Chimerical [Edmund Pevensie]

five

SHE DIDN'T COME when he waited.

     All of the other soldiers with him tended to look worriedly at their king as he kept on telling them in a rather brash way to wait just a little bit longer every time they offered to leave. And the more he told them to wait, the more they noticed his tone getting more aggressive and his overall being becoming more . . . sorrowful, hopeless.

     "Edmund, we don't have enough time! Let's go!" Peter said suddenly, his patience obviously not lasting. That was when Edmund snapped, he looked down and faced the truth: Emma wasn't going to show up.

     He nodded as a response and that was the cue of the giant bird who then clutched its claws around his biceps as the grip on his torch tightened. The bird flapped its wings and off they flew, and with them was the army, transporting themselves with the help of carriages, or by plain foot.

     They were off to the castle for the surprise attack.

• • •

Edmund was on the look-out, half of the army was waiting for his signal. The young king looked around for Telmarines, there had to be none in order for the rest to enter. Once he saw no sign of them, he flicked the light switch on and off, thus having the giant birds drop their men within the wall.

     "Sorry, I'm late," came a sudden, gentle whisper.

     Instinctively, he drew out his sword and prepared to swing at the opponent. To his surprise, it was Emma, wearing what seemed to be a green battle dress while her hair was in braids.

     She immediately pulled out her weapon, a rather thin blade that seemed to look home-made, and rose it to meet his, stopping it midway from beheading her.

     "Oh," Edmund said in relief, sheathing his weapon back. "It's you."

     "I didn't expect tardiness was something you're really against," she joked, lowering her sword as well.

     "I'm glad you showed up—wait, how'd you get in here?"

     "Same way as you did, I think."

    "A giant bird dropped you from the air?" he questioned, incredulous. "I think I'd have heard it when you fell."

     "Oh. Well, then I got here differently; I snuck in from the bottom." But there are guards? Edmund thought. "They have a secret passage beneath. I found it and got myself in."

    "I didn't know they had one," he said.

     "Well, they do." She looked around. "Where's everyone?"

     "Oh, the plan is we're going for a surprise attack," he explained. "They're probably killing some of the soldiers right now."

     Emma was thinking. "Isn't the tenth Caspian on your team?"

     Edmund looked at her suspiciously. "Yes, why?"

     "Nothing, I just . . . what's he going to do? Isn't he a Telmarine himself?" she asked continuously, as if she was rambling. "How do you know we can trust him? That he won't betray us?"

     Edmund looked at her and began fiddling with his torch. She had a point, what if Caspian would be the reason this mission fails? (Not that this wasn't already a risky mission to begin with.) But no, Caspian had a reason. "That's unlikely. He hates his uncle. He realised how poorly us, Narnians, are being treated. So, he blew Susan's horn."

     Emma seemed to understand. "Where is he now?"

     Edmund twirled his flashlight within his fingers. "He, Peter, and Susan are inside the castle. They're freeing the professor."