Threads
Chapter 10
Edmund watched the Telmarine castle looming closer and closer. He reminded himself that the mission was simple: he simply had to find the relics. Finding Eirene was a secondary objective, but it was not his priority.
He felt wretched when he caught his own thoughts. But it was the truth. Despite the unwavering scent of roses that refused to leave his memory, he knew he couldn't focus solely on finding her.
He knew too little of Eirene, and he knew too much of what could happen if the gifts fell into the wrong hands.
He pressed his hands against the griffin's mane, signaling it to descend. Once Lucy, Reepicheep and his company of mice had their feet on the ground as well, they met with the wolves. They were two: one with gray coating and the other with white fur.
Edmund looked at the group in front of him and he envisioned the plan clearly in his head.
He'd find the gifts. The rest of the party before him would find their princess.
"I know none of us has ever been inside that castle," Edmund began, "so you will be our guides," he looked at the wolves.
"Of course, we shall track Eirene, your grace" The white wolf said.
Edmund nodded.
"But her scent isn't fresh on our noses," the gray coated wolf said to his partner.
Edmund sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Perhaps—tracking the scent of roses will suffice," he said.
The wolves nodded and they turned back around, looking at the castle. Edmund stayed put. His objective was clear in his head, he just didn't know how he'd achieve it.
"Wait, look! The guards," Reep said. Edmund turned to the castle, noticed the hurried figures moving. They held torches in their hands, moving quickly across towers. Their movements looked somewhat frantic, as if something was amiss.
"The floodgate is open," Edmund said.
"Is that normal?" Lucy asked.
"I don't think so."
"A security flaw?" Reep asked.
"Or maybe someone else is already here," Edmund said.
"Let's make haste then," Reep said, "We go in first and distract the guards if necessary. Then you and the wolves go in."
Reepicheep and the rest of his mice proceeded as he said. The rest of the party followed only after Reep signaled them.
"We'll go in first, your grace," the white wolf said.
"Once we're all in, we can begin tracking the princess' scent," the gray wolf added.
Everyone nodded, but Lucy gathered her breath.
"Ed?" She asked him, before going within the castle bounds, "how are we going to find our things?"
"I thought about searching the dungeons, the armory. We should start there."
Lucy nodded, but was still visibly nervous.
"Hey, Lu," he said, Lucy turned to face him, "it'll be fine. I promise."
Lucy nodded hesitantly. But in truth, Edmund wasn't sure that it would.
Before they moved, rain started pouring. The water felt like cold daggers against their clothes, but Edmund was thankful for it. The sensation helped calm his nerves and it lowered their risks of being discovered. He just hoped Eirene's scent wasn't erased by the downpour.
Lucy breathed in and stood up straight before going into the castle. Edmund followed behind.
Lighting brought purple light that illuminated the surroundings. The wolves guided them further within the castle, and another loud thunder shook through them as the rain began drenching them.
The party then divided, the mice went up a tower to explore the upper floors, and the wolves were directed towards the dungeons. Edmund followed them, thinking that it was likely to find both Eirene and the gifts down there. Lucy tried to follow behind.
"Stay here, Lu," he told his sister, "you'll be our watch."
"But what if—"
"We'll be quick, Lu, promise! We need you, in case Reep comes looking for us," he said.
Edmund descended towards the dungeons, seeing nothing but darkness. He was met with an empty corridor, not even lit with torches. Edmund followed the wolves quietly, and watched as they sniffed every cell door.
Edmund's hairs were on end, looking at every corner, hearing every noise. Edmund began to look within every cell, watching the shadows in case anything moved. Everything was still, but behind him footsteps echoed. Edmund turned around, taking both of his battle knives out.
"It's me!" Lucy spoke loudly. Edmund sighed in relief.
"You scared me half to death, Luce—"
"We need to leave. The mice returned—upstairs."
Edmund turned on his heels without a second thought, his mind racing.
"No, wait!" Lucy placed her hand on her brother's shoulder, "I mean leave, leave."
"What? But if Reep has found something upstairs—"
"No, I mean yes, they have! But its the guards, they are returning to their posts and—"
It was then that the military alarm broke out. Shrilling into their skulls, they were met by an out of breath Reepicheep.
"Your graces—the princess. We think we found her bed chambers, but the door is bolted. We think she might be held there."
The alarm grew louder. Telmarine soldiers were shouting in the distance. Edmund knew the mission was about to become violent, and none of them had appropriate weapons.
"We'll be outnumbered," Edmund said, as his mind tried to find a way out of the castle. Or a way to survive.
He got an idea then.
"Callista!" Edmund called to the white wolf, "leave the castle grounds and find the griffins that came with us."
"What? Ed—what for? They'll see us." Lucy said. Edmund shook his head.
"We've come this far—we know where the princess is," he nodded towards Reepicheep, "the mission is still on, we'll just be airborne."
"All of us?" Lucy asked again. Edmund looked away, thinking. If the situation was about to become a battle, then he couldn't risk exposing Lucy to a battle when she wasn't prepared for one. Nor could he ask the Narnians accompanying them to lay down their lives for the mission.
But he needed to find the relics. And the Narnians needed to find their Princess.
"I'll find Eirene," Edmund decided, "I'll find her and then the griffin will fly us out. Return with the wolves to safety. I'll meet you when I find Eirene and-everything else."
Lucy nodded and the wolves paved the way. She gave her brother a final look before following the wolves. "Be safe," she mumbled, "find them," she said, before turning back around.
Edmund was able to glance at the castle courtyard. He saw telmarine soldiers—but he also saw other soldiers sporting colors he'd never seen before. They were human, but wearing unknown sigils.
As Lucy and the rest of the Narnians left, Edmund moved from corner to corner into the tower and up the stairs.
He made out the figure of a guard, his back turned towards Edmund. He was facing the corridor ahead. The guard's sword was unsheathed, raised as if bracing for an opponent. Edmund walked up slowly towards him, careful not to make a sound.
With delicate footsteps, he reached up to him. Edmund wrapped his forearm around the guard's neck, holding him into place. The guard dropped his sword, and grappled at Edmund's arm, fighting for his release. Edmund held him in the chokehold for a couple of more seconds before releasing his limp body. He was still breathing, but calmly in his sleep.
Edmund settled him in the corridor and then reached for the fallen sword. He weighed it in his hand. It was somewhat—flimsy, he thought. It wasn't heavy, and it looked like it hadn't been sharpened for quite a while. Edmund flung it across his hands, tilting his head.
"It'll have to do for now", he thought.
He looked across the hallway, it was empty too. It seemed to be connecting corridor between the wings of the castle. There were no doors, no stairs, except at the other end of the hallway. One wall was lined with torches, the other had open windows through which the rain filtered through.
Edmund took long strides across the hall. He couldn't help but keep his head turned, looking at the courtyard below. He watched soldiers at each other's throat, but was relieved to see that Narnians weren't mixed amongst them.
As he looked onwards and made out another out another hurried silhouette at the hallway opposite him. It was the figure of a woman, braided hair and walking hurriedly. Edmund couldn't deny it looked like Eirene.
The courtyard stretched across between them. He observed her for a second, trying to make out if she was fleeing, or fighting, too. Even though he observed from a distance, he also tried to make out if she was carrying something with her; Rhindon, the shield, a quiver with a bow and arrow…
But he couldn't make out the details. But he couldn't shake the feeling off that it was Eirene. He understood then that she was key; she had to know something, whether where the gifts where, or who were the soldiers fighting below them. But he needed to find her and ask her all of those questions.
He hurried his footsteps, Eirene the only goal in his mind. His eyes remained glued to her fading silhouette and his breath quickened with a deep emotion he could quite yet name.
An hour earlier
Eirene had lost count of how much time had gone by after Miraz paraded her in front of all the council of the lords. She no longer knew how many days had gone by. She merely watched the skies outside her window. The sun travelled across the skies, and before she knew it, night had fallen again.
No one had been allowed into her bedchambers since Miraz's stunt. She was trapped there, and although she was fairly comfortable at first, the truth was that it was starting to feel no better than a dungeon.
Her fireplace had nothing but ashes, making her room feel like a prison made of ice. Her knuckles bled with the cold and her wrists were chaffed because of the handcuffs she still sported.
She looked out of the window and into the stillness of the castle. The cobblestones in the courtyard gleamed with an almost full-moon. Rain droplets began to fall against the window pane.
Eirene followed the trek of each one, slowly descending across the glass of her window. With each droplet falling, her mind jumped around the past and the present.
Eventually, she settled on thinking about the future and her upcoming trial. It was clear Miraz wouldn't let her out alive. She had to come up with a plan to escape her prision— but she was fresh out of ideas.
She remembered her stupid little plan of building her claim to the throne based on old Narnian folktales, and using relics as her abiding proof. She felt silly now, and knew that she couldn't be as naive anymore.
She tried remembering which lords had shown a bit of sympathy, and which of them turned their backs on her. She had to find a way to communicate with them, ask for help. She had to rebuild her supporting foundation—she had the support of the Narnians, but she needed allegiances at home.
Eirene recalled Lord Orian, who hadn't showed a sign of disdain or reproach. He had a large army at his command; she knew that if she could reach out to him, she had a good chance of insurrection against her uncle.
But she didn't know how to reach out to him. At least for now.
Eirene sighed in desperation.
She knew that Miraz was her worst enemy. And she was beginning to understand that the only way to take him out of the equation was to seize power for herself. Not for the sake of power per se, but for the sake of the land she loved.
She carried her father's legacy on her back, and she carried all of the mistakes of the telmarine nation against Narnians on her back. She needed to emerge out of her shell and stop fighting for the throne of a missing brother.
Eirene needed to make sure that the crown rested upon her head, and with that, upon all of the wronged Narnians.
Her realization in a way felt like growing up, a personal sort of coming of age. She knew she was playing at war, too. But she had to carry on with it, there was no other way. She had to leave the Telmarine castle, search for allies in every corner of the country, and strike Miraz.
Her hands became fists, and she clenched her teeth. Outside, the rain fell harder against her window. It soon became a thunderstorm that showered each corner of the castle. Thunder rumbled in the skies, making Eirene almost miss the sounds of a person standing at the opposite side of her chamber door.
Eirene turned around, watching the shadows below her window frame. Something moved, and the door unbolted, but didn't fling open.
Eirene stood, watchful to see who would come inside her bed chamber. Nothing moved, but she heard a voice.
"Your grace?" A female asked.
"Who is this?" Eirene asked, her voice coarse.
"I'll open the door now. There are no guards about," she said.
Eirene took a couple of steps back, realizing she was completely defenseless against this stranger. She watched as the heavy door opened, revealing Sans, the nurse, at the other end. She looked terrified, too.
"Your grace, I—I'm sorry. I know you're not insane and that—you're our princess, and I couldn't bear to see— I couldn't let them lock you up for something that is untrue."
Eirene kept silent, looking at the scared girl. She fiddled with the iron keys.
"I—I heard what you said. That day, at the council. And I believe you. Some of us are brought on Narnian tales, too. And I do want better for this country, too."
Sans kept on fiddling with her hands.
"I know not what your uncle wants with his games. But I do know that he needs to be stopped—you're the only remaining true heir to the throne. I trust you—you'll know how to help us," she said, as she let the keys fall to the floor of the hall.
The nurse bowed then, and then turned back around.
Surprised, Eirene remained glued to the spot for a moment. She waited a bit, waiting to see if any guards came, waiting to see if it had been a trap. When no one came, Eirene moved toward the door with caution. She stuck her head out of the chamber, noticing its emptiness. Adrenaline took hold of her body.
She bent down to take grab the keys, and find the one to cut open her cuffs. She massaged her wrists as the chains dropped. She threw the key ring on the floor, too.
Eirene looked up and down the hallway, still thinking a soldier would come. But not a single thing stirred in the darkness. Eirene then sprang in the opposite direction, becoming one with the shadows.
And no one was going to stop her from that plan, now.