Author's Note: After this chapter, there will be one more, and then this arc will be finished. So sad :( However, these characters are far from over, and I am planning on at least two more arcs involving our new friends. The next arc will involve the Pevensie children (obviously), Nath, Lain, Adem, and a surprise guest ;) It will only be 6 chapters long, I'm afraid, but the next ones will hopefully be a bit longer.
Disclaimer: I never have and never will own Narnia
71. Broken
Edmund's eyes fluttered as a hazy voice begged him to wake up. The world around him was full of fuzzy blurs swimming before him. He felt someone patting his cheek lightly. With more than a little bit of a struggle, Edmund managed to get his hands to his eyes and rub them weakly to try and clear away the sleep. That did wonders, and when he pulled back, he saw Peter hovering over him.
"Are you alright?" Peter gently helped Edmund sit up.
Edmund began to nod, but a blast of pain from the back of his head stopped him short. Peter skirted around him, sitting down comfortably behind Edmund and gently checking the back of his head. Edmund winced and hissed when he touched a bump that was beginning to form.
"You hit your head on the corner of your desk. You'll be alright, I think. What is it with you and hitting your head? Give the poor thing a break."
Edmund smiled weakly. "It's not my fault."
"Mahir again?" Edmund's smile faded and he nodded. "What did he do this time?"
"Not much, luckily. Just took a chisel to my head."
"Oh Ed…" Peter pulled his brother close and stroked his hair soothingly while Edmund trembled.
"It's not a big deal. He's done plenty worse, and it's not like he actually hurt me."
Peter brushed over the goose egg on the back of his head, pressing his lips together when Edmund winced once again. "I beg to differ."
"What time is it?"
"Almost dawn, why?"
"Just curious. Can I go see Phillip?"
"Sure," Peter didn't look pleased. "Want me to come with you?"
"No…no, I think I'll be okay now."
"Why were you so panicky without me before, if you don't mind my asking?"
"I don't know. I guess I was just so afraid that, if I let you out of my sight, I wouldn't find you again."
"I'll always be able to find you, Ed. I promise," The two hugged each other tightly and Peter planted a brotherly kiss on the top of Edmund's head. "Now go see Phillip."
"Yessir."
Edmund smiled up at Peter a bit before getting up and walking as quickly as he could to the stables. He couldn't help but notice that the barn was almost exactly the same distance from the Cair as Mahir's stables were from his house. When Edmund entered, he picked up a pitchfork without thinking and headed for Phillip's stall. When he spotted the Horse, the two smiled at each other, but Phillip's smile quickly turned into a confused look.
"Why do you have that?" He looked at the pitchfork.
"I need to clean out the stalls." Edmund said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"That's not your job, Sire."
"Well of course it…" Edmund stopped himself and blushed in embarrassment. He had been cleaning out stalls almost every day at dawn for so long that he had forgotten he didn't have to anymore. "I'll just…put this back…"
Edmund shuffled back to the front of the barn, his blush growing deeper as he set the pitchfork down. Despite the knowledge that he didn't have to, he still felt a strong urge to clean the stables and take care of the horses. It didn't feel right, not doing his chores. It had been so easy to get into the swing of things, but apparently getting out wasn't quite so simple. When he returned, Phillip was waiting for him patiently.
"Is everything alright?"
Edmund nodded. He slipped into Phillip's stall and leaned against his shoulder, clinging to his mane loosely. The Stallion turned his head to look at Edmund, nuzzling his cheek a bit.
"What is wrong, my King?"
"Please call me Edmund." Edmund closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry. Old habits die hard. What is wrong, my Edmund?"
Edmund smiled a bit, but the expression didn't last long. "I had a nightmare, and something tells me I'll be having them for a long time."
"About what you went through?" The human nodded, and the Horse nuzzled him again. "Fear not. You're safe at home now, and I'm certain your brother will protect you from everything and everyone."
"I know. They're just a bit draining," Phillip nuzzled him once again. "Phillip?"
"Yes, Edmund?"
"Can you tell me more about what you went through in Tashbaan? Why didn't you tell Lasaraleen who you were sooner? Not that I'm saying you should have. I just want to know."
Phillip sighed, not in a negative fashion, but more in preparation. "I wanted to, Edmund. I nearly tried once, within a month of my being sold to her. However, things were a bit complicated there.
"On the day I arrived, I was treated like any normal horse. They washed and groomed me, frowning at my weight but apparently admiring my breeding. I was settled into my stall for the night, which I must say was rather fancy. It was incredibly roomy and had a very soft turf, though what it was made of I'm not certain. The next morning, Lasaraleen was led to my stall by a guard. She entered and inspected me, seeming very pleased with me.
"She rode me that day, and when I overheard someone call her name, I realized whom she was. I knew then that I had a hope of escaping. For several weeks, we spent a few hours every day together. She spoke to me in whispers, telling me how she was feeling and trusting me with things she obviously trusted to no other. I wished greatly to tell her just what I was, but I couldn't do it that day. It was the 36th day of living with her that I had the idea in my head to inform her that she was riding a Talking Horse, but the night before I could, the creature in the stall next to mine found out. I'm not sure how he realized what I was planning to do, but he was clever and had his wits about him.
"He told me that he, too, was a Talking Horse, and that telling Lasaraleen that I could speak was a very unwise decision. He informed me that his mate had done the same thing. Lasaraleen told a guard, and the Mare was sold to a circus for a very high price. I told the Stallion what my predicament was and how I had no choice but to try something, but he was persistent. He said that, with a master as loyal as you, my Edmund, I had no right to act out and betray you, even with good intentions. He told me that if I wanted to be as devoted and faithful as you, I would need to learn patience and wait for the right moment, not jump the first opportunity that presented itself.
"I listened, and I believe it was for the better. Just a few days afterward, I listened in on a conversation Lasaraleen had with her mounted guard while we went on a ride. They spoke of a new pair of Talking Beasts that had been bought by her father, and Lasaraleen would not stop talking about that Talking Mare of hers and how excited she had been to tell her father about her. She didn't want the Mare to be sold, she said, but keeping the fact to herself seemed like such a silly idea.
"After that, I kept my mouth shut until I was sure she would not be rid of me. We bonded, and she eventually came to call me her favorite mount. On our rides and during her one-sided conversations, she swore to me that she would never allow any harm to befall me, not even if it was from her own father. On the 170th day of my capture, she specifically said that even if I were a Talking Horse, she would not give me away, but keep it as our secret.
"That was when I told her. The look on her face was quite amusing and it took all I had not to laugh. Rather than fetch a guard like I had half expected, once she had regained her composure, she became quite elated. I had to convince her to silence herself before she attracted attention. Once I was sure she would remain quiet, I explained to her that I had a dear friend in Narnia who had been taken by the slave trade and was being abused. I desperately begged for her help in freeing me so I could get word to our Kings, who may help me save him.
"I was afraid to mention that you were my dear friend, but I think she had a hunch. She grew quite grave and swore to assist me in whatever way she could. From there, we planned my escape, of which I have told you about."
"I'm so glad you were treated well." Edmund smiled a bit.
"As am I, though I wish I could say the same for you." Phillip lipped at Edmund's hair fondly.
"Is that other Talking Horse still there?"
Phillip shook his head. "He was found out the day after I told Lasaraleen, though luckily our two cases were not connected in the slightest. A guard had apparently overheard him talking to himself. I know not what happened to him, just that they took him away."
"Oh…I'm sorry." Edmund hated the thought of his subjects being sold and treated terribly for being Talking Animals, but there was naught he could do without knowing where they were specifically located.
"It is fine, Edmund. He wasn't the most pleasant Horse to be around, and with the way he spoke ill of you and yours, I say he deserves what he gets."
"What?" Edmund looked up at Phillip, stunned.
"Worry not. I put him in his place whenever he said anything negative about my Kings and Queens, but he did speak poorly of you on occasion, and I believe if he had the chance to return to Narnia, he would opt to stay right where he was. He was a foolish creature who put blame where blame did not belong, and so he deserves whatever happens to him."
"Oh, I see."
Phillip nudged Edmund's shoulder. "You should return to the Cair. I'm certain your family is worried about you, and breakfast will be served shortly, I'm sure. Be sure to eat plenty. You look half the size you did before we were taken."
"I will. I'll come back later."
With a hug goodbye, Edmund went back to Cair Paravel and to the eastern balcony where they had eaten the day before. As Phillip had predicted, his siblings and breakfast were waiting for him. He sat down in his seat and apologized, explaining that he had been with Phillip. Satisfied with the answer, and with a greeting good morning, everyone began to eat. Edmund picked at his food listlessly, eating enough to keep his siblings' eyes off of him but not nearly as much as he had promised.
The rest of the day passed by slowly. Edmund spent almost all of his time with Peter, and half of his time with Peter and Phillip. Conversation was small and Edmund's voice was smaller. Peter quickly grew sick of the "yes sir's" Edmund continued to say, and Edmund cowered whenever he said something disapproving. He ate a bit at lunch and dinner, but not much more than he was used to eating at Mahir's.
Throughout the day, Edmund met with Nasrin, Calla, and Akmal, all of whom were leaving for their homes in the morning. He would miss them, and he swore he would visit whenever he could and gave them permission to come to Cair Paravel whenever time permitted it.
That night, Edmund had another nightmare, though he couldn't quite remember what happened. All he knew was one moment he was staring up at Mahir, and the next, he was staring up at an exhausted-looking Peter. He said nothing as his elder brother held him. He was crying too hard to talk even if he had wanted to. The two sat on Edmund's bed until he fell back to sleep an hour later.
The moment the sun rose, Edmund woke up. He slipped out of bed as carefully as he could, making sure not to wake his brother. He snuck out of his room and down to the stables. Even though he knew he couldn't do his old chores, he didn't feel right if he wasn't at least in the proper surroundings.
He stayed with Phillip for more than a half of an hour before Peter found him. He looked a bit frazzled, though not quite frantic. Phillip apologized for Edmund, and Peter said it was fine. Edmund said nothing. Rather, he allowed himself to be led out of the barn and up to the balcony for breakfast. As before, he didn't eat much. That day, and the one following, mimicked the day before almost perfectly. It wasn't until the fifth day of being home that things began to change.
"The first ship of captives is arriving today." Peter said quietly over breakfast.
"Oh." Edmund's voice sounded hollow and empty. He hated it, and he made sure to say as little as possible so no one would have to hear it.
"Do you know how many will be coming?" Lucy piped up, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Thirty seven, from what I heard. They were able to raid twenty one homes before the ships filled up. We're going faster than planned, and may even get the island cleared in two to three weeks rather than the couple of months we thought it would take."
"That's good."
Peter nodded at Lucy's comment, and the table fell back into silence. Edmund picked at the food on his plate, chasing a bacon crumb with his fork. He shrank down in his seat as he felt his siblings' eyes on him. He hated worrying them. He wished he could eat more, but his stomach wasn't big enough to handle more food yet. He wished he could talk more, but his own voice made him flinch and talking wore him out anyway. He wished he didn't shy away whenever someone raised their voice or hand, but habits based on instinct were hard to suppress. He had been able to stop calling everyone "sir" or "ma'am", and that was a relief, but he still felt apprehensive about looking anyone in the eye.
"Maybe you should stay with Phillip while we sort everyone, Ed…" Susan spoke up.
Edmund's head jerked up and he stared at her. "Why?"
"Well…you're having a hard enough time as it is. You shouldn't have to see any of the damage."
"What if I have friends in the group?"
"We'll have Nath with us. If he sees anyone that lived in the house with you, he'll let us know."
"What about Lain and Adem?"
"Who?"
"Exactly. I'm staying with you and helping you sort everyone."
Pleased to hear Edmund talking so much, Susan nodded. "If you start to get at all upset, feel free to leave. We'll understand."
"I won't be leaving, but thank you."
An hour later, everyone was dressed and in the main court room. Edmund was sitting in his throne, just as he said he would be, and Peter was watching him with a mixture of pride and worry. The girls just seemed happy to have all four thrones filled again and trusted Edmund to be able to take care of himself. Within a few minutes of being seated, the slaves were led single file into the grand room. They looked around in awe and wonder. Some looked weary and thin, and terrified at the guards lining the walls. Others looked young and rather fresh and probably had only been in the slave business for a couple of weeks or so. Most of the group looked stuck somewhere in the middle.
The first slave to approach the thrones was a young girl in her early teens. She had short cropped hair that had once been dark brown but had started to become bleached by the sun. She looked around the room, stunned by where she was, before focusing on the Kings and Queens.
"What is your name?" Peter asked gently, giving her a comforting smile.
"I'm Raelin, sir." She said with a quick bow.
"Where are you from?"
"Archenland, in the mountains."
"Do you know the exact location?"
"Well sir, I…I couldn't tell you where, but if I was in Archenland, I would know how to get there."
"Oreius, assign two Goats and two Satyrs to this girl and the party we add to her."
"Yes, Sire." With a bow from the Centaur, he led the girl gently to the side of the room.
Each slave in the line went through the same process. The older ones and the men were addressed by Peter, and the younger ones and some of the more frightened girls were handled by Lucy and Susan. Edmund stayed quiet for the most part, struggling to keep his composure as he watched each case of abuse parade before him. He was happy to see that only a small percentage had seemed to deal with homes as bad as Edmund's, and that a rather surprising amount had lived fairly decent lives, judging by their looks and demeanor.
It took a little over an hour, but eventually the slaves were filed into seven different groups, depending on the location of their home, and only three were left. Edmund had begun to zone out and didn't get a good look at the slaves until it was their turn to approach the thrones. The first two, both young men, did not look like anyone he knew and were sorted without interruption. The third, however, looked incredibly familiar and it made Edmund sit up straight in his seat.
It was a woman, in her late teens or early twenties. Her hair was nearly elbow-length and a light brown in color. Her skin was a deep tan from working in the sun and her hands were calloused, but when she brushed her hair out of her face to look at the royals, there was no mistaking her eyes. It was Lain.
Edmund struggled to keep his eyes from watering as Peter asked her for her name. She didn't answer, instead fixing her gaze on Edmund. She frowned a bit in confusion and thought. Peter and the girls followed her stare, watching their brother in the same manner as the captive. When Edmund stood, Peter stood as well, but when the younger King began to walk toward the captive, Peter remained rooted in front of his throne.
Edmund smiled weakly when he got within arm's reach of her. "It's been awhile, Lain."
At the sound of his voice, Lain burst into a huge grin and wrapped her arms around Edmund tightly. "Eamon! I thought it was you! I kept thinking I was so crazy to believe that you might have been that kid on the ship, but when you looked at me…" She laughed and hugged him tighter. "I've missed you. How are you? Where's your horse? Have you seen Adem yet?"
Peter, Susan, and Lucy watched on in amused shock as Lain fussed over their brother.
"I've missed you too. I've been so worried about you. I'm doing better, now that I'm home. Phillip is in the stables, and he's much better too. I haven't seen Adem yet, but I'm sure I will soon. And what about you? How are you? You look so different. Look at your hair!"
Lain laughed. "I've held my own. I got a good family, luckily. They insisted I grow my hair out, but I'm cutting it off when I get home. It's so hot."
"Edmund," Edmund jumped and turned around when Peter spoke up. "I don't mean to break you two up, but we do need to find out where she lives so we can get her back home."
Edmund nodded and turned to Lain. "Where do you live?"
She smiled. "On the shore in Archenland, fairly close to Anvard."
"Then I'll be sure you get there."
"Good. I was wondering, though, if I might be able to stay here until you find Adem."
Edmund looked over at Peter and smiled when his brother nodded. He led Lain to an empty room, helping her get comfortable before returning to his siblings. Luckily, it wasn't long before Adem showed up. It was three days before the next shipment of captives arrived. In those three days, Edmund improved little, much to the disappointment of his siblings and friend. His spirits only brightened somewhat when they got word that another, much larger batch of slaves had arrived. This time around they had raided a richer part of the island and had come home with almost fifty slaves after raiding sixteen households.
As before, Edmund and his siblings sat on their thrones and Nath and Lain, who had been introduced to each other, were permitted to sit on Edmund's right. They watched in baited silence as each slave was led before the Kings and Queens. They were only seven slaves into the line when Edmund noticed someone he recognized. He and Nath swept down upon Basam and all three boys grinned as they poked fun at one another. Basam got a special kick out of finding out his friend was a King and asked him if he would be taking any more vacations from home anytime soon.
The three were shuffled apart after a few moments, and Basam was placed in one of the groups that would be heading home the next day. He continued to smile as Edmund and Nath went back to their respective places, though the King's smile faded fairly quickly.
As the group of slaves continued to be sorted, more familiar faces sprang up. Hanah, solemn though just as proud as ever, went through the same treatment as Basam when it was her turn to meet Narnia's rulers. Her mare was in the stables, she told them, and she had had quite the surprise. According to her, while she had been putting her mare away, Phillip had spoken to her and gave her a good scare. She giggled lightly about it, as did the others, and with a final hug, she fell in line with the proper group.
In the final quarter of the slaves, a third and final friend showed his face. Adem stepped up to the thrones, bowing neatly and keeping his gaze away from their eyes. His condition was somewhat contradictory. He was much skinnier than he had been before, and bruises were obvious, but he was very well kept otherwise and wore rather decent clothes.
Lain was the first to head for him, running as quickly as she could and practically tackling him. He smiled and rubbed her back as she hugged him, but when he saw Edmund, he froze. He blinked and frowned, shaking his head in disbelief. Lain, noticing a change, pulled away and smiled at him.
"Adem, it's Eamon!" She looked at Edmund and her smile grew.
Adem's shocked look turned into a smirk. "No wonder you were commanding Tahj left and right."
Edmund smiled a bit. "Now you know that's not true. You were the one who got him to do anything."
"I'm assuming you want us to call you King Edmund now?" The smirk never faded.
"I've told Lain countless times to call me Edmund," Edmund looked over at her, but she just continued to smile. "But she refuses to give up my other name. So call me whatever you wish, except for King. I won't stand for you two calling me King. Now come on, before Peter yells at us."
Edmund shuffled his friends to the side, giving Peter a small smile before taking Adem to Lain's room. Once all three were in, he shut the door behind them. They stayed silent for awhile as Adem took in his surroundings and Lain watched Edmund. Eventually, Lain decided to break the silence.
"So what happened to you guys?"
Edmund stayed silent, but after a moment, Adem spoke up. "Nothing, really. I was sold to some fancy-to-do couple with a bratty four year old, some prized dogs and two other teenage boy slaves. They were alright. They didn't exactly feed me well, but they kept me looking nice for their numerous parties. Nothing really exciting ever happened. You, Eamon?"
Edmund shrugged. "Pretty much the same story. I was sold to a Calormene, his wife, and their two kids. I had to look after the horses and gardens."
"You look so tiny. Did they not feed you well either?" Lain watched him with curiosity rather than worry.
"Nah, not particularly. I got sick the last few days I was there, too, so I lost some weight then. What about you, Lain? What's your story?"
"I was sold to a widower and his new girl. Apparently they were quite a scandal. He had to be in his fifties and she couldn't have been a day over twenty five. But anyway, I was their fourth servant and the second girl. I don't know why they had so many of us. I spent most of my time outside helping where I could, but usually I just wandered the grounds. There was nothing to do. They didn't have any animals, save for a cat that the wench doted on all day, no kids, nothing. The boys took care of the crops, but we girls were left with nothing to do. I guess we were just for show. They were party people too, and the majority of their guests were men. They would have us serve the guests, so I suppose they just wanted us to appeal to their friends."
"They never did anything to you, did they?" Edmund couldn't stop thinking about Calla and her mother being taken advantage of.
"Oh no, of course not. One of their friends tried to touch the other girl and my master exploded on him and kicked him out. They were rather protective of us. We were like works of art or statues or something. Look, but don't touch."
"That's good to hear."
Lain smiled and nodded. "So how come you've been so quiet and jumpy? You were so brazen the last time I saw you."
"Jumpy? What are you talking about?" Adem frowned and looked at Edmund.
"I'm fine. It's nothing. Adem, do you live close to Lain? You two could travel together."
"Don't change the subject," Adem was obviously not pleased, and when Edmund recoiled from his harsh voice, his frown deepened. "Lain and I both got lucky with our homes. It seems you didn't."
Edmund shrugged listlessly. "I'll be fine."
Lain frowned, walked over to him, and hugged him tightly. "Promise? Because right now, you don't look fine. You look pretty broken."
Edmund simply cried into her shoulder.
