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*Miraz' castle*
The only sounds available to Estelle's ears were the clanging of metal and something dragging along the floor. She suddenly became very aware of the lack of feeling in her arms and slowly fluttered her eyes open, only to find that the noises were her very own feet trailing behind her and the armour of two Telmarine guards.
They were pulling her exhausted frame through a magnificent stone corridor, holding onto her limp arms to keep the girl up-right. It seemed that they didn't notice her consciousness and so she took a risk. She swung her legs forward and kicked both soldiers in the back of their knees, causing them to cringe in pain and loosen their grip on the girl ever so slightly. She bolted, with no idea of where she was even going, she thought that if she had any chance of surviving, it would be doubled once she got herself as far away from the guards as she could.
As expected, they recovered quickly and dove forward to catch the girl, Glozelle flipping her around and forcing her arm behind her back.
"Oh, I wouldn't do that girl"
Depsite the tugging sensation throughout her arm, she just wickedly chuckled at the sentence that reminded her of her dear little friend Trumpkin and the group's first encounter with the dwarf. Had they already noticed her absence? Were they even looking for her? Surely they wouldn't just leave her? Suddenly Estelle was all for Peter's plan and could only pray that they would attack the castle even sooner, as selfish as it sounds.
The two men returned the girl back to her earlier position, however this time with a stronger grip on her arms to fight against the relentless flailing. Within a matter of minutes, she was being held up by the same guards in a cell. Heavy and intentional footsteps echoed throughout the dungeons, gradually making their way closer to the scene, and Estelle had a gut-wrenching feeling that she already knew who they belonged to.
"Ah, I trust that my generals treated you well?" Miraz.
"Oh yes very well, this one nearly broke my arm for good measure" she sarcastically gestured towards Glozelle, feigning a smile.
"Very good" Miraz responded with a venomous laugh that made Estelle's bones quiver and her insides reverberate.
"And what might your name be, Narnian?"
"At least buy me a drink first-" an open fist made its way across her cheek and a quiet yelp escaped her mouth. She wasn't brought here as a guest and so she expected there was a high chance that she would die at the hands of the tyrant. The Amore wasn't about to make it easy for him. She owed it to her friends, she owed it to Caspian. She would fight until her body gave up.
"Let's try again shall we? your name?" Estelle didn't want to give him her real name and for some strange reason, a vaguely recognisable voice flooded to her mind.
'Well, Stella means star, as does Estelle' She couldn't quite place the memory as she was almost certain that nobody had ever called her that.
"Stella March" she spat.
Miraz' eyes flashed with disbelief, he hadn't heard that first name in 9 years and was certain that she must've been dead until this very point.
"Stella? impossible" his voice was low, as if he forgot where he was.
"In the flesh"
Although she sensed that Miraz must've recognised that name and that she possibly had just placed herself in more danger, she refused to back down. Whoever he thought she was, she wasn't, and so it didn't matter to her what he thought of her 'name'.
"Here is what is going to happen Stella, you are going to tell us what those creatures are plotting, you are going to tell us their strengths and their weaknesses, you are going to tell us about their numbers and their weaponry. And if you don't, you will regret ever stepping foot back in this land. Do i make myself clear, disgusting, worthless, Narnian?" he was now so close to her that she could feel his hot, vile breath creep up her face.
"Say it again it sounded good"
Another hit landed itself on her cheek, with a much stronger force than the last. The soldier to her right yanked her hair, forcing her head back against the cold, sharp wall and nicking her scalp on a loose piece of stone brick. Miraz held his dagger against her neck, pushing on it threateningly. It appeared as though he was relishing in her fear and wanted to prolong it, treating her torment like a rare wine that is to be sipped rather than gulped.
"It seems you enjoy the idea of sharing the same fate as your father"
Estelle finally met the man's cold eyes, searching for any proof that he was faking. Her father had left when she only 4 years old, as far as she was aware. That wouldn't explain how Miraz apparently knew of him, he was from England just like her mother and couldn't possibly know of Narnia. Could he? Her head now throbbed with pain, however she couldn't place wether it was because of the wound or because of the hostile thoughts that plagued her mind.
"What are the Narnian's planning?!"
He screamed in her face, his features contorting in pure rage and his dagger pushing slightly deeper onto her neck.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
He'd had enough, completely misjudging the amount that this girl was going to take, but he was sure that she would break eventually. She was definitely her father's daughter.
He took his blade and slowly sliced it across her ribcage, creating a small, but deep wound that would be sure to get his point across. She cried out an array of stop's, please's and curses of agony as she frantically fought against the hold she was in, kicking and screaming like a child in an attempt to free herself. She felt her composure roll up and out of her skin with each sweat molecule that dropped from her head.
"Now, anything to say?"
"rot. in. hell." was all she could croak out with the questions clogging her brain and pain coursing through her. The men neglectfully dropped her to the ground and all three Telmarines exited her cell, leaving her alone with the sound of her own gasps. It felt like alcohol soaked needles were being thrust into her heart, could her father really be from Narnia?.
As the metal bars rattled closed and her eyes grew used to the dim lighting in her new home, she sat in the farthest corner, with knees pulled up to her chest, breathing through the waves of pain that stung through her ribs. She didn't know how long she'd been there and she didn't want to. The man in the cell next to her went almost unnoticed until his raw voice spoke up.
"You put up a good fight, young one"
The girl jumped out of her skin and rested her hand upon her chest to calm herself.
"I didn't mean to scare you, I suppose you aren't likely to remember me"
With furrowed brows, she scanned his face. His salt and pepper tinted beard was long but unkempt. His face, time-chiselled and sunken. His milky, blood-flecked eyes were drowsy, almost as if he'd given in to the passage of time. His half-moon shaped glasses that failed to conceal his crows feet demonstrated to the girl that he must've been wise, and maybe even read into the early hours of the morning like she once did. His fragile voice spoke to Estelle as if he'd known her in a past life, she found it utterly tragic that he'd ended up like this.
"N-no, im sorry"
"Well that's okay, you were awfully young the last time I saw you" he chuckled, Estelle had a feeling that in any other circumstance, he was quite the jovial man.
"That can't be right, this is my first time in Narnia" She countered, lacking the energy to convey the extent of her confusion and so it ended up sounding more like annoyance.
"You're Estelle Amore, daughter of Orion and Seren Amore, are you not?"
Frustration and anger boiled at the pit of her stomach, threatening to pour out into her words. Why was everybody holding things back from her? She wasn't a child. Everyone just watched as she mentally tried to put the pieces together at every hint thrown her way. The old man, Caspian, Miraz, Trumpkin, they all knew something that she didn't and she'd had enough of being quiet and waiting around for answers.
"How could you know my parents? My father left and my mother is dead! How could you possibly know them?!" Her tone became increasingly loud and strained as she spoke.
"I'm afraid those around you haven't been truthful, dear, but I do understand your stress."
"Please- just tell me who I am" she said with closed eyes and desperation lacing her voice.
For the first time, Estelle wanted to listen, she knew she may not like what she heard, but she needed to know. Otherwise, she may die, unaware of who she really is or why she is here. She knew Peter was wrong, her adventure had to be more than a simple accident.
"Ozzy was a dear friend of mine, a very loyal and well-respected Telmarine lord"
"He'd been patrolling the woods when he found a woman, scared and alone. A daughter of Eve, your mother."
"Nobody knew how she'd found her way to Narnia or why she was there, but he took her in, looking after her until they could return her home."
"It didn't take long for the pair to become attached, and within a year, you came along."
"The Telmarines admired your parent's and their beautiful daughter, they'd lived there peacefully for 4 years and planned to marry, they often left me to care for you whilst they were patrolling."
"Although Caspian almost instantly took you under his wing." he let out a breathy laugh at the memory of the boy, hoping that he was safe, wherever he was.
Estelle however, couldn't process what he was saying. She was a Telmarine? She previously knew Caspian? She stared at her hands as her fingers fumbled with each other, absorbing every fragment of information that he muttered. She had no reason to believe his words, yet the story felt so real, so familiar.
"Unfortunately, the story does not contain a happy ending. Miraz feared the family had grown too powerful and were a threat to his plan to take the throne, so he plotted to kill them."
"I'd informed Orion of this plan as soon as I caught wind of it and he sent you and your mother to find Aslan and return home."
'i love you both endlessly'
'run my love'
"I accompanied you both and eventually Aslan had showed himself, sending you back to your world and swearing that one day you would return to help the Kings and Queens overthrow Miraz."
'she will return again'
'go'
"What happened to my father?" she asked emotionlessly.
"We were too late, I found Ozzy dead when I returned"
"I am awfully sorry to hear about your mother's passing, Stella. They were truly beautiful people inside and out."
Her heart was beating against her chest like a gong, sending waves of grief throughout her whole body. She couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe, she could only bite her lip and focus on staring at the ceiling to keep her eyes dry. Yet part of her felt relief and satisfaction, her father didn't leave her. In fact, he'd sacrificed his own life to prolong that of her own. Although she couldn't recall knowing Orion, she'd never felt so much love and pride for one being as she did for him. She nodded at the old man and let out a shaky breath. Her face fell flat, grief evident.
"Thank you" she said softly.
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At some point following her conversation with Professor Cornelius -a name she'd learned after his introduction- Estelle had lay down facing the wall, hoping to get some form of rest before Miraz returned to continue what they had started. Although she should've been in searing pain from her injuries, she was numb. The pieces had finally slot into place, her father had saved her. It couldn't have been long after their return to England that her mother fell under the curse of influenza, explaining her lack of knowledge of her own family history. It had felt like hours that she'd been lying there and her hopes of being rescued were dwindling by the second. She hated that she was so dependant on others for freedom.
Resentment was her most prominent emotion, resentment towards the tyrant that ripped her away from a happy life, a life without Ruth. She missed the Pevensie's dearly, oh the things she would do to hear one of Edmund's sarcastic comments in this moment. Maybe he'd say 'well who could've seen this coming?' or 'get your lazy arse up Amore'. She'd even take the relentless bickering of the four if it meant that she could hear their voices again.
She wondered wether they had missed her too and wether Caspian had missed her when she was torn from him as a child, although he couldn't possibly remember, she thought. She knew for a fact that aunt Ruth didn't miss her, that's if she even noticed that she was gone. She wondered wether Peter was still angry at her and wether he meant what he had said. She wondered what would happen if she died. Would her friends ever find out what happened to her? Would they find her cold, lifeless body discarded in a cell? Would she get to see her parents again? What happen's at home if you die in Narnia?
Rushed footsteps pulled her away from her mind as she sat up, panicked. It must've been Miraz. However, the steps seemed quick and careful, as if they were trying not to be heard, something very unlike the lord whom she noticed liked to be heard before he was seen.
A familiar head of -very soft looking- black hair ran towards her confinement.
"Estelle?"
"Caspian?"
He fumbled with the keys before unlocking her cell and falling at her side. His eyes seemed dark now, unlike their usual colour that Estelle could only describe as the afternoon sun shining through a glass of whiskey.
"You're here? You're really here!"
Thin laughter escaped her lips. She had never felt relief quite like it. Caspian however, didn't seem as elated. He was more than overjoyed that she was still alive but he couldn't stop his eyes from resting upon the molten-red liquid staining her body.
"Are you alright? Can you walk?" his hands seemed almost welded to the spot in which a dagger lay just hours before, desperate to halt the never-ending flow of crimson. Not that she could feel it, the genuine happiness blocking out every other feeling in her body.
"yes, yes i think so" She didn't truly know if she could, but she would do anything to be out of here, even if it meant crawling.
"Caspian, the professor-."
"Here- I- let me help you stand" Estelle had never witnessed him in this state before, with slight hyperventilating, wide eyes and disjointed sentences. He placed one hand on her lower back and the other one in her own. Together they weakly stumbled to the entrance of the dungeons.
"The professor, Caspian!"
With that he shoved her -dearly missed-dagger into her hands and enveloped them in his own for a few seconds before darting out of earshot to save his remaining father figure.
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word count: 2656
A/N
this chapter was supposed to feature the whole interaction with Miraz and Prunaprismia however it ended up being extremely long so I've split it up into 2 parts, sorry! now we finally know why Narnia is so familiar to her woooo, also caspian being concerned but still awkward is my favourite thing i love him.