Chapter 16: Nemsesis
The morning was bright and sunny, unusually so given the past week's events. Peter took to welcoming Lady Thea and her uncle, Lord Magnus to Narnia very seriously; he had risen at the crack of dawn to meet the pair for breakfast, merrily chatting over freshly baked toast, sausages, eggs and tarts. Lucy had joined them shortly, wearing robes of hazy green, but two seats were still unfilled; Susan and Edmund's.
Peter had just finished telling Lady Thea of his first voyage to Terenbithia when the doors to the dining room, guarded by two blonde satyrs, swung open, and Susan glided into the room, expression haughty, hair tied severely back, her midnight blue gown dancing around her as she made her way to the long marble table. She held a reddish vial in her right hand; Tyr's medication ever since that fateful night.
Immediately, Thea and Magnus rose simultaneously to bow. "Queen Susan."
"Susan," Peter said, slightly taken aback. "I almost had someone sent for you."
"Oh, there's no need," Susan chimed, pushing a chair open.
"Pleasant morning, is it not, my Lady Queen?" Thea beamed.
Susan only smiled quickly in response, but did not meet the lady's eyes. "Quite."
"Have you seen Edmund?" Lucy asked, draining the last of her water.
"Oh, I'm sure he'll be here soon, Lu," Susan said, adding few bits of toast to her plate. "You know Ed. Not an early riser."
"But he never misses a breakfast," Lucy pointed out. "Never once."
Susan shrugged, buttering her toast. "So, my Lady Thea and my honorable Lord Magnus, how are you finding Cair Paravel?"
"Excellent, my Queen, perhaps the best in all of Narnia. Aldred spoke highly of the East, and he spoke truthfully," Magnus replied.
"Very truthfully," Thea added. "Never have I seen such luscious chambers and beautiful scenery."
"We have to take you to the balconies on the Northern wing," Lucy said, eyes full of cheer. "It's the most beautiful place there is. You can see everything from the balconies; the mermaids, the sea, the dryads. You'd love it."
"Almost as much as you'd love the gardens," Susan said. "Sweet smell of roses all round…" she took the reddish vial she had been carrying earlier and poured it all into her drink, watching it fizz before wincing.
Magnus cleared his throat. "Milady, my dear niece and I had heard rumors…nasty, unlawful rumors, and would like to offer our deepest apologies that you had to suffer so much. I, like my brother, would have taken the blade that fateful night."
Susan gave an almost inaudible sniff. "Thank you very much, Magnus. But I am very well now. Our royal physician, the great Tyr, has recommended me the most trustful of medications and I am strong on my road to recovery."
"Medications?" Magnus said. "Surely these products are imported, as I have never heard of such wonders in the East?"
"Herbs of the Lone Islands," Susan corrected, brandishing the vial. "Of course Recessus was required the night the poison took immediate effect…but since then I have been at risk for relapses, and Tyr suggested I take Driadidna, as it's called, once every week until the poison is completely gone."
"Relapses?" Magnus prodded.
"None yet, I'm pleased to say," Susan said. "But yes, relapses. If I forget to take the medication required."
"How ever so unfortunate. Milady the Queen, if there is anything I can do to reduce such risk, perhaps even swim across the violent waves of the East or walk bare across the Calormene deserts, I would do so without a second thought."
Susan, eyes twinkling, opened her mouth to respond but the doors had swung open again and in bolted Edmund in the same manner Susan had, but at the sight of Thea and Magnus, stopped in his tracks. "Oh – I – I didn't know we had –" at the dirty look Susan had shot him, he quickly regained himself. "My Lady Thea. My Lord Magnus."
"King Edmund," Thea and Magnus said at the same time, rising from their seats to bow as they had with Susan.
Edmund only smiled, gesturing with his hand for the two to rise. "Oh, there's no need for that…none at all. And how do our guests fair this morning?"
"Well, my King," Thea reassured. "Your brother the King just finished telling us of his daring adventures in Terenbithia. Surely you have some of your own to share?"
Everybody looked expectantly to him, and Edmund cleared his throat. "None as daring as Peter, I'd suppose," he answered modestly. "My share of work is mostly within the walls of Cair, in the council chambers, I'm afraid."
"Perhaps, my King, you will have a tale after you accompany his Majesty, my Lady and me on our morning hunting trip?" Magnus suggested.
Edmund looked taken aback. "Hunting trip, Peter? In the Shuddering Woods, like Lucy and I had before?"
Peter shook his head stiffly, eyes flashing, signaling Edmund to keep quiet. "The woods south of Cair Paravel, actually. It would save us all time. Should we get an extra horse ready?"
Edmund stood for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "No, not today. I've great matters I must attend to regarding the Western Woods. You three go on without me."
"Four," Susan sorrected, cutting her eggs. "Do prepare an extra horse, actually. It's been so long since I've been out of Cair, I've probably forgotten what fresh air is."
There was a moment of silence, and then Peter spoke. "You? Hunting?"
Susan narrowed her eyes, one eyebrow raised, the venom in her voice undeniable. "I'm sure you've heard sillier things, Peter, than of a girl hunting."
'I'm sure I have," Peter breathed, before turning to Lucy. "Alright, Lu?"
"Hm? Oh, oh yes," Lucy said. "I'll stay put here, no need to worry about me."
As Peter turned to Magnus to discuss what weaponry would be acquired, Edmund silently and almost unnoticeably began piling tarts and pieces of toast into a white linen cloth. Susan looked to him, arms crossed. "And exactly what great matters do you need to attend to?"
"Hmph? Oh," Edmund said, piling last few bits of toast. "Erm – settlements in the West. Disagreement between some dwarves and, erm – some badgers, I think it was."
Susan narrowed her eyes. "Dwarves and…badgers? Don't you think that's a little…small for a King to get involved in?"
"Silly, isn't it," Edmund said, rolling his eyes. "You'd think we could send a member of a court to settle such matters, or nobody at all. But duty is duty." He tied the white linen cloth into a perfect knot, pinning the bread and tarts in place.
Susan's eyes narrowed again, small as they could before they were completely closed. "Play fair, then."
"Will do," Edmund said, slinging the cloth over his back. "I'll see you for dinner." He gave Peter a wave, kissed Susan's cheek and ruffled Lucy's hair, then disappeared behind the doors.
Susana threw Lucy an incredulous look. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?"
Lucy raised both eyebrows. "About what? I'm in as much awe as you are."
"I could tell a better lie even if the truth was flashing behind me in large, brightly colored letters. He's up to something."
"Isn't he always?" was Lucy's only reply.
o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o
Some hours later, the four of them – Peter, Magnus, Thea, and, true to her word, Susan – had set off into the nearby woodlands of the south. The woods were not popular for hunting as they were short of beasts, stags particularly, which Peter did not like, but Susan saw it as a challenge; it had been so long since she had lost gone hunting, or harnessed her bow, for that matter. Horse still galloping, she halted it and swiftly pulled a bow from behind her, one eye closed, her breathing steady.
"Always this observant?" Magnus whispered, and Peter laughed softly.
Susan breathed one last breath as out of nowhere, a deer sprung from the bushes. She released her bow arm and in a graceful swish, the arrow pierced the poor creature in the temple, and it fell over, dead. Susan turned to throw Peter a knowing look. "Perhaps you were right, Pete. Edmund should've come along instead of me. It would have saved most of your pride."
Peter laughed sarcastically in return, than eyed the limp creature. There was another shuffle in the bushes. "Is your thirst for blood quenched, or shall we allow Lady Thea a turn?"
Susan's expression hardened. "But of course."
She dismounted her horse, rather grudgingly, to offer Thea her own bow and an arrow, but Thea shook her head. "Oh – oh I couldn't –"
"Please," Susan offered, giving the bow a firm shake. "I insist."
Thea smiled in response, and took the bow carefully as not to damage it, but Peter could tell by the way she held it that she had harnessed a bow before. Like Susan had before her, Thea took a deep breath and pulled the arrow back, waiting for a signal. The bushes ruffled slightly, and she held the bow more firmly in her hands.
But from the bushes sprung not an animal – but a man. All four of them ceased in shock, and the man grinned the most wicked grin. Brandishing a sword, he ran – straight to Peter.
What happened next was a blur; between the screaming and the sounds of the horses' protests, Thea quickly handed Susan back her bow, unsheathing a sword attached to her horse's saddle, and Magnus pulled out a crossbow. From all around them, more men began appearing, brandishing weapons of their own.
Susan swiftly shot as many as she could with her bow, while, despite Peter's protests ("My Lord – my Lady – run!") Thea had dismounted from her horse, struggling with one of the burly men. Magnus stayed on his, shooting the oncoming men with his bows, and Peter, who was sprawled on the ground after his horse, in fear, had toppled him over, bolted upright and unsheathed a sword, charging at the men. Susan grabbed one of her arrows and pierced the man who had attempted to charge at Peter, meeting his wicked gaze before he collapsed to the ground, before turning around to club another with her bow.
"My Queen – my queen, leave me be!" Magnus shouted through the chaos. "Take your brother and my niece and leave me be – I will manage alone!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Magnus!" Susan shouted back, shooting another one of the men. She whipped around, free of any more of the oncoming men, to see Thea, sword in hand, collapse to the ground, sword-less. The man whom she had been fighting lifted his blade – a death blow. Susan opened her mouth to scream, but before such a sound could escape from her lips, the man lowered his blade – not quickly, not violently, but slowly, and flashed Thea a glare before turning around to disappear into the trees.
Susan's voice was caught in her throat for a second or two, and she only stared disbelievingly at Thea, who was still sprawled on the ground, unharmed. It was quieter now; all the men had escaped, or rather the live ones had, and the only sounds were of Magnus and Peter's panting; she was still in such awe of what she had just witnessed. She whipped around, intending to report to Peter what she just saw, but was met with another surprise. Peter lay on the forest floor, panting, pale, an arrow protruding from his right shoulder.
"Peter!" Susan could not hear herself through the loud beating of her heart, but ran to his side nonetheless.
o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o
Edmund, with the linen white cloth filled with bread firmly held in his hands, hurried past the corridors, not sparing a second glance to whoever bowed or graciously proclaimed "My Just King" as he did so. He did not intend to stop, but only did when a large, towering figure stopped him in his tracks. "Oreius! You scared me half to death. I thought you were with Peter and Susan?"
"The King your brother has suggested he be alone with the Queen your sister and Cair Paravel's most welcomed guests, the Lady Thea and the Lord Magnus, my young King."
"And rightfully so," Edmund spluttered. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll just be on my merry way-"
"Beg pardon, my King, but where are you off to?" Oreius continued. "Your valiant sister has said you were to deal with such matters in the west."
"Oh, erm – yes, yes of course," Edmund said. "I was. Am," he corrected quickly. "I am. But I must quickly see Lucy to seek her council."
Oreius raised his eyebrows. "Then you will be happy to know that the Queen Lucy is not in her chambers, but in the gardens with her ladies maids. She thought it a good idea to pick flowers for the graceful Lady Thea."
"Gardens, right," Edmund said. He caught his breath. He was always so good at lying, but with Oreius, it was almost impossible – the centaur was restless. "So I guess I'll, erm – go see her in the gardens, then."
Oreius bowed. "Until next time, my King." He continued down the corridor, and Edmund breathed a sigh of relief. He continued his pace, this time slower, until he reached the dark end of the corridor; a staircase that, if travelled through correctly, led to the dungeons.
He was surprised, however, when he saw two tigers sternly blocking him from the cells. Edmund did not hold back, and walked, chin up, to the tigers. They bowed ever so low. "My Just King."
Edmund spoke with no quiver in his voice. "I wish to see the prisoner."
The two tigers looked at each other, then back to Edmund, and the first one spoke. "I'm afraid that under the High King's order, my King, nobody is to see the prisoner."
"And I am also your King," Edmund said with no defiance. "And I also have orders. And I order you to let me pass."
Defeated, the second tiger bared his teeth only slightly. "If my Just King so chooses."
They parted, allowing Edmund entry. He quickly glided past the first few cells, blindly reading their numbers until he reached a rusting old one, where a petite figure lay curled, dark hair spread against the hay.
Edmund rattled the cell bars quietly. "Cedany." She stirred, but did not awaken. Edmund tried even louder. "Cedany. Cedany…"
She bolted upright and rubbed her eyes, blinking them several times before he came into her line of vision, and, with a gasp, rushed to the bars. "My Just King – what are you doing here?"
Edmund help up the cloth with bread. "Given the recent unfortunate events that have been clouding everyone's heads, I was hoping nobody would forget to – well…" he handed her the cloth through the bars, and she took it in her hands, undoing the knot, the smell of tarts and toast filling up the cell.
Tears in her eyes, she beamed at him. "T-thank you, my lord…but I cannot accept this. It would be most unjust."
Edmund scoffed. "I am the King of just. And I deem it so that you eat."
Cedany nodded, and began stuffing the tarts into her mouth, closing her eyes at the first touch of bread against tongue. Edmund could tell it had been at least a day since the poor child had eaten. After finishing her first, she dabbed her chin and swallowed. "I am…most sorry to hear about what happened to the good Sir Aldred."
Edmund only clutched the bars tighter. "Aren't we all."
"Surely…if there was anything I could've done…I would've done so without a moment's thought."
Edmund nodded gravely. "Whoever did it…I am most certain they are allied with whoever poisoned Susan."
Cedany's head shot up, tears threatening to spill from her brown eyes. "You…you don't believe I…?"
Edmund shook his head. "Of course not. It makes no sense. What motive would but a serving girl have? What motive would you have?"
Cedany shrugged tentatively, setting the tarts and toast aside to meet Edmund at the bars that separated them. Carefully, through the holes, she placed her hand softly on his. "Thank you, my King."
"Edmund," he corrected, giving her hand a small squeeze. "Please. Call me Edmund."
Cedany chuckled. "Edmund. You are most unlike your brother the High King in many ways."
Edmund gave a grim laugh. "That I am more willing to listen to a servant's plight than he is?"
Cedany shook her head, and let go of the bar, of his hand. "I don't believe I should be here, but I do sympathize with the High King – painfully so. He is doing anything in his power to protect his Gentle sister, ever since –" she stopped herself. "He is a good king. And an even better brother."
Edmund laughed under his breath. "Better than me?" he mocked.
Cedany, too, laughed in response, eyes twinkling as she met his gaze. "You came to see a convicted girl, perhaps the most hated in Narnia, charged with the regicide of your own kin, in the filths of a dungeon. Why?"
Edmund took a pause, a pause that was filled with only the two of them looking into each other's eyes, and then spoke. "Because I believe in truth and justice. And I believe that the convict is innocent, and above all, true at the heart."
Tears were now dropping onto the hay on the floor, and the space left between them seemed small enough to close.
Then, without warning, bells as loud as sin rang throughout the palace, reaching even the depths of the dungeons, and Edmund stumbled back, hands pressed firmly against his ears. He knew that sound. "Warning bells!" he shouted to Cedany, who also covered her ears.
"Go!" Cedany shouted back. "Go, my King! Go!"
Edmund took a step forward. "I won't leave you!"
"And you won't!" Cedany shouted. "Now please – go!"
Reluctant, Edmund nodded, shooting her one last glance before hurrying out of the long line of cells; the two tigers stood by their post, temptation slapped across their face, yearning to see or hear what caused the warning bell to ring, but the two remained grounded. Edmund sped up the stairs, panting as he reached the start of one of the long corridors in the South Wing. Then he ran.
The sound of bells was bearable now, and servants, maids, satyrs and centaurs alike watched in confusion as Edmund sped past them all, desperate to reach whatever had causes the ringing.
Then, out of nowhere, a dainty figure who had also been running collided into him – and gasped. "Edmund! Oh, Edmund, where have you been?" It was Lucy, but the joy in her voice present that morning had evaporated to be replaced by looks of pure worry and terror.
"Lucy – Lu!" Edmund said through the ringing. "What is it? What's –"
"Where were you?" Lucy demanded, eyes full of tears, and, uncharacteristically, she swatted him – rather hard – on his chest. "Where were you – was – was looking all over – even rang the bell –"
Eyes blazing, Edmund held her still in his hold. "Lucy – Lucy – what's happened?"
"Peter!" Lucy spluttered out, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Peter?" Edmund responded, confused. Then he gasped. The hunting trip. "What about Peter? Lucy, what's happened?"
The bells continued to chime, and Lucy continued to sob. "They – a-attacked without warning – Peter's been hurt."
I hope none of you will mind how long this chapter is. Hope you've all had a wonderful week.
xx Izzy
