Hello everyone, welcome back. So some of you were less than happy with the cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter, but I won't make you wait any longer to find out what happens! Thanks again to all of my wonderful reviewers and those of you who added this story to your favourites or alerts. Just to warm you all that the next chapter will most likely be the last for this story. Will there be a sequel? Read on to find out!
Rocha Tempest: Sorry about that, I hope this chapter will ease your pain! I'm very glad you thought so, thanks for your review!
Susan Viktorija: You'll find out now if you were right or not!
Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: I'm afraid you'll just have to read this chapter to find out!
Lairyfight: Hi Nadia! It's great to hear that, because that it the effect I was trying to achieve so it's wonderful to know that it worked! And you'll just have to read on to find out I'm afraid!
This chapter is dedicated to all of the innocent children and adults and those who were injured in the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. My thoughts and prayers are with them, their families, the other pupils and staff at the school and any of you who read this that may have been affected in any way.
Warning: In light of the recent tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut I will advise readers that there will be some discussion between Peter and Anna about Emma and Josh and the loss of the child towards the end of this chapter. I am aware this may still be a very sensitive issue, particularly to any of my American readers who may have been affected, and so I would recommend that you skip that section if you are still upset.
I fell to the ground and landed heavily on my back, knowing that there was no escape now. I glanced at Peter, who was desperately trying to reach me even though we both knew he would ultimately be too late, before looking back at the Telmarine as he gave me a wicked smile and raised his sword to deliver the death blow. I closed my eyes, accepting my fate and only hoping that death would come swiftly.
But it never came.
A grunt of pain and the dull thud of a body hitting the ground made me open my eyes, and I discovered that the Telmarine who had been about to kill me was now lying motionless on the ground and that Edmund had taken his place, glaring down at him before turning to me with a hint of a satisfied smile.
"Was I holding it low enough for you that time?" he drawled, sheathing one of his swords and extending his hand towards me.
"Thanks, Ed," I said as he helped me to my feet and I retrieved my swords.
Edmund smirked. "Don't mention it."
I chuckled. "You're never going to let me forget this, are you?" I asked.
He shook his head and smiled. "Never."
Will you ever change, Edmund?
"Are you all right?" Peter asked as he joined us, giving me a worried look.
"I'm perfectly fine," I assured him, before he suddenly pulled me in to an embrace.
"Hey Pete, I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a war going on here," Edmund said sarcastically, and Peter glared at his brother as we broke apart.
Before he could give his reply, our attention was diverted by a rumbling sound and the ground shaking slightly, and we all turned to find the source was the trees that had finally been reanimated, and were now demolishing any retreating Telmarine in their path that couldn't run fast enough. Susan then joined us, but she had a slightly panicked expression.
"Where's Caspian?" she asked, glancing from Peter to Edmund to me.
We all exchanged a look before turning to the crater we had seen him fall in to. Peter quickly ran to the edge, and reached it just in time to help pull out a slightly bewildered looking Caspian. Trumpkin approached him and handed back his silver dagger, while the rest of us joined Peter and Caspian as we watched the Telmarines flee in terror.
"Lucy," Peter said proudly to Caspian with a triumphant smile.
Suddenly, a boulder was fired at one of the trees and it tore straight through it's trunk, and as it gave a final, dying groan and fell to the ground, another tree (obviously incensed at the fall of one of their kin) plunged it's roots in to the ground, only for them to re-emerge a few seconds later in the Telmarine ranks and crush the catapult to nothing more than a splintered mess.
The Narnians gave a victorious cheer at this, before Peter raised his sword, cried out, "For Aslan!" and once again lead the charge as we followed the now retreating Telmarine army.
We chased them through the woods, having to fight off one or two who fell behind and then tried to attack us before we eventually re-emerged at Beruna, just in time to see Sopespian bring the army to a halt once he spotted Lucy walking towards him alone, and she drew her dagger with a sweet smile and a look that was basically challenging the Telmarine to try something. I had to place a restraining hand on Peter's arm as he gave us a panicked look and began to step forward, with the obvious intention of coming to his sisters aid even if he had to single handedly take out the Telmarine army, causing him to turn to me with a questioning look.
"Have faith," I said quietly, before turning my attention back to the scene playing out before us.
Sopespian glanced back at us with confusion and uncertainty as we pointed our swords at the rest of the army that was now facing us, ready to fight again if we needed to. I'm fairly certain I saw the man nearly fall off his horse when Aslan stepped in to view. Peter turned to me and gave me an incredulous look, but I only gave him a knowing smile in response.
Sopespian hesitated for a few seconds, before finally raising his sword and giving the order to charge. The Telmarines followed him with loud battle cries, but they could have been no more than half way across the bridge when Aslan suddenly gave an all mighty roar, causing the army to once again come to an abrupt stop. They then began to give panicked shouts as the water in the river began to move as if it had a mind of it's own, and they ran back on to the bank. Once the river god materialised and headed straight for the bridge, terrified soldiers jumped in to the water in an attempt to escape, but Sopespian remained and was swiftly hoisted in to the air by the river god. He seemed to contemplate him for a few moments, before finally swallowing the Telmarine up and collapsing in a massive torrent of water. We all watched in stunned silence as the river finally settled, before the Telmarine army turned to us uncertainly. At the fall of their last commander, they now had no choice but to surrender and declare a Narnian victory. When the Narnians realised this, they gave great calls of pure joy and excitement; for everything that they had lost was once again theirs, and no one would take it from them this time.
I turned to Peter, who gave me a wide smile and quickly pulled me in to an embrace, and I could see just over his shoulder Caspian do the same with Susan, who promptly turned an interesting shade of pink. When Peter and I broke apart, he turned to see what I was grinning at before turning back to me with an amused smirk.
I then raised an eyebrow. "I'll admit, I was expecting a very different reaction from the one you just gave."
Peter shrugged. "I think it's time to move on. And Susan can look after herself now."
I laughed. "It's just a shame you can never let me do the same."
He smiled at me. "Never," he replied before kissing me.
Edmund then coughed awkwardly behind us before saying dryly, "As wonderful as it is to see you two so happy, in case you haven't noticed we're not finished here."
Peter and I turned to him, before Edmund then turned to where Aslan and Lucy were standing and watching us. We all turned to stare back at them, before we began to move forward to cross the river and join them.
When we finally waded across and stepped on to the bank, Aslan gave us all a knowing look as Peter and Susan stared back sheepishly. I gave a Lucy small smile, which she gladly returned in her happiness at seeing all of us safe. I then turned my attention to Aslan and gave him a small nod as he looked back at me with a serene expression. After a moments of hesitation, Peter stuck his sword in to the ground and began to kneel, all of us following suit and bowing our heads in respect for the great lion.
He allowed us to remain for a few seconds before addressing us, "Rise, Kings and Queens of Narnia." At that we all stood, except for Caspian, who remained kneeling.
Aslan did not fail to notice this. "All of you," he added, and we all looked down at Caspian, who slowly raised his head with a nervous expression.
"I do not think I am ready," he said hesitantly.
"It's for that very reason I know you are," Aslan replied patiently, and Caspian finally rose slowly to his feet.
We all give him encouraging smiles, before a solemn procession of several mice carrying an injured Reepicheep on a stretcher interrupted us. Once they carefully laid him down Lucy immediately ran forward and withdrew her bottle of cordial and placed a drop in to the mouth of the mouse.
Lucy stepped back, and we all watched with relief as the fire flower juice worked it's magic and promptly revived Reepicheep.
"Thank you, your majesty," he said gratefully to Lucy, who gave us all a wide smile.
Reepicheep then stood with a little help from one of his comrades, and upon spotting Aslan gave a cry of surprise and delight before composing himself.
"Hail, Aslan! It is a great honour to be in-oh!" At his attempt to step forward and bow, the mouse stumbled forward and looked behind him, to discover nothing more than a small stump where his tail had once been. "Oh! I am completely out of countenance! I must crave your indulgence for appearing in this unseemly fashion!" he apologised, backing away from Aslan and attempting to cover the stump with his hands, before turning to Lucy. "Perhaps a drop more?" he asked hopefully.
"I don't think it does that," she replied sadly.
"You can have a go!" he said desperately.
Aslan chuckled. "It becomes you well, small one," he assured the mouse.
"All the same, great king, I regret that I must withdraw; for a tail is the honour and glory of a mouse," Reepicheep said solemnly, drawing his sword and presenting it to Aslan.
"Perhaps you think too much of your honour, friend," Aslan replied gently.
Reepicheep looked slightly taken aback. "Well, it's not just for the honour. It's also great for balance...and climbing...and grabbing things," he explained with a stutter.
Lucy and Aslan shared an amused look, while the rest of us smiled and tried to hold back our laughter. They were quickly wiped off our faces though when the other mice withdrew their swords and held them to their own tails.
"May it please your high majesty, we will not bear the shame of wearing an honour denied to our chief," one of the mice spoke up, and Reepicheep looked around in awe at his comrades, obviously touched at their display of loyalty and for once rendering him speechless.
Aslan laughed quietly. "Not for the sake of your dignity, but for the love of your people." And at his words, Reepicheep's tail quickly grew back to it's original state.
The mouse gave a cry of delight as he grasped his new tail, before bowing deeply to Aslan. "Thank you, thank you, my liege! From this day forward it will serve as a great reminder of my huge humility," Reepicheep declared loudly, causing us all to laugh out loud.
"Now, where is this Dear Little Friend you've told me so much about?" Aslan asked Lucy, and we all turned to look at Trumpkin, who was in the process of directing Telmarine soldiers.
Once he noticed us all looking at him, he approached us with a nervous look, towards Aslan in particular, before gathering his courage and kneeling in a similar fashion to Peter with his sword. Aslan gave a tremendous roar, causing the dwarf to jump.
"Do you see him now?" Lucy asked with a smile. Trumpkin gave a nervous laugh, before slowly rising to his feet. Lucy then turned to Peter and Susan, a triumphant smile lighting up her face.
Peter laughed. "Yes Lu, we know. You were right, as usual," he admitted.
"We're sorry, Aslan," Susan said quietly to the lion, who gave her a warm smile.
"Do not fear, my daughter, for I know that in your heart you still have faith," Susan gave him a small smile in response.
"Come, we shall speak once you have rested properly. There is much for us all to discuss," Aslan said as he stood, and we all began to follow him to the Telmarine castle.
It was almost nightfall when we reached the castle, and I was beginning to struggle to stay awake on the horse that I was riding. Somehow, word had reached the Telmarines of our imminent arrival at the castle and they had prepared a large banquet for us. Our reception was a little lukewarm, with some greeting us much more happily than others, though Caspian was well received by all who addressed him. However, when Prunaprismia arrived with her child in her arms, she immediately embraced Caspian in a tight hug, tears streaming down her cheeks.
But when she withdrew, she looked around expectantly. "Where is Miraz? Where is your uncle?" she asked, fear evident in her voice.
Caspian hesitated for a moment, before eventually shaking his head slowly. Prunaprismia stepped back, and would have fallen over had Caspian not caught her. He gave us a pleading look as he tried to support his aunt, and I quickly stepped forward to take the child from her grasp before she dropped him. He began to wail slightly at the sudden movement, and I quickly tried to sooth him as Caspian guided Prunaprismia to the nearest seat; who was incredibly pale and I noticed that she was trembling slightly. I glanced down at the child I was holding, who was clearly unhappy at being in anyone but his mother's arms. It wasn't long before one of Prunaprismia's servants approached me, and timidly asked if she should take the child. I handed him over silently, before we were all lead in to the dining hall.
Everyone ate in silence, even Caspian when he returned from tending to his aunt. The meal was short, and we all quickly said our good nights before being shown to our rooms. However, I went up alone as Peter excused himself to stay behind and speak to Caspian; mainly about Peter giving him advice on how to rule Narnia effectively and wisely. There was a small balcony that over looked the surrounding mountains and forest, and as I stood on it I could see in the distance the courtyard with the large tree that I knew we would pass under to go back to England; Peter, Susan and I never to return again. I closed my eyes as I allowed the gentle summer breeze to linger over my skin, but they immediately snapped open at the sound of a voice behind me.
"What are you thinking about?" Peter called softly, and I turned to find him leaning against the open door that led out on to the balcony, simply watching me.
"How do you know I wasn't just standing here?" I challenged playfully.
Peter gave me a small smile. "I just do," he answered as he stepped forward to join me.
I turned back to look at the tree as Peter gently wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me and kissed the top of my head, before he spoke again, "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly.
There was a moment of silence before I replied, "Do you think you'd ever be ready to say goodbye to this place?" I eventually answered.
"Never," Peter replied instantly. "If it hadn't been for Narnia I never would have met you, or had some of the best times of my life so far."
"All involving me, obviously," I joked.
Peter chuckled. "Obviously," he agreed, and I didn't need to look at him to know that he was smiling.
"But it certainly hasn't been without it's challenges," I added.
"Yes, we've had our difficulties. But they've always brought all of us closer together, and we've learned from them," he replied. "But why are you talking about saying goodbye? I know that we'll probably have to leave again, but we can still come back when we're needed."
I hesitated before giving my response. "We'll still have to go back to England, though. You remember how hard it was to adjust the first time. And since we came back, it's the strongest connection I've felt with Emma and Josh since we left. I know that they're gone, but I don't want to lose them all together," I explained.
"You won't lose them. We can still remember them, even if we're not in Narnia, and they'll always be with us where ever we go. But I know what you mean, and in a way I think being here has helped me accept their deaths a little more. I honestly don't know what I would have done if I had found out when we were still in England," Peter said softly. "And I'm also just glad we didn't end up doing what we did the first time."
"I don't think arguing and screaming at each other would have been much good again, and I intend to keep my promise to Evelyn," I replied firmly.
"What do you mean?" he asked with confusion.
"When she was dying and I went to care for her, I was the last person she had a conversation with. She told me not to get in to another stupid fight with you, and never take you for granted," I explained quietly.
"Evelyn always was a very wise lady," Peter said with a soft chuckle.
I smiled. "She was," I agreed.
"And I think you've done a good job of keeping your promise so far," he added.
I laughed. "Don't worry, there's still plenty of time for us to have another silly argument," I said.
"There wouldn't have been if Edmund hadn't saved you today," Peter replied darkly. "I honestly think those were the scariest few seconds of my life, and I never want to come that close to losing you again."
"But even you know that there is always the possibility of me never returning from a battle. My place in this story is never guaranteed," I reminded him.
"I know that, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it," he muttered. "But what was going through your mind, before Edmund saved you?" he asked when I didn't reply.
"Memories. Of you, our siblings, Em and Josh. All of our times at Cair Paravel really, and even some before that. And then, what I would have said had I been given the chance to say goodbye," I explained slowly.
There was a short pause before Peter spoke again, "And what would you have said?" he asked softly.
"I would have told Susan to keep believing, and not to give up even when things get rough. Told Edmund that he really needs to start forgiving himself for what he did in the past, because we all have. Lucy, to hold on to her faith and never let anyone diminish it," I said quietly.
"And would you not have said anything to me?" Peter asked.
I smiled slightly. "What could I ever say that you don't already know? I would have told you that I loved you, and thanked you for helping me believe in love again, as cheesy as that sounds. And then I would have told you not to blame yourself, because I know you would have and I'd have killed you for it," I replied.
Peter gave a low chuckle. "I don't doubt it," he replied, but there was a slight hesitation before he spoke again, "But you know that I would do anything to keep you safe, and if I couldn't do that I'd hate myself for it."
I turned to face him then, and I placed a hand against his cheek as he looked down at me with a troubled expression. "You can't protect everyone, you know that, and sometimes there will be things that are beyond your control. All I need you to do is keep the promise you made me on our wedding day, and I will be more than happy."
"On one condition," he replied softly.
"Anything."
"That you promise not to leave me."
"Never."
So yes, I do plan on writing a sequel to this, but it will be the last in the series! For those of you who were asking if I would bring Peter, Susan and Anna back to Narnia for the Dawn Treader, I'll tell you now that this will be their final visit to Narnia, as I do not intend on writing an AU fic or rewriting the original story to include them in the next book/movie. However, the next fic will document their time in England, and I even plan on sending Peter and Anna to university which I think will be very interesting! Of course, the events of The Last Battle and some familiar characters will make an appearance, but we'll worry about all of that when we come to it.