Far From Home

Exile

The horse ride was long. Lauren had only a deep green dress and green cloak as she sat on a chestnut horse with Tam in control of the reins and with Calormenes on dark horses on both sides of them, with one in the front and one in the back, cutting off any chance of escape. She looked back until the castle that was hers, grew smaller and smaller in the distance until it disappeared. Lauren knew that they were taking her far, far away.

“Where are we going?” Lauren asked again and she always got the same answer.

“We can not tell you,” the Calormene always replied.

They rode for days, passing the Lantern Waste, which was the most western part of the country, and up through Ettinsmoor. They rode so far that Lauren couldn’t recognize her own land. She was in unfamiliar territory, with no knowledge of who ruled it and if they would let her stay there.

After another week of non-stop riding, the party finally stopped in the middle of a hilly grassland biome. The Calormenes all dismounted and started to dig around in their saddlebags. Tam helped Lauren dismount and pulled her aside.

“Here,” he said, putting a small round object with a string attached to it. 

“What is this?” Lauren asked, looking at what appeared to be a compass.

“There are two of them and they always point towards each other. This one's for you and I gave the other to Caspian. So no matter what happens, or how far you are, this will always point to where your Capsian is. I told him the same thing. Keep this, hide this, and don’t lose it.”

Lauren looked at Tam curiously. “Why are you doing this?”

Tam shrugged. “I despise my father and what he stands for and he was wrong to exile you and what he’s gonna do…” Tam slapped his hand over his mouth.

“What do you mean ‘what he’s gonna do’? What is he going to do?”

Tam sighed. “I wasn’t going to tell you because you have enough to deal with as it is, but my father says that he is going to execute all the Narnians who are not human.”

Lauren’s mouth hung agape. “That's ninety percent of the population!”

Tam nodded. “He is trying to do what Miraz did. I have been doing everything in my power to stop him.”

Lauren nodded, still visibly shook. Tam looked over at the Calormenes who were getting back on their horses. “I have to leave.” he said. “I will tell Caspian you said hi.”

Lauren nodded. “Why does the Tisroc want Caspian to be a soldier?”

Tam shrugged. “I wish I knew.”

Lauren watched as the Calormenes left, taking Tam with them. 

The sun started to set. The nights in the north proved to be much colder than those in southern Narnia.

Lauren made her way into a small forest and climbed up a tree and sat on a large branch and leaned her back against the trunk. Her last thought before sleep taking over her was wondering how she could have ended up so far from home.