The Call - Edmund Pevensie

9

I caught up with Caspian faster than I'd anticipated. Since I'd grown up here, the mental map in my head helped me speed up to my uncle's room without being detected. When I got there, I saw Caspian standing with his sword at our uncle's neck as Miraz stood next to his bed. My aunt had just loaded a bow, and trained it on my brother.

"Put the sword down Caspian," my aunt said slowly. "I don't want to do this."

"I don't want you to either," I said, announcing my presence as my bow was now pointed at my aunt.

"Catarina," my aunt greeted while my uncle just grunted in dismissal. I'd never mattered much to him as only the second born child. However, between his dismissal and my professor's confession still ringing in my ears, I felt my anger growing.

I heard the door open and saw Susan's dark hair at my side.

"This used to be a private room," my uncle sighed looking at the newcomers.

"What are you doing? You're both supposed to be in the gatehouse?" Peter demanded.

"No!" Caspian cried out and the pain in his voice struck my heart. I knew the news had shocked him to his core. He had never even considered that our uncle had played a part in our father's death, and now it was costing us our advantage of stealth.

"Tonight for once, I want the truth," Caspian continued. "Did you kill our father." His voice was all venom as he forced our uncle to take a few steps back. I saw Susan's head turn to me, but I didn't acknowledge her, my bow still trained on my aunt.

"Now we get to it," Miraz smirked and my grip tightened so much on my bow that my knuckles went white. It was one thing to wonder if maybe he played a part, and it was another to hear a confession from a third party. It was quite another to hear it admitted from the horse's mouth.

"You said he died in his sleep," my aunt said, confused.

"That was more or less true," my uncle said and I felt sick to my stomach.

"He was your brother!" I snarled, anger making my voice shake.

"Caspian, Catarina, this won't make things any better," Susan tried to reason.

"We telmarines would have nothing had we not taken it," my uncle continued as if Susan hadn't even spoken. "Your father knew that better than anyone."

"How could you?" my aunt accused as she lowered her crossbow. I however, didn't lower my bow.

"For the same reason you will pull that trigger," Miraz said.

"No," I wanted to say to my aunt. "Don't let him manipulate you!" But it was as if suddenly all words died on my tongue.

"For our son!" My uncle walked right into Caspian's blade, making a small trail of blood creep down the side of his neck from the small cut.

"Stop!" my aunt cried, raising her bow again.

"Stay right there!" Susan commanded, now raising her bow at my uncle.

"You need to make a choice," he said. At first I thought he was talking to Caspian, but then he looked at my aunt. "Do you want our child to be king? Or do you want him to be like Caspian here? Fatherless!"

"Nooo!" she cried, releasing the bolt which struck Caspian in the arm. He fell away from our uncle who ducked away and opened a panel door in his wall. Susan and I released arrows at him, both of which missed. He disappeared behind the door and when Peter tried to open it from our side, it wouldn't budge.

We raced out of the room and down the hallways. Caspian and I turned right to head towards the stables while Peter turned left as though he were heading out to the courtyard. A large bell began to ring meaning Miraz had alerted the guards. Our element of surprise was officially gone.