Title: Where Hope Resides (In The Measure of Sleeping Kings)
Author: PhirePhox666
Fandom: The Chronicles of Narnia
Pairing/Characters: No Pairings. The Pevensie siblings. A few OCs.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst on the part of Edmund. Fluff. Edmund getting beat up a bit.
Summary: Edmund is captured on his way home from Telmar by a greedy lord who plans on ransoming him so that he, the lord, can live a life of luxury. Three-shot.
Disclaimer: Still don't own it. At least, as far as I know. If I do than someone really should have let me know.
Word Count:
Dedication: For Aslan.
Prompt: None.
Excerpt:"If I were to have my choice I would have met you in Cair Paravel. Me dressed in my finest things, my mother at my side. You dressed as a king, with King Peter, Queen Susan, and Queen Lucy at yours. You would have never known the cruelness my people are capable of committing. I would have had you look upon me as a man worthy of respect."
A/N: Aha! Part two! Aren't you all so proud of me? You get a few answers about Caspa in here. A little bit more angsty in parts. Review if you wish. Flame if you wish. Still never been flamed. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter Two: Faith
~
The next few days were, at best, unpleasant. The best thing that could be said for them is that Lord Behn did not come to visit him. Several of Lord Behn's soldiers did, however, come to see their newest prize. Edmund's response to these visitors was biting sarcasm and ice cold eyes. It came as quite a surprise to the young king how many were cowed by his angry gaze. Unfortunately for him, those who weren't cowed by his gaze almost always wished to have some sport with their new prisoner so Edmund was quite roughed up by the end of his first three days sitting in the dungeons of Estanel.
By Edmund's estimation it would take little more than seven days for a rescue party to be launched. One day that Lord Behn did nothing, two days ride to Cair Paravel, one day listening to demands and Peter preparing to ride to Edmund's aid, two days ride to Estanel, one day scoping the place out, and then, hopefully, his rescue.
It was on the fourth day that Caspa came and visited him. It was quite obvious to Edmund that the young Telmarine had snuck down. There were no guards down in the dungeons, which made sneaking down from the manor itself quite easy. It was getting into the manor without permission that would prove tricky. Why he'd snuck down soon became apparent when Caspa let himself into Edmund's cell and proceeded to produce a great deal of basic healing supplies.
"I can't do much, I'm afraid," Caspa told him apologetically as he cleaned the most serious of Edmund's cuts and bruises, "They'll notice. But I can keep these from getting infected. I also brought some food. It was all I could sneak out."
He presented several small rolls and a hunk of cheese. Edmund devoured them. He had been fed only scraps and was ravenously hungry.
"Thank you." he told the young man after he had finished eating and drinking from the canteen Caspa had offered him.
"It is not much." Caspa shrugged. "I have wanted to meet the Kings and Queens of Narnia since I heard of your crowning. My great-great-grandfather came from Narnia and the stories have been passed down of Narnia, before it was ruled by The White Witch."
Edmund couldn't help but smile at the wistful tone. "You seem like a decent sort." The king couldn't help but say. "Why are you working with Lord Behn and this lot."
Caspa smiled bitterly. "My father is dead. He owed the king a great deal of money. My mother works off part of that debt in the palace, I work off the other part by going wherever His Majesty commands. If I do not, my mother dies."
"I am sorry." Edmund offered quietly.
Caspa shook his head and offered his own smile. "It is life. In only five years I will have paid off all debts and we will be free to live as we wish." He let out a gasp as he came to the rope burns around Edmund's wrists. "This must hurt very much."
Edmund shrugged. "Not as terribly as it could."
The young soldier looked up at him sadly, his face lined with distress. "If I were to have my choice I would have met you in Cair Paravel. Me dressed in my finest things, my mother at my side. You dressed as a king, with King Peter, Queen Susan, and Queen Lucy at yours. You would have never known the cruelness my people are capable of committing. I would have had you look upon me as a man worthy of respect."
Edmund smiled and said softly, "You have earned my respect for showing me kindness in a place where such acts seem to be taboo."
Caspa blushed faintly, "Thank you, King Edmund. I must be going now. If I am missed it will end unpleasantly for the both of us."
He hurried away before Edmund had the opportunity to say anything else.
"Aslan's blessing on you, Caspa." Edmund whispered to the retreating back.
The next several days were a haze of hope, despair, pain and comfort.
During the days he was visited by those of the manor who found it pleased them to look upon his defenseless self and torment him as they saw fit. He avoided being seriously injured only because Lord Behn had sense enough to realize that Narnia's monarchs were not going to look upon him favorably if he let the youngest king get gravely injured. Still, no one could say that the Just King was treated well during his stay and every day hope seemed a little harder to hold on to, although Edmund held his faith that Aslan would help Peter find him.
The Telmarines also deprived him of food and water. Only a few scraps made their way to Edmund throughout the days and water was nearly as scarce. It was Caspa who brought him most of what he ate and drank. Even Caspa could not bring very much at a time.
When he could, Caspa came down to treat the wounds that he, Edmund, had accrued since the last time he could get down. Caspa was gentle in a way that was welcome in the face of the darkness that Edmund was facing every day by Caspa's fellow Telmarines. He also had a way with words that Edmund could appreciate greatly. He told Edmund stories to distract him from his wounds and the growing hunger.
The hardest times for Edmund were at night when the darkness seemed to close in on him. It was cold in his cell and it brought him back to sitting in Her cell. The darkness was when he felt the loneliness the most, harsh and so strong of a feeling that it nearly brought him to tears. Edmund wanted Peter there to comfort him. Wanted the warmth of his brother, the assurance that they were both alive and well, wanted to know that his brother was there to defend him from the nightmares.
He didn't have Peter though and the darkness made that fact abundantly clear. The nightmares that came every night that he sat in the Telmarine dungeons were almost worse than the ones he suffered through normally, if only because he couldn't reassure himself that Peter and the girls were still alive after one of them and there was no Peter to hold him and comfort him after one.
Edmund was also fairly sure that he was contracting some sort of sickness from sitting in the dark moldiness that was the dungeons of Estanel. Really, didn't anyone ever come down here and clean? The answer was apparently 'no'.
Faith was all he had and every day at sunrise and sunset, he prayed to Aslan.
Rescue came at sunset on the seventh day.
As with any good rescue, no alarms were raised throughout the manor until it was too late for anyone to do anything. Many of the Telmarines died that day, victims to the hands of angry Narnians who wished revenge on those who would take their king from them.
Lord Behn stayed alive until the end of the raid, merely out of luck for he had seen the hordes coming for him and had run, locking himself in the highest tower. This did him little good as there was only one exit to that tower which was the very entrance he had come through. The door that the Narnians had seen him rush through. A bear was put on guarding the door and Lord Behn was left there to suffer it out (The bear later lamented the fact that Lord Behn never tried to escape. It would have been pleased if it had gotten to eat the traitorous lord.)
Caspa was spared by luck and Aslan's grace. He was with Edmund when the rescue started and Edmund kept him there when the alarm finally sounded (too late though it was) and Caspa would have rushed off to defend the manor. He proved his worth over again with this for he held no love for the manor and its people, but was willing to give his life to defend it because such was the right thing to do. When Peter finally found his way to the dungeons, it was only Edmund's insistence that spared Caspa's life, for Peter, furious at every Telmarine who had dared to try and take his brother from him, would have readily taken his life.
Edmund put himself in between Peter and Caspa, using his own body as a shield.
"Move, Edmund!" Peter insisted.
"I won't." Edmund told Peter softly.
"Move!"
"No, Peter. He has kept me alive. I will not have you kill the only good person in this entire manor." Edmund took a step toward Peter.
"They took you! They don't deserve their lives! They don't deserve my mercy!"
Edmund took another step bringing himself in range to touch his brother. He took Peter's hands in his own, lowering the sword. "Peter. My Brother, My Liege. Mercy is always needed, no matter how much we wish to deny it."
Peter broke. "Very well." He frowned at the bonds and carefully sheathed his sword taking his dagger and slicing through the bonds.
Edmund smiled tiredly. "Thank you." Meaning it for both not killing Caspa and for freeing his hands.
Edmund knew the moment it registered that Edmund was here, safe, with Peter. Peter dropped his dagger with a clatter and pulled Edmund to him with a cry. Edmund was crushed in a fierce embrace, his own arms coming up to return it. Tears flowed freely from his eyes and he knew that Peter would also be weeping unashamedly.
"Never leave me again, brother. Never leave me again." Peter murmured into his ear.
Edmund broke under a fresh wave of tears.
To Be Continued...