Disclaimer- I do not own the wonderful creations of C.S. Lewis. Harper Wescott is merely a character created for my own enjoyment.
Author's Note- I am just starting to write "Chronicles of Narnia" FanFic's after I saw "CN- Prince Caspian" the other day and couldn't help but fall in love with the sequel. I was a bit violent for the little ones, but it was truly amazing. Although I am changing some parts of the story and adding a character here and there.
Battlecry
-Prologue-
Stepping through the ruins of Cair Paravel, Harper Wescott glanced upwards, her hand tense at her side, ready to dart out and grab the silver glinted knife she had hidden underneath her gown, which was brushing against the over gown vines of the ruins. In the background was the blurring figure of one of King Miraz's war horses, a sturdy palomino, who had made the trek up with the young lady of Telmar and was now nibbling at the fallen apples from the surrounding trees. She was searching for one man in particular, who had run away when the king finally had a son. He had escaped and now it was Harper's turn.
The crackling of leaves alerted Harper of intruders and her head flew up, scanning the clearing before she briskly made her way over to her horse and jumped on, not fancying meeting whoever was returning to Clair Paravel. She could hear the faint voices of many young people, maybe four or so and she took off, racing through the forest and out of sight before they could arrive to find her slipping away, black hair blowing behind her.
Harper then found herself racing the wind as she approached a rather large meadow, further inland. The tall grass brushed her heels and she ducked forward instinctively, recalling every single time she and Prince Caspian had gone out training or riding. The horse pushed forward with muscled hindquarters and kept gaining speed until the wonders of the meadow dissolved, changing swiftly back into forest and undergrowth. The young mistress of Telmar reluctantly slowed, letting her horse drink from a nearby stream that trickled through the overgrowing weeds and ferns.
A violent rustling in the bushes zig-zagged before launching itself out of the undergrowth and onto Harper, startling and scaring her horse, and taking Harper to the damp forest floor. Stars floated throughout her eyesight before she could regain clearer vision, realizing it was a mere mouse that had managed to drag her to the ground. It pulled out a sword and announced. "Any last words before --"
"You're a mouse." Harper said numbly. She had been training with the prince of Telmar since they were introduced at age nine and she had been attacked and taken down by a mouse. How discriminating. The mouse lifted it's head higher, a triumphant, yet annoyed gleam was growing in its eyes. "A talking mouse."
"Not quite the answer I was looking for --" It's voice faded with a grudging annoyance. "Get your sword and duel for your life. For I might spare a pretty girl's life if I believe she is a formidable fighter."
"I'd rather not..." Harper shook her head and debated with herself whether or not to just stand up or stay where she was. "I'm looking for my friend and I am loosing ground trying not to fight with a mere mouse."
The mouse squeaked indignantly before pushing its sword back into its sheath and jumping off of Harper. "The name's Chipper, if I told you my real name you'd probably just forget it. So call me Chipper. Who're you looking for?"
"Um, hello Chipper." Harper was in complete bewilderment. She was exchanging conversation with a talking mouse. "My name is Harper Wescott of Telmar. I'm looking for --"
"Telmar?" Fear grew in the large mouse's eyes and he began padding backwards, suddenly earger to run off.
"Yes, why?" The young girl nodded once, scrambling to her feet to tower over Chipper, who had drawn his sword at her sudden lunge to get up. A sudden realization hit her like the young mouse had. "Are you frigtened of Telmarines? Or rather, me?"
Chipper bristled and slashed his sword blindly. "The Telmarines are the ones who drove the Narnian's into hiding!" He spat, dragging his little paws backwards. A distant shout in the distance drew his attention away, Chipper was mere pawsteps away from falling into the stream.
"I am not one of them, either stay for Miraz's men to find you, or come with me and find my friend," Harper stated briskly, picking a dead leaf off of her now dirtied gown and straightened it. "Your choice, Chipper of Narnia."
"How can we get away?" Chipper's voice was strained with a sudden fear. "We won't get away in time."
"I want you to get in my knapsack and hold on, don't poke your head out for anything." Harper warned, crouching down to let Chipper bound forward and leap into her bag, his sword pushed back into its sheath. "I want you to hold on with everything you've got, Chipper, alright?"
"Yes, Harper Wescott of Telmar," The mouse stated, his voice vaguely muffled from her knapsack that had held even through the bitter attack from the swift footed mouse.
Harper lifted her head and whistled until she heard one set of hoofbeats coming from the distance, she took a couple of small steps backwards. "Hold on, Chipper." She reminded the battle-ready mouse with one last, low murmur before her mount turned a corner and galloped straight towards them. In one, long stride the horse's shoulder brushed harshly against Harper's own shoulder as she jumped on, nearly sideways before she straightened and heard the shouts coming closer. "Stay down, Chipper." She added, well aware that Miraz's soldiers had seen her horse and were coming after her.
Harper watched as a soldier fell from one of her arrows and his mount took off, twisting with bucks and the other three turned, their weapons drawn. Harper raised an arrow as something to use and they rushed forward, prepared to climb the ledge she just had climbed to attack them from above. Another red feather brushed Harper's cheek as she shot again, taking another soldier down before she grabbed the reins and jerked in another direction, taking her, her mount, and Chipper down the hill while the soldiers came up.
Rocks tumbled down as Harper's horse's back legs came out from under her, quickly regaining composure, they picked up the pace if they wanted to escape without getting surrounded by the two remaining soldiers. Taking off through level ground, Harper quickly lost sight of the two soldiers, who were probably still climbing or looking which way the young girl had gone.
The heaving grunts of the well muscled palomino made Harper think that they'd either have to escape the sights of the soldiers for a long while or just leave the horse in a meadow, he couldn't go on for much longer. Another sharp turn almost sent the weary horse stumbling as he turned to where Harper pulled the reins, leaning forward ever so slightly to lead back into the safety of the forest.
The eerie quiet made Harper slow and turn into the safety of an alcove that Miraz's men possibly could find because of their slow working brains, even so, it would take them until darkness had fallen. She jumped off and threw the reins over her mount's nobel head before she flipped the knapsack open. "Alright in there, eh Chipper?" Harper asked breathlessly, letting her little companion jump out and onto a jutting rock that served as a little ledge for the little fellow.
"A bit bouncy," Chipper responded, brushing himself off and stretching luxuiously. His tone surprised Harper, she had been told by Caspian that most mice from Narnia are grouchy little mites, but they were such fairytales until she had been jumped on by Chipper. "But I'm alright. Did you loose them?"
"I hope," Harper nodded, turning back to her horse, who was breathing heavily, sweat flanked the horse as he tore at a mouthful of grass. The young Telmarian peeled off the saddle and bridle, knowing that a simple whistle would bring the horse back if he ever decided to wonder off in search for better pickings. "I shot two of them and led the other two on a goose chase."
Chipper clacked his teeth in approval. "Do you want me to find some food or something?" He questioned, fingering at his sword after bringing it out. "I can find some nuts in this part of the forest easily."
"We'll need our strength." Harper decided after a heartbeat of silence. "You look for some...nuts and I'll search for some water for ourselves as well as my horse. He had a race well run."
"Agreed." The mouse nodded, jumping to the ground with a few twitches of his whiskers and a couple flicks of his tail. "Who are you looking for anyhow? Maybe I'll run into this fine fellow."
Harper turned sharply, locking gazes with the bold mouse as she brushed her damp bangs out of her face. "His name is Prince Caspian." Harper announced, worry brimming her fern colored green eyes. "Prince Caspian the X and he's running away."