The Lost Queen (a Caspian Romance)

8. The Telmarine Castle

Zoelle's heart sank as the Telmarine castle came into sight. She was soaring high in the sky, held securely in the grip of a huge eagle. As they got lower, Zoelle drew from her waist her twin blades, both longer than knives but shorter than swords. A few moments later, Peter, Caspian, and Zoelle landed, taking out those guards who were on the bridge above Professor Corenlius' study.

Silently, Zoelle and Caspian secured the rope and threw it over the side. Checking its security, Caspian climbed over the battlements and began the climb. Zoelle quickly followed as nimbly as a mouse until her foot, which had been sliding down with the other, caught and she unexpectedly found when she tried to find a grip with the other side and shifted her hands, that she was falling down.

She drew in a sharp gasp as she scrambled to grab hold of the rope again, but just as she caught a grip, she felt two arms wrap around her waist, securing her in place. Looking down, she found herself face-to-face with Caspian. As gently as if she were made out of china, he set her down, never taking his eyes off of her own. Zoelle was suddenly surprised by just how, although not bright, beautiful his dark eyes were. They were snapped out of it as Peter landed beside them and quickly began working at the lock on the window.

As Peter continued to struggle, Zoelle stepped forward, pushed up the latch, and pushed open the window, giving her father a smug look. Rolling his eyes, he pushed it farther open and slipped inside. Holding back a smile, Zoelle followed with Caspian trailing behind her. Caspian instantly went forward, glancing around the room in concern. The professor's bed was empty, unmade, and covered in books. In fact, the entire room was messier than Zoelle had ever seen it with books strewn everywhere. Caspian had stopped by the desk, and Zoelle quickly stood by his side, eyeing what he was looking at. It was the professor's glasses.

"I have to find him," Caspian said insistently in a quiet voice.

"You don't have time," Peter retorted in a low voice. "You need to get the gate open."

"You wouldn't even be here without him," Caspian countered. "And neither would I."

"Nor me," Zoelle said softly. "Anyway, you and I can deal with Miraz."

"And I can still get to the gate in time," Caspian insisted.

Without another word, he disappeared out the door, the glasses in hand.

"Come on," Peter said irritably after a moment.

They passed through several passages and hallways without interference until they reached the door to Miraz and Prunaprismia's room. Pressing her finger to her lips, Zoelle put her ear to the crack to listen.

"Put the sword down, Caspian," the voice of the queen said. "I don't want to have to do this."

Kicking the door open, Zoelle snapped, "We don't want to either."

"This used to be a private room," Miraz said irritably as though it was only a mild inconvenience and he didn't have a sword pressed into his neck.

Then his eyes landed on Zoelle. A sick smile twisted his lips.

"I knew you'd come back," he said in a low, growling voice.

Zoelle shuttered, turning her head so she was not looking at him.

"You missed it, didn't you?" he said smugly. "The feeling of my body against yours, of my lips."

Brows furrowed, Peter looked in confusion between Miraz and Zoelle.

"Leave her be," Caspian growled as tears sprang to Zoelle's eyes, pressing him back against the wall.

Zoelle's breathing had become uneven as she held her short swords in trembling hands.

His jaw clenched, Peter said, "What are you doing, Caspian? You're supposed to be in the gatehouse."

"No!" Caspian cried. "Tonight for once, I want the truth." Pressing Miraz fully against the wall, he demanded, "Did you kill my father?"

"Now we get to it," Miraz said, his anger boiling just below the surface.

"You said your brother died in his sleep," Prunaprismia said in confusion.

"That was more or less true," Miraz replied.

"Caspian, this won't make things any better," Zoelle said shakily.

"We Telmarines would have nothing if we had not taken it," Miraz growled. "Your father knew that as well as anyone."

"How could you?" his wife asked in a shocked voice.

"Oh, come off it," Zoelle snapped, glaring at her. "How could he? How could he rape someone he thought was nothing more than a servant girl? How can you not see that your husband is nothing more than a monster who takes whatever he wants whenever he wants it?"

Prunaprismia glared at her, but unlike in the past when she had shrunk from the queen's glare, Zoelle matched it with a ferocity that made the Telmarine queen lower her gaze.

"I did it for the same reason you will pull that trigger," Miraz snapped, shooting his blazing eyes towards Zoelle who quelled under his gaze. "For our son!"

He stepped forward, pushing Caspian back as Peter called, "Stop! Stay right there!"

"You need to make a choice, dear," Miraz said, still moving forward even as the sword caused blood to trickle down his neck. "Do you want our child to be king? Or do you want him to be like Caspian here, fatherless!"

"No!" Prunaprismia cried.

Caspian cried out in pain as the arrow pierced his shoulder and Miraz, taking the momentary distraction, slipped out the door.

"Not so fast," Zoelle muttered, rushing after him.

She came out in a long, narrow hallway and began to rush down it before stumbling to a stop. Miraz was nowhere inside. She had only been standing still a few moments when an accursed hand grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into the large, eerily warm body of the king. Tears sprang to her eyes as she began to shake.

Miraz leaned forward, running the tip of his nose along her temple to take in the smell of her hair before settling his mouth by her ear and whispering, "You really thought you could escape me?"

Not a sound escaped her as his other hand slithered from her waist to her stomach.

Then, he said, "Not even Caspian can save you now."

As soon as the words had left his mouth, a rage such as she had never known rose up inside of her as she let out an animalistic scream, shoving his body off of her own and rounding on him, both her swords crossed in an X at his throat.

Shoving him back against the wall, Zoelle hissed, "You will never touch me again."

Miraz let out an angry cry as he shoved her back against the opposite wall, trapping both her wrists above her head, keeping the rest of her body still with his own as he stared into her eyes. The anger burning in them matched his own.

"You will always be nothing more than a dirty little whore," he growled.

Then, as though in an instant, he let go of one of her wrists, reached somewhere on his person, and then - Zoelle drew in a harsh gasp. Something had been driven into her body, somewhere close to her abdomen. Her wide eyes met Miraz's as he stared with his cold, hard eyes into her own. She dropped both swords, collapsing to the ground with a pained cry as Miraz withdrew the knife.

Zoelle's chest was no longer rising and falling at a normal pace when Miraz reached down and took her into his arms. Rushing along the passage, he reached the balcony to see both his own and Narnian troops in the bunch fighting below. Without a thought, he neared the edge and threw Zoelle's body over the side. Zoelle's body fell with a crash on the cold, hard stone and she knew no more.