Chapter 2
First Blood and True Love
Peter's blood pounded in his ears as he and the others ran as fast as their legs could possibly carry them. The sound of hundreds of hooves beating against the ground grew steadily louder behind them. Aslan's castle was finally in sight, but it still seemed too far away.
They had been about halfway to the castle when a small force of armor clad warriors on horseback appeared on their tails. The group took off as fast as they could, but their pursuers were persistent. Peter was surprised when he looked over his shoulder just in time to see the enemy force emerge from a small forest quite a ways behind them. He could only assume that the one riding at the front of the formation, on a steed that seemed to be on fire, was the demon Omen.
Finally, the group of Narnians reached the foot of the steep hill on which Aslan's castle stood. Peter drew his sword and turned towards the demon and his men, as did many of the others. The women were about to start climbing when Lucy turned toward her brother.
"Peter! What are you doing?" At this, the other women also turned around.
"Come Peter, we must go." Aslan said.
"No," Peter's voice was filled with staunch determination, "Narnia needs you Aslan. We need to keep you alive. We will cover your escape with the others. Edmund! Eustace! See to it that they get there safely!"
"What?" Edmund shouted indignantly.
Peter looked quickly at the approaching soldiers and then back to his brother, "There's no time! Go!" He then turned to the lion, "Please go Aslan, you must stay alive."
"Very well," Aslan replied, "I will send help as soon as I can."
Edmund begrudgingly followed them up the hill while Peter and the others readied their blades at the swiftly approaching force. Peter mentally scolded himself for not bringing his armor with him. His only real protection was the sword in his hands. Neither his deep blue tunic nor his black pants would stand up against sharpened steel.
The High King took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm his racing heart. He stared steadily ahead as their enemy approached. Once again, time seemed to slow. Peter felt a strange pressure in his ears, deafening him somewhat. His own breathing was loud in his ears, and he closed his eyes for a short while as he gathered his courage.
Peter opened his eyes, opening his mouth to give command to his companions. But the words never left his throat, for suddenly the winged horse Strawberry landed on the grass in front of him. King Frank I turned to look behind him while drawing his sword and raising it into the air.
"Charge!" The king shouted.
With a start, Peter and his companions realized that a rather large force of Narnians had followed King Frank from Aslan's castle. They stood temporarily stunned as the Narnians rushed around them, before running forward themselves.
Peter swung his sword, taking one of the black horses down as he did so. The animal sank to the ground, its rider struggling to regain his footing. Before he could stand, the black clad fighter fell before Peter's blade.
Before moving on, Peter took a quick moment to study his fallen enemy. The soldier appeared to be human, though his facial features were hard and made him look angry even in death. He wore black, full plated armor that had deep red splotches all over it. Peter had never seen a metal even remotely like it. He then studied the horse, which in and of itself looked demented. Its eyes were large and black, its pupils being vertical slits. It had several pointed teeth that seemed better for piercing flesh than grinding vegetation.
A shout from behind him brought Peter from his reverie. He turned to see another enemy soldier, this one on foot, charging at him. With experienced agility, he dodged the attacker's axe, bringing his own weapon across the man's chest. The soldier fell to his knees, at which point Peter took his enemy's own sword from its scabbard, and kicked the dead man to the ground.
The cries of battle, the wail of the wounded, and the clash of steel wove themselves together in an evil song that wrent the air. Peter, made faster by his lack of armor, and yet more dangerous with both swords in hand, slashed his way through the fray. Sweat soaked his clothes and matted his golden hair to his head.
Another enemy approached, and Peter easily parried the aggressive blow before answering with one of his own, knocking his opponent lifeless to the ground. Yet another soldier charged forward, swinging his axe horizontally. Peter ducked beneath the attack, and then stabbed upward, impaling his foe.
The Narnians' numbers were far greater than the invaders', so the battle was short and relatively easy. This unnerved Peter as he withdrew his sword from one of the last of the enemy and surveyed the battlefield around him. All around him the other Narnians were doing the same, surveying the swift defeat of Omen's men. However, one fierce dual still raged, and it drew the attention of all that were present.
On the edge of the battlefield, separated from the victorious army by a grassy knoll covered in bodies, King Frank on Strawberry battled Omen on his steed. The two horses trotted in a tight circle as their masters' swords flashed furiously back and forth. The blows were so powerful that it amazed the onlookers that neither fell.
Finally the battle ended, but in such a way that brought stabs of emotional pain through the Narnians. With one powerful blow, Omen knocked King Frank's sword out of the way, then stabbed forward before the king could react. Strawberry neighed as King Frank drew his last, labored breath.
"No!" Peter cried along with several others.
The winged horse tried to escape as his master fell, but he didn't get far. As the horse took to the air, Omen threw his sword, which embedded itself in the animal's heart. The wondrous beast crashed to the ground as Omen dismounted and took a few steps in Peter's direction.
The High King began to walk forward, his body shaking from the rage inside. However, he stopped and raised both blades as the demon raised both of his hands to waist height. What looked like black smoke poured onto the ground from the palms of his open hands until it formed a small cloud at his feet. Then, there was a sudden and powerful gust of wind that seemed to have been emitted from Omen himself. It nearly knocked Peter over and blew the black smoke all across the battlefield. Peter watched in bewilderment and alarm as the smoke gathered over all of the fallen warriors on the battlefield. It then seemed to be sucked inside of them, and Peter approached the closest fallen soldier so as to better observe what was happening. The man's skin and hair turned completely black then cracked and disintegrated into dust, leaving only his bones inside the armor.
After that, nothing happened for a moment. Suddenly, just as a spooky silence settled over the field, the skeleton gripped the handle of its sword and stabbed straight upward. Peter reacted barely quick enough to avoid being pierced by the weapon. He backed away and readied both swords as the skeleton, along with all of the skeletons of the fallen on the battlefield, got to its feet.
It took one look at Peter and darted forward. The king deflected its blow as the clash of steel once again rang across the grassy plain. He swung upward with both blades, dismembering his opponent's arms. The skeleton turned its skull to look at one arm and then the other. It looked back up at Peter again and lunged forward, jaw open. Peter swung upward, cutting the skull in half. The bones then fell motionless in a pile in front of him. An idea dawning on him, Peter spun, blades at shoulder height, and cut through two more skulls. Their respective skeletons then fell lifeless upon the ground as well.
Having confirmed his idea, the High King shouted above the din of battle, "Their skulls! Destroy their skulls!"
Knowing their weakness, the Narnian army cut the brainless, undead soldiers down with ease. Their ability to fight as long as their heads were intact seemed to be the only thing the skeletons had going for them. They were rather dim and unskilled in combat; fell swiftly before the more experienced defenders. When at last the final skeletal warrior fell, Peter looked up to see Omen sitting calmly on his horse. Peter started to run towards him when another smaller, shimmering window opened behind the demon. Omen looked Peter in the eye across the distance between them and spoke three words.
"I shall return." He and his mount then turned and walked into the portal, which closed with a crash.
The funeral for the fallen was a sad event indeed. The sun shining down on the Narnians did little to lift their spirits. All the Narnians that could attend were present. The viewing of the bodies, especially for King Frank, took what surely must have been a very long time, though no one knew for sure how long.
When at last the viewings were over, the dead were buried one by one, culminating in the burial of the First King of Narnia. His casket was borne by the kings that fought alongside him in his last battle. Peter had his head held high; his gaze locked forward, a figure of strength and confidence. However, Susan, Lucy, and Lyra all saw how empty that gaze was. They all knew the High King blamed himself for the fall of his predecessor.
After King Frank's casket was buried, all of the Narnians gathered together to eagerly await a speech from Aslan. The great lion looked upon the crowd with sad eyes. This loss had obviously taken its toll on him as well.
"My friends," Aslan began, "today we have mourned the passing of those with whom we were very close. Souls that fought bravely in the defense of others, and paid the ultimate price for it. Even our beloved King Frank I has and his faithful horse, Strawberry, have given their lives in defense of Narnia and its people.
"I know not what has become of their souls, but I do know this: that we must not let them die in vain. They gave their lives and their happiness in this world, to defend it against an evil older than Narnia itself. A demon, by the name of Omen, is the one responsible for this terrible tragedy. He has been an enemy of Narnia longer than Narnia has existed. Until recently, he was imprisoned. But now that he has escaped, and has found a way to infiltrate our lands, I have no doubt he will soon return, with numbers far greater than before.
"My fellow Narnians, we must prepare ourselves for what will be a long and grueling war. But no matter how hard it gets, no matter how dark things become, we must never give up hope. For, the moment we do, Narnia will be lost forever. Omen will choke out its life with his dark powers, and then move on to other worlds to do the same.
"But enough talk of the dark, the terrible, and the sad. For tonight, let us forget our sorrows, and rejoice in the lives of the fallen. Let us celebrate that such good creatures lived, for I know they would not want us to mourn for long, which is not what they gave their lives for. Come, to Cair Paravel, where we shall hold a great feast in honor of the victorious dead, and the victorious living."
Nights in Real Narnia were very short compared to day, but existed for those that enjoyed the serene stillness that accompanied it. As this night fell, however, Cair Paravel was anything but calm. Upbeat and jubilant music worked to lift the spirits of the crowd that filled the castle to near capacity, and those in the festival grounds immediately outside its walls.
The largest courtyard in the castle was reserved for dancing, and it was here that Susan studied the Archenland Princess Lyra. She had seen the Princess's look of concern as Peter bore the casket of King Frank earlier, and decided to see for herself how good the two might be together.
A small smile alighted upon the Queen's face as she watched the Princess scold one of her nobles for complaining about how Peter and the others were taken by surprise. The noble and his companion looked at incredulously, as if she had just slapped him across the face. Princess Lyra then turned, the stern look on her face changing to one of sadness, longing, and pity. Susan followed her gaze to where Peter leaned against a wall, head down, so his facial features could not be seen. Sighing, Susan made her way over to her brother.
"Peter!" She whispered.
His head shot up, his face filled with bewilderment at the sternness of her voice, "What?"
"What do you think you're doing? You are the High King! You shouldn't be standing her sulking, especially in present company!"
Peter became even more confused, "What do you mean 'present company'?"
Susan motioned to Lyra with her head, and couldn't help but smile a little at the blush that spread across Peter's face as realization hit him. Her face fell, however, as he turned to glare at her and huffed before walking away. Susan shook her head and gave his retreating figure a disapproving look while someone approached her from the side.
"Excuse me, Queen Susan?"
Susan turned to find Princess Lyra curtseying before her, "I am Princess Lyra, of Archenland."
"Yes, I've been told much about you by my sister, and please, just call me Susan."
The Princess smiled, "Then it is only fit that you call me Lyra."
"It's nice to meet you, Lyra. At least, in happy circumstances." Susan referred to their previous meeting by the assassin's body.
"Yes," Lyra smiled before adorning a look of concern, "I saw you talking to High King Peter, is he alright?"
"Yes," Susan answered as she threw a scowl in the direction he had gone, "My stubborn brother is wrongly blaming himself for the death of King Frank and refuses to be comforted by anyone. That's one of the problems with him. He is willing to comfort others, but when it comes to himself he pretends that nothing is wrong and acts all strong and tough and lets no one in."
"That's actually one of the things I like about him," Lyra said with a blush.
"What?" Susan's face was riddled with skepticism, "You like the fact that he hides his pain and suffering?"
"No, that's not it at all!" Lyra's eyes grew wide as she denied the question. "You obviously don't know me very well if you would think that. What I like is his responsibility and concern towards others, which makes him act strong even when he's not. I do wish I could do something to comfort him, but why would he let me in, when he won't even let you in?"
"I'm sorry," Susan smiled, "You would be surprised though, you might just be able to penetrate that thick skull of his." They walked in silence for a moment in the direction of the gardens, where Peter had gone, "Why don't you come for a ride with my siblings and I sometime? I'd love to get to know you better."
"It would be my pleasure," Lyra said as they reached the empty archway that led into the garden, "Do you think my brother could come too?"
"Sure," Susan answered, "the more the merrier."
Lyra smiled before peering through the archway at the man leaning against a railing, unaware of their presence. She then turned back to Susan and excused herself, practically marching over to Peter. Susan smiled as she watched the two, and was soon joined by her sister.
"So?" Lucy queried, "What do you think?"
Susan's smile grew wider as Peter and Lyra embraced in a comforting hug, "I think it's almost like they were meant to be together." The Queen was suddenly stuck with an idea, and her face changed to one of devious mirth.
"I know that look," Lucy said with a smile, "You have a plan don't you?"
"Yes, but we are going to need a lot of help."
The resurrected enemies of Narnia gathered around an intricately made wooden table that had a large marble slab set into its center. Omen sat at the head of the table, while his general sat at the other end.
"Aslan will no doubt prepare defenses in light of our coming invasion." Omen stated.
"Why did you attack them? You lost us the element of surprise!" Jadis interjected angrily.
"Silence wench!" With a wave of his hand, the White Witch writhed in pain. She stopped and gasped for breath when his hand lowered and he continued, "One, surprise wasn't ours to begin with. I'm sure Aslan would have discovered the identity of his attacker when the fool failed. If anything I used what little surprise we had left. Second, I had to test these supposedly great warriors that lead Narnia. They may be skilled in combat, but are miserably uneducated in the art of war. We will crush them with ease. However, first we must gather the troops necessary to overwhelm their defenses. That is why we are all here right now. We must invade Earth, and force its inhabitants to fight for us."
"How do you propose we do that your Majesty?" Miraz spoke, "It is by far more heavily populated than Narnia, and their technology is much more advanced."
"Therein lies their weakness," Omen's voice was smug, "I believe you will find magic to be far stronger than technology, strong enough to render their advanced weaponry useless against us as well as the Narnians.
The humans of Earth have developed a weapon that they both fear and awe. While useless against us, it can create death and destruction far quicker than our armies could. Because of this, the humans are afraid of using it. They fear that it will wipe them out. We must make use of this. We shall instigate what they call a 'nuclear war' and kill off most of the population. Enslaving the survivors should be a quick and easy task. Once this is done, we will march on Narnia."
This chapter's done! The next one will probably take longer to post, as I hope to include more in it and I still have to figure out Susan's idea. Once again, please read and review! All reviews are welcome.
Darkguymelef