Alright onto chapter ten now, I hope you can forgive for this being a slightly longer wait than I had originally planned and being slightly shorter, but I couldn't spilt it any other way.
Susan and Lucy had woken to find both their brother Peter and Caspian and his Professor, Doctor Cornelius missing and Susan instantly guessed that the Stone table was a good place for them to check.
So the sisters made their way to where the stone table was and what they heard chilled them to the bone and Susan glared at Caspian even though he wasn't even looking at her.
Peter looked at the Professor as he waited to hear what he had to say. Eventually Doctor Cornelius spoke.
"I met your brother before the raid on the castle, before Miraz had me arrested." Doctor Cornelius seemed slightly upset with himself as he said this for not saying anything earlier.
"So you've seen Edmund?" Peter asked and the Professor nodded his head to say yes, "Well was he alright? Was he hurt? Was he locked up as well? Did he-" Peter stopped speaking as he noticed Susan and Lucy stood with Glenstorm, Reepicheap and Trumpkin.
His stopping and focussing in that direction caused both Caspian and the Professor to turn around – although Doctor Cornelius had already seen them enter – and Caspian watched as Susan glared at him, but he wasn't sure as to what he had done.
"I'm sorry that I didn't say anything before, but when I saw him he seemed fine and no he wasn't locked up."
After a moment Peter spoke his reply, "Thank you Doctor Cornelius."
"So the Telmarines have him." Trumpkin said as he stepped forward.
"Yes." Doctor Cornelius replied.
"Then we must get him back from them." Lucy added desperately as she took a small step forward only to have Susan place a hand on her shoulder before giving her a look that said to stay out of it.
"My Liege what do you want us to do?" Glenstorm asked, "There was no sign of him at their camp. Do you think that he's still at the castle?"
"If he's not at their camp then Miraz would have had him killed," Caspian inputted and everyone suddenly looked to him, "I know my Uncle and he wouldn't leave Edmund in his castle alone."
"Well maybe he isn't there alone." Susan said, her anger beginning to seethe through her calm and gentle outlook.
"Miraz had all of his army there, Edmund is either with him or not." Caspian replied.
"Well then he's with them isn't he!" Susan shouted as everyone looked to her, "Edmund is my brother and I refuse to believe that he's dead just because we haven't seen for certain that he is at Miraz's camp." The High Queen turned and walked away and Lucy lowered her head to look to the floor with tears blinking in her eyes as Trumpkin came over to join her, placing a small hand on her arm.
Peter who had said nothing for the whole time finally raised his head and the look of anger in his eyes could have killed just from a single look.
"I'll tell you what we are going to do," Everyone looked at him and listened and even Lucy raised her head slightly and Susan reappeared at the very back of the tunnel, "We are going to get ready to fight Miraz, we are to beat the Telmarines and we are going to find Edmund." He paused for a moment before noticing Susan and adding something else.
"And we aren't going to fight each other," Caspian and Lucy too looked around to see Susan stood there, "Because Susan's right. I don't believe Edmund to be dead." As soon as Peter had finished speaking everyone began to move around and Doctor Cornelius apologized to Lucy, Susan and Peter for not saying anything earlier while Caspian waited to get a chance to talk to Susan.
"Would you like me to come with you and Lucy?" He asked when he finally got a chance.
"We'll be alright thanks," Susan told him, "We've always managed in the past to do so."
"I just thought that you may need some help."
"If I needed help then I'd call." Susan told him before walking off to get ready for the upcoming battle.
Lucy was checking that she had her knife when Susan walked over to her with her chain mail over her red dress and Telmarine armour on top of that with her bow and arrows over her shoulder.
"Ready?" She asked her younger sister. Lucy nodded and grabbed her blue clock and did it up as she and Susan left to find Caspian.
Caspian was busy adjusting different buckles on Destrier's saddle and bridle while he waited for Susan and Lucy. The few times he had passed Susan he had given her a smile which she hadn't returned and he wondered if he had really messed up.
Peter made his way over to him already wearing all of his armour for his fight against Miraz, while he was busy and Caspian looked at him when he finally noticed.
"I wouldn't worry about Susan," He told him, "She can get protective like that over Lucy and Edmund. She can even mother me at times." Caspian smiled slightly as Peter did before returning to what he had been doing.
"I'm sorry for what I said. It probably wasn't the most practical thing to tell you regarding your brother." Caspian replied.
"No, but I always asked my army to be honest with me in the past," Peter said, "And if I know Edmund then he'll be there with them. He's not very easy to kill." The High King finished before walking away and out of Caspian's sight.
Lucy was next to enter as Peter left and walked over to where Caspian held Destrier ready for her and Susan.
"We'll find him." Lucy told him.
"Edmund?" Caspian questioned.
"No Aslan, but do you think that you could try and find Edmund while Susan and I are gone?" Lucy asked.
"Sure. I will search the battlefield and if I can the Telmarines camp."
"If Peter wins there won't be a battlefield." Lucy said although she was sure that her words would betray her and that the Telmarines would go against their word and promise.
Edmund had already put his chainmail on as well as the red tunic with the golden lion on the front and his combat boots. He was putting the armour on his shoulders when General Glozelle appeared behind him and started to help him with it.
"If you like it in Narnia why did you leave?" He asked as he moved onto the other shoulder.
"We didn't choose to," Edmund started, "It just seemed to happen. One minute we were chasing a white stag and then we found the lamp post which was one of the first things we saw when we came to Narnia and that lead us back to the wardrobe and we just walked through it and ended up back in the Professor's house."
"Did you ever try to get back?" The General asked as he finished helping Edmund.
"Of course, but it just never seemed to work no matter what we tried. Lucy even ended up knocking on the back of every wardrobe and walking inside of them to see if Narnia was waiting there, however it never seemed to work."
The General said nothing in reply to that, but Edmund just took a deep breath and made his way out of the treasury with the Telmarine General following behind him. The early morning sunlight was bright and Glozelle winced slightly at the brightness of it, but he did notice that the King of Old didn't.
"This is probably the brightest that I have ever seen this land." He told Edmund as he saw the King smile.
"The Radiant southern sun," Edmund said simply before looking at the General, "We should get back. We won't have long to help Peter now."
"Come on then," The pair headed back down onto the beach and over to where they had left Glozelle's horse, "Do you have a plan?" The Lord asked as he offered Edmund a hand to help him up.
"No," Edmund replied, "Do you?"
"I might just have an idea, but it will be dangerous."
"Whenever we're in Narnia it always is." Edmund told him.
"Well that's alright then," The pair smiled before looking ahead of them, "Hold on." And with that they galloped off, away from Cair Paravel with the sun shining from behind them.
Peter smiled at Lucy on his way out and then grabbed a hold of Susan's arm before she could follow her younger sister into meet Caspian.
"Caspian was only being honest with us Su."
"He didn't have to make his honesty so blunt though Peter." Susan replied.
"No, but didn't we always ask for honesty during our rule of Narnia in the Golden Age?"
"Well yes, but-"
"And wasn't it you who first thought of that."
"Yes, but-" Susan cut herself off and then started speaking again, "I suppose your right maybe I shouldn't have reacted like I did."
"He likes you Su, you can see it."
"I know." Peter hugged his sister and then gave her a smile.
"Be careful and look after Lucy. Protect her."
"I will," Susan told her older brother as they let go of their embrace, "You be careful too."
"I will." They smiled at each other before moving down the tunnel in their different directions.
Susan walked in a moment later having finished her short conversation with Peter and Caspian helped her to get on his trusted horse before helping Lucy to get on behind her.
"Destrier has always served me well. You are in good hands." Caspian said as he looked down and slipped Susan's left foot back into the stirrup.
"Or hooves." Lucy joked as she looked down at Caspian who then looked back up at her with the small hints of a smile.
Destrier whinnied and moved back a step as Caspian checked over her tack to make sure that Susan and Lucy wouldn't slip off while they were making their way to find Aslan. Caspian looked up and said nothing for a minute before simply saying;
"Good luck." He gave Susan a small smile.
"Thanks." Susan replied, looking away from him as Destrier shifted her weight again and Caspian's smile fell off of his face as he looked back down to the floor.
"Look," He grabbed Susan's horn with his left hand from where he had kept it before lifting it up towards Susan, "Maybe it is time you had this back."
Susan looked and the horn and Lucy looked at Susan while Destrier whinnied again and fidgeted already ready to leave.
"Why don't you hold on to it," Susan told him before the small hints of a smile began to appear on her face, "You might need to call me again." This time she did properly smile at him and Caspian looked back at her with the hints of a smile on his own face as Susan kicked Destrier into a short trot before changing that pace to a canter and Lucy held onto her sister to keep her balance.
"You might need to call me again?" Lucy said as they cantered down the fire lit torch tunnel of Aslan's How.
"Oh, shut up." Susan replied as she looked over her shoulder at her sister before looking back straight ahead of her with a smile on her face and Lucy was only glad that Susan and Caspian seemed to be repairing there relationship even if they were going at a slower pace than she would have hoped.
Glozelle and Edmund had made quick time back to the Telmarine camp and arrived before anyone else had woken up. Glozelle left Edmund in his tent when he left the camp with Miraz and the rest of the Telmarine forces.
Edmund waited like Glozelle had said before running out of the camp and round the back of the bridge that the Telmarines had built knowing a different why around the back of the Telmarine forces to get to his brother without being noticed.
He could only hope that Peter could actually beat Miraz and save them all.
Peter made his way out into the shining sun, watching as it illuminated his figure as he left the How. Trumpkin walked beside him, holding his sword, Rhindon as they walked up to meet the Telmarines leader.
The High Kings face was set in determination to find his brother as he approached Miraz. His army (most of which was stood up the top small ramp) cheered for him as he passed them and Peter made no move to smile, but just keep his face set in determination.
He still wished that Edmund could be walking beside him right now, but at least he had a small idea now on where to start looking for his younger brother.
The Telmarine army were cheering as well, although they of course weren't cheering for Peter, but for their own leader, King Miraz.
Miraz looked at Peter and the Dwarf as they approached him and kept his eyes on Peter's face which didn't look like someone that you would want to mess with.
Peter blocked out all form of sound as he walked forward and watched Glenstorm nod at him from where he was stood. The centaur turned around to face the Telmarines as Peter drew level with him and the Bulgy Bear – that Peter had finally said yes to – also turned to face them without licking his paws this time.
Miraz seemed to be doing up the final buckles on his gold and black Telmarine armour. His Marshal of the Lists were none other than Lord Glozelle, Lord Sopespian and Lord Gregoire according to what Caspian had told them.
Lord Glozelle held a crossbow and Lord Sopespian held Miraz's sward and Lord Gregoire stood with them holding the Kings shield and his sword.
"If it should appear to be going poorly…" Miraz looked up at Lord Glozelle and nodded. The Telmarine General was looking at the crossbow before looking at Miraz. Glozelle knew what the King was talking about as he had been informed of the plan last night by the King himself.
"Understood, Your Majesty." His gaze lifted to Sopespian as Miraz looked forward and then rose from his chair and taking his shield from Lord Gregoire.
Peter drew his sword and his army cheered once again.
"I hope you won't be too disappointed when I survive." Miraz told Lord Sopespian as he grabbed his helmet from the other Lord's grip and placed it on his head before taking his sword from Lord Gregoire.
He stepped forward onto the field of their battle and Peter did the same. Trumpkin looked over his shoulder at Susan's archers and then back at the battlefield. At this point in time they had no one to give them any form of order with Susan being gone looking for Aslan with Lucy and he being down here as a Marshal of the Lists.
Prince Caspian was meant to be here as Peter's other Marshal of the List, but after Susan and Lucy had left moments ago he had been nowhere to be found.
"There is still time to surrender." Miraz said as he and Peter circled slowly around the area of which they would fight each other in.
"Well, feel free." Peter replied.
"How many more must die for the throne?" Miraz asked and Peter looked at the man carefully as he quickly considered his next words. The sooner he beat Miraz, the sooner he could find out whether Edmund was being held by them or not.
And his next two words brought around the beginning of the fight for Narnia.
Okay I will try to update again during the week on Thursday. Thanks for favouriting, alerting, reviewing and reading and please remember to vote on my poll for the pairings that you would like me to write in my new stories.