Chapter 10: Another War
Jessabelle's POV
"You want to send them out in the most dangerous parts of the forest to find a talking lion who may or may not exist?" Trumpkin jabbed his little thumb towards Lucy and I. wasn't sounding too pleased with Peter's idea to find Aslan in order to get help. But it was only minutes after we got back from storming the castle and the Telmarines were expected to attack us any second. We were desperate. And Trumpkin turned his desperate eyes to Lucy and asked, "Haven't we lost enough people?"
"I'm going to be okay." Lucy assured him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"She will be," I nodded in agreement, "I'll make sure of it."
"And what if something happens to you?" Trumpkin questioned.
I hesitated, unsure of what to say when Edmund spoke up, "She's going to take a bow and some arrows, and she's a good shot."
Before I could confuse myself and try to remember how he would know that, Caspian spoke up. "They'll be alright."
Part of me thinks he was saying that to convince himself more than others.
Caspian had tightened my stirrups enough to keep me seated as the horse galloped into the woods. Lucy's little arms were tight around my frame, hanging on as we bounced along to the horse's quick running. Though it wasn't long before I heard her calling my name past the rushing wind filling my ears. I glanced over my shoulder to see what had caught her attention and my heart dropped at the sight of five guards riding quickly at us.
Once we made it to a clearing, I stopped the horse and jumped off, leaving Lucy to be a stuttering mess.
"What are you doing?" She squealed as I handed her the reins.
"You've got to go onwards. Don't stop looking… Be safe." And with that, I smacked the rear end of the horse and it galloped away, leaving me alone in the clearing.
Turning to face my incoming attackers, I reached back and pulled the first gold arrow out of the holder and lined it up with the string of the bow.
"Gold?" I asked Edmund as he handed me the arrows. The feathers were a gold color and the tips were as silver as their swords.
"Yeah. Susan's is red, so I figured yours should be gold."
There was a bit of silence as he held me strap it around my shoulder and I took the time to take in his facial features. I never noticed how many freckles spotted the bridge of his nose. I almost started counting them before his eyes found mine. The pink that dusted his cheeks was so bright with the light of the torches illuminating his face. I tried not to smile at the sight.
"Be safe." He quietly mumbled.
"I will."
"And don't do anything stupid."
"Don't be mean!"
He gave me a classic Edmund-smirk and it felt as though something had thumped me hard in the chest. He rested a hand on top of my head and kept there for a second longer than I expected. I smiled softly when he removed his hand, awkwardly gave a nod of his head, and then left the room to go find Peter.
As I pulled the string back and aimed at the first man flying forward on his horse, I took a deep breath and was reminded of the time I did this with Caspian at his castle.
"Is it too big?" Caspian had asked referring to the bow he had handed me, observing me as I lifted it up to point at the target.
I smiled and lightly shrugged my shoulders, "It could be that I'm just too small."
"Nah," he chuckled. "Now aim it at your target like this-," He shifted my arms slightly upwards and peered over at the target. "Good. You're getting the hang of this."
I grinned, "I'll be better than you someday."
"We'll see."
However, now that I knew the Pevensies, now that I understood some of my past, I also knew that my time spent practicing archery with Caspian was not the first time I had held a bow and arrow in my hands. I closed my eyes and for a split second, I was no longer standing in the open field, inside some deep forest, about to fight for my life.
"Jessabelle!"
I opened my eyes to see a younger, smiling Susan walking towards me. "Are you going to help us fight?"
I smiled, "Of course, that's what I'm here for."
"Well, I've been practicing with this-," she held out her new bow and arrow, "Ever used one before?"
I shook my head, "Not a real one. I… I think I used to have a fake one though…"
"Here," she handed me a different wooden bow and started to skip her way over to the training area, "Come on! We'll practice together!"
I spent the next half hour practicing with Lucy and Susan when the boys' rode by on their horses. I stopped to watch Edmund swing his sword at Peter who almost missed blocking it and I smiled.
This is what I came back for.
As I watched the four other kids each practicing and getting better at everything they trained for, I understood why I had decided to come back.
I'm going to save them.
And it would be my undoing.
For most people, knowing you'd die trying to save people you barely know would send the constant fear running through the veins and into the heart. For other people, it would mean giving up completely. But I had already died- not just once! - But twice, and it no longer scared me. I knew I had a younger girl riding off on a horse as fast as she could, depending on me to make sure she made it to her final destination. And there were others who needed her to find Aslan because it was life or death for them. I also had a bow held in one hand and an arrow in the other.
I opened my eyes and focused on the first armored knight before letting go of the arrow and watching it sink into his collarbone where the armor didn't protect him. He fell from his horse, surprisingly knocking the man behind him off his horse, and they both tumbled into a ditch. I shot the next two men with ease before being pushed down by one of the stranded horses. I landed painfully on my elbow, causing the pain to shoot up my arm and the numbness caused me to drop the bow on the ground a few feet from me.
Unfortunately, there was one guard left and he cockily circled me on his horse, holding the tip of his sword out and bringing it down to press against my chest. I didn't flinch because I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing the fear I was feeling as my heart pounded against my chest.
The sting of the sword as it came down to slice at my skin one more time.
I glared up at the guard with no indication of fear because I knew this time would be quick. It wouldn't be torturous like my first death, I wouldn't be lying down and suffering with a stab wound in my abdomen while my best friend cries over me like my second death… In fact, Edmund probably won't know I'm dead until much later.
The guard held his sword up in the air, ready to swing it down upon my head when I shut my eyes.
"We're friends, right?" Edmund asked me as we sat in the grass.
"Soulmates." I corrected him.
He raised his eyebrows in confusion although his eyes were focused on the others who were getting ready for war. I was too young to understand why his cheeks were turning pink or what the word really meant. "Soulmates?"
"Sure… I'm here for you, and as your guardian angel, I always will be… That's what soulmates do, right?"
He shrugged, but turned his head to smile at me. He was mine to protect.
"HA!" I opened my eyes to see Caspian ride over and swing his sword at the guard. The guard groaned at the impact and fell off his horse, at my feet. Caspian was quick to swing his horse around and hold out his hand to me. "You okay?"
I smiled. "Might have been better had you come ten minutes sooner."
He chuckled as I took his hand and he hoisted me onto the horse behind him. "Sorry 'bout that. I got a bit sidetracked."
"Uh-huh," I grinned as the horse jolted forward.
Only once did I glance back at the spot where Lucy disappeared.
I gave her time. I hope that's enough.
When we got back to the others, Peter was a battered mess, panting and leaned over in pain. Edmund was focused on fixing his shoulder which looked dislocated, even from a distance. Susan visibly sighed in relief as we walked over.
"Lucy?" Peter gasped.
I nodded my head quickly to assure him everything was alright. "She made it through."
"What happened?" Susan asked, lifting up my right arm to examine it at the elbow.
I looked down to see the skin has been tore at a few parts and it was bleeding almost like falling over as a little kid and scrapping your knees. "Nothing much," I sighed, "We had a little run in with some guards, but luckily, Caspian came in just in time…"
It was silent as Peter and Susan seemed to mull this over with small pouts etched into the frowns they gave me. Edmund, however, looked up at Caspian with the look of relief.
"Thank you," he said, softly.
Caspian gave a small smile and the nod of his head, "Can't let anything happen to Lost Girl, now can we?"
The corners of my mouth lifted slightly at the use of my nickname which was starting to sound foreign as the name Jessabelle was turning more and more into a reality.
We fought a good battle and backed the Telmarines into the bridge over the river. The water was calm and steady when we reached it, but I watched the currents rapidly increase in speed at the presence of Aslan. He stood firmly next to Lucy on the other side of the bridge. And with a loud, deafening, yet welcoming roar, the water rose to that of an old, wise man and took down King Miraz. It was a terrifying yet spectacular thing to see.
When Aslan reached the rest of us, the five of us got down on one knee.
"Rise Kings and Queens of Narnia," his deep voice rung out. I watched from the corner of my eye as Edmund, Peter, Lucy, and Susan rose to their feet, all the while, trying to keep my head bowed low in gratitude. "All of you."
I elbowed Caspian slightly, being mindful of the sting pain in my elbow before I whispered, "I believe he means you."
"I mean both of you," Aslan stated.
We lifted our heads at the same time, both of us with the same wide eyes and slacked jaws.
"M-me?" I stammered.
"You always have been," Aslan smiled. He raised his voice a little louder to announce, "Of the moon and all the stars, I give to you Queen Jessabelle, the Giving."
Before I could get up from the ground or even react to what was said, a centaur stepped forward with a flower crown in hand. I giggled as she kindly placed it on top of my head. After thanking her, I stood up and grinned at the giggling Lucy who excitedly tugged on the sleeve of my dress.
"I… I don't think I'm ready…" Caspian stuttered out, still perched on his knees beside me.
Aslan just continued to smile, "And for that, I know you are."
We all smiled as Caspian rose to his feet. The smile soon vanished as a group of mice carried a dying Reepicheep over to us.
"The waves must've got him…" I frowned.
"Here, let me try," Lucy offered, taking her cordial out of her belt. She got down on her knees once more to place a drop of the juice into the mouse's mouth. With a sputter, Reepicheep opened his eyes and stood up.
"Why, thank you!" He exclaimed as we all grinned down at him.
He gushed over Aslan for several minutes as the great lion returned his missing tail. Finally, Aslan lifted his head, turning to Lucy and asked, "Now where is this friend of yours that I had been hearing about?"
Lucy nodded her head to Trumpkin who was already standing on shaking legs. His nerves seemed to get the best of him when he noticed all eyes on were on him and he hesitatingly made his way over to us. Bend down on one knee, he bowed to Aslan who offered him another great roar that sent goosebumps up my arms.
"Do you see him now?" Lucy giggled and we all joined in, except Trumpkin who seemed just a tad grumpier with his tomato-red face.
"What now?" Susan asked, turning to look at all of us.
Caspian smiled, "I think this calls for celebration."
