Dear Reviewers,

Do you guys realize that we're almost to 100 reviews and we've only had a half-dozen chapters? It's incredible! This is so weird for me. Normally it takes me months to get that many. Thank-you, as ever, for the support, critiquing, help with the movie link and dialogue, compliments, and words of encouragement. You're amazing.

God Bless,

Pippin


PS: I am now an official freshman in a university.

PPS: Friar Jerome? Tis your turn. (wicked laugh)

PPPS: It is summer vacation for me now, too. Now I can write ALL the time!


Important Notice:

My story is rated K, but for the night raid, I will be rating it T. (Or possibly a very small M). I just think that experiencing it from a girls' POV (who has never seen a battle before) it would be much more violent than Peter or Edmund's point of view. So, yes, violence will be present. If any of you have any concerns, do let me know. That'll be the next chapter.


Chapter Seven, Cave of Wonders

I walked with Lucy and Reepicheep in the long line of traveling beasties. During this time, Reepicheep gave me the most random sword-use instructions like, "Keep your elbow tucked in" or "It's all in your wrist" and "Secrecy and speed is your best bet".

"Surely you don't plan on fighting in battle?" Lucy asked me at one point.

"There's a battle?" I replied, my stomach suddenly feeling funny.

"These sorts of things end in battle," Lucy explained seriously.

"It's either the Telmarines or the Narnians," Reepicheep added, "Prince Caspian has pledged us our freedom for fighting on his side. He wants to unite Telmar and Narnia. Narnia is his true throne—of course, it was by conquest years ago—but he cannot change the sins of his fathers. He can only make things better. We must defeat the Telmarines, which will mean a battle. He went against Miraz for this, you might say—even if he didn't know it at the time. He changed sides to make things right again."

"So, technically, he was a traitor to his own country," I mused out loud, though I wasn't trying to sound mean or anything. "But a traitor to imperfect causes, right?"

"He is joining OUR cause," Reepicheep said wisely, "Whether it is right or wrong depends on the person you ask. But by the Lion's Mane, Narnia belongs to the Talking Beasts by Aslan's own command. Caspian is fighting for HIM by joining us."

"Then it is the right cause," I said thoughtfully.

"It is an honor to fight in Aslan's name," declared Reepicheep.

"I don't think it's a matter of honor," Lucy interjected thoughtfully, "We fight in faith that he loves us, and we love him in return."

"Love and faith are honorable causes," Reepicheep exclaimed. "Oh! Forgive me, Your Majesty, it is not my place to disagree."

"Is it my place to question a Knight of Narnia?" Lucy smiled at him. "I don't think so. You may disagree with me any time you like."

"Thank-you, Your Majesty," Reepicheep replied.

"But you are right," Lucy said, "Love and faith are honorable causes."

"Very honorable," I agreed, feeling like the conversation had taken a turn that I had no right to be in.

We came out of the woods presently, it being a short walk. Well, perhaps not a short walk, but it only took two and a half hours in comparison to the days I'd walked with the Pevensies—so it felt shorter.

We came on the border of a wide field, broad and grassy. I was itching to ride a horse across it. A brisk wind that smelled like summer whipped by and created shimmering waves across the plain.

"Oh!" Lucy whispered, excited with the beauty of it.

We began walking forward, the Pevensies suddenly looking very solemn. I tried to be solemn too, but then one of the fauns asked me if I was ill and if I needed a bag to vomit in. I must have looked very interesting indeed.

I stopped trying to be solemn and tried looking normal—if I COULD look normal in a mystical land where animals talk and trees used to do the cha cha—and walked slightly behind the Royals so that they'd have the spotlight.

In the middle of the field was a grouping of stones, several standing tall and upright as if it were the remains of a courtyard. In the center of the broken walls was flagstone pavement with grass growing through the cracks. We walked through it, and most people acted like it wasn't there. I glanced around curiously and wondered what it used to be. There may have been some carving on the rocks, but I couldn't be sure.

On the other side of the rock formations there was a very tall hill built of stone and earth all mounded up together. It looked as if someone tried to build a fortress and then the earth grew up over it. A sunken road led inside a square entrance.

Two lines of centaurs with very long swords lined up on either side. The Pevensie kids (and Caspian) all stopped and waited for them to finish a very simplistic but beautiful salute. I was too busy watching the centaurs, didn't notice they'd stopped, and ran right into Susan.

"Would you watch yourself, please?" Susan said a little sharply.

I backed up, muttering apologies, but sounding intoxicated instead.

The centaurs held their swords over the roadway that dipped lower down (until the centaurs were practically perched on the edge of two walls) and the Pevensies moved forward.

Caspian stayed behind.

"Go on," I whispered, "You should be walking with them!"

"This is their…I don't think…" Caspian said to himself.

"You're the rightful heir," I added.

Caspian turned and gave me a strange look. "Walk with me," he said kindly.

"Okay," I said doubtfully. Caspian and I began walking behind Peter and the rest. I could almost picture the fanfare of music—but there were only whispers in the army behind us, feet tapping the ground, and flags snapping in the breeze.

"Why am I walking with you?" I hissed through the side of my mouth as we passed under the blades held aloft. It would be just my luck for the baby centaur to drop that blade on my head by accident.

"Humor me," Caspian hissed back.

"Fine!" I whispered, shrugging. Perhaps he's camera shy. I felt myself stupidly looking around for a camera. Then I remembered something—didn't I put my camera in my bag before leaving for the library? I'll have to check on that once the ceremonial stuff is over.

We passed under the doorway and came into a busy cave. It wasn't dank, damp, or dark, it was actually rather warm and cheery. There were torches everywhere, giving the expansive cave a ruddy yellow light. Creatures overran the place making weapons, clanging hammers and tongs in bonfires, carrying loads of armor, and generally looking busy.

"It may not be what you are used to, but it is defensible," Caspian told Peter.

Everyone spread out and began exploring. I stood there, unsure of what to do. I almost expected to find myself passing under the swords again due to un-happenings, but there wasn't any time vacuum or magnetic shift. Those darn un-happenings had been leaving me alone lately—I hoped it was for good!

"I still feel like an outsider sometimes, the presence of another outsider was comforting," Caspian said in a low voice, suddenly appearing beside me.

"Outsider, huh?" I turned and looked at him.

"I believe the Great Horn accidentally called you up from somewhere," Caspian discreetly put a hand on a bundle hanging from his belt. " High King Peter told me your were not with them in the past."

"True," I answered. "I lived a whole ocean away from them. Don't mention it to them—but I actually came from more than fifty years in their future, too!"

"Incredible," Caspian said admirably, "But I'd like to apologize from calling you up. If I had any control, I would have made you stay. It wouldn't do for a young girl like yourself being pulled into the bloodiest time of our history and forced to participate."

"I am older than Lucy and Susan," I sighed, tired of the age assumption.

"Well, Queen Lucy is…well, a Queen!" Caspian protested.

"And I'm a bloody freshman in college—or, will be—if I ever go back."

"I did not suspect you were older than Queen Susan, though," Caspian backtracked, as they always do. "Not because of…um…your actions."

"I know, I know," I waved a hand. "I'm short. We're breaking records that have already been broken several times over."

"Peter!" called Susan suddenly from an entrance to another part of the cave. "You may want to see this!"

Curious, Caspian and I followed Peter to see what Susan was talking about. Up two or three stairs was a round cove with yellowish walls. On these walls were paintings—cave paintings.

"Where are the mammoths and saber tooth's?" I asked jokingly, not taking a very close look.

"It's us," Susan said, still sounding like she was recovering from a shock herself.

I bent down to take a closer look at one nearer to the floor than the others. It was a blonde-haired boy with a great wolf pierced at the end of his sword. Another picture was four children by four thrones. A second was a reddish faun holding an umbrella and standing beneath a lamppost. I almost wanted to cry when I saw them. I didn't really know why. It just seemed so lonely and sad—beautiful times lost forever in this bloody, violent war.

"What IS this place?" Lucy asked.

"You don't know?" Caspian said, startled. "You mean, you didn't hear what Aslan's How meant?"

"It didn't exist in our time," Susan said sadly.

"Let me show you something," Caspian took a torch from the wall and led deeper in the cave hall. I followed last in line, touching the little drawing of the faun. I wondered if this was Mr. Tumnus… I wondered why Lucy didn't give this drawing a second glance.

We filed out behind Caspian and went down another flight of five or six wide steps. By the way our footprints echoed I could tell we were in a much larger cave than before. The air was colder and wetter and it closed in on ones face in a misty squeeze.

Caspian reached out with his torch and lit a small bundle that sat on a pedestal on fire. The fire spread from the pedestal to a track of these oil bundles along a waist high wall. The fire shot down the wall in a straight line—hit a corner some distance ahead—and changed direction and began running from left to right.

"National Treasure," I said dryly. "Are there no surprises anymore?"

Edmund glanced at me confusedly.

"Don't mind me, I'm just your Court Jester," I waved him aside.

He snickered. "You are better than our last court jester. It was a gymnastic cheetah."

"How did a cheetah like being a…" I slowly trailed off, staring at the fire. It had lit up a beautiful carving—not a painting like the earlier decorations—but something created by cutting into the stone itself. It was a seven-foot carving of Aslan. The first thing I noticed was that his eyes looked very, very sad.

The fire finished its round like an electric train running around the outer wall of a toyshop. It lit up the center of the room, where tall stone pieces of wall—just like out in the field—framed the carving of Aslan with a few steps running beneath it. A path wound its way between the fire-wall and the ancient slabs of rock around the room.

In the very middle was a stone table but it was cracked right down the middle. Well, isn't this the cave of wonders. I don't suppose it's the same table…

Lucy crept towards it and tentatively put a hand on its cold surface.

Yup. Aslan's Stone Table.

"Will somebody please say something?" I whispered, feeling uncomfortable with all the dramatic pauses. If we'd had a movie score in the background, sure. But there was only silence and a drip-drop from a leak in the roof somewhere.

"He must know what He is doing," Lucy said, turning to us.

Susan looked up at the carving. Caspian watched their faces—mostly Susan's.

Peter's breathing velocity began to increase as if he was holding back tears. "I think its up to us now," he said conclusively, as if it were the end of discussion.

"Why?" I blabbed. He looked at me as if daring me to question his authority. "I mean, he rose from the dead, didn't he? Why are you talking like he is dead?"

"Do you see him HERE?" Peter gestured around the room.

"I for one don't HAVE to," I said helplessly, fiddling with my book bag and peeking inside. I didn't see a camera.

"Stop, Pippin," Peter said, looking tortured. "Please. Can't you see we have to do what we can without him here?"

Lucy looked at Peter in surprise. "He's not like a normal Lion. He doesn't just disappear after a few years. He's with us even if we can't see him!"

"Lucy," Peter begged, "I know. But I'm not getting any clear direction from an invisible lion right now. Caspian called us here to help. That's what we've got to do."

There was a brief silence.

Suddenly, a black bird over one foot tall flew in. "Your Majesties!" he croaked. "An enemy scout was seen at the edge of the woods! They know we're here!" he alighted at Caspian's feet. "What are you orders?"

Peter opened his mouth to say something, but Caspian spoke to the bird without hesitation. "Gather all the captains and the generals and head of every species in here. We're going to have a council."

Peter nodded approvingly.

"Yes, sire," said the bird, taking off again in the direction we'd come, cawing rambunctiously.

Within a moment, all kinds of creatures began to file in. Everyone sat down as if it were going to be a long wait. Lucy hopped onto the Stone Table and traced peculiar letters alone the rim with her tiny fingers.

"Is everyone here?" Peter asked after some moment's time.

There were murmured assents. Peter nodded to Caspian.

"We've bean found by a Telmarine scout," Caspian told all those assembled. "We need to discuss what we plan to do next."

The creatures all muttered and nodded approvingly—instead of just giving commands, he wanted to discuss it will all interested. I thought this was a ver smart move on Caspian's part.

"I am afraid," Peter began to speak, "That now they know we are here, they'll attack too soon. It's only a matter of time."

"What do you propose we do, your Majesty?" asked Reepicheep.

"The Telmar capital," said Peter.

"I think we need," Caspian said at the exact same time.

There was a tense silence when Caspian and Peter looked at eachother, wondering which Reepicheep had spoken too in the first place. Caspian just gave Peter a short nod to continue.

"Our only hope," Peter went on, "Is to strike them before they strike us."

"That is crazy, no one has ever taken that castle!" Caspian cried.

"There's always a first time," Peter offered.

"We'd have the element of surprise," Trumpkin leaned forward eagerly.

"But we have the advantage here," Caspian's hand twitched emphatically, as if he wanted to bang his fist on the ground until everyone saw his point.

"If we dig in," Susan left her seat and stood by Caspian. "We could probably hold them off indefinitely." She looked at Peter for approval, but he only gave her a cranky eyebrow furrow.

"I for one feel safer underground!" added Trufflehunter.

A few centaurs and horses chuckled at this.

"Look," said Peter patiently, "I appreciate what you've done here. But this isn't a fortress—it's a tomb."

He did have a point there. If bombarded with catapults, would it show it was built to last? Who knows. It may be too risky to wait and see.

"Yes," Edmund agreed, "And if the Telmarines are smart they will just wait and starve us out."

"We could collect nuts!" suggested the red squirrel sitting next to Reepicheep.

"Yes!" Reep said with mock enthusiasm. "And throw them at the Telmarines!"

Several creatures chuckled again, particularly the birds, who didn't have any fingers to throw with.

"Shut up," added Reep for good measure. "I think you know where I stand, sire!" he added.

Peter looked at Caspian for a very long time, waiting for his final answer. "You know my idea, your Majesty," he said, licking his lips as if not liking the taste of sharing his title with someone else. "I think its what we should do."

Caspian waited, deep in thought. He finally met Peter's eyes and gave a single nod.

"If you can get your troops in," Peter directed this to the general centaur, "Can you handle the guard?"

The centaur looked at Caspian, looking uncomfortable answering to the King of the past. "Or die trying," he said, his loyalty undoubted, but his heart was not in it. "My liege," he added after a pause.

"That is what I am worried about!" Lucy spoke up.

"Sorry?" Peter asked, confused.

"Well, you're all acting like there is only two options," Lucy explained, "Dying then, or die now."

"Are you sure you've really been listening, Lu?" Peter asked.

"No, you're not listening!" cried Lucy. She sobered. "Or have you forgotten who REALLY defeated the White Witch, Peter? Pippin was right. We're all acting as if Aslan never rose from the dead and we'll have to try and get along without him."

"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough," Peter said, whirling on heel and walking from the room.

I looked back at the carving. Aslan's deeply etched eyes looked forgotten and lonely. How many were going to die for rushing into things?

"I guess I may as well be one of them," I mused out loud, mesmerized by Aslan's features in the stone.

"What did you say?" asked Edmund, leaning down from his perch.

"I might as well die with you all," I said a little louder.

"You want to fight with us?" Edmund said in surprise.

"Are you going to try and stop me?" I answered a question with a question.

"Well, no, but," Edmund stuttered, "I didn't think you were the sort of girl."

"Were you the sort of boy when you first came here?" I asked.

"No. I was all about bullying and teasing and putting garden snails in girls beds."

I shuddered.

"Why don't I show you some pointers with your sword if you are planning on going?" Edmund offered. "We might as well better prepare you if you are so determined."

"Thanks," I said humbly, but suddenly I felt so scared I wanted to pee my pants.


Will Pippin cut her own head off?

Will she ever find her camera?

Will she actually be stupid enough to join the night raid? (She's a teenager. Of course she's stupid enough.)

Will Pattertwig throw nuts at the Telmarines?

Will Peter EVER stop acting like beef jerky?

Next is the night raid! Buckle your seat belts, read and review, and away we go!

Stay tuned!