Author's Note: Hey! So, this fanfiction is set during the movie version of Prince Caspian. It's the scene where Lucy and Susan are riding through the forest and some Telmarine soldiers catch up with them, and Susan gets off the horse, sends Lucy on her way and shoots the soldiers. The first time I saw the movie, I was really enjoying this scene, right up until Susan is knocked to the ground and Caspian comes charging in, fights the remaining soldiers and rescues her.
In the behind-the-scenes footage on the bonus DVD, everyone says stuff like, "There's no reason why women shouldn't be able to fight in battle" and, "This time we involved Susan in a lot more of the battle scenes". Yes, Mr Producer, she is involved in a lot more of the battle scenes this time, and you said yourself that there's no reason why women shouldn't be able to fight in battle… so why is she getting rescued by the handsome prince when she only fell to the ground, still conscious and well, and why is she (not coincidentally, I presume) at the back of the diamond formation made by her, Peter, Edmund and Caspian as they run out onto the battlefield?
So, I've created an alternate ending to the scene. You may think this is a bit Mary-Sue, but I just want to show people that girls can fight without being rescued by princes with fake Spanish accents!
Enjoy, and please review! :)
The two Pevensie sisters rode out of the How, on the back of the large, black horse. Susan was holding the reigns; Lucy was behind her, her arms wrapped around the quiver on her big sister's back.
Susan's ponytail bounced up and down, gently hitting her spine every time the horse's hooves thudded against the hard forest ground. Lucy's hair was blown backwards by the wind, and she kept moving her head slightly to either side to avoid Susan's ponytail slapping her in the face.
They had only been riding for a matter of seconds before Lucy heard shouting coming from a relatively near distance. She turned her head to the left, and saw several Telmarine soldiers, dressed head-to-toe in silver armour, riding on the top of a small hill. When the soldiers caught sight of Susan and Lucy, they shouted again.
"They've seen us!" Lucy cried.
Susan turned her head to see if what Lucy was saying was true. Sure enough, there were seven Telmarine soldiers riding swiftly on top of a tree-covered slope to the left of the two sisters. Lucy tightened her grip on the quiver as Susan started riding faster through the forest.
The noise was almost rhythmic – the thudding of the horses' hooves, the shouting of the soldiers, the tapping of Susan's ponytail and the beating of both sisters' hearts as they hurried away from the sword-armed Telmarines chasing after them.
They soon came to a small clearing in the forest. They could no longer hear the Telmarines shouting – they had escaped… for now. Susan tugged on the reigns and their black horse stopped abruptly. Lucy released her grip on the quiver, and Susan swung her leg over and jumped down onto the ground.
"Take the reigns." she instructed her sister, handing them to her.
"What are you doing?" Lucy panicked, looking around for the soldiers to come riding in with their swords at the ready any second.
Susan gave a small sigh. "I'm sorry, Lucy. But it looks as if you'll be going alone after all."
Before Lucy could say anything, Susan slapped the horse's backside. It gave a small 'neigh' and rode off, leaving Susan standing in the clearing.
She turned around, pulled her bow out from her quiver and waited for the Telmarines to emerge from the trees.
Lucy pulled on the reigns and turned back to look at her sister. Her eyes stung with tears realising that this could possibly be the last time she ever saw her. Susan looked at her too. She didn't want to smile or wave since she thought it would only confirm Lucy's fears. So she just looked at her, a blank expression on her face. Lucy felt the tears approaching quickly, so she turned around and rode off.
Susan turned her attention back to the area of the forest where she knew the soldiers would eventually emerge. Now with an arrow ready on her bow, she felt much less threatened. Susan's sure eye and steady arm had never let her down before.
Susan could hear nothing but the thudding of the Telmarines' horses' hooves against the ground. When the soldier in front of the line started to approach her, she took aim. When the soldier got close enough for a sure pierce in the heart, Susan shot the arrow, and the Telmarine slid of his horse and fell onto the ground, an arrow with a red-feathered tail sticking out of his chest.
But, the battle was not over yet. A second soldier rode towards her, and as quick as lightening, she loaded her bow with another arrow and shot the second Telmarine. Like the first, he fell to the ground, a red-feathered tailed arrow pierced in his chest.
Susan panicked slightly as she saw that there were still many more Telmarines to shoot. But, she pushed the fear right to the back of her mind and repeated this routine with the third and fourth soldiers. Four down, three to go…
However, the last three Telmarines began charging towards Susan all at once. She didn't know where to shoot – if she took her attention away from even one of them, they would surely attempt to attack her.
She reached for another arrow, but the soldiers had gotten too close, and one held his sword out, trying to slit her throat. An enormous wave of fear came over her. She ducked quickly, trying to dodge the blade. Luckily, the soldier missed, and he and one of the other Telmarines rode past her. When she stood up again, paying too much attention to the soldiers who had passed her, she bumped into the final Telmarine's horse, which ultimately knocked her to the ground – and knocked the arrow out of her hand.
The Telmarine was pointing his sword at her face. Susan thought she should get up and start running, but she realised it would be no use – after all, the soldier had a horse. But she had to do something… the soldier would surely kill her if she didn't.
Without warning, Susan sprung up off the ground, grabbed hold of the soldier's arm and jumped onto the back of the Telmarine's horse. She leaned forward and pulled hard on the reigns which the soldier was holding in his sword-free hand. He shouted as his horse began riding swiftly through the forest without his say-so. Susan quickly reached for another arrow from her quiver. Just as the soldier managed to slow his horse down, she stabbed him in the centre of his back with the arrow. The Telmarine gave an ear-piercing yell as his hand released from the reigns, he fell to the ground with a thud and lay dead with a red-feathered tailed arrow sticking out him, like all his fellow soldiers had done before him.
Susan put her bow back in her quiver, grabbed hold of the reigns and rode this strange horse through the forest, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. She suddenly stopped the horse, remembering about the two soldiers that she hadn't been able to shoot. She turned round and started riding back towards the How, to support her brother in his duel against Miraz.