♘

         DOROTHY HELD TIGHTLY on her dagger as she, her siblings and cousin, and Caspian looked around an abandoned area. It was strange to her that there wasn't a person in sight, which had her wondering where the people were.

"Yeah, looks like nobody's in, so do you think we should head back?"

As Eustace rushed over towards the others, they turned around to face him with mixed expressions. Dorothy was getting quite annoyed with her cousin, and she could the others were feeling the same way, judging by the look that Edmund was giving the younger boy.

"Do you want to come here and guard... something?" he trailed, glancing at the other three behind him as he figured out what to say.

"Ah, yes!" Eustace agreed as he rushed towards them. "Good idea, cousin. Very, um... logical."

Once Eustace was in front of them, Caspian took out a dagger, handing it over to the boy with hesitation. Eustace stared at it with wide eyes before grasping it in his hands.

"I've got it. I've got it. Don't worry."

Dorothy, Lucy, Edmund, and Caspian all turned to look at the boy apprehensively as he turned away from them. With one last glance at each other, they soon entered the building. 

Once entering, Caspian held up his crossbow as they looked around. Large bells were hanging from ropes and statues of Kings were displayed. Dorothy felt a chill run up her spine as she looked around before hearing the voice of her cousin.

"Um, I'm ready to go when you are."

Ignoring the young boy, the others continued to look around before noticing a podium in the middle of the room. Edmund shined his torch over the book that was placed on top. Dorothy trailed her finger over the names and dates that were written in the book, some of them being crossed off.

"Who are all these people?" Lucy questioned in confusion.

"Why have they been crossed out?" Edmund adds on with furrowed eyebrows.

Dorothy continued to look over the names as she, too, was confused. "It looks like some kind of fee," she says in a quiet voice.

"Slave traders," Caspian realized, causing the siblings to look towards him in shock. 

Suddenly, a loud bell rang through, followed by battle cries.  The kings and queens looked up in shock as men had slid down the ropes of the bells, surrounding them.

"Look out!"

Caspian had held up his crossbow, aiming at the first man he had seen before shooting him. Dorothy had gotten her sword out, fighting off against the men with Lucy and Edmund doing the same. Everyone was grunting as they fought with one another, neither one giving up.

Suddenly, the fighting came to a stop when a loud, girlish scream was heard and they all turned around to the source. Eustace was being held captive by an older man who had Caspian's dagger against the whimpering boy's neck.

"Unless you want to hear this one squeal like a girl again," the man had begun as he made Eustace walk forward, "I'd say you should drop your weapons."

"Like a girl?!"

"Now!"

With a glare, Dorothy reluctantly dropped her sword to the ground, followed by Lucy, Edmund, and Caspian, who were also glaring at the man, though Edmund was glaring at Eustace as well.

"Eustace," he spoke with his teeth clenched together. 

"Put them in irons," the man holding Eustace demanded.

Following his orders, the other men did as they were told. The slave trader holding Eustace lowered his dagger and grabbed him by the ear, pulling him forward.

"Get your hands off me!" Lucy demanded, struggling against the men who grabbed onto her.

"Let's take these three to the market," the slave trader says, gesturing to Lucy, Dorothy, and Eustace.

"No! Let go of me, you dirty pigs!" Dorothy cried as she, too, struggled to get out of the men's hold. 

"Send those two to the dungeons."

"Listen to me, you insolent fool!" Caspian exclaimed to the man through gritted teeth. "I AM YOUR KING!"

Dorothy managed to get free and tried to run but was soon grabbed by another man, squealing in pain as she was slapped on the cheek.

"Dorothy!/You're going to pay for that!" Dorothy heard Lucy and Edmund cry out.

"Someone else is going to pay," another man walked over, smirking at the kings and queens. "For all of you."

"No! Edmund!" Lucy and Dorothy shouted as the men pulled them away from their brother. "Edmund!"

"Lucy! Dorothy!" 

"No! Let us go! Edmund!"

♘

Dorothy sat between her cousin and sister, all three of them in chains, along with others, whom she assumed were slave traders. She struggled against her chains, but it was no use and she gave up trying. The sound of screaming and trotting hooves caught her attention, followed by a woman's voice.

"No!"

"Mummy!"

Dorothy shared a concerned and frightened look with her sister, both watching a young man and his daughter chasing after a carriage of people. The woman who shouted towards the man and young girl chasing after them held out to her husband, who was trying to grab his wife.

"Mummy!"

"Get back!"

"No!"

The man was pulled off by another man, who threw him onto the ground, causing Eustace to jump in surprise. Dorothy watched in sadness as the little girl continued to shout for her mother.

"Mummy!"

"Stay with Daddy!" The woman shouted to her daughter, who kneeled beside her father. 

"Don't worry!" the father shouted towards his wife. "I'll find you!"

"Mummy!"

The carriage soon stopped by the deck, as the people were placed into a boat. The boat was then rowed into the middle of the sea just as a green mist appeared around them, causing them to disappear. Dorothy leaned her head onto her older sister's shoulder, stunned by what they had witnessed, as well as feeling sorry for the little girl and her father, who lost a mother and wife. 

♘

"I bid 60!"

"I bid 80!"

"100 for the little ladies!"

"120!"

"150!"

"Any more bids?"

Dorothy watched as men called out bids for her and Lucy, as they were both placed on the platform with the other men who kidnapped the younger three children. She felt disgusted as a man placed a 'sold' sign around Lucy's neck, another one going around her neck. She just hoped that Edmund and Caspian were okay, wherever they were, and help would come soon.

"Sold!"

The sisters squealed as they were grabbed by the man who bought them. Soon, Eustace was brought onto the platform.

"And, now, for this fine specimen, "who'll kick off the bidding?" the man announced, shoving the boy. No one said anything. "Come on, now. He may not look like much, but, uh, he's strong."

"Yeah, he's strong all right," a man from the crowd scoffed. "Smells like the rear end of a Minotaur."

The crowd began to snicker at the man's remark. Dorothy almost felt bad for her cousin, but was glad at the same time, knowing no one would bother to buy her cousin off. However, Eustace didn't appreciate the insult.

"That is an outrageous lie!" the boy exclaimed with distaste. "I won the school hygiene award, two years running."

The men continued to laugh as Dorothy shared an eye-roll with Lucy.

"Come on, someone make the bid!"

"I'll take them off your hands," someone says, causing Dorothy to look in their direction, knowing the voice sounded familiar. To her delight, the hood was taken down, revealing Drinian and Reepicheep, the mouse perched on his shoulder. "I'll take them all off your hands! For Narnia!"

"For Narnia!"

Soon, more crew members revealed themselves as they began fighting off the men. Swords were clashing against each other as the fight continued. Reepicheep went over to the sisters, releasing their chains.

"Thanks, Reep," Dorothy smiled, rubbing her wrists.

"We knew you'd come," Lucy added her gratitude.

"Your Highnesses!"

Soon, Reepicheep, Lucy, and Dorothy joined the battle, working together as they fought off the men. Dorothy and Lucy fought back to back, punching those who tried to fight them. Soon enough, the battle was over, and the sisters ran off to find their older brother, spotting him with Caspian.

"Edmund!"

Edmund and Caspian turned to see Lucy and Dorothy running their way. Edmund immediately ran forward, both gathering his sisters in a hug.

"Girls!" the older brother sighed in relief. "I'm so glad you two are alright. Where's Eustace?"

"We don't know," Dorothy replied as they broke apart from the hug. "He must've run back to the boats during the battle."

"Well, whatever the case is with him, we're just glad you both are okay," Caspian stated, sharing a hug with the girls as well. "Come, now. We must head out."

♘

Author's note !

Because I also missed Dorothy, I figured it was time to get this story back in progress and finally get it done! It's been almost two or three years since I've worked on the story! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I apologize if it's short, but hey, at least it's something, right?