Gwen clutched her chest, hoping to regain the oxygen that left her lungs. "You're--you're lying to me! You're lying! When I left, the army was just gathering in the distance!"
Calenmore came closer, pulling out a small object and throwing it to the ground. She gasped as the object glistened.
It was Caspian's wedding ring.
"No," she croaked.
"At midnight, our armies attacked. He was one of the first we killed. He fought valiantly, protecting the wounded. We killed all of the wounded before him, then one of our men sliced his chest open. Quite a glorious sight, I heard."
Bile rose up her throat and she nearly vomited. Her bound hands came to her mouth. Tears invaded her vision, causing everything to blur. She looked up, seeing just blobs of color before her. "You're going to pay for what you've done!"
He laughed, the noise pricking her ears like shards of glass. "Enjoy what little time you have left."
Then as he left, sobs escaped her throat. She reached out for the ring, unable to grasp it due to the shackles around her wrists. It was cruel, having his ring where she couldn't reach it.
She couldn't fathom it.
Caspian couldn't be dead. She would have felt it.
But his ring was covered in dried blood.
He was dead.
She wasn't even married for a year.
She was widowed at nineteen.
Then she wept.
~~~
She didn't know how much time had passed, or how many days had come and gone. Sobs continually wracked her, tears flowing every second a memory would resurface.
All she could see was Caspian's body lying on the ground, bleeding, with an enemy standing over him triumphantly.
But as the tears and quivering slowed, she sat, blankly staring. Food trays were left, but she only took a sip here--when she was sure it wasn't poisoned--and a nibble there before losing interest. She had fought against the chains, but stopped, finding no reason for her to try and escape.
And as the days passed, she realized something. She hadn't been feeling well lately, and it wasn't due to her grieving state. She knew what was happening. She had figured it out two days after the news of Caspian's death. The truth of what was happening made her want to cry more and rejoice all at once.
The cell door opened, and two guards walked in and Calenmore was standing behind them.
"What do you want?" she spat.
The two guards unlocked the shackles from around her wrists and started pulling her from the room.
"Where are you taking me?"
No answer.
"I said, where are you taking me?!"
Calenmore evilly smiled. "To your execution,"
Gwen's eyes widened in fear. "No, you can't, you cannot do this!"
The guards started to pull her forward again.
"No! No, you can't! Stop! You can't do this!"
He turned, stopping the soldiers. "And pray tell us why not?"
She looked down, wishing that she wasn't having to admit this to her enemies. Her voice came out weak and quaking.
"I'm pregnant." At the confused stares, she rephrased. "I'm with child."
~~~
As the doors to the throne room opened, Gwen saw Trumpkin kneeling before Alejandro. Then, he was pulled away roughly. He spotted Gwen as she was forced in.
"My queen!"
She looked at him, slightly shaking her head.
The guard shoved Gwen down to the floor. When she looked up, she saw Alejandro stand, and the man next to him turned to face them.
It was Lord Gaspar.
"Lord Gaspar? What--"
Alejandro sneered. "Well, well, if it isn't my dead cousin's wife. Lord Gaspar is in his rightful place now, instead of hiding behind the facade he carried for so long. He was infiltrating from the beginning."
Gwen shook her head. "How could you? Caspian trusted you and so did I!"
Gaspar didn't look away from her glaring gaze. "I'm doing my job in being loyal to my sovereign."
She spat at both of them.
"You are disrespecting Narnia's new king and one of his lords. That's quite dangerous." Alejandro sat on Caspian's throne, which made her blood boil. "I could have you killed for that alone. Which, I was already wishing to do anyway."
"You're no king and you never will be," she growled.
He scoffed. "Why was she brought up here, Calenmore?"
He hurried forward. "She claims to be with child, Your Majesty,"
His eyes widened. "Really? Well, it's a shame that Caspian's dead. I'm sure he would have loved to hear this."
She bristled as tears came to her eyes again. He had to keep rubbing more salt in the wound. The guard tightened his grip on her shoulders.
"Well, we must share this news with someone else." He waved his hand and the doors opened behind them.
Gwen heard light footsteps and the rustling of a dress. She looked up, finding Princess Shileenah curtsying before Alejandro.
"My king, you called for me?"
"Yes, look behind you,"
She turned to face Gwen. "What about her?"
"She claims to be with child. What do you say we do?"
Gwen held Shileenah's gaze. This girl wasn't even two years older than she was.
"I say we let her live. I hear it's pure torture having a child and being a widow."
Gwen looked up, shocked by Shileenah's decision.
"Then that we shall do. Take her back to the dungeon,"
Gwen glared at Gaspar as she was pulled away. The betrayal she felt was astronomically high and so was her sorrow.
~~~
The next day, Gwen found out how wrong she had been about her condition.
"I could have sworn . . ." Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I knew you weren't expecting,"
Gwen looked up at the feminine voice. Shileenah stood on the other side of the door. She opened it and stepped in.
"What?"
"I'm the oldest of twelve children. I saw my mother carry my siblings and you didn't have the look she had. The glow. Do not worry, I will not tell Alejandro." She rolled her words, leaving a slight accent that echoed.
"I had all the symptoms. But I guess I was wrong." She quickly wiped away her tears. "If you knew I wasn't pregnant, why did you say to keep me alive?"
Shileenah smirked. "Living without your love is torture enough. With or without a child."
"How would you know that?"
"How I know is not your business." She turned to walk out.
"How could you be with someone so cruel enough to want his cousin dead?"
Shileenah stopped in her tracks. She turned, daggers shooting from her eyes. "You're no longer queen, so you have no place demanding answers from me. I'll be taking that place beside King Alejandro. You should be grateful that I allowed you to live."
Then the door slammed shut.
Gwen sighed. "Oh, Caspian. How I wish you were here, darling. I miss you so much,"