Hello my lovies! My whole family's got this fantastic stomach bug running through so for the foreseeable future I am holed up in the thoroughly sanitized guest room. What better way to spend my time in self-imposed quarantine than to write! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've added to this story, I have no idea how so much time passed so quickly but here we are. I'm hoping to do better. In the meantime, please enjoy!

"Drop him!"

Now Seera wasn't an expert when it came to ordering people around at bow-point, but even she could tell that probably wasn't the best thing to order the two soldiers to do whilst they were dangling a small bearded man over the side of their boat. After glancing at each other, they did exactly what the young queen had ordered them to do. They dumped the bearded man into the river.

Seera gasped at the casual callousness of the move, but didn't have time to think further before she was shoved into the sand from behind. She yelped and struggled in shock before realizing it was Edmund pinning her down. She looked up to find he'd dragged Lucy down with them and just in time too, as a crossbow bolt whistled through the air where they'd been standing.

"Stay with Lucy." Ed ordered in her ear, before boosting himself up and charging after Peter who was already halfway to the water with Susan providing cover fire. Seera reached out and caught Lucy's hand in her's, as much for her own comfort as for the younger girl's.

They looked up when things grew quiet, to see Peter hauling the small man onto the beach and Edmund not far behind with the now-empty boat. Looking to the opposite shore of the river, Seera could just make out one of the soldiers helping the other deeper into the forest beyond. So they were injured but still alive. Seera couldn't help the relief that filled her. She wasn't sure how she would have handled the situation if Susan had killed them. That would have been an absolutely terrible outcome. Seemingly unbothered by the attack, Lucy had already hopped up and run to help her siblings, so Seera quickly followed.

The small man was coughing up half the river when she reached the group. Wanting to help, Seera knelt beside him and began to gently pat and rub his heaving back in an effort to soothe his lungs.

"Are you alright?" She asked, once his coughing had subsided. He eyed her cautiously before nodding in answer. Then his gaze fell on Susan and his expression morphed into anger. Scrambling to his feet, he hurled the cloth that had gagged him to the ground before roaring, "Drop him! That's the best you could come up with?!"

"A simple 'thank you' would suffice." Susan shot back haughtily.

"They were doing just fine drowning me without your help." The man growled, gesturing to the river.

"Maybe we should have let them." Peter griped brattily.

"Peter!" Seera exclaimed sharply, "That was uncalled for." Peter shot her a glare which she matched. It only took a moment before he looked away, cheeks tinted pink. Seera turned her attention back to the bearded man who was watching them with sharp interest.

"I'm sorry, we were just trying to help." She apologized.

"Why were they trying to kill you anyway?" Lucy piped up, the simple curiosity in her tone and expression helping to ease some of the tension in the air.

"They're Telmarines." The man answered grimly, looking down to wring water out of his tunic as he answered, "It's what they do."

"Temarines? In Narnia?" Edmund shared a concerned glance with Peter.

The man scoffed, "Where've you been for the last few hundred years?"

"It's a bit of a long story." Lucy answered wryly. Meanwhile, Edmund stepped forward and helped Seera regain her feet and Susan passed back the swords they'd dropped during their mad dash into the river.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." The man suddenly drawled, his eyes locked on the sword Susan had just passed Peter. More specifically, the lion's head that made up its pommel. "You're it?" He continued incredulously, "You're the kings and queens of old?"

Peter glanced between his siblings before extending his hand to the man in greeting, "High King Peter, the Magnificent."

"You probably could have left off the last bit." Susan remarked dryly, causing Seera to bite back a laugh. Glancing to Edmund, she found him equally amused.

"Probably." The man quipped with a chuckle.

Peter raised an eyebrow at what he perceived to be a challenge. Seera was filled with exasperation when he drew his sword saying, "You might be surprised."

"Oh, you don't want to be doing that, boy." The man warned.

"Is this really necessary?" Seera demanded, going to step forward, only to have a hand on her arm draw her to a stop. Edmund gently drew her close to murmur in her ear, "Just watch."

"Not me." Peter answered the man, ignoring Seera's outburst, "Him."

Seera could see the surprise at being included on Edmund's face, quickly followed by a lightning smile as he drew his own sword. Meanwhile Peter offered his own sword to the bearded man.

"You can't be serious right now!" Seera murmured fiercely to Edmund, pulling him a little away as the man hesitantly took Peter's sword. It was far too big for him and the tip dropped to the sand with a solid thunk.

"Relax, It's just a spar. I can handle myself." Edmund whispered reassuringly.

"I'm sure you can." Seera answered, "It's not you I'm worried about."

"Really?" Edmund raised a dark eyebrow at her, drawing a blush to her cheeks.

"The man nearly drowned not ten minutes ago! Surely you can't expect him to fight!" Seera argued pointedly, fighting to keep her voice low.

"Are we doing this, or not?" The bearded man grumbled behind them.

Seera went to turn and answer in the negative only to pause when Edmund caught her hand in his. She looked up to find his dark eyes watching her intensely, captivating her.

"You trust that I can handle myself?" He asked quietly.

She nodded, unable to speak.

"Then trust that I can handle the situation well enough to ensure no one will get hurt." He gently squeezed her hand before releasing her and turning to face his adversary.

"Ready when you are, Sir."

As Edmund approached the bearded man, Lucy sidled over, looking far calmer than Seera expected her to. Afterall, Edmund was her brother. And the bearded man, and his skill level, were an unknown risk.

"Don't worry, Seera. Edmund has this well in hand." She assured in her sweet voice, "He was our Champion when we ruled."

"What does that mean?"

"It means he fought any who challenged our right to rule." Susan answered, having drawn closer to clear the fighting arena as Edmund and the man squared off. "Peter may be High King and a great leader, but Edmund was our military strategist and an expert swordsman. Better even than Peter."

"What happened when he lost?" Seera couldn't help but ask.

Susan glanced at her archly, a small smile curving her lips, "He didn't."

Hope you liked! I'd love to hear your thoughts. Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!