Chapter Nine: The Battle and the Return
"Back to the How!" Nellie heard Peter yell. "Back to the How!"
Nellie glanced at Sophie, Tricia and Susan and then to the troops running for the How. Peter and some of the soldiers approached, giant rocks smashed into the cliffs and rocks started falling. They came to a stop, but some others kept going. The girls watched in horror as large pieces of stone fell and blocked the army's only chance of safety.
"Brace yourselves!" Susan called to the troops.
Suddenly, a tree behind her fell, knocking her off of the cliff.
"Susan!" shrieked Tricia, Sophie and Nellie, rushing to try to help her. Trumpkin got to her first and tried to pull her up. But she slipped and landed on a flat rock below. The other girls sighed in relief.
Susan jumped down, Tricia, Sophie and Nellie followed behind her, and the seven of them stood together and watched as the Telmarines charged for them. We all looked at each other, all out of breath, and nodded to each other. Peter and Nellie looked at each other, communicating with their eyes.
"For Aslan!" Peter cried and they charged.
Roots and trees moved around the ground, destroying all the Telmarine catapults and throwing men around. Caspian, who had been knocked into the pit that he and the troops had created, was helped out by Peter.
He turned to see Nellie run up behind him. "Lucy."
She smiled and nodded. When she saw that the Telmarines were retreating, they smiled slightly at each other and chased them with the rest of their troops.
"To the river!" a Telmarine shouted.
We chased all them through the small forest and to the river where they stopped right before the bridge. The Narnians cut off their escape back to the plains and were a little confused as to why they stopped. Nellie and Sophie jumped, trying to see over the troops, but could not see anything.
"What's going on?" asked Tricia. "Why did they stop?"
Everyone shrugged.
There gasps of surprise and saw smiles of joy. Nellie looked through a gap the soldiers had made. It was Aslan! And Lucy as well!
The Telmarines charged at them and Aslan let out a loud roar. The men on the bridge stopped not sure what to do and the men who decided to wade through the water stared at the water as it started to get shallower. Mumbles of surprise echoed around us as the water began to rise up not too far away and shape the form of a man. He grabbed underneath the bridge and lifted it up. Broken wood pieces and debris fell everywhere and men were screaming in fear as the Narnians cheered at their victory.
Nellie, Peter, Sophie, Edmund, Susan, Tricia and Caspian crossed the river to meet Aslan and Lucy. They all fell to their knees.
"Rise Kings, Queens and Ladies of Narnia." said Aslan. Everyone but Caspian and Tricia stood. "All of you."
Caspian looked up at the Great Lion. "I do not think I am ready!"
"It is for that very reason, I know you are."
Caspian smiled nervously and stood up. Aslan's gaze fell upon Tricia. "Rise, Patricia Barclay!"
She glanced nervously up at him and stood as well.
Tricia was wondering around the castle, when she bumped into Caspian.
"Hello, my King." she smiled at him.
"You need not call me that, my lady." he smiled back at her.
She laughed. "Only if you promise not to call me my lady!"
He smiled at her. "Alright then. I came to tell you that we will be assembling at the tree in twenty minutes."
She smiled. "Okay. I'll see you there then."
He bowed to her, making her giggle, and left.
She rounded and corner and bumped into Lucy.
"Hello, Lucy!" Tricia said brightly.
"You like him," she said suddenly.
"Who?" Tricia asked.
"Caspian," she replied with a smile. Tricia's eyes widened.
"Lucy I- He's a king!" she was cut off again.
"It doesn't matter! I see it whenever you look at him." Her smile was wide and Tricia sighed.
"What should I do?" I asked. Lucy giggled.
"I'm eleven, why are you asking me?"
Tricia smiled. "Well, according to what you told me, you were once a twenty five year old woman."
Lucy smiled. "Ask Nellie or Sophie. They're the ones dating my brothers!"
Tricia laughed. "See you at the tree!"
"Bye!"
"Narnia belongs to the Narnians just as it does to man. Any Telmarines who want to stay and live in peace are welcome to, but any who wish it, Aslan will return you to the home of our forefathers," said Caspian as he stood before a crowd of Telmarines and Narnians. Nellie, Sophie and Tricia stood with the Pevensies.
"It has been generations since we left Telmar," said a man from the crowd and others murmured their agreement.
"We're not referring to Telmar," Aslan said, quieting the crowd. "Your ancestors were seafaring brigands, pirates lost at sea. They were marooned on an island and there they found a rare chasm, a portal that brought them here from their world. The same world of our Kings and Queens," he finished. They all looked at each other in surprise. "It is to that island I can return you. It is a good place for any who wish to make a new start."
The crowd murmured, wondering if they dare go.
"I will go," said a voice suddenly and all heads turned to General Glozelle. "I will accept the offer."
"So will we," said Prunaprismia, the late Miraz's wife. She held her son in her arms and stepped forward with her father. They walked with the General up to Aslan as he stepped forward.
"Since you have spoken first, your future in that world shall be good," he said then breathed on them.
The tree right behind us started to creek and it started to unravel. Gasps rippled through the crowd. After the tree stopped moving it revealed a hole big enough to fit a person. The three who stepped forward walked over to it and went through. Cries and gasps of surprise rang around the crowd as they disappeared through the opening. Caspian's eyes grew wide and he moved to get a better look to make sure he was not seeing things.
"How do we know he's not leading us to our death!" cried a man from the crowd again. There were cries of agreement.
"Your Majesty. If it's any consolation, I will take twelve mice through without delay," said Reepicheep as he stepped forward with his sword drawn.
"We'll go," said Peter suddenly. Edmund, Sophie and Lucy looked at him more shocked than everyone.
"What?" the little girl asked quietly.
Peter looked at them, taking Nellie's hand. "Come on. Our time's up." He let go of her hand and walked over to Caspian. "After all, we're not really needed here anymore."
He handed Caspian Rhindon, his sword.
Caspian took it. "I will look after it until you return."
"That's just it. Where not coming back." said Susan.
"We're not?" exclaimed Lucy.
"You three are," Peter replied, looking at them. Lucy, Sophie and Edmund looked at each other confused. "At least, I think he means you three."
"But why?" asked Sophie.
"Did they do something wrong?" added Lucy.
"Quite the opposite, dear one. But all things have their time. Your brother and sister have learned what they can from this world. Now, it is time for them to live in their own." the great lion said.
Peter walked back to Lucy. "It's alright, Lu. It's not what I thought it would be, but it's alright. One day you'll see too." He offered her his hand. "Come on."
They walked over to say goodbye to the Narnians and the others followed, including Tricia. She walked over to Caspian.
"I'm glad I came." she said to him.
"I wish we had more time together."
She smiled at him. "It never would have work anyway."
He was startled. "Why not?"
"Well, we do live in different worlds." She laughed. He laughed as well.
She started to head back toward the Pevensies. Suddenly, she turned on her heel, ran back to Caspian and pulled him to a kiss. He wrapped him arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"Surely when I'm older I'll understand." said Lucy.
"I'm older and I don't think I want to understand." said Edmund. Sophie smacked him on the back of the head. "Hey!"
She smiled at him. "Love you."
He wrapped his arm around her waist. "Love you, too."
Caspian released Tricia. "Stay with me, Tricia. Please!"
"Caspian…" she said. She looked over to Aslan.
"The choice is yours, dear one."
She turned to Caspian and then looked at the Pevensies.
"Nellie? Sophie?"
"Yes?" Nellie and Sophie asked.
"Tell Lizzie, Mary, Anna and my parents I love them."
Caspian gasped. "You're staying?"
She leaned up and kissed him again. "Of course." She turned back to them. "Goodbye, my friends."
They said goodbye and went through the tree.
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XOXO Jenny