Sorry I have taken forever but with exams and all that it's been hard so sorry ! Here it is, enjoy!
Chapter 2:
"And I know that I should probably just let go, because I know that it won't work out and everyone tells me that. So I try to convince myself that I'm better off without him...but then I'll think of him and remember his smile and I can't imagine myself with anyone else and no matter how hard it will be, I want to be with him." (Don't you think it describes exactly Rebecca's feelings?)
"He blew the horn last night." Trumpkin explained.
We had settled on the beach in the meantime. We had yet to come up with a plan and so far listening to what Trumpkin had to say was the best we had. We needed to know what the situation was in Narnia first.
"Who blew it?" I asked.
"Prince Caspian." He answered.
"Who is he?" Peter asked as I saw a glint of jealousy in his eyes.
"He's the Telmarine prince as far I know. Quite young by the look and sound of him. He was running from some guards for some reason. He had the horn on him and he panicked. He blew it and apparently called you back."
"And where is he?" Peter pressed.
"I last saw him in the Shuddering Woods." Trumpkin revealed.
"Well, now we know where to go, we must be off." Peter announced as he stood up and looked to the boat. "If we take the river as far in as we can it will be a quicker route."
"We need to get to the Narnians first, not hunt down some prince." I intervened.
"He has Susan's horn, there is something weird about that and he will be with the Narnians." Peter said as he headed for the boat.
"Peter can be quite stubborn." Lucy told the dwarf.
"He's just warming up." I muttered in response, making Trumpkin smile.
"We better go or he'll start to get pissed off." Oliver said as he got up.
"I don't think I've ever heard you say that." I looked at my brother with a smile.
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me sis." He stated as he turned and walked up to Peter.
"Oliver has changed." Lucy said to me.
"He's changed a lot." I nodded. "He's grown up."
I sighed and walked up to the boat that Peter had pushed back into the water.
"So we're going to find this Caspian then?" I asked once I reached him.
"He is our best bet to find out what is going on here." Peter said as he got in the boat before holding his hand out to me.
I accepted it and took a seat on the middle row next to Susan. Behind us sat Lucy and Trumpkin at the front of the boat with Peter taking control of the rowing. I saw Oliver look disappointed. Peter may be the strongest but Olly was a boss at kayaking. But he didn't say anything; he just took his seat at the back along with Ed. We carried on for a while in an awkward silence between the still woods.
"The trees look so still." Lucy noticed.
"They're trees, what do you expect?" Trumpkin retorted.
"They used to dance." Lucy told him.
"It wasn't long after you left that the Telmarines invaded. Those who survived retreated to the woods. And the trees they retreated so deep into themselves they haven't been heard of since."
"I don't understand. How could Aslan have let this happen?" Lucy said.
"Thought Aslan abandoned us when you lot did." Trumpkin looked away from us.
"We didn't mean to leave you know." Peter clarified.
There was a short silence in which I asked a question that burned in my heart.
"Amongst those that survived, did Archer and Liliana make it out? Did our kids make it?"
A dark shadow crossed the dwarf's face. I couldn't make out his answer. He almost looked afraid.
"It doesn't matter now." He shrugged.
"Get us to the Narnians and it will." Peter glared at him.
I took a deep breath and turned my gaze to the water. The distraction proved to work as it felt like no time at all we reached the riverbank Peter had apparently been heading for. We got out and as Lucy began to explore we pulled the boat out the water.
"Hello there!" Lucy broke the silence. "It's alright we're friends."
I turned to see her trying to communicate with a bear. At first it didn't seem to farfetched but then I saw something in the bear's eyes that was just wrong. It looked at Lucy as if she was ripe meat off a bone. I barely heard Trumpkin's caution words to her. I pulled out my sword and took a step forward only to be stopped by Peter. I looked at him and he shook his head.
"Stay away from her!" Susan warned as she aimed an arrow at him.
The bear charged and Lucy ran. She tripped and fell to the ground turning to face the famished animal.
"Shoot Susan shoot!" Edmund yelled.
"Lucy!" I yelled hopelessly.
An arrow was shot and the bear fell. Susan hadn't shot a thing, she stood there astonished. We both turned to see Trumpkin holding his small bow we had managed to salvage from the rowboat. Peter ran by me and drew his sword on route. Susan looked down at her feet, she seemed troubled but I brushed it off there and then. Peter had reached Lucy by now and was pulling her up. Trumpkin wasted no time in joining them as did we.
"Why didn't he stop?" Susan asked.
"He was starving." I said as I came up behind them.
Trumpkin began pocking the bear to see if it was really dead.
"It was wild wasn't it?" Oliver asked.
"I don't think it could talk at all." Peter said as he squeezed Lucy into his side.
"Get treated like a dumb animal long enough, you become one." Trumpkin said as he knelt down. "I think you'll find Narnia a more savage place than you remember."
He cut into the bear. I couldn't stand to watch so I turned away. I heard Lucy sob into Peter's shirt.
"We should hurry up. I don't like staying out in the open too long" Oliver said to break the tension.
"I'll get the stuff from the boat." I muttered and walked off.
I inhaled deeply as I got there.
"What's wrong?" Susan asked as she came up beside me.
"Nothing." I lied.
"I know when you're lying, Rebecca." She stated.
"I know you do. But I don't know what's wrong. I have felt sick since we got in the boat."
"You're just feeling guilty. You can't blame yourself. This had nothing to do with us." She sighed.
"It's good to be back though." I smiled.
"In a way, it is." Susan said as she took her cloak out of the boat.
She left me before I could ask her anymore.
XxxxxX
"I don't remember this way." Susan admitted after a while.
"That's the problem with girls you can't carry a map in your heads." Peter smirked as he looked back at us.
"That's because our heads have something in them." Lucy corrected.
"Becca, you knew all the routes, where is this leading us?" Oliver asked me.
"I know where we are, but the terrain isn't right." I sighed, as I jogged to catch Peter up.
"I wish we could have just listened to the D.L.F. in the first place." I heard Susan say and I couldn't help but grin.
"Peter, you should listen to him." I said as I took his hand entwining our fingers. "This is the way but we haven't been here in over five hundred years. Time changes lands. I think-" I was cut off by Peter.
"Will stop trying to contradict me?" Peter snapped.
"What the hell is up with you?" I shot back. "Ever since we've found the dwarf you've acted like a prat."
"Nothing is up with me." He spat.
"Really? Because right now you're not acting like the Peter I know and love. Put you damn pride aside for once."
"My pride? I'm trying to find this Caspian. Why don't you just shut up and follow your king for once?" I saw regret in his eyes once the words left him but he had crossed the line.
"You know what, come and talk to me once your head has come back down to size." I pulled my hand out of his and walked back over to Susan and Lucy.
It wasn't long before Peter came to a stop. "I'm not lost." He mumbled to himself.
"No, you're just going the wrong way." Trumpkin came up behind him.
"You said you last saw Caspian in the Shuddering Woods and the quickest way to get there is to cross at the River Rush." Peter said sourly.
"But unless I'm mistaken there are no crossings in these parts." Trumpkin continued.
"That's it then. You're mistaken." Peter decided.
I sighed in frustration as Peter continued to lead it. Why can't he just stop and listen? The woods soon came to an end and we came out to sound of rushing water. Susan overtook me and went up to Peter who was looking over the edge.
"You see, over time, water erodes the earth's soil, carving deeper-"
"Oh shut up." Peter interrupted her.
"It seems you should have listened in science, then." I said to no one in particular.
"Is there a way down?" Ed asked.
"Yeah, falling." Trumpkin answered.
"Well, we weren't lost." Peter said in a sweeter tone than before.
"There's a ford near Beruna. How do you fell about swimming?" Trumpkin suggested.
"I'd rather that than walking." Susan admitted.
"So Beruna it is then?" Oliver asked. "Trumpkin, why don't you lead the way this time?" I could hear a tint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Aslan?" I heard Lucy say. "Look everyone, it's Aslan!"
We all turned round and looked to where she was pointing but nothing was there. I looked at her confused face, and I could tell she was as puzzled as I was.
"Do you see him now?" The dwarf asked and for some reason I wanted to slap the back of his head.
"I'm not crazy. I did see him. He was there. And he wanted us to follow him." Lucy explained.
"I'm sure there are any numbers of lions in this wood." Peter began.
"I think I would know Aslan when I see him." Lucy retorted.
"Don't patronise her Peter." I said dryly. "You can tell the difference between Aslan and a common lion."
Peter shot me a dark look and to be honest I couldn't care less.
"Look, I'm not going to jump off a cliff after someone that doesn't exist!" Trumpkin told us.
"The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I ended up looking pretty stupid." Edmund reminded them.
"Why wouldn't I have seen him?" Peter looked back to his sister.
"Maybe you weren't looking." Lucy said in a small voice.
"I'm sorry Lu." Peter shook his head and walked off after Trumpkin.
Everyone followed them but Ed and me. Without any words we both looked at Lucy telling her we did believe her. She looked like she was going to cry but if she was she held it in and just walked after the others. Ed and I trailed behind.
"Is everything alright?" Ed asked me. He must have noticed my confused expression and added. "You know, between you and Peter?"
"I don't know if we are even on the same page." I admitted. "I think his head has largely inflated since he heard of this Prince Caspian."
"You think so too?" Ed smiled faintly. "What do you think it is?"
"I think he sees him as a threat." I looked up at Edmund. "I am led to believe that Peter doesn't want to share his power. He has been used to the High King role for a long time and whoever Caspian is; this boy must have some control of what happens in Narnia now. Peter won't want to share."
"You're the only one that will be able to talk some sense to him." Ed told me.
"I tried and failed." I looked back at him. "He just won't listen."
"He will listen to you; he just needs time to remember that he never ruled alone." Ed assured me. "He never stopped thinking about you either."
"I never stopped thinking about him."
"I'm serious. Even though he doesn't show it at times, Peter really cares about you. He wanted to come back more than any of us, just so he could see you again. That year was a nightmare for him, he would easily get into fights and sometimes I wonder if he didn't just go looking for it."
"I went looking for them as well." I confessed. "Anything to get this place out of my mind or to get my mum to notice me, I've never been the rebel student but when people started making these remarks I just began to lose and most of the time they ended up in the infirmary."
"What kind of remarks?" Ed asked.
"You wouldn't understand." I shook my head.
"Try me?"
"In my time, when you've turned seventeen, people expect some things." I told him.
"They expect things in our time as well." Ed looked puzzled.
"This isn't the same." I stopped and looked at him. "People have been making snide comments about my personal life. I'm 17 and I haven't been out with a boy. Where I come from people see that as weak. They see a 17 year old girl who has never been seen kissing someone. They think the only thing that will kiss me is my pillow! How can I just stand there and take it? I've fought in wars, had a perfect husband and mothered two kids! And then they have the cheek to come and say I'm a looser!"
"Just, calm down." Ed came up to me. "You're freaking out over nothing. People like that are not worth the time. You never cared what people thought about you why start now?"
"I don't know. I'm just … I don't know … I think that maybe I'm looking for this all the time just to have something to do?"
"Well, we're here now. Just live in the moment."
"That's the thing, how long is the moment going to last?" I asked him.
"I don't know." He admitted.
"We don't know how long we've got. The clock has already started ticking." I sighed.
"If it has, you should be making the most of the time you have him." Ed told me.
"I know and I want to but we're here for a reason. These people need our help. I can't get distracted." I turned round and started walking away.
"Don't do this to this to yourself Rebecca. You'll regret it."
I bet I would. I caught up with the others just in time for Peter to pull me down and cover my mouth. I shot Peter a "What?" look as he slowly uncovered my mouth. I followed his gaze and saw that we were looking at a construction site. I saw men cutting down trees and the beginning of a bridge across the river.
"Perhaps this wasn't the best way to come after all?" Susan whispered.
"Let's get out of here before they see us." Oliver advised as he retreated back into the woods.
I got myself out of Peter's grasp and followed my brother back into the woods. Once we were far enough away for them, I broke the silence:
"We should get to the other side of the gorge and look where Lucy saw Aslan."
"I don't know." Peter hesitated.
"If you have a better idea I would love to hear it!" I turned round and glared at him.
"What is wrong with you?" Peter asked.
"Just forget it." I shook my head and looked away from him.
"Everything I say you argue back." Peter shot at me.
"I'm sorry if I'm not what I turned out to be. I'm sorry I don't listen to your every word and obey your every command!" I didn't even look back at him.
"Can you stop arguing for the time being?" Susan snapped. "You're acting like five year old's!"
There was an awkward silence as we made our way to the spot Lucy had seen Aslan. Lucy ran forward and began to look around.
"So where exactly do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter asked.
"I wish you would all stop trying to sound like grown-ups. I didn't think I saw him. I did see him."
"I am a grown-up." Trumpkin muttered.
"It was right over …" She then screamed as the ground gave away beneath her.
"Lucy!" We all yelled as we ran over to the hole.
"… here." She looked up at us.
She was had fallen onto a ledge that showed a pathway down and across the river. We followed the path and walked until dust before making the decision to stop for the night.
