(Note: a tree is a unit of currency used in Narnia.)

The movement of leaves, the creaking of wood, the stomping of hooves and the clanking of armour was all Henry could hear as he –along with everyone else– waited for Imira to return with news.

As the minutes ticked by the relative silence of the morning was soon filled with quiet conversations. Wagers on the outcome were placed and theories as to what was taking so long were discussed.

"They are negotiating the surrender,"

"They are setting the date for battle,"

"They are waiting for the other to yield,"

Speculating was all there was to do. That and sweating. 

The sun was rising and with, it the temperature. If the parlay didn't hurry, the summer warmth would become unbearable.

"Ten trees say they surrender," Alcibe turned to Henry, her horse stomping its hooves.

"Alcibe, do you think I was born yesterday?" Henry replied, faking offense. 

The blonde laughed. "Never said that,"

Henry smiled.

"They're coming," Eurybe announced and her sister and Lord Henry turned their attention back to the field. She tried to decipher the outcome by Imira's face, but it revealed nothing.

"Still wanna make that bet?" Henry questioned Alcibe.

The woman said nothing.

Everyone straightened themselves and all conversations stopped before the Queen pulled to a halt.

She looked at them, concern, anxiety and uncertainty on their faces. Even Henry looked doubtful.

She took a deep breath and sat even straighter.

"They have surrendered," she announced, allowing herself a smile.

The battlelines exploded with cheers loud enough for the Ettins to hear.

"I never doubted it," Henry smiled.

I did, Imira thought. She was confident in her forces and the little speech they had come up with the previous day, but, gods, Ettins were unpredictable. One wrong word, one misinterpreted sentence and they could have you flying across the field with a flick of their hand. As confident as Imira was, she did not enjoy the uncertainty.

"Unlike some," Henry added, eyeing Alcibe.

"I did not," Alcibe said, mildly outraged.

Henry smirked.

"What follows? Eurybe asked, ignoring her sister and Henry. 

"I gave them until tomorrow to leave," Imira sighed, glancing at the Ettins before turning her horse south. "Double the guard tonight. They have surrendered, but I do not put it beneath them to break their word," 

Imira did not sleep that night. With every little noise –whether it be a soldier walking by, the nickering of a horse, or the hoot of an owl– she jolted awake, reaching for the dagger she kept under her pillow, waiting the Ettins to attack at any minute. 

Meanwhile in Calormen... 

Lord Peridan did NOT understand what they were doing in Tashbaan. I mean, he understood why they were there, he just didn't comprehend why they were there.

Did Queen Susan truly wish to live in this slave-owning patriarchal society as the wife of Prince Rabadash– a man not only proud and vain, but cruel, arrogant and bloodthirsty? Or was she so blinded by the power and wealth the match offered she did not see all his faults?

This Peridan pondered, leaning against a pillar in the little yard outside the house they had been residing in for the past three weeks, whilst waiting with the rest of the nobility for King Edmund and Queen Susan to arrive.

The echo of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up to see King Edmund followed by three smaller figures.

"Where are you going, King Edmund?" Prince Corin asked.

"May we go with you?" Prince William inquired.

"We're bored," Edward added.

"It's no fun in here," Corin said.

"Can we come?" William added.

Peridan smiled to himself. Wherever those three went, trouble followed. There was no way King Edmund was letting them accompany them to the Calormen court. Not after last time. 

"Sure," Edmund said and turned to face the three troubles, "If you are up to spending time with our most esteemed host, hearing some Calormen poetry, and refraining from running, shouting, fighting, punching, making snarky remarks and any other form of mischief, you may come," 

The three princes looked at one another. This appealed to neither one of them, in fact, it sounded like the complete opposite of fun.

Peridan and Mr Tumnus exchanged knowing looks. There was absolutely no way the princes would wish to accompany them. 

"Oh, and dancing. There may be some dancing involved. Did I mention that there will be dancing?"

"Uh..." William and Edward looked at each other with unease.

Peridan rubbed his nose in an attempt to disguise his chuckling. 

"Or, you could just stay here with Stowes and Threston," Edmund offered. "I'm sure you can come up with something to keep you entertained,"

There's a vase by the window that remains unbroken, Peridan thought.

"I guess staying doesn't sound that bad," Corin said just as Queen Susan was exiting the house.

"Alright, I'm ready. Shall we get going?" Susan's voice pulled him back to reality. 

Peridan pushed himself off the pillar, straighten himself up, and turned towards her voice. 

Wow, he thought. She looked as pretty as every day, she hadn't made any particular effort to look better for that night, but Peridan hadn't seen her in over two hours and every time time passed and he saw her again, she didn't fail in taking his breath away. 

He tried not fancying her, he tried getting used to the idea of her not returning with them to Narnia, of never seeing her again, but try as he may, he still fancied her. Some days he almost convinced himself he didn't, but then she'd laugh or share a joke with him or just breathe and it was goodbye progress, hello love. 

She's not mine to love, he reminded himself and looked away form her face. 

"Yes," Edmund replied and turned to the three Princes.

Oh, but it simply makes no sense, Peridan thought, Queen Susan is nothing like Prince Rabadash. In fact, they are complete opposites. She's gentle, gracious, considerate, and smart, whilst he... he is an arse. A pompous, goat-bearded, conceited–

"Peridan, you coming?" Edmund asked, already at the door.

Peridan blinked. "Yes," he replied, half-aware of what the King had just said –something about the Princes not leaving the house– and went out. 

Prince Will sighed as his aunt and uncle and the rest of the nobility exited the residence. "Maybe we should have stayed in Anvard," he kicked a leaf out of his way. "This place is boring,"

"Yeah, there's nothing to do in here," Edward agreed. 

"Whose idea was it to come?" Will asked, eyeing Corin. 

The idea had been Corin's, of course, so he felt somewhat responsible for finding something fun for them all to do. He had promised his friends a good time in Calormen and so far, he hadn't fully lived up to his word. The Narnian princes were younger than him, only by a few years, but young enough for them to have more restrictions than him on what they were and weren't allowed to do (at least in a foreign country).

"I've got it!" Corin exclaimed, thinking of what in that moment felt like a brilliant idea. "Let's play the challenge game,"

What is the challenge game, you might ask? Pretty much truth or dare minus the truth part. So, yeah, just dares. 

They drew names to see who would challenge who and the game began.

It was decided they would go from left to right and, since the game was Corin's idea, he would go first. He had pulled out Edward's name and thought of something mild to begin the game.

"Hmm, Edward, I challenge you to... drink water from the yard fountain," Corin smiled.

"But I saw a bird bathe in there earlier!" Edward protested.

"I know," Corin smiled. 

Will laughed. 

Edward whined and made a face, but went to take a drink. As far as challenges went, this one wasn't so bad.

"Yuck," he exclaimed as his brother and Corin laughed.

"Alright, my turn," Edward said, somewhat grumpy and then looked around for something unpleasant to challenge Corin into doing.

"Corin, I challenge you to–"

"Na-ah, I've got Corin," William protested, "you've got me,"

Edward grunted. "Alright, then I challenge you to... eat a leaf from that tree," Edward said.

"Eat a leaf? That's easy," Will went and plucked out a leaf and put it in his mouth and began chewing. Half a minute later, he swallowed it.

"Tastes like green," he shrugged, and Edward began thinking of his next challenge. "Okay, now it's my turn. Corin, I challenge you to stay on one foot for the rest of the game,"

"That's easy," Corin said and lifted his right foot and leaned on a pillar.

"Without leaning on anything!" Will added.

"Fine," Corin let go. "My turn again. Edward, I challenge you to wear King Edmund's shoes for the rest of the night,"

"That's easy," Edward said and they all went inside for Edward to put on his uncle's shoes. He couldn't walk more than three steps without stumbling, the boots were huge!

Corin kept snickering every time this happened.

The game continued for another two rounds that involved licking the wall, kissing a horse's behind, cutting a strand of hair, and doing a handstand.

"My turn now," Corin said, commencing the fourth round. "I hear we are dining fish," a mischievous smile grew on him. "Edward, I challenge you to eat a fish's eye,"

"Ugh!" Will exclaimed in a laugh and Edward's stomach sank. But he had already cut a strand of his own hair, there was no way he was loosing now. He put on his brave face and marched down to the kitchen. Will and Corin ran after him. Or rather Will ran and Corin hopped. 

"You're eating the eye? That's disgusting," Will commented with a gleeful smile as they followed Edward down the service stairs.

"Hey, Corin, do you think the inside's solid or squishy?" Will asked, just to mess with his brother.

"I bet it's slimy," Corin replied, carefully hopping down the stairs. "Smelly and slimy and full of fishy goo,"

Edward gulped, a feeling of nausea forming in the back of his throat.

They reach the kitchen and indeed, a fish was being prepared.

Corin asked the cook to serve him the eye on a plate whilst Will kept telling his brother just how disgusting the experience was going to be.

"Here it comes," Corin turned around but a minute later with the eye served on a silver platter and a huge grin on his face. "And don't worry, it's well-cooked," he placed it down on a table. "The cook made sure to get all the muscles underneath while he was scooping it out for that extra fishy texture and flavour,"

"Ugh, that's gross!" Will laughed and Edward gulped once more, nausea overcoming him. The next time they played the challenge game, he was for sure making Corin eat an eye.

"Can I at least get some water?" Edward asked.

Will served him a cup.

"Time for dinner," Corin smiled.

Will sat down on the table and his brother placed both hands on his shoulders.

"Come on, Ed, you can do this," Will encouraged him. "Just picture a grape. A smelly grape that's looking at you," he laughed.

Well, at least Edward now knew what he was challenging his brother to do next.

"Eat the eye," Corin said.

"Eat the eye," Will joined.

"Eat the eye!" the two princes chanted with anticipation.

Edward looked at the eye. It was staring back at him and did not look appetizing. At all.

"Eat the eye, eat the eye," the chanting continued.

Before he could back down or cry, Edward picked it up with a spoon and drove it into his mouth.

It felt warm and slimy and completely wrong. His face showed it, it was not a pleasant experience. But before he could vomit, he picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and swallowed down the eye.

"Ugh!" Corin and Will said at the same time.

"That's revolting!" Will said.

"Oh, dear gods, I'm going to vomit," Corin added and made it as if he was about to puke.

Will laughed. "You're gonna grow gills!" 

Edward chugged down the rest of his water and decided the experience itself wasn't as bad as he had expected. With all the water he drank, he barely got a taste of the eye. Still, it was not something he planned on doing ever again.

Corin and Will kept laughing and making gross sounds. I'll show them, Edward thought and placed both hands loudly on the wooden table and got up.

"Well, I did it and now it's my turn. Will, I challenge you to eat the other eye," he said smugly.

"O-hohohoho!" Corin began laughing , almost loosing his balance, and Will gasped in shock.

"Fine," he said with a bit of spite and went to talk to the cook.

As the eye was being prepared, Edward told his brother just how disgusting of an experience it was.

"... and when you bite into it, this disgusting sticky goo comes out," 

Will began regretting bothering his brother so much during his challenge. Suddenly the idea of Calormen poetry and dinning with Prince Rabadash didn't sound so awful.

I bet they won't be served eyes, he thought. But he didn't like losing, so when Corin hopped back with the eye, Will ate it. 

However Will made a mistake his brother had not done, he chewed it.

"Ugh!" Edward and Corin exclaimed.

The eye made a popping sound as Will bit into it and all the juiciness leaked out.

"Ugh, it's gooey," Will narrated the experience and kept chewing. "It's stuck in my tooth," he grimaced.

Corin and Edward laughed.

Once he got it unstuck, Will picked up the jar and chugged the eye down with water.

"Ugh," Corin laughed, but he didn't laugh for long, for Will stood up and challenged him to do the same.

"Ha!" Corin exclaimed and pointed at Will. "There aren't any more, you two ate the only pair and now I can't be challenged to do that. You'll just have to find something else for me to do," he smiled, thinking he had escaped, but Edward and Will were not having it. If they had to eat a fish's eye, Corin had to eat a fish's eye.

"Oh, I've got it!" Edward exclaimed and whispered in his brother's ear.

"Oh yeah," Will nodded approvingly and smirked at Corin.

"I challenge you," Will said with all the smugness of someone who knows he's just outsmarted someone, "to sneak out, go to the market, buy a fish and then eat its eye,"

Corin's eyes almost doubled in size. "But King Edmund and Queen Susan said–"

"What's that, Ed? Is he backing down?"

"I think he is Will. Afraid of breaking the rules,"

"Does that mean we've won?" Will smirked at Corin, confident he would either back down and loose, or and eat the fish's eye. Either way, he and Will would be pleased.

Corin was not one to back down from a challenge either, even if meant breaking the rules King Edmund and Queen Susan had laid. 

"Can I walk in my two feet, or do I have to hop all the way there?" Corin asked. 

"Nah, you can walk," Will said. 

"Then challenge accepted," Corin agreed, and the three of them went upstairs to plan a way for Corin to sneak out of the house.