Chapter Three: Remaining Narnians
Sophie just stared. The soldiers seemed to be dropping dead on their own accord. She looked down slightly and saw the tall grass moving, like something was running through it. All of the sudden, Caspian was on his back, with a giant mouse on his chest.
"Choose your last words carefully, Telmarine!" demanded the mouse, pointing his sword at Caspian.
"You are a mouse!" said an astounded and scared Caspian.
The Mouse sighed. "I was hoping for something a little more original. Pick up your sword!"
"Uh... no thanks." said Caspian.
"Pick it up! I will not fight an unarmed man." said the Mouse.
"Which is why I might live longer if I choose not to cross blades with you, noble mouse." explained Caspian.
The Mouse sighed. "I said I would not fight you. I didn't say I'd let you live."
"Reepicheep! Stay your blade!" yelled Trufflehunter, who was now in Sophie's arms.
"Trufflehunter?" exclaimed the Mouse, Reepicheep. "I trust you have a very good reason for this untimely interruption!"
"He doesn't. Go ahead." said Nikabrik.
Trufflehunter shushed him. "He is the one that blew the horn!"
"Then let him bring it forward." said a voice. "For that is why we have come."
Sophie turned and saw a centaur.
Very few of the creatures seemed to be very pleased to meet them. Shouting had erupted around them.
"All this horn proves is that they've stolen yet another thing from us!" Nikabrik hollered
"I didn't steal anything," Caspian replied.
"Didn't steal anything?! Shall we list the things the Telmarines have taken from us?" A large bear from the outside of the circle yelled.
"Our homes!" a female centaur yelled.
"Our land!" yet another creature yelled from some where in the group.
"Our freedom,"
"Our lives!" the list grew longer with every breath.
"You would hold us accountable for all the crimes of our people?" Caspian asked forcefully.
"Accountable… and punishable," Nikabrik said.
"Ha! That is rich coming from you, dwarf!" Reepicheep spoke up in our defense. Thank goodness someone was on our side. "Or have you forgotten it was your people who fought alongside the White Witch?" The mouse continued closer to Nikabrik with his sword drawn and pointing.
"And I'd gladly do it again, if it would rid us of these barbarians," he replied bitterly, pushing his sword away.
"Then it is lucky that it is not in your power to bring her back," he began, "Or are you suggesting that we ask this boy to go against Aslan now? Some of you may have forgotten, but we badgers remember well that Narnia was never right except when a Son of Adam was king."
"He's a Telmarine! Why would we want him as our king?" Nikabrik argued.
"Because he can help us," said Sophie, breaking her silence.
Some creatures gasped. A female centaur gaped at her. "Lady Sophie? The one the Just King loved?"
"It's a trick! She's working with him, now!"
"At least hear them out!" more roars came from the crowd.
"Beyond these woods, I am a prince," Caspian began, "the Telmarine throne is rightfully mine! Help me claim it, and I can bring peace between us."
The centaur from before stepped forward. "It is true. The time is ripe. I watch the skies for it is mine to watch as it is yours to remember Badger. Tarva, the lord of victory, and Alambil, the lady of peace, have come together in the high heavens. And now here, a Son of Adam has come forth to offer us back our freedom."
A small squirrel crawled hastily out from the high branches of a tree. "Is this possible? Do you really think there could be peace? Do you? I mean, really?" He asked.
"Two days ago, I didn't believe in the existence of talking animals, or dwarves, or centaurs. Yet here you are in strength and numbers that we Telmarines could never have imagined. Whether this horn is magic or not, it brought us together. And together, we have a chance to take back what is ours."
"If you will lead us, then my sons and I offer you our swords," a centaur announced proudly.
"And we offer you our lives, unreservedly," Reepicheep added.
"Miraz's army will not be far behind us, sire," Trufflehunter said to Sophie and Caspian.
"If we are to be ready for them, we need to hurry to find soldiers and weapons," Sophie said.
"I'm sure they will be here soon," Caspian said.
The whole time they were at Cair, Nellie never left Peter's side. He wouldn't have had it any other way. They both felt complete again, together and in Narnia.
They walked around the castle until Edmund knelt down in front of a stone and muttered, "Catapults!"
"What?" said Peter.
Edmund looked back at them. "This didn't just happen. Cair Paravel was attacked!"
Peter and Ed walked forward and cleared some brush away from a wall. They then pushed it open to reveal a door. Peter broke off part of the door and pushed it open. Then he took out his pocket knife and cut off a portion of his shirt. The rest all looked at each other as he picked up a stick and wound the cloth around it.
"I don't suppose you'd have any matches?" he asked Edmund.
"No," he responded, digging through his bag and pulled out a torch. "But would this help?"
"You might have mentioned that a bit sooner!" Peter exclaimed, tossing it aside. Ed smiled and turned it on and headed in. Peter motioned for the girls to follow and he walked in behind Nellie. They headed down stairs until they reached two iron doors. Peter opened them and they followed.
"I can't believe it! It's all still here!" Peter explained.
Lucy, Susan, Nellie and Edmund all went to their respective trunks and opened them. When Nellie opened hers, she found tons of her dresses and her bow and arrows. She also found the sword Father Christmas. During her stay, she had used it once, because she had lost her bow during a rogue Minotaur attack.
"I was so tall!" Lucy exclaimed.
Susan looked at her. "Well you where older then."
"As opposed to hundreds of years later, when you're younger." said Edmund. They all laughed.
They all laughed and then Susan frowned. Lucy looked at her. "What is it?"
"My horn." she said. "I must have left it on my saddle, the day we went back!"
Nellie looked over at Peter, who had walked up to his chest, which was next to hers. He opened it and picked up his sword. He unsheathed it and looked at it. "When Aslan bears his teeth, winter meets its death."
"When he shakes his mane," Nellie continued, "we shall have spring again."
Lucy looked sadly up at them. "Everyone we knew, Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers, they're all gone."
Nellie looked at Susan and Edmund as reality sunk in. Peter sheathed his sword. "I think it's time we figured out what's going on here."
Lucy and Nellie nodded.
They walked along the beach until Nellie spotted something.
"What is that?" she asked.
They all looked and Edmund said, "I think it's a row boat!"
As they grew closer they saw two humans about to throw a dwarf into the river.
"They're going to drown him!"
Susan knocked an arrow and shot it into the boat and commanded, "Drop him!"
The two men looked at each other and threw the dwarf into the water. Edmund and Peter threw their swords to the ground and ran into the water. Nellie and Lucy picked up their swords. Peter surfaced with the dwarf and Edmund came pulling the boat to the shore.
Lucy took out her dagger and cut the ropes around the dwarf's mouth. He gagged and spit out the water. He stood up and grumbled angrily at Susan. "Drop him?"
"A simple thank you would suffice!" said Susan indignantly.
"Why were they trying to kill you anyway?" asked Lucy.
The dwarf looked at her. "They're Telmarines! It's what they do!"
Edmund looked at his siblings. "Telmarines? In Narnia?"
"Where've you been for the last few hundred years?" asked the dwarf sarcastically.
"It's a bit of a long story, actually." Lucy told him.
Nellie handed Peter back his sword as Lucy handed Ed his. The dwarf saw Peter's and his eyes went huge. "You're it? You're the Kings and Queens of old?"
"High King Peter, the Magnificent!" Peter stuck out his hand in introduction.
Nellie looked at him. "You probably could have left off the last part."
The dwarf laughed. "Probably."
Nellie laughed too. Peter looked at the two of them. He unsheathed his sword. "You might be surprised."
"Oh, you don't want to do that, boy." warned the dwarf.
"Not me," Peter said. He nodded to Edmund. "Him."
Edmund unsheathed his sword as the dwarf took Peter's. At first it seemed too heavy fro him and Edmund looked up at Nellie and Susan. Then the dwarf swung at him and hit him in the nose.
"Edmund!" Lucy yelled.
"Oh, you alright?" the dwarf asked sarcastically.
Edmund attacked and blocked the dwarf's advances until he knocked Peter's sword out of his hand and the dwarf was on the ground.
"Beards and bed sticks! Maybe that horn worked after all!"
Peter retrieved his sword and Susan looked at him. "What horn?"
Oh, Sophie and Edmund reuniting is so close!
What do you think? Please review!
XOXO Jenny
