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✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩📜The Proposal📜✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩

Charlotte's screams were muffled as the soldiers tied her up to a tree. With her legs and hands bound by ropes, she failed to move an inch.

"Hey!" Miraz's voice boomed, ceasing her screams.

"You can squirm all you want, but you've already given up your freedom," he taunted, bringing himself down to her level.

Her father's sword was in his hand. He used it to push her chin upwards to face him, provoking her in the process. She held her stern glare at him, without an ounce of fear in her eyes.

He let out a chuckle. "And you thought you saved them."

"You only delayed the inevitable. We're going to pick them off one by one," he shared with her, "until all the Narnians are extinct as they should be."

Upon hearing that, her face fell. A tear escaped her eye at the possibility that he was right.

"And you've only delayed your doom," he added, "you can prepare to join your parents once we've destroyed them."

Her limbs went numb and gave in to the tightness of the ropes around her. Her head felt heavy and dropped low, as her spirit gave in to defeat.

"My Lord," General Glozelle cleared his throat, standing a few centimetres away from them.

"They've sent out a representative, it's the one who trained Princess Charlotte," he informed, "He's coming this way, accompanied by a giant and a centaur."

The General handed him a telescope, and they walked a few metres away from Charlotte. Miraz brought the telescope up to his eye, examining the incoming trio before them. Charlotte was hidden away in the trees, but she could hear them.

"Perhaps they intend to surrender," General Glozelle suggested.

"No," Miraz lowered the telescope, "they are much too noble for that."

"Gather the council, we will hear what he has to say," he instructed, "and bring her in. I reckon he would be worried about his apprentice."

"Yes, my Lord."

He retreated to the prisoner, and knelt to her level.

"Looks like your knight in shining armour has come to pay us a visit," he suggested, giving her a sinister grin.

Edmund strolled in with the giant and centaur, gulping his fears down his throat. He hoped, so far, that the plan would work this time. He shook his nerves to calm himself down. All that was on his mind was guaranteeing her safety.

"I bring a message from High King Peter," he reported to the General who towered over him, "he has a proposal for Miraz."

"You will address him as Lord Miraz, boy."

"I have addressed many Lords in my past reign, Lords who deserve my respect." Edmund shut him up with a firm tone. "And you should beware of your tone with me, for I have ruled Narnia a thousand years before the Telmarines."

"Of course. Right this way," General Glozelle gestured, leading him to a small sheltered tent where the Council sat before him.

"Oh, and," General Glozelle turned around to face the giant and the centaur, "only the human is allowed in to speak with the Council."

The three of them exchanged glances. Edmund nodded to assure them that he was capable. The two creatures stood back in respect, while Edmund stepped forward, facing every member of the Council.

He fixated his eyes on the man seated before him, "I, King Edmund, bring a message from High King Peter."

"Carry on," Miraz gestured with a glazed look on his face.

"I, Peter, by the gift of Aslan, by election and by conquest, High King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands, in order to prevent the abominable effusion of blood, do hereby challenge the usurper Miraz to single combat upon the field of battle. The fight shall be to the death. The reward shall be total surrender, and the release of Princess Charlotte."

Upon finishing his message delivery, Edmund began rolling up the scroll. The room was silent, anticipating Miraz's opinion on the proposal.

"Tell me, Prince Edmund-" Miraz began.

"King," Edmund abruptly interrupted, still rolling up the scroll, not once meeting his eyes.

Miraz was puzzled. "Pardon me?"

Edmund met his gaze with a look of austerity, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. The audacity to call him a prince, when he had clearly stated his title as King, was absolutely unacceptable. And to think the General insisted that he addressed the tyrant as Lord.

"It's King Edmund, actually," Edmund corrected him bluntly, tucking the proposal away. "Just King though, Peter's the High King."

The whole council sat in a muddled state. The atmosphere filled with silence and uneasiness, prompting Edmund to make them feel even dafter than they already did.

"I know," he said sarcastically, "It's confusing."

Miraz sheepishly shifted the topic, "Why would we risk such a proposal, when our armies could wipe you out by nightfall?"

"Haven't you already underestimated our numbers?" Edmund questioned as his eyes darted between every member of the Council, "I mean, only a few weeks ago, Narnians were extinct."

"And so you will be again," Miraz said confidently.

"Well then, you should have little to fear," Edmund agreed with a small smile.

Miraz broke into laughter, sending the rest of the Council members into confusion, "This is not a question of bravery."

"So you're bravely refusing to fight a swordsman half your age?" Edmund suggested with a tiny smirk plastered on his face.

Miraz's face fell. The deafening silence within the group put everyone at unease. Then, he leaned forward with a serious expression.

"I didn't say I refused."

"You should have our support, your Majesty," one of the Council members spoke up, "whatever your decision."

"Sire," Sopespian piped in, "our military advantage alone provides the perfect excuse to avoid what otherwise might be-"

"I'm not avoiding anything!" Miraz insisted fiercely, standing from his seat, "If the Council thinks I am going to refuse single combat after battling Princess Charlotte, I am not!"

At the mention of Charlotte, Edmund glanced at Miraz curiously. He was pleased with what he heard, taking note of the verbal and non-verbal cues that the Council had little faith in their leader.

The silence was filled with tension as the Council members stared at Miraz, who seemed shaky and defensive.

Edmund was slightly puzzled, his eyes darting between each member of the Council. He sensed that they were somehow on his side, with the way they were playing Miraz right into Peter's trap. But he could not quite put his finger on their exact thoughts.

"I was merely pointing out that my Lord is well within his rights to refuse," Sopespian explained calmly, though his voice indicated a tint of sarcasm.

"His Majesty would never refuse," General Glozelle added supportively, "he relishes the chance to show the people the courage of their new King."

"But Princess Charlotte willingly gave up her freedom," Sopespian suggested, "why should we promise her release should Lord Miraz fail in single combat?"

"I will not fail!" Miraz roared, swinging out his sword.

Edmund frowned, recognising the patterns on the sword in his grip. He sensed a familiarity around the sword, and it was not long before it dawned on him that he, in fact, had already seen it before. The sword of King Simon. His blood boiled at the man's audacity to take the sword of a noble ancient king, especially when it should sit in the palm of its heiress.

Miraz gestured to the General, barking immediately, "bring her in!"

A pair of soldiers roughly tossed Charlotte on the ground, alerting Edmund to turn around.

"Charlotte!" He exclaimed, kneeling before her, "Are you okay?"

He immediately held her face, examining her for any sign of injuries. Hearing her muffled voice, he loosened the cloth for her to speak.

"Edmund," she began, "I'm alright."

"Silence!" Miraz commanded, "She's the reason your troops returned alive. But what you fail to see is that she belongs to us now, and we will not release her under any circumstances."

"You must be afraid then, if you're not willing to abide by King Peter's terms." Edmund suggested, standing firmly. "Otherwise, you'd accept it right away."

"I will easily defeat King Peter!" Miraz barked fiercely, banging his fist on the table. "So be it. We have a deal."

"Excellent." Edmund smirked.

"Take her away," Miraz ordered.

The soldiers pulled Charlotte as instructed, roughly shoving the cloth back to her mouth. She squirmed vigorously, sending blows to their limbs with her elbows.

"Don't handle her like that!" Edmund roared at them, "she doesn't like to be touched!"

He stood up, quickly grasping his sword. He shot a glare at Miraz, who only stared back at him, unfazed.

"She belongs to us," Miraz scoffed, "we'll handle her however we want."

Charlotte grimaced at his remark, her eyes red with fury.

"And you," Miraz pointed to Edmund with the sword, "you should hope your brother's sword is sharper than his pen."

"Because if he loses," he added, "we'll be coming for you, and I will guarantee Princess Charlotte's execution after I win."

Edmund stood still, pondering over his words. He was silent for a moment. Then, his lips subtly curled upwards. He had full faith in Peter and was relieved to see Miraz walking right into his trap. He nodded in agreement.

"Rest assured, I will relay your message to him," Edmund promised, "but before I go, allow me to spend a few minutes with the princess."

Miraz studied the two of them, his eyes shifting quickly between them. He kept a straight face, before turning to General Glozelle.

"Two minutes," he declared, "and that's all they get. Make sure they do not try anything."

The soldiers fiercely grabbed Charlotte, dragging her across the ground before tying her up against the tree.

"You heard the Lord," General Glozelle warned Edmund.

Edmund rushed to her side, immediately letting loose the cloth over her mouth.

"Edmund," Charlotte hung her head low, "I'm sorry I did what I did, I know you didn't want me to-"

"Hey," Edmund held her shoulders, gazing into her eyes dearly, "I'm proud of you."

"Y-you are?" She stammered in disbelief, trembling like a leaf.

"You scared them," Edmund smiled, "I saw them. They have absolutely no confidence in him because of you!"

"And you saved our troops!" He added, "if it weren't for you, we would have lost a lot more soldiers."

"But my father's sword," Charlotte revealed, hanging her head low with a sigh, "he wields it now."

"Listen, Charlotte," he held her cheek delicately, "you will be freed tomorrow, and you will get it back. We will make no mistake about that. You have done so much for us, and we would do the same for you. Peter will fight Miraz, and he will win for you."

"How did you know Peter's the best choice?"

Edmund glanced over his shoulder, noticing that the General was watching them closely.

"I wanted to fight," he shared, "but Peter wants to do it instead. He said he wants to protect me."

Charlotte studied his face cautiously. He seemed certain and confident of his choices. She nodded in understanding. If Edmund believed Peter ought to fight, she was willing to trust his judgment. Edmund gave her a small smile, patting her shoulder lightly.

"And he's right. Miraz planned to eliminate you first. They think you're a threat."

"Alright, two minutes have gone," General Glozelle came forward, "time for you to go."

"Edmund," Charlotte's breathing quickened as she struggled to hold him with her tied-up hands.

"Charlotte," he reached for her as General Glozelle pulled him further from her.

"It's going to be alright," he assured her, as the General pushed him, "We'll see you tomorrow."

Meanwhile, the Council was in the midst of a heated discussion, instantly catching Charlotte's attention. She heard shouting and yelling, prompting her to perk up her ears to eavesdrop on their argument.

"All the catapults we worked hard to build would have gone to waste!" One argued.

"Are you suggesting I will fail?" Miraz challenged.

"I'm merely suggesting that it is a possibility, my Lord," the Council member answered proudly, "we should at least consider the consequences."

"I agree," Sopespian agreed, "that is why we should kill the princess regardless of the outcome, and carry on with our attack."

"Spare the princess!" Another argued, "Or the Narnians will prevail!"

"Silence!" Miraz bellowed, "there is no need to discuss this. Dismissed!"

They dispersed, and Sopespian and General Glozelle stepped a few metres away from Lord Miraz. Charlotte narrowed her eyes at them. They were too far out of her hearing range. Nevertheless, she was able to pick out certain words that they murmured softly between them.

"If he fails, we'll kill him..."

"And the attack will proceed."

Charlotte's eyes widened. Whoever him was, she was filled with anxiety for the boys' safety.

*****A/N: I'm sorry for a whole month away from this story 😭

But we're down to the last 8 chapters and I'm feeling really confident about the direction that this is going. I hope that you feel the same way reading this book! Nevertheless, feedback is always welcomed and feel free to vote and comment on this chapter! ❤️