Alright, so, I need to explain the next few chapters. Originally, Chapter 16 was going to be one super-long chapter, but I thought that some people might not have the time nor the attention span to read a giant chapter, so I've split it into three smaller chapters. So, this chapter is shorter, and perhaps a little duller, but the good news is, I have the next two already written, so it won't take me long to post. Just bear with me.

Special thanks to all my reviewers. Your responses blew me away.

Disclaimer: Narnia belongs to C.S. Lewis

Dedicated to all the hurricane victims. Everyone, they need help down there. Send whatever you can, be it money, prayers, yourself, whatever. They need us.

Chapter 16.

To look at the weather, you never would have known that the day would end the way it did. The sky was blue and clear, with just enough of the puffy sort of clouds to shield the land from the scorching heat of the sun. It wasn't too hot, nor was it too cold. It was the perfect sort of weather to be out of doors for. Unfortunately, it seems to be the most beautiful of days that we do not appreciate. Elisud felt like that today. He was entirely too busy setting up camp on the southern border, directing soldiers here and there, and receiving hourly reports from scouts and other subordinates. Eagles and ravens and birds of that sort made up the former group. They had nothing to report until late afternoon, when one of them informed Elisud that the enemy was beginning to pour out of the fortress in masses. The army was put on full alert, and all scouts were called back, save for the one who had reported the Calormene movement. He volunteered to fly back and try to calculate the exact number of enemy fighters. He never returned.

All night, activity could be heard from the south. While most were antsy and ready to begin the battle, they were ordered to hold their positions, and it wasn't until the cold hours of the morning that they engaged the enemy. Arrows rained down upon them relentlessly. Most of the soldiers had armor thick enough to thwart major injuries, and the quicker animals, the panthers for example, were able to dart here and there to avoid being hit. It was the slower of the fighters, such as the badgers or bears, that suffered the most. By daybreak, many of these slower animals were dead.

If Elisud ever did anything right with the army, it was that he held his archers to a very high standard. The Calormenes were unable to get close enough to engage the Archenlanders head on for most of the day. Later on, however, they seem to have enough reinforcements to push on. It was here that Archenlanders faltered. They managed to beat the Calormene army back, but not without several devastating losses on either side. The next day, they were unable to beat them back at all. The day after that, they lost a significant amount of ground.

That night, Elisud sat in his tent, alternating his attention from field maps to a bottle of rum. This was a much, much different Elisud than anyone had ever really known. There were no jokes now, nor pleasant smiles, nor jubilant activity. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen, from lack of sleep and his lesser mentioned alcoholism. He was edgy, short tempered, and utterly exhausted, and of course, who could blame him?

The doorway of his tent flapped open, and he turned to see a very tall, muscular man standing in the doorway. He was Lord Eoghan (A/N: pronounced YO-in), and there are a few things that should be known about him. First of all, he was the second most powerful man in Archenland, answering only to the Queen herself. Second, he was in fact married to the Queen, but couldn't call himself King as he was by birth a Narnian. Third, he was Elisud's elder brother.

To say the two men were as different as night and day would have been a severe understatement. When Elisud was usually as lighthearted as a man could be, Eoghan was dead serious. People doubted he had ever cracked a smile, let alone told a joke in his life. He was the gravest man anyone ever knew, in fact, during normal times, Elisud used to tease him by saying their mother must have had a fling with a marshwiggle before she married their father, a comment not usually met with a warm reception on Eoghan's part. But, despite his gravity, he ran a country very well, and he was by far the fairest politician anyone ever knew.

"Well?"Elisud asked him.

"Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not bloody alright. I've lost over two hundred soldiers in three days."

"The enemy is stronger than you anticipated, I suppose,"came the quiet voice, barely heard above the din outside.

"There was no way I could have known how many soldiers were in that fortress. I didn't know there was a damned fortress until a fortnight ago."

"No one is blaming you,"the other said, sitting down on the bed.

"Liar. I know what they're saying. 'Yes, well, we all knew he wouldn't turn out to be a good commander. The only reason he even has that position is because he's the Queen's brother-in-law,'."

Eoghan's brow wrinkled, "Why do you say that?"

"I'm not a fool, even though I may act like one. I want you to tell me the truth. Was I given this job because I'm your brother?"

Eoghan didn't answer for a long time. He wasn't sure how to tell his brother, or how he would react, "Alright then. It's true. After Prince Geralt died, and Eleytheria became queen, I went to her and asked her to give you a position on the cabinet, or make you a duke, anything to give you some responsibility."

Elisud was quiet, so the other continued, "Everyone knew you and Geralt were good friends. And everyone knew how guilty you felt when Geralt was killed."

"I was there, Eoghan. I saw the man come towards him with the knife drawn. And I couldn't do anything. I was so blinding drunk I didn't know what was happening. I was right bloody there,"he finished, reaching for the rum. His brother took it away from him.

"Geralt spent more time in that tavern than he did in the palace. He always was looking for trouble. It was bound to happen one day or another, whether you were there or not. But, that's why I asked Eleytheria to make you an advisor. I thought you would go back to drinking, more than before, and I didn't want you to waste your life like that. You're a brilliant man, Elisud. I hope you realize that one day."

There was an awkward silence between them for a while. They normally weren't so emotional with each other. It just wasn't something they felt comfortable doing. Presently, though, Eoghan broke the silence, "Listen, this battle, it's worse than anyone thought it could ever be. If you want to step down, everyone will understand."

"Step down?"Elisud asked angrily.

"Don't get offended. You're a good leader, Elisud. But in situations like these, good won't keep soldiers alive."

"And I can step down? Just like that?"

"You can."

Eoghan could see his brother's mind working as the latter paced the room. He hadn't really thought it was a difficult decision. He figured Elisud would say yes, step down, go back to the taverns and drink until Eoghan found something else to keep him out of trouble.

The answer wasn't what he expected, "Ever since we were young, you always tried to keep me out of trouble."

"Without much success,"the other added dryly.

"I'm grown, now, Eoghan. I don't need you to recuse me anymore. I'm glad you gave me this position. I swore an oath to fulfill my duties until I die or my Queen release me. And that's what I'll do."

Eoghan stood from his sitting position on the bed, gripped his brother's shoulder, the only sign of affection they ever really showed each other, and left the tent.

Elisud returned to his maps. After a few minutes, he rose and went to his trunk. In it was a smaller flask of rum. Elisud uncorked it, regarded the bottle for a minute, then returned it to the trunk. He didn't need a drink. He needed a miracle.