I was going to put all of the following prison break into one chapter, but that chapter got mighty long. So I decided to break it in half (ish). Here is part 1 of the eluded "massive prison break."

Hope you all enjoy! And thanks so much for the response to the last chapter!

Oops! So sorry. I meant to post this Friday morning but got distracted with work and then slept in this morning. So here it is now.

One Fine Day

Chapter 8

Prison Break: Part One

I paced the length of the cell. My head was ringing and my eyes were dropping. I had to get out of here. I had to get to Lucy, and I had to find Aaralynn. As I paced, I watched as the sky grew agonizingly darker. I knew dawn wouldn't be far off, and then what? We would be marched before what passed as a judge here where we would attempt to ward off false crimes. Judging by the state of the street we passed through, I could hardly hope for a fair chance.

"Edmund, please, your pacing is unnerving," Caspian said.

"It helps me think," I defended.

"Does it really?" he asked, and I swear all I heard was Aaralynn's voice.

Pacing, of course, did not help me think. So I stopped, for a while.

"There has to be a way out." I went back to the door to look at the hinges, again.

"It's hopeless," the old man in the corner grumbled.

"Well pardon me if I haven't resigned myself to death by imprisonment just yet," I barked in response. Caspian shot me a look of warning and I knew that was just another thing I'd have to apologize for once we found Aaralynn, if we ever found her.

The old man in the corner was none other than the Lord Bern we had been looking for. Of course we asked him for the whereabouts of Aaralynn, or rather the girl he knew as Estelle, the moment we realized who he was. We were once more met with disappointment. He had neither seen nor heard from Estelle since the start of his imprisonment some months ago. He had tried to keep track of the days, but somewhere around four months he lost count. Bern did admit to hoping that Estelle was well away from the Islands and that she was safe.

My ears perked for a moment at a commotion in the hall; someone was shouting. They quickly passed though and I was unable to discern anything from it. I resumed my pacing.

"Edmund, really!" Caspian said a few minutes later. I stopped pacing and was about to retort when Drinian jumped in.

"If we cannot escape before they come for us, then perhaps it is time we derive a plan of escape for when they come for us."

"Of course, Drinian. That is very well thought of," Caspian applauded.

"I am sure King Edmund was only a few turns around the cell from suggesting the same."

A few hundred perhaps, I thought. I really was thinking of little else apart from the need to find Aaralynn well.

We set about doing as Drinian had suggested. It took us little time to come up with a basic plan. Bern would distract the guards feigning a sudden heart attack. Then Drinian, Caspian, and myself would attack the guards from behind and over power them, stealing their weapons and their keys. Drinian would then make for the Dawn Treader and return with the whole crew. Meanwhile, Caspian and I would find and free Lucy, then begin the search for Aaralynn. We would start with the rest of the cells in case she had already been caught. It was a simple plan at its core, but we all knew that with simple plans it was best to have a contingency plan in place as well.

"…So now, if that should happen then…"

"Edmund," Caspian said with sudden alarm; he was looking at the door so I quickly did too.

"Lucy!" I jumped up.

"It looks like I found you, brother," she replied.

"Yes, I see, but how? How did you get out? We've been trying for hours."

"Well, as I've recently learned, it usually helps to escape if you have a key."

"A key? Where did you get a key?"

"From me of course." Suddenly another body appeared beside Lucy. The face was dirty, but I would recognize it anywhere.

"Aaralynn." Her name came out as little more than a whisper. Her only response was to smile softly and wrap her fingers around the iron bars; they brushed against mine. "Aaralynn, I…"

"Shh, later," she whispered. Her forehead dropped to the bars for the briefest moment, and in that one moment I glimpsed the toll the Islands had taken on her. Then the moment passed; her head snapped up and she smiled.

"Caspian! It's good to see you!" Aaralynn unlocked the cell door and swung it open.

"I can say the same," Caspian replied.

"And Captain, I see you're still Captain."

"Aye, milday," Drinian replied with a bow. "And I have you to thank for that."

"Now, Captain, I don't buy that for one instant. You got the position on your own merits."

"Might I ask, what are you wearing?" Caspian inquired. His question directed my attention to Aaralynn's clothes for the first time and I was surprised to find what I did.

"Aaralynn! You're wearing pants! You hate pants," I said.

"Ugh! Don't remind me," she said. "I can hardly wait to get back into a proper dress. Though, I have gotten used to the boots."

"Wait, are those boy's clothes?"

"Indeed."

"Why are you in boys clothing?"

"Why else would one choose to wear clothes they do not wish to wear. I was in disguise."

"Disguise?" Caspian asked.

"Well, of course. Those vermin knew my face too well, so I had to make another."

"She was a boy when they brought her in," Lucy said. "A very convincing one too. She had a mustache."

"You had a mustache?" I asked skeptically.

"And glad to be rid of it. Ugh. My lip still hurts." She placed her hand over her upper lip as if to soothe a lingering pain. "So now are you read…." Suddenly Aaralynn's demeanor changed again when she saw the old man. "Papa Bern." Her voice was on the verge of tears as she ran toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Estelle, my dear child," Bern replied, and for the first time I saw a real emotion from the man: relief. Tears ran from his eyes, and judging by the slight shaking of Aaralynn's shoulders, she was crying too. I tried not to be bothered by the fact that Bern received more of an emotional response from Aaralynn then I had.

"How did you manage to escape them?" the old man asked.

"I caught wind of the siege before it happened, and left before they arrived."

"Celeste and the children?"

"Sorry, I should have said 'we left', all of us. I took them somewhere safe. I promised you I would see that no harm came to your family, and I've kept that promise, but I'm afraid…the estate, they burned it down. There's nothing left but ash and ruin."

Bern chuckled. "Homes can be rebuilt, child, people cannot."

"I have known countries to rebuild, too, and now it is time for the Islands to do the same. Come, Papa Bern, it is time we show these Vermin who they are dealing with. King Caspian!" Aaralynn turned around and all signs of laughter and jesting were gone. There was a new, regal look in her eyes. Caspian apparently recognized the look and tone of her voice as well, and he squared his shoulders and stood taller.

"The Lone Islands have been infested with the worst sort of men," Aaralynn began, "Slave Traders."

"Slave Traders?" I asked. Slavery was outlawed in Narnia years ago under our reign.

Aaralynn nodded. "It took me nearly two months to finally piece it together; it was hidden well. They call themselves The Keepers. Their name is to imply that they are keepers of the peace, but all they do is load a man they don't like with false crimes and have him locked up. Then, once a month, a ship from Calormen arrives and they hold a private market. It took me another month or so to find the location of this 'Market.'"

"And where is it?" Caspian asked.

"The Governor's estate."

"Governor Gumpas?"

Aaralynn nodded again. "Gumpas is in on the whole scheme; he's been stuffing his robe with Calormen crescents for years, while the people here are scrounging for enough wheat to make bread. But, I've recently discovered there is more. My source informs me that Gumpas is in cohorts with the new Tisroc and that together they are seeking to strike against Narnia."

"We must send word to Trumpkin at the Cair, and tell him to prepare the army," Drinian said.

"Preparing the army would not hurt, but it is my hope that it will not be necessary, Captain. This arrangement is still in the very early stages. The next Market is to be held tomorrow, the Calormene ship will arrive sometime this afternoon. If we act now, we can take Gumpas before the day has begun and return these Islands to their proper rule. Once the Tisroc learns that the Crown is once more established on these islands he will back down; he remembers our little scrimmage from three years past."

"How do you propose we get to the Governor?" Caspian asked.

Aaralynn's smile looked more like a smirk as she replied, "I can lead you there myself."

"Wait? Are you suggesting we just walk into the Governor's estate and demand that he step down and release control to us?" I asked.

"Not exactly," she replied. "I imagine it won't be so much of a walk, more like a trot or a jog perhaps. And I presume there may be a bit of swordplay exchanged. And we certainly won't demand he release control. After all, by all rights and prescriptions the Islands are still ours and thus so is the control. We will simply reclaim what is already ours and relinquish Gumpas of his authority. But we must act now, while his keepers are still asleep."

"Aaralynn, wait," I called as she started sprinting for the cell door, ready to spring into action. "We can't just walk in there without a plan."

"I've already told you the plan, Edmund, and like I said we won't be walking. We'll be running."

"That isn't what I meant, and you know it."

"I know," she laughed. "But Ed, you must trust me on this. We haven't time for a better plan. I am sure that at this very moment Pug is now conferring with Gumpas on what charges to lie against you that could amount to banishment or execution. You are all strapping young men and the Slavers would love nothing more than to get their gritty hands on you. And Lucy? Well you know as well as I what sort of scum will bid on her.

"Now, I apologize for the lateness of my arrival. I tried to make it to Bernstead in time to warn you as soon as I saw the Dawn Treader—which is quite the beauty from a distance, and I can hardly wait for a better look at her, Captain—but that village is crawling with spies. You were probably made the moment you stepped ashore. Then I had to bid my time until their numbers were lowest just so I could be arrested and thrown in here with you.

"So now, if you would be so kind as to follow me to freedom; we are wasting precious time."

Aaralynn turned on her heel and was out the door before I could muster a response. My eyes caught Lucy's.

"I know," she said, guessing at my thoughts. And indeed, I could tell she did know. I felt that age-old question rising up. "Where is my wife?" Caspian and Drinian, however, seemed unfazed by Aaralynn's actions and they quickly followed after her. Even Lord Bern was going along with it. I had no choice but to do so as well.

To be continued….