Peter awoke with a start, breaths sounding harsh and heavy in the darkness of his bedchamber. He did his best to quell his panting as he tried to find what had disturbed his sleep; nothing seemed to be amiss. After a several long moments her rolled out of bed to hit the loo, passing it off as a nightmare, when a scream echoed through the halls.

He leapt out of his bed, scrambling into his armour and fastening his sword to his waist. After listening at his closed door for noise he the hallway he barreled out, scanned with his eyes, and raced to the door across from his own.

He pushed on the wood and stepped in; there was a yell, the words of which Peter didn't quite make out due to the arrow level with his face.

'Oh!' was the relieved intake of breath from Susan, and she quickly lowered the weapon, 'I'm sorry, Peter! I thought-'

'It's alright, Su,' and he reached out a calming hand, giving her shoulder a squeeze, 'Let's go.'

She nodded and tightened her grip on her bow as they headed out into the hallway again, splitting when they reached their siblings doorways. Lucy opened hers as Susan approached, wide-eyed and fearful.

'What's going on?'

'Hush, Lu, we don't know,' was Susan's terse but gentle response, 'Let's go and wake Ed.'

Lucy nodded and followed her to the entrance of the last room in the wing. Peter had just shook Edmund awake and was tossing him his gear as quickly and quietly as possible. Edmund was moving at a decidedly slow pace, having never been a morning person.

'Let's go Ed,' came the hiss from Peter. The younger boy glared through sleepy eyes and had opened his mouth to respond callously when a distant yell cut him off. He shut his mouth and returned his attention to dressing, moving decidedly faster.

They stepped out of the door to find their sisters – Susan was tense, bow up and eyes straining in the dark; Lucy huddled behind her, nervous but trying to keep up a brave face, small dagger clasped tightly in her hand – waiting for them.

Susan cast a look back at them, but kept her face turned into the dark, 'Where to?'

Peter bit his lip, knowing that they were waiting for his answer, 'Let's head down for starters; we don't want to get trapped up in a tower or something. We'll figure it out when we make it to the entranceway.'

They set off, as quickly and as quietly as they could, trying pinpoint the noises that were becoming more and more frequent. It was after a particularly loud and agonized shriek one that Lucy grabbed Susan's arm.

'Su! That was Quilla, I'm sure of it!'

Susan looked down at her; Quilla the porcupine helped to keep Lucy's chambers and clothing tidy. Though she agreed with her younger sister's assessment Susan was loathe to encourage her fear, 'I'm not sure, Lu; I didn't really make it out. Let's hope not, though.'

Lucy gave her a reproachful look and Susan knew that her half-lie had been poor.

She sighed, 'Alright, I think you're right. If you are though, we're in a lot of trouble, so is it so wrong to hope?'

Edmund appeared beside them, 'We already are in serious trouble if people are bloody screaming in the middle of the night.'

The two girls fell silent and they continued their anxious journey.

--

The entrance was reached without incident and they remained in the shadows near the stairs. They couldn't see a soul and no sounds had been made since Edmund's dark prediction.

'Well?' came the whisper from Edmund, 'What now?'

Peter and Susan looked at each other, neither having an answer. Peter had just opened his mouth to say something when the clatter of hooves rent the silence. The four whirled, weapons raised, relaxing when Oreius materialized out of the darkness.

'There you are! You must flee, and now!' came his voice, more panicked than any of them had ever heard.

'What is happening, Oreius?' questioned Peter.

The centaur halted before them, and in the faint moonlight the marks of battle were evident. Lucy gave a gasp and moved forward to examine the nicks and scratches but the warrior gently pushed her back.

'Pay them no mind, my dear queen; there isn't the time and they are of no consequence. You all need to flee and you must go now; take your horses from the stable and be off.'

Susan gave a cry, 'But why?'

'There is not much time to explain; Cair Paravel is under siege and it is most important that you four are safe. Narnia needs it's rulers, even if they are stripped of their castle; the thrones are rightly yours, and you shall return to them someday.'

'Can we not fight and defend her?' was Edmund's calm inquiry.

'No; it is much too late for that now. They attacked in the dark and from the inside. We are unsure as of yet as to whom of our own has been traitorous. Now please hurry and flee safely, and take good care of yourselves in the difficult times ahead.'

Peter nodded, herding his siblings towards the stables, 'Thank you. Your bravery shall be well remembered and honoured when we return to our thrones.'

The centaur bowed in return, 'My only wish is to protect you and serve Narnia dutifully.'

'That you have done, and done well my friend.'

And with that they headed their separate ways.

--

Mounts were indeed prepared, though they were not their usual speaking kind. The faun holding the reins gave a hasty explanation.

'We aren't sure who has committed treachery yet my lords.'

Lucy looked appalled, 'But surely not the horses!'

The faun shook his head, 'There is no way to know my lady; it is best to be safe than sorry, and you all skilled enough riders to handle these old boys.'

The horses were dancing on the ends of their leads, snorting and pawing, having picked up the excitement in the air.

'It won't be problem,' Peter said, nudging Lucy forward and offering her a hand in getting onto a tall stallion's back. He swung up onto another of the animals, Susan and Edmund copying his movements.

'Thank you Murphel; take care tonight. I pray that we meet again someday soon,' Edmund called as they headed out the door.

The faun nodded back, 'May times of peace be on us again swiftly, and your rule rightly restored!'

The four raced out of the barn and into the dark woods.

--

The woods were black as pitch, the moon providing only brief splashes of light through the thick canopy of trees. The children stayed close by sound rather than sight, their dark mounts and clothing helping them to blend into the night.

'Where are we going, Peter?' came the whisper from Susan, who was riding next to him. They were leading, Lucy behind them and Edmund bringing up the rear.

'I don't know, Su. I just know that we've got to get as far as we can as quickly as possible.'

A voice came from behind them, 'Peter, how much farther are we traveling tonight?'

He sighed, his eyes meeting the gleam of Susan's in the dark.

'A while yet, Lu.'

She stayed silent after that, having sensed the resignation in her older brother's voice.

--

It was sometime later that they came across a river; the sound of water rushing over rocks sounded deafening compared to the silence that had been traveling in since they had left the stables.

'Should we follow it?' asked Edmund.

Peter shook his head, 'No, we can't hear anyone coming up on us.'

'And there's no telling where it will lead; perhaps back closer to home,' was Susan's response.

'But how are we to cross it? There isn't a bridge,' Lucy said with a frown.

Peter studied the rapids for a moment, 'We'll follow the bank for a while and find somewhere that the horses can ford across it. It shan't be very comfortable or dry but it will be safer than doing it here.'

All of the sudden a menacing laugh rang out from behind them.

The four whipped their mounts around, the oldest three drawing weapons and Susan searching for a target. Peter scanned the darkness, unable to make anything out save for trees.

It was Edmund who saw the movement first. 'To the left,' he hissed.

A wolf seemed to appear out of the surrounding darkness, several materializing behind him.

'I don't think that you'll be crossing that river at all Son of Adam.'

'No?' Peter replied with a growl.

'No,' and the wolf grinned, 'You won't be.'

He lunged, his companions right behind him.

Peter's stallion screamed along with Lucy, rearing and striking out with his hooves. One of the attacking animals was struck but another darted past and leapt up, knocking Edmund clean off his horse.

'Ed!' was the cry from Susan as one of her arrow sank into the wolf. It was hard to aim in the dark, however, and the blow wasn't fatal; the animal gave a snarl of fury and pain but wasn't stopped.

Peter had managed to rein in his horse, whirling and swinging out his sword to catch a wolf heading for Lucy. The girl shrieked, drawing her dagger and backing her mount up, closer to the edge of the river.

One of the animals clamped its jaws onto the bridle of Susan's mount and the panicked animal threw her from it's back as it attempted to get away. She rolled and clambered to her feet, bow extended in front of her, in time to get banged back to the ground as another of the wolves hurdled at her from the side.

Peter sprung off of his own horse to Susan's aid, stabbing the animal on top of her with all his might. The creature collapsed onto her and he spun away to help Edmund, praying that Susan was alright. He was relieved when one of her arrow's sailed past him and into the animal Edmund was fending off before he had made it halfway to his brother.

Seeing that the creature was dead and his sibling safe, Peter spun, sword at the ready, and scoured the area with his eyes. There were several wolves dead on the ground and Peter could see no more movement. This didn't alleviate his worry as he hadn't gotten an accurate count of their attackers. They waited in silence a moment, trying to silence their gasping breaths, until it seemed safe. It was then that Peter helped Susan to fully get out from underneath the wolf carcass and Ed hurried over to them, a concerned look on his face.

'The horses are gone,' was his grim announcement.

'What?' came from Peter.

'All but Lu's. They ran off as soon as we were off them. That or they're dead; I thought that I saw a couple wolves chase them.'

'That's almost all our provisions gone!' Susan said, shocked.

'Well, we'll have to make due, and we'd best get moving if what you said is right and there are more of those foul beasts running about.'

'Are you three alright?' came a shell-shocked voice from above them.

Peter looked up at Lucy, still on her horse, 'Just fine, Lu. You were awfully brave there.'

She shook her head, 'I just stayed up here and wasn't much use at all.'

'Nonsense, Lu; you kept your head and your horse. Looks like the three of us will be walking a while,' Susan said, mustering a smile for her younger sister and pointedly ignoring Edmund's mutter.

'Did you want any of the cordial?'

'Why Lu? We're alright.'

'You have a nasty cut, Su. Right here,' she gestured to her forehead with her hand, 'and Ed has a bite on his arm and I'm sure they got Peter somewhere too.'

'Thanks, but that's okay, Lu; we had best save your cordial in case anything serious comes up,' Peter said, putting on his cheeriest face for their youngest sister's benefit.

She nodded happily, not hearing Edmund's dark mutter of, 'Don't worry Lu, I've no doubt something serious will come up sooner rather than later.'

--

After a quick wash of any cuts in the stream, which was a little tricky in the dark, the four faced the obstacle of the river again.

'We may as well try to cross here; I don't really want to face anyone else who may have ill wishes for us tonight. We'll just have to hold hands and make our way as best as possible. Lets go in pairs; Su and I will go first to make sure it's not too bad. You stay on that horse, Lu, since you don't swim as well.'

The younger three consented, Peter missing Lucy's slight eye-roll in the dark.

And so they moved into the freezing water, Peter first and hanging onto Susan. Once he was waist deep and Susan was almost floating he gestured for the other two to follow. Ed moved forward cautiously, grip tight on the lead for Lucy's horse, whom she had insisted upon christening 'Bill.'

'You know,' she had said, 'like that jolly little pony Sam had in that book you read me… the one about the ring!'

Susan had shot Edmund a rather disapproving look; it was clear that she didn't think that the Lord of the Rings was appropriate reading for a child of Lucy's age. Edmund did his best to look appropriately shamefaced, but in reality he had enjoyed reading to their younger sister, having her hang onto his every word rapturously, the two of them giggling their way through the books.

Thankfully for Edmund Peter pulled Susan's attention back to the task at hand. Her leather armour was light enough for her to float but the current was too strong for her to swim against. Peter hung on firmly to her hand, his body weighted down by his chain mail, as he picked his way along the shallower parts of the bottom. Ed tried to follow in his footsteps, the horse easily fording through the water beside him. Lucy brought her feet up to sit cross-legged on Bill's back, trying to keep as dry as possible.

Peter was looking down through the water as best he could, trying to find where to walk next, when he heard it – a snarl followed by a shout of surprise from Susan. She twisted in his grip towards the sound and he turned with her, plunging into the water when his foot landed in a hole. He instinctively held her hand tighter and she was pulled under with him. Peter kicked, trying to swim, but between his heavy mail and the loss of one hand to Susan he was making no progress and was burning through his oxygen quickly.

Above them, Edmund was fighting a losing battle with Bill. A wolf, presumably one of the ones that had chased down their other horses, had jumped from the bank and landed on the horse's hindquarters behind Lucy. She had screamed, the horse had reared, and she had gone tumbling off into the water with a splash. Edmund was tangled up in the reins and trying to avoid the flailing hooves. Try as he might he couldn't get his sword out of it's scabbard to cut the leather ties. Bill whipped around, trying to dislodge the snarling, snapping predator from his flank, and Edmund suddenly had enough room to draw his weapon and cut himself free. Bill managed to buck the wolf into the water before taking, racing back towards his stall at Cair Paravel. Edmund, heavy and slow in the water, was lucky enough to catch the wolf off guard. He stabbed him through once and laboriously pulled his sword back out, watching as the body of the creature was swept away by the water. The blood seemed to swirl away much more slowly.

He took a deep, calming breath and turned back towards his siblings, only to realize that they were all still underwater.

That's all I have time for now. I must admit that I'm rather proud of the length! More to come soon, let me know if you enjoyed it!

Review are lovely and brighten my day! Moksgmol