WARNING: Coarse language, violence, gore. Dark!Harry!!

10: NOW, IT'S PERSONAL

It was the late evening of November 26th. The past week had seen the capture of a number of Telmarine soldiers, all of whom remained loyal to Miraz. They were at this point locked up in the ship's jail. The Invincible herself had returned to her original position close to the beach, hovering about 50 feet above the water.

In said jail, Miraz began to cough and choke, going into spasms. The SAU team member on duty spotted this at once from monitors at the security station, and after signaling up to the Operations Center, he went to intervene. Whether the man had been sentenced to death or not, it was still protocol to look after someone in custody. He quickly pressed the buttons to open Miraz' cell, and entered to help the man, who was obviously in medical distress. The next thing he realized was that there was a fist launching toward his throat. As he fought to breathe, failing miserably, the last thing he saw was Miraz laughing maniacally.

Miraz worked quickly, relieving the now dead soldier, or whatever he was, of anything useful: a knife, stowed in his boot; some sort of 'gun', or advanced weapon; a modern type of 'wrist irons'; a second type of 'gun'; and most importantly, the little card he used to access buttons and such.

That was the next order of business. He quickly swiped the card through the little 'strip thing', as he had observed the jailer do so many times, then started pressing buttons that he assumed opened the other cells.

"Hey Dan, everything okay down here?" came a voice. Miraz quickly waved everyone back into their cells, and then stepped back into his own, leaving the door open. Only moments later, another SAU member entered the cell block, weapon drawn. "Dan?"

"It's… my husband," said Prunaprismia. "I think he was choking!"

"We'll sort it out. Dan?" He brandished his weapon and approached the cell. Unseen to him, several soldiers in the cell he passed quietly eased out of it and came up behind him. He found Miraz, standing over his dead partner, and did not hesitate. Unfortunately, the escaped soldiers behind him prevented him from putting holes in Miraz. They did not, however, prevent him from firing a wide arc of bullets at the walls and ceiling.

"What was that?" Mr. Tumnus looked up from the table and the map, his ears twitching slightly.

"I heard it too," said one of the programmers. "Sounded like gunfire."

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Deric roared, glancing at one of the monitors at the security station. The prisoners had all escaped from their cells.

"Lock down?" suggested one of the programmers.

"Do it," directed Deric. The programmer nodded, and quickly navigated through the console he was in front of, and then entered several commands. Deric, meanwhile, unclipped his radio from his belt. "Code five Invincible."

"What does that mean?" asked Mr. Tumnus.

"Anyone who's got a radio and knows that code… they'll come help. Harry explained it to me. It was the same code they used the first time Invincible was in trouble."

oOo
"What will happen when it is time for you to leave?" asked Caspian. He and Travis were about to go to bed for the night. Travis had provided a separate bed for the young king, as it did not feel appropriate for them to share a bed. Of course, more often than not, they woke up in the same bed anyway, with Travis recalling nasty nightmares.

"I… don't know, really," answered Travis. "I mean, I hope we can actually set up a permanent connection. It looks like your world needs a lot of help from us, no matter WHAT Aslan says."

"Not to mention, I do believe you might like my company."

"I'll never tell," Travis smirked, sitting down on his bed.

"CODE FIVE INVINCIBLE," his radio suddenly crackled.

"Shit! Sonofabitch!" Travis growled, standing up and picking the radio up off the desk. "Code five confirmed, we're on our way."

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" came Harry's voice.

"PRISONERS HAVE ESCAPED FROM THE BRIG," answered Deric.

"Shit. We're on our way."

"DID YOU LOCK DOWN?" Harry asked.

"YES." Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Ready?" came Harry's voice.

"Yeah," Travis called back, glancing at Caspian. He had already put his armour back on, and was just securing his scabbard. The door opened, and Harry stood there, along with Ron.

"You gonna bring the twins as well?"

"And anyone else I can drum up."

"We could call on some of the soldiers who have remained loyal to me and the council," suggested Caspian.

"Along with any Narnian soldiers who wish to help," added Travis. "We have to go to the beach first anyway, right?"

Five minutes later, the larger group stood at the post that connected the beach with the Invincible. They included a number of fauns, cheetahs, and nearly 30 Telmarines. Harry had no clue how many prisoners had escaped, but knew there were at least 40.

"What's wrong?"

Harry turned to find three of the four Pevensie siblings walking quickly toward the assembled group. He answered, "It seems Miraz has somehow escaped from the ship's jail."

"Count us in, then," said Edmund.

Harry only nodded, saying, "We go in groups. Soon as you get up there, step away from the pole, and be ready to protect yourselves. We'd better go first." He pulled out his radio. "Where are they at?"

"APPROACHING THE MESS HALL," came the reply.

"Good. We're coming up. You'll have to be our eyes."

"COPY THAT." Harry quickly had Travis, Ron, Hermione, the twins, and Caspian link to him, and then he touched the pole.

Immediately on arrival, they moved away from the pole, after which there appeared a second group. This procedure repeated until the large group was then assembled in the large common room.

"Right. Control, where are they?" Harry spoke into the radio.

"STILL IN THE MESS HALL, SIR," came the reply.

"This way, then. Wands and weapons out," said Harry grimly. His 60-plus years experience from his older self seemed to take over at this point as he began to lead the large group to a set of stairs.

"There's a second way in, is there not?" asked Edmund.

"Right. There is," said Harry. The group stopped. "Let me show you where." Edmund only nodded, and Harry quickly planted the memory in the boy's head.

"Okay. I have it. I'll take half the group that way, we'll trap them in the mess hall."

"Good thinking, Ed," said Peter.

"I'll go with Edmund. Ron, you too," said Hermione.

The group quickly split up, with most of the Narnians, and a handful of Telmarines following Edmund, while the rest followed Harry. They began making their way down the stairwell forward of the common room, which led down to the forward crew area, and eventually, the mess hall.

"Sir." Harry jumped as two SAU members appeared from a side passageway. "Um, sorry. We watched them go into the mess hall."

"Err… great. Follow us. Did they all go in there?"

"Yeah."

"Makes it easier," Travis said. "I mean, we won't have to chase through every corridor and storage locker looking for them."

"Shhhh," Harry hissed, gesturing to the set of double doors, the words 'MESS HALL' on a label overhead.

oOo

"Are you SURE this is the way out?" asked Miraz. The group of 40 escaped prisoners were indeed in the mess hall, some of which finding amusement in vandalizing its contents.

"I remember us coming down a number of flights of stairs," said one of the soldiers. "I'm sure it was through this room…"

"Sire, are you sure this was a good idea?" Miraz only answered by backhanding the soldier across the face, sending him spinning.

"Anyone ELSE want to question my judgment? Standing around vandalizing the room will NOT get us out of here."

"You're right, it won't." Miraz spun to find Harry standing at the far end of the room, while more spilled in behind him, through the double doors. Some brandished swords, some carried firearms, while others brandished wands. "Curious, where exactly did you think you could go?" The room went silent, as the prisoners quickly drew weapons of their own, recovered from the lockup close to the jail. Some had elected to take firearms, as Miraz had quickly understood how they worked.

"I see you've discovered muggle firearms," said Travis, gesturing to Miraz' weapon. "Better use it sparingly, there's a limit to how many…"

"Travis! Not true!" Harry hissed. "Look. Those weapons… they work the same way as the armament on the Hornets."

"They automatically…" Travis had no chance to finish, as the escapees opened fire, sending everyone scattering. The SAU members quickly returned fire, and picked off several attackers. Their inexperience using a modern firearm was evident—not only was the weapon very LOUD, it also had a bit of a kick to it. The enemy's hesitance to use it was costly, as Harry and Travis were able to quickly disarm those still brandishing them.

"Aim to kill!" Travis snarled, brandishing his wand again. It was then the doors at the aft end of the room flew open, and the second group poured into the room. Harry quickly sealed the forward doors, preventing an escape that way. Hermione, seeing what Harry had done, also sealed the aft end, effectively sealing everyone in the room.

"Aaaaah! FUCK!" Travis snarled, clinching his forearm. He spun to find an escapee grinning at him and brandishing his sword. Travis managed to nail the attacker with a powerful blasting hex that sent him flying into the wall with a sickening crunch. He did not get up.

"Hold still!" Hermione grabbed his arm, pointing her wand at the cut. "Episkey." The wound began to knit and close.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted, and she spun around just in time to miss being cleaved by another attacker. "Expelliarmus!" The sword flew from the soldier's hand, clattering across the floor. "Stupefy!" The soldier fell over, stunned.

"Nice one, Hermione!"

"Thanks. Let me see your arm again. Episkey!" The wound closed further, leaving only a small cut. "We'll need to see Madam Pomfrey after, but…"

"REDUCTO!" Travis roared, having spun around to nail yet another attacker. The curse hit him in the stomach, spewing his innards down his front; he dropped to the floor with a scream of agony. "ANYONE ELSE?"

Caspian, meanwhile, had at last met up with his uncle, with Harry and Peter close at hand, keeping others away. Harry had not seen Caspian actually fight before, and so was quite impressed with his skill, particularly considering he was indeed facing a powerful adversary. Their swords clashed once, twice, three times, then locked, as the two men struggled. Miraz finally pushed Caspian away, and both men again brought their swords together in another clash of steel. They again separated, the two men glaring at each other.

"It would have been more wise to stay in jail," said Caspian quietly.

"My thoughts too," noted Harry. "Your men might have lived. I haven't got time for dragon shit. You… might live, depending on what Caspian here decides… your men… will not."

"Harry, you can't!" Peter objected.

"Why not?" his eyes flashed dangerously behind round frames. "You attack my ship from within, by Gods you better be willing to step up and take whatever I decide a fitting punishment!" Harry snarled. All activity in the room seemed to cease, with Harry's words sinking in. This was not a 16-year old teenager that now stood in the mess hall. Yes, it was still a 16-year old body, but within it now was the mind of almost 77 years—almost 60 of those knowing nothing but war. Prisoners who escaped were far more dangerous, and had proven many times to be a liability. In his opinion, an escaped prisoner signed his own death warrant.

"A most noble way to die, then," Miraz sneered, lashing out with his sword once again. The combat quickly resumed across the room, as Harry's words sunk in.

Desperation makes people far more dangerous and unpredictable. Now, not only were the prisoners using their recovered weapons, they also resorted to using objects in the room as well. Travis was forced to duck several times as debris was thrown at him. In fact, one resourceful man had thrown a corpse as cover, and then proceeded to attack with powerful swipes of his sword. It took several minutes before Travis had the time he needed to launch a curse at his assailant. The man dropped to the floor, now missing a portion of his left side courtesy of a Reducto curse. His arm had dropped to the floor before he did, with a sickening squelching sound. Travis was immediately forced to duck as another challenged with his sword, only to be dispatched by an arrow to the neck; Travis did not see from where it came from.

Edmund was in his own battle at this point, against two enemies. This was nothing new to him; during the battle at Beruna Fjord against the white witch and her enemies, he had fought more than one opponent on numerous occasions. He had accepted a set of dragon hide armour from Harry, and as one of the attackers managed to land a lucky strike to his side, he realized how wise a decision that had been. The sword only glanced off the armour. The enemy who had landed the lucky strike paused, as he was sure that had been a lethal strike to the kidney. Yet the boy still stood there, as if nothing had happened, continuing to battle. Edmund wasted no time in landing a lucky strike of his own, dispatching the soldier.

"What are… you should…"

"You should have kept to your own lands," Edmund growled, launching into another flurry of strikes.

Hermione, Travis, and Ron had again teamed up and continued to dispatch escaped prisoners. At this point, they were using full body binds, which would require a witch or wizard to remove. They made their way about the room, quickly ending individual battles, after determining which was the 'bad guy'. Fights involving a Narnian soldier were easy, while fights between two or more Telmarines were more difficult. Yet the trio managed to get it sorted out, and gradually, the battle drew to a close, with only two combatants left.

While numerous other soldiers began pulling the bound soldiers aside, Caspian and Miraz remained locked in a life-and-death duel. Both men were tiring quickly, as this had been ongoing for the last half-hour. Hermione and Ron had wanted to intervene, but Harry stopped them; this was Caspian's battle, a chance to perhaps extract a little revenge from his uncle.

They continued to circle each other, and launch spirited attacks at each other, although that was happening less frequently. Indeed, fatigue was rapidly setting in, and for those watching, it was most unnerving. Perhaps more for Travis, although he would never admit that. Miraz again lunged; knocking the sword from Caspian's grip, then began taking wild swipes, pushing the young king back. Those gathered around also backed out of the way, until he was forced against the opposite wall.

"Now where, young king?" Miraz sneered, inching closer, brandishing both swords.

"You will not leave this room alive, Miraz," answered Caspian, breathing heavily. "Should I die, I have no doubt your death will be far more painful than mine."

"Brave words," Miraz drawled, and launched into another attack, forcing Caspian to dodge and roll. Miraz laughed again, knowing this would only further wear his nephew down. He leapt in the air and brought both swords down in a menacing slashing motion, once again narrowly missing and drawing several gasps and murmurs from the onlookers. He again thrust his two weapons at the young king, once again knocking him to the floor. This time, he lashed out with both swords in a scissor motion that threatened to slice both jugular arteries.

'No time', was all that went through Caspian's head. 'Anywhere else than here!' A loud CRACK echoed through the room, and the young king vanished. Steel met linoleum, Miraz having a confused look on his face.

"What? Where… how…" he sputtered.

Caspian reappeared on the other side of the room, he himself confused with what just happened.

"Sir? You all right?" asked one of the fauns.

"Fine… just fine."

"Have my sword, sire," said one of the soldiers.

"I thank you." Caspian quickly accepted the weapon, and then made his way back to the other side of the room, where Miraz was glaring at him.

"What exactly happened there?"

"That's called accidental magic," answered Harry. "Caspian has been learning a lot, I think." A look of fear briefly crossed the deposed king's face.

"You… you're learning magic?"

"Harry and his friends have been very supportive. Not that it's any of your CONCERN!" Caspian launched a sudden ferocious attack, catching Miraz off guard. He backed him right up against the wall, striking with renewed confidence and vigor. He took a low swipe that managed to slash Miraz' leg, and yet another that grazed his hand. A third strike grazed his right side, but in his follow through, Miraz managed to get a strike of his own in, cutting the young king across the face. The two separated, and Caspian could feel the hot blood leaking down the side of his cheek. The crowd once again let out several murmurs.

"Does his majesty need a respite?" Miraz sneered.

"By all means, if you need it!" Caspian snarled, although speaking hurt at this point. The slash had got him from just below the eye to the corner of his mouth. He suddenly felt dizzy, as he attempted to launch another attack at his uncle, and missed wildly. Miraz landed another strike, slashing his nephew across the back of the legs. He fell to the floor.

"A spirited fight, but not enough," Miraz drawled, drawing out a short dagger, and kneeling down, a simpering smile on his face. "I may die here, but I will die happy in knowing my nephew passed before I do…" He let out a gasp as he felt a sharp pain in his lower back. Unseen, Caspian had drawn a dagger of his own and thrust it into his uncle's back.

"No, uncle. It is only you that shall die," answered Caspian, pushing his uncle off of him. Hermione rushed to his side, and began casting healing charms, while Harry knelt beside Miraz.

"Just before you leave us, I'll have a look to see just what you've been up to," said Harry, thrusting his wand at Miraz' forehead, "LEGILIMENS!"

Harry ploughed into his mind, much like he had done to Sopespian. Miraz actually winced with the force of Harry's attack on his mind. Memories started flooding to the forefront of his head, dark secrets he wished no one to know about. The names of his supporters. Details that Harry might be able to use to help stop the division in the Telmar people.

After several minutes, Harry pulled out of the man's mind, both satisfied and discouraged with what he found. He pointed his wand at Miraz' chest, and said, "Anything you want to say before you die?" Miraz only glared at him. "Fine. ARRESTO CORDIS!(1)" Miraz gasped as he felt his heart seize in his chest. "Now it's personal," Harry growled, glancing over at Caspian. Hermione had managed to heal the ugly gash across his face, and he had rolled onto his side so that she could heal the back of his legs. Travis was also helping out the best he could, not attempting to hide the worry on his face.

"Harry? Are you all right?" asked Peter, as Miraz finally slipped into unconsciousness.

"No, I'm not, Peter. I'm… not." The room was starting to spin, as the adrenaline from combat slowly began to subside, and his younger mind began to regain control.

There was a loud bang, and everyone looked over to the source of the noise. Deric had blasted the aft doors of the mess hall open. "CODE FOUR INVINCIBLE," Harry heard Deric say over the radio.

"CODE FOUR COPY," came another voice.

"Deric?" Harry called. Deric pushed his way over.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll… I'll be fine. Deric. Destruct and dispose."

"Harry?"

"Just… DO IT!" Harry snapped.

"Destruct… you mean to kill them? Harry, that's not right!" Hermione protested.

"NO, THIS is not right!" Harry snarled. "Bloody fucking hell, how did they escape in the FIRST place?"

"They killed two of my team," said Deric. "I can understand his anger."

"As High King, I have to sanction his decision… although personally I don't agree with it," said Peter. Deric only nodded, and then quickly pulled the remaining members of the SAU team together.

"Harry, this is MURDER!" Hermione continued to protest. "Doing this, you're no better than VOLDEMORT!"

"NO! I'm doing what I must to protect my friends! They broke out of their cells, and attempted to wage war on my FUCKING ship! Gods only know what he, or they, planned to do!" He gestured at Miraz. "They signed their own bloody death warrant the second they escaped. Look, if you don't like what I'm doing, go back to the trunk," Harry growled, attempting to stand. He almost fell over, the room seeming to spin wildly.

"Lean on me," offered Peter.

"Thanks. I think… we need to meet with the… the Telmar Lords."

"Right away?"

"Right away," answered Harry, "Caspian. Are you all right?"

"I am fine. I will attend your meeting."

The Telmarine Lords and council members were less than happy about being woken from their beds at the late hour. Yet, Harry wanted to try and secure their support before proceeding.

"I expect there is good reason for us being called into meeting at this hour, your majesty," said the fifth Telmarine Lord, gesturing to Caspian.

"I am the one who called it," answered Harry. He paused as he downed a calming draught. "There was a disturbing incident aboard the Invincible this evening, involving Miraz."

"Two of my team members are now dead as a result," Deric added.

"One of Harry's friends was seriously hurt, and a number of Narnians were also hurt attempting to quash the escape attempt," said Peter.

"Now it's personal," said Harry. "The Telmarine uprising has affected me in a personal way."

"You wish to deploy your cannon against Castle Telmar?" the first councillor guessed. Harry nodded.

"I vowed I wouldn't. After tonight… I'm just not… part of me says it's an evil thing, petty, revenge, and so on. Yet, the experiences I have had… it only says… these people will only keep coming at us. They're hell bent on having their way of it. They will never accept Narnia for what is now becoming."

Peter only nodded at this, saying, "I for one agree with Harry on this. It must be ended."

"If I were to, as planned, offer a way back to earth…" said Aslan, at last injecting himself into the conversation.

"If the survivors want that, then so be it," said Harry. "We'll give them a chance to leave the castle before we actually attack, I think."

"Thing is, the weapon will have to be used, or the Telmarines will not believe we are serious," said Travis. Harry nodded.

"My thoughts exactly."

"You want our sanction and support in the matter," guessed the third councillor. Harry nodded. "Very well then. We will meet privately for a time."

"So you know, I do intend on using the cannon, sanctioned or not," said Harry. That got a few sour looks from some of the councillors.

oOo
Just after sunrise, a single parchment was discovered in the council chamber at Castle Telmar. The group of commanders acting in charge were in a panic. The note was very simple:

…At 12 noon today, with the support of our allies, we will attack Castle Telmar, with intentions of removing it from Narnia's borders. You will do wise to evacuate those who cannot fight, for we will give no quarter to those left behind…

(Peter and Caspian had both signed the parchment, as did all but one of the Telmarine Lords)

(1) Arresto Cordis – Translates loosely into 'stop the heart'. Arresto Momentum, if you remember, was used by Dumbledore to stop Harry from falling to his death in 3rd year during a Quidditch match. 'Cordis' is the Gen. Latin term for Heart. Root Latin term is actually 'Cor'. So, putting Arresto and Cordis, you get, loosely, 'stop the heart'. As you can imagine, this would most definitely be a dark curse, one that would not be sanctioned in any way by any Ministry of Magic.