I reached the stables just as the midday lunch bell rang. This meant that everyone would be detained from their obligation of duty for at least another forty – five minutes, which meant that I could tack up my stallion, Typhon, and ride from the Cair.
A tingling sense of excitement, happiness and freedom flooded through my body, making the hair on my arms raise, and my body relax. I was free, I could do what I liked, and this would be an adventure. It would be fun to have a holiday from my regal life, with all the stresses and pressures of the Royal Narnian Court.
I whistled as I fetched my saddle, numnah and bridle from the tack room. I carried them over to Typhon, who was still in his stable, nosing impatiently at his empty haynet. I plonked the saddle and numnah down onto the half – door, whilst fiddling absent – minded with the bolt on the door, the bridle swinging on my arm. Slotting the top bolt back, and kicking the bottom bolt back too, I made low clicking noises with my tongue, and pushed against Typhon's chest and shoulders, encouraging him to reverse. Then, I took up the saddle and numnah and heaved them onto Typhon's withers. I tightened the girth – just enough to keep the saddle stable on his back, and then inserted the iron bit gently into his mouth. I finished putting his bridle on, and looped the reins over his head and neck. Typhon snorted into my face and blew lightly over my hair. I rolled my eyes and pushed my hair back into its normal messy style.
Then I led the bay stallion out of his stall, nudging the door closed with my boot.
I led the stallion out into the main yard, tightened the girth of his saddle, and vaulted into the saddle. I adjusted the stirrups and took up the reins. I urged Typhon into a gentle trot, and trotted through the yard, to the castle gateway. Strangely, there were no guards on the gargantuan gateway, and the dangerously sharp portcullis was up. However, there were guards of my battalion posted as sentries on the castle walls. These were unnecessary, since Cair Paravel was almost impregnable because of its position on a coastal cliff, but it made the place look more formal.
Surely my own army would not turn against me? Susan could not order them to, nor could she ask her own guards to attack me purposefully. Each ruler had a battalion of guards at their own disposal; almost like a bodyguard, or a sect of warriors solely at the respective ruler's command. They were hand – picked from children and trained all throughout their lives to become ruthless but merciful warriors, who upheld an oath to protect their commander until death. They adored their separate commander, and would do anything for them. But one condition of the Oath that they held meant that even if their leader ordered them to attack another royal, they could not. Anyone who disobeyed this rule was disbanded from that battalion, and was banished, because anyone who was prepared to do that was far too dangerous to live around in the court, or indeed, around any Narnian. The kind of sect depended upon the personality and moral scruples of the commander in question; for instance, Lucy's guards were much like the British bobbies (helping to make your area safer, for YOU), whereas Susan's guards were mysterious, and secretive: and they made it well known that they kept themselves to themselves and no more questions would be asked, thank you very much. They had the best insignia on their shields, though; a product of Susan's vanity, possibly. Nobody really knew very much about Edmund's guards, but it was generally agreed that they were more than a little bit odd. And good things tended to evaporate around them. Maybe they were scared.
Even Susan's (or Edmund's) guards would not disobey the Oath, though. Or would they?
I doubted it. Even Susan had her honour. That much had been proved, at Edmund's expense.
That thought made the anger in my heart boil over just for a second, my chest tightened, and then it was gone. It wasn't that it had disappeared entirely; but it seemed that it was becoming more controllable, without losing any of its fiery passion, and without losing any of its solid determination.
I halted Typhon gently whilst I considered the possibilities of my own soldiers turning against me. Certainly, it was a definite possibility that Susan had ordered them to, maybe even bribed them, but my soldiers were loyal and completely devoted to me. It would take an incredulously large bribe to convince them. Even Susan could not manage that.
Deciding on the easiest course of action, I walked Typhon forward again, and through the gates. I was not challenged but merely hailed as the High King, questioned, and sent on my way with the best wishes of the guards. They had heard of the house arrest, and thought it ridiculous and petty. Susan had sullied her reputation with that unreasonable demand, and lowered herself in the eyes of the populace. I was troubled at that; Susan had always been so kind and fair. I had a feeling that something odd was going on with our Gentle Queen.
Thanking my guards, and promising them that they would be rewarded for their loyalty, I urged Typhon into a trot down the twisting paved road to Castle Town. There, I pulled my hood over my face, and slowed to a walk. I took the route around the outskirts of the town, avoiding the majority of the crowds of mixed humans and Talking Animals. Ever since the beginning of our reign, more humans had moved over from Archenland, Calormen, Galma, etc. so we constructed a village for them, suitable for both animals and humans. This had had rapid growth into a town, and soon, a city.
Soon I was out of Castle Town, and into the wide open fields split in two by the Great River of Narnia. They stretched on into the horizon for as far as the eye could see, forever and forever it seemed. Now I felt free, and invigorated; with the fields surrounding me I felt a huge recklessness surge up within me and I spurred Typhon into a trot, then a canter, then a gallop. I whooped with joy as I rose out of my saddle.
I was free!
Free from the veiled tyrannical reign of my sister, from my stressful job of High King, eldest brother and general dependable person! Free!
I felt as if the spirit, the very essence of the open fields before me, had filled me up from head to toe. A heady feeling of delicious happiness overwhelmed my senses, making me light – headed. The feeling of lifted responsibility mixed with the euphoria of being free made a delectable elixir of perfect emotions.
When I had regained my senses from the ecstatic feeling of joy, I slowed Typhon down to a slow, ambling walk. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery that stretched around us for miles as we plodded on towards a nearby copse of birch trees.
O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0
"What? What did you say to me?"
Susan growled in a low voice. The hapless parliament of Narnian councillors shivered in their ornately carved wooden seats.
The tension in the room noticeably raised by several mountains' worth as no-one dared to answer Susan's threatening question.
"I said…what you say to me?"
As nobody answered Susan immediately, she swept out of her throne, and whirled around the Hall. Her face was twisted into a violent grimace.
"Am I too insensible to be told what is happening in my own kingdom? Am I too light – headed to be depended upon, or too stupid? No! I would think not; but obviously you think so, since you cannot be bothered to tell me what I should rightfully know about my own brother!" Susan ended this explosion of eloquence with a glare that should've supernova'd into burning pools of blue wizard fire.
The room turned into a shivering gibbering mass of sweating blobs.
However – the most brave (or idiotic, or stupid) councillor of them all decided that the question was to be answered, and he was the talking squirrel to do it.
"Well, your Majesty;" - Here he leapt up onto the table in front of him – "we've let your royal brother, Peter, escape."
At this condemning statement, all other councillors sat completely, utterly still. Not a muscle twitched in a stressed face; nor did a feather rustle. Everything, everyone was still, silent: waiting.
Susan stared. She glared with clear blue eyes that would've looked absolutely ravishing on any other day. Any other day, at least.
It was terrifying. She said nothing for at least half a minute; one of the weaker – minded Narnians even fainted. He couldn't take the tension.
Silence reigned in the Hall.
Susan, appearing bored with her terrifying methods, decided to take a different approach. She calmly walked back to her throne, and sat down on it. She spent a few seconds re – arranging her skirts about her, and then sat up straighter than a poker, her hands resting in her lap. Her eyes were gazing directly in front of her, at the great masterpiece of masonry that spread out over the back wall of the Hall. It looked like the tremendous outburst of a few minutes before had never happened.
"Due to your incompetence as part of the Royal Narnian Council, my brother, High King of all Narnia, has now left the confines of Cair Paravel, whilst under a strict house arrest. He knows that he has done wrong, by disobeying this order. He knows the consequences of his actions, and he knows that while he refuses to return to Cair Paravel, he will be searched for, and he will be found. No harm shall come to him by any human, or beast. He will be treated with the utmost respect that a High King of Narnia deserves, even though his actions should have condemned this privilege. You will organise and send out these search parties, which shall be a combination of all the Royal Battalions, and the castle's militia. I expect Peter to be found within the next month. You are dismissed."
When Susan had finished speaking, the council rose and bowed, then left. Overlings could be heard giving underlings strict orders to formulate the search parties, and then the underlings scurrying off to complete these orders.
The search parties would be out before nightfall.
Susan relaxed in her chair. She had done what she had been asked to do. Now all she had to do was wait.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
This chapter was a bit Susan – bashy, wasn't it? Also, the characters were completely out of canon too. I'm sorry for my terrible writing.
Anyway; I kept on going with this chapter! And none of you even reviewed the last one, so my levels of motivation were dangerously low. I fell out with you for that, y'know.
No, no, I'm only joking. I love you really, honest ;D
Do tell me what you think, darlings ;D
~pearlsofweird ;D