Nervously, Nelson trudged from foot too foot.
No sooner had he stepped into the Castle's walls, had he been hustled and bustled about, led up stairs and down corridors. Not only that, the tiny Squirrel was subject to several questions and docilely glances. The head of the staff at the Cair whispered hurriedly over the state of the older monarchs' fear for their siblings. With a motherly smile, she encouraged him to relay any information they'd need to unite them again.
After the last set of stairs, Nelson was led to a set of wide double doors. The guards on the outside nodded, and opened the door to announce his presence.
Nelson was terrified.
He wasn't that he was afraid of the Sovereigns of his country. He was afraid of their reactions. Would they be mad? Would they be upset? He didn't know the true whereabouts of the Just King and Valiant Queen, only where they were thinking of going. Perhaps that could count for something.
He also knew he needed to tell them of the evil Monsters and their doings in the woods. Nelson didn't want to watch his friends die anymore.
The doors opened and Nelson shuffled inside. There, in front of him, sat a tall man and woman. One was blond and the other was dark, both had striking blue eyes and collected expressions. Nelson was in awe of their composure.
Like any Creature of the Wood, he didn't spend very much time learning how to treat others of higher rankings. Nonetheless, Nelson had learnt how to interact with others in a matter that seemed fit. So, ungracefully he attempted to make a small bow. Then he thought of the manner his mother had first spoken to the Royals.
"Your Majesties, 'tis an honour to meet you."
The Queen nodded towards him, a soft expression on her face.
"And it is an honour to meet thee, noble Squirrel. You must have had a long journey. Please, sit with us."
The little Squirrel nodded in acknowledgement before climbing up on the raise pillow between the two chairs. He sat a little uncomfortably for a moment, feeling the stares shoot between him. Nelson heard a cough, and peeked up at the High King.
"King Peter, are you well?"
The High King looked at the Squirrel and stood.
"I'm afraid not, Squirrel. It pains us terribly to not hear from our siblings in almost a fortnight. We have heard, from our staff, that you may know a little of their whereabouts. Is this true?"
The Squirrel nodded. "It is, Sire. I have met your siblings."
"Where...where were they last?" Queen Susan's voice whispered.
"N-near Hogwood, Queen Susan. But…"
"But what?"
"Something happened."
Nelson could feel the tension rise in the room. King Peter started to pace, his hands instinctively reaching for his sword. Queen Susan bounded up beside him, in hope of protecting any valuables from being smashed.
"What happened?" The High King asked. "Who took our kin?"
"No one took them, Your Majesties. We sort of…told them of something that had be occurring in our area."
"Which is where, Squirrel?" The Queen asked.
"The Western Wood, my queen. Near a village called Hogwood."
"Hogwood…Hogwood…Why haven't I heard of that place before?" She too, began to mutter and trace her brother's steps across the room.
"It's Ed's territory, Su. He'd probably know more about it." Peter stated. "What exactly happened there?"
"Mama…she won't let us go there…she says bad things happen too little children like my brothers and me."
"What kind of bad things?"
"I, err, well, got separated from Twittertwig and Moonstick. I went looking for my mama (Their Majesties had sent us away to speak properly with her), when I fell asleep. I woke up the next morrow tied up beside a Grizzly Bear called Griz."
Susan flipped around. "I'm so sorry, dear!" She purred, wrapping her skirts around her as she leant down on her knees by the pillow. "We…we didn't know. But, sorry, go on. Was there anyone else in this enclosure?"
"Yes, there were many others. They were all young too, and scared."
The Queen turned to her brother, fear in her eyes. "Oh, Peter…"
The High King had ceased his pacing. Instead, he stared dumbfounded at the Squirrel in the face. "Is this true?"
"All of it."
"May I ask how you escaped?"
Nelson thought back to his escape and cringed. Would his new ally be pardoned for his mistakes? Was it worth the risk? The Squirrel looked into the face of the High King, and only saw pure anger and disbelief. He looked ready to turn around and assemble an army to leave straight away. Nelson diverted his gaze, to stare at something else.
The Queen, however, was not fuming, but staring blankly into space. It looked like she was thinking, calculating, dissecting anything she could remember. A single tear dripped down her face.
"Friend Squirrel?"
Nelson looked up at her once more and saw the kindness behind her strained expression. "I…I was freed by a soldier of the enemy." He whispered.
"Soldiers, are they?" King Peter called.
"Yes."
"How many?"
"A couple hundred, Sire."
"They are killing citizens and are a threat to our royal siblings. Susan, we march at midday tomorrow."
The Queen nodded. "How about by dawn?"
"The sooner the better," King Peter replied. "We appreciate your help, friend. Good day."
He left with a nod of his head.
Queen Susan spoke to Nelson in a quiet, intimate tone. "Feel free to stay here at the Castle as long as you want, Nelson, dear. We'll bring your family home to you. I promise."
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On their list of things to do, meeting Guith was the topmost of them all at the moment.
They slipped to the edge of the wood, the only part not occupied by the Hags' men. Josiah moved around quietly, like a leopard catching its prey, until she spotted it.
At the bottom of the forest floor, a tree stump sat. She knelt by it and rested her hand. Then, she whispered a word neither of the children could understand.
Suddenly, a wave of light escaped the edges of the stump and Josiah let go quickly. They all watched in awe as the stump spun quicker and quicker, until it shot right out of its roots and onto the other end of the clearing. In its place, a dark hole resided.
"Come," Josiah instructed.
Josiah's shyness had subdued for the moment. She could only think of her brother and of his plans. It brought strength. It brought hope. It made her smile.
She continued to smile as she jumped gracefully down the dark shaft. Lucy followed soon afterwards, laughing a little as she went.
Before Edmund took a jump down the rabbit hole (or the stump hole), he glanced around quickly. He had a strong feeling that he would need to remember that place. He noticed the three joint trees entwined together. He saw the rosebushes blooming across the way. The stump stood in its landing place.
Good. Memorable enough.
Then he jumped, trying to hold back a laugh. He too was thinking of rabbit holes.
PAGE. BREAK. HERE.
At the bottom, Lucy could hear the soft murmurs of an underground river. She couldn't see it yet – her eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the darkness – and she could feel the warmth of the soil. Less than a few moments later, she blinked, noticing how bright the world below had become.
The world below hers shone with an eerie yellow glow. There were little firs here and there, and tiny purple flowers sprouted from the earth. The river she had heard, too, ran down the middle of their path. Its foamy glow was heightened by the strange smoke that arose from it.
"Josiah, your brother?"
Josiah looked around for a moment, trying to remember the way. She snapped her twig-like fingers in recognition. "This way, Your Majesties!"
Lucy and Edmund followed behind her silently. The were led through small, mossy tunnels that were occaissionally lit by flaring torches. This path led them to voices.
And so they all stopped and listened.
I wanted to keep going, but the rest of it wouldn't really work for this chapter. It's longer than usual, as well. But, thank you so much, everything each and every one of you say is appreciated and taken into consideration. I sometimes go off topic in my writing (like the Alice-ness of this chapter), but I just felt the irony. And I know the Underworld I just created is nothing like the one seen in The Silver Chair, but that's only because I haven't read that book since I was eleven years old.
So yes, my ramblings are short tonight. (Lucky you!) I'll update soon. Thanks!