This one shot is dedicated to the lovely AquilaTempestas, my longest, most loyal friend on FFN. We have been chatting and writing together for over five years now, and I just wanted to say a big big thank you for her unwavering support and friendship these past few years.
"I'm beginning to hate all this snow," Steph muttered, hugging her sister's cloak more tightly around her shoulders. Snow was all well and good, she decided, when you had Susan, Rebecca and Lucy to build snowmen with and Edmund and Peter to throw snowballs at, but when you had to trudge through mile after mile of it in wet boots and cold feet it wasn't much fun at all.
She didn't have the worst of it though – her small group of personal guards was comprised of three fauns, two satyrs and a centaur, all of whom were having a hard time trying to keep their hooves from sliding out from under them. It was only the beginning of winter and the ground was still quite warm, turning the layer of snow that had fallen the night before to slush under their feet, making it difficult and unpleasant to walk through.
"Not far to go now, my Queen," Xati told me, and Steph knew she was as eager to get out of this forest as she was. On four hooves, she was having twice as much trouble with the slush as the Fauns and Satyrs. Xati was the only Centaur in Steph's personal guard. She was a fine mare with golden skin and fair hair. Just recently, Edmund had promoted her to Captain and placed her in charge of Steph's guard.
Their party was travelling through the Western Wood on their way back to Beaversdam, a small community that had established itself around the dam after the Battle of Beruna. Susan was waiting for them there with Mr and Mrs Beaver in their little house that Mr Beaver had built, but was forever making additions to – additions that recently included a nursery for their three newborn kits.
Three years had passed since Stephanie Pevensie, her younger sister Rebecca and their four cousins, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy had stumbled through the Wardrobe in Spare Oom and into Narnia. In three years, Steph had grown from a shy thirteen-year-old into a knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion, a Grand Duchess of Galma, a Lady of Cair Paravel and a Narnian Queen.
Even though it had been three winters since they had overthrown the White Witch, travelling through Narnia's Western Marches was still perilous. Remnants of her Army still held parts of Narnia's Western and Northern Marches, domain that by Aslan's decree belonged to King Edmund and King Peter.
In the three years since their coronation, Peter and Edmund had worked tirelessly to secure Narnia's borders. Because of the danger in the west, most of the three Queens' duties had consisted of renegotiating treaties with colonies in the Lone Islands and surrounding islands, areas that had once been a part of Narnia's territory, but had separated during the Hundred-Year-Winter.
Given the situation out west, Peter had been reluctant to send her to settle a trade dispute that had cropped up in the Lantern Waste between the Fauns and Red Dwarves, but as Edmund, their Just King, was away in the south negotiating with the Archenlanders, and Peter himself was tied down with preparations to go to battle in the North, he'd had no choice but to send his oldest sister and cousin in his place, with a dozen personal guards for each of them. Becky had pleaded with Peter to let her go along as well but since she was still recovering from an early winter cold Peter hadn't agreed.
So Steph and Susan had set out to the Western Marches, and Susan had remained with the Beavers to help Mrs Beaver set up the nursery. "Take care," Susan had told her. "I'll make sure Mrs Beaver has lots of hot cocoa waiting for you when you get back."
Steph was just imagining that nice hot cup of cocoa Mrs Beaver would have waiting for her when they arrived when her feet slipped out from under her and she fell, landing face first in the snow with a muffled cry. A moment later she was surrounded by half a dozen worried Fauns and Satyrs and a very tall Centaur.
"Your Majesty?" the Centaur enquired, concerned.
"'m all right," Steph said, sitting back on her heels and brushing the snow off her nose with her sleeve. Two of her guard, a Faun by the name of Pern, and a Satyr, Erwin, moved to help her but she held up a hand, motioning for them to move back.
"If you fell down by yourself, you can get back up by yourself," Oreius had told her repeatedly during their sessions on the training grounds.
The snow was icy and when she tried to plant her feet they slipped and she landed on her backside. With a curse, she tried again to no avail. She struggled for about a minute, then huffed and crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at Xati. "Okay, I'm stuck," she admitted.
With a bemused smile, Xati reached down, plucked her from the snow and set her on her feet. Steph brushed the icy snow from her clothes and hands.
"Thanks," she muttered, all at once feeling glad Susan was back at Beaversdam. Susan was a lovely cousin and Steph adored her Gentle Queen, but she was very practical and at times a little too concerned with physical comforts. Becky and Edmund would have laughed at Steph for doing something so stupid as falling face first in the snow, but Susan would have worried about her catching a chill and fussed over her all the way back to the Cair.
As it was, Susan was likely to fuss - the dispute had taken longer to settle that Steph had initially thought it would and they were making their way back to the Dam much later than anticipated. At this rate, it would be far closer to dinner than lunch by the time they arrived at the Beavers.
"Shall we take a pause, my Queen?" Xati suggested. "We have travelled far today."
Steph shook her head, shivering in the cold and glad that her sister's cloak never seemed to get wet. The red cloak had been gifted to Becky by Father Christmas on their first day in Narnia and Becky had made a habit of lending it to her older sister whenever they were apart.
Steph gathered the cloak around her, welcoming its warmth and kicking the snow off her boots. When she was ready to continue, she nodded to her captain. "Lead on Xati," she instructed. The Centaur pursed her lips in concern but waved the troop on and Steph fell into step beside Pern.
"I shall be more than glad to see the Cair and be out of this horrid snow," she said with a sniffle and causing Pern to chuckle good-naturedly. He was younger than the other fauns in her guard, having only been appointed by High King Peter specifically for this mission.
"Your family will be glad to have you home, My Lady. I'm afraid King Peter does worry an awful lot whenever you or King Edmund are out of his sight."
That was Peter, Steph thought, suppressing a grin. Her older cousin had certainly earned himself a reputation as a worrywart when it came to his family, much to the amusement of a certain Black Dwarf clan at the Blue River Smithy.
"It's what older brother's do, I suppose," Susan had explained to her, shortly after their coronation
It wasn't as though Peter didn't have good reason to worry, Steph reminded herself.
Before they had become Narnian kings and queens they had been little more than frightened children caught up in a war – a war that shook the very foundations of their world and drove their families apart. Peter had done his best to care for his family in their father's absence, often with disastrous results where Edmund concerned and disapproval from Susan.
Their time in Narnia however, the struggles and trials they faced there, had worked to strengthen their bond as a family. Family in Narnia was considered of much greater importance than it was in that other place.
"Do you have family back at the Cair, Pern?" she asked.
The faun nodded his head and offered her a smile. "Your Majesty, I have four beautiful sisters, two older and two younger than I. I am the only son, and since my father passed I have cared for them all.
He spoke with a sense of pride and admiration in his voice, and Steph thought he reminded her of Peter. "I'm sure they all love your dearly," she told him.
"Aye, Your Majesty," he agreed. "And I love them twice as much," he told her, sounding all the more like Peter.
"Tell me about them," Steph insisted. The faun obliged and began to describe each of his sisters in turn. The conversation was a welcome distraction from the cold and the snow as they trekked the final miles back to Beaversdam.
Hours later, they entered a clearing in the wood known as the Allies Enclave, named for the half a dozen Talking Beasts that had been turned to stone by the White Witch and then restored by Aslan during the Hundred Year Winter.
"And my fourth sister, she has skin as fair as yours, Majesty, and almost as beautiful," Pern was saying. "She is kind and sweet as an apple in spring."
"Is she an apple tree dryad, then?" Steph asked with a grin.
Pern smiled. "Yes, Majetsy…."
He fell silent, his hand falling to the hilt of his sword. Motioning for her to be quiet, he listened. The rest of her guard were only meters ahead and they too seemed to sense the disturbance. Steph heard and saw nothing but she knew better than to second guess her guard – Fauns and Satyrs, being part beasts themselves, had far more acute senses than any human child could hope to possess.
"Your Majesty," Erwin said. "The trees warn of creatures approaching us from the west – Fell Beasts, judging by the description, although the trees are unsure as to what species they are exactly."
Steph drew in a breath, dropping her hand to her sword. Fell Beasts in the Western Wood? It wasn't unheard of, but it was certainly unexpected. She whirled around to Xati. "How far to the Dam?" she asked, wondering if they could run.
"We will not make it, my lady," the centaur mare warned. Steph didn't dare question her judgement.
"Then we fight," Steph decided. Xati nodded and motioned to one of the guards.
"Zarafina," she commanded, addressing the white tigeress. Zarafina was the only white tiger in the Royal Guard, and the fastest. "Run to Beaversdam and alert Queen Susan's guard. Tell them to send reinforcements."
The tigeress bowed her head. "At once, captain," she said, and then she was gone. The rest of the guard drew in to form a tight knit circle around Steph. Each of the guard drew their weapons – the Fauns carried bows and arrows and the Satyrs carried short swords.
"Draw your bow, You Majesty," Xati advised. Steph did as she was told and nocked a red-feathered arrow against the string of her bow.
She could hear the creatures approaching now – rustling amongst the trees to her left and the soft pat-pat of hurried footsteps. Her guard drew closer and she was sandwiched protectively between Erwin and Pern, leaving her just enough room to use her bow.
An arrow fell at her feet and someone shouted a mighty war cry to her left. A moment later there was absolute chaos as a dozen or more creatures leapt out from the surrounding trees and a fight ensued.
The creatures were short, the tallest of them would have only reached Steph's shoulder, and their bodies were stubby and covered in thick, brown hair. Sharp, pointed teeth protruded from their mouths. She swung her bow around and loosed an arrow. Her target howled in pain and fell dead in the snow with a muffled thump at her feet. "Cruels!" she exclaimed.
She heard Xati grunt with effort as she caught one of the Cruels with a swing of her broad sword. The creature snarled and clawed at the air and Steph shot it with her next arrow. "Little beasts," the mare said. "They're servants of the White Witch."
Fell Beasts or not, they were incredibly deadly, Steph thought as she dispatched another with her next arrow and Erwin slashed at the next with his sword. She lost count of how many of the wicked beasts she slew – when she was too slow to fire her arrows she stabbed them at the creatures instead. Dead bodies littered to ground and she had to take care not to trip on them – if she fell now the creatures would be all over her.
She had no idea how the battle went for her companions. She was aware of Xati stowing her bow and drawing her large broad sword from its' sheathe and she heard one of her Faun guards cry out in pain as a Cruel stuck him. She glimpsed Pern's contorted face as the creature brought him down to the ground.
The Faun never stood a chance. The Cruel slashed at his chest with its claws and tore at his neck with its teeth. Steph never saw him draw his last breath; all she saw was blood and more blood as it spilled onto the white snow.
With a cry of outrage, Steph lunged forward. She heard Erwin's shout warning her not to break formation but she ignored it. Hot tears obscured her vision as she pulled an arrow from her quiver and stabbed at Pern's killer. The arrow sank into the hairy flesh and the Cruel writhed beneath her hands and died.
Snarling in disgust, she threw the dead creature aside, stowed her bow and drew her sword from its sheath.
Red hot fury burned inside her as she looked at the creatures, hating them and everything that they stood for. They had dared to threaten Narnia – dared to challenge the crown and murder her friends. She would slay them all. Wielding her sword with both hands she threw herself into the fray and loosed a battle cry that would have been worth of Edmund Pevensie.
"FOR NARNIA!"
"Steph! No!" Xati cried in alarm. Surrounded by three of the horrible creatures, one clinging to her back and clawing at her skin, the Centaur kicked and slashed with her sword, desperate to reach her queen.
Steph swung her sword, slicing through the hide of one Cruel and as she brought the blade around, lopped off the head of another. A third sprang up at her and she sliced in half, splattering blood over her sword and herself.
Steph whirled around and saw two more of them running at her. With a shout she slashed at the first, felling it with a single blow before the second Cruel was upon her, knocking her to the ground. She dropped her sword, landing with a thud on her back and the creature on top of her, baring its teeth.
She gasped and grabbed at the creature as it clawed at the skin on her neck and face. She felt the steel like claws cut her skin, drawing blood as she wrestled with the creature, holding it at arm's length. It snarled and snapped, desperate to get at her – to rip tear at her throat like they had Pern's. Then she heard the twang of an arrow being fired and the Cruel went limp in her hands.
More arrows sped through the air with loud whooshes and she heard some of the Cruels moan and collapse. Susan and her guard had arrived!
Scarcely able to believe her luck, Steph threw the dead creature away and hauled herself to her feet. She snatched up her bow and an arrow, ready to slaughter the next Cruel that dared attack.
There were none left, she realised dully, looking around the clearing as the rest of Susan's guard caught up to them and spread out among the trees to secure the area. The clearing was littered with dead bodies of two dozen Cruels and four of her guard and the snow was red with blood. Across from her, Erwin crouched beside the body of his Satyr cousin. He bore ghastly scratches along the length of his chest, but otherwise, the Satyr lieutenant was unharmed. All three Fauns were dead.
Pern's body lay beneath a tall birch tree where he had fallen. His body and fur were matted with blood, but his eyes were closed and his expression unpained – if it wasn't for the blood, Steph could have pretended he was just sleeping.
She could hear Susan calling orders, and the rustle of weapons as everyone prepared to move to a safer location. She kneeled beside the faun, rested her hand against his cheek and said a silent prayer to Aslan.
"Your Majesty, we must move on," Xati pressed urgently. "There may be others." She allowed the centaur to haul her back onto her feet and gently point her in the direction of Beaversdam and away from the bodies of her dead friends and fellow Narnians.
Note: The character, Xati, belongs to Elecktrum. I highly recommend reading her work, it's amazing!
Thank you for reading. This was intended as a writing exercise and a one shot, but I do have more written for it and if enough people show interest I will make it a two-shot.
If you want to read more about Steph, you can see my other fanfic Finding Narnia.
Please Review!