A/N: Never mind people! I just can't stand not updating on this story that is getting so many views. Thanks for the feedback my dear readers! Here's chapter seven… I think…
Disclaimers: I don't own anything except Penthesilea!
Chapter 7…
Aslan's camp…
As Peter, Susan, Lucy, the Beavers and Penthesilea approached Aslan's camp, which was basically a large group of colorful tents and camp fires, a centaur blew a horn in the distance, announcing their arrival.
Just before entering the camp, the pink petals of a young tree came together to form the shape of a woman. She waved at Lucy.
Lucy smiled and waved back.
"That is a dryad," Penthesilea said to Lucy. "They are spirits of the trees."
"They're lovely…" Lucy mumbled.
Penthesilea and Lucy caught up with Peter, Susan and the Beavers as they stepped into Aslan's camp.
They made their way to the larger and brighter colored looking tent at the back on the camp.
Centaurs and fauns and cheetahs and other creatures looked up from their work and stared at them in astonishment as they passed by.
"Why are they all staring at us?" Susan asked.
"Maybe they think you look funny," teased Lucy.
Peter smiled and Susan kept a straight face.
Mrs. Beaver was desperately trying to comb her fur and make herself look presentable.
"Stop your fussing. You look lovely," Mr. Beaver told his wife.
Stopping in front of the large tent, Peter drew his sword and raised it to a centaur who looked like he was in charge. "We have come to see Aslan," he said in a formal and noble way.
Penthesilea just snorted at Peter.
There were nervously whispers among the crowd of creatures that had gathered around the Pevensies.
The centaur who Peter had spoken to did not say anything. He turned to the large tent behind him.
Lucy followed the centaur's gaze, wandering if Aslan was in the tent.
The entire camped suddenly kneeled respectfully at the tent.
Even Penthesilea kneeled.
A large paw stepped out of the tent. Then a magnificent lion came out. His eyes were noble and powerful like a king's. His huge mane shook as he walked toward them.
Peter though that this would be a good time to kneel too. He got down and his sisters followed his example.
"Welcome, Peter, son of Adam." Aslan greeted. "Welcome, Susan and Lucy, daughters of Eve. Welcome Penthesilea, my honored lieutenant. And welcome to you Beavers, you have my thanks."
The Beavers beamed.
"But where is the fourth?" Aslan finished.
Peter got up and so did everybody else. He unsheathed his sword and spoke. "That's why we're here, sir. We need your help."
"We had a little trouble along the way…" Susan supplied.
"Our brother's been captured by the White Witch," explained Peter.
"Captured? How could this happen?" Aslan asked.
"He… betrayed them, Your Majesty," Mr. Beaver said.
"Then he has betrayed us all!" the centaur said with anger.
"Peace, Oreius. I'm sure there's an explanation." Aslan looked at Penthesilea in disappointment. "How could you have let this happen?"
Penthesilea stared at the ground. "…I was…"
"It's my fault really…" Peter said quietly. "I was too hard on him…"
Susan put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "We all were."
"Sir, he's our brother…" Lucy said to the lion.
"I know, dear one," Aslan replied. "But that only makes the betrayal all the worse. This may be harder than you think."
Later…
Peter stood on a hill looking out to the Eastern Sea where the castle of Cair Paravel stood on the coast.
Aslan quietly walked up beside him. "That is Cair Paravel," he said, staring at the castle. "The castle of the four thrones, in one of which you will sit, Peter, as High King."
Peter looked down and fumbled with the grip of his sword.
"You doubt the prophecy?"
"No, that's just it… Aslan, I'm not who you think I am."
"Peter Pevensie, formally Finchley,"Aslan said. "Beaver also mentioned you planned on turning him into a hat."
Peter couldn't help but smile.
"Peter, there is a Deep Magic more powerful than any of us that rules over Narnia." Aslan said. "It defines right from wrong… and governs all our destinies. Yours and mine.
"But I couldn't even protect my own family," Peter said with a bit of frustration.
"You've brought them safely this far."
Peter looked down. "Not all of them… Lucy almost drowned because I wasn't careful enough, Edmund is captured by the Witch and Penthesilea has made it clear that she thinks I'm a coward."
Aslan gave Peter a caring glance. "You mustn't take Penthesilea's insults too personally, Peter. She respects only the brave, high-spirited and skilled and detests the cowardly. Her definition of cowardly is anyone who is not as brave as herself. Of course there are very few that can outmatch Penthesilea in courage. You see, Peter, many years ago wild and savage beasts began to roam Narnia. The Narnians were driven from their homes and attacked by these beasts. I took pity upon them and created Penthesilea from the prayers, hope and faith of the Narnians. Penthesilea spent many years hunting down all the beasts until at last, they have all been killed or have fled. To thank her, the Narnians asked me to give her a gift, the gift of shape-shifting. Now Penthesilea has become my loyal and honored lieutenant. I understand that it was not her fault that Edmund has been captured. I will do what I can to help your brother. But I need to you to consider what I ask of you." Aslan looked out to the camp. "I too what my family safe."
Edmund was gagged with a dirty cloth and tied to a tree at the Witch's army camp. He looked terrible, like he just got a beating.
Horrible creatures of all shapes and sizes were lumbering around, sharpening weapons or snickering at each other.
Ginarrbrik, the dwarf, walked around Edmund, taunting him. "Is our little prince uncomfortable? Does he want his pillow fluffed?" He waved his beard in Edmund's face and proceeded to walking around the tree. "Special treatment for a special boy, isn't that what you wanted?"
Edmund recoiled. He felt miserable and wondered if anyone would come to rescue him.
Meanwhile…
"You look like Mum," Lucy told Susan as they looked at themselves in the reflection of a shallow stream.
"Mother hasn't had a dress like this since before the war…" Susan muttered, looking down at the gown she wore. The Narnians had given it to her and it had fit perfectly.
"We should bring her one back! A whole trunk full!" Lucy suggested.
"If we ever get back…" Susan said sourly.
Lucy went quiet.
Susan noticed her sister's mood. "I'm sorry I'm like that. We used to have fun together, didn't we?"
"Yes… before you got boring!" Lucy teased and laughed.
"Oh, really?" Susan reached her hand into the water and splashed Lucy.
Lucy, taken by surprise, quickly splashed Susan back.
The sisters stumbled out of the river and reached for a towel that hung on a nearby tree branch.
Maugrim suddenly appeared, scaring the girls half to death.
"Please don't try to run," the wolf said as he approached Susan and Lucy. "We're tired."
"And we'd prefer to kill you quickly," finished another wolf who had snuck up behind them.
Susan looked at the horn Father Christmas had given her, which was dangling by a leather cord on the chair in a nearby pavilion. Then she threw the towel onto the wolves.
Back to Peter and Aslan…
Peter and Aslan were having a very slow conversation when the sound of Susan's horn echoed across the hills.
"Susan!" Peter took off running in the direction of the sound.
At the same time…
Lucy and Susan had climbed tree and were screaming for help.
Susan couldn't quite get herself high enough and one of her feet were dangling just inches above the wolves' snarling and snapping teeth.
"Get back!" Peter shouted as he ran across the stream and drew his sword.
"Peter!" Lucy screamed.
The wolves lost interest in the girls and began to circle Peter.
"Come on! We've already been through this before," Maugrim snarled. "We both know you haven't it in you!"
"Peter, watch out!" Susan called from the branches.
Peter pointed his sword at the wolves but didn't strike.
Suddenly, Aslan appeared and grabbed Maugrim's companion.
Oreius and Penthesilea ran up behind him, leading the others.
Both Oreius and Penthesilea prepared to charge into battle and kill Maugrim with no mercy, but Aslan stopped them.
"No, stay your weapons. This is Peter's battle," the lion ordered.
The centaur backed off but Penthesilea wasn't too happy.
"He won't do it! He can't do it!" she pleaded to Aslan. "He had his chance! He didn't do it and he won't do it now! Allow me! I will show no pity to that thing!" She sneered at Maugrim.
"Hush, child," Aslan commanded with a firm voice.
Penthesilea looked like she wanted to complain but didn't.
"You may think you're a king," Maugrim growled at Peter. "but you're going to die… like a dog!" the wolf lunged at Peter.
Peter ducked.
"Peter!" the girls screamed, jumped down from the tree and ran to Peter's side. They pushed Maugrim's body off of him and found that the wolf had been killed due to Peter raising his sword at the last second and stabbing it as it lunged for him.
Peter looked very shocked that he was alive and was drenched in sweat but otherwise, he was perfectly fine.
Susan and Lucy hugged him tightly.
Aslan let go of the other wolf who fled in terror. "After him, he will lead you to Edmund." Aslan said to Oreius.
The centaur nodded and galloped after the wolf, followed by a group of fauns and cheetahs.
Penthesilea was not very much impressed with Peter's way of taking victory. She walked up to Peter and his sisters. "I still do not respect you, Son of Adam," she said to him. "But nonetheless you killed the Captain of the Secret Police, I will give you that credit." Then she transformed into a hawk and flew off after the others.
After she was gone, Aslan said, "Peter, clean your sword."
Peter brushed his sword on the grass to get rid of the blood and kneeled in front of Aslan.
Aslan put a paw on one of Peter's shoulders. "Rise, Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane, Knight of Narnia."
Peter first smiled at his sisters then looked at Aslan and sheathed his sword. He suddenly felt more powerful and noble.
Meanwhile…
The Witch's army was made up of ugly beasts and moody dwarves. They sharpened their swords and weapons and banged on metal to make new ones.
"The Minotaurs will take the left flanks," Otmin the Minotaur said to the Witch who was sitting comfortably in a throne-away-from-throne. "We'll keep the giants in reserve and send the dwarves in first."
The Witch and Otmin discussed battle plans and were completely unaware that the wolf, who had accompanied Maugrim, had ran into the camp followed by Aslan's forces and that Edmund had been rescued.
The Witch then noticed how quiet it was suddenly in her camp.
"The prisoner!" Otmin said and he and the Witch walked out of the pavilion to find most of their recruits dead and Edmund was gone.
In the boy's place was Ginarrbrik, tied up against the tree and gagged. His cap was pinned to the trunk of the tree with a knife.
The Witch silently walked to the dwarf, pulled the knife from the tree and with one expert slash, cut him free.
"You're not going to kill me?" Ginarrbrik asked.
"Not yet," the Witch muttered. She turned to Otmin. "We have work to do."
A/N: Not much of a cliff-hanger but then again… none of my chapters are. I hope you all enjoyed chapter seven and I will be back soon with eight! Please don't pressure me, people! I have school going on now and a lot of work to do. I will ALWAYS try to update as soon as I can.
~ThePeacockFeather
