"Alright, Ignis Scientia." It was the next day. Captain Dorngale stood outside his cell. "We've been ordered to take you to Cair Paravel. Try anything, and I'll kill you myself."

Ignis didn't fight. He knew that the chances of escape were slim. If he were whole, healthy, strong, perhaps he might've been able to seize an opportunity to flee or fight his way out. But blind, he wouldn't even know which way to run, even if they hadn't taken his cane, and everything else, for that matter. Not for the first time, he cursed his own pride. If he hadn't been so stubborn, he could've stayed behind with Talcott and Iris instead of dragging the guys down. If he hadn't been so selfish, he could've put the mission above himself, and he wouldn't be in this predicament. His only real prospect now was to go along with his captors and try to gain as much information as he could, in the hopes that it would be useful if someday he was rescued. If not, if instead he was eventually called to die for his King, well, he'd already proven he was willing to make that sacrifice.

Something entered his cell and helped him stand. He shuddered instinctively as he heard the scratching of claws on the floor. The ropes binding his ankles were removed, and he stiffly began to follow as they guided him out of the cell and up the prison stairs. Ignis was seized and lifted into a flatbed trailer of some kind, where he sprawled awkwardly. He could hear the rustle of many watchers, and he fought to sit up.

"Let's go," said Dorngale.

"Yes, Captain," came the response. There was the sound of hooves, and Ignis fell down again as the cart he was in lurched forward. His shoulders protested as even more pressure was put upon them, but he took a deep breath. Someone chuckled, and he bit back his fury. He represented the King of Lucis, and he was not going to be anything less than dignified. He painfully struggled to sit back up, and someone grabbed his arm. He flinched, not having realized that anyone sat in the cart with him. But they simply lifted (with human fingers, he noted) until he had regained his position.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," said a man's voice, although the hand had been as small as a child's.

The ride was several hours at their slow pace. Ignis felt his skin burning in the hot sun and wished that he could shield his face somehow, but as it was he was simply glad that they gave him water and food at regular intervals. The sound of the road changed eventually. At first, they'd been bumping along over dirt and broken stone, but now they were rattling across what sounded like cobblestones. Ignis marveled that there was anywhere that was so primitive as to use animal-drawn carts.

They passed many travelers on the road, and towards late afternoon they entered a town. The air smelled of smoke and animals and flowers, and above all was the salty tang of the sea. Ignis was amazed by how quiet everything was, but attributed that to the lack of technology. Finally they rattled into a large, enclosed space that echoed slightly and came to a stop.

"Inform the queen that they've arrived," said a woman's voice. The person in the cart helped Ignis scoot to the edge, and he was gently lifted to the ground. Hands gripped his arms firmly, and he was hustled into a cool building, through doors and gates, and down a short hallway. When he heard the jingle of keys and the click of a metal lock, he knew they'd reached his cell. To his great relief, they released his arms before locking him in. He sat quietly on the floor (there was no bed) and tried not to cry too loudly as he massaged his agonizingly cramped muscles.

When the pain had subsided substantially, Ignis reached out to feel and get a better picture of his cell. It was oddly shaped, barely three meters long and narrow enough that if he stood in the center, he could almost touch both walls. The ceiling was beyond his grasp, which was unexpected, as the entire cell seemed to have been carved out of solid rock. A bucket sat in one corner, opposite a blanket and a metal flask of water. The cell door was made of bars set close together. Ignis could feel a tiny draft of fresh air from somewhere above his head, bringing some relief to the otherwise stale scent of smoke and animals. He heard the click of claws on stone as something passed his cell. When it paced by a third time, he realized it was a guard patrol.

He heard them long before he saw them. A group was heading towards him. What would they be doing in a prison except visiting him? Ignis said a quick prayer to the Six. He stood to meet them, facing blindly towards the door.

"Presenting Her Majesty, Queen Lucy the Valiant!" Ignis bowed elegantly, just as he'd done to nobility and royalty in the Court of Lucis.

"Your Majesty," he said politely.

"My General does not wish me to be talking to you." He was expecting someone older, but the voice he heard was smooth and youthful, certainly not older than he was. "But I insisted, so here I am. They told me your name is Ignis Scientia?"

"It is, Your Majesty," he said after a moment.

"Mr. Scientia," she said. "You are a stranger in Our country. Where did you come from? How did you enter Narnia?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I was with my companions, and we touched an ancient magical artifact. The next thing I remember is waking up four days ago, completely alone."

"When Our soldiers tried to help you, you attacked them with magic," she said solemnly. "With ice. Why did you do that?"

"I come from a land filled with demons," said Ignis. "I hadn't eaten, and I'd become very dehydrated. I thought they were demons coming to attack me, and I was trying to flee."

"What land is this?" she asked.

"I am from Lucis, Your Majesty," he said. She hummed pensively.

"Are you a follower of the White Witch?" she asked. "What is the source of your power?"

"It is my King's power," said Ignis. "He gathers it and distills it into flasks so that those of us who are not of royal blood can use it."

"So the bottles that you had on your person...?" she trailed off suggestively.

"Some are curatives, Your Majesty," he said, "but there are two flasks of ice and one flask of lighting left."

"And without them, you have no magic," she confirmed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I believe you, Ignis," she said. "It pains me greatly that you are charged with such a grievous offense. As you are a stranger, you may not be familiar with the tale of the White Witch." The queen took a deep breath. "She conquered Narnia and ruled in eternal winter for a hundred years, killing or imprisoning all who dared defy her. My royal siblings and I defeated her with the help of Aslan, the Great Lion, and we have ruled these twelve years. But still, the taint of her evil remains in the darkest places of our land. For such an errand have my royal brothers gone to cleanse the Western Wood."

"And am I also to be...cleansed?" asked Ignis, his mind flashing forward.

"It is rare that a servant of the Witch is captured alive," she evaded. "For such a case, the law states that the four of us must gather and judge in Unity. Only then will a sentence be pronounced."

"Your Majesty," said Ignis humbly, "I will accept any punishment that you deem just. But please help my friends! I fear that they are lost in your country, that they will make the same mistake of attacking that I did."

"You are very devoted indeed," said the Queen quietly. They stood in silence for a moment; Ignis listened to the breathing of the silent onlookers and tried to stay calm.

"I shall do what I can, Ignis Scientia," said the Queen eventually.

"I thank you, Your Majesty," he said. As she left, the hope in his heart burned more painfully than his shoulders.