CHAPTER ONE

"The Telmarines are moving further into the woods. We need to do something." Nikabrik stated, his hatred towards the Telmarines was obvious from the venom in his voice.

Around the table sat Trufflehunter, a talking badger and the renowned owner of this treehouse, Trumpkin, a dwarf, like Nikabrik, and Amara, a powerless witch with a hidden past.

"We have done something. But if we keep pushing them they will stop coming back in groups. They will come back with an army." Amara said–not because she hated them any less than Nikabrik, in fact, she hated them even more– but because she was their leader and she couldn't afford to be irrational.

Over a thousand years ago when the Telmarines first invaded, the Narnians were pushed back and into the forest. Amara kept to herself, but whenever the Telmarines came too close for comfort, she attacked. The Narnians were scattered, defeated, hopeless, but when they heard someone was fighting back they regained some unity. Amara had been their unofficial leader ever since.

"They're chopping for lumber. Let them have some." Trumpkin said backing her up.

"Have you forgotten where we live? If they chop for more lumber we won't have any place left to hide." Trufflehunter said, gesturing to his home. A cosy hole in a large tree.

"What if we attack them for a change?" Trumpkin said, looking to Amara.

"It's been more than a 100 years since our last proper attack, surely, it's about time for another," Nikabrik said with a hint of greed in his voice.

Amara felt the pressure and the impatience amongst the group. She would have liked for nothing else than to let her anger go and to fight the bastard Telmarines, but she knew that too many lives were resting on her shoulders. She couldn't afford to be anything less than pragmatic. She took a sip of the badger's homemade wine, quite horrible but she made do. "We've kept them at bay for so long, Nikabrik, what more do you want? For us to storm the castle? We tried that before they even built it and we failed."

"That is because we lacked leadership."

She chugged the contents of her cup and slammed it down on the table, hoping that her anger would conceal her shame. She failed them when they needed her the most.

"By all means, Nika, lead us." she stared him down, almost daring him to try. She suppressed the pit in her stomach that begged for him to take her position. She'd had a thousand years of failed leadership, and she wished for nothing else than for someone to release her. She wasn't born for this. She wasn't even Narnian. Not really.

"Now, now, have some porridge." Trufflehunter passed the bowl around in an attempt to ease the tension in the room. But Nikabrik was unyielding and he'd started a fire that he and Amara had danced around in silence for a while now.

"We could easily take them out. If only you would use your powers-"

"-Nikabrik." Trumpkin interrupted him and advised him to be cautious. The people around the table were the only ones who knew Amara was a witch. The other Narnians believed she was a daughter of Eve, who'd been cursed by the White Queen, to live an eternal life. At least half of that was somewhat true.

"No, she won't use her abilities. But there is someone else who would be willing." Nikabrik says, leaning forward and raising his brows.

"What are you suggesting?" Amara asked, dreading that she already knew the answer.

"I think you know," he said with no sign of shame apparent on his face. The audacity. "The White Queen could wipe them out in a day."

"How dare you... The White Queen is dead and she must remain that way! You don't know the first thing about her or what she did! You weren't there-"

"-No I wasn't. But I have heard of her accomplishments and I know of her power because I see that same power in you but you will not use it."

"NIKABRIK!" That's quite enough." Trufflehunter abruptly stood up and the table fell quiet. When the kind badger, Trufflehunter, gets upset, one knew they had messed up.

"I am not my aunt… Witchcraft leads to destruction, ruin, and sorrow. It is a path I will not follow" Amara finally said after moments of awkward silence.

"So be it," Nikabrik said. His hopes of resurrecting his infamous queen shot down.

Silence befell the tables and all they heard was each other chewing and slurping. That's until they heard the faint thudding of hooves against the ground.

"Centaurs?" Trumpkin asked wide-eyed and looked to Trufflehunter who put his snout into the to sniff.

"Humans." He looked to Amara who was already hurrying to her two daggers on the table.

"Truffle stay here. Nika and Trumpkin, keep behind me," she ordered as they collected their weapons. The dwarves were adequate fighters, Trumpkin an excellent swordsman, but for centuries, no one had bested Amara. To their defence, she had a lot of time to practice.

Amara opened the door to the forest and it only took a second for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. A guy, approximately the same age of appearance as Amara, was laying on the ground but quickly sat up when he noticed the door open. His hair was frazzled and he was covered in leaves. There was no horse in sight, so he must have fallen off. For a second, time was frozen still as they looked at each other. It was as if she'd seen a ghost, he looked exactly like someone she'd seen before. Years ago. But she couldn't quite place where. His eyes were filled with fear and hers with hatred. He quickly shifted his gaze to behind her, where Nikabrik and Trumpkin appeared. She looked down at the ground, embarrassed by her inaction. Here she spotted a relic that had been presumed forgotten in time. Queen Susan's horn.

"He's seen us," Nikabrik stated.

Trumpkin rushed forward with his sword drawn about to go in for the kill

"Stop! The horn!" She said and gestured to Susan's beautiful, ivory horn. The mouthpiece of the horn was shaped like a budding flower and the bell was carved in the shape of a lion's head, evoking Aslan. It brought up memories of a lost time and old friends. And him. He with the blond hair who bore the crown, he whom she loved-

Amara was snapped out of the trip down memory lane by a group of soldiers riding into the small clearing with their swords raised.

"Nikabrik, take care of him!" she demanded and fastened her grip on her two daggers as she sprinted towards the enemies that outnumbered them by a dozen. Seemingly they would have had an advantage, being on horseback and her having short-range weapons... but quality over quantity.

She threw one directly into the heart of the front soldier and then dodged a horse that was about to trample her down. As swift as a coursing river, she slid under a galloping horse whilst cutting off the horse's girth. Without the band keeping the saddle fastened and in place, it quickly fell off along with the rider. She grabbed him by the collar of his armour before he hit the ground, slamming him down in front of her with a crash.

She ignored the pleading eyes of a young soldier as she thrust her weapon into his chest. His steel armour no match for her sharp dagger.

"No!" she heard Nikabrik yell out behind her, as he approached Caspian, who was reaching for the horn.

Suddenly its powerful sound filled the air. It resonated through the forest. Past the trees and the laws of nature. Up towards the sky and beyond. The sound as loud as thunder but far longer, as elegant and sweet as music over water, but strong enough to shake the woods. And shake it did. It shook Amara right to her core. The sound waves flooding her body as if it was trying to drown her. She toppled to the floor. Her eyes were open but she could not see. She couldn't control her body. There were muffled voices around her. A faint sound of retreating hooves. The horn had stopped but she still felt it resonate in every inch of her body. Suddenly she saw images. They' were random. Incoherent flashes. Her heart tugged when she could make out what the first image was.

Peter. But he was young. The Pevensies. Susan. Lucy. Edmund. Peter. Another guy. Black locks and dark eyes to match. Susan. Lucy. Edmund. Peter. Him again.

Then the repetition faded into blackness and Amara out of consciousness.