Chapter 6: Right Around the Corner

Several howls filled the night, making Jules hug herself a little tighter. She was putting all her effort into blocking out the yells and jeers that surrounded her, cutting into her like a thousand knives, but unfortunately, it wasn't working. Jules felt the nasty words and noises slowly chip away at her resolve. She was this close to running away.

Caspian, who was just as uncomfortable and frightened as Jules, worked hard to not let it show on his face. He stood in the middle of the gathered Narnians and took all of their jeers and yells with his head held high. However, seeing Jules practically collapse in on herself on the ground next to Trufflehunter made it hard. Caspian's entire being wanted to rush to her, protect her, whisper comforts in her ear, hold her in his arms, but now was definitely not the time or place.

The centaur, Glenstorm, had brought Caspian, Jules, Trufflehunter, Nikabrik, and Reepicheep to a small clearing where most of the Narnians still alive today were gathered. They knew what it was about. Someone had blown Queen Susan's horn and summoned the Kings, Queens, and Guardian back to Narnia. Most of them were elated at this, as they could help them get their home back, but the fact that a Telmarine prince had blown the horn and his professor had been in possession on it uneased them. When Cair Paravel had been attacked, they'd been the ones to take the horn from Queen Susan's things. With its magical properties, the Narnians had believed it too dangerous to risk letting it be found by the Telmarines. So, they'd taken the horn and retreated into the woods and forests around Narnia. They'd been in hiding ever since.

"Kill him!"

"Telmarine!"

"Liar!"

"Murderer!"

"All this horn proves is they've stolen yet another thing from us," Nikabrik said coming to the front of the group to look at Caspian.

"I didn't steal anything!" Caspian insisted.

"Didn't steal anything?" A minotaur scoffed. "Shall we list the things the Telmarines have taken?"

"Our homes!" a female centaur cried.

"Our land!"

"Our freedom!"

"Our lives!"

"You stole Narnia!"

"You would hold me accountable for all the crimes of my people?" Caspian breathed.

"Accountable…" Nikabrik started, "and punishable." Jules couldn't stand it any longer. She ignored Trufflehunter's protests and went to stand by Caspian, her eyes baring down into Nikabrik's.

"HA!" Reepicheep suddenly cried. "That is rich coming from you, dwarf. Or have you forgotten that it was your people who fought alongside the White Witch?" Jules shuddered slightly at the thought of Jadis, but pushed it aside. Caspian, who had seen her shudder, gently took her hand and squeezed it. She returned it, but didn't look at him.

"And I'll gladly do it again," Nikabrik admitted, "if it would rid us of these barbarians!" All the Narnians yelled in agreement.

"Then it's lucky that it is not in your power to bring her back," Trufflehunter suddenly spoke up. Everyone quieted and looked at the badger. "Or are you suggesting that we ask this boy to go against Aslan and Lady Julianna, now?" Several roars and yells of fury and indignancy broke out.

"Some of you may have forgotten," Trufflehunter continued, "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 cried.

"Because I can help you," Caspian said finally getting a word in. Everyone paused. "Beyond these woods, I am a prince. The Telmarine throne is rightfully mine! Help me claim it, and I can bring peace between us." Jules held her breath with hope, but it was soon released.

"It's a trick!"

"At least hear him out!"

"No! Kill him!"

"NO!" Jules cried, nearly screamed, causing Caspian to recoil in shock. "No, please, stop! Listen to me. I know how you all feel, I truly do. I hate the Telmarines as much, if not more than all of you. I know what they've done. I've personally seen what they can do. They are narrow-minded, and vile, and impossibly cruel people, I know. But…" Jules looked back at Caspian and they locked eyes. "In the three years I have known Prince Caspian, not once has he ever resembled any of those traits. He is kind, and smart, and curious, and in shock. He has been forced away from his home, only to be kidnapped by Narnians, who, for his entire life, he thought were extinct, despite liking to hear stories about you all when he was younger. Not once has he attacked any of you, or shown you ill will. In fact, he's right here, offering you a chance at peace and freedom and you're throwing it back in his face. Three hundred years ago, the Telmarines oppressed you all because you're Narnian… and now you're oppressing him because he's a Telmarine. Tell me… how does this make you any better than them?" Several Narnians shifted uncomfortably at this and Caspian stared at Jules in shock. No one had ever defended and supported him with such vigor before, not even Professor Cornelius.

"Caspian is my dearest friend. And he is a good person. Just as there are bad Narnians, there are good Telmarines. And he is one of them. I used to believe peace between the two was impossible, but now… If anyone can do it, Prince Caspian can. And this is the first chance you've gotten to take back your home. Not taking it would be, no offense intended, rather stupid. And Nikabrik…" The dwarf glared up at Jules. "You would do well to remember that your ancestor, Ginarrbrik, was Jadis' right hand man. If Caspian is accountable for all the crimes of his ancestors and people, then so… are… you." Everything went dead silent and the Narnians stared at Jules. Most in shock. Others in admiration.

"It is true," Glenstorm suddenly spoke. "The time is right. 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."

"Is this possible?" a squirrely squirrel asked. "Do you really think there could be peace? Do you? I mean-I mean… really?"

"Two days ago, I didn't believe in the existence of talking animals… or dwarves, or centaurs. And here you are. In strength and numbers that we Telmarines could never have imagined. Whether this horn is magical or not, it brought us together. And together, we have a chance to take back what is ours."

"If you would lead us," Glenstorm started, "then my sons and I offer you our swords." Not only the centaurs drew their swords and held them up, but several other Narnians did as well. Caspian looked around in shock and Jules had a small smile on her face and a proud gleam in her eye.

"And we offer you our lives," Reepicheep stated, "unreservedly."

"Miraz's army will not be far behind us, sire," Trufflehunter said.

"If we are to be ready for them, we need to hurry to find soldiers and weapons." Caspian and Jules then looked at each other, their hands entwining. "I'm sure they will be here soon."

~)8(~

The Narnians and Caspian quickly made camp for the night and devised a plan for what to do to get weapons. Eventually, Jules came up with the idea that they could go to where most of Miraz's army was… the site of the bridge construction. There would surely be weapons there. Everyone agreed and now, it was time for the small group of theirs to go. Caspian had originally been against Jules going, but she had argued with him, and surprisingly, Glenstorm encouraged her coming. Caspian eventually caved, but only on the condition that she remain in his sight at all times. Midnight rolled around, and it was time to leave. The group of twenty or so Narnians, including Reepicheep, Nikabrik, and Glenstorm, made their way through the woods towards the bridge construction site on the River Rush. Caspian and Jules were up front with Glenstorm, both of them riding on Aimon. Caspian lightly held Jules' waist as they rode, and it was only then did he notice what she was wearing.

"Is that… chain mail?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," Jules answered. This baffled Caspian. Chain mail hadn't been used since… well since the Golden Age. It had been the common armor back then, but no one had used chain mail in several centuries. It was hard to find a blacksmith who even knew what chain mail was, let alone knew how to and would make it. Where had Jules gotten it? And her weapons… They weren't Telmarine made. But they didn't resemble the Narnians' weapons either. So where had they come from? As Caspian thought about all of this, he couldn't help but stare at Jules. Ever since they had left the castle… Jules had begun to confuse him more than any person he'd ever known. She had known about the Narnians and Queen Susan's horn, hated the Telmarines, was here to supposedly protect him, and had ancient weapons. Caspian began to wonder if he really knew Jules at all.

"Caspian…" Jules suddenly said. He tightened his grip on her a little bit to let her know that he was listening. "The Kings and Queens are going to be here soon. And when they come… you're going to learn something about me that might… that might completely change the way you see me permanently." This did nothing to ease Caspian's earlier thoughts to that he barely knew Jules at all.

"Jules…" Caspian whispered.

"Just promise me something," she interrupted. "I have no right to ask this of a prince, but…"

"Jules, you know you can ask me anything. Whatever it is you want it'll be yours," Caspian said. He wasn't sure if it was the shadows from the surrounding trees or not, but Jules' cheeks darkened slightly.

"Don't say that. Not yet," she said quietly, a tone of desperation in her voice that greatly worried Caspian. "Please just… when you learn about this thing… my secret… promise me that we'll talk about it… privately. I want, I need a chance to explain everything to you. Promise me that we'll talk and you'll listen to me." Caspian gulped slightly. Whatever this secret was, it was serious. Serious enough to make Jules sound more desperate than he'd ever heard her. Caspian knew then that he had to promise her that they'd talk. Whatever this secret was, it was causing her so much distress and if talking to her about it helped her, he would gladly do it 1,000 times over.

"I promise," Caspian whispered. Jules felt his arms come completely around her from behind and her breath hitched slightly… quiet enough that Caspian didn't hear, thank Aslan. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as Caspian held her from behind. Then, she felt something on her temple. It was so light Jules thought it was a piece of hair fallen from her braid, but it wasn't. It was Caspian. He had kissed her temple. He'd… never done something like that before. And the thought of his lips touching her made her face heat up and her butterflies intensify exponentially. Soon, though, Caspian's lips left her temple, but his arms remained securely around her. Jules leaned back on him slightly, taking comfort in his presence. The two spent the rest of the ride in silence, through Jules could see Aimon, Reepicheep, Nikabrik, and Glenstorm stealing glances at the two of them. Whether Caspian saw them or not, Jules didn't know, but she ignored them the rest of the way. Soon, the group came upon the bridge site. They all hid in the trees and Reepicheep went in first, cutting down the few guards protecting the weapons. When they were down, the rest of them came out from hiding and got to work gathering weapons. When they had taken all they could carry and Caspian had left a message for his dear Uncle Miraz, the group retreated back into the woods. They just had their first victory in a war Jules knew was just around the corner.

~)8(~

The Pevensies, Gabin, and Trumpkin were beginning to think that they'd made a mistake. Trumpkin had been right in the fact that they could cross the river from their location, but what no one had counted on, were the countless Telmarine soldiers and workers roaming the area. They were in the process of cutting down trees, sawing the wood, and placing them down on supports to build a bridge. But not only that. From their hiding spot at the edge of the woods, the group of six could see the large catapults and many, many weapons the Telmarine Army possessed. There was no way they could make it across the river without being seen. Then, the group ducked down as Miraz came out of the woods on horseback.

"Perhaps this wasn't the best way to come after all," Susan whispered, voicing their thoughts. With that, the group rushed back into the forest and returned to the spot where Lucy and Gabin had seen Aslan.

"So… where exactly do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter asked the two, still not fully believing them. Lucy set him and the other three with a hard stare.

"I wish you'd all stop trying to sound like grownups," she scolded. "We didn't think we saw him, we did see him."

"I am a grownup," Trumpkin muttered under his breath as Lucy and Gabin walked away.

"It was right over-" Gabin began. However, he was cut off as Lucy emitted a scream. The three older Pevensies and Trumpkin rushed over to see that the ground beneath Lucy and Gabin had given way. Yet, miraculously, the pair had only fallen a few feet onto a path none of them had known was there.

"Here," Lucy said, finishing Gabin's sentence. With that, the group set off down the path. It wasn't very steep, but it was narrow. The group had to go somewhat slowly. But eventually, they made it to the bottom of the gorge where they began to cross the extremely calm and shallow part of the river at one point, Lucy stumbled and nearly went in, but Trumpkin steadied the girl. The group continued to travel without a hitch and soon made camp for the night. Lucy lay back on the grass, staring at the stars when she heard Susan.

"Lucy, are you awake?"

"Mmm."

"Why do you think I didn't see Aslan?" That startled Lucy and she sat up, looking at her sister.

"You believe me?" As Lucy asked this, Gabin, who was awake as well, hopped over to the pair and sat next to Lucy.

"Well, we got across the gorge," Susan reasoned.

"I don't know," Lucy whispered, answered Susan's previous question. "Maybe you didn't really want to." That didn't seem to comfort Susan. And as the sisters continued to converse, neither of them noticed that Trumpkin was awake and silently listening in.

"You always knew we were coming back here, didn't you?" Susan asked. She couldn't help but remember something Jules had said to her… many, many years ago in the kitchens at Cair Paravel. Jules had told her that one day, she and her siblings would have to go home. She said there was a chance they could come back, but Susan had secretly hoped they wouldn't. It had been… utterly heartbreaking to have left Narnia, especially in the way that they had. They were forced back into childhood and forced back into normal lives. It was so… dull compared to their lives in Narnia. It took them all some getting used to. But then, as Susan got used to it, she began to wish they'd never see Narnia again. A part of her knew that they couldn't stay there, that they didn't truly belong there, and if they went back only to be forced to leave again… Susan didn't know if she could take that… if she could survive that emotionally.

"I hoped so," Lucy eventually said, confirming Susan's suspicions. The older girl lay back down at that.

"I finally just got used to the idea of being in England," she sighed.

"You're happy to be here, aren't you?" Lucy gasped.

"...While it lasts." Lucy didn't know how to respond to that. Part of her knew Susan was right. They would have to return to their world at some point. But still… With that, Lucy lay down as well and the sisters quickly fell asleep.

~)8(~

The next morning, Lucy woke with a start. Sitting up and looking around, she saw nothing. So what in the world had woken her up? She looked back at her siblings and friends, unsure, but curiosity won out and Lucy quietly made her way into the woods. It was early in the morning judging by the light streaming through the trees. Somehow, the trees didn't seem as quiet as they had yesterday. And she knew why. Lucy saw a dryad float by her and fly away with a giggle. Encouraged, Lucy continued through the woods, looking around with practically no apprehension any more. A few more nymphs and dryads came up to Lucy, and one of them gestured behind her. Lucy turned around and walked through the arch the trees were moving to make for her.

"Lucy…" It was quiet, and she almost mistook it for the wind, but she knew better. With a smile creeping its way onto her face, Lucy quickened her pace. And when she turned a corner, Lucy felt like she could cry of happiness.

"Aslan!" she breathed. Hiking up her skirts, Lucy sprinted towards the Great Lion and threw her arms around him.

"I've missed you so much," Lucy said while clinging to him. Then, she stepped back and drank in the sight of him. "You've grown."

"Every year you grow, and so shall I," Aslan told her smiling softly.

"Where've you been?" Lucy asked sadly. "Why haven't you come to help us? Why can't we find Jules? Is she…?" Lucy swallowed her words and Aslan's face grew solemn.

"Things never happen the same way twice, dear one," Aslan said gently. Suddenly, a twig snapped, and Lucy's eyes flew open. Disappointed, she realized the nymphs and her conversation with Aslan had only been a dream. But she was sure that twig snapping was what woke her up. There was something in the woods.


Hey all! I owe you such a big apology! This chapter took a lot longer than it should've. And for that, I'm really sorry. I love you all and thank you for your patience!

Okay, so some of you have been asking me who Gabin is and why Jules sent him into the human world. So, here it goes.

Gabin is the little rabbit from the end of "Discovering Their Guardian" that confronted Jules about where the Pevensies were. Then, when she admitted that she thought they had gone home, Gabin volunteered to go through the wardrobe and check to see if they were actually there. Unfortunately, though, Gabin wasn't able to get back to Narnia and has been living with the Pevensies in their world for the past year. Now, he was returned to Narnia with them.
The reason I did this was because I honestly thought everyone who knew the Pevensies was being really dumb when they disappeared. Despite the Pevensies not remembering their roots, most Narnians knew that at that time, humans weren't from Narnia. Tumnus and the Beavers knew this really well because they were close with the Pevensies. I didn't really like how no one was able to figure out what happened to them. If they had just stopped and thought about it for a couple minutes, maybe they could've figured out what happened. I mean, they weren't anywhere to be found in Narnia, so... Anyway, that just made me a little exasperated so I put that in there.

By the way, I promise confrontation between the Pevensies, Jules, and Caspian is coming in the NEXT chapter!

Reviews

NicoleR85: Thank you :) The confrontation will be in the next chapter, promise!
Peace-n'-Luv-4601: Gabin is the Narnian rabbit that went through the wardrobe in the last chapter to see if the Pevensies had returned to their world. Then, he got trapped there along with them and lived in their world for a year. Now, he has returned to Narnia with the Pevensies :) He's going to be an important friend to Jules in the upcoming chapters.
16frecar: Thank you! I'm glad you like the story :)
KD: Haha, here's the update! I hope you like it :)
KateLovesDisney: Well, I hope you like the update :) I'm glad you like the story!
Lost Lady of Time: I'm glad you like this story and the previous one :) Hope you like the update!
dream lighting: Don't worry, I got you! Haha, anyway, the confrontation will be in the next chapter, but in the meantime, I hope you like this one :)

Cheerio!