It was late when Edmund and Susan and the rest of their party returned to the residence. Late enough for the princes to be asleep, but to their surprise, they found Sir Threston and Stowes and Azzos and Angron gathered around the two Narnian Princes, arms crossed and disapproving expressions.

"What are you two still doing up?" Edmund asked, confused.

Why are their heads hanging? And WHAT are they doing up so late?

All eyes turned to the twins. Well, all eyes that weren't on them already.

William looked up at Sir Threston who stood arms crossed and nudged his head towards the King, urging the prince to talk.

The boy clearly did not want to, but he turned to his uncle and spoke. "Corin's gone," he peeped, avoiding eye contact.

The words made no sense. None whatsoever.

"He's gone?" Edmund said, even more confused. "What do you mean, gone?"

"As in he's not here, he's out there," William explained, barely above a whisper.

"Out there in the entrance?" Susan asked and turned her head around.

"Out in the city," William finally looked at Edmund's eyes and immediately regretted it. King Edmund did not look pleased.

"What happened?" Edmund asked more serious than the twins had ever seen him.

"We were just playing,"

"We didn't think he'd take so long,"

"We didn't want him to get into any trouble,"

"It was just a game,"

"What was?" Edmund asked, his tone growing dangerously inflamed.

"We were playing the challenge game–" Edward said.

"–and we challenged him to go outside," Will finished.

"We? It was your idea," Edward complained.

"Naha, it was yours,"

"Well, you told him to,"

"Boys," Edmund called for them to focus.

"We challenged him to go out to the market and he hasn't returned since," Will said.

Susan gasped and drew a hand to her heart.

Edmund wanted to facepalm.

I knew bringing the three of them here was just asking for trouble.

He sighed, looked away from them, took a deep breath and turned to face his nephews again.

"How long ago was this?" Edmund asked, a little calmer.

"About an hour after you left," Will said.

"An hour?!" Susan said, alarmed. "I'm going out there," 

She turned to leave, but the princes knew it was futile. 

"He must have just gotten lost," "He'll be back in no time," They said at the same time.

King Edmund raised an eyebrow at them. "But he hasn't, has he?"

He took a deep breath to steady himself. I should have never taught them that game.

"I'm going out there," Susan said once more, but Edmund caught her arm.

"No, you're not, Susan, it's late," Edmund stopped her.

"I know it is late, Edmund, that is the very reason I must search for him." Susan protested.

"And wander about in the streets of Calormen, at night and all by yourself? I think not," 

Edmund turned to look at the twins with a severity they had never faced before. "You two," Edmund said, pointing first at William and then at Edward, "are in deep trouble,"

"But–"

"No buts!" Edmund raised his voice. The princes instantly stilled. Edmund went back to speak in a regular volume, yet this calm serious anger of his scared them even more. "Not a sound from either one of you. You two will stay in your rooms and not cause any more trouble. And you four," Edmund turned to the two humans and the two tigers who had been left in charge of them, "will not let them out of your sight again,"

"But–"

"Not a sound," Edmund said sternly. "Do you not realize the trouble you've caused?" Edmund shook his head disapprovingly. "Look at your aunt," he pointed to his sister with his thumb. "Do you think she'll be getting any sleep tonight? And now we have to organize a search party and go looking for him," he huffed.

"Why not just have the Calormen guards look for him?" Will suggested.

"And have the Tirsoc know that the only heir to Archenland is lost in his city? I think not," Edmund scuffed. He'd have him killed during the night, he'd love nothing more than that. He already made the other Prince disappear, everyone knows that.

"Go to your rooms. I am very disappointed in the both of you." Edmund said. "And don't even think about going out to search for him," he added for good measure.

The twins got up, heads hanging, and left for their room. 

"Not you four," Edmund stopped the guards and they returned to face the King's wrath. "How did this happen?"

Becc Stowes wished the earth would open and swallow him up.

"They distracted us with what we now believe to have been a staged fight and fake injuries," Sir Threston answered for all of them. Not an ounce of fear in his voice.

Edmund scoffed. "Of course they did,"

The boys were young, but they were clever. At least when it came to getting their way. "Did you go look for Prince Corin?"

"We did," Nick glanced at Becc, "but no luck," he shook his head.

Edmund nodded. "Don't let them out," he looked at the direction his nephews had just exited through and dismissed the four of them with but a nod.

"That could have gone worse," Becc said once they had left the room.

Nick scoffed. "If the prince is not found, we're lost," 

"Edmund, you can't possibly expect me to sit idly here whilst Corin is out there," Susan turned to her brother. "He could be lost, or hurt, or in trouble. All alone in this enormous city, and so late. He must be found,"

"Don't worry, Sue, he will be," Edmund placed a hand on his sister's shoulder before turning to the men. 

He divided the few men that were with them into two search parties and everyone went in search for the prince. Behind stayed Susan and Mr Tumnus who, after several cups of tea, finally managed to get the Queen to stop her weeping.

It was past midnight when they returned, all tired and annoyed and, unfortunately, empty-handed.

Susan, who had stopped crying, began weeping all over again.

"We had to turn back, the Calormene guards were beginning to get suspicious. We'll go looking again tomorrow first light," Edmund said.

Susan considered asking the Calormenes for help but she stopped herself. Edmund was right, informing the Tirsoc of what had transpired was not a wise idea. She remembered how he had ordered the kidnapping of Corin's brother, prince Cor, when he was but a baby. If that was how he handled a baby, how would he handle a teenage boy? Oh, I am such a fool, Susan thought. How can I have allowed myself to forget? Cor's death is on the Tirsoc's hands and yet here I am, considering being wed to his son. And now because of my blindness and stupidity, the other prince is lost! She wept even more. 

Everyone in the room had the strong urge to console her, especially Lord Peridan who began to wonder if he had been honest about how he felt about the Queen then perhaps she wouldn't have agreed to come to Calormen and Prince Corin wouldn't have gotten lost.

Mr Tumnus got Susan another cup of tea and Edmund placed an arm around her shoulder, patting her back, and everyone stared at one another worriedly. No one liked seeing Queen Susan cry.

The Lords began discussing where Corin could have run off to.

"This city is confusing enough, perhaps he took a wrong turn," said Lord Perceval.

"And from what their highnesses said, the sun was setting right about then. That must have added to the confusion," Lord Ansoul said.

"Maybe he's outside the city walls and that's why we didn't find him," Lord Launce suggested.

"Outside the city?" Susan gasped. "There are wild animals out there,"

Peridan threw Lord Launce a look. "I'm sure he's inside the gates, your grace. He must have just got lost as Lord Perceval said, but he's smart. Prince Corin wouldn't venture outside the city walls," 

Susan nodded, wanting very much to believe he was right. 

"You need to sleep Susan, we all do if we are to wake up early and go in search of Corin," Edmund got up. "With any luck, we'll wake up to find him sleeping in his chamber with a good story to share," 

But morning came and Corin's bed remained empty. 

"Oh, Edmund, I'd go look with you, but my head hurts from all the crying," Susan said over the breakfast table. "I doubt I'd be much help," 

"Don't worry, Sue," Edmund wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up. "You stay here in case he comes back. In any case, I'm sure finding him will be much easier now that the sun has come out. He's bound to stand out,"

"Can we help?" Will asked, he and his brother standing up.

Edmund, still upset at his two nephews, wanted very much to tell the princes they had already done enough, but he could see had tortured themselves enough over the night.

"You help by taking care of your aunt," he placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "And if Corin returns, send Sallowpad to inform us,"

"We can do that," both princes replied at the same time.

"Good lads," 

"I say, we ought to start at the top," Edmund said to the Lords. "He may have walked past the house and simply can't recognize it,"

Going out to the streets of Calormen was quite the ordeal. The traffic was horrible and they required a crier to clear a path for them, which made it impossible to be discreet in their efforts, but it was better than bumping shoulders with the multitude and walking one meter a minute.

They went up the street looking for Corin hoping they'd find him resting underneath one of the few trees somewhere but there was no trace of him so they began the descent to the markets where supposedly he was headed.

As if I didn't have enough problems, Edmund complained to himself, now I have to search this cursed city for Corin. When I get my hands on him, I'm going to kill the boy. Has he no common sense?

"Make way, make way, make way!"

In what mind is going out alone a good idea? 

"Make way, make way, make way!"

Where is the boy? 

The peasants pressed themselves to the wall and Edmund examined the crowd once more.

"No trace of his goosecap highness?" Edmund turned to Peridan.

"Unfortunately for all our heads, no," Peridan replied. 

"Make way, make way, make way!"

It wasn't until the afternoon that they struck luck.

His clothes were different and he looked quite dishevelled, but there was no doubt in Edmund's mind: it was prince Corin.

"There he is! There's our runaway!" He planted a firm hand on Corin's shoulder and gave him a smack. "Shame on you, my lord! Queen Susan's eyes are red with weeping because of you. What! Missing for a whole night! Where have you been?"

Corin just stared at him blankly.

"Take one of his little lordship's hands, Peridan, of your courtesy and I'll take the other. And now, on. Our royal sister's mind will be greatly eased when she sees our young scapegrace safe in our lodging,"

"William and Edward have told us what happened, but that only explains an hour of absence. Two at most. Where have you been, eh? How did you get out?"

Silence.

"He doesn't look very good, your majesty," Lord Peridan said.

"He does not indeed. All filthy and ragged. Whatever have you done with your clothes?"

More silence.

"And barefoot. Always thinking with your feet. Where did you run off to, eh? Have you no idea of the trouble you have caused? Did you not stop to consider the consequences of your actions? Where were you?" King Edmund kept demanding. 

Corin just kept walking, silent as a tomb and with his head hanging, not at all acting like himself.

"Queen Susan is very upset. Have you nothing to say for yourself?" 

Silence. 

"What! All mum? I must plainly tell you, prince, that this hangdog silence becomes one fo your blood even less than the scape itself. To run away might pass for a boy's frolic with some spirit in it. But the king's son of Archenland should avouch his deed, not hang his head like a Calormene slave,"

Corin still didn't reply which only managed to bother Edmund even more.

"You can have all the fun you want, but I draw the line at having it at Queen Susan's expense. Your royal father will be most displeased when he hears of this. And, oh, trust me he will hear of this,"

They arrived at the house and Edmund took Corin to where he correctly assumed Susan would be, surrounded by her ladies and the twin princes.

As soon as she saw him her frown turned into a relieved smile and she rose from her place and threw her arms around him and kissed his face.

"Oh, Corin Corin, how could you? And you and I such close friends ever since your mother died. And what should I have said to your royal father if I came home without you? Would have been a cause almost of war between Archenland and Narnia which are friends time out of mind. It was naughty, boy, very naughty for you to use us so. Where have you been, Corin?" she asked, her hands still on his shoulders.

"I – I don't know," Corin stammered.

"There it is, Susan. I could get no tale out of him, true or false," complained Edmund.

"Your Majesties! Queen Susan! King Edmund! His little Highness has had a touch of the sun. Look at him! He is dazed. He does not know where he is." said Mr Tumnus.

Susan touched his forehead with the back of her hand. "Oh, my, Mr Tumnus, you are right. Why, he might even be fevered,"

Edmund felt bad about scolding him so much. Just a bit though, he had upset Susan quite a lot.

The scolding and the disapproving glances stopped and Corin was placed on a sofa and told to lie down and then one of Susan's ladies brought him an iced sherbet and Susan patted his head and told him to keep very quiet.

Edward and William rushed to his side.

"So? What happened?" Edward asked in a whisper, the hint of mischief in his eye. "It took you forever to return,"

"Did you do it?" Will asked.

"Uhm..."

"William, Edward, let his highness rest," Edmund said and gestured for them to come to him. "You can pester him with questions regarding adventure all you want once he feels better,"

The boys eyed Corin suspiciously but obeyed and went to sit next to their aunt.

"Now that we've sorted that out, Susan, what do you think?" We have been in this city fully three weeks. Have you yet settled your mind whether you will marry this Prince Rabadash, or no?" Edmund asked.

Susan shook her head. "No, brother, not for all the jewels in Tashbaan,"

Peridan wanted to laugh with relief and joy.

Edmund sighed and smiled. "Truly, sister, I should have loved you the less if you had taken him. I tell you now that at the first coming of the Tirsoc's ambassadors into Narnia to treat of this marriage, and later when the Prince was our guest at Cair Paravel, it was a wonder to me that ever you could find it in your heart to show him so much favour,"

"That was my folly, Edmund," said Susan, "of which I cry you mercy. Yet when he was with us in Narnia, truly this Prince bore himself in another fashion than he does now in Tashbaan. For I take you all to witness what marvellous feats he did in that great tournament and hastilude which our brother the High King made for him, and how meekly and courteously he consorted with us the space of seven days. But here, in his own city, he has shown another face."

"Ah!" croaked the Raven. "It is an old saying: see the bear in his own den before you judge of his conditions."

"That's very true, Sallowpad," said one of the Dwarfs. "And another is, Come, live with me and you'll know me."

"Yes," said the King. "We have now seen him for what he is: that is, a most proud, bloody, luxurious, cruel and self-pleasing tyrant."

I couldn't have said it better, though Peridan.

"Then in the name of Aslan," said Susan, "let us leave Tashbaan this very day."

Yes, let us, Peridan agreed.

"There's the rub, sister," said Edmund. "For now I must open to you all that has been growing in my mind these last two days and more. Peridan, of your courtesy, look to the door and see that there is no spy upon us,"

Peridan went, looked from left to right, and nodded to the king.

"All well? So. For now, we must be secret."

Everyone had begun to look very serious. Queen Susan jumped up and ran to her brother.

"Oh, Edmund," she cried. "What is it? There is something dreadful in your face."

"My dear sister and very good Lady," said King Edmund, "you must now show your courage. For I tell you plainly we are in no small danger."

"What is it, Edmund?" asked the Queen.

"It is this," said Edmund. "I do not think we shall find it easy to leave Tashbaan. While the Prince had hope that you would take him, we were honoured guests. But by the Lion's Mane, I think that as soon as he has your flat denial we shall be no better than prisoners."

One of the Dwarfs gave a low whistle.

"I warned your Majesties, I warned you," said Sallowpad the Raven. "Easily in but not easily out, as the lobster said in the lobster pot!"

"I have been with the Prince this morning," continued Edmund. "He is little used, more's the pity, to having his will crossed. And he is very chafed at your long delays and doubtful answers. This morning he pressed very hard to know your mind. I put it aside — meaning at the same time to diminish his hopes — with some light common jests about women's fancies, and hinted that his suit was likely to be cold. He grew angry and dangerous. There was a sort of threatening, though still veiled under a show of courtesy, in every word he spoke."

"Yes," said Tumnus. "And when I supped with the Grand Vizier last night, it was the same. He asked me how I liked Tashbaan. And I, for I could not tell him I hated every stone of it and I would not lie, told him that now, when high summer was coming on, my heart turned to the cool woods and dewy slopes of Narnia. He gave a smile that meant no good and said, 'There is nothing to hinder you from dancing there again, little goatfoot; always provided you leave us in exchange a bride for our prince.'"

"Do you mean he would make me his wife by force?" exclaimed Susan.

"That's my fear, Susan," said Edmund. "Wife or slave, which is worse."

"But how can he? Does the Tisroc think our brother the High King would suffer such an outrage?"

"Sire," said Peridan to the King. "They would not be so mad. Do they think there are no swords and spears in Narnia?"

"Alas," said Edmund. "My guess is that the Tisroc has very small fear of Narnia. We are a little land. And little lands on the borders of a great empire were always hateful to the lords of the great empire. He longs to blot them out, gobble them up. When first he suffered the Prince to come to Cair Paravel as your lover, sister, it may be that he was only seeking an occasion against us. Most likely he hopes to make one mouthful of Narnia and Archenland both."

"Let him try," said the second Dwarf. "At sea we are as big as he is. And if he assaults us by land, he has the desert to cross."

"True, friend," said Edmund. "But is the desert a sure defence? What does Sallowpad say?"

"I know that desert well," said the Raven. "For I have flown above it far and wide in my younger days" (you may be sure that Shasta pricked up his ears at this point). "And this is certain; that if the Tisroc goes by the great oasis he can never lead a great army across it into Archenland. For though they could reach the oasis by the end of their first day's march, yet the springs there would be too little for the thirst of all those soldiers and their beasts. But there is another way."

"He that would find that way," said the Raven, "must start from the Tombs of the Ancient Kings and ride north-west so that the double peak of Mount Pire is always straight ahead of him. And so, in a day's riding or a little more, he shall come to the head of a stony valley, which is so narrow that a man might be within a furlong of it a thousand times and never know that it was there. And looking down this valley he will see neither grass nor water nor anything else good. But if he rides on down it he will come to a river and can ride by that water all the way into Archenland."

"And do the Calormenes know of this western way?" asked the Queen.

"Friends, friends," said Edmund, "what is the use of all this discourse? We are not asking whether Narnia or Calormen would win if war arose between them. We are asking how to save the honour of the Queen and our own lives out of this devilish city. For though my brother, Peter the High King, defeated the Tisroc a dozen times over, yet long before that day our throats would be cut and the Queen's grace would be the wife, or more likely, the slave, of this prince."

"We have our weapons, King," said the first Dwarf. "And this is a reasonably defensible house."

"As to that," said the King, "I do not doubt that every one of us would sell our lives dearly in the gate and they would not come at the Queen but over our dead bodies. Yet we should be merely rats fighting in a trap when all's said."

"Very true," croaked the Raven. "These last stands in a house make good stories, but nothing ever came of them. After their first few repulses, the enemy always set the house on fire."

"I am the cause of all this," said Susan, bursting into tears. "Oh, if only I had never left Cair Paravel. Our last happy day was before those ambassadors came from Calormen. The Moles were planting an orchard for us... oh... oh." And she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

Lord Peridan took half a step towards her but stopped himself.

Edward and William patted her back or hair trying to comfort her.

"Courage, Su, courage," said Edmund. "Remember — but what is the matter with you, Master Tumnus?" For the Faun was holding both his horns with his hands as if he were trying to keep his head on by them and writhing to and fro as if he had a pain in his inside.

"Don't speak to me, don't speak to me," said Tumnus. "I'm thinking. I'm thinking so that I can hardly breathe. Wait, wait, do wait."

There was a moment's puzzled silence and then Mr Tumnus looked up, drew a long breath, mopped its forehead and said: "The only difficulty is how to get down to our ship — with some stores, too — without being seen and stopped."

"Yes," said a Dwarf drily. "Just as the beggar's only difficulty about riding is that he has no horse."

"Wait, wait," said Mr. Tumnus impatiently. "All we need is some pretext for going down to our ship today and taking stuff on board."

"Yes," said King Edmund doubtfully.

"Well, then," Mr Tumnus said, "how would it be if your Majesties bade the Prince to a great banquet to be held on board our own galleon, the Splendour Hyaline, tomorrow night? And let the message be worded as graciously as the Queen can contrive without pledging her honour so as to give the Prince a hope that she is weakening."

"This is very good counsel, Sire," croaked Sallowpad the Raven.

"And then," continued Tumnus excitedly, "everyone will expect us to be going down to the ship all day, making preparations for our guests. And let some of us go to the bazaars and spend every minim we have at the fruiterers and the sweetmeat sellers and the wine merchants, just as we would if we were really giving a feast. And let us order magicians and jugglers and dancing girls and flute players, all to be on board tomorrow night."

"I see, I see," said King Edmund, who now understood where Mrt Tumnus was leading up to, rubbing his hands.

"And then," said Tumnus, "we'll all be on board tonight. And as soon as it is quite dark— "

"Up sails and out oars!" said the King.

"Out to sea," cried Tumnus, leaping up and beginning to dance.

"And our nose northward," said the first Dwarf.

"Running for home! Hurrah for Narnia and the North!" said the other.

"And the Prince waking next morning and finding his birds flown!" said Peridan, clapping his hands.

"Oh Master Tumnus, dear Master Tumnus," said the Queen, catching his hands and swinging with him as he danced. "You have saved us all."

"The Prince will chase us," said Lord Perceval.

"That's the least of my fears," said Edmund. "I have seen all the shipping in the river and there's no tall ship of war nor swift galley there. I wish he may chase us! For the Splendour Hyaline could sink anything he has to send after her — if we were overtaken at all."

"Sire," said Sallowpad. "You shall hear no better plot than the Faun's though we sat in council for seven days. And now, as we birds say, nests before eggs. Which is as much as to say, let us all take our food and then at once be about our business."

Everyone arose at this and the doors were opened and the lords and the creatures stood aside for the King and Queen and the princes, who very much wanted to question Corin until he fessed up what he was up to all night but were told not to, to go out first, leaving Corin to rest.