Author's Note: I am sorry about the confusion I had with the last chapter. Many thanks to my reviewers, who have helped me work out the kinks in it. I will probably not be able to continue updating with such frequency in the future, what with school coming back in full force. Thank you for reading, as always!
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. I do not own Narnia. Enough said.
The names of the months always belong to Elecktrum, who has graciously allowed me the use of them.
Chapter the Nineteenth: Freedom
8 Mayblossom 2076
Lyra awoke long before Niusha, her gaze stealing towards the east and the faint hint of dawn at its horizon. The Calormene soldiers who had for so long ridden directly beside the carriage were sluggish with weariness, and in this moment Lyra saw an opportunity. In their arrogance, the Calormenes had underestimated her, assuming that her sword was the only weapon she carried. Now, she pulled the dagger from her boot and quietly sliced through her bonds. The carriage door was not locked, and as swift as an arrow Lyra opened the door and leapt from the doorframe to the horse of the half-asleep soldier beside it. She landed behind him, and before he could cry out, her knife relieved him of the ability to do so. Lyra pushed the soldier from his mount and seized the reins, turning the horse around and spurring it on towards home and freedom. The caravan was at present outside the forest and climbing the southern Archen foothills. On the other side of these hills lay the desert and Calormen, but at that moment Lyra did not care. Her only concern was disappearing into the forest before the Calormenes could give adequate chase.
"Oh, come on, horse! Can't you go any faster?" she urged her mount, looking back as the wind rushed through her hair. The Calormene soldiers noticed their fallen compatriot almost immediately and gave chase. For a little space it looked as though Lyra's horse would outstrip the others, but her mount tripped and crashed to the ground as it tried to jump a large ditch at the foot of the last hill.
Lyra picked herself up from the dirt at once, holding her knife at the ready as several Calormene soldiers came flying towards her. As the first was almost upon her, the Archenlander took hold of the horse's halter, swung up towards the rider and kicked him off. As he fell, he grabbed her boot and pulled her off the horse. She fell in the dirt next to the Calormene, but she was quicker with her knife than was he with his scimitar. She turned at once to use the moment to escape. The soldier's horse had already run off, so Lyra began to run into the forest. The trees grew thick, and the fleeing girl could hear the hoofbeats of her pursuers coming ever nearer as she endeavored to run through the boughs. However, she tripped over an inconvenient root and was sent tumbling into the dust, allowing the Calormene riders the moment's time they needed to catch up. Before Lyra could get up, a half dozen scimitars were brandished at her head, daring her to move and invite their retribution.
"Where is the knife?" One of them demanded. Lyra glowered at him from the ground.
"Where is the knife?" He growled a second time. This time the faintest smirk crossed her face as she drew the knife from behind her back. Before the Calormene could stop her, she sent the knife singing through the air.
"There!" She answered as the keen blade found its mark in the would-be interrogator's throat.
"By Tash, what kind of woman are you?" One of the others shouted in shock, raising his scimitar to strike the Archen princess.
"Stop!" A harsh, authoritative voice cut through the air before the soldier could take his revenge. Prince Karim and several more soldiers pushed through the trees towards them.
"If any one of you harm the princess in any way, your life is forfeit!" The prince barked.
"Your highness, she killed three of us! One was my brother! How can we be denied our proper revenge? What of justice?" One soldier demanded.
"Silence, dog! Yours is not to question but to obey. Those who she has killed were incompetent enough to let her escape. They deserved their fate. Do not make the same mistake," he cautioned ominously, turning his horse around towards the way they had come. The remaining soldiers seized Lyra (still brandishing scimitars), then followed their prince back towards the caravan. Lyra marched along angrily, quite a sight with her hair tangled, dress splattered with mud, and face scraped from running through the tree branches. As they approached the carriages and wagons again, the Archenlander could see a soldier dragging Niusha out of the carriage and throwing her to the ground at Prince Karim's feet. The poor girl did not dare to look up, but sat shivering in the dirt, head bowed.
"I...I...am sorry, your highness! I did not mean to let her escape! Please, have mercy, your highness!" Lyra could hear Niusha begging as she came closer.
"Silence!" Karim thundered. "You are incompetent! You neglected the duties I gave you, and as a result three men are dead! By Tash, you deserve nothing less than to be dragged in the dirt behind these carriages until you die!"
The girl was crying now, face buried in her hands. Karim paused a moment and took a frustrated breath.
"But, I will be lenient," he growled, motioning for a soldier to come forward. "Thirty lashes." Two more soldiers seized Niusha and tied her to the back of the carriage as another stepped forward, whip in hand.
"You call this mercy?" Lyra's exclamation cut through the air like a thunderclap. "She could have done nothing to stop me, and yet you call it lenient to subject her to the lash?" Horror and anger mingled on the Archenlander's face, and the people gathered around went silent in the same way a forest goes quiet before the onset of a storm.
"Why do you care, my dear Lyra?" Prince Karim sneered. "She is but a slave. And an incompetent one at that."
Lyra pushed away from the soldiers and towards the prince, raising her voice resolutely.
"I care because of justice, equity, and all that is good in this world - of which you evidently know nothing. If you must beat someone, Prince Karim, take me instead," Lyra met his gaze firmly, voice steely and eyes glowing with anger.
A murmur went through the group of Calormenes, and an expression of pure puzzlement entered Karim's dark eyes as he looked down at Lyra. However, his lips curved upwards a moment later in a cruel smile.
"For you, my love, I will spare her," he agreed, stroking Lyra's face with one hand. "But," his voice hardened as she recoiled from his touch, and he pulled her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes once again as he said menacingly, "I promise you, if you try to escape again, the servant will suffer a slow and excruciatingly painful death which I will not stop though Zardeenah herself begged it of me."
Lyra said nothing, but met his gaze with defiance in her eyes. Karim turned away from her and ordered the soldiers to remount.
"Put the princess back in the carriage! We will not rest until we have crossed the desert and put this barbarian country behind us!" He ordered.
"Your highness, should we not give the fallen soldiers proper burial?" One young soldier asked.
"Their inability to perform their duties has yielded its reward. Let them lie where they are," Karim dismissed the young man, who turned hesitantly to look at his fallen comrades for a moment before turning his horse southward again, shaking his head as he went.
Back inside the carriage, Lyra plopped down on the seat with a sigh, crossing her arms and looking out the window towards the hills of Archenland with longing.
"Thank you, your highness," Niusha spoke shyly.
"You're welcome, Niusha," Lyra looked towards her and smiled a little.
"Your highness, if I may ask….why did you help me?"
"Because what they would have done was wrong and without honor. Yours was not the fault and I could not stand by and let you - or anyone else for that matter - suffer the lash for anything, much less something on my account."
"But any tarkheena would not hesitate to let a servant take the blame for anything."
"I am no tarkheena, and that is something of which I am very glad," Lyra answered wryly, looking out the window once more. "I little think I could stand to be in the company of people such as that," she finished quietly.
Niusha looked away, both confused and curious at once. After a few quiet moments passed, Niusha retrieved a handkerchief and a bottle full of water from the space beneath her seat cushion.
"Here," she said, "Let me at least help you clean up."
"Thanks," Lyra smiled a little.
Niusha wet the handkerchief with water and gave it to Lyra, who proceeded to clean the streaks of mud and blood that the escape had left on her face.
"I don't suppose you have a hairbrush?" Lyra asked after she was finished.
"Yes," Niusha answered, opening the seat cushion again to retrieve the requested item. "Here."
Lyra thanked her and began to tackle the tangles in her long hair. After a few minutes of frustration, Niusha intervened.
"Here, let me help," the Calormene girl offered, reaching for the brush.
"No, it's alright," Lyra answered.
"Please, your highness. This is what I do for my living," Niusha insisted, and Lyra grudgingly relinquished the brush. Niusha began to work at the tangles, and in a little while the Archenlander's hair was neatly brushed, with two little braids weaving around the rest to keep it nicely out of the way.
"How did you learn to fight?" Niusha asked as she finished working on Lyra's hair.
"My parents have taught me and my brother how to wield a blade since we were little."
"And your father and brother allowed this?"
"Of course! Some of my happiest family memories were made with a sword in my hand and my father and brother beside me."
"Your mother was not frightened that you would be hurt?" Niusha asked, brow furrowed in puzzlement.
"Not at all! Mother is one of Archenland's best swordswomen!" Lyra laughed in response. "Most of the time she was teaching me, and she is every bit a match for Father!"
Niusha did not answer for a moment, and her voice was quiet and pensive when she finally answered.
"The northern lands must be very strange, indeed. No woman in Calormen would dare pick up a sword, much less wield it against her husband."
"And what do you think about that, Niusha?"
"I...I don't know, your highness," the girl looked away. "I cannot imagine a place like that - where I could be so….so…."
"So free?"
"Yes!" Niusha looked up, but her smile quickly faded as her eyes filled with fear. "No! I can't have a life like that. We mustn't speak of this anymore!" The Calormene girl glanced with apprehension towards the carriage windows and the sand beyond them.
"Niusha, what's wrong?" The Archenlander asked, confused. "You can be free!"
"No. You cannot talk of this anymore. Speaking like this carries consequences," she answered, wrapping her arms around herself and refusing to make eye contact with Lyra.
For her part, Lyra was quite confused but she said nothing in reply. A dark knot of foreboding settled in her chest as she continued the rest of the afternoon's ride in silence, looking out on the bright sand.
8 Mayblossom 2076
Galen awoke to birds chirping as the sky paled with the dawn. His cloak was damp with the dew, and himself cold and stiff from the night spent sleeping on the ground, but Galen found himself in oddly good spirits none the less. After spending so many weeks in the Archen court, spending time in the forest felt invigorating and reminded the Narnian of home.
"Lion's mane, but I'm stiff!" One of the knights protested as he stood up and poked at the remnants of the fire.
"What, Ewan, you're not going soft on us now are you?" Sir Ferian teased his friend.
"Come on, then! We've not got time for anything, much less you two's carrying on," Ayden interjected, only a trifle of good humor softening the grumpiness in his voice. "Douse the fire, and mount up. We can follow the trail now and we must make up for lost time."
"Aye, my lord," Sir Ewan answered, and the nine other knights began to ready the horses.
"Good morn, Aiolos," Galen greeted his friend as he began to put on the Horse's saddle.
"Good morn, my friend," Aiolos answered. "Sleep well?"
"Aye, I did, strangely enough. I think I prefer the forest to that castle."
"Me too, young one," Aiolos whinnied.
Before the sun fully rose over the forest, the Archenlanders and Narnians set off in pursuit again. Sir Ferian set the pace as he followed the Calormenes' trail through the green Archen forest, and although Ayden would have much rather careened down the path in a mad dash, he deferred (with much effort) to the skilled tracker.
About mid-day the sun disappeared behind thick, gray clouds and the wind turned colder. Galen shivered beneath his cloak, and looked around the woods. They had ridden the hours away in silence, and in that silence Galen began to focus more and more on his failure to protect the Stone Knife. Images of his father and grandfather swirled through his mind, the words of his promise echoing with them as though carried on the chill wind. As the Narnian watched the forest grow dim with dusk once again, he thought that he had never felt so alone.
The trees began to thin out, and the group made camp once more. The Archenlanders promptly fell asleep, but Galen found he could not. Instead, the Narnian stared into the dancing flames as the fire died down, finding himself wishing for home.
"Something troubles you, my friend," the Horse's soft voice broke the silence. Aiolos had moved closer the the fire, and now lay down beside Galen.
"I've failed. Failed everyone-father, grandfather, and every knight of the Lion's Redemption before me, as well as my new Archen friends. The Stone Knife is gone. I don't know if I'll ever see it - or Lyra - again."
"Such is life, young one. It is full of the unknown. We can only look forward, and take the adventure that Aslan will give us," the Horse answered.
"I don't think I like the adventure Aslan is giving me," Galen answered, fiddling with a stick of firewood, and Aiolos chuckled in response.
"I suppose that is part of life too."
Finally the carriage came to a stop, and the Calormene party began to dismount. Niusha and Lyra climbed out of the carriage to see the sun setting above the sand in a brilliant ball of glowing golden fire. Directly in front of them was a small grove of palm trees which surrounded a little spring-fed pond. The caravan stopped at this oasis to water the horses, and while they did so, everyone else took the opportunity to stretch their legs and take a meal. Lyra sat on a rock beside the water and stared at the reflected sunset. She looked back north with a sigh, then turned her attention to the food Niusha handed her.
"I hope the journey is agreeing with you, my sweet," Prince Karim's voice resounded. The Archenlander turned towards the sound, and saw her captor sitting beside her.
"I cannot see that you would care whether the journey agrees with me or not," she answered crossly, turning back towards the pond. Karim only laughed and stroked her hair.
"Always the fiery one, my Lyra. But I do enjoy a challenge," he smiled at her, and she recoiled from him. Karim stood, but before he left, he turned back towards her and remarked, "It is good to be back on good Calormene sand again. I think you will come to like it, o-the-delight-of-my-eyes."
"Oh, that man is positively revolting!" Lyra fumed under her breath.
"Did you say something, your highness?" Niusha asked.
"Oh, well...I just was wondering how much longer we will be traveling."
"It is not too far, your highness. We should arrive by tomorrow afternoon."
"Is it anywhere near Tashbaan?"
"Oh, no. The Manor of the Three Lakes is in the mountains to the west of Tashbaan. It is one of the most beautiful and least populated areas of Calormen.
"Thank you. Niusha-" Lyra began, then paused mid-sentence.
"Yes?"
"Never mind. I'll be there in a moment." The Archenlander answered, and Niusha turned to ready for the last of the journey. When she was gone, Lyra looked around, then surreptitiously slipped a ring off of her finger and placed it beside the rock in the heel of her footprint. She made sure the part of the ring with her insignia on it pointed towards the southwest, and then returned to the carriage.
The caravan set out once again across the sand, and soon the carriages' lanterns were lit to ward against the chill desert darkness. The stars sparkled above them, but Lyra did not see them. Inside the carriage, she tried to sleep, but found herself unable to do so. It was after midnight when she finally sat up on the seat cushion and looked out the window. At the moment, there was no one particularly nearby, so the Archenlander turned and shook her companion awake.
"Your highness? What is the matter?" The sleepy girl asked.
"Niusha, I want to know what you meant earlier," Lyra answered, sitting next to the Calormene.
"Earlier?"
"Yes - you were afraid to speak of having freedom. You said it carried consequences. What did you mean?"
"It is not important," Niusha answered uncomfortably, glancing towards the windows.
"There isn't anyone nearby right now. They're all asleep."
Niusha thought a moment, glancing towards the windows.
"You must not tell anyone," she answered.
"You have my word," Lyra assured her. Niusha looked down for a moment, then sighed.
"I was not always a servant girl. My family is not of the nobility, but is well-off and owns a large vineyard and winery in the Valley of the Three Lakes. When I was thirteen, my father arranged for me to marry a low-ranking tarkaan. This made all my family very proud, since it would link us to those of nobility and ensure our lands would not be taken away. But I did not want to marry the tarkaan. He was a cruel and petty man and I wanted nothing to do with him."
"What happened?"
"When the tarkaan came to my father's house to claim me for his bride, I stood up and declared to all that were present - the tarkaan, my father, my entire family - that I was a free woman, the property of no one, and that I would never marry someone I did not love."
"Good for you!" Lyra smiled. Niusha shook her head.
"Nay. I was very foolish. The tarkaan then declared that he was not obligated to marry an upstart, common girl, even if it did afford him a quarter of the province's best vineyards. He left, and my father was so angry that he could not even look at me. The rest of the family sided with him. I could have brought them much by my marriage, and they felt I had betrayed them. So, the next day father summoned me. He asked me if I still would not marry the tarkaan. I told him again that I was no one's property and would not marry the tarkaan. A horrible look came into Father's eyes, and he told me that it was very easy for me to become property. He and my brothers dragged me that day to the slave markets in the town and sold me to a slave trader. Father's last words to me were this: 'You are no daughter of mine, no sister of theirs, and every bit the chattel you claimed not to be.' And he left me there. Eventually I was sold into Prince Karim's house, where I have worked the four years since."
"I can hardly fathom that a father would do such a thing to his own daughter!" Lyra was stunned.
"Father did not hesitate. No Calormene would. Such is the price of dreaming of freedom, your highness, in this land."
Lyra did not answer for a moment, still processing with shock all the girl had said. A moment later, she spoke with steely resolve.
"It is truly horrible what you have had to go through, Niusha. No one should have to endure that. I will tell you this, though: I will not ever marry Karim, and I know my brother and Archenland's knights will be coming for me. When they do, help us, and come with us. You won't have to dream of freedom again - it will be there in your hands. You only need take it."
"I...I don't know, your highness."
"Think about it," Lyra replied. "In Archenland you would never have to bend knee to a man, or a woman for that matter, ever again. No one could tell you what to do, or who to marry, and you could walk with your head held high, even amongst men."
Niusha closed her eyes and sighed, then looked back towards the Archenlander. "Words cannot express how much I have longed for such a life. If there is a chance, your highness, and your friends truly come, then I will help."
Lyra smiled confidently. "They will come. And we will see the green hills of Archenland and freedom again, Niusha.
Thank you for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts on it!