The Forgotten Princess: A Narnia Story

Chapter 3: A Walk in the Woods

Two days pass. I do nothing but think of Caspian, and what could've happened to Trumpkin. I've been pacing around my room all morning, reading Narnian history and trying to decipher what Trumpkin meant when he said I would make a name for myself. Was he trying to make me feel better, or did he know something I didn't?

I'm startled by a guard knocking on my bedroom door. I hastily slip the book under my pillow.

"Yes?"

"Your father wants to see you."

My stomach drops. My parents never wanted to see me, unless I did something wrong.

"I'll be right there," I say as my heart beats faster.

I nervously step into the dining hall.

"Melanie! My dear!" My father pats the seat next to him. "Come sit with me and your new brother."

Great. Just what I needed.

"Lovely morning, isn't it?" My father sips wine from his favourite goblet.

"It is." I stiffly sit down next to him.

I hate my father. He shut me out from the world, calls me an embarrassment, and only cares about his succession. My mother is somehow worse, scoffing every time she sees me. I don't even believe she wants to be married to my father, she just didn't want to be a castle servant.

"Have you seen Caspian lately?"

I know you tried to kill him. "No."

"Shame. He would've been next in line for the throne." He gently strokes my sleeping brother's cheek.

"Why wasn't I the heir?" I regret it as soon as the words pass my lips, but my father doesn't care.

"Melanie, what do you think this is?" He chuckles and drinks more wine. "Does your mother hold any position of power here?" I shake my head in response.

I force a laugh. "Of course, why did I ask such a stupid question?" I say, hoping it will end the conversation faster.

"Well, it's only fitting."

I hate him. I hate him so much. How could you say that to your own flesh and blood?

Miraz stands up and levels his face with mine. I can see every horrid detail in his face.

"If you know where Caspian is, you are to tell me immediately, do you understand?" he says.

My hands begin to tremble. "Sure."

He turns back to my brother. "Get out of my sight, you wretched girl."

I walk back to my room without saying a word.

***

I slam the door to my bedroom and throw myself on the bed. I sob quietly into the pillow, wondering why I'm here. What's my purpose if I'm always locked away and ignored? Why couldn't my father have accepted me for who I was? Why couldn't I have just been a boy? When the two people who are supposed to care for you don't, you feel as though no one ever will.

I decide that I need to take matters into my own hands. I put on my warmest clothes and my cloak. I pack a flask of water and some bread rolls-I stole them from the feast following my brother's birth-into a small bag that fits across my torso. I lace up my boots and head down to Doctor Cornelius' office.

He is writing something as I approach his desk. He looks up at me curiously.

"I'm going out." My eyes water, not knowing when I'll see him again. "I don't know when I'll be back."