Narnian Princess - Caspian

Chapter 6

When Diana came to, she was handcuffed and chained to the wall behind her. Beside her were Lucy and Eustace, each on one side of her. Lucy looked to be unconscious still but her little cousin was staring in front of him with wide eyes.

Diana nudge his leg with her foot, "Hey, you alright?"

"I am most definitely not," he huffed. "Alive, I suppose, but that's the best answer I can give you. Seeing as we are in the same position, I imagine I do not need to ask how you are doing this particular morning."

Diana laughed softly, "I'm alive, I suppose."

Beside her Lucy stirred. the girl groaned a little before opening her eyes.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty."

"I think you've got the wrong fairy tale," grumbled Eustace.

"Some kind of mess we've gotten ourselves in, huh?"

Lucy sighed, "I just hope the boys are doing better than we are."

Before Diana could agree with her, yells broke out all around them. Diana strained her neck trying to see what all the commotion was about. But the damn wall she was chained to, made that quite complicated. A moment later Diana wished she had never seen what all the racket was about. A cart rolled out in front of her, on it were many people of all ages tied at the ankles and wrists with rope. Diana's heart hurt at the sight of a man and a little girl yelling for a woman on the cart. Poor child, she doesn't deserve to have her mother taken from her. What came after wasn't better at all. The prisoners were all loaded into boats before being pushed out to the sea. Diana was very confused, where were they sending them? For a moment the boats just floated on but within a few seconds, a strange green mist rose from the water before swallowing the boats. Once it was gone, so were the people.

"What- what was that?" Eustace panicked.

But Lucy only shook her head, a solemn look on her face. "I don't know. Never before have I seen anything like that."

"What if we are next?" The sight of the vanishing boats, had really shaken Diana. "Or what if it's Caspian and Edmund?"

But Lucy didn't get to give her an answer before a big man grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her to her feet. Once she was standing, the man took out a key, unchaining Lucy from the wall. All the while, Diana kicked and spat at the man, demanding him to get his hands of his friend.

"You are lucky our costumers like their property undamaged, girl" He sneered at Diana.

Diana could only watch as her best friend was dragged from her to stand in front of a crowd. And then the bidding began. Diana felt sick. How could they do this? Kidnapping people and then profiting from it. And how were the bidders okay with buying another human being? Her mind was going a million miles per hours, still the girl could not figure out how her and her friends were getting out of this.

Too soon the man was back and it was Diana's turn. No matter how much she strained against him, she couldn't get free. In fact, he seemed completely unfazed by her. Just like that Diana had taken Lucy's place, standing before a crowd that looked at her like they were examining a piece of meat at the market. Diana was absolutely disgusted by everything around her. 

"I'll take her for seventy five."

"For that pretty face? I bid one hundred!"

"One hundred and twenty five!"

"Any more bids?" At that moment Diana wanted nothing more than to be able to knock the crooked teeth from the slave trader's smile.

"Two hundred." The hungry look the man was giving her made Diana tremble. Although she hated to admit it, she was absolutely terrified.

At that moment a hooded man stepped forward, "That won't be necessary, I will take her of your hands. I will take them all off your hands."

All around the square, hooded figures revealed themselves. The Dawn Treader's crew! Fighting broke out all around Diana and soon Reep was taking the shackles from here hands. Diana was beyond relieved, she felt ready to cry. Grabbing a wooden plank next to her feet, Diana swung as hard as she could to anyone that got too close to her. She'd be dammed if she let herself be taken again. From the corner of her eye, she could see men falling all around her. It seemed they had not been ready for resistance. Diana felt a breeze from behind her before a hand reached out to her shoulder, someone was closer to her than they should be. Without looking, she swung her wooden board as hard as she could, hitting her attacker square on the face. The person grabbed her wrists, stopping the blow from landing on them again. With adrenaline pumping in her veins, Diana kicked out under her opponents legs sending them both to the ground. The girl rolled on top him, getting ready to punch the living daylights out of him. A quick hand came out to stop her fist, and that's when she noticed the guy she had been fighting.

"Caspian?"

"Hey, there," he chuckled, a bit out of breath. "Looks like there is a fiery warrior in you."

Diana quickly scrambled off of him, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand and offering Caspian the other. "Sorry, I didn't realize it was you."

Caspian only laughed again before looking at her, "You are a lot stronger than you look, you know?"

"Your Majesty!" A man called as he ran up to them. "Your Majesty, my wife was taken just this morning. I beg you, take me with you.

A little girl came up to him then and wrapped her arms around his waist, "I want to come."

"No, Gael, stay with your aunt." They were the family she'd seen earlier. Her heart broke all over again to see them

The father continued, "I am a fine sailor. Been on the seas my whole life."

"Of course, you must." Replied Caspian, putting a hand on the man's shoulder.

Diana looked back at the father embracing his daughter. She prayed to every holy deity she could think of that this child would not grow up an orphan. that she would be reunited with both parents. With difficulty Diana teared her gaze away and continued forward. When she looked back up, Caspian was waiting for her.

They walked on and all around them families were celebrating. It seemed coming to this island had done a lot of good for a lot of people. Although she still hurt for the little girl, Diana was glad to see so many others happy. Caspian seemed to be feeling the same way  as Diana. When she first met him, Diana had thought he was a little young to be king, but standing next to him, she could see how much he cared about his people.

When they reached the docks, an old man appeared. He was very frail looking, all wrinkles and gray hairs. Diana was almost certain that if a wind were too suddenly blow to hard, the old man would either break in half or crumble to dust. "My king," he spoke to Caspian. "This was given to me by your father. I hid it safely in a cave all this years."

"That's an old Narnian sword," spoke up Edmund. And Diana was surprised he could tell since it was completely covered in barnacles.

The man nodded, "It's from your Golden Age. There are seven such swords, gifts from Aslan to protect Narnia. Your father entrusted them to us. Here, take it. And may it protect you."

Caspian took the sword, "Thank you, my lord. And we shall find your lost citizens."