V

GRACE

What's Up Danger – Blackway, Black Caviar

"Isn't it good news?" Lucy asked.

"I suppose," Grace allowed, a yawn slipping through her lips as she spoke.

Lucy took her arm as she led her through the halls of Cair Paravel. Through her sleepy mind, Grace had gathered that she was being herded towards the Guest Wing. A fancy name for her new prison, though she supposed if it had a bed she could sleep in, it would suffice.

The sunlight had turned golden and bathed the hall with quickly dimming light. When Grace had asked what time it was, Lucy had offered to take her to the sundial in the gardens but Grace refused. If she had to walk any farther she might pass out and the last thing she wanted was to make a larger scene than she already had.

"Here we are," Lucy beamed. She had stopped them afront a set of white double doors adorned with rich gold handles. Lucy did not open them, she simply stared patiently at Grace to do the honours.

Grace released a breath of laughter at her friend. She took a hold of the handle and lightly pushed the door open. It moved slowly and silently across the cold marble floor, revealing the room within. Grace's eyes widened; it was larger than she'd thought it would be.

The sprawling white marble opened to a luxurious living space, the four-poster bed and chaise only demonstrating the wealth of its owners. If this was a guest room, she couldn't imagine what Lucy's room would look like.

Lucy was full on beaming beside her, "You like it?"

"It's big," Grace responded.

So big that Grace could run a marathon from wall to wall. She stalked across the room, finding perch on one of the open windows beside the bed, the glass was stained with the image of flowers and allowed coloured light to filter across the floor.

"This is my favorite guest room," Lucy gushed, "Mainly, because I worked on it myself."

Grace turned to her friend in surprise.

Lucy shrugged, "I was quite young when Cair Paravel became our permanent residence and Susan did not want to burden me with too much. This room is one of the few things she allowed me power over."

"It's beautiful," Grace complimented.

Lucy's beam grew impossibly wider, "Thank you."

Grace smiled with her, eyes trailing back to the four-poster bed at her side. It was covered in sheets of midnight blue, the tips embroidered with gold spun thread images of lions.

"I'd imagine you'd want to sleep," Lucy added sheepishly, "It has been a long journey."

As if on cue, Grace yawned. She attempted to cover the large motion of her mouth but it was too late.

Lucy only laughed, "Good night, Grace."

No matter what Grace tried, she could not sleep. She didn't think she was overtired for if Grace closed her eyes she could feel the grip of sleep over them. However, just before it pulled her under, her eyes would snap awake.

It was always something; the bed was too soft, the sheets were too tight, the pillow was too low. At one point a stray tear had landed on her hand and she'd recoiled from it, mind fraught that she'd been taken into water again.

It had been hours of tossing and turning back and forth and Grace knew she was nearing the end of her rope. If this maintained, she would go mad.

Grace grunted in frustration and threw herself from the feather mattress. Immediately, she felt lighter for it. Whether that was for being free of her fear or delirious from the lack of sleep, she did not know.

She paced the length of the room, the back-and-forth motion like a cat stalking its prey. There were thoughts spilling forth in her mind. Frantic thoughts and plans that Grace knew better than to speak aloud, let alone act on.

It wouldn't be too hard to slip her guards if she had any. She didn't doubt the idea, surely King Edmund would not be so stupid as to leave her alone for any prolonged period of time?

Grace shivered against the chill of the night air. She wasn't going anywhere if she couldn't cover herself. If she was to survive she needed warmth, shelter and food.

Warmth was easy enough; she lifted the dark sheet from the bed and draped it over her shoulders. It was a thick linen which would provide enough insulation against the cold and the gold spun embroidery provided enough weight that it would not blow away in the wind.

She'd need something to attach it to her body so it would not fly off her when she ran. Grace eyed the room for a rope to fasten it with. Her eyes instead laid on the dress Lucy had lent her.

Lucy.

Grace swallowed thickly against her guilt-ridden tears. How could she do this to her friend? To the one person who believed in her.

But how would she get home otherwise? Lucy's plan consisted of relying on the goodwill of two men. Two Kings, who seemed to care neither for her wishes or her sanity. She touched the dress forlornly, a symbol of friendship she had not received in a long time.

Her hands trailed over the embroidered fabric fondly but stopped at something hard at the waistline. It was a belt. Grace dared not breathe as she fumbled with the clasp and shakily removed the leather from the dress. It was sturdy and fit around her waist with a little room to spare. It was perfect.

Grace stared at the accessory in her hands as the pieces pulled together and she knew that the decision was made.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," She whispered.

As Grace bent over every which way to get the ties tightened on her sleeves, it occurred to her that there was a reason noble ladies needed assistance dressing. The dress was looser than it had been earlier that day, which gave her the freedom of movement in her arms.

Grace eyed her shoes warily as her hands buckled the sheet around her torso. They were uncomfortable but would give her some much-needed protection against the ground. She decided to take them and tied the straps to her belt to ensure they were not lost.

Once everything was accounted for Grace crept softly towards the ground, her bare feet barely making a sound on the marble floor. The door handle was thankfully light and cracked open without a sound. She listened… there was nothing.

The crack was increased just enough to squeeze her head through. She glanced around the hallway nervously, but there wasn't a guard in sight.

"You know, I don't think giants are all that scary really."

Grace jumped, hand flying to her mouth to stifle any noise. The voices were above her but when she turned to look she couldn't see anything amidst the dark rafters.

"Really Caius? I remember you soiling the air at the sight of a large tree," A second scratchy voice added.

"I did not, Marius!" The first, Caius, protested, "You need your sight checked you old geezer."

The second, Marius, scoffed lightly, "I nearly had to swerve to miss it. I don't think my sight is the problem here."

Caius laughed, "A good job you did too. We wouldn't want your pretty feathers messed up." A rustle sounded from above and Grace watched a dark feather gently float down.

They must be in the rafters, she gleaned. Grace leaned further through the opening, testing to see if she would be noticed.

"All I'm saying is, giants are big, slow and dumb. We are small, quick and clever. They don't have a chance of catching us in the air."

Marius scoffed, "You won't have much of a chance to dodge the rocks thrown at you. They have no need of catapults, fledgling."

"They won't even know we're there," Caius dismissed, "We'll be in and out, quick as lightning."

"Such a feat will be difficult with a cartographer upon your back."

Grace decided it was now or never. Slowly, she slipped through the sliver of doorway, careful to not catch anything on the handle. She dared not breathe as she hugged the wall, moving in sidesteps to melt into the shadows.

"Do we really have to take them on our back?" Caius whined.

"It was not requested of us but I see no other way of passing information of the border to them. It is better if they see the landscape for themselves."

The voices were getting quieter and with each step Grace felt her muscles begin to relax. She was almost at the end of the hallway. Almost free.

"Are we not to scout the skies whilst they work away on the ground? I heard the Cheetah's have been included in the parties, surely they can defend them from below."

Marius was silent and Grace froze, heart beating so loudly in her chest she was sure the guard had heard it.

"I suppose that is true," His old scratchy voice relented.

Grace heaved a sigh of relief, finally reaching the end of the hallway. She turned the corner hesitantly but found there were no guards past that point.

Now where did she go? It occurred to Grace that a map would have been useful, before departing on such a journey. She could not follow the path which Lucy took her to the guest rooms, that was the other way. From here on out, she was completely on her own.

She thought about going back, the thought fleeting and quickly dismissed. If King Edmund found out about this, it would only vindicate his ideas of her.

Grace stepped forward, silently and uncertainly but forward, nonetheless. She slunk through the hallways, the only light being the torches upon the marble wall. Cair Paravel was a maze of hallways and tapestries, each hallway looking scarily like the rest. She would have used the tapestries, but it was too dark to discern anything from them.

Eventually she smelt it, the crisp cool fresh air which could only come from outside. Her heart leapt and she hurried towards it, relieved to have a direction at last. It was sheer luck that there was not a guard posted on the doorway. Grace supposed it may have been a servants entrance, the door was plain and held no importance.

It creaked as Grace opened it, her eyes widening in fear at the thought of anyone hearing the noise. She quickly slid through as soon as it was open enough to let her, only taking stock of the gravel pathway under her feat as she sprinted away.

When she reached the safety of trees, she looked back. Cair Paravel stared back at her, still too large and too close in her mind. Grace looked back at the forest, knowing that from this point, there was no turning back.

She was mindful of the stones under her feet, cutting into her skin in sharp points and took the shoes from her belt and put them on. She had no socks but the rubber soles were a blessed respite as she urged her feet forwards.

Food and shelter. Those were the two most important things at this moment. Beneath her, Grace's feet protested at the thought of more walking. She would also need a way to travel. Horseback may work, but she knew very little of horses. Perhaps she could find some travelling peddler and go with them.

When she'd rested and was situated with a way of travelling, Grace would need to figure out where she was travelling to. The Wardrobe, Lucy had called it. Although, she was not sure if anyone apart from the Kings and Queens would know anything about such a thing.

As she thought and walked and walked and thought, Grace realised how half-baked her plan truly was. She cursed herself; in her manic state she had not thought about the fundamental point of the escape plan, what one does when they actually escape.

The woods opened to a large and open plain. Grace stared in wonder at the endless starry night above her; never in her life had she seen so many stars. She searched for lights in the distance, hoping to find a small village to rest but was disappointed to find nothing but the endless shadowed plain.

A breeze floated past, blowing the sheet from atop her head and exposing her to the chilled night air. It was too cold to sleep outside but Grace feared that may be her only option.

"Oi! Stop!"

She froze, foot half stepping onto the plain before two shadows cut off her ascent.

"What do you think you're doing out here?" The elder of the two asked. His feathers dark except from the silver flecks which caught the light of the moon.

Grace didn't move, secretly hoping that they were talking to someone else.

"We can see you," The other said, shaking its wings into place on its side.

Grace slumped visually and conceded defeat. She stepped slowly from the shade of the trees, her skin alarmingly pale in the moonlight.

"Thought you'd given us the slip did you?" The elder bird grizzled; he turned his head to eye her scathingly.

Grace looked at them, incredulous at the cheek, "I did give you the slip."

"But you didn't make it the whole way," The younger bird, Caius, sniffed.

Marius, the elder, ignored them both, "You seem to have wondered far from your rooms, Madam. Let us escort you back."

"I'm not going anywhere," Grace objected, her mind whirring with ideas on how to flee their sight.

Caius lifted his wings threateningly, "You won't make it far from here. You'd best do what we say."

"I made it this far."

"You got lucky," Marius cut, "You will not be so fortunate from here."

The elder bird shook his feathers and began herding Grace through the woods. When she didn't move, he pecked at her heels.

"Stop that," Grace admonished, hands flying to her ankles.

"Get moving," Caius ordered, following the elders lead.

In a whirlwind of fast thinking, Grace slipped one of the shoes from her feet and held it aloft. The threat clear to her two assailants; Stop or be hit. The action surprised her, she wasn't usually violent but knew that she wouldn't give up on her freedom so easily.

The birds – eagles, Grace realised as she noted their white masks and dark bodies – ceased their pecking at the threat.

"I'm not going anywhere but home," She determined.

The two eagles looked at each other uncertainly.

"Where is home?" Marius asked.

Grace's mind grasped at the name Lucy had used to describe it, "I don't know what you would call it, but I know it is through a Wardrobe."

From the blank expressions on their faces, Grace realised that the pair didn't know what she was talking about.

"You're confused, Madam," Marius consoled, "A good night's rest will do wonders for you."

"No," Grace refused, grip tightening on the leather shoe, "I know there is another name for it, I just can't think of it right now."

"You'd best follow us back to your rooms," Caius said, "Before we notify the guard."

What was it Lucy had said? The city of wardrobe in the land of… what?

Marius looked to his counterpart sparingly, "We shouldn't notify the guard, the King's and Queen's would have our jobs if they knew we'd let her out."

Grace willed herself to think, what did a wardrobe sit in? A room? There was more to it than that.

"They probably know already," Caius reasoned, "King Edmund has spies everywhere."

"If he knew about it, we wouldn't be the only ones pursuing her."

"Spare Oom!" Grace exclaimed, causing the pair to jump and squawk, "I come from Spare Oom."

This time, the Eagles understood her. They looked between themselves, wordlessly communicating their next step.

Marius was the first to speak, "What are you doing in Narnia?"

"It was an accident."

"There is no accident that would facilitate a journey like that," Caius rebuffed her.

"Please, I just want to go home. Do you know where the Wardrobe is?" Grace pleaded.

There was a shift in Marius's face and when he next blinked he was looking at Grace empathetically.

Caius caught his line of thinking and waddled defiantly in front of his counterpart, "Marius, no."

"What harm is there in helping her get home," The elder eagle reasoned.

"There is a lot of harm," Caius argued, "We are to deploy with the cartographers tomorrow, there wouldn't be enough time, even if we knew where we were going. Not to mention that our jobs will be forfeit once they find her missing."

Grace eyed Marius over Caius's wing, eyes pleading for any kind of assistance. If they would not take her home, perhaps they would simply let her go.

There was little hope when the elder eagles face hardened, "You are right."

The weight of defeat hung from Grace's shoulders like a medal of shame. She needn't be pecked into submission this time and allowed herself to be herded back into the walls of Cair Paravel. They watched her closely the entire walk, she could feel the burning of their eyes on her back. If there were any thoughts of making an escape, their discerning gaze put an end to it.

When at last, they reached the room, Grace was resigned and tired. She wanted nothing more than to sleep forever. When the door opened and she sighted the bed, she frowned. The strangling feeling of the sheets returning like a phantom across her skin.

Instead, she dropped unceremoniously onto the chaise and immediately submitted to the welcoming arms of sleep.