*Chapter 20-Low and Traitorous Ways*

Hello my lovely dearest readers! HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Have y'all eaten your sauerkraut for good luck in this year?? I HAVE :DD

What better way to harold in 2010 than with the next installment of my story? :D

I am so dearly sorry for the delays in updates my darlings. Gabby has been having a very rough time personally lately, from friends not wanting to be friends anymore to family problems. I found out Christmas day that my cousin, Elizabeth, has type 1 diabetes. She has to take 4 shots in her stomach every day for the rest of her life, poor dear. Prayers for her would be appreciated.

Well I have good news. Some time soon, there should be 2 new Narnian fanfics coming from yours truly! :D Both are going to be more emotional stories than this one, as I'm trying to expand my writing mediums. So look forward to those! Also drawings should be coming very very soon. Heehee!

This chappie goes out to Brittany, a fellow fanfiction user even though she doesn't write for Narnia. She inspired me to pick up my writing again and helped me find the inspiration I need.

Thanks as always to Jordi, my little crocodile hunter of looooooove. I love you darling :D

Thanks also to everyone else who reviewed and continues to review this story. Your reviews mean the world to me and I love to hear what you think. I do have a request for you though. In your reviews for this chappie, could you tell me your honest opinions of Penelope, Iridescent, and how I convey the original Narnians? I would much appreciate it.

NOW ENJOY OR DIE :D

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The experience in the Chamber of Aslan's Sacrifice had left all of the royals perturbed, and needless to say none of them went back to sleep that night. Indeed, they all stayed in the chamber and sat in their designated corners, none speaking but all staring in shock at the mound of ice shards that was all that remained from their experience with the White Witch. That and Nikabrik's body, which lay forgotten in the corner, untouched since Iridescent had defeated him. It was well past the point of stiffening and turning ice cold and was starting to smell. A fact Iridescent was taking note of.

"By the Mane! What is the awful odor?!" she cried, breaking the somber silence and waving a hand before her face. The others sniffed the air, but it was only Edmund who smelled it, also.

"Oh dear Aslan! Did something die?!"

No one answered, but stared uncertainly between each other.

"Yes." Penelope said, standing as realization dawned on her. The others looked at her, slightly confused, and she strode across the chamber at a fast pace and, grabbing Iridescent's arm, dragged her over to the corner where the body lay, whispering fervently in her ear.

"I don't think anyone got around to cleaning up his body.." she was saying as they rounded the pillar where the elf and the dwarf had sparred. And sure enough, there, lying forgotten and reeking of a foul odor, was Nikabrik's dead body.

"Oh Aslan, how could I have forgotten he was there?" moaned Iridescent, running her hands through her hair and knotting them in it. "That's so stupid and irresponsible! Oh, what if Lucy had stumbled upon it?"

Penelope sighed and shook her head, drowning out her friend's babbling. Instead, she stepped around Nikabrik and kneeled down next to his head, closing his still-open eyes with her fingers. She looked up at Iridescent, tears burning in her eyes for the death of the dwarf who had, even though it had been malevolent and forced, done so much for her.

"We need to get him out of here. Before Lucy, or anyone else for that matter, does stumble upon him." she said in a hushed tone, not wanting her siblings to hear.

"How?" Iridescent asked. "There is no way we can get it out of this chamber without them seeing." she said, indicating toward the center part of the chamber. Penelope thought for a moment, then ran out to the chamber, straight to Edmund. Leaning down in his ear, she whispered,

"Could I borrow your cloak? Only if you don't want it back." she asked. He stared up at her uncomprehendingly for a moment, and shook his head.

"I've learned to just nod my head and pretend I know what you're talking about and go along with it. Sure, take it." he said, taking the cloak out from under him and handing it to her. She smiled at him and placed a kiss on his forehead before running off to the pillar, where Iridescent stood waiting. Edmund grumbled and wiped his forehead off, outwardly pretending to be disgusted. But in that very secret part of him, and he would never admit this to anyone in his entire life, that small display of affection made his day.

Penelope rounded the corner to find Iridescent pacing back and forth, staring disgustedly down at the body of the dwarf.

"Here." she said, unfolding the cloak. Then, feeling much like they were going to vomit at the manhandling of the carnage, they wrapped him up in the cloak and, between the two of them, carried him through the back parts of the chamber. Thankfully, without running into any Narnians, they made it out of the How and stood, surrounded in the foul stench of the corpse, not sure what next they should do.

"Come on, let's take him to the forest." Iridescent said after a moment's hesitation.

"Right."

And so, with some gags being exchanged between them, the two girls made their way across the large field before the How and into the forest that surrounded it. They did not dump it in the immediate forest, but went a little deeper into it and, finding a group of large boulders, stuck it between them, well hidden from view. After they finished, they stood and examined their handiwork, making sure it could not be seen by any outsiders. As Penelope jumped from the top of the boulders back down to Iridescent, she saw the elf was standing stock still and had a horrified look on her face. Penelope felt the blood drain from her face. What now?

"What is it?" she asked.

Iridescent didn't respond, but whispered with eyes cast toward the sky, "Aslan help us now." and shot off like an arrow back to the How.

"Iridescent!" Penelope cried, sprinting after her. As she ran across the field, a strong glinting coming from the edge of the forest she had just come from caught her eye. But she ignored it, feeling the obvious urgency of whatever had distracted Iridescent was more important then her curiosity. So, she kept running at full speed to the How.

As she looked up at her destination, she saw Peter, Caspian, Edmund, Susan, Lucy, Trumpkin, and other Narnians emerge from the top ledge of the How that stood above the entrance, dwarfed by the distance between her and the How. At the same moment she saw Peter look down at her, and his eyes widened in disbelief and.. anger? She felt her pace slow down, perturbed by his reaction to seeing her.

Just then, she heard a whizzing by her ear and saw an arrow burry itself in the ground in front of her. She flinched and ducked down, covering her hands with her head and letting out a small scream she had no control over. Another arrow came flying past her, this one grazing her sleeve, and she turned back to see who her attackers were. A gasp escaped her as her eyes fell upon what was behind her.

Penelope had expected to just see a couple of Telmarine archers with crossbows on horseback-scouts, sent to size up the enemy and take out any royals or high standing generals they could. Instead, she found herself facing the entire Telmarine army, all fully armed and stationed in their regiments to fight. The cavalry was in the front, occupying three rows stretching the entire length of the clearing. Hundreds of men with crossbows, swords, lances, maces and other weapons sat on fully armed and vicious looking horses, all clearly dumb beasts. Behind them, and Penelope had to crane her neck to see them, were the regular soldiers on foot. This was by far the largest section of their army. Rows upon rows of countless men stood in full armor, their faces obscured from view by the same bronze face mask that held a sneering expression and was connected to the helmets. The front row of this regiment held lances and large round shields with deadly looking spikes in the center; Penelope couldn't see it from her vantage point, but all the rest of the men had the shields, too, just of smaller size. And finally, behind these men, were what the Narnians were most concerned about; their intricately designed and no doubt devastating war machines. Penelope was able to count 6 catapults and several other machines she didn't even know names for.

Just then, she saw the horsed archers lift their crossbows and take aim once again-at her. On an adrenaline fueled act of impulse, she turned and sprinted blindly for the How, hearing the snapping of the crossbows as the arrows were released. Hoping to dodge the arrows and throw the archers off, she counted to five in her head, giving the arrows time to soar through the air, and once she reached five threw herself onto the ground, army rolling as she went. She heard panicked screams come from the Narnians, and realized it must have looked like she had been hit, and so she wasted no time to spring to her feet and again take off.

Suddenly, as she was listening for the foreboding sound of crossbow belts being released, she heard a loud screeching coming from overhead, and looked up to see a gryphon, high in the air, spread its wings and hurl itself back down to the earth at an alarming rate. Realizing what was going on, she looked up to the How and saw Edmund smirking down at her, and she abruptly came to a halt, a very similar smirk pulling at her own lips.

Then, about two meters before her, the gryphon's descent brought it level to the ground, and it raced forward for her, closing the distance between them. Penelope threw her arms out to her sides, and not a second later the beast's claws were around them and it was yanking her off the ground, carrying her up into the air with another screech. It flew up into an arch, and with a spin hurtled down to the How, dropping Penelope on the ledge with her family. When her feet were firmly planted on the ground again, she turned back to the gryphon and bowed her head in gratitude.

"Thank you, friend!" she said, smiling.

"Of course, Milady!" it replied, bowing gracefully while hovering in the air, and with another screech flew into the air again, to take its place at the top of the hill with its brethren.

Peter rounded on Penelope, his eyes flashing. Penelope braced herself, feeling her twins anger radiating off him like heat from the sun, and waited for him to blow up on her. She was utterly shocked when he pulled her into a tight hug, pulling back and sweeping his eyes over her.

"Are you alright?" he demanded, spinning her around and checking everywhere for wounds.

"I'm quite fine. Not a scratch on me." she replied, glancing in shock at Edmund, who merely rolled his eyes and mouthed, "Obsessive older brother."

"Well thank Aslan for that. Those Telmarines.. Shouting at you while your back was turned!!" Peter growled, his eyes flashing dangerously. He clenched his fists and turned to the looming Telmarine army, glaring down upon them and shooting twice as many arrows as they had with his eyes.

"I agree. That was low and traitorous.. Just the sort of thing Miraz would do." said Dr. Cornelius, also glaring down at the Telmarines.

"We must act. Clearly they plan on attacking us. Why else would they have come in full armor with those war machines and open firing upon our men right before us?" Susan said, looking keenly at her older brother.

"Well they don't inviting us to a picnic, I can tell you that much." Edmund put in sarcastically. A sharp look from all the others and an elbow to the ribs from Susan let him know that now was not the time. He put his hands up and stepped back from her, grumbling. "Well I'm just saying."

"Peter, we need to make a plan." Penelope said, looking up at her twin with a guarded expression.

There was a heavy silence before Peter responded, during which everyone sat on pins and needles and stared at the High King uncertainly. Then he finally spoke. "Susan, Lucy, can I speak with you for a minute? Everyone else, go to Aslan's chamber. You have ten minutes to get there. By the time I'm done speaking with the girls, I expect you all to be there waiting for us. We will arrive shortly."

The others nodded and filed in to the How through the pathway leading directly to Aslan's Chamber of Sacrifice. Penelope walked in with Caspian in silence, her nerves jittering and worry raking her. She glanced behind her back at Peter to see him speaking in hushed tones with Susan and Lucy, their heads all bowed closely together. What's he planning? she thought, gnawing her lip anxiously.

Up ahead of her, she heard Iridescent's frustrated shrieking of a word that made Penelope blush.

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME, WE HAULED THAT ICKY LITTLE CORPSE ALL THAT WAY WHEN THIS PATHWAY WAS RIGHT HERE?!"

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Poor Iridescent. Doing all that unnecessary work for nothing J Heehee

Well there ya have it!! Like it? I worked super hard on it and overcame a great writer's block *hisses* to get this to y'all, and am quite proud of the results :D

Remember, REVIEW, and tell me what you think of my characters and how I portray the Pevensies/ Caspian/ etc. I am very curious as to if I'm Mary-Sueifying Penny and Iridescent and making the originals OOC(out of character.) Let me know please!!

HAPPY NEW DECADE! ;D

~Queen Lani Kaulitz the Hyper