Chapter 7 Their Not-So-Lost Trek
After a few minutes of following Trumpkin, Edmund came up with a better idea. Instead of walking they all piled into the little boat. Peter took out his compass. Heading northwest, Trumpkin steered while the boys took turns rowing. The children were in the boat for nearly half a day, but finally their destination was in sight.
"Well, this is as far as we're going on water," mused Peter, trying his hardest not to be snappy. "Well, come on then, let's get out."
They all clamored out of the boat and onto shore, stretching their limbs as they did. Everything looked very different from what Edmund remembered and he started wondering if his way really was the best way. But he was too tired and too stiff to think about that now.
The sun had set and stars were beginning to peek out, shining brightly and shimmering like gold. The trees that surrounded the children were tall and thick and unknown. Hundreds of years ago they had not existed. The forest wasn't as dense as the one on the island, but its beauty diminished as Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy remembered how masterly crafted the plane had been when they had voyaged the coast of Narnia when Cair Paravel was at its prime.
"How much further?" wined Draco, trying to get all the aches and knots out of his bones. His scowl suggested that he had not enjoyed the boat ride.
"We should be with King Caspian late tomorrow, maybe by breakfast time the day after," Peter said, wondering if he should have listened to Edmund.
"Well, let's get some sleep," Hermione said, stifling a yawn. "The sooner we start out the sooner we'll get to King Caspian."
"If we don't get lost," Harry whispered to Ron.
Within two hours everyone, including Trumpkin, had fallen asleep a little ways from the bank of the river. And within a few more hours, they had all woken up, eaten an apple or two, and had begun their trek.
"This is way too early," mumbled Ron, nearly tripping over his feet as he tried to keep himself awake.
The cold breeze helped, but no one welcomed it. They were all cold already. Hunger, thirst, and stiff joints lingered until late afternoon, the cold breeze only becoming a bit stronger. The trees disappeared and a long plane with rocks and small gofer holes emerged.
"That's it, we're lost," Susan said. "I've never seen this place in my life."
"Sue, as long as we go northwest, we're fine," Peter said, his patience dwindling with each passing hour. "You've seen this place many times, only it looked different."
"Like Cair Paravel," Pansy said, enjoying the walk much more than their journey in the boat. "Better to be lost on land than on sea anyway."
"No," Susan said ignoring Pansy, "we're lost. We should be reaching the River Rush, or at least see it, but there's nothing. Nothing, that is, except more flat plane and holes."
"I suppose you'd want to ask for directions?" Peter said, much louder then he meant to. "Oh, excuse me Mr. Rock, do you know how to get to the Rush?"
"Shut up! You know we're lost, you're just too prideful to admit it!"
"Maybe you'd like to lead, Queen Susan, the Know It All!"
"Maybe I would!"
"Stop it! Stop it right now!" Lucy yelled, a tear rolling down her face. "This isn't helping. If we're lost now, we won't be able to find our way back. At least Peter has a compass. We know which direction we are going and where we need to go."
"She's right," Trumpkin said. He had been thinking the same thing for some time.
Peter glared at Susan, daring her to disagree, but she didn't, although she didn't agree either. Susan just looked away from Peter and took up the rear as the small group continued onward, wherever onward led them.
As another hour passed Peter became tenser, yet more determined to find his way. But when something finally came into view that wasn't a rock or hole, he felt defeated. How could he help King Caspian if he couldn't even find his way to the Stone Table?
"This is a gorge, not the Rush," Susan said pointedly. "Admit it, we're lost."
"Fine, better?" Peter snapped. "We're lost. We're completely and utterly lost!"
"If this continues on, I'm going to swear Percy has somehow come along," Ron said to Harry. "Susan is acting just like him!"
"I suppose you'd be Peter," Harry grinned.
"You do realize we can hear you?" glared Peter.
"Now we do," Ron gulped, his face turning red.
"Maybe this is the Rush," Hermione said. "Perhaps over time the land has fallen away. An earthquake or a landslide could have made it into a gorge."
"If that's so, we're not lost," Draco said, praying that the bickering would stop and that they would reach King Caspian quickly. "Let's find a way down so we can cross it."
"LOOK!" Lucy shouted at once, pointing across the gorge.
Everyone jerked their heads to see what Lucy was pointing at, but there was nothing.
"What Lu?" asked Edmund.
"Aslan! I saw Aslan!"
"Aslan?" Trumpkin asked. "That was probably just some old lion waiting for his supper."
"Aslan is not just any old lion!" Lucy yelled, outraged that someone would have the nerve to slander Aslan like that.
"Calm down, Lucy," Peter said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "he didn't mean anything by it. He doesn't know Aslan like we know Aslan.
"Don't say such things about Aslan," Peter told Trumpkin firmly. "You may not believe the stories, but when we were here last, He wasn't a story and He never will be."
Turning back to his youngest sister he asked, "Where was He?"
"Across there, looking straight at me. He wanted us to follow Him."
"How do you know Aslan wanted us to follow Him?"
"He, I…I just know that's what He wanted."
"Are you sure you saw Aslan?" Susan asked.
"Of course! Don't you think I know Aslan when I see Him! I'm not just a little kid, and you're not a grown up! I saw Aslan."
"Then why didn't any of us see Him?" asked Pansy.
"I don't know. Maybe, maybe you weren't looking," Lucy tried, but she couldn't come up with a better answer.
"Either we go up or we go down," Hermione stated. "We should take a vote."
"Alright," Peter said, "Trumpkin, what do you vote for, up or down?"
"Down. I don't know about Aslan, but I do know if we go down we'll find King Caspian for sure."
"Susan?"
"Sorry, Lucy, but I say down."
Peter turned to Draco. "Down. It's got to be shorter than going up."
"Pansy?"
"Well, I don't know. Maybe you were just looking too hard," she said to Lucy. "I think we should go down."
"Hermione?"
"Down," she said softly, as if scared to hurt Lucy.
"Ed?"
"Well, last time she said she saw something we didn't see she was right. We would have never found Narnia without her and we all acted stupid, me especially. I think we should believe her this time too."
Lucy's sad face turned into a bright smile.
"Oh, Ed, thanks!" And she gave him a tight hug.
"Edmund's right," Harry said, as Peter turned to him. "I vote up."
"So do I," Ron grinned.
"I say we go up," Lucy said.
"I guess a tie wouldn't work, so I'll say down," Peter said. "I'm sorry Lucy, but, well…"
Peter let the sentence slip into the air as they started their way down the gorge, Edmund and Lucy bringing in the rear, Lucy's face filled with silent tears.
Going down was horrible. The gorge was deep and a small fir forest grew, thick as the one at Cair Paravel, along the gorge. Realizing that it would take forever just to do one mile, they all stumbled their way out and went around the forest. This took them much farther than they had wanted, until where they needed to go was nowhere in sight.
Finally they found a way down into the gorge although it was still tiresome and difficult. Looking to the other side of the gorge, their way was by far, much more broken and dangerous. But they all continued and made it to the river's edge.
"If we weren't in such a hurry," Ron said, nearly out of breath, "this wouldn't be so bad. I mean, it is rather nice. Hawks, soft running water, funny flying bugs, and a nice place to rest for a bite to eat are all combined here."
"Perhaps for a picnic," Hermione agreed.
"Or an adventure," Harry piped in.
"We are on an adventure," Draco drawled, rolling his eyes.
"No, we're on a voyage, trek, journey, not on an adventure," Harry corrected.
"And the difference is? Never mind, I don't care to know."
Before too long their walk became more of a climb as the riverside rose higher until finally the gorge made a bend and the children saw a lovely plane stretched out in front of them. There by the horizon flowed the Great River, and over here was where the Fords of Beruna had been but was now accompanied by a bridge with a small town on the other side.
"This is where we fought the Battle of Beruna!" Edmund said, and soon he and Peter were reliving the victory, Trumpkin, Draco, Harry, and Ron listening interestedly.
As the gorge became more level and the walk became easier, their spirits lifted. Before they knew it, it wasn't a gorge anymore but a valley. Smiles flickered on each face. But way too soon, they all vanished.
Whoosh!
As all the children were trying to remember what that sound was, Trumpkin yelled, "Down! Get down!" and pushed Lucy to meet the earth.
"Great Scott!" Peter said, alarmed, "Arrows!"
"We need to get out of here," Hermione said, narrowly missing an arrow as she ducked.
"Crawl up the hill," Trumpkin ordered.
When the arrows stopped whizzing past their heads, they got up and ran. And just as they expected, a few more arrows followed them a small ways. When the arrows stopped completely, no one knew, they just kept running until there was no way any one of them could run another yard.
"We…we're…alive…" breathed Ron heavily.
"We have got to stop getting in life and death situations, mate," Harry grinned, taking deep long breaths.
"At least they're only sentries and they're not searching the woods," Trumpkin said.
"Well, our DFL is right," Edmund said, "We're safe now. But that means Miraz has an outpost down there."
"Guess we'll have to follow Aslan now," Lucy said quietly.
There was nothing else to do except turn around and go back where they had come from. The sun was low in the sky as they silently followed the gorge back to where Lucy had seen Aslan.
"I am so stupid," Peter said. "I should have never let us come this way. Your way would have been better," he told Trumpkin.
"I doubt it," said the dwarf. "Had we gone my way, we'd be caught having walked right into their outpost. Besides, it wasn't your idea; it was your brother's."
"I guess I'll take the blame for this one," Edmund said with a grin.
"Gee, thanks, Ed. You're such a life saver, not."
Once they had reached the fir forest on the edge of the gorge, they all stopped and decided to spend the night. By now the sun was almost gone, nothing but a golden sliver in the dark purple sky, turning the clouds a bright pink with dark purple outlining them.
Soon, supper of cold apples had been served and one by one they fell asleep, their spirits just a bit lighter as they knew the following day they'd reach King Caspian.
Will they make it to Aslan's How? Will Aslan show Himself to the others or was it really just Lucy's imagination. Find out in Chapter 8.
Courtesy of both C. S. Lewis and JKR
