Author's note: Hello! I'm back with another chapter. It went quicker than I thought, but the scenes took longer than I originally planned. And guess who is back… Enjoy!
Edit 4/28/13: I rewrote this chapter, making some changes and additions.
Chapter Twelve – Surrender or Die
"At present," the Captain of the Guard explained to Susan as they walked upon the pebbled paths in the blooming gardens, "the trained force stationed here – they number about two hundred – should be able to hold the city against smaller attacks, and if the men of the city are called upon and the numbers swell to at least four hundred, we could very well withstand the threat of a much larger force. Provisions are being carefully stored away in case of a siege."
"How long could we hold out during a siege?" Susan inquired, thinking of dark days.
The Captain hesitated, running the numbers through his mind. "We should be able to hold out at least two months, but that all depends on the war machines the enemy use and also the number of their force. Outnumbering them could be dangerous since it would force us to use more rations." He paused. "Sieges are always full of risks. You never can tell the outcome. You simply have to prepare for the worst."
Susan nodded as she ducked past a low branch. "Please continue your regular report."
"Now, King Edmund has seen wisdom in requiring the two outposts guarding the entrance of the harbor to be manned continuously in case of an assault from the sea." He glanced at Susan's troubled face, framed against the light pink blossoms of the short cherry trees and added quickly, "But that is highly unlikely, unless they made a terrible deal with the Calormenes."
"What kind of deal?" Susan asked as she thought of their ancient lust for Narnia. The Captain remained silent. He knew that it was unlikely that the Calormenes sought Narnia itself since the Telmarines were invading. But perhaps a certain prince wished to reclaim a most precious jewel that had nearly been his.
The Captain shuddered at the terrible thought. He could not answer his queen truthfully. Thankfully, he was saved from explanation as loud voices rose over the wall of the training court several feet away from where they walked.
"I say, Cor! Watch your footing!"
Susan's head snapped up as she caught sound of the familiar voices bickering. A quick smile returned to her face. She turned to the Captain. "If you are finished, will you kindly excuse me?"
"Of course, your majesty," he answered as he bowed. "That is all." He could not blame her. The last two months had been rough on her and she deserved a break from the worrisome possibilities of an attack on the Cair. He smiled a little as she quickly hurried to reach the practice court where Cor and Corin's voices resounded.
Susan made her way through the shrubs onto the rough cobblestones. She paused to watch as Cor stumbled clumsily over his footwork again.
"Let's face it," he announced as he stopped to catch his breath, clutching his side. "I'll never be nimble enough. The sword isn't the right weapon for me."
Corin swiftly glanced at Susan as he caught sight of her. "Maybe Queen Susan could show you how to handle a bow?" he suggested.
"Would you mind, Queen Susan?" Cor asked timidly.
She glanced up and smiled graciously at him. "No, of course not, Cor. I'll fetch a bow. I could use some practice."
Edmund glanced around as the Telmarine army began to slowly pass below him. The advance guard of twenty horsemen and thirty footmen had already moved ahead. The main body followed behind, marching in three sections each consisting of one hundred men. After them, he could just make out the golden crests on the helmets of King Caspian and his general. Another body of twenty horsemen trotted warily behind, forming the king's personal guard. Trailing behind them, Edmund knew that three hundred more soldiers marched. His scouts had reported this to him earlier as well as the estimated number of about forty horsemen forming the rearguard. The left and right wings of the flank guard, numbering about sixty, rode back and forth on their horses, raking the cliffs with their sharp eyes.
Edmund looked over his shoulder, making sure that the soldiers under his order kept away from the edge and out of sight. Like the Telmarines, Edmund had divided the Narnians into sections of one hundred and twenty infantry; two on either side of the pass, one at the mouth where the blockade stood, and two groups of sixty waiting to close in the Telmarine's rearguard from behind. The numerous trees clinging to the rocky mountain served as scouts for the Narnians along with several species of birds. With the exception of Oreius who stood beside Edmund, the centaurs had been divided between the front and rear guard since they had been unable to scale the cliffs of the pass.
Edmund surveyed the arrangements with approval. Soon it would be time for the plan to go into action. His hand rested firmly on the hilt of his sword as he waited to draw it. Only a few more feet around the bend and the advance guard would realize that their way was blockaded and held by the Narnian army.
Edmund turned his head as a low whistle reached his ears. The signal from the scouts had come. It was time. His sword slid out of the sheath with a hiss and Edmund raised it above his head. Only the blade catching the light of the sun showed from the outcropping of rock Edmund hid in. A giant, joined by the centaur rearguard, elevated himself to his feet, towering over the Telmarine rearguard and nearest soldier. The horses shifted uneasily as their riders whirled around. The rest of the body of Telmarines slowly turned around as they heard the commotion and cowered in fear as they realized that they were trapped.
At Edmund's signal, the giant swung his club against the boulders gathered for the purpose of closing in the enemy. The last way of escape would soon disappear. The rocks began to tumble down as a few of the foot soldiers broke rank and rushed to their death under the crushing weight of the boulders. At the loud, insistent orders of their captains and king, the Telmarines reformed their ranks and waited for the Narnians to charge them. They silently agreed to face defeat and death bravely. They would fight, even if they couldn't win.
But the exchange of blows never came. Edmund scrambled from hiding and stood in full view of the Telmarines. His cape billowed regally behind him as he solemnly addressed them.
"King Caspian! You are surrounded. There is no escape." He gestured to the rocky slopes. "You cannot run. You cannot fight. And if you do, you cannot win."
The captains instantly began shouting back defiantly and arguing amongst themselves. However, their leader held up his hand and all was quiet.
"Come down, King Edmund," he called. "Come down and speak to me as one man speaks to another. I guarantee your safety while you are in our midst."
"It is not wise to listen to his taunts and offers," Oreius advised.
"You are right," Edmund agreed as he glanced towards the Centaur. "However, I can think of no other way to reason with them." He beckoned to Silverfang the Wolf, who followed him diligently.
Accustomed to the ancient regulations of parleys, Edmund handed his sword in its sheath to Oreius. Likewise, the Telmarine leaders did the same, handing their swords to their companions. At a subtle signal, Edmund began to descend the slope, followed closely by Silverfang the Wolf scout.
Edmund scrambled between the rocks, his spaulders jarring his shoulders, but he still managed to retain his regal air. Silverfang leaped gracefully after him. Oreius looked down, watching for any sign of treachery from the trapped soldiers. The muscles in his arm strained as he gripped his sword tightly in case he needed to use it.
Edmund approached the shifting Telmarine commanders who were huddled in a group, discussing matters. The man whom Edmund had assumed from a distance was King Caspian stepped forward.
"King Edmund."
As he heard the voice, his eyes narrowed in recognition. "Ambassador Luzan."
He harshly chuckled as he lifted the visor of his helmet and brushed a loose strand of hair from his forehead.
Edmund glanced around uncomfortably. "Well," he began. "You are surrounded, yet you have called a parley. What do you have to say?"
The Telmarine smirked, his teeth flashing white against his tanned skin. "Many words I have to say, King Edmund, and you would be wise to listen to them."
"Speak then," Edmund commanded, his eyes restlessly wandering the crowd, watching for any sign of danger.
"King Caspian regrets that he is unable to be here to speak with you face to face—"
"Why has he not come himself like a true king?" Edmund interrupted.
"Are you truly blind to the principles of other rulers?" Luzan scoffed. "Only the kings of Narnia ride into battle at the head of their forces. A very foolish idea, if I may be so bold."
"You may not," Edmund growled. "And why would King Caspian send a mere ambassador in his stead?"
Luzan clicked his tongue in disapproving fashion. "I am no mere ambassador, naïve King. I am Prince Luzan, cousin to his magnificent majesty the King of Telmar," he responded.
Edmund frowned slightly at the use of the word magnificent. In his mind, only two things deserved that title; his brother and Aslan. But he ignored the irritation and focused on the problem at hand.
"Ah, but we did not come here for idle talk," Prince Luzan continued. "You have surrounded us by fair maneuvers. You talk of surrender which I will gladly accept. Simply turn over your land and you are free to go."
"I spoke of your surrender to us." Edmund forced himself to speak civilly. He wasn't going to let the prince get under his skin. "I offer you your lives, if you will only lay down your weapons and return to Telmar peacefully. We do not want war. We only fight for our freedom and the cause that we believe most steadfastly in."
"In our land," Prince Luzan began as he paced in a circle around Edmund, who stood rigid in the center. "We have one rule in our code of honor. Return victorious, or never return."
Edmund raised an eyebrow, but kept his thoughts to himself. The Prince continued to speak of the Telmarines' ways, but Edmund was watching a cluster of archers just beyond them who seemed to be loading their crossbows. He realized that the Prince was simply stalling and that something was amiss.
He snuck a look over his shoulder, wishing that he could somehow give Oreius some kind of warning. But Prince Luzan's eyes seemed to never leave him. Edmund was no longer listening to the Telmarine. Instead, his hand was itching for his sword and his breathing became irregular. How long until they struck?
He assumed that he had only a few moments to find the answer. Within seconds they would break the parley and he could be lying on the ground with an arrow "accidentally" shot through him, or perhaps he would be impaled upon a silver blade. He wasn't afraid. But he desperately hoped that Oreius's sharp eyes would catch the warning signs.
Suddenly, he heard a twang and a hiss and he dropped to the ground as an arrow sailed past. He scrambled to his feet and began to dash back to the mountain, but Prince Luzan was close upon his heels.
Oreius had been watching carefully, and the instant that the intended-fatal crossbow was level, he sent Narnians scuttling down the slope to the aid of their king. They slid down the steep incline, shields head over their heads to protect them from arrows. Three Centaur archers near the General, placed arrows to their strings and prepared to let fly the instant that King Edmund was safe.
Edmund scrambled to safety with no great difficulty, protected by the few creatures that Oreius had sent after him. It was apparent that the Telmarines were willing to fight their way out, rather than face surrender and humiliation. Edmund clambered to his feet, his chainmail dusty from the climb, and seized his sword from Oreius's hand. He drew it out of the sheath smoothly and raised it high for Aslan.
"Hold your lines!" Edmund shouted to his army. "Do not strike sooner than my command!" The Telmarines swarmed forward, clambering up the rocks. Edmund held his arm steady as his eyes locked on the defiant face of Prince Luzan who stood firmly in the center of the flowing mass. He tore his eyes away from the hateful face and let his arm fall.
Instantly the bows twanged and the arrows sped through the air. They fell like a hard fist upon the soldiers, many striking their targets. But Edmund was gripped with a sudden terror and feeling of failure as the Telmarines continued to force their way up. They seemed larger and more terrible than he had realized. Prince Luzan continued to smirk, his gaze never leaving Edmund, and appearing to see all the way to his core.
"Down with the traitor king!" he began to roar. "Down with his shadow of a nation!"
But the Narnians retaliated at the call and began to cry, "Fight for Aslan! Fight for His chosen king!"
Edmund pressed his lips together, refusing to answer to the Prince's mocking calls, and ignoring the outrage of his people. His jaw clenched as he wrestled with himself. Around him, the battle began to take place. Men engaged with beasts and soon all was a blurry commotion of whirling and tumbling bodies on the steep slopes of the Pass.