far cry from someone to spend energy pitying. He fell back against the floor with a sigh.

Saruman addressed Edmund before the servant could speak his first words. "It seems that my influence over King Théoden has been lifted." he sneered. He looked even more disheveled. "It also seems that my trusted advisor has fled his post and has come running to me, crying for forgiveness. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this?"

Edmund almost huffed. Why ever would he?

"The Warg riders have returned, my Lord, but only a handful still lives. Most of the men escaped to Helms Deep," It was the slimy man who spoke. The only human Edmund had seen to ally with Saruman.

The wizard hissed, completely forgetting his presence. "What?"

Edmund was surprised to find that he was able to pull himself to a seated position. He leaned heavily against the wall, his face was screwed up in pain, and he panted terribly, but he was still sitting.

"I-. . . I'm sorry, my Lord-"

"Silence, Grima!" Saruman flung out his hand.

Grima, as the black-haired man was obviously named, whimpered and fell back as if struck. Edmund then decided beyond any doubt that the man was not someone he should shed tears for. He had always been good at reading the intensions others, ever since Jadis. This man was every inch as bad as Saruman, if not worse. At least Saruman had the decency to be outright evil. This man didn't look brave enough to openly admit to anything.

"Your cowardly nature is as obvious to me as it was to that whore you called mother, the day she spat you out!"

Grima whimpered again.

Edmund found that the aches in his limbs from Saruman's torture were lessening with every heartbeat. The magic that had been inflicted upon him was being directed now towards Grima. Only the bruising from the beating persisted. Those were familiar aches. Pains he had lived and fought against on numerous occasions. Pains he could ignore. He could now flex his feet without any flaring pain. That in itself was an accomplishment. It meant Saruman's hold over him was slipping.

"You disappoint, Grima!" Saruman's voice sounded toxic as he advanced on the kneeling man.

"P-Please. . ." The servant was crying if the wobble in his voice was anything to go by. "I only did as you asked-"

"Silence!"

"Ahr!" Grima screamed. Edmund saw him recoil and knew what kind of pain the man was feeling. And yet he didn't feel sorry.

He gingerly pushed himself away from the wall and took a tentative step. He found his legs were working again. His eyes widened in surprise. He snuck to the edge of the chamber and looked into the main tower. Saruman had cornered Grima and was leering over him as the man screamed. Edmund drew a breath to find courage and stepped fully into the tower. To his surprise and cautious joy, Saruman had yet to notice that he was standing and moving towards the door. On his way he spotted the wizard's staff, leaning against a wall. He grabbed it and quietly hid it just behind the door of his chamber before he made a dash for the door. It wouldn't slow the wizard much, but it would have to be enough.

Then the unthinkable happened. The doors burst open to reveal three Uruk-hai. All three stopped in surprise when they entered and found Edmund directly in front of them. The irrational fear that had been driven into him by the wizard over the past days was still very much there, and Edmund felt his courage waver for a second. Then there was a loud roar in his mind. A deep voice spoke to him across time and space.

Run!

It was an order from Aslan, he realized. Never once having disobeyed his King he hurled himself at the closest Uruk with a war-cry. Narnia! Saruman only now noticed the commotion, but was thoroughly unprepared to stop it. He saw his Uruk-hai engage in a brief fight with the boy. Edmund grabbed the rod from the felled Uruk. He felt an additional strength flow back into his limbs and forced the soldiers backwards out the door. Saruman shouted for them to stop him, but little could they do.

Unseen by him, the wizard made a mad dash for his staff, instinctively knowing where it was. But Edmund no longer cared. Because though he could not see his own eyes just then, he knew exactly what they looked like. Blazing gold. He felt strong. The rod swung in perfect arches left and right and knocked the Uruks further and further back. When his feet hit dirt he somehow knew he had won. Saruman had regained his staff and was coming to personally stop Edmund's escape, not knowing the boy had a much stronger force behind him.

Outside he was met by an army. Everyone was staring at the tower, as if unsure which way was up or down. The horse, Edmund! Run! Another roar, carried forth on wind, made every beast tremble. Two horses stood a few feet from him. One was completely black and the other bay. The only horses he had seen since entering Orthanc, and it was as if Aslan's paws were pushing him forward. The bay horse was tied to a spike on the tower. He ripped it free and swung into the saddle.

The three Uruks had been beaten down and now lay in the dirt, dying. The remaining orcs and Uruk-hai in the immediate area stared at him in passing, as if not comprehending what was happening.

"The prisoner is escaping, you fools!" one orc roared. "Get 'im!"

Edmund only spent a second hesitating before he turned the horse around and sped for the gates. As he did, he heard a roar of anger from the tower and the dazed beasts awoke as one. The one who had shouted was calling out orders for others to take up pursuit until a deep voice boomed through the area, and stopped everyone once again. "No! There's no time! Prepare for departure NOW!"

Edmund didn't have to turn to know it was Saruman. The army was marching for war and one human, no matter how special, was not enough to stop preparations. He was out of Orthanc before the first orc could take up pursuit. And with no Wargs and no horses they had no way of catching him. Still, his heart pounded for fear that they would follow. But he needn't have worried. They didn't bother. His horse was too fast and Saruman had already called out new orders.

And even so, he didn't dare look back. He was afraid it was a dream. Afraid he would look back and see the black wall he had been staring into for days. He was free and saw no reason to curse his luck.

The wind on his face was like an embrace from a long forgotten friend and washed away any lingering fear. He thought only briefly of where to run. Before his escape he was determined to run into Fangorn and find his sister, but that seemed like the coward's solution now. Obviously Saruman was sending his army to find more humans. Sending it towards something called Helms Deep, if the orders he'd overheard were true. He knew he should have stayed and helped the other slaves escape, but that would have gotten him nowhere.

No. He needed to warn as many as people as possible in this Helms Deep that an army was marching out tonight. He spurred his horse on. It was devilishly fast. Almost as fast as his old Horse, Phillip. Same bay color as well, only a little darker. This was perhaps the reason he chose it and not the black one – the one which was incidentally Grima's horse. Edmund looked down at its fluttering mane and smiled. He half expected it to speak.

And so, he rode for several hours till the sun vanished completely from the sky. But he wasn't worried. He had a horse. He had the light of the stars to guide his way. They lit they sky and as he gazed higher and thought of Lucy. She is well, Dear One. Do not lose speed. He snapped back to attention and leaned forward to spur the horse on. He headed due south, not knowing where else to run, and the horse seemed to want to go south. He had glanced into Fangorn upon leaving Isengard, but figured Lucy would have gone back in the direction they came after hiding in the forest. She would have headed south, he decided.

She has to.

AN: As some may notice this takes place around the time the previous chapter lets off - before AND after. This was part of the timeline that really blended my brain. I mucked it up more times than I can count and this was the closest I could get to making it all coherent. The next two or three chapters interlace with one another. They go from past to present in parallel timelines. Hope you can keep better track than I could. :)

Also, I'd like to introduce you all to a concept called Deus Ex Machina. Some of you know it, others don't. It's a tool (aptly named 'hand of God') I've used several times in this story. I can promise you I'll use it again because the Narnian Chronicles makes it so convenient. But I can also promise you I'll try to make it less obvious in the future. Thanks for reading. You're the reason we're all here.