Could it really be that simple, Edmund wonders. A two-minute lesson on footwork and she's gone from newborn foal to… well, something a bit more stable. But probably not a goat, he thinks, seeing her foot slip on a patch of ice. He flinches forward, but her other foot is solidly planted and she's already regained her balance.
Edmund lets his hand fall back to the hilt of his sword as they continue. His mind wanders but his eyes remain firmly focused on the princess. Even this morning, he realizes, she'd taken direction well. She made mistakes– most notably with the hot pan, he recalls– but she gracefully accepted corrections and immediately put them to use then as well. Once they'd left the cave, though, Edmund had focused only on moving quickly. He hadn't given any thought to how she kept up or to helping her improve in any meaningful way– even after Adan's warning.
As the drop-off to the right slowly starts to become less steep, Edmund ponders how much differently the morning could have gone if he'd thought to teach her sooner. Could she have done this well all along? Then again, if they had moved much faster this morning, they might have encountered the Giants while completely exposed on this ledge. Edmund takes his eyes off the princess for a moment to quickly scan the forest ahead.
They haven't descended far enough to be under the level of the forest canopy yet, so he can still see across the vast woods before him and to his right. There are low-hanging clouds pressing against the treetops, sending a slight breeze rippling through the bare branches, but there's nothing large and lumbering as far as he can tell. Peering into the distance, he can't tell what's beyond the forest. It could be they've finally reached the end of the mountain range, or it could be another steep drop off into the next valley.
Looking over the princess's shoulder, he can see that their path continues into the edge of the forest below, but then it disappears into decidedly more varied trees than they've encountered thus far. Instead of just pine, spruce, and fir there are many deciduous trees as well– a clear sign that they are reaching lower altitudes. Still, the only green in this forest is the needles of the evergreens. Edmund scans again across the leafless branches and can't help thinking of home. It may be too early here for spring leaves, but Edmund knows the trees of Narnia are already forming delicate new buds. He'd seen it before leaving for Corsecant, and the pang of longing to be back in those familiar forests instead of these cold, unknown woods feels like an ache in his stomach.
Edmund tries to fend off the feeling, knowing no amount of longing for Narnia will get them there any sooner. He shakes his head slightly and quickly checks the princess' steps– ensuring she still looks stable– before looking more closely at the nearest edge of the forest below. Off to the right he can see the main trail through the woods where the Giants had passed through. It's wide and well-defined, and he can tell its course by the gap in trees. Whether the wide road is merely the result of it being made by Giants or if it means it's a fairly well traveled route he can't say.
By the time their path levels off completely, leaving them standing at the edge of the forest, Edmund has a pretty good idea of the general directions of things– at least in relation to their current position. He isn't overly out of breath and wants to keep moving, but he can tell the princess needs at least a short respite. Stopping near Adan, she braces her hands on her hips and Edmund can hear her uneven breaths.
He looks up and notes that the sun is already well past its peak. It must be nearly eight hours since they left the cave this morning. Eight hours of hard travel, and Edmund is impressed she's still on her feet. It's clearly not an easy task– and no doubt far from a typical day's activities for her– but she's continued after each stop without a word of complaint. This girl is not quite the pampered palace princess he'd first taken her for.
Edmund swings the pack off his back to pull out the waterskin. After taking a few sips he holds it out and the princess takes it as Edmund turns his attention to the treeline. There are enough bare deciduous trees that what light the clouds allow to pass can reach the forest floor, but something about the forest gives him a sense of foreboding. He stands absolutely still and listens as he scans the trees to find some source for the feeling, but there's nothing. Except, Edmund realizes, Adan too seems anxious, pacing slowly in a tight line near the trees.
"Can you tell which way Phillip went from here?" Edmund calls softly. He's not sure why, but he feels the need to keep as quiet as possible. Adan hears him, though, and stops his pacing long enough to nod toward the narrow continuation of the trail they've been descending.
"Further on," Adan says. The trail looks no wider— or clearer— than a deer trail, and it seems to lead straight on into the trees. Edmund can see the turned-up snow that indicates a fairly recent, fairly quick passage. He peers into the trees, still feeling the prickling apprehension. There's nothing there, though— or, nothing that should make that path more dangerous than any other place in Giant territory.
Edmund glances up at the sun's murky outline through the clouds, and then at the shadows around him. This path heads east, he notes. He scans along the edge of the woods toward his right, wondering if they might be better off on the Giant's main path through the woods. From farther up, it had appeared to have a more southern direction than the route before them.
"Adan," he starts, looking back at the Wolf. Adan meets his gaze, and there's something in his posture– maybe the tilt of his head or the set of his tail– that reminds Edmund of the Wolf's anxious pacing. Adan glances at the princess and shakes his head slightly. Edmund glances at her as well, wondering if they should discuss it elsewhere– and he wonders, suddenly, if that was actually what Adan meant by "further on". Caught in this small clearing between the descent behind them and the forest before them, he suddenly feels at the same time trapped and overly exposed.
Edmund tilts his head back for a moment and closes his eyes. His foot brushes against the pack as he shifts, and he considers pulling out the small map that's tucked away inside it. The Giant territories have never been accurately mapped, though— at least not by the Narnians— and the vague outlines of Corsecant that have been filled in by visiting diplomats probably won't be any help either. And he doesn't even know their current location in this unfamiliar land.
We must be nearing the border by now, though, he thinks, opening his eyes to consider the peaks behind them. They've traveled mostly south all day, and Edmund had only gone a day and a half north into Corsecant. He tries to guess at distances and locations. Are they far enough south to be at the end of the mountain range? Of course, he'd been on horseback when traveling north…
Edmund rubs his eyes. The glare of the white snow all day on top of everything else has been building up a dull ache in his head, but he pushes all that aside and drops his hand to assess the path before them again. Heading east would send them deeper into the Giants' territory– and could put them at risk of encountering more Giants. Or they might be just as likely to meet Giants on the larger path if that's a main thoroughfare, but wouldn't it put them closer to the Narnian border?
Aslan, he silently prays, please show us the way. He bows his head, still parsing through all the options, and waits for a sign, a voice, anything really, to point him in the right direction. After another few moments, he remembers the compass he stuffed into the bottom of the bag along with the hastily copied map. He quickly pulls off his gloves, stuffs them under his arm, and reaches into the depths of the pack.