Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, the support for this story has been phenomenal! As a wonderful thank you to you all, I have written what is possibly my longest ever chapter! I do hope you all like it, as always, please let me know whether or not you like it! Enjoy!
"- sail up, prepare to drop anchor!" Tevros was shouting when Lucy and Esha emerged from their cabin a half-hour later.
"Better armour up, Lady Esha, there's no Narnian flags flying in this place." A sailor, Nausus, said, running past to help drop the anchor.
He was gone before she had a chance to say thank you, but she realised immediately that Lucy had no weapons except her dagger that had been preserved since her reign. "Caspian." She called, spying him high on the poop deck. "Lucy needs weapons."
He came down the stairs towards them and led Lucy to the armoury with Esha following.
Edmund was already there, checking his sword was firmly buckled around his waist. He gave a broad smile when they walked in and half-heartedly listened to Caspian as he mused over which sword would be best for Lucy.
"Should we take shields?" Edmund asked; staring at the stacks of Narnian shields in the other corner of the armoury. Caspian selected a short sword and weighed it in his hands as though it were a feather. After a pause he handed it to Lucy who struggled considerably to hold it in such an effortless way.
"No. I am their King, I don't want to arrive looking ready for war..." Caspian said, taking down Esha's two swords from their alcove high above their heads and handing them to her whilst Lucy tested the weight and balance of her new sword.
"Two swords?" Edmund questioned as Esha buckled one about her waist and tightened the strap over her right shoulder.
"I'm ambidextrous now; it's the only way I have an advantage over who I'm fighting." She said gently, beginning to strap on the other on the opposite side of her body. This time, the buckle was on her back and so Edmund leapt forwards eagerly, helpfully tightening it for her.
When he was done he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her backwards, pecking her cheek quickly and sweetly. A smile spread over her face and, having checked Lucy and Caspian were occupied she turned and gave him a kiss on the lips, just as swiftly as his had been.
Edmund too was smiling, and he held the door open for her with a love-struck grin on his face. Walking across the deck so close together their swords clinked against each other, Edmund and Tavros helped Esha into one of the waiting long boats.
"I'm not going in that thing!" They all heard Eustace protest as Reepicheep tried to coax him into the other longboat.
"Then stay here with Tavros." Edmund said simply, climbing in next to Esha and indicating the minotaur who bared his teeth in a grin at Eustace. After another moment of dallying, Eustace practically jumped in, retreating to the end of the longboat that was furthest from Tavros.
Esha controlled her laughter and Edmund turned to look at her in amusement with raised eyebrows.
"I suppose you think it's funny, don't you?" Eustace shot at them, his beady eyes watching their every move.
"If you're talking about your face, then yes, we do." Edmund immediately replied; it had been one of his favourite comebacks in England in the months they'd been staying with Eustace and his parents. Esha covered her mouth with her hand and tried to disguise the laughter coming from her as a fit of coughing.
The boat rocked a little as Caspian and Tavros helped Lucy in behind them, and when Caspian settled down next to her he suddenly remarked, "Your hair looks nice."
Lucy smiled shyly and ducked her head, gently fingering the bow Esha had made and trying to hide her pink cheeks.
When she was sure Caspian was distracted Esha turned in her seat and raised her eyebrows at Lucy who simply put her finger to her lips and gave an embarrassed little smile. Edmund looked questioningly at Esha, but the young woman simply smiled and shook her head at him; taking his hand instead as she realised that he wouldn't understand.
Edmund smiled at the contact and held her hand tightly in his own, refusing to let go.
"Going down." Tavros declared; untying the rope holding the longboat suspended.
Esha was prepared and was already holding onto the side of the boat and Edmund's hand, but Lucy was not and almost fell out at the initial jolt. Caspian quickly grabbed hold of her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"You're alright; I've got you." He said with a smile, making Lucy once again blush just as her cheeks had returned to their normal colour.
Much of the journey was spent listening half-heartedly to Eustace's complaining and arguments with Reepicheep; but most of them were preoccupied with the land that now loomed ominously before them. The setting sun cast an orange glow over the place and Esha felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand as she realised she could hear nothing.
Despite having very good sea-legs, Esha and Lucy allowed Edmund and Caspian to help them both off the long-boat for the two were each trying to impress one of the men and had no wish to fall flat on their faces.
Lucy too had noticed how quiet the harbour was, and she interrupted yet another of Eustace and Reepicheep's quarrels to bring everyone's attention to it. "Listen." She suddenly said, slightly louder than normal as she tried to catch everyone's interest. There was a short pause as everyone stopped in their tracks and strained their ears.
"Where is everyone?" Esha asked, catching on quickly and remembering how much hustle and bustle there had been in the new port Caspian had opened.
"Come on, jelly-legs." The all heard Reepicheep say in a bored voice.
"I'm quite capable of doing it myself." Was Eustace's clipped reply that was promptly followed by a groan of pain.
They all whipped around and stared at him blankly, each thinking that he had only got what he deserved.
"And you're sure he's related by blood?" Caspian asked from in front of them all.
Esha raised her eyebrows and shook her head gently with disbelief that Edmund and Eustace could have a single drop of familiar blood in them. Having listened to Eustace childishly quarrelling with Reepicheep for an entire half hour she no longer found him very amusing.
She slowly followed Edmund up the ramp, drawing one of her swords and holding it out, ready in front of her. The silence was almost deafening, and some Esha was imagining she could hear sounds coming from all around them, though of course there was nothing there.
She jumped and gasped in surprise as an old bell in the tower sounded, sending her heartbeat into overdrive. After a lengthy pause they all continued with cautious steps, their weapons held ready and their footsteps quieter than ever before.
"Reepicheep, stay here with Drinian's men and secure the place. We'll head on. If we don't come back by dawn...send a party." Caspian ordered; his voice slightly more nervous than it had been on the ship.
Esha looked at him as he passed her, searching his face for fear, but he avoided her gaze, concentrating instead on what was ahead of them.
"Yes, your Majesty." Reepicheep replied automatically, already beginning to search the surrounding area for anyone hiding.
Esha paused a moment and waited for the nervous Lucy to catch up with her whilst Edmund and Caspian went on ahead.
She could see the fear in Lucy's eyes, but the young Queen would never admit to it and so the two continued on in silence, for Esha would never admit to her fear either.
Every now and then one of the two girls would jump as one of Eustace's particularly loud footsteps behind them would echo. The two were gradually catching up to Edmund and Caspian who frequently had to stop, certain there was an ambush waiting for them round every corner.
Esha's heartbeat had barely calmed since their first initial fright, and as they reached the hall where the bell had sounded from she was glad. With her adrenaline pumping she felt energised and alert and knew that her senses were responsive to the smallest of things.
"Yeah, looks like nobody's in, so do you think we should head back?" Esha jumped as Eustace's voice sounded, amplified by the silence engulfing them all. She turned to look at him briefly before jumping down the curb after Lucy, sending Eustace a clear message that they were continuing.
Edmund's face was fed-up as he looked at his useless cousin. "Do you want to come here and...guard...something?" He asked, grasping desperately at vague ideas and screwing his face up in dislike of his cousin. He flicked his eyes to Esha and shook his head slightly at her in a despairing way.
"Ah yes! Good idea, Cousin. Very...logical!" Eustace said, running over eagerly. Caspian and Esha looked at each other with raised eyebrows before Caspian generously handed him his dagger for protection.
Eustace looked at it as though Caspian had handed him a pile of gold and asked him to defend it from a band of pirates.
"I've got it, I've got it...Don't worry!" Eustace said, making them all roll their eyes at him as he drew more and more attention to the small group. Edmund simply shook his head gently again and softly pushed open the doors, emitting loud creaks into the once again silent air.
Esha followed Caspian in, walking slowly and softly as the lofty, spacious room filled her with awe. She gazed at the bells high above them, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She could not help thinking morbidly that the ropes keeping them tethered must be weak by now - judging by the amount of dust around them – and that a single one of the bells could crush even Caspian if it fell.
She craned her neck in order to stare up into the face of a statue as she passed it, noticing that each statue had different features carved into its face and hair.
A dusty, musty smell filled her nostrils and she saw large particles of dust floating in the rare patches of light coming in through the sparse windows.
"I'm ready to go when you are!" Eustace's voice once again carried through the air, annoying them all as their bodies still remained tense. At first his input on the Dawntreader had been funny; it had been amusing to listen to some of his complaining (though not for too long) and to see him carefully edging around the old Narnians, but now his input was annoying; even the way he walked was beginning to irritate Esha.
Lucy gave a sigh and turned back. "I'll go keep him calm." She said in a resigned voice.
Esha watched her go before quickly joining Edmund and Caspian at the cluster of books they'd found, glad that it wasn't her joining Eustace.
Edmund's torch scanned the two pages that were open and it took Esha a moment to realise that she was staring at a list of names written in a curling script.
"Who are all these people?" She asked immediately, wondering if there was an ancient Narnian tallying system that she didn't know about.
"Why've they been crossed out?" Edmund asked, quickly scanning the rest of the open two pages with his torch for clues.
"It looks like some kind of fee..." Caspian mused, turning over the rustling page.
"Slave traders." Esha suddenly said, thinking quickly and stepping away from the book in horror as she remembered her mother's stories. But surely it could not be? Her mother had said only the Calormene traded in slaves...
All of a sudden the bells around them started ringing, making Esha gasp again and freeze as she had earlier, her sword raised and ready in front of her as she scanned the gloomy rafters, searching for movement.
Dark shapes began sliding down ropes towards them, all out of Esha's reach and carrying swords of their own.
"Look out!" Caspian cried, shooting down one who was less than a metre away from Esha and approaching her from behind. He fell with a groan and Esha began fighting another one who had reached the floor quickly, drawing her second sword and fighting as an ambidextrous when yet another appeared beside him.
Twisting and turning as Caspian's sword-master had taught her, she sliced the leg of one of the men and narrowly avoided having her long hair chopped off as she spun to avoid the swords of both simultaneously. The clanging of metal on metal seemed deafening to her, interrupted only by the occasional cry of men she could only hope were not Caspian and Edmund.
Edmund had conquered both of his opponents with the immediate thought of helping Esha who was only an adequate swordswoman, but a girls scream made him turn to her even faster, dread rushing through him as he prepared himself to find her injured.
Everyone else had stopped as a result of the scream, but it was not Esha's. Instead she was standing firm, unharmed and both swords still in hand, staring at something past him and breathing deeply.
Turning he took in the terrified Eustace with a man and a dagger to his throat. The door shut behind them with an ominous clang, and only then did Edmund notice the figures behind them.
"Lucy!" He cried anxiously, spying his sister being carried along over the shoulder of another man behind the one with Eustace. Silence followed his call and he swallowed loudly as he realised she was either unconscious, or dead.
"Unless you want to hear this one squeal like a girl again, I'd say you should drop your weapons." The man with Eustace drawled, satisfaction oozing from every part of him.
"Like a girl!" Eustace protested childishly.
"What've you done to my sister?" Edmund demanded furiously.
"Now!" The slave trader bellowed, shaking his hand with the dagger in it, bringing its sharp edge even closer up against Eustace's skin. After a moment's hesitation Esha threw her swords angrily to the floor, glaring at Eustace as they were forced to drop their only protection.
"Eustace." Edmund said, dislike dripping from his voice. Esha squinted and saw the dust before Lucy's unconscious face moving as she steadily breathed in and out.
"Put them in irons..." The trader continued.
"Edmund, she's breathing...she's-" Esha started towards him but was jolted back when first one and then another trader caught hold of her, clamping chains onto her wrists.
"Get off her!" Edmund roared furiously, fighting off a trader with his bare fists. Another one stepped in and punched Edmund straight in the stomach, winding him momentarily and long enough to clamp his hands in chains.
"You'll pay for that!" Caspian yelled, witnessing it all.
"Actually, some-one else is going to pay...for all of you." Another slave trader said in a far more sophisticated drawl than the other one. He joined the slave trader who was only holding onto Eustace by his ear now. The wimp simply cringed and didn't even try to fight him off.
"Listen to me, you insolent fool, I am your King!" Caspian cried; he had not wanted to reveal who he was until he knew how they'd be received, but it was their last hope to escape.
The main trader simply gave a smile and a small laugh, amused at Caspian's fanciful ideas. "Take these three to market." He said, indicating Eustace, Lucy and Esha; who was already being half-carried towards the cousins. "The other two can go to the dungeons."
"NO!" Esha screamed hysterically as they pulled her away from the safety of the two Kings and the door drew nearer and nearer and the boys grew smaller and smaller. "Edmund! Caspian!" She was screaming so loudly her voice was already growing hoarse.
"Esha!" Caspian called back, determined to find some way to reach her within the next two seconds; struggling vainly against the three men trying to control him.
"Caspian!" She cried desperately, unable to mask the fear in her voice as it grew fainter and she was forced out of the door.
Edmund too was struggling so hard that he couldn't even call out to her; every ounce of his strength was going into escaping. He was fighting harder than ever before, desperate to escape and horrified at the thought of losing her so soon. For their pains the two each received a new bruise; Caspian to his stomach and Edmund to the side of his face.