Chapter Two
No More Security
Back behind a large brush, Susan and Lucy kept their eyes peeled for Peter and Edmund. "Where do you think Edmund is, Susan?"
"I'm not sure Lucy, but Peter will find him, wherever he is. I just hope he finds Ed before somebody harms him."
"Or before he harms somebody."
Susan nodded slowly. She was only too aware of what happens when Edmund is forced into a fight. She shuddered and lowered her eyes in thought. "We'll worry about that if we have to. I'm still working on why Peter and I are here. We weren't supposed to come back."
"I guess we'll have time to figure all of that out soon." Lucy was going to continue, but she stopped when she saw Peter and Edmund running towards them.
When they reached Susan and Lucy, Susan got to her feet and said, "Thank goodness you two are all right. Edmund wasn't in any danger, was he?"
Peter said, "No. Just the opposite, actually."
Edmund smiled and said nothing. He just raised his new sword into the air, as if it were a trophy.
Susan looked as if she were about to scold Edmund and began to say, "Ed! Don't tell me that you've already-"
Edmund started to get upset. He had already had enough of his older sister treating him like his mother. "-Of course I didn't. Just what do you think I am?"
Peter raised his eyebrows and started to agree with Susan. "Well, I did see you with the sword against that soldier's throat. If I hadn't gotten there when I did, you'd have-"
Susan got angry again and said, "You see? Ed, you have really got to start watching your temper. It's going to get you into trouble, some day."
Now it was Edmund's turn to get angry. "I wasn't going to kill anybody! I was just trying to get some answers from him! Peter just got there before I could find out anything!"
Susan yelled back, "Well, you didn't have to put a sword to his throat!"
"Susan, just how many battles have you been involved in? And I'm not talking about just off to the side watching! How many battles have you fought in? Had your blood spilt in? Where you put your life on the line? None! When you want to get answers from an enemy, force is all they understand!"
Lucy stepped up to Susan and put a hand on her shoulder. "Susan, calm down. Nothing is wrong here. We don't have the time for another one of your debates with Edmund on fighting."
"Lucy, he's going to hear it until he understands the truth! Ed, just how do you know he was an enemy? We don't know anything about this battle yet!"
"Well, the fact that he was charging at me with his sword gave me a pretty damn good idea of his intentions! I don't know about you, but when someone charges at me with a weapon, I see an enemy!"
Peter got in between both of them and yelled above them both. "All right! That's just about enough out of both of you! Lucy is right. We don't have time for this right now. In fact, if I never had to hear you two go on about this ever again, I'd be a happy man."
Edmund nodded, but he didn't take it out of his mind. He had gotten pretty fed up with Susan's bleeding heart takes on life. "We should probably head for Cair Paravel. It makes the most sense to me to head for the only definite safe haven in Narnia."
Lucy said, "But we don't even know where we are yet. How can we be sure where to head for?"
Peter pointed at a lake and said, "That Lake Ferstandt. I can tell by the size and shape of it. And that's just two miles southeast of Cair Paravel. So we just walk northwest of the lake and we're there."
Edmund nodded and said, "So, we're all in agreement? To Cair Paravel?"
Lucy said, "To Cair Paravel."
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About half a mile down the path to Cair Paravel, Lucy found the wounded body of a Narnian soldier. "Everybody stop!" They all stopped and turned around back to Lucy.
Lucy knelt down to the soldier just as he began to open his eyes just enough for them to be slits. Healing was Lucy's expertise, so they left it to her.
Weakly, the soldier breathed, "who...who are you?"
Lucy smiled and said quietly, "My name is Lucy. This is my sister, Susan. And my brothers, Peter and Edmund."
"You...you are the great kings and queens of Narnia, aren't you?"
"Yes, we are."
The soldier smiled and said, "Thank goodness you're here. Narnia needs you now more than ever. I'm glad that I can at least die happy with the knowledge that you are here to save us."
Peter stepped forward and asked, "Who is behind this attack on Narnia?"
"It is the Telemarines. Led by Parlex, the son of King Miraz."
It suddenly dawned on Peter. "That's right! When last we came here, Miraz had just had a son. That's why Caspian had to flee. Come, we can take you with us to Cair Paravel so we can heal you."
"No. We cannot. That's what his last battle was about. That's how I was wounded. Parlex has seized Cair Paravel."
Edmund felt like a rock has formed in his stomach. "That's not possible! We spent years building the security of Cair Paravel! It would take thousands of soldiers to seize Cair Paravel. There aren't nearly that many Telemarines left!"
"No...you're right. There are not that many Telemarines. Parlex seized the castle with one 500 soldiers."
Now it was Peter's turn to be shocked. "500?! That's not possible! How could Parlex have seized the castle with so few soldiers?"
"Because...because he carries with him.Aslan's blade."
Susan finally spoke. "Aslan's blade? But that's just a myth. It doesn't really exist."
"That's...what we all thought. But believe me...it really does exist...and Parlex possesses it now. It was with that blade that I lay here dying."
Lucy felt tears well up in her eyes. "If only I had my potion with me, you would live."
"No..."
"What do you mean, no? Of course I could-"
"No...I mean...potion...is gone...none left..."
Lucy's eyes grew wide. "How...how can it be gone?"
Edmund placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's been over a thousand years since Aslan gave it to you, Lucy. It's incredible that it's lasted this long."
"Please...save...Narnia..." With that the soldier closed his eyes and died.
Peter had a grim look on his face. "Well, that's it then."
Susan stood next to him and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Peter looked at her and then all of them. "Don't you see? That potion has saved all of our lives on more occasions than I care to think about. Now it's all gone. None of us are safe anymore." Peter held a look with Edmund and said just above a whisper, "Suddenly, Narnia seems to be a more dangerous place, by far."
No More Security
Back behind a large brush, Susan and Lucy kept their eyes peeled for Peter and Edmund. "Where do you think Edmund is, Susan?"
"I'm not sure Lucy, but Peter will find him, wherever he is. I just hope he finds Ed before somebody harms him."
"Or before he harms somebody."
Susan nodded slowly. She was only too aware of what happens when Edmund is forced into a fight. She shuddered and lowered her eyes in thought. "We'll worry about that if we have to. I'm still working on why Peter and I are here. We weren't supposed to come back."
"I guess we'll have time to figure all of that out soon." Lucy was going to continue, but she stopped when she saw Peter and Edmund running towards them.
When they reached Susan and Lucy, Susan got to her feet and said, "Thank goodness you two are all right. Edmund wasn't in any danger, was he?"
Peter said, "No. Just the opposite, actually."
Edmund smiled and said nothing. He just raised his new sword into the air, as if it were a trophy.
Susan looked as if she were about to scold Edmund and began to say, "Ed! Don't tell me that you've already-"
Edmund started to get upset. He had already had enough of his older sister treating him like his mother. "-Of course I didn't. Just what do you think I am?"
Peter raised his eyebrows and started to agree with Susan. "Well, I did see you with the sword against that soldier's throat. If I hadn't gotten there when I did, you'd have-"
Susan got angry again and said, "You see? Ed, you have really got to start watching your temper. It's going to get you into trouble, some day."
Now it was Edmund's turn to get angry. "I wasn't going to kill anybody! I was just trying to get some answers from him! Peter just got there before I could find out anything!"
Susan yelled back, "Well, you didn't have to put a sword to his throat!"
"Susan, just how many battles have you been involved in? And I'm not talking about just off to the side watching! How many battles have you fought in? Had your blood spilt in? Where you put your life on the line? None! When you want to get answers from an enemy, force is all they understand!"
Lucy stepped up to Susan and put a hand on her shoulder. "Susan, calm down. Nothing is wrong here. We don't have the time for another one of your debates with Edmund on fighting."
"Lucy, he's going to hear it until he understands the truth! Ed, just how do you know he was an enemy? We don't know anything about this battle yet!"
"Well, the fact that he was charging at me with his sword gave me a pretty damn good idea of his intentions! I don't know about you, but when someone charges at me with a weapon, I see an enemy!"
Peter got in between both of them and yelled above them both. "All right! That's just about enough out of both of you! Lucy is right. We don't have time for this right now. In fact, if I never had to hear you two go on about this ever again, I'd be a happy man."
Edmund nodded, but he didn't take it out of his mind. He had gotten pretty fed up with Susan's bleeding heart takes on life. "We should probably head for Cair Paravel. It makes the most sense to me to head for the only definite safe haven in Narnia."
Lucy said, "But we don't even know where we are yet. How can we be sure where to head for?"
Peter pointed at a lake and said, "That Lake Ferstandt. I can tell by the size and shape of it. And that's just two miles southeast of Cair Paravel. So we just walk northwest of the lake and we're there."
Edmund nodded and said, "So, we're all in agreement? To Cair Paravel?"
Lucy said, "To Cair Paravel."
-------------------------------------
About half a mile down the path to Cair Paravel, Lucy found the wounded body of a Narnian soldier. "Everybody stop!" They all stopped and turned around back to Lucy.
Lucy knelt down to the soldier just as he began to open his eyes just enough for them to be slits. Healing was Lucy's expertise, so they left it to her.
Weakly, the soldier breathed, "who...who are you?"
Lucy smiled and said quietly, "My name is Lucy. This is my sister, Susan. And my brothers, Peter and Edmund."
"You...you are the great kings and queens of Narnia, aren't you?"
"Yes, we are."
The soldier smiled and said, "Thank goodness you're here. Narnia needs you now more than ever. I'm glad that I can at least die happy with the knowledge that you are here to save us."
Peter stepped forward and asked, "Who is behind this attack on Narnia?"
"It is the Telemarines. Led by Parlex, the son of King Miraz."
It suddenly dawned on Peter. "That's right! When last we came here, Miraz had just had a son. That's why Caspian had to flee. Come, we can take you with us to Cair Paravel so we can heal you."
"No. We cannot. That's what his last battle was about. That's how I was wounded. Parlex has seized Cair Paravel."
Edmund felt like a rock has formed in his stomach. "That's not possible! We spent years building the security of Cair Paravel! It would take thousands of soldiers to seize Cair Paravel. There aren't nearly that many Telemarines left!"
"No...you're right. There are not that many Telemarines. Parlex seized the castle with one 500 soldiers."
Now it was Peter's turn to be shocked. "500?! That's not possible! How could Parlex have seized the castle with so few soldiers?"
"Because...because he carries with him.Aslan's blade."
Susan finally spoke. "Aslan's blade? But that's just a myth. It doesn't really exist."
"That's...what we all thought. But believe me...it really does exist...and Parlex possesses it now. It was with that blade that I lay here dying."
Lucy felt tears well up in her eyes. "If only I had my potion with me, you would live."
"No..."
"What do you mean, no? Of course I could-"
"No...I mean...potion...is gone...none left..."
Lucy's eyes grew wide. "How...how can it be gone?"
Edmund placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's been over a thousand years since Aslan gave it to you, Lucy. It's incredible that it's lasted this long."
"Please...save...Narnia..." With that the soldier closed his eyes and died.
Peter had a grim look on his face. "Well, that's it then."
Susan stood next to him and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Peter looked at her and then all of them. "Don't you see? That potion has saved all of our lives on more occasions than I care to think about. Now it's all gone. None of us are safe anymore." Peter held a look with Edmund and said just above a whisper, "Suddenly, Narnia seems to be a more dangerous place, by far."
