Tyranny of the Heart

Chapter 6: The End of My World

Welcome! If you have skipped to this part, you really didn't miss much, just a bunch of backstory. Honestly, I am probably going to rewrite this whole thing and rework it so its not so boring in the beginning, but for now, here is when things start to happen. 

For those of you who have stuck with me until now, thank you for your support! Any kind of feedback is appreaciated so don't be shy. Tell what you loved/hated/laughed at/cried at, whatever!

A soft rustle of metal coming from the hallway stirred me from my sleep that night. Not liking the sound of it, I slipped on my robe and opened the door a crack to investigate. My eyes fell on soldiers, by my counting at least eight of them, were shuffling into Caspian's room next door. Bringing up the rear, was none other than my father's ruthless successor, General Glozelle.

My stomach went up to my throat with instant worry. After they had all gone in, I crept as silently as I could over to Caspian's door, pushing it slightly ajar to see what was going on. From my vantage point, I saw the soldiers circled around Caspian's bed, his curtain still drawn. Suddenly, a sharp wisp flew through the air and cut through the curtain. It was an arrow from a crossbow! I covered my mouth so I would not make any sound. They were firing arrows at a sleeping Caspian through the curtain! He did not have a fighting chance.

Unable to peel my eyes away from the horror scene, I watched as more arrows shot through the curtain and plunging into the bed, with a soft thud and an explosion of feathers. I felt as though each arrow was piercing my heart.

Once they were sure he was dead, they waited for the feathers to clear and peered into the bed, now visible from the many holes made by the arrows. But once it did clear, they did not find a skewered Caspian. Instead, they found an empty bed.

I let out a small breath of relief, thanking the stars that he was still alive. But then I heard Glozelle order, “Search the castle.” Quickly, I ran back into my room, hiding behind the door and waiting for the soldiers to leave. Once the rustling of metal ceased, I peeked my head out to double check that they were gone. Upon seeing that they were, I flew back into Caspian's room, hoping to find a clue to where he had gone.

I looked through his belongings and found that none of this clothes were missing besides his night clothes. Clearly, he had left in a hurry. I went to the arrow-filled bed and felt the pillow and blankets. They were still somewhat warm, indicating that Caspian had not been gone for long. He probably had just missed the soldiers.

Running back out into the hall, I tried to decide where he would have gone. My mind tried to put itself in Caspian's thoughts. If he had left in a hurry and not long before the soldiers arrived, that must have meant that he was alerted somehow to the surprise attack. But why were the soldiers trying to kill him in the first place? And who would have cared to warn Caspian of his impending doom? Professor! If anyone would have any clue about the inner workings of this castle, he would know. I ran down the hall towards his room, cursing him that his room was so much farther from mine.

As I made my way to the Professor, I happened to have passed by the courtyard, where I heard lots of shouting. Peering over the railing of the second floor, I looked down and saw Caspian on his horse, Destrier, dashing towards the gate. “Caspian!” I gasped. If he had heard me, he showed no sign of it, for he pushed over the guards and flew through the gate and off into the night.

Tears stung my eyes, as I was both angry and confused. Why on Earth was he running and where was he running to? I tried wipe them away, making the decision to go after him and abandonning the idea of finding Professor.

I made my way down the corridors and to the stables, where my horse, Aria, was. She whinnied at the sight of me, but I went and pet her nose to calm her. “Shh,” I bade her, rubbing the soft part of her nose. I grabbed the reins and saddle and readied her for departure. But before I could secure the saddle, the stable doors burst open and many voices filled the air. Instinctively, I hid in the stall, patting Aria on her side to steady her.