A/N: yes, this used to be chapter 18 but i added another one so now its 19.
Edmund knew that before they left, he needed to have a talk with the boy who he had discovered was his son. He walked around the palace, searching him out. He knew that this conversation would be incredibly awkward since they had only met a week ago, but he knew that this was something he needed to do, and wanted to do for that matter.
As Edmund was rounding a corner in the main southeast corridor, he found Mathias. The young prince of Telmar was peaking curiously behind an intricately woven tapestry depicting a white unicorn drinking from a blue pool of water. After a few moments of inspection, he let the wall-hanging fall back into place with an unsatisfied expression.
"Looking for something?" Edmund asked, causing Mathias to jump. The black-haired king let out a short laugh as he came up beside his son.
"Not really," he answered, still slightly startled. "I can't find any spy holes or secret passageways or anything."
"Of course not; behind a tapestry is the most obvious place to hide and incredibly cliché. We've tried to avoid the mundane here at Cair Paravel and any secret places are a little more difficult to find." Edmund told him.
"Well that does make sense." They continued for a short time to make small talk, speaking of the weather and other typically boring topics. Finally, they ran out of things to say to each other and Edmund sighed in the awkward silence.
"Mathias, I must apologize for my previous behavior," the king struggled to get the words right. "Quite obviously, I'm not very fond of Telmar."
"Neither am I." They both laughed uneasily. Edmund grew very serious and looking Mathias straight in the face, said,
"I love your mother with all of my heart and more. I will do everything I can in my power to protect her and you. I know that this isn't the typical father...son...thing...but—"
"I know what you're trying to say," Mathias interjected then offered his nervous father a smile. "And I appreciate it."
"Good," he replied after a moment's thought, returning the smile. "Because this was getting a little uncomfortable for the both of us, I'm sure." They both laughed.
And everything was good between them.
"The best place to attack from would be here but we're not taking an army with us," Elaina protested. "Once we can get inside we won't need to kill more than absolutely necessary."
"Yes," Peter argued. "But it's not like Killian is just going to let you waltz right on in there. He'll kill you and Edmund the second he sees you."
"That's why he won't see us," she pointed to the map of Dimitius rolled out on the desk. She rolled her eyes skyward and smacked her forehead with her palm. "I don't know why I didn't think of this before." They had been trying to figure out the best way to invade the island discreetly and up until now, they had made no progress. The past hour had been spent with the three of them poring over maps and groaning in frustration as they realized they had no clue what to do. "This cave right here has a secret passage that leads all the way to the servants' quarters in the castle. All we have to do is get in there, make ourselves look like servants, and find Killian." There was eagerness in her eyes as she stared at the layout. Peter turned the map around and analyzed it further. He opened his mouth several times, about to protest but could find nothing wrong with it. Finally he reluctantly nodded his head in agreement.
"Yes I see. But getting onto the island will be a bit of a problem. There's no way we could make port without being found out."
"I already have a plan for that," was all she said.
"So we're really going to do this," Edmund said from his seat. They turned and looked at him then looked back at each other.
"Yes Ed, we're really going to do this," Peter replied.
"Well it's about time."
The ship they hired was a run down, weather-beaten, hard driven beast of a thing. The sails were patched, the deck looked like it had not been cleaned in months and the crew was just as incredulously filthy. The captain's speech was so foul that he was the very epitome of the expression "mouth like a sailor". Elaina, Edmund and Peter had chosen this one particularly for the dilapidation of it. Who would suspect royalty of riding aboard such a disgusting vessel?
Peter watched his brother and Elaina closely as the three of them stood on the deck, looking out over the horizon, realizing something he truly had not before. It had not been some ridiculously strong infatuation as he thought it had been. Edmund really did love her. He watched out of the corner of his eye as they turned to each other grimly, a silent understanding passing between them. Edmund offered her a smile and she returned it. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. Quite suddenly, enough that it nearly threw Edmund off balance, she threw her arms about his neck and kissed him. Peter turned away at that point, trying to block out his own memories of moments like that. In some way, he felt that if he was able to get revenge for Edmund and Elaina, something inside of him would be quieted down, and he could move on with his life, if just a small bit.
At the end of the day, the three of them made their way down into the hull of the ship and prepared to sleep. Outside of where the crew slept in hammocks in the cargo hold and the captain's personal quarters, the only other place to sleep was the galley which is where they had made their beds. Edmund pulled out the map of Dimitius they had taken from Peter's office in Narnia. He rolled it out on the wooden floor and weighted the corners with pots.
"So where are we getting in?" he asked, searching the edges of the island.
"This inlet right here is a natural harbor," she traced it with her finger then stopped on a certain point and tapped the page. "I nearly posted an entire legion here after we discovered that it was a regular trading place for pirates and others of such dishonest occupations. If I had we wouldn't be able to get onto Dimitius at all."
"Why didn't you?" Peter asked.
"Well—" she started, and then stopped. She looked at Edmund who returned it with confusion. Her face slowly went scarlet. "I had a...change of heart."
"A few skeletons in yer closet, eh?" they all jumped at the voice of the captain. He stepped closer and squatted down to where they sat on the floor. His black beard was incredibly scraggly and his eyes were beady and a murky brown. "Sorry, I didna mean ta startle ya, Yer Majesties. But there be a rather official lookin' ship comin' this way. If I'm not mistaken it be flyin' the Dimitian colors. The three of ye might wanna hide, an' fast." They all looked at each other for a second then back to the captain.
"How far away is she?" Edmund asked.
"'Bout a league or so by my reckonin'," he replied after a moment's thought. "We be carryin' a little bit o' cargo so we should be able to pass an inspection." Suddenly, he stood. "Follow me." He led them into his personal quarters and pulled back a terribly unclean rug to reveal a trapdoor. "I'd almost forgot 'bout this, haven't used it in years. It may be a little cramped, but it should be enough to keep the lot o' ya from being found." His eyes went wide. "Not that I been doin' anythin' to shame me name, sires, its jus' there fer extra cargo and me...personal effects."
Edmund and Peter looked at eachother for a moment and began laughing.
"Don't worry, captain. Your secrets are safe with us. After all, if not for your unholy actions in the past, this wonderful contraption would not be provided for us right now." Peter said, clapping him on the shoulder and making his way down into the dark compartment with Edmund and Elaina trailing close behind him.
"'Ey," he called. "Ya might want this. The light won't be visible to anyone up here." He lowered down a shielded lantern. "I'll come get ya after they're gone." With that, he shut the trapdoor and they heard him move the carpet back over it.
The lantern light cast an eerie glow on each of their faces as they looked at each other anxiously, each holding their breath. Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, the sound of heavy, metal footsteps grew closer from up outside somewhere. The door to the captain's office opened and the footsteps continued then stopped. It was silent for a moment then another set of footsteps was heard.
"That be all, milord," the captain said.
"Yes, everything seems to be in order." Elaina's face blanched and her eyes widened. Edmund mouthed the word 'what' to her and she shook her head. A furious expression came over her and she clenched her jaw. "Your papers are right here?"
"Yes, yes, here." There was a shuffling of feet and papers.
"Ah, yes. How is the wool business?"
"Rather slow this time o' year an' that be why we have such a small amount on board. I would've gotten cotton but fer some odd reason the price has reached ridiculous heights. So I'm stuck with wool. But still, I figures, it's not in high demand, so why stock up on it?"
"True. Alright, captain, you may proceed to the harbor. I hope you have better luck in Dimitius."
Once again the door opened and the heavy footsteps continued followed by the lighter steps until silence had returned. They remained mute and sat, waiting. After what seemed, again, hours the door opened, the rug was moved and moonlight filled the little compartment as the trapdoor was pulled up.
"Yer all clear up here," the captain said, helping Elaina out. "Sorta brief wasn't it? What a nice fella."
Elaina frowned, but said nothing. After the captain had left them and they had returned to the kitchen, she erupted in a myriad of curses. She was surprisingly good at cursing and her choice of vocabulary even caused Edmund's face to turn red. After a good amount of time, her oaths had dwindled down to the names of ancient gods from several countries.
"...Ahreddan, Darshan, and Dunixi!" she concluded, kicking a bag of flour halfway across the room. Peter and Edmund stared at her mortifyingly. "What?" she snapped.
"What was that about?" Edmund asked cautiously.
"That 'nice fella'...was Kemen," she replied, spitting the name out like it was fouler than anything she had just said.
A/N: there it is. I would really appreciate some reviews here, people. Just, you know, anything good would be nice. If you could just say something...it's not hard I promise. Review please :)