Sorry for the long wait, I had what you could call writer's block, it's when you have no idea how to continue with the story, or in my case when you have too many ideas and don't know how to write them, we are nearing the end of this story so please stay tuned to more updates.
Chapter XXV
"A-Annabelle?"
The young lady looked back at him coldly, assessing every emotion flickering on his face. With a voice that could cut through ice she responded:
"Edmund, or shall I say your Majesty?" she smirked.
"Now is not the time for courtesies, why are you here?"
"Oh dear, like you don't know."
"You admit being a traitor."
"Ed, I never thought you could be so dumb, your lack of wit is somewhat amusing. Now I shall take my leave."
The just king couldn't move, he felt like his feet were glued to the ground, but no, it was merely from shock, he couldn't grasp reality, couldn't understand, who was this person.
"Who are you?"
"Annabelle Saint-Claire, nice to meet you too." She took out her daggers and made a move to attack a still numb king, but of course Lucy couldn't watch anymore, she didn't care who it was, for her it wasn't Anne, just someone trying to harm her older brother. With that in her mind, with a graceful move of her leg, she knocked both the daggers, and then knocked her out. She was getting tired of hitting people in her head, but let's face it she was irritated, hungry and sleepy.
"Lucy Pevensie, nice to meet you too." She said coolly to an unconscious Annabelle.
Then she glanced at her brother who had an astonished look on his face, like a fried fish. She held up her arms:
"Sorry Romeo, but your Juliette was going nuts."
Then she pointed at the other forgotten woman who was still in the same shape Lucy left her, meaning: head on the ground, arms lying beside her, unmoving, like a dead, unconscious…
"We have a royal princess to attend too."
"W-What? Lucy! How can you be so calm?"
"Follow me and you'll understand Romeo, oh and carry your Juliette we'll take care of the other."
"She's not my Juliette anymore."
"Oh yes she is."
"Lucy, she betrayed us."
"Whatever. Just follow me."
Peter couldn't sleep, a letter arrived about an hour ago, saying that Calormen wasn't preparing for war; they were quite at peace at the moment. Of course he absolutely didn't believe that, until it stated that the Tisroc is demanding a peace treaty to be made. His parchment stated all the losses that this war had brought. The high king laughed humorlessly, says the man who ordered raiding villages without sparing any child or woman. His reverie was interrupted by three steady knocks; he wondered who could be up at this time. He answered the door and was greeted by a serious Lucy:
"The basement, interrogation room now." Then as abruptly as she came she left.
The valiant queen, after doing the same to the others, made her way to the said room. It was different from the one before. This one didn't have torture equipment; it was a vast empty, dimly lighted space, with two small barred windows and two chairs in the center. Tied to the formers were Annabelle, and like Lucy said, her royal princess, surprise.
Everyone summoned meaning, Peter, Susan, Adam and Caspian looked at Lucy questionably. Her dark haired brother was eying a still out Anne from the corner of the room.
"Great, everyone is here."
"Lucy what is it?" Asked a sleepy Susan, please also note that everyone was still in their nightwear, which of course was highly inappropriate for such a serious matter. Then she turned to Caspian, who was half naked. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"
"I always sleep like that," he shrugged "our dear friend is tied to a chair like she's a criminal and that's what you think about?"
"Guys cut it out" a nasty valiant queen asked, her warm bed seemed far far away. Then she continued " Now look at the two ladies tied there, those are our traitors, well Anne is."
She expected shock, denial, despise but what she didn't expect was hysterical laughter. So she did the only thing one could, she pointed at the just king, who was glaring daggers at them, but what made them believe Lucy's words was the unusual raw pain in his eyes.
"H-How? Annabelle?" Caspian asked.
"How did you find out?" Peter asked solemnly.
Lucy counted everything they did to catch them and at the end Peter was fuming.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT WITHOUT TELLING ME? I AM YOUR OLDEST BROTHER, I AM THE HIGH KING, WHAT YOU DO IS MY RESPONSIBILITY, AND IT'S YOUR DUTY TO LET ME KNOW OF EVERY PLAN AND MATTER." He bellowed but if he knew how to yell so did Edmund.
"IT IS ALSO MY RESPONSIBILITY AND MY DUTY TO FIND THE TRAITOR, NOT TO YOU BUT TO MY PEOPLE, I AM THE JUST KING, EVERY LEGAL MATTER CONCERNS ME, DO NOT USE YOUR RANK TO ORDER ME AROUND, WE RULE EQUALLY, BUT IF YOU WANT THE TRUE REASON OF ME NOT TELLING YOU SO BE IT. YOU WOULD NOT HAVE LET ME, YOUR OVERPROTECTIVE GENES WOULD HAVE KICKED IN, AND YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN A HINDRANCE TO AN OFFICIAL MISSION. I AM NOT A CHILD, AND CERTAINLY NOT YOUR SUBJECT, I AM A MAN, A KING FORGED THROUGH YEARS AND YEARS OF DIFFICULTIES, THROUGH WAR, THROUGH GUILT. NOW THE ONLY PERSON I EVER LOVED BETRAYED ME, AND YOU'RE FURIOUS ABOUT NOT KNOWING PLANS? STOP BEING SO SELFISH AND GROW UP."
The others watched Edmund with pride, finally someone stood up to Peter and his thick skull, it's true he's a good king, and a good brother, but his worry was over the top, and he was too proud, now after the just king's outburst, they knew that he was more than worthy to rule a kingdom, after finding out about Annabelle, he didn't try to shield her, no he knew his duty, his feelings did not matter in such war. It was like chess, every move has to be calculated, every emotion dismissed. If this move turned out as such, so be it. He will continue playing the game, and with no intention of losing.
"And who is that beside her?" Peter asked
"Her Royal Highness Princess Layla of Calormen." Another voice responded, they all turned to Annabelle, who was glaring daggers at Lucy, the former responded with an icy look.
"Glad you're finally awake." She told her with a voice devoid of any emotion.
"No thanks to you. I still have a fierce pounding on my scull."
"Next time you try to kill my brother I'll be more gentle."
"Kill?!" Caspian exclaimed.
"I may have let out that part."
"Now let's concentrate on the matter at hand shall we?" Lucy kneeled in front of her so they were eye to eye. "Who are you?"
Annabelle answered by a bellowing laugh "the valiant queen is losing her wits. You and your brother are so much alike."
No one heard Edmund move until he was right across her.
"The Annabelle I knew was loyal, kind, likeable, gentle and above all she loved me."
"Well then I can assure you that person is not here anymore, all that I think about is a way to escape this place, I loathe you, and the one thing that I would love is drive my sword into your heart until you draw your last breath, and all I stare at is your unseeing eyes. And the same thing goes for your bitch of a sister."
The former didn't want to hear anymore cursing so she slapped her damn hard across her face.
"Lucy? Have you gone crazy?" Susan exclaimed.
"STAY BACK!"
"LU! IT'S Anne!"
"No, she isn't, the one that we knew is long gone, she said so herself." She said in a low chilling tone, "I will treat her like I would treat any traitor in this land, and if you are too weak and coward to do it yourselves, fine, but stay out of my way. I will always be the queen that Aslan would want me to be." She turned to Annabelle.
"Now, were you the one who leaked the information about the Archenland troops?"
"You already know the answer to that." She answered glaring. But the valiant queen didn't take it as such so she asked with more ferocity:
"Yes or No?"
"YES"
"For how long do you know this woman? She asked pointing at the princess.
"Like I would answer." She was rewarded by another hard slap.
Peter gasped while Caspian dragged Lucy from Annabelle.
"Let me go Caspian." She demanded through clenched teeth.
"I can't watch you hurt her like that anymore, she's our dear friend, Lu, she betrayed us yes, but she's sill Anne."
"That is not Anne, someone or something is controlling her, she's from our world remember? No one can fake that fact, she only came few months ago, and she's too gentle, too ignorant of this world to betray us on her accord. Remember not long she would vomit in the sight of blood, I hold hope that she'll get back to who she was before. And I know that."
"LIKE HELL I WOULD." Caspian after turning to look at Anne, looked at Lucy with a doubting grimace.
"You sure?"
"Yes it will only take time."
"YOU WILL NEVER SEE ME AS I WAS BEFORE!"
"God please knock her out or something." Lucy demanded bored, and Adam obliged by hitting the right nerve in her nuke.
"Like I said, the only help that we need is from our dear princess-"
"Who is waking up at this very moment." Susan interrupted.
"God, who is making all this noise?" Layla asked opened her eyes very slowly, and then took a look around her, her eyes lingering on Adam. I know what you guys think, she likes him, and that is certainly not the case. Her eyes assessed him such hate and loathe that only your worst enemy could give.
Calling her beautiful would be an understatement. Dark straight her framed her perfectly sculpted face, with high cheekbones, straight noise and full perfectly shaped lips. Her olive skin matched her dark look perfectly while her most stunning feature was her eyes. Big almond shaped with thick eyelashes contouring them, her orbs were dark brown almost black, mirroring her hair's color. The eyebrows were perfectly made, slightly thick and arched. She was simply gorgeous and of course the royals didn't fail to notice. Peter could count the most beautiful women he saw in one hand: his two sisters of course were incredible and turned more heads than he would like, Annabelle, Lilandil Ramandu's daughter, and now princess Layla certainly made the list.
"Your majesty, sorry for our rude welcome, but you driving one of our dear friends against us prevents us from any polite interaction." Edmund only spoke with cold formality.
"No need to trouble yourself. But it would put you and your kingdom in grave danger taking an important member of the Calormen royal family as prisoner."
"War is already raging between our countries; it certainly is the least of our worries in this moment."
"Thanks to you."
"I can assure you that it was never us who started this."
"Lies." She hissed while the just king shrugged.
"You don't have to believe me, and we have more pressing matters at the moment. What did you do to Annabelle?"
"I didn't do anything."
"Lies."
"You don't have to believe me." She retorted, fire burning in her eyes (not literally of course).
Edmund glared at her, while Adam patted his shoulder, taking his place.
"Layla, long time no see."
"Do not utter my name." she demanded through clenched teeth, no one, apart Lucy knew their true history.
He ignored her turning to the others.
"Me and the princess have a lot to talk about I suppose, I want some privacy please."
They granted his wish, while Edmund carried Annabelle through the corridors and to a private room, with no windows, no exits apart the main door that was double locked. He tucked her gently in bed, and very reluctantly hand-cuffed her wrists to the head of the bed, leaving her with a bleeding pain throbbing down his veins.
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