They slept that night in the tavern, and probably would have slept through all the next day if Peter had not thought to ask one of the maids to wake them up just a few hours after sunrise. Edmund normally would have complained about this, but the importance of their mission and the shortage of time seemed to hold his tongue. After breakfast, they geared up, this time including their newly fresh (if not quite shining) armor, and headed out into the city again.
Lucy kept her eyes and ears open. Though of course she was already predisposed to dislike King Valin, given that he was forcing her sister into marriage, she had the feeling no one else was particularly fond of him either, and was keen to know if this was true. As she strode through the cobblestone streets between her two brothers, she watched the way the shopkeepers looked at the royal guards who stood on every other street corner, the tone of voice in which the king's name was used between customers, all clues to the peoples' disposition towards their king. As far as she could tell, it wasn't favorable.
"Look a' this," one plump woman was complaining to another, showing her a large stain on the front of her dress. "Was me best dress. Now if the cleaning wizards ha'n't all been summoned to th'king's castle, then mebbe I c'd get it clean. Woulda cost me but a bronzer."
"Aye, but they 'ave, so y'd best try t'get it out y'self," said her companion with a sigh. "Good luck t'ye, Morrie."
"All the wizards," mused Lucy to Edmund, who was nearest and probably most predisposed to be suspicious about it. "What could one man need with all the wizards in a country?"
"To amuse his wedding guests," muttered Edmund back. "I don't know, Lu, do you think it's something more serious?"
"I don't know," said Lucy, frowning. "But…why would he even want to marry Su? That doesn't make sense to me. Do you want to marry every girl who appears in your jousting tournaments?"
"Not really," replied Edmund, raising an eyebrow. He glanced over at Peter, who was listening but not participating yet. "But you know…loads of people in Narnia wanted to marry Su, too. Remember that creepy lord from Galma? Some will even go to kind of desperate measures. It's her own fault for being too gosh darn beautiful. Keeps Peter and I busy keeping the boys away."
Lucy laughed out loud, looking up at the blue sky. A few clouds were threatening, but not many, and any kind of rain wouldn't be in for another few days.
"Oh, you laugh now, but someday we'll have to do it for you too," Peter told her, nudging her side playfully.
"I can beat them off myself, thank you," said Lucy, sticking out her tongue, and her brothers laughed too.
"Look!" Edmund said suddenly, pointing over to the center of the square they'd just entered. On a pedestal in the center was a larger-than-life statue of a very stupid looking man, well-built and broad chested but with a ridiculous moustache and a stance that looked as though if he puffed his chest out any more, you could pop it with a pin. It was quite silly-looking.
"You don't suppose that's King Valin," said Peter, raising his eyebrows.
"I do suppose, actually," Edmund replied. They skirted around it, and Lucy stifled a laugh as she saw a few children take turns lobbing small rocks up above it, trying to get it inside his oversized crown. A moment later, a few royal guards charged down after them, but the giggling kids disappeared into an alleyway and were lost. Silently cheering for them, Lucy turned back and they continued on towards the castle.
"There," Peter whispered into her ear suddenly, when the castle was fairly close by and the banners were visible above the other buildings. "Look."
Lucy followed his discrete pointing, and saw one of the uniformed castle maids carrying a large, floofy fur coat down a lane, towards a shop above which a sign hung: "Christie's Clean, Non-Magical Cleaning."
Edmund frowned.
"Lu…didn't that lady back in the market say all the cleaning wizards or summat had been summoned to the castle?" he checked.
"Yes, yes, she did say that," Lucy said, frowning as well.
"So why would the maids need to bring the cleaning out?"
"Because the cleaning wizards are busy," Peter said. "In any case, I wasn't worried about that, I just meant we should try and get her uniform. She looks about your size, Lucy. But ah…I think that would probably be your job and not Ed's or mine. That could create a very awkward situation."
"I have a plan," said Edmund, and quickly bent down to whisper something in Lucy's ear. She smiled craftily and nodded and a second later, had hurried back into the market with a few silver coins.
When she'd found a suitable dress, she paid the exorbitant price and quickly changed into it in a back alleyway, leaving her armor on the ground for her brothers to collect after she was done. In the market, she made a second purchase, and intentionally spilled a large amount of the flask's contents on her dress, leaving an ugly red-purple stain. Then, garbed in a long, flowing, velvet gown of a pale pink with yellowish stones glittering about the hem and neckline, she put on a haughty expression and marched back to the cleaner's.
"Step aside, I have business!" she demanded to her brothers, enjoying the acting. They pretended to look disgruntled and stepped away from the maid, who they'd been chatting up (it was hard not to laugh at how the nervous girl was blushing every time Peter said half a syllable). Lucy stepped up to the maid and showed her the stain on her dress.
"I demand you have this cleaned at once," she said sternly. "And I demand you provide me with something to wear while it is done."
"M'am, I…I'm only here to serve the wedding guests," said the maid nervously. Lucy drew herself up to her full height, at which Edmund had to stifle a laugh behind her, and glared up into the maid's eyes.
"And just who do you think I am?" she asked. "Now hurry, or I shall report you to the king!"
"Yes m'am," said the maid quickly. "But I…I haven't got anything for you to wear…"
"Then you'll give me your own dress," said Lucy, as if it were obvious.
"But…"
"No buts, you may stay in the cleaner's and wait while it is done."
The maid bit her lip but nodded glumly, and Lucy softened a bit.
"After it is cleaned, you may have the dress, dear," she said, patting her arm, and the girl looked as if Christmas had come early, or when no Christmas had been expected at all.
"Oh, thank you, m'am!" she said, taken completely aback. "Honored to serve you, m'am, right this way!"
She and Lucy headed off towards the cleaners, but the young queen couldn't help but make one more remark.
"But don't let me catch you talking to such coarse, uncivilized men again," she said with a haughty toss of her head. "They'll only break your heart, such folk. Best to keep your distance from their like."
As the door shut, she could hear indignant laughter ringing behind her.