Title: Snapped Up

Summary: What happened to Edmund, Lucy, Eustace, and Reepicheep after Caspian was sold into slavery?

Rating: T

Warning: This story discusses and alludes to slavery and child abuse (hence the rating); not in explicit detail, just be aware of that before you decide to read it.

Pairings: None

Disclaimer: All of the characters from The Chronicles of Narnia were created by C.S. Lewis and thus belonged to him, though now perhaps they belong to Douglas Gresham, Walden Media, Disney, Fox, and possibly several other individuals or companies; at any rate they do not belong to me, and I'm not making any money by writing this story. I borrowed and altered some of Mr. Lewis' quotes from the chapters entitled "The Lone Islands" and "What Caspian Did There" in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Author's Notes: This story takes place during The Voyage of the Dawn Treader after Caspian is sold to Bern, so if you haven't read the book it might be confusing. I know I'm not the first to write something like this (and others have woven accounts far better than mine), but as I've often wondered what was happening to Edmund, Lucy, Eustace, and Reepicheep during this time, I wanted to write something all the same.

Snapped Up

Lucy Pevensie was losing a battle with her tears. The island lord, who seemed kindlier than the horrible slave trader at any rate, was saying something to her, but she could not make out what it was. He and Pug continued harping on about prices, but Lucy could not pay attention. The horrible thought dancing through her mind at the moment was this and only this: they were going to be separated.

There was nothing for it; the dreadful moment had arrived. Caspian was untied and his new master said, "This way, lad," and Lucy burst into tears and her brother Edmund looked very blank. But Caspian looked over his shoulder and said, "Cheer up. I'm sure it will come all right in the end. So long."

Lucy's horror diminished a very little bit at these words, as at once she understood how Caspian could be so calm.

Of course, she thought, he must have remembered Aslan!

But though her heart had lightened, it hurt terribly to watch her friend being led away, and silent tears continued to fall down her face.

"Now missie," said Pug. "Don't you start taking on and spoiling your looks for the market to-morrow. You be a good girl and then you won't have nothing to cry about, see?"

But Lucy felt that they all had plenty to cry about, and thought the others very brave for not doing so. She tried hard to stop crying herself, but it was difficult to do; and when at last she had she could not help feeling a bit sorry for them all.

Pug and his friends continued to amuse themselves with Reepicheep, who had begun to insult them again, but Lucy turned round to see her brother and winced. She did not like the empty stare in Edmund's eyes. "Don't lose hope, Ed," she whispered. "Aslan will help us somehow, I'm sure of it." She had to talk around her cousin (who had been tied between them), but Eustace ignored her in favor of yelling at the slavers, earning himself a couple of kicks. Lucy meant to say more to Edmund but she was interrupted.

"Oi there! Keep walking, you."

One of the men dragged her roughly around and she had to face forward again, but the Name of the Great Lion had had a marvelous effect on Edmund, and he began to think less of what misery might befall them and more of what help might come.

They were marched down to waiting boats and rowed out to the slave ship. It was much larger than the Dawn Treader, and even Eustace could not help being impressed by its scale. Once aboard they were led to the middle of it and made to walk down three flights of stairs. Finally they reached what must have been the bottom of the ship. A door was unlocked and the children and the Mouse were pushed through it.

Lucy gasped. They were in a long, dark room filled to bursting with other prisoners, mostly Galmian and Terabinthian men who were rowing or waiting to take their turn at it. A few guards holding harsh whips manned the door. Lucy's eyes filled with tears when she saw the filthy conditions the poor captives were living in, and Edmund was disheartened by the sheer number of them. Pug tugged hard on the rope that bound the children and they were paraded through that room and into another.

"You'll be no use at rowing," said the man who opened the door for them, "and we can't have anyone going for the little girl, not until she's sold."

He flashed his teeth at them. Lucy shuddered and Edmund felt murderous; Reepicheep jumped at the man who carried him and clawed at his eyes. The man yelled and dropped Reepicheep, and for a wild moment the captives thought he might have a chance at escape, but even a brave Talking Mouse is no match for seven men when unarmed. Reepicheep was soon caught up again, and a trapdoor was opened which none of them had noticed. As the slavers evidently felt there was no chance of their captives getting away, Pug and his men untied them and the Mouse and the children were dropped unceremoniously below.

Eustace lost enough breath that for a moment he could think of nothing to say. He felt straw beneath his feet and looked down, where he found himself face to face with a very strange animal. He yelled and clutched at Lucy (who was closest to him) bringing them both down.

Reepicheep made a courageous effort to lunge at a pirate called Tacks, but he was shoved back down with a chuckle, and suddenly the trapdoor was slammed shut. Next there came the ominous sound of it being locked from above, and you can imagine how the prisoners' hearts sank to hear it.

Being held with animals was an insult to the furious Eustace, and he began to shout up at the trapdoor in a temper as he and his cousins rubbed at the burns the ropes had left on their wrists.

"Pipe down in there!" someone shouted back.

"Wait until Harold hears about this!" roared Eustace in indignation. "They'll be arrested, every one of them. And that old dog Pug will be hung!"

"By the British Consul, no doubt," said Edmund under his breath, but only Lucy heard him, and she was busy patting one of the three strange creatures whose home they had invaded.

The Pevensies were glad to be out of sight of the vile slave traders, and Reepicheep was quite optimistic now that there was nobody to yell at, but Eustace was carrying on enough for them all. He beat uselessly at the walls around them.

Edmund, Lucy, and Reepicheep looked about them for a moment to see what chance they had of escape. Determining that they were in a small cabin with no doors and only one small window, they sat down in the straw (it covered the entire floor) and leaned against a wall, deciding to save their strength for when it might be useful. Eustace, when he had tired of yelling and realized they had been left alone, felt differently.

"What a bunch of idiots!" he crowed, rubbing his hands together in delight. He looked around at the others who were sitting against the wall. "Look at you lot; you can't see a way out when you've got it! Well you're all a bunch of fools. I'm leaving!"

Reepicheep stared at him in disgust.

"And how do propose to do it?"

"Why, this dinghy's made of matchsticks! We can beat through the ceiling!" Eustace began to pound on said ceiling (really the deck above them) to prove it, but it was high enough that he had to jump to reach it. Edmund snorted.

"We cannot," said Reepicheep. "It's made of strong wood and the brigands would hear us if we ever came close."

"We can while they're asleep," said Eustace scornfully.

Lucy took in Reepicheep's exasperated glower and came to stand between her cousin and the infuriated Mouse.

"That's a good idea," she said carefully, "but we won't be able to keep at it for long." (Eustace was already growing tired of jumping.) "They've taken all our weapons. We haven't anything to get through the ceiling with, and even if we had-"

"Then we'll smash holes in the walls with our fists!" interrupted Eustace, ceasing his foolish jumping at last. "We'll sink them!"

"Yes, and sink us with them," said Edmund contemptuously, "or do you think they'll come and let us out before they jump ship in their boats?"

Eustace made a nasty face at Edmund, but as he had no answer for this he did not press him. Instead he whirled on Lucy.

"Why don't you think of something? It's your fault we're here! If you hadn't been so keen on coming to that stupid island we never would have been captured."

Here the eyes of Edmund and Reepicheep grew quite dangerous, but Lucy only sighed. "You're right, I suppose, but I don't think there's any way out." She turned to her brother. "I'm sorry Ed. You were right; we never should have come to Felimath."

"You see?" said Eustace triumphantly. "Besides Edmund, it's really your fault for giving in. You could have put your foot down. Or Caspian's for allowing either of you. I never wanted to come at all." He scowled at his foe the Mouse, who was chattering at him to hush up, and punched another wall. "Actually it's your fault, for-"

"Oh do stop carrying on," said Edmund, annoyed. "Or I'll tie you up again myself."

"You haven't any rope," said Eustace smugly. "Besides, you wouldn't dare." He yowled as he kicked his foot against the wall. Lucy went to help him up and Edmund frowned at her.

"I would and don't you forget it. It's not as though they'll let us out if you keep on; more like they'll come down and flog us all, and if they take the whip to Lucy I'll see you have more to deal with than ropes." Eustace, who recalled with clarity the sting of Reepicheep's rapier, stopped kicking, but Edmund ignored him and kept on. "What we've got to do now is think of a plan."

"To escape from the ship?" inquired Lucy. She did love a good escape. But Edmund shook his head.

"No. I doubt we'll have a chance of that until we're sold." Lucy's face fell at his words, but he grinned. "Cheer up, Lu. Think of the adventure we'll have escaping to-morrow. You'll be in high spirits by the time we're back together."

"Back together!" gasped Lucy. "You don't think they'll separate the rest of us!"

Edmund looked hard at her, for of course they had all been thinking that very thing (and trying hard not to think it) since Caspian had been taken away.

"I don't like to say it but it does seem likely. What would anyone want with all of us? We might as well think what to do as despair of it, so long as we are together."

Eustace and Reepicheep began to argue about it, but Lucy could not think just then. She sat down beside her brother and slid her fingers through his and looked like she might begin to cry again. Edmund squeezed her hand and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"Hey now, none of that," he said gently, prying her fingers loose with some difficulty. "Remember you're a Queen of Narnia. What did you tell me on the shore? We've been in scrapes far worse than this and Aslan always got us out."

Lucy found her strength at the mention of the Lion. She sat up a bit straighter and took a deep breath and nodded at him. Once they had convinced Eustace to stop shouting at the Mouse they all sat thinking of a way out, but they all came up quite blank.

"I wonder what's happening to Caspian," said Lucy, and the others wondered the same, but this only made Eustace sorrier about his own plight.

"It's all so unfair! If any of you had listened to me we wouldn't be here," he complained, and Lucy tried to comfort him.

"It mightn't be so terrible, and surely Caspian will-"

"Oh, hush up, Lucy," he interrupted.

"Don't speak so harshly to the lady!" commanded Reepicheep.

"Never mind her," whined Eustace, who had little fear of the Mouse without his blade. "She's only a girl. They don't see reason in this foul country; they'll treat her like a princess! Why, they'll only make her do their washing or sing them songs or rot like that. Think of me! I'll be breaking my back while she's rinsing their dishes… "

He kept on like this for several minutes but the others tuned him out. Edmund was watching Lucy with some concern. He had caught the eyes of Pug's slavers and he thought they would do much worse to Lucy than any of the others, but there was no point saying that. Finally he said, "I might have thought of something," and Lucy and the Mouse turned to him.

"Listen, Eustace," he hissed to his grumbling cousin, "if you'd like to get out of this at all." Eustace went more or less silent, and Edmund continued.

"Likely as not whoever buys us won't live in the islands, so once we're sold we must expect to be taken away. We've got to run before then. I don't recall anything about a Narrowhaven in our day, but the market will probably be in the center of town, and with so many people for sale I imagine there'll be a crowd. We'll be bound of course, so don't expect to get far, but once we've been sold the guards won't be watching us as heavily; they'll expect the merchants to do it. With any luck we'll be sold early and our masters will stay to buy other slaves. If yours ever looks away you've got to run, whatever he or anyone else does to you, and do try to listen for who's bought by whom."

Reepicheep opened his mouth but Edmund shushed him. "I know there's not much chance of it, Reep, but we've got to try. We'll all meet on the shore down the south side of the island at dark and see if we can't find out where Drinian's got to." He turned to Eustace. "No one leaves without everyone else. If we're not all there by nightfall whoever is must seek the others out, or die in the attempt. We'll have to see about freeing Caspian after that."

Everyone was silent for a long time after Edmund's speech; it was not much of a plan and so there was not much to say. However, as no one else had thought of anything better they were cheered that someone had at last thought of something and that at least they would have a meeting place if anyone could get away.

Reepicheep came to sit on Lucy's shoulder when the light from the window waned, though she suspected this was more for her comfort than his own. She leaned her head against Edmund's shoulder and slipped her hand back into his.

"I wonder how long it will be before we see each other again?" she whispered, half hoping he had not heard her. Edmund did not answer, but she thought perhaps he was wondering the same, because this time he did not move her hand away.

"Well I suppose there's nothing for it," said Lucy at last. "You've thought of a good plan, Ed, and I'll do everything I can to follow it if- if we can't be sold together." She sniffled, but she tried to smile at him. As this was difficult, she turned to her cousin instead. "You can come and sit with us if you like, Eustace," she offered, but Eustace refused all hospitality and went to sulk by the window. Finally the window grew dark, and he lay down in the straw and went to sleep.

"I guess we should all go to sleep," said Lucy, and as there was nothing to eat and nothing to do, they all lay down. Reepicheep was soon breathing evenly, and Lucy lay on her back next to Edmund and tried to think of happy things.

Aslan, please send someone to protect us, she begged silently, and presently she heard her brother's voice.

"I'll do all I can for you, Lu," he whispered. "I'll do everything I can to keep us together." But even as he said it, he was sure there was nothing he could do. Though he was somewhat lacking in ability just then, Lucy was bolstered by his desire to protect her, and she smiled.

"I know you will."

She snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes, trying her best not to worry. It took her a long time, but the rocking of the waves and the sound of her brother's heartbeat in her ear eventually lulled her to sleep. Edmund stayed awake far longer, wondering how Caspian was getting on and wishing his older siblings were with them. Peter was especially good with rescues and escape attempts and Edmund missed his brother's counsel; and Susan's ability to quiet troubled spirits had become legend.

He looked down at Lucy and wondered how in the world he was going to keep his promise.

Edmund woke with a start. He looked around him, confused. There was Lucy, curled in his arms. Reepicheep was near her head, and Eustace was under the window, closer to the rest of them than he had been. They were all fast asleep. The strange little animals were chewing straw nearby. Edmund wondered how he could see any of them; the window was black as pitch and he was sure it was the middle of the night. Still, there was an ethereal glow about the room, and he was sure someone had been calling his name. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and disentangled himself from Lucy. Baffled, he looked up.

"Aslan!"

Edmund stood up so quickly he tripped over Lucy. He landed squarely between the Lion's paws. Aslan drew him close and Edmund breathed in the scent of His mane, suddenly feeling much better.

"Oh, Aslan, I'm so glad you're here. No one will say it but we're all so afraid. I don't know how I'm going to keep everyone together to-morrow, and I don't know if we'll really be able to escape if we're sold to different people."

"Do not fear, Son of Adam," said Aslan.

Edmund took a breath and looked hard at the Lion. "I guess I don't," he said solemnly. "I know You'll help us." He grinned. "If I ever forget it for a moment Lucy reminds me."

Aslan chuckled.

"Are You going to take us out of here?" asked Edmund, standing to face the Lion. He did not even reach the Great Cat's nose, and for a moment he thought he should be afraid as he looked up into His eyes, but somehow he had never felt more secure. He wondered how Aslan had fit Himself into the cabin, or if the cabin had somehow gotten bigger.

"Not now," said Aslan, and Edmund began to squirm with questions. Aslan licked his face, and Edmund relaxed again. "Have faith, Dear One. All will be set right."

"Will we stay together?"

"You will all be together. Even now I am sending some to ensure this."

"And- and Lucy?" he asked, his voice unsteady as he came closer to run his fingers through the Lion's mane. "Please, Aslan, I promised her… Don't let anyone hurt Lucy…"

"Your sister will be safe, Edmund." He smiled. "You are looking after her, as am I."

Edmund did not feel that he was sufficient to the task, but he knew that Aslan was, and he was honored to be in such company. There were several more questions he wished to ask, but as he looked into the face of the majestic Lion he felt that there was no need to ask them, and so he remained silent. He stood there thinking for what seemed a very long time, and after a while Aslan told him he should go to back sleep. Edmund wanted to stay with Aslan longer, but he knew better than to argue and he only nodded.

"You will see me again, Son of Adam, said Aslan. "Do not fear."

Edmund nodded, and when he returned to Lucy's side Aslan left, though Edmund was never quite sure how. He blinked in the sudden darkness, and then he cried out.

"Lucy, Lucy, wake up! Reep, get up!" he yelled, shaking both of them.

"No," said the Mouse, and Lucy rolled over on Edmund's feet.

"Edmund?" she mumbled, and Edmund gave up on Reepicheep.

"I saw Him, Lu!"

"Who?" asked Lucy sleepily.

"Aslan!"

Lucy sat up.

"Aslan! Where?"

"Here!"

Lucy looked around wildly and they bumped foreheads in the darkness.

"Ow!" they said together. Lucy rubbed her head and frowned. "I don't see Him."

"Well… He was here. He just left."

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't wake up!" She did not ask him why he hadn't, but Edmund suddenly wished he'd woken Lucy when the Lion had come. "What did He say?"

"He said we'd all be together," said Edmund, wondering now what to say when she asked him how or when. But Lucy did not ask. Instead she only smiled and said, "Good." Then she hugged him drowsily and went back to sleep.

Everyone was woken early in the morning; it was still dark out when the captives' hands were bound and they were taken to the top of the ship. There the fresh Narnian air returned to them, and they were not so frightened now as they might have been in our world. There was no time to discuss Aslan, but Lucy managed to whisper what had happened to Reepicheep as they were being hustled into the rowboats. Aslan's words seemed to satisfy the Mouse as well, and Edmund wished he felt less troubled. He was, after all, the one who had seen the Lion.

Pug's prisoners were led to the slave market and shoved into pens with other captives. They were given a somewhat meager meal and divided into lots. Several guards stood by ominously, waiting to whip anyone who attempted to run. Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace were placed with the few other children, most of whom had been reduced to tears. Lucy sat with them and tried to comfort them, thankful for the moment to have been allowed to stay with Edmund and Eustace. Pug kept Reepicheep in a cage by his feet. Lucy pitied him, but Edmund knew the Mouse was far from vulnerable and he was far more worried about his family.

He scanned the crowd for anyone who looked sympathetic, but it was a difficult thing to gauge. He could not imagine there were many buyers who intended to be kind to their slaves, but there was always the hope that one of them had come with the intention of freeing someone. What Edmund did see was a man who was looking fiendishly toward the women's lots, and he vowed that no matter what happened that man would not have Lucy.

Lucy had repeated Aslan's promise to Edmund over and over all the morning, and though she was still a little frightened she could not see how crying would do any of them any good. She could see that Edmund was frowning; she knew he must be feeling as powerless as she did and she did not want to make him feel worse. She knew he would want to protect them all and she knew that he could not. She breathed in deeply. If Aslan had said they would stay together she was certain that they would.

But long before they were ready the auction began, and the children's blood ran cold. Though they pretended confidence in their plan and Edmund, Lucy, and Reepicheep were certain Aslan would send rescue before long, they could not help imagining any number of terrible things which might happen while they waited.

Edmund looked down and saw Lucy cuddling two small children in her lap. She was telling them stories to keep them from watching the auction. Their eyes grew big and round when she spoke of Aslan, and he could tell that they all drew strength from her words. Eventually the children fell asleep in Lucy's lap. Quite a few of them had gathered around her by then, but the morning sun was hot and they were dropping off like flies.

Edmund kept an eye out for Eustace, but he was skulking in a corner, trying to whinge his way past a lazy guard. Edmund shook his head. When the last of the children closed his blinking eyes, Edmund made his way over to his sister. She looked up at him. There was such trust in her eyes that he felt unworthy.

"Look Lu," he began, kneeling in front of her. "I'm sure it's all going to come right, but I think we ought to talk to Aslan one more time, together."

Lucy gave him a shaky smile.

"I was just thinking the same thing."

She got up on her knees to take his hands as best she could around their ropes, and they bowed their heads. Edmund said a prayer of thanks for their safekeeping so far, and asked that the Lion would continue to keep them safe. "Even Eustace," he muttered after a nudge from Lucy, and she giggled. "And everyone here. And please, Aslan," he added, "please keep us together."

Next Lucy said something of her own, though Edmund could not make out her words. Then, as there was nothing more to do, they sat back to wait.

After a while Lucy's thoughts began to taunt her. She held to hope in Aslan fiercely, but the moment she began to let go of it a nasty fear crept inside her mind, and she wondered what might befall them once they were sold.

Finally their lot came up. The whimpers of the frightened children upset Lucy, and she bade them come and sit with her until they were dragged off one by one. This time Edmund did not try to stop her crying.

When the children around her were gone Lucy began to tremble. She felt quite selfish, but it could not be helped. She could not hold her brother's hands, but she crawled closer to him. She could hardly bear to be separated from any of the others; it had been difficult enough with Caspian, but losing Edmund was a fate she could not bear.

She knew that Reepicheep and Caspian could take care of themselves, and it seemed that they would be well taken care of in any event, but she did worry over Eustace. He was horrible, but he was still her cousin, and she felt a desperate need to look after him, for all his faults. What in the world would become of him? He still appeared to believe he was somewhere on Earth, and the way he prattled on she knew he would not be treated kindly by any master very long; even Pug had become tired of him in less than an hour. She begged Eustace to come and sit with them, but he would not. And she hardly had time to be upset about it, for the next thing she knew a guard was hauling Edmund up from the dust beside her.

She let out a keening wail; it was an almost inhuman sound which haunted everyone in the vicinity, especially her brother. The guard stopped to look at her. She reached for Edmund, and the guard slapped her across the face. Lucy fell back, chastened, but Edmund's eyes went black with fire.

Even now Lucy realized that Aslan must be with them, but the world was spiraling out of control. Lucy had never yet lost hope, but now her courage failed her. She might have been a Queen but she was also just a little girl. She screamed in agony as Edmund was yanked back; she felt as though her soul were being ripped apart.

Aslan, Aslan, she beseeched the Lion miserably, please don't let them take Edmund. Please look after the others.

Lucy's anguished scream had pierced the guard and he let go of Edmund in a temporary bout of compassion. Her brother knelt before her; his voice soothing in her ear. "Courage, Lu." He leaned down to kiss her cheek where she had been slapped. Lucy's breath came in small gasps; it hurt her that she could not hold him now. "We'll be all right," said Edmund firmly. And though he would have liked to leave her with more encouragement than that, he was promptly pulled up and dragged away.

Lucy held her peace until she was certain Edmund could not hear her; then she gave a pitiful little cry and began to sob.

Edmund was sold at once to a merchant of Calormen. He knew Reepicheep could take care of himself, and he was certain the crew of the Dawn Treader would come for them all eventually if his plan of escape came to naught, but he had made Lucy a promise and he felt it was his duty to protect Eustace.

He drew himself up to his full height (which was, regrettably, not as great as it once had been, but he made a rather imposing figure for a boy) and addressed the merchant with respect. He spoke to him after the Calormene fashion, agreeing to work for him faithfully unless he was rescued and asking him courteously to take Lucy and Eustace when they were brought up to be sold. The merchant, for his part, was amazed at Edmund's stance and trick of speech, and was actually quite pleased to take any of his relations, for he intended to show them off to all the Calormene nobility.

When Eustace was brought out Edmund turned to him. "If you please, Sir," said Edmund with some difficulty, for though his conscience bound him to protect his cousin he could not help thinking it would be nice to be rid of him for a few days, "that boy is my kinsman. If you consent to take him I would be very grateful."

The man opened his mouth to agree to this, but then Eustace opened his mouth.

Shut it, you fool, thought Edmund angrily, but Eustace only sat and sulked and yelled and made threats involving the British Consul, and Edmund's merchant and every other stared at him in disgust.

"Please?" said Edmund half-heartedly as Eustace continued his rant, but the Calormene refused.

"No," said he. "I will not have him if he is handed to me."

To Pug's dismay (and Edmund's great amusement), the sulky Eustace could not be sold or even given away, and eventually he was taken howling off the block.

Reepicheep, of course, was the delight of the entire crowd. He was fought and argued and heckled over, and was bought for a great price in the end. It made Edmund nervous to learn that the merchant who had bought him could not afford to buy the Mouse; though he was glad the man would likely have money left for Lucy, he wondered if there would be enough.

He did not have to wait long to find out. Within a few minutes it was Lucy's turn and she had evidently dried her tears. She walked bravely to the block, and Edmund (and indeed all the mob before her) thought she looked quite regal as she stood upon it, gazing out over the crowd. Edmund and Reepicheep remembered why her people had called her Valiant in her day. Lucy found her brother and met his eyes, and though she hid it well he could see a trace of fear in her face. She looked away quickly, and Edmund turned to the merchant who had bought him.

"Please, Sir," said Edmund, and to his dismay his voice held a note of desperation, "she is my sister. If you will take her and be kind to her, Sir, I will do anything you ask."

He did not like the gleam in the man's eye when he looked at Lucy, but as he nodded Edmund tried to check his anger.

"Thank you, Sir," he said, relieved. He had not failed Lucy after all!

But to Edmund's horror the Calormene was outbid. There were very few girls to be sold that day, and though Lucy was rather plain she was snapped up just as quickly as the Mouse had been. To make matters worse, the man who had bought her was the cruel-looking man Edmund had vowed would never have her.

"Aslan!" he whispered violently, fear and fury turning his vision nearly red. He knew Aslan would free them somehow, but he did not think he could bear it if Lucy was hurt before He did. Edmund caught sight of the man's hand on Lucy's arm and he struggled in his bonds. Aslan, he thought wildly, You said You would keep us together! You said no one would hurt her! You said-" But just as Edmund was about to go out of his mind with anger and confusion he was dragged to the ground by the man who had bought him.

Edmund had not heard anyone's words for the last several minutes; his eyes had been locked on his sister. Now, forced away from her, he could see that nearly everyone in the crowd had fallen to their knees. Before he had the chance to wonder about this, he heard a voice he had not been expecting.

"Your life is forfeit, Pug, for laying your hands on our royal person yesterday. But your ignorance is pardoned."

Edmund grinned in relief.

Caspian! Thank Aslan!

He looked wildly around for Lucy; she was on the ground a few yards to his left. He opened his mouth to yell to Caspian, but that King continued speaking.

"The slave trade was forbidden in all our dominions quarter of an hour ago. I declare every slave in this market free."

A riotous cheer rose up from the prisoners as they all jumped up and began congratulating one another, and Edmund was able to get away from the startled Calormene and edge through the crowd to meet Lucy. She gave a startled cry and threw her arms around him (her bonds had already been cut). The cheering died down a bit as Caspian held up his hand and went on.

"Where are my friends?"

"That dear little gel and the nice young gentleman?" answered Pug with an ingratiating smile. "Why, they were snapped up at once-"

But Lucy let go of Edmund and began jumping and waving at Caspian.

"We're here, we're here, Caspian," cried brother and sister together, and they could hear Reepicheep pipe, "At your service, Sire," from another corner.

The crowd parted and let them through, and Edmund was untied and Caspian had Pug pay off the merchants and even the sulky Eustace was reunited with his fellows, and Lucy and Edmund and Caspian and Reepicheep were gloriously happy. The party's weapons were recovered and Lucy saw that the slave children were returned to their parents (and that those who had been stolen alone would be sent back to theirs), and Edmund had the guard who had slapped his sister flogged severely.

And while Lucy hugged and kissed and shook hands with the others- even, so far as he would permit it when glared at by Caspian and Edmund, Eustace- when all this was done she wrapped her arms round her brother and cried into his shoulder, ashamed to have given in to fear. (Though she was not half so ashamed as Edmund, who could only plead Aslan's mercy for his foolish lapse in faith.) She clung to her brother, melting against him as her horrible dread washed away. He kissed her hair and held her until her gasps and hiccups faded and she could breathe properly again, and she refused to be separated from him all the rest of the day.

Edmund accepted her devotion grudgingly, but she could tell that he was not entirely displeased. And though he eventually had enough of her affection and steadfastly forbade her from sleeping in his chamber when night came upon the castle where they were humbly asked to stay, after Lucy went to bed Edmund snuck into her quarters to see that she was safe.

It appeared he had walked in upon a nightmare. He heard her cry out in her sleep, and the heartbroken wail she gave was so like the one he had heard from her in the market that he knew she was reliving the moment he'd been taken away from her.

"Oh, Lu," he whispered softly, "I'm sorry." He ran a hand across her forehead and she stilled, leaning into him. He took her hand and kissed it. "I'm so sorry I couldn't keep you with me." Tears squeezed out of his eyes, the first he had allowed himself since the nasty ordeal began.

"I tried," he murmured. "Aslan help me, I tried." Of course Lucy did not answer, but Edmund thought she understood just the same. "And I'd have come for you. You know I would have come for you, if you couldn't get away. I'd have died before I let that merchant hurt you." He pulled his sleeping sister into his lap and hummed softly to her until her breathing evened. Then he laid her in the bed and tucked the covers in around her, thanking Aslan she was safe.

He debated returning to his chamber for a moment, but in the end he could not leave Lucy, and he lay down on the floor beside her bed. And when Lucy woke to another nightmare and saw him on the floor, she slipped out of bed and snuggled up beside him, thanking Aslan He'd sent someone to look out for her.

Fin.