Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: You know the story of the Horse and his boy. But what was happening in Narnia? A northern campaign. Trouble on the homefront and a prince's invitation. Will anything be as Peter left it?

A/N: If you have not read the first ten stories in the A Light in the Darkness main story arc (Awakened, Shadowed, Revealed, Concealed, Rekindled, Refracted, Reflected, Veiled, Unveiled, and Eclipsed), I highly recommend you do so for the full experience. However, I have included a quick summary of the previous stories so if you want to give this one a whirl on its own, you can.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Peril, Prayer

"Look out!"

The warning cry echoed through the air before a dark shape appeared through the whirling snow. Soldiers scattered as a boulder crashed against the mountain's side. Smaller rocks and debris broke loose, pelting them. Oreius ignored the sting of the rocks that cut into his skin wherever his armor did not protect him. He narrowed his eyes against the swirling snow. The snowfall was a liability. It was thick enough and windy enough to make it difficult to discern the Giants easily.

"Feast! Feast!" The ugly chant was carried on the wind. More Giantish voices took up the chant. "Feast! Feast! Break their bones! Grind them into bread!"

Oreius tightened his grip on his twin swords. The Ettins' courage had been bolstered with the ambush carried out by the Harfangers. He scanned the battlefield. The leaders of the Giants were being smarter this time. They had stopped just beyond the reach of the arrows to hurl boulders and tree trunks at his forces. The Ettins had begun to creep closer as his soldiers were forced to retreat and scatter with each barrage.

He needed them to make a mistake. He needed them to make several mistakes.

A brutish laugh filled the air and Oreius leapt to the side just as a cudgel crashed into the ground. Dirt and rocks flew up to pelt him even as he turned to face the newest threat. A Giant with two heads leered at him through the gathering darkness and swirling snow. But it was not Culhwch. The brute gave twin sneers as his small eyes narrowed with ugly glee.

The cudgel swung again.

Oreius charged. One sword sliced into the Giant's wrist, severing the tendons and weakening the fiend's grasp but not soon enough. The force of the blow was severely weakened yet Oreius still felt the crunch of bone beneath the cudgel as he was knocked sideways. Pain hazed his focus, threatening to steal what remained of his vision and breath, but he forced it away as he staggered back to readiness. He might have broken a few ribs that time.

Grimacing against the hot flare of pain along his ribs, Oreius charged his blubbering opponent. The Giant was distracted. It was the perfect moment to strike. Oreius raised his right hand as he galloped at the Giant. The Giant's second head turned suddenly, his pained expression replaced with fury. He had lost the advantage but he pressed on. The Giant was too near the archers who were protecting wounded soldiers to be left alive. Oreius let out a wordless war cry as he leapt forward, sword at the ready.

The Giant swatted at him but then gurgled and a death rattle emerged as he dropped to his knees, hand reaching for the sword buried deep in his throat.

Oreius struggled to maintain his balance as he landed heavily. The pressure on his ribs was a blazing inferno and the Giant's last attempt to stave off his attack had damaged his shoulder. Yet he knew he could not retreat again. There was nowhere else to go. He needed to rally the soldiers who could yet fight.

Night had fallen completely now and the moon was hidden behind the thick clouds, offering no light to those below. Oreius freed his sword from the Giant's corpse and hid a wince at the protest his shoulder offered even as he galloped to meet another threat. The Giants began to cheer. Oreius scanned the weary faces of those soldiers he could still see. A grim despair stared back at him as the Narnians heard the sound that cheered their foes. Horns. Reinforcements were arriving, be they Ogre or Giant.

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"Oreius," Alambiel gasped as she sat straight up in bed. Heart pounding, she instinctively scanned the room but no one else was there. Only then did she realize she was clutching a dagger. Lowering the blade, she tried to decide what had woken her. She had been dreaming of a battle. It wasn't the first time and she rather doubted it would be the last but a sense of dread swept over her again. She could not recall the details of the battle other than she had been trapped on the sidelines, watching helplessly as the one she loved was cut down by a Giant because he hadn't heard her warning cry.

Unable to simply lie back down and try to sleep, Alambiel dropped the dagger on the bedside table and got out of bed. Ignoring her robe, she walked to the balcony doors and pulled back the thick drapes. Torrents of rain greeted her view. Thunder clapped and lightning flashed, almost blinding, as she pushed the doors open and stepped out into the deluge. The rain struck her with a force that stung her skin but she ignored it as her gaze fixed upon the north. Grey rain, grey clouds, and grey fog all conspired to prevent her from seeing even as far as the Cair's walls. Nor could she see the sea though she heard the waves crashing beneath the sounds of the storm raging above.

Something was wrong. Something had gone terribly wrong. She could feel it and the knowledge shook her to her very core. She grabbed the railing, the slick marble providing an unsteady anchor in the storm, as she murmured, "Aslan, protect them. Save them. I don't know what happened but You do. Please bring them through this storm safely. Bring them home safe. Protect them from harm and preserve them from their enemies, Great Lion. Keep them safe between Your paws. Please, Aslan."

She whispered prayers throughout the storm, retreating back inside only when she finally became aware of her chilled state. Yet she never ceased praying. Something had gone wrong but that did not mean that Aslan had abandoned them. He would not abandon His children.

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A/N: Please Read and Review!