Daughter of Nowhere || A Narnia (Prince Caspian) Story

6: Kings and Queens

It was her father. Every inch of him was her father, from his cleft chin to the bloodshot eyes that were always bleary with drink.

The world faded as she met her father's gaze. Then, in a moment that puzzled her, he turned and ran, screaming as he went.

Caspian's arrow sunk into her father's torso.

"No!" Ina rushed forward and caught him before he crumpled. With trembling fingers she ripped off his helmet, distantly aware that Caspian was calling her name.

But his hair... His hair was the wrong colour.

"Ina!" Caspian's firm grip was on her shoulders, dragging her away from the dead man who was not her father.

"I'm sorry..." she gasped. "I thought—"

He whirled her around to face him. His eyes were dark pools of fear. "We have to go!"

To her left, Ina saw that the Narnians were racing towards them, but they had abandoned any attempt to be silent, because guards were already spilling from tents, no longer asleep.

"We're under attack!"

Caspian shoved her towards the carriage. "Get the weapons and get out of here!"

Once inside the caravan, Ina grabbed as many swords as she could and charged towards the river, which lay a short distance away. Kerissa and Reepicheep waited in a boat by the riverbank, swaying gently with the currents. Alarm came upon their faces; they knew something was wrong.

Winded, Ina cried, "The alarm is sounded!" She dumped the weapons into the boat and dashed back to the caravan. Reepicheep joined her, sword in hand.

The other Narnians did the same, hauling as many weapons as they could carry down to the boat. A satyr—Brunheim—stood inside the carriage, passing out swords and axes by the handful. Further off, Caspian and Zenya were cutting down soldiers with their arrows, giving them cover to escape.

To her relief, Ina saw that the wagon was almost empty. "Go!" Brunheim shouted and leapt, lugging a pile of axes. She grabbed one of them herself.

"Caspian! Zenya!" They turned. Beyond them, Ina saw that a few soldiers were giving chase, their movements sluggish with sleep. About five bodies lay on the ground, unmoving.

Zenya wasted no time; she grabbed a few maces and ran. "Hurry!" she urged the other two.

But when Caspian passed the wagon, he stopped abruptly. A look of stubborn determination crossed his face, and he began carving quick, messy letters on the caravan door with his dagger.

"What are you doing?" Ina snapped.

"Cover me!"

Furious, yet unable to leave him behind, she snarled, "If we die, Caspian—" She dodged and parried a soldier. "I will kill you!"

"Let's go!" He snatched a sword and blocked another blow intended for Ina. The two raced to the riverbank, outrunning the soldiers.

But when they reached the river, they saw that the boat had left, along with everyone else.

Terror seized their hearts.

"Ina! Caspian!"

Zenya appeared in a thunder of hoofbeats and heaved Ina onto her back, while Xanthos lifted Caspian. They galloped into the woods with great speed, sweeping out of the arrow's range, and soon, the sound of rushing wind drowned out their enemies' outraged cries.    

***

With every step he took, the extra sword that Caspian carried bounced uncomfortably against his back, but he hardly registered the ache. He was far too preoccupied with the constant itch on his arms and legs. By this time, he was convinced that the forest was full of invisible bugs that seemed to bite only him.