The Call - Edmund Pevensie

2

The sound of soft bickering reached my ears as I pried my eyes open. What looked like tree roots and wood greeted me as they seemed for form a ceiling above my head. For a second, I couldn't remember where I was. Then in a matter of seconds, it all came rushing back. Immediately I sat up, panic welling up at the thought of Caspian. Where was he? Had Miraz gotten to him? 

Thankfully, I saw him sleeping on a bed similar to mine an arms width away. The sound of talking grew louder and I glanced towards where it was coming from. A soft groan had me looking back at Caspian as he also began to come too. He had a white bandage around his head which had a little blood soaked through. I figured it must have been where the dwarf hit him to knock him out. He sat up slowly taking off the bandage when he realized I was across from him. I could see his shoulders sag a little in relief although neither of us said anything. 

"This bread is so stale," one of the voices said. I looked at Cas and motioned with my head towards the little doorway that lead out into the rest of wherever we were. He nodded and we crept closer till we were right next to it. 

"I'll just get them some soup then. Should be coming around soon."

"Yea, well I don't think I hit them hard enough." I recognized that voice as it belonged to the dark-haired dwarf who we'd seen in the forest. 

"Nikabrik!" the first voice chided. "They're just kids."

"They're Telmarines! Not lost puppies! You said you were going to get rid of them." My heart began to beat wildly in my chest. Cas leaned forward a little bit to peer into what appeared to me to be some kind of home. But how was that possible? Weren't we in a tree? He pulled his head back quickly and I gave him a questioning look. He shook his head with a face that I couldn't quite read. It was like he was surprised, but also extremely confused  with a dash of scared.

"No, I said I'd take care of them. We can't kill them now, I just bandaged the boy's head. It would be like murdering a guest!"

"Oh, and how do you think his friends are treating their guests?"

"Trumpkin knew what he was doing. It's not their fault." 

Before I could even stop him, Caspian leapt out from our hiding place and made a break for a door on the opposite side of the room. The dwarf picked up a sword and stepped in Caspian's way, causing my brother to back up and grab a fire poker out of a small container next to a roaring fireplace. 

The first voice I'd heard, which I now saw belonged to a badger of all things, tried to get them to stop but his pleas went unheard as Caspian and the dwarf, Nikabrik I assumed, began dueling. 

I leapt out from where I'd been squatting to avoid getting run into by Caspian as he backed up. 

"I told you we should have killed them when we had the chance!" the dwarf said testily. 

"You know why we can't!" the badger argued. 

"If we're taking a vote, I'm with him," Caspian quipped as he nodded his head at the badger. While they were all distracted, I snuck behind the badger towards where there was a small kitchen set up. On one of the cabinets was a tiny knife that was clearly made for smaller hands than mine, but it would work. I held it like a dagger as I stood watching the exchange. 

"Well we can't let them go, they've seen us!" The dwarf hit Caspian's fire poker again which caused him to fall back onto the small steps leading up to the beds. Instantly I took a step forward with my new dagger raised, but the badger interjected first. 

"That's enough Nikabrik!" I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows. For a badger, he sure had an authoritative voice. "Or do I have to sit on your head again?" Despite myself, I couldn't stop the small smile the crept on my face at the idea of the badger sitting on the dwarf's head. It definitely must have been a sight to behold. To the badger's credit, the dwarf looked like that was the last thing he wanted and lowered his sword slightly. 

"And you," the badger continued looking at Caspian. "Look what you made me do!" He bent down to pick up a bowl that must had dropped when Caspian had darted out. "I spent half the morning on that soup," he grumbled as he made his way over to where I was. If he saw his knife in my hand, he didn't seem bothered. 

"Wha...what are you?" Caspian asked. 

"You know it's funny that you ask that. You'd think more people knew a badger when they saw one," the badger said. He began to spoon a new ladle of soup into the bowl. Despite the situation, I found myself instantly liking this badger. He was quick witted and sarcastic. Two traits that I saw in myself. 

"No, no. I mean, you're Narnian's. You're supposed to be extinct." 

"Well, sorry to disappoint you," the dwarf said as he took a seat at the small table. The badger returned to the table and put down the bowl with new soup. 

"There you go. Still hot." He directed that last bit to me as he gestured to a second bowl of soup that sat untouched  by the horn Cas had blown. 

"Since when did we open a boarding house for Telmarine soldiers?" Nikabrik huffed and I sneered at him. If he thought Caspian and I were just soldiers, he had another thing coming. 

"We are not soldiers." Caspian stood as he said this, the fire poker still in his hand. "I am Prince Caspian. The tenth."

"And I am Princess Catarina," I said. The dwarf startled at my voice having probably forgotten I was here. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked. Caspian and I shared a look. 

"Running away," I said quietly. I came closer to the table as Caspian put his fire poker back. 

"Our Uncle has always wanted my throne. I suppose we have only lived his long because he did not have an heir of his own." He stared into the fire after he'd said this. I went to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

"Well, that changes things," the badger muttered.

"Yea," Nikabrik agreed. "It means we don't have to kill you ourselves."

"You're right," Caspian said. I glanced at him confused but he didn't look at me as he walked towards a small chair that had his vest draped over it. 

"Where are you going?" the badger asked, practically jumping on the table. 

"Yea Cas, what are you doing?" I asked. 

"Our uncle won't stop until I am dead," he said as he threw his vest on and grabbed his sword. 

"But.. but you can't leave!" the badger cried out. "You're meant to save us!" Caspian paused and I turned to the creature in surprise. Save them? What in the world was he talking about?

"Don't you know what this is?" he asked holding up the horn. He glanced between our blank faces and sighed. 

For the next half an hour, the badger told us the story of the Kings and Queens of Old Narnia and the deep magic that would bring them back to Narnia. The story was similar to stories the professor had told to Caspian and I growing up. But while Caspian listened intently, I couldn't help but be skeptical. These kings and queens were supposedly hundreds of years old, I wasn't sure how calling them would help us now. 

Then again, just yesterday I had thought Narnians to be extinct. As we sat with the dwarf and talking badger, I couldn't help but hear the professor's words.

"Everything you know is about to change."