Hi! Final version of chapter 5 is now up!

Disclaimer: I only own Beth's storyline!

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Chapter 5 "It's All About Faith."

"How are you even here?"

Beth rolled her eyes as her best friend fell into step with her. She glanced carefully at the centaur Glenstorm, his sons, Trufflehunter and Nikabrik who walked ahead of them before elbowing the prince.

"Are you crazy? Did you actually think I was going to leave you on your own?" Beth smirked at her friend before sighing, her shoulders dropping. "I tried to bring help but father didn't want to jeopardise our relationship with the Telmarine crown. I snuck out that same night."

"But, Beth, he must be worried sick about you," Caspian spoke carefully, feeling equal amounts of love and fear for the princess, both due to what she'd sacrificed to go to Narnia.

"Of course he is," Beth shrugged before smiling thinly. She distractedly fiddled with her necklace as they walked, "And I have no idea how am I going to fix that once I am done here but...I had a feeling. I was meant to come to your aid and Narnia's."

They walked in deep silence for a few minutes, Beth deep in thought, Caspian shocked speechless.

Finally, Caspian grabbed her arm, both of them stalling as they turned towards the other.

"You didn't have to leave your whole life because of me, Beth," Caspian began, his tone serious. He placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, "I love you so much for this but I don't want you to be in danger. You're my best friend and I don't want you to lose anything because of me. I'd kill myself before letting anything happen to you."

Beth only looked at him with playful eyes.

Caspian frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Say it."

"Say what?"

Beth smirked. "Say I'm the best friend you could've ever asked for."

Caspian groaned with exasperation before resuming his walk. "There's no talking seriously to you, huh?"

"Oh, Caspian, don't be so bitter," Beth laughed before racing forward. She held onto his arm to make him stop and forced him to look at her as she sobered. "Look, I know tyrants like Miraz, okay? I lost so much against someone like him. You're my best friend and my big brother ever since Tor's passing, and I've got your back, no matter what. I'm staying, so suck it up."

Caspian couldn't help but smile at that. He embraced Beth tightly. "Well, thank you. You're amazing, Beth."

"Oh please, what are best friends for if not for risking their lives for each other?" Beth's voice was muffled as she spoke into his chest.

Caspian wordlessly pulled away and grasped her hand as they moved on.

They knew each other so well that no other words were necessary. So, as they walked in silence, both true heirs to the Telmarine and Archenlandian thrones felt stronger than ever.

They silently thought of Beth's adoptive brother Tor, who had passed away a year ago when he and Torin were attacked by a pack of wolves. Tor sacrificed himself so his younger brother could escape.

Tor died as a hero.

Caspian, Beth and Tor had been the best of friends so when the former heir of Archenland passed, the remaining duo was heartbroken.

They mourned for the prince deeply still but eventually, they also learned to cherish the memories they had of Tor, rather than cry for the ones they would no longer have.

As they walked, their bond tighter than ever, they felt Tor was right in the forest with them. So, even in a land strange to them both with a future completely uncertain, they felt ready to face anything.

The group suddenly skidded to a stop in the middle of a clearing.

Trufflehunter glanced around, as if evaluating the location before turning to smile in satisfaction at the young prince.

"This is it, Prince Caspian," Trufflehunter announced.

Caspian advanced tentatively, Beth a few steps behind him. They were both mesmerised by the beauty of the place as the leaves glimmered almost golden with the sun setting. The wind brushed past them soothingly. The cool air made them feel more alive than ever, as if the soul of the forest immersed itself in them.

It was more than pleasant, though. The place gave them a feeling of reverence.

As if important decisions took place there.

Caspian slowly turned towards the Narnians, still studying his surroundings as he did so. "Why are we here?"

Beth's the one to answer. "When you blew Queen Susan's horn, Narnians heard. They've been summoned tonight to decide whether they'll support your cause."

Caspian refrained from rolling his eyes as Beth smirked openly at him.

He glanced ahead of him again in an attempt to hide how actually nervous he was at the idea of talking to Narnians who hated his race with passion, while he also had no idea what was actually his plan to regain his throne.

Caspian breathed deeply to calm himself. It was going to be a long night.


They had no idea how long they had been walking for.

They're doing their best to remain determined and focused on their goal but something they had forgotten about the forest was how, no matter how long they walked for, they didn't seem to make any progress.

Everything just looked exactly the same.

So now, four weary young monarchs and a grumpy dwarf were silently making their way towards the Rush River.

Since Trumpkin's house, where Prince Caspian was presumably, was located in the Shuddering Woods, they knew the Rush River was the fastest way to get there.

Or at least it had been. 1300 years ago.

Lucy slipped her arm through Susan's as they entered a path surrounded by groups of large stones. "Do you think Caspian is fit to save Narnia?"

Susan shrugged. "I guess he has to play a part on the Revolution, since my horn fell on his hands, but we've never met the guy, or any Telmarine for that matter. He could be just like his uncle for all we know."

"I don't know about that," Edmund chipped in as he walked carefully through a few thick fallen branches besides the girls, "If he was like his uncle, he would have never left the castle. He would have rather killed Miraz to secure his throne."

"I guess you're right. Hopefully, we'll get to meet him soon enough," Susan replied before looking ahead at her older brother with a confused frown. "Hey, I don't remember this way at all."

Peter glanced back at her with a smirk. "That's the problem with girls. They don't have a map in their heads."

The girls groaned at his arrogance while Peter chuckled, rather proud of himself.

"That's because we already have something inside there," Lucy retorted defensively.

"I wish he would listen to the DLF," Susan stage whispered at her sister, both of them giggling at that comment.

Edmund raised his eyebrows with intrigue. "DLF?"

"Dear Little Friend," Lucy enlightened her brother as she swallowed down a laugh.

Edmund chuckled as the girls glanced at the dwarf with identical mischievous looks.

Behind the queens, Trumpkin rolled his eyes. "That's not patronising at all."

In the meantime, Peter had drifted away so the group hastened their pace to catch up.

Eventually, they found him glaring murderously at a group of enormous stones that stood in their way.

Three possible paths lay before them.

Peter climbed on a lower stone before him in an attempt to see anything beyond the stone' walls, his expression reminiscing that of a huffing child. "I'm not lost."

Behind him, his three siblings exchanged an exasperated glance. They knew it would take more than a miracle for Peter to admit he was mistaken.

Trumpkin walked past the three younger royals and regarded the High King calmly. "No, you just went the wrong way."

Peter immediately glared at the dwarf. "You said that Caspian was at the Shuddering Woods and the quickest way to get there it's by the Rush river."

Trumpkin replied slowly, "It was the quickest way last time you were here. It's been thirteen hundred years, a lot has changed, unless I'm mistaken."

"That explains it, then. You are mistaken, DLF." Peter's voice was as cold as his eyes as he turned around and jumped down from the rock, storming away.

Edmund shook his head before following. "Gods."

The rest slowly followed too, knowing more than ever how actually lost they were.

Susan, Edmund and Lucy tried their hardest but after that, the walk was tense.

The three young royals were beginning to understand that when no one dares to contradict your opinions, as good-hearted as he was, it was logical for their High King to be so arrogant and stubborn. He'd been leading armies and ruling over his country ever since he turned 15.

He could hardly help himself, life had made him who he was.

However, their situation was not a comfortable one. They were royals and leaders, yes, but they had to regain their people's trust and respect in order to work together and save Narnia.

Snapping at those people while throwing a tantrum was nothing but counterproductive.

Time seemed irrelevant once again as it simultaneously flashed and stopped all together until suddenly, after what seemed like an eternity, Peter stopped dead in his tracks, catching Susan when she tried to walk past him.

A deep gorge was extended in front of them. What they assumed to be the Rush River flowed merrily at the bottom.

At the very least, Peter hadn't been lost.

For a long moment, the five of them stood in deep silence, unsure of how to go on from there.

Finally, Susan was the first to speak with the intention of approaching the situation logically. "It's that...with time, the water erodes the land making it deeper-."

"Oh, shut up," Peter cut her off with deep annoyance.

Susan glared at him.

Edmund turned towards Trumpkin. "Is there a way to climb down?"

Edmund had finally resigned himself to the fact that they didn't know the country they ruled anymore. Too much had changed so now, the only chance to continue with their quest was to actually listen to the one who had actually been living there recently.

Trumpkin shrugged. "Yes. Falling."

Edmund knew it was a serious situation but still, it took all of his self-control not to laugh out loud.

Peter sighed defeated. "But I still know where I am."

The other three monarchs rolled their eyes and glanced at the dwarf expectantly.

Trumpkin sighed. "There is a ford near Beruna. If you don't mind swimming."

Susan perked up at the idea of not walking anymore. "It's better than walking."

With a final sigh of frustration, Peter followed the two into the forest. Behind him, Edmund nodded at Lucy to go first.

Lucy smiled but felt compelled to look at the cliff by the other side of the gorge again. Once she did, she froze. There He was, smiling at her, inviting her to join Him on the other side.

Aslan.

"Aslan?" Lucy yelled excitedly, turning to beam at her bewildered companions. "It's Aslan!"

Lucy rolled her eyes as she took notice of their looks of confusion and concern. "Don't you see Him? He's right-."

The Valiant Queen trailed off as she turned around to point.

Aslan wasn't there anymore.

"There," Lucy finished quietly, deep disappointment in her voice.

"...Are you seeing him now?" Trumpkin asked doubtfully.

"He was there. I'm not crazy." Lucy glared at the Narnian before looking at Peter with pleading eyes. She knew she needed to convince him in order to convince the others. "He wanted us to follow Him."

Peter exchanged doubtful looks with Susan before the first spoke softly to his youngest sibling, "I'm sure this whole place is full of lions. And bears, too."

Lucy's eyes narrowed as she fumed at her brother's look of pity. She did not care for it at all. "I reckon I can recognise Aslan when I see him."

Trumpkin crossed his arms defensively. "Well, I'm not going to jump a cliff for someone that doesn't exist."

In Lucy's defence, she did her best to ignore the dwarf. She didn't react well when people misspoke about Aslan.

Edmund cocked his head thoughtfully. "Last time I didn't believe Lu, I ended up looking like an idiot."

Lucy smiled thankfully at her brother.

Peter gazed again at the spot where Lucy had seen Aslan as he thought carefully.

He was torn between the fact that his sister was the one who had the deepest connection with Narnia. She never lied and she was always right about this things. On the other hand, they needed to get to the Narnians and start organising their forces as soon as they could.

Peter knew they were on their own for this, and that they couldn't depend on anything but what they could actually do in order to achieve their goal.

"Why didn't I see him?" Peter finally whispered.

Lucy smiled sadly at her brother. "Maybe you didn't want to."

Peter sighed wearily as he came to a decision. "I'm sorry, Lu."

Lucy stood frozen to the spot, completely shattered as Peter slowly retreated, Susan and Trumpkin following him.

She'd hoped her siblings would've learned to take her seriously after their first trip to Narnia. She felt she was a naive little girl again, when none of her siblings actually cared for her opinion.

Lucy gazed back at the point where she saw Aslan, desperately hoping he'd be there.

Hadn't Lucy proved she was always right about this? Hadn't she proved it was all about faith? Would things always be the same?

"Lu," Edmund spoke softly from behind her, "We have to go."

Lucy turned around, smiling at her brother as she felt an overwhelming love for him.

Something had changed for the better, as it turned out.

Slowly, both siblings walked away from the gorge together, Lucy wiping the tears off her cheeks as she felt herself farther from the Great Lion with every step.


"Traitor!"

"Liar!"

"Kill him!"

"He's a Telmarine, kill him!"

Caspian knew he was relatively in mortal danger but still, he's nothing but amazed as he slowly made a complete turn in his spot.

So many had come.

He had never dared to believe that they were this many, or that they would be interested in what he had to say.

He had managed to come up with some sort of speech and, despite lightly teasing him for his anxiety, Beth had helped in coming up with a war strategy but as they waited for night to fall, he'd began to fear that Narnians had given up and lost their faith and strength.

And here they were.

Now, he only had to prove he was no enemy of theirs.

"Narnians, he is the one who blew the horn!" Beth called loudly as she stood in support besides her friend, "He's gathered us here! Listen to what he has to say!"

"The horn is just another thing they have stolen from us!" Nikabrik yelled at the princess.

Beth frowned while beside her, Caspian began to feel anger in his heart. He was no thief.

"I didn't steal anything from you!" Caspian protested hotly.

"Do you reckon I have to tell you all the things the Telmarines took from us?" Nikabrik asked, his volume increasing with every word, "You took our homes!"

"Our weapons!"

"Our lands!"

"Our villages!"

"Our lives!"

At once, all Narnians surrounding them began to yell angrily at the prince, demanding for their lives back, as if he could comply on his own.

Caspian and Beth exchanged a concerned glance before Caspian took a step forward, determined to win this argument.

"You hold me accountable for all the crimes committed by my people?" Caspian demanded as authoritatively as he could.

"Accountable," Nikabrik confirmed, "And also punishable!"

"That is rich coming from you dwarf," Reepicheep growled suddenly. He stood before Caspian and unsheathed his sword threateningly. "Or are you forgetting that it was your people who fought alongside the White Witch!"

"And I'd gladly do that again." Nikabrik pushed Reepicheep's tiny blade away with a finger and then pointed at Caspian accusingly. "Anything to get rid of...to get rid of these bastards!"

"Then it is good that it isn't in your power to bring her back!" Trufflehunter intervened angrily. He gave a few steps forward, Nikabrik reluctantly stepping back. "Or do you want this boy to go against Aslan?"

"No!" The Narnians yelled fearfully around them.

Behind the prince, Beth took a deep breath before turning towards the crowd around her.

"Narnians, I wish I could know the pain you've faced this centuries better. You are right, everything was stolen from you and you deserve to have it back," Beth began, growing confident as the Narnians quietened and nodded around her, "Caspian is a telmarine, yes, but he wants to give you everything you've lost. He wants to bring a new world in which you won't have to hide anymore. Queen Susan's horn fell onto his hands and that makes him worthy of leading this Revolution!"

"You may not remember but we badgers do," Trufflehunter added, "That Narnia was never right except when a Son of Adam was King."

Reverent, thoughtful silence fell amongst the group. Caspian glanced around him in awe before looking at his best friend. Beth let out a subtle satisfied smile as before them, Glenstorm stepped forward.

"They are right, the time has come. I have watched the sky, for it's my job to watch like it is yours to remember, badger. Tarva, Lord of Victory collided with Alambil, lady of the Peace. Down here," Glenstorm gazed at Caspian almost respectfully, "the Son of Adam has come forward to give us back our freedom."

Caspian nodded gratefully at Glenstorm, Trufflehunter, Reepicheep and Beth. They had spoken in his favour without asking for anything in return, regardless of the consequences.

He would grateful for his friends for the rest of his days.

Nikabrik intervened again, though not nearly as convinced as before. "Why would we want him as our King?"

"Because beyond these woods," Caspian replied and everyone looked at him with polite expectation, "I am a prince. The telmarine throne is rightfully mine. Help me get it and I will bring peace between us."

"Do you think there will be peace in Narnia?" A new voice, a squirrel chirped from a near tree, "Really? You really reckon that?"

"It's all about faith, my friend," Beth smiled at the squirrel.

Caspian took a deep breath. "Two days ago I didn't believe in the survival of talking animals or dwarves or centaurs. But you are here, in numbers far greater than I have ever imagined!"

The prince held up Queen Susan's horn. "And whether this horn is magical or not, it brought us together. And together, we will take back what it's ours!"

Beth nodded approvingly and rested a hand on the prince's shoulder.

Caspian smiled slightly in relief as Glenstorm stepped forward. He knew he had finally convinced them.

"If you lead us, then my sons and I," Glenstorm's deep voice seemed to boom across the clearing. He unsheathed his sword. "Offer you our swords."

Three other centaurs behind Glenstorm immediately unsheathed their blades, rising it as a sign of respect towards Caspian, now their leader. Slowly, the other creatures followed their lead, rising swords, bows, axes and spears as a sign of allegiance.

Caspian refrained from shaking his head. Really, he should be the one offering them their sword.

This was his army, and he had never been prouder.

"And we offer you our lives," Reepicheep spoke as he bowed deeply before Caspian, "Unreserved."

"What are your orders, Sire?" Trufflehunter asked. He looked up expectantly at the prince.

"The telmarine army is not far behind us," Caspian replied thoughtfully, "We need weapons. All the weapons and armour we can get. I'm sure they are about to reach us."

"My liege," Beth called from behind him. Her expression was as respectful as the rest but her eyes glinted with hidden amusement. "We need a place to stay and where we can defend ourselves in case of an attack."

Caspian smiled mischievously. "I might have a solution for both problems. I will need everyone's help."


It was such a quiet night.

Beth relished on the feeling of peace that night brought her. The clean air, the gentle wind, the silence, it all gave her time to be alone with her thoughts.

Sure, that meant she had a better chance of thinking of her adoptive father and Archenland but well, at least she could freak out or worry herself sick without scaring anybody else.

That night though, she had a task to do. Everyone else was tired by the long walk so she had volunteered to take first watch on top of the highest cliff of their new location, the How.

After much complains, the rest had finally agreed.

The thing's that before leaving to raid their enemy for weapons with the griffins and a few fauns, Caspian had pulled her aside and named her his second-in-command.

Which, she felt honoured of course but she'd reckoned that the perk of going to Narnia was going to be able to help her best friend without being on the spotlight.

She took a calming breath and refrained from closing her eyes. This was bigger than her, it was a war after all, but she just thought than since she was a foreigner, she wouldn't have to deal with any responsibility.

Usually, she didn't fear being in charge but this, the high stakes, they made the situation seem too daunting. She didn't want to think of what would happen if they lost.

Beth clenched her bow tightly as she chastised herself, 'Snap out of it already.'

"Highness?"

Beth turned around, smiling when she fixed her green eyes on Trufflehunter.

"We've talked about it, Trufflehunter. My name is Beth," she replied as she moved to sit besides the badger at the edge of the cliff.

"Do you think they've been summoned?" Trufflehunter suddenly asked without looking at the princess.

Beth smiled understandingly. She knew what it was, the thirst for hope, for something to hold onto. "I hope so. Perhaps they're already on their way with your friend."

Trufflehunter chuckled. "I hope they aren't. I apologize for the language, Beth, but Trumpkin is a broody bastard, especially in the mornings."

Beth laughed quietly, her eyes never leaving the forest. "I'm sure he can't be like that?"

"Try, to live with him, you'll see what I mean soon enough," Trufflehunter replied with a small smile. He then deflated, his shoulders dropping, "I hope he is alright."

"I wish I knew what happened to Trumpkin but he'd be proud you and Nikabrik are here fighting," Beth replied as she wrapped an arm around the Narnian's shoulders, "And with or without the Kings and Queens of Old, we'll fight our hardest to regain your country."

"I hope it's enough," Trufflehunter replied evenly.

Beth opened her mouth to comfort him but then, they spotted the griffins flying back towards them.

The raid was over.

"Everything alright?" Beth asked with a smirk as Caspian landed beside her with satisfied smile.

"It went more than well," Caspian smiled wickedly, "We left them a message and everything."


Logic was her safeplace, the thing she held onto when everything seemed to explode around her.

Even after they discovered Narnia, Susan never refrained from being a logical person. It was her comfort zone, the way she found to be comfortable with the world and try to explain its changes.

Even so, in Narnia, logic worked until a certain level, so she couldn't understand why she struggled so hard with believing her sister.

Susan sighed as they walked back the way they came.

Logic made her the most intelligent out of her siblings, maybe, but she should've known by then than in Narnia, faith was king, not logic.

And when it comes to faith, her sister was the professional.

They had reached Beruna soon enough but found it crawling with telmarines cutting trees, carving wooden boards and building the foundations of a bridge.

She tried to reason that it hadn't been entirely useless to go there as they'd also had their first peek of the enemy's and more specifically, their leader.

No gold crown or official emblem distinguished Lord Miraz from the common soldier.

What set him aside was his cold, ruthless glare. It was the way that, even the highest ranked generals spoke to him fearfully. The way he angrily pointed at an empty weapons' cart marked with an X and all the soldiers surrounding him had to visibly restrain themselves from fleeing.

Once they had looked enough, they carefully retreated.

The future was clearer, yes, but also more daunting.


"So...where did you think you saw Aslan?"

Lucy turned around to glare at her oldest brother.

It could be really annoying, the need he had to never own up when he made a wrong decision.

"I wish you didn't pretend to be adults all the time," Lucy hissed, frowning at Peter and Susan, "I don't think I saw Him. I know I did."

"I am an adult and I don't pretend," Trumpkin mumbled as he looked away.

Edmund stifled a chuckle beside him.

The Valiant Queen ignored them all as she carefully took a few steps forward, staring at the other side of the gorge as she tried to pinpoint the exact place she'd seen the Great Lion.

Behind her, Susan twiched in concern.

Lucy was too close from the edge.

"Sure, I saw Him-"

And then, she was gone.

"Lucy!" Susan yelled as the group rushed forward.

The high-pitched scream her sister gave as she fell would forever haunt her worst nightmares.

The four of them neared the edge of the cliff and looked down. Their Valiant Queen was slightly below on a step of what turned to be a natural' ladder.

Lucy looked up at them, her usually rosy cheeks completely pale.

"Here," she finished weakly.

Edmund smiled in relief before starting the climb downwards, "You didn't need to make a big deal out of this, Lu. We'd have followed."


Hours later, Lucy lay on the floor, staring calmly at the Narnian starry sky.

The quiet, the stillness that came with the night gave her time alone with her thoughts which, that day, she needed desperately.

When she fell, that was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life.

It wasn't like most people say. She didn't see her life pass before her eyes.

To her, it was more the shock of knowing her life was about to end. The grief of knowing she would never get to the Narnians to help them regain her freedom.

Most of all, it was regret of leaving things with her two eldest siblings in bad terms.

So that's why she was calm. Because that regret had made all of her anger go away.

That night, she didn't care about their lack of faith in Narnia and herself. She didn't care about their arrogance or stubbornness.

She only cared about Narnia and making things right with Peter and Susan.

As if on cue, Susan suddenly mumbled from her left, "Lucy, are you awake?"

"Aha," Lucy mumbled calmly, her gaze never leaving the stars she loved so dearly.

She had missed them.

Susan supported herself with her elbows and looked at Lucy with mild embarrassment. "Why do you think I didn't see Aslan?"

That snapped Lucy out of her daze.

The younger queen supported herself on her elbows and glanced at her sister with shock. "You do believe me, right?

Susan hesitated. It was too hard to leave all logic aside. "Well, it made us cross the river."

Lucy sighed, mildly disappointed, before laying again on the grass, her eyes again on the Narnian sky. "I don't know. Maybe you didn't want to"

Susan grimaced uncomfortably at the idea. "You knew we were coming back, didn't you?"

Lucy turned her head to grin cheerfully at Susan. "I hoped so, at least."

Susan lay again and looked up at the stars. She never returned her sister's smile. "I was already resigned to the idea of us staying in England."

"But you're happy we're back, right?" Lucy asked.

Susan could hear the concern in her voice and it echoed the one in her own heart.

She was happy to be back, of course, but last time they left to England, it had been sudden and against their will. Out of the four monarchs, Susan had struggled the hardest.

To go from grown woman to a young girl, from queen to student, from warrior people looked up to defenseless girl who was looked down to by the adults was excruciating. And it all had been in one minuscule moment.

She wasn't sure she would survive if they went back again.

Finally, Susan sighed. She didn't want to concern her sister with her thoughts. "While it lasts."

The Gentle Queen dropped her eyes closed as silence settled between the two sisters again.

She could worry about it when the time came.

Cheers for reading!