Once Upon Another Time
The appointed hour of the duel came, and Elednor took her place with Bulgy Bear and Glenstorm on the Narnian side of the duelling space, facing Lord Sospesian, Glozelle and one of the Telmarine barons on the other. Miraz was sat in his chair, a large almost throne-like seat, ignoring the Narnian marshals. On the other side of the plain, the Telmarine army stood, silent and anonymous with their soldiers' helmet visors masking their faces.
On the Narnian side, a great cheer rose up and Elednor turned to see Peter emerging from the How in full armour, his helmet visor up and a solemn expression on his youthful looking face. Edmund strode beside him, holding Rhindon in its sheath.
The Telmarine army broke its silence, cheering and stamping their pikestaffs into the ground and holding them high in the air.
Glancing back at the Telmarines' side, Elednor glimpsed Miraz say something inaudible to his General, before standing and preparing to fight.
And she turned back to her brother-in-law; she felt a sick thrill race through her, as she approached her brother and husband.
"Be careful. I fear Miraz is plotting something," she breathed, laying a hand on his arm and squeezing before stepping back as Peter nodded, unsheathed his sword and stepped into the duelling space to meet Miraz.
As Peter stepped out to meet Miraz, Elednor took her place by Edmund's side, their fingers brushing just a little, as much comfort as they could give one another as they watched their brother walk out to meet his opponent.
The two Kings circled one another like wolves before the kill, Peter's visor still up.
"There is still time to surrender!" Edmund and Elednor heard Miraz say through his helmet, his voice muffled by the gleaming bronze.
"Feel free," Peter replied, circling his opponent, his face cold and determined. Miraz shook his head as he raised his sword.
"How many more must die for the throne?" he asked, as Peter reached up to flick his visor down.
"Just one!" he snarled, before the metal fell into place. He ran for a broken platform, using it to launch himself into the air and at Miraz, their blades and shields meeting in a screech of metal.
And the fight was on.
It was brutal, Miraz raining down blows on Peter as they dodged and circled one another, using shields to batter each other's faces. Elednor gasped as Peter had to bend backwards to avoid a blow which would have taken his head off, but he recovered, slashing Miraz's leg, but he lost his helmet in the process.
Peter went down, and Miraz stamped on his shield, Peter crying out as his arm snapped into an unnatural angle. Edmund shifted uncomfortably, as Elednor cried out.
Instinctively she moved towards her brother-in-law but Edmund caught her around the waist and yanked her back.
"No, don't!" he snarled in her ear. "Interfere and the challenge is invalidated." Elednor glared at him, before returning her gaze to Peter, face white and obviously in pain as he regained his footing and brought his blade back up to guard, his shield hanging uselessly by his side.
A horse's neigh suddenly came from behind them, and Elednor turned to see Caspian and Susan gallop out of the forest atop a chestnut. A great cheer went up from their side, and she looked back to see Peter limping his way back to their side, Miraz doing the same opposite.
A respite.
Edmund rushed forward to pick up Peter's helmet, as Elednor took his shield. Susan and Caspian dismounted and rushed to meet them, as Peter looked about with worry.
"Lucy?" he gasped.
"She got through. With a little help," Susan assured him, with a look at Caspian. Peter's face flickered and a small hint of a smile crossed his lips.
"Thanks," he muttered. Caspian shrugged.
"Well, you were busy," he replied, tucking his riding gloves into his belt. Elednor sighed in relief that Lucy was safe, at least.
Aslan preserve us…
Peter nodded to the How. "You better get up there. Just in case, I don't expect the Telmarines will keep their word," he breathed, his jaw set. Susan hugged her brother, making Peter wince and gasp in pain again.
"Sorry,"
"That's alright," Peter muttered, releasing his sister.
"Be careful," Susan breathed, looking at all of them. Elednor glanced at their troops, seeing the concern and the fear in their faces.
"The troops," she whispered to Edmund, who glanced sideways surreptitiously, then hissed at his brother.
"Keep smiling."
Susan turned and ran into the How, while Peter turned and lifted his sword into the air, smiling although it was more like a pained grimace, Edmund alongside him.
Elednor rolled her eyes as they turned back, away from the cheering troops. "Was that the best you can do?" she sighed, as she made Peter sit down on the stool awaiting him. He jostled his arms and cried out.
"I think it's dislocated," he muttered through gritted teeth. Elednor moved away for Edmund to take a look, putting a comforting hand on her brother-in-law's shoulder." What do you think happen back home, if you die here?" Peter mused, staring at Miraz and the Telmarines' army while Caspian bound a rag on a cut on Peter's leg. Elednor and Edmund exchanged an uneasy glance before the younger Pevensie met his brother's eyes. "You know you've always been there, and I never really-ARGH!"
Edmund cut Peter off mid-speech, sliding his arm back into place with a snap, patting him on the back. "Save it for later," he breathed, reaching for Peter's helmet. Elednor stretched up and kissed her brother-in-law's cheek.
"Don't give up hope yet," she whispered. "You can beat him."
Peter smiled at her once, before shaking his head when Edmund offered his helmet, unsheathing his sword and stepping back onto the square.
A great cheer rose up behind them, as Miraz too stepped back to meet Peter, and the fight began again. Elednor gasped as Miraz struck Peter in the face with his shield, his teeth bared bestially as he hammered down blow after blow on Peter, driving him back.
Edmund's breath hitched, and Elednor's hand snaked into his, holding fast as their eyes met, and they hoped with all their strength that Peter would prevail.
Peter lost his shield, but managed to kick Miraz's legs out from under him, twisting his sword from him and attacking the Telmarine with both. Miraz caught him with his shield, making Peter drop both, smashing him in the face once again before Peter caught the shield's rim, twisting it so Miraz's arms were forced behind him. Letting go, Miraz elbowed Peter in the face, driving him back, before grabbing his sword and slashing at Peter. The High King dodged the blows, catching one on his gauntlet, before dropping to his knees and punching Miraz in his injured leg.
The Telmarine King cried out and fell back, dropping his sword as Peter advanced.
"Respite! Respite!" he called, snivelling, as Peter paused.
"Now is not the time for chivalry Peter!" Edmund shouted desperately. Elednor shook her head.
"He's the High King," she breathed, as Peter lowered his hand and went to walk back to their side. Abruptly, without warning, Miraz turned, snatched up his sword and rushed Peter's back.
"Look out!" Edmund cried, as Peter spun, caught Miraz's blade and twisted, taking the weapon from him and jamming it into the gap in the armour, at the armpit. Miraz gasped, and dropped to his knees as Peter raised the sword.
Elednor glanced at the Telmarine marshals, seeing a satisfied gleam in Lord Sospesian's cold eyes as he watched his King fall.
"What's the matter, boy?" Miraz hissed, face contorted with pain. "Too cowardly to take a life?"
"It's not mine to take," Peter replied coolly, before turning and offering the sword to Caspian. Elednor felt her breath freeze in her lungs as he stepped forward, Peter rejoining their side with Rhindon. Nothing seemed to move as Caspian raised his sword, and Miraz gazed up at him with something like pride in his cruel face.
He said something inaudible to the Narnians, but Caspian's cry of anguish was not as he drove the sword into the stone, bent over his uncle.
"Keep your life, but I am giving the Narnians back their kingdom," they heard Caspian murmur to his uncle, before standing tall before the Telmarine army. Sospesian, Glozelle and the baron all looked askance at the young King, while Elednor felt sure she glimpsed something like admiration in Glozelle's eyes.
The Narnians cheered and held their weapons high in the air as Caspian walked back to their side, and Elednor smiled at him. Only a true king of Narnia could have shown such mercy, and so put his country before his own desires.
They had won.
They turned away to their people, just before they heard Miraz cry out in pain. Peter, Caspian, Edmund and Elednor looked back to see Miraz slumped on the ground, dead, a red feathered arrow in his back.
A Narnian arrow.
"Treachery! They murdered our King!" Sospesian yelled, before rushing to his horse, Glozelle already mounted and galloping towards the Telmarine lines. The baron jumped forward, sword drawn.
"Be ready!" Peter cried out. Elednor saw the Telmarine baron rush at them and threw one of her knives at him, striking him in the leg just as Caspian called out a warning to Peter who turned, drew his sword and beheaded the fallen soldier. "Go!"
Elednor did not hesitate at the order. She rushed to her horse, leapt on its back and waited beside Caspian.
"Elednor!" Edmund called, rushing to her side as Peter ran forward to the Telmarine side of the lines, reaching up to pull her lips down to his for one final, short kiss. "Be careful."
"YOU be careful," she muttered back at him, squeezing his hand before wheeling her horse and following Caspian into the How, while Edmund rejoined his brother.
The trebuchets began to move, unleashing their cargo upon the How, as Edmund stood beside Peter, and counted in his head. Neither King flinched as the ballistas smashed into the earth around them, holding their swords at the ready.
"One," Peter began to count under his breath. "Two…"
The Telmarine cavalry began to advance at the gallop, breaking away from the main army, thundering across the plain towards them.
"Archers to the ready!" Susan yelled behind them.
Deep below ground, Elednor, Caspian and Glenstorm galloped into the caverns, where their cavalry waited, Centaurs, Giants, Minotaurs, Talking Leopards, Wolves, Dogs, Boars, Bears, Deer and Warthogs.
"Narnians, charge!" Caspian yelled, as he and Elednor both caught a flaming torch from the walls, leading the group into the deep tunnels beneath the plain.
"For Aslan!" Elednor cried out, unsheathing her sword and holding it high in the air as they wheeled and galloped into the darkness.
Elednor split away from Caspian, Glenstorm at her side, leading a second force to the left while Caspian stayed to the right.
"Three, four," she breathed, counting down in her head as they passed pillar after pillar. "Five, six, seven…"
Above them they could hear the ballistas thudding into the ground, as Caspian's voice echoed throughout the caverns. "NOW!"
The Giants, Centaurs and Minotaurs smashed through the pillars holding up the earth, bringing it down around them, creating a huge depression in the earth as the Telmarine cavalry galloped straight into it. Susan's archers would despatch the main force, and sunlight poured through the caverns as two Dwarfs lowered a ramp for the Narnian forces to emerge from the earth and flank the enemy.
Caspian's forces went left while Glenstorm and Elednor went right, riding down the enemy, now mostly unhorsed. Elednor sheathed her sword, switching to her bow and stringing an arrow while she guided the horse beneath her with her legs alone. Picking a target, she took aim and shot.
Edmund watched the Telmarine cavalry fall, grimly satisfied as he waited, itching to join the fight. He glimpsed a flash of gold and hoped Elednor was alright.
Heart in his mouth, he saw his wife shoot a soldier from horseback, before turning and vaulting atop his own mount at the gallop, rushing into the fight as Peter lifted Rhindon high.
"Charge!" he shouted with all his might, as the main bulk of their troops rushed into battle.
The Second Battle of Beruna had begun.