Disclaimer: I own Vaslin, but nothing else.
A/N: About six months later...finally working past my writer's block to finish this story.
Chapter 6:
Vaslin was caught off guard when a meeting was called in the room where the Stone Table lay. Apparently the faun on sentry duty had spotted a Telmarine scout.
"It's only a matter of time." Peter was saying. "Miraz's men and war machines are on their way. That means those same men aren't protecting his castle."
"What do you propose we do, Your Majesty?" Reepicheep asked.
"To start planning for..." Peter began.
"We need to get ready for it." Caspian decided at the same time.
The two boys exchanged glances.
"Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us." The High King explained.
"But that's crazy." The prince argued. "No one has ever taken that castle."
"There's always a first time." Peter told him.
"We'll have the element of surprise." Trumpkin pointed out in agreement.
"But we have the advantage here!" Caspian frowned.
"If we dig in, we could probably hold them off indefinitely." Susan defended him, stepping forward.
Peter did not seem pleased with who she sided with.
Trufflehunter, the badger, spoke up. "I, for one, feel safer underground."
"Look." The High King turned to Caspian. "I appreciate what you've done here, but this isn't a fortress. It's a tomb."
Literally, Vaslin thought in agreement, glancing at the Table for a moment.
Edmund seemed to agree too. "Yes. And if they're smart, the Telmarines will just wait and starve us out."
"We could collect nuts!" A squirrel suggested.
"Yes! And throw them at the Telmarines." Reepicheep said sarcastically. He turned to the squirrel. "Shut up!" He glanced back at Peter. "I think you know where I stand, sire."
Peter turned to Glenstorm, the lead centaur. "If I get your troops in, can you handle the guards?"
"Or die trying, My Liege." He promised, pledging his loyalty.
Vaslin vaguely wondered if he was a descendant of Oreius, the extremely loyal general of Aslan's army.
"That's what I'm worried about." Lucy spoke up from where she sat on one of the halves of the Stone Table.
The High King turned to face her, confused. "Sorry?"
"You're all acting like there's only two options." She elaborated. "Dying here, or dying there."
"I'm not sure you've really been listening, Lu."
"No, you're not listening. Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?"
"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough."
A carving of the lion on the wall made Vaslin disagree, but he knew that Peter would not change his mind once it'd been made; and it clearly had been.
*X*
They flew in on gryphons. Edmund's approached the castle first, placing the King atop one of the towers. They quickly dispatched the guard on lookout and Edmund flashed his torch three times, the signal for the others to fly in.
The gryphons soared over the kingdom. One held Peter, another Caspian, a third Susan, and Vaslin on a fourth. Trumpkin was on a fifth. The High King exchanged glances with the Telmarine prince, who's gryphon swooped down low enough for him to dispatch a guard on another tower as they flew over it.
Edmund signaled the "all clear" to land with his torch. At the same time, Susan caught sight of a soldier looking at her brother suspiciously. She shot the man as they swooped down to land. Peter was dropped off on a castle wall first, followed by Susan, Trumpkin, Vaslin, and then Vaslin. The gryphons took off as soon as they'd dropped them off.
The group was quick to lower a rope alongside a tower, allowing Caspian to slide down it to a window. The others smoothly slid down after him, entering the castle through the window.
The prince was already holding a pair of glasses in his hands by the time Vaslin entered the room. The man they'd been searching for wasn't there.
"I have to find him." Caspian murmured, looking up at them.
"You don't have time." Peter told him. "You need to get the gate open."
"You wouldn't even be here without him." The other boy argued. "And neither would I."
The High King looked to his sister for her opinion.
"You and I can deal with Miraz." Susan decided. "Vaslin can go with Caspian."
No, I need to stay with you two to watch your backs, not this reckless prince's. Vaslin thought to himself.
But the prince seemed to like her plan. "And I can still get to the gate in time."
Caspian turned around and quickly set down a set of stairs.
"Just so you know, I think splitting up isn't a good idea." The former wolf told the High Queen as he passed in his rush to follow the rash prince.
*X*
They found the professor in the prison levels, shackled and asleep. Caspian had stolen a set of keys, which he used to unlock the cell. Vaslin stood guard, keeping track of the happenings inside the cell as he did so.
The old man awoke with a start.
"Five more minutes?" Caspian asked jokingly.
"What are you doing here?" The professor demanded as he was unshackled and helped to his feet. "I didn't help you escape just so you could break back in. You have to get out before Miraz learns you're here."
"He's going to learn soon enough." Caspian informed him. "We are giving him your cell."
"Hurry up." Vaslin hissed uneasily. We don't have all night.
"Don't underestimate Miraz as your father did." The professor advised darkly.
Something about those words unnerved the prince. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry." The old man finally said.
Without warning, Caspian sprinted away from the cell. The former wolf stared after him for a moment with wide eyes, glanced at the guilty professor, then took off after the prince. He tried his best to keep up with the prince, but the boy was fast. He nearly lost track of him once or twice. But it wasn't long before they reached Miraz's sleeping chambers.
Caspian drew his sword.
"What are you doing?" Vaslin whispered angrily. "We have to get to the gate!"
The prince ignored him, holding his weapon to the Telmarine King's neck.
Miraz awoke with a chuckle, the first words that came out of his mouth holding false happiness. "Thank goodness you're safe."
"Get up." Caspian ordered.
The sword didn't move far as the man obeyed the prince, purposely waking his sleeping wife in the process.
"What?" She mumbled, before opening her eyes and realizing the situation. She seemed shocked. "Caspian?"
"Stay where you are." The boy's voice shook in anger.
Vaslin, too, drew his sword and held it at his side, not quite sure whether to stop or help his companion.
"What are you doing?" Prunaprismia asked, sitting up, watching her nephew hold her husband at swordpoint.
"I should think it's obvious, dear." Miraz kept his gaze locked on the prince. "You know, some families might consider this inappropriate behavior."
"That doesn't seem to have stopped you!" Caspian hissed.
"But you are not like me, are you? It's sad. The first time you've shown any backbone and it's such a waste."
His wife reached for a crossbow above the bed. "Put the sword down, Caspian. I don't want to do this."
Vaslin finally raised his own sword, directing it towards her. He couldn't risk her shooting Caspian. Not now. "Put down the crossbow."
"We don't want you to either." Susan shot back at the Queen as she and Peter burst into the room, weapons drawn.
"This used to be a private room." Miraz commented unhappily, hands on his hips despite being outnumbered four to two.
"What are you doing?" Peter asked Caspian, shooting a look at Vaslin that showed his disapproval of how he'd handled controlling the rash prince. "You're supposed to be in the gatehouse!"
"No!" Caspian refused to listen, glaring at his uncle. "Tonight for once, I want the truth. Did you kill my father?"
Miraz was unphased by the teenager's anger. "Now we get to it."
"You said your brother died in his sleep." Prunaprismia said uneasily.
"That was more or less true." Her husband responded calmly.
"Caspian, this won't make things any better." Susan warned.
"We need to go." Vaslin agreed. This King is manipulating you, Prince!
"We Telmarines would have nothing had we not taken it." Miraz finally admitted. "Your father knew that as well as anyone."
"How could you?" Prunaprismia finally moved the muzzle of her crossbow to her husband.
"For the same reason you will pull that trigger; for our son." Miraz took a step forward.
"Stop!" She demanded, horrified, her weapon wavering between nephew and uncle.
Susan's bow was locked onto the tyrant. "Stay right there!"
"You need to make a choice." Miraz told his lover. "Do you want our child to be king? Or do you want him to be like Caspian here? Fatherless!"
"No!" Prunaprismia wailed, firing her crossbow into the armored shoulder of her nephew.
Susan fired her bow at Miraz, but it embedded itself in the door he escaped through instead. The Telmarine Queen's wail rose into a scream. This was it; their cover had been blown.