Author: Sam

Story: The Butterfly Effect: 4 of 7

Series: One Little Change

Characters Intro'd: Lord Bern

As Caspian learned his new, grossly easy chores, and Reepicheep bargained as he might for freedoms and friends, those self-same friends were finding themselves in a whole different sort of situation.

Having noticed the sale of two of Pug’s slaves, others approached the slaver in curiosity. Many a Lone Islander knew Killian and Lord Bern despised slavery, and so Killian’s purchase of two slaves drew intense curiosity. If it had been Lord Bern, the first man to have seen the group and spoken, who had stopped and made a purchase, things would have been much different. No one doubted the Narnian Lord would buy a slave to free it. But it was well known that Killian, a common man from Archenland, had little money to spare, no matter his good standing with the kind Lord Bern. Something must be overly tempting in this batch to make even the stubborn Killian break his own codes… and budget.

As the crowd approached, Pug grew slightly alarmed. Raising his hands, he shook his head and called, “Now, now, folks. Market day ain’t until tomorrow. You may have a peek now if’n you like, and come to Narrowhaven for the selling.”

Eustace, also, spoke up, but what he said pleased Pug even less than the crowd. “I say, does anyone know where I can find the British Counsel? I’ve been kidnapped against my will.”

“Here now, none of that!” Pug rolled his eyes towards the people in alarm. “Cheeky blighter, lots of spirit. Never know what he might say next for the entertainment of it, see?” He could see a slight frown on one particular face before him and paled.

With a shake of his head, Eustace hurried on, though Edmund hissed at him to “Shut up, you idiot!”

“I’ve been kidnapped and demand my rights as a free British citizen! He’s already sold off one of my companions,” Eustace hardly considered that Mouse a companion, so conveniently forgot to mention Reepicheep, “and he’ll sell us all.”

“Well, it’s his right, isn’t it?” One of the women asked. “You’re slaves not Lone Islanders. You’re brought her to send on to Calormen and such. What’s it to us if you foreigners can’t keep yourselves out of trouble?”

“Need looking after proper, your sort do,” called a man in the back.

Lucy sobbed, “Oh, this is simply dreadful. Why did I want to walk here so badly?”

Edmund nodded grimly, but he’d made a rather risky choice. It was Caspian’s direct orders not to reveal who he was, but that didn’t extend to what he was. Thus, the thirteen-year-old called out, “We are free Narnians, like you. Have you forgotten Narnia?”

Silence fell over the crowd and they looked at each other in fear and wonder. Pug looked first ashen then thunderous, roaring in his defence, “Now don’t go starting tales, boy! None of that…”

But he didn’t get to finish. A light-haired man with a beard strode forward and clamped a hand directly on Pug’s shoulder, effectively silencing the slaver. His stern look made the slaver shrink before he turned it on the tied threesome. “Go on, boy.”

Edmund straightened his shoulders and clearly spoke to the man and the watching crowd. “We were sailing from Narnia on a journey to find the missing seven Narnian Lords, Sir, and stopped to stretch our legs. Our fellows continued on to port.” He wisely did not mention just how few his fellows were. “We were offered hospitality by these men and our trust was abused when they turned on us and tied us. Already two,” and here he shot a look at his cousin who did not look the least bit as if he repented, “have been sold and he means to separate and sell the rest of us.” He took a steadying breath. “Please, good sir, we ask, as Narnians like the Lone Islanders, for intervention on our behalf.”

“Bring it to the Gov’ner!” shouted the same man from the back. “Gumpus’ll do what’s right. He’ll decide if the boy’s a slave or not.”

A woman shook her head in derision. “Fool; you can’t see him without an appointment. What’ll we do until we get one, let the boy go on the trust he’ll come back if he’s lied?”

That raised sarcastic laughter, but it cut off quickly by the words of the bearded man. “Well, Pug, we do have a dilemma. Everyone knows the King of Narnia rules the Lone Islands through his Sufficiency; and everyone,” here he glanced round at the crowd, “knows how loyal Gumpus is to Narnia. Even you wouldn’t dare sell a Narnian on the market, Pug. It’d be your hide if it got back to the Governor… or the King.”

Pug nearly whined as he tried to defend himself and his right to his newly captured stock. “But, My Lord, if I were to release every slave what comes up with such a tale, I’d be out of business. You tell me; how am I supposed to know the truth of this boy’s words? Why would a boy be sent to find the seven great Lords, any how? A boy claiming to know the King of Narnia?” Pug scoffed openly, sensing that some of the crowd were swaying towards his side.

“A King may send anyone he desires on any quest he commands, Pug.” The man stepped that much closer to the dark slaver, who cowed ever so slightly before his wrath. “You forget that I served a King of Narnia before settling here. Do you doubt I, as a boy, did know King Caspian the Ninth? Untie these three and go do your foul trade elsewhere. I will take them to Gumpus myself!”

The crowd, having been reminded of just who they were dealing with, even if the three young captives still did not know, suddenly started shouting for Pug to let the children into the Lord’s care. If he were to ever again call himself an “honest” slaver, Pug would do best to follow their suggestion. Fortunately, for Pug and the children, he did just that, grumbling the while.

He didn’t precisely untie them, actually, but did order that the ropes be handed over. Then, watching sulkily as his prizes were gathered together by the interfering Lord, he tried one last time to defend himself. “Aye, and when you see his Sufficiency and he clears my name, Your Lordship, you’ll be returning those children or paying for them out of your own pocket. I’ll not be cheated a fare wage for a fare stock, no matter the lies this boy tells to trick you.”

“We shall see, Pug,” was the man’s only reply, and he, in turn, immediately untied the three children and gestured them to move with him out of the excited crowd. The Lone Islands was normally such a quiet place that anything could excite the people, and this scene had been far more than an ordinary “anything”.