Jaerin

"Oh yes. That will do quite nicely. Now, Jaerin, son, would you get me some more Blue Delphiniums? I think that is the last thing I need to finish this arrangement."

Jaerin stared blankly at the elaborate flower display and the plump Hen arranging it. "Delphiniums? What're those?"

"Oh! Well then, I'll just fetch them myself. Boys. Wouldn't know a Mum from a Zinnia."

With a flutter of wings, the Hen hopped off the table and waddled toward the long benches covered with flowers that stood in the center of the Great Hall. Jaerin backed slowly away, hoping get away before some other decorating female caught sight of him and put him to work. This was most definitely not how he wanted to spend his Seventhday. Suddenly, just as he reached the walls, a hand shot out from behind the heavy tapestry and jerked him under it. A second hand clamped down over his mouth before he could cry out.

"Shh! Susan's coming and if you make one peep, we're both doomed." King Edmund's voice hissed in his ear. Jaerin relaxed and the king released his hold. An instant later, both boys stiffened as Queen Susan's voice reached their ears.

"Faria, have you seen my brothers? I thought they were helping somewhere but no one seems to know where."

"Naaay, my queen," bleated a Sheep. "The younger Peridanson was here a moment ago but he's gone."

"Bother. If you see either Peter or Edmund, do let me know."

"Of course."

Queen Susan's voice moved to the other side of the Hall and both Edmund and Jaerin let out a sigh of relief.

"That was too close," Edmund whispered. "Come on. We're getting out of here."

"Where to?" Jaerin murmured back as he scooted carefully along the wall. There was a surprising amount of space behind the tapestry.

"Out. One moment." Edmund fiddled with one of the animal faces carved along the wall and a dark hole opened in the stone. "Quick, in here."

Jaerin ducked into the hidden tunnel after Edmund and soon they were plunged into total darkness. There was a scratching sound and then a small light flared up. With his pale skin and dark hair, the flickering candle made King Edmund look almost ghostly. A delighted shiver traced its way down Jaerin's spine.

"Where are we going?"

"Exploring. I arranged it with Oreius already. Jaer and I escaped the clutches of these decorating madwomen and set out to find our respective brothers. I found you instead. I hope he finds Peter."

"Where are we exploring?"

"Anywhere. It's called exploring for a reason. Here we are."

The other end of the tunnel opened into a nondescript sitting room, empty but for two fair-haired boys lounging in the chairs.

"There you are. I'd begun to think you'd been caught again." King Peter stood and stretched lazily. King Edmund scowled.

"Try avoiding Susan, three fauns, five dryads, an over eager Sheep, and who knows how many hens working in the Great Hall. See if you can get here any faster."

"Ah. That explains it. But at least you have your quarry."

"You were my quarry. This one was his." King Edmund jerked his thumb at Jaerin then pointed at Jaer. The older Peridanson shrugged.

"My apologies, King Edmund. Do you want me to take him back where I found him so you can fetch him?"

"'He' is not going to be taken or fetched anywhere," Peter replied. "'He' wants to know what his brother has planned."

"An escape. Anywhere to get away from this madhouse. Oreius and Celer should have passed the word along to get our horses ready and have them waiting south of the drawbridge. Getting there without being caught is our own affair."

King Peter's smile wavered. "Has it really been that bad?"

"Just be glad I told you to take three days picking strawberries."

"You were picking strawberries?" Jaerin gaped. "For three days?"

"Among other things. If that's the case, Ed, let's get out of here."

King Peter stepped up to the door and peered out. His brother drew near. Both waved for the Peridanson brothers to come at the exact same time. It was rather funny, particularly since neither seemed to realize it. Following the kings through the halls of Cair Paravel, Jaerin grew steadily more excited. It was like in some of the stories he had read where the hero had to slip into the castle, find the final clue, and slip out without the hordes of the enemy noticing. Of course it would not be complete without getting spotted at the last minute and having to fight through a host to escape. Though, on reflection, Jaerin thought it would be better if they could vanish without a trace. You couldn't exactly draw a sword on a woman with flowers.

Almost the four boys were caught as someone opened one of the doors along the hallway but Jaerin caught the sound of the latch lifting and dragged his brother behind a statue. The kings responded instantly as well though not certain for the cause of the alarm. Both nodded in approval when the danger passed.

Even outside of the castle, they had to tread carefully, avoiding gardeners, overzealous Beasts, and Birds that flew in from nowhere. The Birds were the most dangerous—they could reveal their position to Queen Susan and that would be the end of their expedition. But the recent rains had so rejuvenated the land that the trees were full of foliage and provided decent cover against an aerial attack. Finally, nearly three quarters of an hour after Jaerin's rescue, they raced across the drawbridge and rolled under the southern edge.

"Where're the horses?" Jaerin asked when he had caught his breath. Oh but this was fun!

"Probably further down. I doubt Oreius would have them this close. People would wonder. Come on."

King Edmund led the way and, with considerably more boldness, the boys trooped along the castle walls. To no avail. No sign of their mounts could be found anywhere. Jaer chewed at his bottom lip, a sure sign he was thinking of something but not certain of his deduction. Jaerin rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Jaer. What do you want to say?"

Jaer started and looked sheepish. "I was just wondering. Could Oreius and Celer have been conscripted too? I mean, I did see Tempest and Rickat among the workers…"

The two kings shared a look. "That would be bad," King Peter said slowly. "Since they were probably also supposed to arrange for a guard and insure that our absence was accounted for?" King Edmund nodded.

"Does that mean we have to go back?" Jaerin's shoulders sagged.

King Peter shook his head decisively. "No. The General knows what we're doing. If he gets worried, he'll come after us himself. Besides," a decidedly mischievous grin spread across his face, "I want to get away from guards and courtiers. It'll give them a chance to practice their tracking skills."

"Yes!" Jaerin shouted. King Edmund rolled his eyes.

"On your head, brother mine."

"Always. Let's go."

The boys set out at an easy lope for the forests south of the Cair. They bypassed the road that led along the craggy ocean cliffs and plunged into the trees. It did not take long for the Peridanson brothers to lose sight of the Pevensie brothers. Jaerin would have kept up with them but Jaer held him back.

"Let them be. They haven't had much time to themselves in a while. And King Edmund's in a grouchy mood. We'll go this way."

Jaer turned their course slightly more west than the kings' path and wove his way through the trunks with ease. Jaerin ran at his side, endeavoring to keep his steps as silent as possible. After a while, they came across a small stream and halted. Eagerly, they splashed the cool water on their faces.

"I just thought of another problem," Jaerin said. "We don't have any food."

Jaer laughed. "We'll be back in plenty of time for supper. Didn't you eat lunch?"

"I'm still hungry."

"Maybe we'll find some early berries. Let's follow this stream for a bit—it'll throw the Dogs off our scent for a little bit."

"And Kep'll think we drowned until they find it again." Jaerin cocked his head to the side. "Then again, maybe not. He'll probably think the kings are dead instead."

Laughing, the two boys shed their boots and trooped upstream. After a little while, simply walking grew to dull for Jaerin and he tried swinging along on the overhanging branches. That worked for a little while but then, predictably, he missed his grip and plunged into the stream. Jaer's laughter at his plight demanded retaliation and so of course they started a water fight. Breathless, soaked, and grinning, the two brothers finally decided to find a sunny spot to dry off.

"And some berries!" Jaerin added when Jaer mentioned it.

"If there are any to be found."

Surprisingly enough, they did find a few early blackberries and munched on those. Jaer eventually climbed a tree and perched on one of the large branches. Leaning against the trunk, he broke off a thick twig and began whittling it idly. Not to be outdone, Jaerin settled at the tree's base with a stick of his own. Before long, he was lost in the wonder of transforming a plain piece of wood into something useful and a rough whistle began to take shape. And so the afternoon passed.

A leaf fell from the branches and Jaerin brushed it off his head. And then he stiffened. Slowly, he looked up and scanned the woods. He felt as though something was watching him. "Something's wrong, Jaer."

"Hmm?" Jaer looked down.

"It's quiet."

"So?"

"There were birds singing a second ago. And the squirrels are gone too." Jaerin stood up and walked a short distance forward. Above him, the rustling in the branches indicated his brother was sitting up and taking notice. "Something is wrong."

A/N—Thank you so much for your encouraging reviews! I hope I replied to everyone. My hand is better now so I get to write on a more regular basis. But tennis season is started so my free time is decreasing. My goal is to finish this story before the year is out. I've been dragging it on long enough already.

This expedition is meant to be the one in which Peter and Edmund find their fishing hole mentioned in Were it Not for You by elecktrum. Only, of course, this is Jaer and Jaerin's end of it. I was going to write this before she wrote her chapter 2 so it works perfectly!

Next chapter: In which the expedition turns sour