*Chapter 8-2 Meetings of Different Sorts*

Good day! Here's yet another chapter in my story! Yaaaaay!!

I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the characters, except the ones that popped into my mind and demanded I wrote a story for them!

Please review! My lovely reviewers have gone missing! I want you guys back! (that was creepy.. xD) It makes me sad I have only one person keeping up with my story! D:

Well here it is! ENJOY

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"I don't remember this way." Susan said. She was walking down a sloping ledge covered in moss. She and her siblings, along with Trumpkin the dwarf, were making their way through the forest in search of the River Rush, where they would cross over and continue on their way on their quest to find Caspian. She passed a large rock face just in time to see her brother enter jump off on a large hill and turn back to her.

"That's the problem with girls, you can't carry a map in your heads." he said, giving Edmund a smirk before turning back to where he was walking.

"That's cause our heads have something in them!" Lucy retorted, earning a snicker from Susan and a grin from Edmund. Trumpkin had no reaction, for he was doing his best to ignore the four bickering children.

Peter walked until he entered an area completely surrounded by large boulders, out of earshot.

"I wish he'd just listened to the DLF in the first place," Susan muttered lowly to Lucy, who raised her eyebrows in silent agreement.

"DLF?" Edmund, who was right behind them, asked having overheard. Lucy and Susan exchanged Susan exchanged smirks.

"Dear Little Friend," Lucy said, and the two walked off, giggling. Trumpkin stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, that's not at all patronizing, is it?" he growled darkly. Edmund chuckled and walked past him, shaking his head.

They entered the strange boulder clearing to see Peter standing on a large boulder in the middle of it, looking around in frustration.

"I'm not lost," he half whispered under his breath.

"No." Trumpkin said, walking past the other three to stand opposite the High King. "You're just going the wrong way."

Peter turned around and gave the dwarf a poisonous look. "You last saw Caspian at the shuddering woods, and the quickest way there is to cross the River Rush."

"But unless I'm mistaken, there's no crossing at this point," Trumpkin, who was very obviously losing his temper.

"That explains it then. You're mistaken." Peter said, turning and walking on. Trumpkin ground his teeth together.

"Oh, you're exactly like her," he hissed lowly. Peter's head snapped around.

"Excuse me?" he snapped. Trumpkin's face paled.

"Nothing." he muttered. Peter glared at him for a moment longer, and then turned and stormed off, annoyed and confused by the dwarf's ramblings.

The four followed Peter as he went into the woods and made his way through the trees at an angrily determined pace.

He came over a small hill and found himself standing on the edge of a very steep, long drop. Hesitantly, and as carefully as he could, he got as close possible without falling to the edge and looked down. There, hundreds of feet, below him, he saw the river, nothing more than a thin blue line against the brown of the mud and grays of the stones. Susan, who was next to him on the steep cliff, let out a sigh.

"You see, over time water erodes the earth's soil, carving deeper into the-"

"Oh, shut up." Edmund cut her off. "Is there a way down?"

"Yeah, falling." came Trumpkin's dry reply. "There's a ford near Beruna. How do you feel about swimming?"

"I'd rather that than walking." Susan said, and they all turned to leave. All except Lucy.

"Aslan? It's Aslan! Look, look, it's Aslan over there!" she cried, turning to the others and pointing at a spot on the bank. But when she turned back around, where the Great Lion had been only a moment ago, thee was nothing. Her smile faded.

"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin asked. Lucy turned around and met his skeptical expression with a scowl.

"I'm not crazy. He was there, he wanted us to follow him." she said, directing the last part more to her brother. Peter shot an uncertain look to the bank.

"I'm sure there are any number of lions in these woods. Just like that bear," he said finally.

"I think I know Aslan when I see him," said Lucy through her teeth.

"Look, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist." Trumpkin put in flatly.

"The last time I didn't believe Lucy," said Edmund thoughtfully. "I ended up looking pretty stupid." Lucy gave him a small smile of appreciation.

When Peter spoke next, his voice was softer. "Why wouldn't I have seen him?"

"Maybe you weren't looking," answered Lucy with equal softness.

Peter stared at the bank for a moment longer, and then shook his head. "I'm sorry Lu."

He, Susan, and Trumpkin all turned away and began back through the woods, Trumpkin in the lead. Lucy watched them go, her bottom lip beginning to tremble, and turned back to the bank with despair written in her eyes. Then she turned back and saw Edmund still standing there waiting for her. He offered her a small, sad smile, which she barely returned. He held his arm out, indicating they should follow the others, but not before Lucy looked back once more to where Aslan had been. Then she turned to Edmund, and together the two sullenly followed the others.

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It was the night after Lucy had seen Aslan on the bank, and in a very different part of Narnia, there was a large gathering of Narnians. Their voices rose together in anger, filling the night air with roars and grunts and shouts that were all directed at the same person.

"Kill him!"

"Telmarine!"

"Murderer!"

Caspian stood in the center of a clearing and found himself surrounded by hundreds of less than friendly Narnians. He looked around at their faces, swallowing a lump in his throat, and his eyes met those of Penelope. She looked saddened and very disappointed, and was shaking her head back and forth. Her eyes swept the gathered Narnians and flashed in anger.

Caspian's attention was diverted from the girl to Nikabrik, who was stepping out of the crowd and making his way down to the center of the clearing.

"All this horn proves is that they've stolen yet another thing from us!" cried the dwarf angrily. He was fed up with playing good host with the badger, and was becoming one of the chief instigators of the gathering.

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

"Didn't steal anything? Shall we list the things the Telmarines have taken?" a minotaur's deep voice boomed.

"Our homes!"

"Our land!"

"Our freedom!"

"Our lives!"

"You stole Narnia!"

As the others cried out their losses, Penelope jumped to her feet and her voice rose above all the others.

"You pin your losses on this boy as if he personally led the attack!" A few Narnians stopped shouting and stared at her as she said it with new light in their eyes, but almost all the others ignored her and continued hurling accusations. Caspian shot her a grateful look, which she didn't catch for she was too busy glaring at everyone, and turned to the Narnians and spoke himself.

"You would hold me accountable for the crimes of my people?" he asked.

"Accountable, and punishable." said Nikabrik, coming up right next to him and drawing his sword. From behind him, Caspian heard another sword be drawn.

"Ha! That is rich coming from you dwarf!" came Reepicheep's small voice. "Or have you forgotten it was your people who fought alongside the White Witch?"

"And I'd gladly do it again, if it would rid us of these barbarians!" snapped Nikabrik with a disgusted look at Caspian. He flicked the mouse's tiny rapier away like it was a bug on his nose.

"Then it's lucky it's not in your power to bring her back. Or are you suggesting we ask the boy to go against Aslan?" asked Trufflehunter, earning the loudest roars of fury yet. Even Penelope expressed her disapproval. "Some of you may have forgotten, but we badgers remember well that Narnia was never right unless a Son of Adam was King."

"He's a Telmarine! Why would we want him as our king?" demanded Nikabrik.

"Because I can help you!" Caspian said.

"It's a trick!" some creature shouted out.

"At least hear him out!" called another.

"Let him talk!" Penelope hollered, cupping her hands around her mouth to better be heard.

"Beyond these woods, I am a Prince. The Telmarine throne is rightfully mine. Help me claim it and I can bring peace between us." Caspian said, looking around meaningfully at the Narnians.

"It is true." came the deep, rich voice of Glenstorm the centaur. All eyes turned to him. "The time is ripe. I watch the sky for it is mine to watch, as it is yours to remember, Badger. Tarva, the lord of victory, and Alamvil, the lady of peace have come together in the high heavens, and here a Son of Adam has come forth to offer us back our freedom."

"Is this possible? I mean, do you really think there can be peace? Really? I mean, do you really?" Pattertwig chirped from his place on Penelope's shoulder, clambering onto her head and beginning to nibble her hair in his excitement.

"Two days ago, I didn't believe in the existence of talking animals.. or dwarfs.. or centaurs. But here you are in strength and numbers we Telmarines could never have imagined. Whether this horn is magic or not, it brought us together, and together we shall take back what is rightfully ours!" Caspian finished passionately. The mood was quite different in the clearing now.

A sword was drawn. "You lead, and I will follow you, my King." said Penelope softly, stepping forward and holding her sword up. She was looking at Caspian admirably.

Another sword was drawn. "If you lead us, then my sons and I offer you our swords." said Glenstorm, his huge sword in the air. Every centaur followed suit, and then the other creatures did too until there wasn't a sword in the clearing sheathed.

"And we offer you our lives. Unreservedly." said Reepicheep with a bow of his head.

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

"If we are to be ready for them, we need to hurry to find soldiers and weapons. I'm sure they will be here soon." Caspian said, looking at Glenstorm deeply.

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Tada! Please review and tell me what ya thought! :D