I was asked for a summary of what had happened so far. The story is meant to be confusing as the Pevensies each piece together what happened, but so far, the reader is supposed to know that none of them are at fault. Unfortunately, Peter and Susan don't know that...
"Edmund? Edmund?" Lucy said anxiously as she entered his private chambers. The guards were hesitant about letting her entered, but ultimately obeyed the young queen.
"Lucy!" he exclaimed, startled. "Pete actually let you come here?"
"Of course. Well, he…doesn't know. He went out training of all things," she pouted, pulling herself up onto the nearby nightstand.
"What are you doing here?" Edmund said, an unusual suspicious edge to his voice as he glanced back worriedly towards his balcony.
Lucy tried not to let her feelings about Edmund acting that way show. "I wanted to talk with you."
"I … that doesn't seem like a good idea," Edmund said. "And please don't go bother Susan. That would…that would be a really bad idea."
"Why?" Lucy persisted. "Although that's what Medea said too."
That peeked Edmund's interest more than anything. "Medea? What did she say?"
"What? Just that she was trying to discourage me from talking with the two of you. That it would just hurt me more," she said, annoyed.
"Well, she's right. And Susan's not in the greatest mood after, well, being accused of all that. And you didn't even try to defend us," Edmund said, a bit of accusation in her voice.
"I…I'm sorry," Lucy stammered, not expecting to be accosted that way.
Edmund kept glancing towards the balcony anxiously. "Never mind. I…I know you just went along with Peter. And you did get him to reduce the sentence. But by the Mane, you know Susan isn't apt to see it the same way, so don't go see her."
Lucy felt a bit perturbed that Edmund was so against her seeing Susan. In fact, that didn't even sound much like her sister. Perhaps her sister when around other people, but not with her! "Fine. Fine!" she said, her mind set on going to see Susan that exact instant. "Goodbye."
She meant to leave with a rude exit after the way Edmund had acted, but then Edmund suddenly – after glancing at his balcony yet again – got up and crossed to her to give her a tight hug.
"I still love you. Just – Just wanted you to know that. And…Susan…I'm sure deep down she does too," Edmund said.
Lucy looked at him suspiciously. "You make it sound as though we'll never see each other again," she pointed out.
"I…I just don't trust Peter to continue to allow us guests. That's – That's it," he said quickly.
"If you say so," Lucy said reluctantly, still feeling something was amiss.
She was about to leave when Peridan of all people suddenly burst into the room. "What are you doing here?" Lucy demanded.
"Ah…" Peridan said, looking shocked to see her there. "I…Ah, well, that is to say, I…came to …to…apologize to the King?"
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "What is this?"
"For um…my testimony. In case he was in fact innocent," Peridan attempted.
"So you think there is a chance?" Lucy interrupted excitedly. "Even with everything you said."
"I…I'd rather not risk his anger if he is innocent," Peridan said, glancing at Edmund who seemed again preoccupied with his window.
"I'll leave the two of you to talk then," Lucy said, much more chipper than she had been when she had entered. Outside, Medea remained, waiting.
"Lady Queen, how goes it?" she asked anxiously. "What did he have to say to you?"
"I am more confused than ever. But, I do believe there may be a chance he is innocent," Lucy said cheerfully.
Medea's hand darted out, grabbing Lucy's hand unexpectedly. "Just – ah – do not get your hopes to high, my Lady. I'd simply be horrified to see your hopes dashed when evidence is piling."
Lucy was about to respond when they heard a loud crash. "What was that?" Lucy yelped. Medea shook her head, equally confused.
Inside, the moment Lucy left, Edmund said, "Well, that was close. What did you think you were doing, coming in here?"
"Everyone was getting anxious."
"My sister came to talk with me. I couldn't refuse," Edmund protested.
Peridan just laughed, rather relieved to see his King somewhat reconciled with his younger sister. But then Susan came to his mind. "You do realize your other sister suspects her?"
"Susan agrees there might be a chance Peter might be behind it and knows it would be dangerous to assume otherwise," Edmund corrected sternly. While Peridan knew Susan was a bit more suspicious than that, he suspected she was acting otherwise to protect her brother and merely nodded as the King talked on. "If we tried talking with Lu though…Well, Lu…she's easy to read. I hate lying to her, but if we told her the truth, she'd easily believe us and everyone would see it on her face and our ruse would be for naught. Now, we need to figure out how to explain you being here while I escape."
"Easy that," Peridan said, grabbing a dagger and slicing his cheek before Edmund could protest.
"Susan's not going to be happy about that," Edmund agreed reluctantly. "But I best get going before they get impatient again."
As Edmund grabbed the makeshift ladder from a secret compartment in the wall and crashed the window to piece, throwing the ladder over to climb down, he overheard Peridan muttering, "Well, they do have good reason for keeping it hurried."
Edmund was about to ask, but Peridan busied himself with making distance between them as Lucy and a retinue of guards and other onlookers burst in, acting as though Edmund had struck him in an attempt to escape. In the distance, he could hear Lucy's horrified cries. Part of him couldn't help feeling relieved that his sister was having trouble believing he would do such a thing.
He dropped to the ground. The guards that had been guarding the tower quickly huddled about, but Edmund didn't react. The Captain of the Guard, a Centauress named Helvetica, had been one of the first people Susan had won to their side, and she arranged for only guards loyal to them specifically for this escape.
"Took you long enough," a Dwarf grumbled humorously.
"So I heard," Edmund sighed. "Why is everyone so hurried then? Peridan said something odd about that."
A few seemed to have no idea, but Edmund caught a few shifting guilty. "What is it?" he demanded.
"The Queen…she…ah…" Lin the Fox said, winding a bushy tail around his legs to hurry him along as Swallowpad flew above to keep an eye out for trouble.
"Let's just put it as if we don't get you there quick, the High King and Queen will never make amends," another said.
As soon as he felt they were far enough to stop, Edmund turned and demanded, "What hot-headed, hazardous is my sister up to now? What miracle must we make happen to fix whatever it is she's done?"
"We don't have time!" Lin suddenly shouted, looking up at Swallowpad signaling them. The small band of renegade Narnians ran, knowing that their best chance was to outrun anyone who might be after them, rather than having to face their own cousin Narnians who'd they never be able to defeat.
Back in the caves, Susan and Peter were facing off, neither budging an inch.
"I can't rule you out. You yourself have pointed out how we constantly get in your way," Susan challenged. While their voices were low enough to not be overheard, the others assembled could pick up on their rulers' agitation and were carefully watching them, the Centaurs ready to defend Peter and all the others ready to rush to Susan's side.
"That doesn't mean I'd frame you to get you out of the way," Peter protested. "This is ridiculous."
"And it is less ridiculous for you to believe Edmund and I would sell you and Lucy out for riches?" Susan challenged. "Also, there's the tiny fact that there's so much evidence."
Peter frowned. "What?"
"Please. Who's the first two people you go to anytime you want something covered up?" Susan scoffed. "If Edmund and I were plotting, there would be no trail of evidence to follow."
Now that gave Peter pause. They were indeed quite the experts at cover-ups and hidden plots. To leave such a shoddy trail of evidence, all of which pointed to them, was simply not like them. "I…I'm going to go talk with Edmund," he decided, feeling he could get a better read on Edmund than he could Susan who had clearly prepared a response for anything he might say or do. "I…I'll return to the castle to speak with him now."
"Then…you will want to stay here," Susan said slowly.
"What was that?" Peter said sharply.
"Edmund…is escaping as we speak," Susan revealed unwillingly, but if Peter wanted to speak with him, perhaps this wasn't too bad.
"This was all a sham for him to escape?" Peter enunciated slowly, pulling his sword out as he spoke.
In less than half a second, the Centaurs had surrounded Peter to protect him and the Narnians loyal to Susan surrounded her. The only person who hadn't moved was Susan, who merely crossed her arms and glared at her brother.
"Don't throw a fit," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Excuse me?" he spluttered, in part shock from her reaction and in part indignation over being treated like a child.
"You were the one who wanted to speak with him. And he's headed this way," she pointed out, mainly as a way to stall Peter from leaving. Clearly, Peter was about to burst any moment, but Susan couldn't let him leave at any cost. Better he have it out with them here than to have him face Edmund.
"You've been keeping me here to get him out. Was anything you said even remotely true?" he spat, hurt beyond being able to truly express how he felt.
"Every bit of it was true," she spat, just as much hatred in her voice. "The real question is whether anything you've said is remotely true."
"Get out of my way," he snarled, raising his sword against her. Susan still refused to move.
"Not a chance. Not until Edmund is safely returned. I won't let you stop him," she said resolutely.
"And I won't let you stop me," Peter growled, angered by Susan's clear insubordination. He charged at her, hoping only to pass her, not hurt her. Even now, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her.
But apparently she did not feel the same way. Susan ducked around his sword and plunged some sort of needle into his arm before either Peter or his Centaurs could react. Instantly, Peter felt woozy.
"Tash's fires! What is that?" he sneered, clutching at his arm.
"P-Peter," Susan tried to say in a steady, strong voice, but then she couldn't keep her voice from wavering as she saw her brother look at her with hate and mistrust in his eyes. "I-If you want the antidote to the poison I just gave you…then…then you'll have to stay here and n-not stop Ed."
"Susan?" Peter said, his voice growing thin and small with shock. He felt weak, but he couldn't distinguish if it was from the poison already acting or a reaction to her betrayal. He fell to his knees when Susan reached out for him instinctively, taking him into her arms.
"I…I really am sorry. But…I need Edmund here. Safe. With me," Susan whispered loud enough for only him to hear, choking up. If they hadn't been talking about his death, Peter would have wanted to reach out and comfort her.
"And you'd go as far as to kill me?" Peter gasped. Susan pressed her lips closed as they quivered, not answering. From that, Peter assumed the worst. He looked away, not even able to look at her.
"Linn?" Susan exclaimed, looking up and seeing the Fox slink in alone. "Where's my brother? Where is he?!"
When the Fox seemed too afraid to answer, Peter assumed the worst. Distantly, he could hear Susan scream. Numbly, he wrapped his arms around his sister, burying his face in her hair so no one would see him cry. Suddenly, nothing else seemed to matter. It seemed miracle that after Susan poisoned him - Tash, was still poisoning him since she had yet to give his an antidote! - that they could ever find any common ground to be family again, but their brother was still too precious to both of them. Their need to have each other was far more important now than any accusations or treason.