A Queen of Narnia - Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian fanfiction NEW VERSION

Slave traders

iii.

The city was too quiet for a place that was supposed to be full of life and people wandering the streets. There were no other boats at all resting at the port which was strange since these islands always were filled with merchants travelling across the waters to sell their goods. Caspian, Lucy, Edmund, Eustace and I went inward toward the houses and marketplace to see if there were any chance of spotting anyone there. It was completely abandoned, though, and empty with people just as the rest of the island seemed to be.

I wondered where everyone was hiding, if they all had gathered for some meeting at another place or if something terrible had happened. It was still not yet dawn, too early to sleep so they couldn't be in bed already. Even if people were just resting in their houses, we should at least have seen some light coming through the windows but no, it was completely dark. Eustace walked around from house to house curiously and looked in through the windows. I wanted to tell him not to since it was pretty rude to look into people's houses, but it was a good thing for him to do since it kept him out of trouble.

"Yeah, seems like nobody's home," he said nervously and walked back to us quickly as if something had startled him. I wondered what he had seen inside the last house he peeked into, probably a rat or something. "Do you think we should head back?"

We looked at him and ignored his comment, he knew better than to think we would leave without finding out more. We had only just arrived and now that it was certain that something strange was going on, we had to investigate. It was Caspian's duty as King to make sure his cities were kept safe from any harm. We walked away from the houses to a gate that stood unlocked to a large hall. Edmund opened it and let me, and Caspian walk first with Lucy and Eustace behind. The gate led to the town hall, a big mansion with an enormous door that stood slightly open.

"Do you want to come here and guard ... something?" said Edmund to Eustace and shrugged his shoulders. We needed him to do something so he wouldn't get us into trouble, keep him busy while we looked into the mansion.

"Yes," said Eustace and came running with a nod. "Good thinking cousin. Very ... logical." Caspian glanced at me before pulling out a dagger from his belt and handed it to a surprised Eustace who had no idea how to handle the weapon. Knowing that he was from Lucy and Edmund's world, he had probably never even swung a blade before.

We walked slowly into the town hall and left him to guard the door in case someone came, Caspian ready with his crossbow if anything were to hide in the dark shadows. It was completely deserted as the rest of the city was and I know started to realise we wouldn't find anyone in here. In the middle of the room stood a pillar with a brown, large, thick book on it. It was dusty but wide open with yellowed pages. We moved closer to it as we looked around in the large room, no light managed to escape into the room except from one window which made it very dark.

"I'm ready to go when you are," Eustace wined. I wondered why we had even brought him with us if he was so scared of everything? He could've stayed on the port with Rip and his men or on the ship with Tavros. There he would be safe but no, he insisted on coming with us since he didn't want to be left alone with the Narnians.

Edmund, Lucy, Caspian and I gathered around the book and looked into it curiously. It was written by someone with very nice handwriting which was strange since many here did not learn how to write and read. Only these past years had the children started to attend school with a teacher in all the cities, a requirement that Caspian had set. I remembered when we opened the first school near the castle and how many children had gathered there to enrol. In the school, they would learn the history of Narnia, of the High Kings and Queens and of course how to write and read. One particular girl reminded me so much of myself as a child when she told her mother that she rather would've gone horse riding with her brother than reading a book.