The Tale of the Bearded Glass, Part Two

[snacky]

Journey to the Western Wild

Edaline leaned over the wall surrounding the small garden at the top of the great West Tower of Cair Paravel. Narnia in high summer was lovely, and today was no exception. The sun was strong and warm in the sky, which was blue and so clear, as if a cloud wouldn't dream of marring its perfection. The sea was a deep green, and very calm, only little waves rippling and cresting near the shore. The white walls of the castle caught the sun's light and reflected it back, causing such a powerful glare that it was hard to look at it directly, and indeed, Edaline was squinting as she looked at her surroundings.

From this viewpoint, she could look down and see the harbor, and the ships sailing in and out, and the activity on the docks and in the town beyond. She could glance down at the great courtyard just inside the entry gates of the castle, and see all of the things happening there - the grooms leading the horses in and out of the palace stable, the dryads tending the castle garden, the naiads bathing in the great fountain. When she looked due west, she could see the road leading away from Cair Paravel, running parallel to the Great River. She looked down the river, but even though she could picture the town in her mind, Beruna was too far away to see. The western horizon was an indistinct mass of trees and hills, as far as she could see. And beyond those hills was the Western Wild, where Edaline was planning to go.

It had been two weeks since she'd come through the mirror into Edmund's Narnia (and that was how she thought of it, because despite all the differences between this Narnia and her home, the real, main difference was the presence of Edmund in this one. Although, even after two weeks, she still felt uncomfortable around Edmund and preferred to think of him as little as possible, if she could help it. The problem was she always seemed to know exactly what he was thinking and how he would react and vice versa. They had even begun to finish each other's sentences, and that was what usually drove one or the other of them from the room when it happened) and she was no closer to home than she had been from the day she'd arrived.

Of course, they'd tried everything they could think of. After they'd arrived, Adimus the Faun and Elswilde the Centaur had immediately set to studying both Edaline and the problem at hand. Adimus had locked himself in the library, only allowing Edmund and Edaline herself to join him. They'd all spent long hours studying the most ancient texts in the Cair, and carefully reading through the crumbling parchment scrolls, learning all about the mysterious magical creatures and searching for any clues they could find to reverse the pixies' magic. While it had been very enlightening (especially for Edaline, who, after the first few days, had started reading other books, unfamiliar ones she'd never seen in her own library, all about the history of Edmund's Narnia, and legends of the past), it hadn't yielded anything useful. The magic books they'd found had many spells, but the easy ones were not terribly helpful in this situation (although Edmund was quite pleased when the one he'd recited for the relief of insect bites had worked), and the more difficult ones that had seemed promising had needed far more skilled practitioners of magic than they were to interpret. Adimus had tried to recite one of those spells, but the book had slammed itself shut, and they never could figure out a way to get it open again. Edmund had even tried prying the book open with a dull knife, but had only succeeded in cutting himself. Edaline was just glad he'd been the one to try it first, as she'd had the same idea. After that, Adimus had declared the book off-limits. "There will be no bleeding on the books in my library, your majesty!"

Elswilde had called for several of the other centaurs, and they had all spent several nights in the Sky Tower, the tallest of all of the Cair's towers (and the most difficult for the centaurs to get to, with all those stairs, Edaline thought privately). But it was the perfect tower for star watching, and that was the centaurs' art, so they had climbed all the way up, and Edaline was grateful that they would do so to help her. They had studied the sky night after night, discussing and interpreting and arguing about what the stars revealed each day. But when they had at last come down, and Elswilde reported their findings to Edaline and the others, it was interesting, but not of any help. The stars, Elswilde had said, confirmed that Edaline belonged to another Narnia, that she was King Edmund's equal in that Narnia, and that she needed to find her way home to restore the balance to both Narnias. Unfortunately, the stars hadn't had any useful advice about how she was to get home.

Others tried as well. The dryads and the naiads had called upon their wood and their water magic, but while they thought they might be able to travel between the worlds, they were not sure how to help a human do so. The owls had been consulted, as they had both great wisdom and long memories, but not a one could come up with an idea. Peter had put out a call that any in the kingdom with any knowledge of magic should come forth to Cair Paravel at once to help. But the White Witch had done her best to stamp out any practitioner of magic during her reign, in case they had turned into a threat to her, so while fauns and centaurs and satyrs and dwarves came in response to Peter's call, very few of them had any skills worth mentioning (although one of the dwarves had a wonderful talent for predicting rainfall), and certainly none of them had any idea how to move people between worlds.

Susan and Edmund had written and sent long, courteous, diplomatic messages (without revealing the exact nature of the problem) to Calormen and Archenland and Telmar, to Galma and Terebinthia and the Seven Isles and the Lone Islands, and to all the countries north, south and west, asking for practical advice on magic and if there were skilled sorcerers who could aid Narnia with a magical puzzle. But nothing had come from this either. The rulers of these countries were of course very interested in Narnia's magic problem and would love to help. But unfortunately any magicians offered seemed rather dodgy at best, and possible assassins at worst. And the few countries that did have skilled magicians were very reluctant to part with them.

Lucy had not returned to Cair Paravel, but stayed with the Beavers, and then traveled about asking all the Narnians in the area if they knew of anyone who had the magical knowledge to help with the problem, or if they had seen any pixies recently. All her letters back confirmed what Edaline had suspected. Lucy had been pointed time and time again to the Western Wild and told that anyone who was interested in magic would find what they were looking for there.

Meanwhile, Edaline had tried to distract herself with learning about this Narnia, and all the differences from her own. The lack of most of the magical creatures had been the most marked difference, but there were some others as well - the town of Cair Paravel in this Narnia was much bigger than the one in hers and their Navy was larger. Peter had done much exploring of the north coast in this Narnia, and they had recently formalized trade agreements with the country of Arsken, far north of Ettinsmoor. Here, there had not yet been a civil war in Terebinthia, although Edmund confirmed there had been reports of unrest on the island, and seemed very interested when Edaline had told how she and her siblings had taken the opportunity to bring Terebinthia into their Narnian empire, after the assasination of the Terebinthian king.

But there were many similarities between this Narnia and her own, and sometimes Edaline almost forgot she wasn't at home. This Peter and Susan were so familiar to her, so like her own siblings, and made her feel so welcome and comfortable in the palace that after the first couple of days here, her homesickness had eased considerably. She practiced archery with Susan, and admired the design that Susan had added to the parapets of the castle, allowing the archers to defend the Cair more efficiently. She practiced swordfighting with Peter, and was especially pleased when he admired her skill and asked her to teach him the new disarming maneuver she had recently mastered in her own lessons. She had trained with the army, and toured the navy ships, and sat in court with the others, listening to the day to day business of this kingdom.

All in all, between studying in the library, and learning about this different Narnia, Edaline had had very little opportunity to feel sorry for herself, but she was taking a moment to do so now. She sighed heavily as she looked away from the Great River, thinking of what she must do.

Channon nudged at her knee. "All right, majesty?"

Edaline scritched at Channon's soft grey ears. "Yes. Just thinking about traveling." Channon and her other guard, Orso, a black Bear, were among the best things about this Narnia. Edaline had come to love them both, and was grateful for their devotion to her, even though she wasn't one of the actual monarchs they had sworn to protect and serve. As well, she enjoyed their companionship, and they were one of the main reasons she hadn't felt so lonely here. It was still odd for her to be up in the towers and on the roofs, and not a wyvern in sight. Edaline particularly missed Xandra, who guarded the West Tower in her Cair Paravel, and was a dignified old she-lizard, fierce in battle and devoted to her duty, and very wise, always willing to offer advice to a young queen. Edaline wished she were here right now, as she had so many questions, and having her around would make Edaline's plan much easier to achieve. But having Channon and Orso by her side helped ease the pain of missing Xandra.

"Where are we traveling, my lady?"

Edaline smiled as she stood. "We're going to be taking a trip to the west, Channon."

The Wolf pricked up her ears. "Just us?"

"Us, and Orso," Edaline said, then paused. "That is, if they let us go."

"You mean the High King, and Queen Susan and King Edmund? Why wouldn't they?"

Edaline shrugged. "I think they'll think it's rather dangerous."

Channon cocked her head. "Well, have you asked them?"

"What a practical suggestion!" Edaline grinned and headed towards the tower door. "Come, it's time for lunch. We'll see what they say."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumnus and Adimus had joined Edaline and the others for lunch, a lovely summer lunch consisting of fresh fruit and bread and cheese and cold wine served on the terrace outside the Great Hall. After they finished the meal, Peter turned to Adimus, and asked, as he had every day for the past two weeks, "Is there any progress to report, on getting Queen Edaline back to her own world?"

Adimus shook his head. "I'm afraid not, sire. The magic necessary to work those spells is beyond me, and, honestly, I'm not even sure that the ones we've found would send her majesty back, even if I could perform them."

Peter looked at his siblings. "Still no luck from any of the other countries?"

Susan sighed. "Only Calormen has magicians skilled enough, I'm afraid, and I don't think we want to be in debt to the Tisroc right now."

"There are reports of a witch in the north, in Ettinsmoor," Edmund said. "But it's just talk, no actual witnesses, and there are no leads to find her. And even if we did, we don't know if she would help."

Edaline took a sip of wine. "I have an idea."

"What's that, Eda?" Susan asked.

"I want to go to the Western Wild, and see if I can find the pixies there, and get them to help me."

No one spoke, just looked at her for a very long moment. Finally Edmund cleared his throat. "That's probably the best suggestion we've had so far."

Edaline gave him a grateful smile, as Peter said gravely, "A quest then. But it could be very dangerous. There are still werewolves in the Wild. And… if you're right… other creatures we don't know anything about."

Edaline nodded. "I know. I'll have Channon and Orso with me. And my sword and bow."

"I think the Queen Edaline is right, your majesties," Tumnus said. "Everything Queen Lucy has said in her letters indicates that whatever solution to the problem we find, it'll be in the Wild. Whether it's pixies or magicians or, or …"

"Or maybe no way home at all," Edaline said even though it hurt her to voice the thought, and Tumnus shot her a guilty look. "I know that may be the case. But I have to try. I have to try everything I can to get back."

"You are always welcome to stay here with us."

"I know, Su, but-"

"Her majesty needs to go home," Adimus interrupted. "The centaurs said the stars told that she is needed in her Narnia, after she is done in this one."

Susan frowned. "It's still very dangerous, especially for you to travel alone."

"I'll go with her," Edmund said. Edaline turned to look at him, but his face was blank, and even knowing him as well as she did herself, Edmund was very hard to read. She knew he was uncomfortable with her, just as she was with him, and she wasn't sure why he'd want to come along.

"But Edmund -" she started to protest, but he cut her off.

"No, I'm going. Listen, it'll be safer if we're together, and I want to explore the Western Wild. If there are all these creatures you say living there, they're our subjects, and they should be met by their king."

Peter frowned thoughtfully at this, but said nothing.

"I'll go as well," Tumnus offered. "I've lived on the border of the Wild most of my life, and I know it best. And we can meet Queen Lucy at Beaversdam, and she can accompany us too. "

Edaline smiled. "See, Su? It'll be a good traveling party. Much safer."

Susan sighed. "Very well then. But perhaps they could take an army unit with them, Peter?"

Peter shook his head. "No, I don't think so. If there are, as Edaline suspects, all these creatures in the Wild, we'd rather not greet them looking like we're there to conquer them."

Accalia cleared her throat. "Nairovy and I will be with King Edmund, and Queen Edaline will have her guards, and Othniel and Kellis are already with Queen Lucy. They'll be well protected, your majesty."

"And we'll all be armed," Edmund added.

"I'd like to leave tomorrow," Edaline said, since everyone was already agreeable to the idea.

"So soon?!" Susan cried in dismay.

"Might as well, Su. No use Edaline staying here any longer, when we can't find any answers for her." Peter nodded at Tumnus. "You will make all the preparations for the trip, Master Tumnus? Keep it simple, but make sure you have everything you need."

"Of course, sire. I'll start right now, if your majesties will excuse me." Tumnus rose from his chair and trotted off through the terrace doors.

Adimus looked thoughtful. "There may be a useful map in the library for your majesties - an old one of the Western Wild. I'll just go look for it now." He left the terrace after Tumnus, trotting along in the same determined fashion.

Susan sighed, smiling sadly at Edaline. "I should go help with the packing - Tumnus is very good with organizing lots of things, but he always forgets about clothes."

"Comfortable clothes for riding and sleeping outside! Nothing fancy!" Edaline said, teasing her a bit.

"Oh, fine, you and Ed can just share each others' clothes."

Edmund cleared his throat. "Er…I don't think we actually have to share."

Peter laughed. "Eda does have that nice brown dress, Ed. It'll look lovely with your eyes."

"Do shut up, Peter," Edmund urged, and threw a grape at his brother's head, but Peter only laughed harder.

Susan stood. "I'll make sure everyone is comfortable, and Ed won't have to wear any dresses." As she walked off, Edaline could tell she was mentally composing a list of all the items she thought they needed.

"I'll pack for myself, thanks," Edmund grumbled, going inside with Susan, Accalia and Dulcie following at their heels.

Peter grinned at Edaline. "You'd better go with Su, or you'll end up with far more clothes than you'll ever wear."

Edaline nodded. "She always overpacks in my Narnia, too. Come on, Channon!" And she and her guard followed the others inside.

The young Wolf danced around her as they went in search of Susan. "The Western Wild! A quest! I'm glad they agreed! I've never been on a quest before!"

Edaline smiled at her excitement. "Yes, but getting them to agree was the easy part. The quest itself…well."

"I'm sure we'll find what you seek, majesty. Don't worry! Just think how lovely an adventure it will be!"

Edaline was of the opinion that adventures were never quite as lovely as one hoped, and in fact, adventures never happened in any way that one imagined they might. Still, an adventure was an adventure, and Channon's enthusiasm was contagious, and really, she couldn't wait to get started.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All the packing and preparations had taken up the rest of the day, and Susan and Mrs. Reggle, the old Dwarf who was the head cook, had not only packed them provisions for the trip, but prepared a festive goodbye dinner, which was attended by all the court. There was plenty of wine and all kinds of lovely and delicious things to eat, and when everyone had had their fill, the kings and queens called for music and everyone danced (except for Peter, for even in this Narnia, just like in her own, he hated to dance, which amused Edaline to no end).

After the dancing, the great old tales were told, because there is nothing the Narnians love more than a favorite story. Susan told the story of King Gale's slaying of the dragon and conquest of the Lone Islands; and Adimus told the tale of brave Prince Bellamy who ventured deep into the Mirhi volcano on the Isle of Galma, in search of his captive princess; and Elswilde told of the Star Aravir, and how she became Queen of the Morning Sky. All through the evening, Edaline wished fond farewells to all her new friends, and the celebrating went on late into the night (although Edaline and Edmund and Tumnus snuck off to bed long before that, for they had a long journey ahead of them, and no idea when next they'd next rest in comfortable beds).

The next morning, they were all gathered in the courtyard and after making sure Tumnus was quite secure in his cart with all the supplies, it was time for goodbyes. Peter was offering Edmund advice and cautions, along with a tight hug, when Susan drew Edaline aside and gave her a tight hug. "Good luck, Eda. I hope this works out the way you think. And if it doesn't, you know you're always welcome here with us."

Edaline arched an eyebrow. "You don't need two Just monarchs, do you?"

Susan grinned. "I suppose you could leave him behind in the western wild when you returned," she said teasingly, as she turned to say her goodbyes to Edmund.

Peter approached Edaline, and he was enough like her own brother so that she could recognize the worry in his eyes. "Good luck," he said and held out his hand to her, then drew her in for a quick hug and kiss. "May Aslan look with favor on you, and keep you both well, and return you safely to your homes."

Edaline started to thank him, when Edmund said in a pained tone, "PETER. You kissed her?"

Peter grinned at him. "Well, you're going on a quest. You always kiss the girl before the quest."

"What is wrong with…no, don't talk to me. I don't think I can even look at you right now."

"You just kissed Susan goodbye!"

"It's hardly the same thing!"

"Oh, honestly, Ed." Susan rolled her eyes and turned back to Edaline. "I think that's your cue to go."

Edmund was still gaping at Peter as he mounted up. "I have to leave now. Hurry, Philip." Philip trotted off, not seeming terribly sympathetic to Edmund's complaints, and the Guard followed after them, Accalia nipping teasingly at Edmund's heels, and Nairovy, a great black Panther, looking amused in a way that only Cats can (this involves much smugness and tail twitching).

Edaline laughed as she swung up on her horse (and was happy that Susan hadn't packed one dress for her - all trousers and tunics, much easier for riding), not a Talking Horse, but spirited chestnut named Chelsea. It felt odd, not riding Philip, but this was Edmund's Narnia, not her own, and she could not expect that. And Philip had picked Chelsea out for her specifically, so that was helpful.

She trotted off after Edmund, turning and waving goodbye to Peter and Susan and Adimus and Elswilde and all the attendants and palace staff who had gathered to see them off. It was very odd, she thought, this empty feeling in her stomach. She wasn't hungry; indeed, Mrs. Reggle had made sure they had a huge breakfast before leaving. And this was not her Cair Paravel, and these were not her siblings, but she was still feeling rather lonely for them already. She looked at Tumnus driving the cart next to her, and Channon and Orso pacing along by her side, and up ahead at Edmund and was suddenly very glad he had insisted she not set out on her own.

They traveled all day, but it was rather slow going, for all along the road were Narnians who had heard about their quest (for news travels fast from Cair Paravel, especially when Talking Magpies, who are terrible gossips, are the ones delivering it) who wanted to see and greet the Queen Edaline. So they stopped often, to say hello at one spot to a family of Foxes, and at another to share some ale with the Red Dwarfs of Pownder Hill, and so on, all day long. Edaline was anxious to get on with the journey, yet it was another thing that reminded her of home, meeting and spending time with the Narnian people, and she enjoyed all the stops and accepted with many thanks the little gifts the Narnians urged upon her, and thanked them as well for their good wishes for her quest.

Finally, as night was beginning to fall, they made camp on the shore of the Great River, across from the town of Beruna. The plan was to ford it in the morning, and stop for breakfast in Beruna, then continue west on the road that ran parallel to the Great River, all across Narnia and northwest to Beaversdam, where they would meet Lucy. Beyond that, they were in disagreement about how to proceed. Edmund and Tumnus wanted to follow the old map Adimus had given them, continuing up along the river and into the Western Wild. But Edaline wanted to follow Fork Flow, the smaller river that ran south of Lantern Waste, and enter the Wild there. She had gone into the Wild that way in her own Narnia with Idris to visit the Faun Neth, who made his home there, and she remembered that they had met pixies on the way to Neth's cave. Tumnus insisted this was one of the more dangerous parts of the Wild in this Narnia, but Edaline felt sure it would be the quickest, if not the safest route.

They argued about this, and finally agreed to leave the decision until they came to it, as they set up their simple camp. They had brought tents, but the night was so warm and clear that they planned to sleep under the stars, at least for now. Tumnus started a fire, and they all roasted fresh sausages (one of the many gifts they'd been given along the way) over it. Orso, Nairovy, Channon and Accalia all took turns hunting and eating their own suppers, one at a time, so as not to leave their majesties unprotected, and Philip and the other horses had all the grass they wished, on the slope above the river. After everyone had finished eating, and they were all settled on their bedrolls around the fire, with Orso and Nairovy taking the first watch, Edaline asked Accalia how she had come to be Head of the Royal Guard.

Accalia nodded to Edmund. "My mate and I saved King Edmund's life, and he asked us to serve him and their other majesties," she said simply.

Edmund smiled fondly at Accalia. "There was a little more to it than that."

"What else?" Edaline asked.

"Well, of course we didn't have the Royal Guard when we first came here. We had defeated the Witch, so we all thought that the danger was over. And, really, we didn't even realize we might need protection. We were... just children, you know." He nodded at her.

"Yes, I know."

"So things happened where we were.... in danger, and our advisors started talking about us having a guard."

"What kind of things?"

"There were threats from other countries, that kind of thing. The Tisroc was very excited when he realized the Witch was dead and Narnia had four children on the throne, because after all, how hard would it be to overthrow kids and take Narnia for himself? And Archenland was disappointed too - they felt they had a blood right to Narnia, and that one of their princes should sit on the throne."

"Oh, right. We had the same problems in my Narnia."

"Telmar and Calormen both sent assassins," Tumnus put in helpfully.

Edmund looked a little embarrassed. "I, um, almost got killed." He hurried on. "And it turned out there were lots of supporters of the White Witch still around, so it could get dangerous for us when we left Cair Paravel. Anyway. Our advisors started talking about getting us a guard, but no one could decide. Should they hire mercenaries - humans - from Archenland and the islands? Should it be Badgers, who, as you know, are very fierce? Centaurs who are excellent swordsmen?"

"Wolves and big Cats and Bears? How did you all decide?"

"Well. It was me. I had left the Cair Paravel one day - remember, it was the first year of our reign, and I was still very young - on my own, just me and Philip, and was riding off to the army training grounds to meet Peter, and I was attacked by two Hags, an Ogre and three Dwarfs, all supporters of the White Witch."

Edaline was very interested, especially because this had never happened in her Narnia, and she and Edmund had so many of the same experiences, it was a novelty to hear something new. "What happened?"

"I was fighting them off, and I had gotten quite good with my sword by then, and I killed the Ogre. Philip was doing the best he could, kicking and biting. But still, it was only the two of us, and the Hags and the Dwarfs were getting the best of us, when two Wolves appeared. I figured we were dead - the Wolves had, as you know, fought on the Witch's side. But to my surprise, the Wolves, they attacked the Dwarfs and the Hags, and between all of us, we made short work of them."

Edaline glanced at Accalia. "And you were one of those Wolves?"

"My mate Gareth and I were those wolves, yes, my lady."

Edmund stroked Accalia's head. "When the fight was over, the wolves swore fealty to me and to the High King. They said not all wolves had supported the Witch and many had wanted to come forward, but were afraid they'd be killed as traitors, because of the other wolves affiliation with the Witch. But these two were not afraid, and had been on the way to Cair Paravel to offer themselves in service, when they had come upon the attack."

Channon pressed against Edaline's side. "I was just a pup then, but I wasn't afraid either."

"So, with that, I knew who should head the Royal Guard, and I brought them with me to meet Peter and the army. Peter immediately drafted them both into service, and tasked them with finding others to guard the queens. Gareth became Peter's guard, and Accalia mine and Head of the Royal Guard as well - she does all the recruiting and training."

"So it was your decision to have others besides Wolves in the Guard, Accalia?"

"Even though Wolves are the best," Channon muttered.

"Yes, my lady," Accalia replied, directing a low growl at Channon who quivered against Edaline. "Anyone who wishes to serve their Majesties can come to me and I will judge if they're up to the task. Orso is our first Bear, you know. And Queen Lucy has a Dog in her service." She gave a heavy sigh and leaned her head against Edmund's knee. "But I wish you had never mentioned the Badgers, sire."

Edmund laughed. "Yes, my fault. The Badgers still think they should head the Guard."

"They're very fierce, it's true, but they're just too small."

"Do you suppose you could maybe arrange it so they fought in pairs, one on the other's shoulders? They'd be very formidable that way, I think - ow! Accalia! Your duty is to protect me, not to nip me!"

"So sorry, sire. Your fingers just got in the way of my mouth."

Edaline grinned as she laid back and looked up at the stars, fondling Channon's ears, as they all settled down to sleep. If - no, when she got back to her own Narnia, she was going to see about a Royal Guard of their own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The thing about being tied to a tree, Edaline reflected, was that you had plenty of time to think of how you got to be in that position. Of course, the realization that this was her own fault was not something she wanted to think too much about, so instead she tried to concentrate on working her hands loose, thankful that the bandits hadn't made her bonds too tight.

The real problem was just that she wanted to go home so badly. After a ten-day journey across Narnia, when she and Edmund and Tumnus had finally arrived at Beaversdam and met up with Lucy, all Edaline had wanted to do was push on into the Wild, and not waste another minute. But Lucy was so excited to see them, and had demanded to hear at once all about their travels and the Beavers had insisted they come in and have a good meal and spend the night, to which both Edmund and Tumnus were happy to agree (although Tumnus took Edmund to his own cave nearby to sleep, since the lot of the them wouldn't have all been able to fit in the Beavers' house).

Edaline had agreed as well, as she hadn't wanted to seem rude, but oh, she hated every minute of it. Being in the Beavers' house again reminded her of those first days in Narnia, when she had slipped out on her own, leaving her brother and sisters and going off to betray them to the Witch. It seemed so long ago now, and Edaline knew she'd been forgiven for all she'd done, but being back there again made her feel smaller somehow, and disagreeable and grumpy, as if she was still that same kid, ready to make the same mistakes all over again. She had stole glances at Edmund, all through dinner, assuming that he felt the same as she, but his face was calm and unreadable again, and if she hadn't known better, she would have thought he'd been enjoying himself and the company.

So it was understandable, she told herself as she rubbed the insides of her wrists raw, wiggling them against the rope that bound them, that she had been very anxious to leave the Beavers' house, and get on with their quest. The next morning, after breakfast and when Edmund and Tumnus had finally arrived to meet her and Lucy, Edaline had waited impatiently while they had all discussed what to do with the horses (for they couldn't come with them into the Wild, Tumnus had insisted, since it would be hard enough for them to travel in unfamiliar and overgrown woods with no known paths, and really, the thing was to try to move quickly and quietly, and horses and a cart would defeat that) and how they would carry all their supplies, and what was the best way to enter the Wild.

Finally, it had been decided that they would leave the horses with the Beavers (Philip protested bitterly at this), and carry all their supplies among the four of them (Mrs. Beaver hastily went to work putting together their packs), but the third point of discussion had not been so easily settled. Tumnus still wanted to follow the Great River and enter the Wild further to the north, which was the point of entry on Adimus' map, but Edaline had insisted that they follow Fork Flow on the southern route, the way she had entered it in her own Narnia. This had been a long argument, but had been finally settled when Edmund had said quietly that perhaps they should follow Edaline, since she seemed so certain, and since it was her quest, after all. Lucy and Tumnus had agreed, if a bit reluctantly, and after what had seemed like forever but was really only another hour, they were finally packed and ready to go, and the four of them set off to the south on foot, to follow the Fork Flow into the Western Wild.

Edaline had been pleased that they had decided on her way. She knew once they had reached the Wild, it would only be a matter of time before they saw the pixies, and then with all luck, she'd be home soon. And they had made fairly good time on foot, because the path along the smaller river was an easy one. Lucy had chatted with her as they hiked along, and Edaline chatted back, feeling comfortable with her right away, just as she had with Peter and Susan back in Cair Paravel. They weren't her own siblings, but enough like them that she felt better with them around. It was different, of course, with Edmund, and the ten days of traveling had been somewhat tense for both of them. Luckily, they had Tumnus and the Guard with them, for they would likely have driven each other mad on their own.

They had followed the river into the Wild in the late afternoon, and when they'd entered into the dark pine forest, they'd all gone silent, looking around in the dim light, at the old trees and the strange scrubby grass and bushes, the only sound the river running next to them. The air was still but there was a curious feeling to the place, and Lucy had said what they'd all been thinking. "You can feel the magic all around us. It's almost as if you can see it in the air!"

The way was much slower in the Wild - Tumnus had been right, there were no paths to speak of, and the land itself was rough and rocky, always sloping upwards as they moved through the low hills towards the great western mountains. Nairovy and Orso and Othniel, Lucy's Cougar guard, had taken the lead, with Edmund following after, hacking at the bushes with his long knife to try and clear a bit of a path for the others. Edaline, Lucy and Tumnus had followed him silently, since the going was so rough and it seemed wrong to talk in that silent wood. Channon, Accalia and Kellis, Lucy's young rottweiler guard, brought up the rear, sniffing and alert for any dangers.

Edaline had been looking carefully around for the pixies as they made their way in, but they hadn't gone very far when they came to a clearing by the river, and Edmund had decided they should stop here and make camp for the night. Edaline had protested, wanting to press on further and had argued that there'd be other clearings, and that they must keep going until they had found the pixies. But she'd been outvoted, and felt bitter about it all night long, as they set up camp and made supper and finally lay down to sleep. But Eda hadn't been able to fall asleep at all, she was still so annoyed, and finally hours later, while the others were all sleeping soundly, she had got up, strapped on her sword and slung her quiver and bow on her back, and begun walking along the riverbank.

She hadn't intended to slip away, not really, and indeed she hadn't, for Channon had followed her as she left the camp (Orso was on watch with Accalia). But she had still been hoping to catch sight of the pixies, and she kept telling herself she knew what she was doing and where she was going, and that they all should have listened to her, since she was the only one who had ever been in the Wild before, and had worked herself up into a fine level of indignation and self-righteousness. As the moon shone down weakly through the trees, she had peered all along the river banks, moving further and further from the camp, but never seeing any pixies at all. She kept thinking,just a little further and I'm sure I'll see one, but she had lost track of time though, and Channon had just said, "Your majesty, we should probably be turning back," when someone had grabbed her.

What Edaline had known and forgotten about (and was kicking herself for now) was that the Fork Flow joined the River Telmar, and that in her Narnia, Telmarine bandits had often entered the Western Wild by that route. Evidently they did as well in this Narnia, she thought ruefully, as she gazed around the bandits' camp and tugged discreetly at her bonds. The rope around her wrists was a bit looser, she thought, and it wouldn't be long before her hands were free.

After the bandits had grabbed her, Edaline had of course struggled and fought as hard as she could, and even though it was very dark, she could see the Wolf fighting alongside her, attacking the bandits and defending her the best she could. But as it was very dark and what felt like so many hands were grabbing at her, she had lost her balance and slipped, falling and hitting her head on a rock. The last thing she had heard before losing consciousness was Channon howling in pain and rage.

When she woke, she found herself in the bandits' camp, with no idea how long she'd been unconscious, or how far they'd gone. The bandits' camp was a clearing in front of a deep cave, and, looking around, she could see there were about ten bandits, most of them snoring around the fire, although two were keeping a somewhat haphazard watch, nominally awake, but dozing off where they sat. Edaline was not the only prisoner they had. She could make out in the firelight three others tied to trees across the clearing from her, one a faun who was gagged and blindfolded, and two young girls her own age. She was surprised when she realized the girls were unclothed, and wondered why that was. She thought they looked human, though, and was surprised that they were in the Wild, although perhaps the bandits had kidnapped the girls in Telmar and brought them into Narnia, but for what purposes Edaline had no idea. Maybe they were trying to move them south to Calormen to sell as slaves? Maybe that was what they intended for her?

Probably not her fate, though, she thought. She had heard the bandits talking when she came to, and they knew they had a Queen of Narnia. One of them told a tall man who she decided was the chief bandit that he had heard the Wolf address her as "majesty." The chief bandit has smiled a nasty smile as he looked Edaline over, and had muttered, "Well, she may come in very handy… I bet the High King'll pay a nice price for one of his Queens."

Edaline sighed as she kept working her hands against the rope. It was all her fault she'd been captured. If she hadn't been so determined to prove she was right and that she knew what she was doing, she wouldn't have stupidly blundered into the bandits. And oh, she was so worried about Channon. She knew that the Royal Guard would fight to the death to protect their charges, and she couldn't help but think that her stupid pride had got her killed. And she cried a little, and who could blame her, tied to the tree and feeling tired and sore and very very sorry?

But she kept working to get her hands free, and had formed a sort of plan that involved killing the two bandits on watch and freeing the other captives and somehow finding her way back to the others. Of course, this involved getting her hands on her sword, which the bandits had taken from her along with her bow and quiver, and Edaline could see them all lying on top a crate in front of the cave. That part of the plan was very vague, but Eda figured she had time to work it out while she was trying to loose her bonds.

Just as she thought she had finally loosened the ropes enough to work her left wrist free, Edaline heard a very soft whisper.

"Your majesty, don't move. We're here, and we'll free you."

Edaline stopped wiggling at once, but her heart beat faster with excitement. It was Orso! She didn't want to draw any attention to herself, but couldn't help asking in a very low whisper, "Is Channon… is she dead?"

"She's here behind me, as are we all. Don't worry, my lady. We're about to -"

Then Edaline heard a horn, and suddenly, the bandits' camp was filled with the sights and sounds of battle as Orso rushed by her and jumped on the nearest sleeping bandit. She could see Edmund and Tumnus and all the guard attacking the bandits, who had startled awake and grabbed their swords when the horn was sounded. It looked to be quite a fight and Edaline was struggling madly against her bonds, dying to help the others, when Lucy suddenly appeared by her side.

"Hello," she said, kneeling down and cutting at the ropes with her dagger. "Sorry, it took us a while to find you. Accalia and Orso heard Channon crying out, but by the time we found her, she was almost dead and you and the bandits were long gone."

"But she's well now?" Edaline asked. "Alive?" The young Wolf certainly appeared fit, she thought, watching her go after one of the bandits.

"Yes," Lucy said, cutting the last of Edaline's bonds. "I had my cordial."

"Thanks," Edaline said as she pulled free of the ropes. "For this, and for Channon…"

Lucy nodded at her and moved away to cut the other prisoners free, so Edaline ran to grab her sword and bow and quiver, and turned to the nearest bandit, swinging her sword hard at him. For a few moments, it was all the strange mix of intense concentration and confusion that every battle was. Edaline found herself fighting back to back with Edmund, both of them holding off two bandits, until, with a great leap, Nairovy landed on the back of one of the bandits, taking him down, and Edaline took the other's legs out from under him. And then, as suddenly as it had started, the fight was over. The Narnians had made swift work of the bandits - only two were still alive, and Accalia and Othniel had them backed against trees, growling low in their throats, as Edmund used their own rope to tie them up.

Edaline ran up to Channon and dropped to her knees beside her, throwing her arms around the Wolf's neck. "I'm so glad you're all right, Channon!"

Channon licked her face. "I'm fine, your majesty," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

Edaline sat up. "But I'm fine too!" she insisted. "You did your best!"

Lucy came up to them, the strange faun and the two girls following her . "Are you sure you're all right, Eda?" she asked.

She nodded, smiling as Orso trundled up to them and pressed against her side. "My wrists are sore, but other than that…what about everyone else? Any injuries?" She looked around, trying to see if anyone was hurt.

Mostly everyone had come out of it with just scrapes and bruises and minor cuts, but Tumnus and Kellis had both been injured in the fight. Not too badly, though, Tumnus with a broken arm and Kellis with a long, ugly gash down his side. They both refused Lucy's cordial.

"Save it for someone who is gravely injured, my lady," Kellis insisted, and would only let Lucy bandage his wound.

The strange faun knelt down to bind Tumnus' arm. "You'll be fine, brother," Edaline could hear him say, as she wound her fingers tightly in Channon and Orso's fur, not wanting to let them go.

Edmund approached with Accalia. "They're Telmarine bandits," he said, gesturing over his shoulder at the two that Othniel was guarding. "They were intending to ransom Edaline, and to sell these girls to the Calormenes as slaves."

"How awful!" Lucy exclaimed, finishing with Kellis and turning to the girls to see if they had any injuries.

"What are we going to do with them?" Edaline asked.

Edmund rubbed his head. "I'm not sure. We should take them back to the Cair and lock them up and send word to the King of Telmar that we've captured his bandits, but we have your quest… and we can't just leave them tied up here while we go look for pixies, because who knows how long that will take. And we can’t just leave all the dead bodies here."

The faun looked up at them. "You're looking for the pixies? Why?"

For the first time Edaline could see his face clearly, and it looked very familiar. "I think… are you Neth?"

The faun nodded, looking surprised. "I am." His glance swept over Edaline, Edmund and Lucy. "And you three…you must be one of the Kings and the two Queens of Narnia. Your majesties," he added hurriedly, bowing his head.

"Well, with one spare Queen," Lucy giggled, and Edmund gave her a Look.

"I am King Edmund, and this is my sister, the Queen Lucy. And…" He paused, glancing at Edaline, and she could tell he was trying to decide exactly what to explain. "This is Queen Edaline," he said finally. "She is the reason we've come to the Wild."

Neth stood, looking at Edaline curiously. "Queen Edaline? We haven't heard that name before. There are five of you? We had been told there were four."

"Five for right now," Edmund said cautiously. "You know of us? And you said 'we.' There are others of you living here in the Wild?"

Neth nodded and Edaline muttered, "I told you so" as Edmund gave her a Look this time. Neth continued, "Yes, we all know of you, and how you defeated the White Witch."

Edmund nodded. "Then you know that you, and all the others in the Western Wild, are our most beloved subjects. On behalf of the High King, and my sister Queen Susan, the Queens and I are here to welcome you, and because we seek your help."

"My help? I don't know how I can help your majesties." Neth shook his head and looked again at Edaline. "You know me, my lady, but I am not sure how? I know we haven't met before."

"Well, not here, but…" Edaline sighed and started to explain. "I come from a different Narnia…" And she told about the mirrors and being drawn in to this Narnia, and her quest to find the pixies and return home. "In my Narnia, I had visited the Western Wild with our court magician, and met a faun named Neth and seen the pixies there, so I had hoped if we traveled here, we might find the pixies and they could help me."

Neth looked startled by this. "Really! Me in a different Narnia, you say?" He was silent for a moment, lost in thought, and then looked at Edmund. "Was your gift from the pixies as well?"

Edmund shrugged. "We don't know. It was delivered by a centaur, and addressed to me, but it didn't say who it was from. And until Edaline arrived here, we didn't even know there were pixies in Narnia. Still don't, really, since we haven't seen any."

"Oh, there are pixies," Neth replied. "And they're very mischievous." He looked carefully at Edmund and Edaline. "I assume they meant for the two of you to swap places, as a joke. But luckily you dropped the mirror before you went through, sire."

Edaline was very excited at hearing this. "Since you know the pixies, can you take us to them?" she asked. "I'd really like to get home."

Neth shook his head. "You can't just find the pixies, unless they want to be found. You need to summon them."

"Oh. Can you summon them then, please?"

"No, I can't. Only a magician can summon them." Neth helped Tumnus to his feet. "If you would like, brother, we can go back to my cave and you can rest."

Tumnus shook his head. "I must stay with their majesties."

"Do you know any magicians, Neth?" Edmund asked. "And sit, please, Tumnus, you need to rest." He put his hand on Tumnus' shoulder, and pushed him gently back down.

Edaline waited hopefully for Neth's answer. She was almost positive that there were magicians in the Wild, even in this Narnia, but was surprised nonetheless when he spoke.

"Oh, yes, there are many magicians here in the wild. But we shall ask the best for help." He turned to the young girls that Lucy was still tending. "Mirren, Luna! I need you to go find Idris, and tell him that I am on my way with the King and Queens. Tell him he'll need to summon the pixies."

"Idris?" Edaline demanded.

Neth nodded. "Yes, they must hurry to him." He gestured to the girls. "Now go!"

Lucy shook her head. "Oh no, I don't think they're in any shape to do that. They're covered in cuts and scars, and they seem to be half-starved…" She trailed off staring openly, as both girls rose obediently at Neth's request, and shape-shifted into wolf form, shaking their shaggy heads when they were fully transformed. They nodded to Neth and then loped out of the clearing, disappearing into the dark woods.

Edmund swallowed hard, and Tumnus looked shocked, and all the Guard was growling, with their hair standing on end. Even Edaline was startled, and she had seen that happen before in her Narnia.

"Well, I guess that explains all the cuts and scratches," Lucy said, getting to her feet. "Werewolves. But aren't they very dangerous?"

"Not all werewolves were loyal to the Witch, your majesty," Neth explained. "There are many who live peacefully here in the Wild. Luna and Mirren are two daughters of the Keepslayer Clan, and are near neighbors to me. They were attacked by the Telmarine bandits while in human form, visiting me. The bandits intended to sell us all to the Calormenes, although they would have had quite the surprise when Luna and Mirren shifted back to their wolf forms." He chuckled, tickled at the very thought.

Edmund started muttering about bandits and very strong threats to the King of Telmar, but Edaline was focused on one thing. "Idris? The magician's name is Idris?"

"Yes, my lady. Why, do you know him in that other Narnia of yours?" asked Neth. "He's a master magician, the very best here in the Wild. If anyone can figure out what the pixies did and get you home, it'll be Idris."

Edaline nodded slowly, filled with wonder. She should have realized she'd find another Idris here in the Wild. "Yes, I know him. He's the court magician in my Cair Paravel."

Neth smiled. "Very good. Then you know how skilled he is." He glanced up at the sky. "Look, it's getting close to morning, your majesties. We should start on our way to Idris's home. Hopefully he will have summoned the pixies by the time we arrive."

Edaline nodded, eager to be on her way, but Edmund and Lucy didn't move. "I don't think Tumnus and Kellis are up to traveling," Lucy said softly.

Edmund agreed. "And we can't just leave these bandits tied to the trees," he said. "We don't know how long we'll be gone, and others could come along and free them."

Tumnus tried to stand, but winced in pain as he jostled his arm. "I can travel, your majesties," he protested weakly, and Kellis yelped his agreement, but he couldn't quite stand either.

Lucy bent and stroked Kellis' head. "No, I think you two must stay here and rest."

"Maybe they can guard the bandits?" Edaline suggested. She knew neither Kellis nor Tumnus were in any shape to do any fighting, but perhaps having a task would ease their minds at being left behind.

Accalia nodded. "That's a good plan, your majesty. Orso and I will stay with them, and dispose of the bodies, and wait for your return."

"All right, that will work," Edmund said. "Hopefully, we won't be gone too long. We left all our packs and things just outside the clearing. Let's make them comfortable before we go."

And even though Edaline was terribly impatient to get going, she helped make comfortable beds for Kellis and Tumnus from their bedrolls, while Edmund and Neth gathered firewood and water, and Lucy rummaged through her pack for a small tin, which she handed to Tumnus. "Here, you can brew this into a tea, which will help with the pain. Oh, dear, I hate to leave you both in such a state. Perhaps I should stay?"

But both Kellis and Tumnus insisted she go with the others, and Accalia and Orso assured her that they would take care of them, and at last they were ready to go.

Edaline knelt beside Orso and gave him one last hug. "Thank you for protecting me." She had to swallow hard to keep her voice from shaking. If all went as she hoped with the magician and the pixies, this would be the last time she saw him, and she would miss him dreadfully, having grown very used to his steady presence over the last few weeks.

"Good luck, your majesty. I hope you get home. And when you do, maybe you can find me there," he said, nuzzling her cheek, with a deep chuckle. "I hope we're friends in that world."

Edaline nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and climbed to her feet. She looked back once as she followed Neth and the others out of the clearing, but Orso was sitting in front of the bandits, growling at them, and didn't see her.

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On to Part Three.