So chapter 2 is up! Thanks for reading guys! Any reviews/suggestions/ideas/comments would be awesome, I hope you enjoy! :)
Alwen and Meeko were taking a relaxing walk down from the hills towards the stream, on the warm sunny day. She'd been in lessons with Phillip all morning from sunrise, still no luck, and Meeko was worn out from all the ogling he'd done of Phillip. That poor horse was becoming a little wary in Meeko's company, though they all knew that Meeko meant no ill will, he just had a huge crush on Phillip, something Alwen liked to take advantage of.
They were both enjoying the warmth and the lush green hills around them, it was peacefull and calm, just them, the birds, the trickling of the river and the faint laughing in the distance. It was perfect and they were both enjoying it, when it was shattered by the frightened trumpeting of a horn.
They wasted no time in charging down the hills, following the sound of the horn and then the frightened shouts and squeals. Alwen shouted a battlecry as Meeko screamed a clarion call of war on the group of wolves bellow. The wolves were snapping at Queen Susan's feet as they dangled from the tree, and both her and Queen Lucy were shouting in terror.
The wolves paused as Meeko crashed through the water and Alwen leapt from his back, her sword drawn. The wolves centered around her, their white teeth gleaming dangerously and their hackles standing on end. Alwen spared a glance towards the Queens, who were no longer in imminent danger and started the fight.
One wolf launched itself at her and she lashed out with her sword, running him through, to the hilt. She sharply dragged the sword back out, its shiny-silver blade now blood red, and continued on with the fight at hand. She drew the wolves away, from the tree where Lucy and Susan hid. Hurt each wolf that tried to get her and, though she hadn't managed to kill another yet, her armor and skin became covered in blood.
Dimly she registered the approach of feet and hooves, as she slashed and stabbed at the wolves and did her best to keep them away from the Queens and Meeko, though he was doing his best to get past her and fight. One wolf ran off towards the tree, and her moment of hesitation over whether to chase after him or not, gave another wolf an opening on her side. He lunged towards her, teeth bared and claws out, neither Alwen nor Meeko saw it coming and suddenly Alwen felt a pain like nothing she'd felt before flash and pulse through her body. The wolf's wriggling and tearing on her thigh sent the pain flaring through every nerve of her body and she screamed as the wolf tore back on it, trying to pull out a chunk of her flesh.
She gathered enough wit to stab the wolf straight through his spine and out through its stomach before she fell sideways with a thump.
"ALWEN!" she heard Meeko and another shout. The accompanying foot steps and the withdrawal of the wolves, made her look up to see King Peter facing off with the rest of them. He held his sword out in front of him awkwardly, with inexperiance and nervousness, though his stance infront of the tree and the tenseness of his jaw suggested that if he had to, he'd kill to protect his sisters.
The thundering of hooves and feet came down over the hills, and Alwen recognised her father's roar as he caught a wolf between his paws and sent the others scampering off to the forests with their tails between their legs. Though Maugrim remained, circling and snarling at Peter, Oreius made towards Peter and Maugrim, her father stopped him.
"This is Peter's battle."
Alwen watched from beneath Meeko's belly (he'd stood over her after she'd fallen, growling and threatening any wolves that had come near with his hooves and teeth) as Maugrim launched himself at Peter, and heard the sickening sound of the sword entering the wolf's body, killing him instantly. Peter's sisters hadn't heard it though, it seemed, since they threw themselves screaming, down from the tree and ran to their brother's side. As they hugged happily, Alwen and Meeko tried their best to slink off and remain hidden, her father hadn't noticed her yet, he'd be furious and worried and make a huge fuss.
Alwen couldn't move though, as soon as she tried, pain flared again up her thigh and all through her body, she managed to silence her shout of pain, though there was no ignoring the blood coming out of her thigh. If her father didn't see her, then sooner or later he'd smell the blood or even notice the two other dead wolves in the clearing, which he nor Peter had killed.
It was neither of them which sold her out, nor even the soldiers who her father sent after the wolves saw her or ratted her out . It was King Peter who'd done it. It was a good job he was the future King and defeater of the White Witch or she'd have killed him herself, she came very close to hitting him though.
"Alwen!" Peter shouted as he ran towards her, leaving a confused Susan and Lucy behind, and alerting a now very worried and pissed off Aslan.
Alwen sighed and lent into Meeko's legs for support as Peter, her father and a load of her assigned guard came storming towards her from accross the river. Peter reached her first and he threw himself down next to her, even managing to avoid Meeko's swinging head as he tried to ward him off. He smiled at her a little worridly and bent towards her thigh, already tearing a piece of his shirt off to put pressure on the wound. Alwen forgot all about her father, the guard and the pain, she got lost in the depth of Peter's eyes, warm smile and felt her heart flutter as his hands ghosted lightly over her skin as he tried to stop the bleeding.
"Alwen, are you allright? What were you doing?" Alwen leant even further into Meeko and a little towards Peter as she tried to escape her over-protective father's wrath and act like there was nothing wrong.
She managed to move and hide the wound and blood from view, creating what she hoped was an air of nonchalance. Leaning against Meeko as if she'd just sat down to catch her breath, and stared defiantly at her father, her eyes sparking (she really didnt want him to go into one of his 'lock her up in a padded room, away from anything that could hurt her' moods).
"I was protecting the future Queens of Narnia!"
"What were you thinking-" Aslan's attention was suddenly (and thankfully) diverted by Maria running back through the forest towards him, all rushed and panicky. So much so, that she got her legs tangled up and ended up crashing face first into the ground at Aslan's feet.
"Maria, what's the matter child?" Aslan asked, his voice calm and the complete opposite of Maria's shaky form and the weird choking sounds she was making as she tried to talk.
"Maria, calm down." Alwen said quietly and soothingly, though she wasn't able to stop a note of pain from entering her voice, this seemed to bring Maria back a little as she managed to look up at Aslan and speak.
"We've chased the rest of the wolves down, they're dead. But we found many animals turned to stone, the expressions on their faces, the pain-" Maria rambled on about the sheer terror and pain on the faces, though she eventually faded out and settled with a look of pure horror on her face.
"Allright, let's go, can you lead us there Maria?" Aslan asked as he turned to his soldiers behind him, then followed Maria when she nodded.
"You five stay here," he said, looking at them all in turn, he'd even remembered to include Meeko this time (it hadn't ended well the last time he forgot the horse). "And you Alwen, we'll be having a little chat later." Aslan gave her a stern look as he walked past, Alwen sighed, no way was she getting out of that one.
As soon as Aslan and his soldiers were gone, Meeko led down behind Alwen to support her and Alwen let out a long suppressed groan at the pain in her thigh.
"Lucy, Susan!" Peter called worridly, Alwen was losing a lot of blood, it was a miracle her father hadn't smelt it out, though she couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing really.
"What's wrong Peter?" both girls asked together and in reply Peter moved the torn section of shirt from Alwen's thigh. They all hissed when he did it, Alwen in pain and the others in sympathy of the vicious wound. She cursed at the sight of her thigh, it was torn, red, angry and slowly but surely covering her trousers, the ground, Peter and his torn shirt in blood.
"Lucy, could you...?" Peter trailed off, gazing uncertainly at his younger sister, Alwen watched as all three seemed to share a telepathic moment of some kind and she felt a slight pang in her chest for the brothers and sisters she could have had, if her mother was still alive.
"Oh yes, of course." Lucy agreed to whatever Peter had suggested, and pulled out her present from Father Christmas. Alwen's eyes bugged out as she realised what it was, she shook her head violently at the use of it.
"No, no, no don't use the potion on me!" she said strongly, protesting as best as she could, though the blood loss was making her dizzy and she had to stop shaking her head for fear of throwing up.
"Why ever not?" Susan asked in that entirely logical way of hers, while Lucy stared at her like she was crazy and Peter was just worried.
"Um, 1. I'm not worth using it on, it'll heal at some point, it's not like its leathal or anything and 2. I don't react well with it an-"
Meeko slammed his head down and head-butted Alwen in the back of the head, she keeled over, out cold in seconds.
The future King and Queens of Narnia stared open mouthed at the horse.
"What darlings?" Meeko stared at them defensively "Alwen was delirious and clearly needs the potion, but she wouldn't take it. So really it was in her best interests that I knock her out, no?"
Lucy, Susan and Peter stared.
"Will you stop staring at me like a bunch of simpletons, and stop the river of blood that's coming out of her thigh? Because really, I do like my Alwen as she is, alive if possible."
Peter snapped into action and put the pressure back on the wound, he pressed two fingers to her pulse point just to make sure the horse hadn't hit her too hard, he relaxed a little and found that the grip on his heart had loosend a bit when he was sure that she was alive.
"Lu?"
Lucy crawled forward and carefully let a single drop fall from the bottle onto the angry, blood spurting wound. The single drop fizzled and swirled over it, healing as it went and after a blink of an eye it was fully healed. Alwen sighed and lent back into the warmth of Meeko's body, snuggling against him contentedly now that the pain was gone, she had a small smile on her face and she began to snore softly.
"What did she mean by the potion not reacting well with her?" Peter asked quietly as he sat back on his heels, content that Alwen was healed from the attack.
Meeko smirked.
"It's like she's drunk, and it all depends on what mood she's in as to whether she's a happy drunk, an angry drunk or whatever. It's quite amusing really, afterwards. It'll wear off after a few hours and then she'll end up sleeping for ages, then she'll wake up, remember what happened and try and kill me for it." Meeko shrugged as if his death by Alwen was normal.
"Hadn't we better get her back to her room then? Especially before Aslan sees her." Peter asked Meeko quietly, Lucy and Susan gave him weird looks.
"Why before Aslan gets back?"
"Aslan is her father." Peter answered before Meeko could and hoisted Alwen into his arms, then onto Meeko's back. "She's heavier than she looks."
"But how-" Susan started.
"She's all muscle darling, what with being half lion and half wood nymph. I should know I'm her horse." Meeko replied, ignoring Susan and Lucy's confused looks in exchange for glaring at Peter "You'd better get on aswell sonny boy, she isn't going to stay on, on her own."
Peter sighed and climbed on gingerly behind Alwen, he reached forward and grabbed a few handfulls of the horse's mane to keep him on, something which also made sure Alwen was safe from falling. Hopefully.
"Sooooo," Peter trailed off awkwardly as Meeko cantered smoothly back to Alwen's tent.
"You know dear, you don't need to fill every silence."
"Umm sure,"
Peter looked around for something to occupy his mind, and failed.
"So, what's your name?"
"You're doing it again darling," Meeko huffed as he ran along silently "But to answer your question, I'm Meeko - and don't bother I know who you are, Peter Pevensie."
Peter sighed when he realised that they'd once again come to a dead end in conversation.