"Go Noct!" shouted Prompto cheerfully from where he sat watching his friends spar. Without his warping ability, Noctis was at a severe disadvantage. Gladio had borrowed a longsword from one of the Narnians, and the prince was practicing with King Regis' sword, trying to get more comfortable using it. One unexpected bonus of the crystal's magic being cut off, aside from Gladio and Prompto being able to actually wield the former King's sword, was that it didn't drain health during use.
"Right," groaned Noctis as he blocked another blow.
"Come on, princess," goaded Gladio. "That the best you can do?" Noct dodged a ferocious swing and smacked his bodyguard on the backside with the flat of his blade.
"I think I'm doing pretty good!" he retorted. Prompto howled with laughter. Gladio stepped up his game, putting his prince on the defensive. Noctis couldn't come close to hitting him again.
"He's certainly improving," said one of the talking beasts, padding up to Prompto and settling down beside him.
"Indeed," agreed King Edmund, who was following close behind. Prompto awkwardly scrambled to his feet and bowed, grateful that Iggy had given him those etiquette lessons all those years ago.
"Um, Hi, Your Majesty," he said. "Noctis just needs to get used to it," he defended his friend. "We found it right before we ended up here, so he hasn't fought with it very much."
"It's important to become accustomed to your weapon," the king agreed. "Were they unable to locate you a suitable sword?"
"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty, but they found me one," said Prompto quickly. "I'll get some practice with Gladio next, but it's not as important for me, especially since I usually use guns." The coeurl-like creature looked confused, but the man smiled.
"Perhaps King Noctis would care to spar someday?" he offered.
"I'm sure he'd enjoy that, Your Majesty."
"I'd like to discuss your missing companion," said King Edmund. "Can you take a break?"
"Did you find him?" he asked earnestly, clutching at the King's arm. The man smiled, patting his hand, but said nothing, merely indicating Noctis and Gladio with a jerk of his chin.
"Noct, get over here!" shouted Prompto, coming to his senses and stepping back respectfully. When his friends looked over and saw King Edmund, they immediately broke apart and jogged over.
"What can we do for Your Majesty?" asked Gladio gruffly.
"Your companion has been located," said the King.
"Thank the Six," murmured Gladio.
"Unfortunately, there was an incident when he was found," said King Edmund. "He was dehydrated and suffering sunstroke, and he attacked the soldiers who were trying to aid him."
"He was sick, and he's blind; he didn't know what he was doing!" Prompto burst out.
"Allowance can be made," agreed the King. "However, because he attacked our soldiers with ice magic, he is being accused of treason, of following and aiding the White Witch Jadis. It's a very serious charge, one that cannot be easily dismissed."
"Did he kill anyone?" asked Noctis.
"He did not," said the King, nodding approvingly at the question. A little tension eased in Noctis' neck.
"What happens now?" asked Noctis.
"Nothing," interjected Gladio fiercely. "He's not a traitor and he didn't help your witch!"
"Nevertheless, for an accusation such as this, a formal trial must be held," said King Edmund mildly.
"Where is he now?" asked Noctis.
"He was transported to Cair Paravel yesterday," said the King. "When my Royal brother and I are finished here, we shall return to their Majesties the Queens, and a trial will be held."
"Will you take us to him?" asked Noctis.
"Yes, tomorrow," said King Edmund. "Peter will be finished today, and we'll set off first thing in the morning."
"Will it be a fair trial?" asked Gladio rudely. The coeurl-beast snarled, but the King didn't seem to be offended.
"Enough, Gladiolus," ordered Noctis. Prompto grabbed Gladio's arm and tugged him back; the bodyguard shook him off and continued to loom menacingly. "Please forgive him, Your Majesty."
"Loyalty is an admirable trait," said King Edmund. He smiled kindly. "It's a three day's ride, so you'll see your companion soon." He bowed politely and walked away.
"Control your people, King," spat the coeurl-like creature. His tail lashed as he followed his monarch away from the training enclosure.
"Have you lost your mind?" snapped Noctis the second they were alone. "We have no magic, none of our weapons, we're in a different world with no way of getting home, and you're pissing off the king that's going to be judging Ignis?"
"We should just grab him," growled Gladio. "Not leave him there for this farce!"
"Dude, we don't even know where they're keeping him yet," said Prompto.
"We're not gonna leave him," said Noctis firmly. "Prompto, I want you to find out everything you can about the White Witch and what happened with her. Gladio, I want you to find out as much as you can about Narnia-the creatures, landscape, anything." He looked at them solemnly. "We'll do whatever it takes to get Ignis back."
Prompto nodded. "You can count on me," he said, pointing finger guns at his friends. He wandered off nonchalantly, admiring the beauty and wonders of Narnia and wishing, not for the first time, that he had his camera, or at least his cell phone, to capture these memories. He made his way over to his favorite place in the entire camp-the kitchen.
Okay, so it wasn't a kitchen-it was a small canopy that shielded multiple cooking fires boasting portable ovens, cooktops, and grills. It was smokey and hot, and there wasn't much room inside. But the chief cook, a fur-covered creature who stood about waist high and had a long stripy snout, would give him snacks if he was willing to sit and peel vegetables for a while. She'd seen him sitting alone that first day, watching his friends spar, and put him to work. To be fair, he was no great shakes at the culinary arts, but he'd made a habit of helping Ignis with the cooking while Noct and Gladio set up camp each night, so he could at least avoid cutting himself. She greeted him cheerfully enough and passed him a basket of some orange root vegetable and a paring knife. Her assistants, various animals and half-human hybrids, were busy making pastry and filling pies.
"Hey, Mrs Badger," he said, settling down in the corner to get started.
"I heard they found your friend," she said, handing him a dumpling left over from lunch.
"Did you hear that he's been arrested for treason too?" he sighed.
"There's a rumor that you and your friends are allies of the White Witch," she said. "But that's nonsense. Their Majesties wouldn't just let you run around if you were hers." There it was: the opening he'd been looking for, and without any trouble at all.
"I don't even know what that means," said Prompto, digging out a bad spot from the produce. His frustration was sincere. "I mean, in Lucis witches aren't real. They're just stories about ugly old ladies who turn people into toads and brew potions that make people fall in love and sleep for a hundred years and stuff."
"Well, Jadis was real," said Mrs Badger grimly. "She was beautiful and tall and terrifying. She looked human, but they say she had giant blood in her. She had a wand, and if you crossed her, she'd turn you into stone."
"When the kings and queens finally defeated her," spoke up one of the kitchen workers, "Aslan freed thousands of creatures. Some of them had been a statue for almost a hundred years, and everyone they loved was dead."
"Others had been damaged," continued another, "so they have to live without an ear or paw. But they're lucky to be alive at all."
"There are demons in our world that can do that, but it usually wears off after a minute," said Prompto. "That's awful."
"She had power over ice and snow," added someone else. "It was winter in Narnia for 100 years."
"So that's why Ignis was arrested," said Prompto. "They think he's using her power?"
"The Witch has loyalists even now," said Mrs Badger. "That's why the Kings are here in the Western Wood in the first place. Her armies may have been defeated, but some of her soldiers escaped. We've been dealing with harpies."
"What happened to them?" asked Prompto.
"Now don't you worry," said Mrs Badger shrewdly. "This is nothing like your friend's situation. These harpies are stealing and eating babies, and they won't stop until they're killed."
"King Edmund said there was going to be a trial," said Prompto.
"Then you have nothing to worry about," said one of the cooks firmly. "He's called King Edmund the Just for a reason, you know."
"Oh, you don't know this story," said Mrs Badger, catching Prompto's blank look. She accepted the peeled vegetables, inspecting them. One she deemed unsuitable and returned to him. "The kings and queens were children when they arrived here, but while Queen Lucy met a Narnian on her first visit, King Edmund met the witch. She tricked him into betraying his family, and Aslan rescued him by offering His life in exchange."
"Wait, Aslan's dead?" Interrupted Prompto.
"The witch didn't know the deep magic," continued the Badger, chopping vegetables expertly. Her swift, casual movements made Prompto miss Ignis even more; his friend had lost the ability to cook when his sight had been burned away. "Aslan was blameless, and because He willingly sacrificed His life in a traitor's stead, death itself turned backwards." She poured her vegetables in a large baking pan and began to toss them with salt and spices.
"King Edmund betrayed his family and all of Narnia and Aslan," said Mrs Badger, "but Aslan forgave him. King Edmund was charged with sitting in righteous judgment over the Narnians, always remembering the undeserved mercies that he was shown. And he has upheld that duty." She looked solemnly at Prompto. "If His Majesty is presiding over a trial, you can be assured that your friend will be treated more than fairly."