Note: VERY short, sorry. Minotaurs are one of my favorite Narnian creatures (or creatures in general, for that matter.) I find them very intriguing, but was surprised and disappointed to find no stories on this site dedicated to one, so, I decided to write a little bit about one myself. Otmin and Asterius are the greatest. It killed my that Asterius died in the movie; he was a wonderful character. This one is about Asterius.
The title refers both to Caspian and Asterius's future sacrifice.
The Savior
The leaves never used to fall like this. The water spirits have never been so feeble. Nature has never decayed as dismally as she has now.
Asterius had watched the passing of everything with the eyes of an elder - old, wise, and solemn. He had witnessed the rapid decline of the Golden Ages and the ascension of yet another dark age, one brought on by the Telmarines. Every day the sun sank lower, and every day the shadow grew longer as it stretched over Narnia.
Asterius knew that it was only a matter of time before the very soul of Narnia would vanish, forever.
Something needed to be done.
The wise minotaur was striding through the forest near the Dancing Lawn - now the safest place in the world. His steps grew slower and he stopped, allowing himself a moment to look up at the stars.
Everyone knew minotaurs to be fearsome and ill-tempered warriors. Asterius was old, and solemn…he was a minotaur sculpted be countless summers. And, in spite of Narnia's bleak-looking future, Asterius had not lost hope.
Despite the burden that the Narnians carried - the knowledge that their days were numbered and dwindling - Asterius's warrior heart would never give in. If every Narnian became extinct, if every minotaur fought their last battle, he would not give in.
With a thoughtful flick of his ears, the old warrior continued on his way.
The sudden, subtle sound of hooves treading across the forest floor halted Asterius in his tracks once again. He turned expectantly to see another, much younger minotaur approaching him.
"They've caught a Telmarine," the young minotaur announced.
Asterius frowned. Without a word, he followed the younger minotaur until the two of them arrived at the Dancing Lawn.
Many were gathered there - centaurs, fauns, satyrs, minotaurs, animals of all sorts - no doubt anticipating the proceedings of the curious situation: a lone Telmarine being, of course, the center of the commotion. The uproar coming from the angry Narnians made it nearly impossible to understand a word that was being said, though the message was clear as crystal.
After most of the creatures had arrived, the Telmarine began explaining his situation - to little success. Asterius, ever the solemn-faced one, was prepared to listen to whatever kind of argument the human would possibly put before them. So far, Trufflehunter was the only one there willing to defend the Telmarines' life.
It came to be that the young Telmarine, by the name of Caspian (Prince Caspian, in his own words) offered his help in putting an end to the Telmarines' tyranny. That had gotten everyone's attention. In the end, Caspian could prove to be their only chance for freedom, as ironic a notion as it was.
The conclusion of Caspian's proposal was answered with cries of approval, many raising their weapons for emphasis.
Asterius raised his own weapon for support. He, like the others, was willing to accept this humans' help. After all, what other chance did the Narnians have? They couldn't hope to defeat the Telmarines by themselves. It had been tried…years ago, when the Telmarines began their first invasion.
They outnumbered the Narnians and took them by surprise. Try as they might, the Narnians didn't win against the Telmarines and were forced to hide in their own world. Years went by, and things started to change severely. Trees were felled, animals were hunted with no consideration, centaurs, satyrs, and other Narnians were killed on sight. It was as if nature was literally tearing herself apart.
Asterius remembered the days surrounding the 100 Year Winter, when the majority of his people had served the White Witch. While the Witch was clearly more powerful than any Telmarine soldier, the situation had been entirely different then. Back then, there was a place for everyone, whether it was to serve Aslan or the White Witch.
Now…it was as if there was room in Narnia only for the Telmarines. No one else had a place in the changed world.
Asterius had seen many summers, and one very long winter. Standing among his fellow Narnians, the old minotaur couldn't help but reflect on the irony that life so often held.
The Kings and Queens of Old, humans, were meant to lead Narnia into a Golden Age. With their coming, the White Witch's reign had ended; with their departure, a new, dark age had begun. Now it would seem that a human would, once again, be Narnia's only hope for a bright future.
Yes.
Asterius had seen it all.