Second chapter up! I hope you guys enjoy this one, it has a bit more action and blood. For those who don't enjoy that, well... here's a little bit of subconscious flirting-but-not-really!
- A.C.
XxX
Elliot did not like rivers. She did not like large bodies of water in general. But maybe, she'd make an exception just this once. Cool, aquamarine water didn't flow, instead it was still, so still you could see the bottom the same way one would look through a glass bottle.
Peter rowed and rowed, even if he was straining a little. The bottom of the crevice didn't give much of a view, so the Pevensies knew not where they were going. "They're so still," Lucy said, breaking the tranquil silence. She was looking up at the trees. "They're trees," came the dwarf's rough voice. "What'd you expect?" Lucy's face crinkled a little at that and her voice was suddenly filled with the utmost sadness. "They used to dance,"
"Wasn't long after you left that the Telmarines invaded," The dwarf said. "Those who survived retreated to the woods. And the trees, they retreated so deep into themselves they haven't been heard from since," Lucy looked heartbroken at this sentence.
"Did no one help?" Elliot asked. "Not even—" The dwarf cut her off. "With your disappearance, everyone lost control. Telmarines grew stronger, their army expanding in one night. You've been gone for a few hundred years, girl. What'd you expect?" Elliot shut her mouth, not choosing to retaliate. "I don't understand. How could've Aslan let this happen?" Lucy said, her voice shaking, just a little bit.
"Aslan? Thought he abandoned us when you lot did," The dwarf grimaced. Peter turned around to defend himself against the dwarf, "We didn't mean to leave, you know." The dwarf looked away, paying no heed to the stares focused on him. "Makes no difference no, does it?" Peter set his jaw, stiffly rowing the boat, his voice hardening. "Get us to the Narnians... and it will," he said with an air of finality.
XxX
The dwarf pulled the boat onto the riverbank, the rocks dragging and scraping under the wooden rowboat. Lucy got off first, leaving the four down to help the dwarf pull the boat up. Lucy wandered off, her hand on her dagger's hilt. "Hello, there." She said cheerfully to a scavenging bear. Susan turned around to see Lucy getting closer to the bear, but paid no heed. The bear grunted in a feral manner, unlike the talking animals the Pevensies encountered in their time.
Lucy chuckled, unaware of the impending danger. "It's all right," she smiled brightly. "We're friends," the bear grunted again in response.
The dwarf glanced at Lucy, only to see her approach a wild bear. "Don't move, your majesty." The bear growled, standing up, and getting down on all fours again. "Lucy..." Elliot said, her voice telling of a warning. Lucy glanced back, confused. The bear charged, its paws scraping against the rocky ground. Lucy gasped and began running, nearly tripling over her dress, terror in her eyes.
"Stay away from her!" Susan yelled. "It doesn't talk, in case you didn't know!" Elliot shouted at Susan, hands scrambling for one of her heavier knives. Lucy turned back, only to see the bear getting closer and closer. She tripped, scraping her hands, and turning on her back, and she screamed. "Lucy!" Elliot shouted, her voice cracking. "Get up!" Elliot drew one of her knives, poised to throw, aiming to kill. "Shoot, Susan! Shoot!" Edmund yelled frantically.
Thwack!
The bear, getting up on its hind legs—growling, grunting, roaring—was about to bite Lucy when an arrow shot it right in the chest, and the bear fell back, almost lifeless. A throwing knife followed almost straight after, embedding itself in the bear's throat. Lucy turned around, still flat on the rocks, to see Susan with her bow still drew back, and Elliot still in stance, her arm outstretched.
The dwarf had shot the bear, not Susan. Elliot hadn't saved Lucy, really. It was the dwarf who saved her in time. Elliot breathed out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes for a moment.
"Why wouldn't he stop?" Susan questioned, her voice filled with disbelief and confusion. "I suspect it was hungry," The dwarf replied, walking towards the bear's still corpse. Peter and Edmund ran over, picking Lucy up and dragging her away from the bear. Elliot side-eyed her sister and said, "That was far too close," Susan nodded dumbly, at a loss for words.
"Thanks," Lucy muttered weakly, holding onto Peter tightly.
"He was wild," Edmund said. The dwarf moved closer to inspect the dead bear, poking its side with his bow. "I don't think he could talk at all," Peter replied, glancing at Edmund. "It makes sense— with all the other Narnians gone, who would've the bear spoken to?" Elliot commented, a knife in her hand. The dwarf made a sound of agreement, and grunted out, "Get treated like a dumb animal long enough, that's what you become,"
He pulled out Elliot's knife and handed it back to her, who simply shook her head absently and let him skin the beast with the blade. "You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember," The blade cut the beast, and Lucy turned away, a soft sob escaping her lips.
XxX
It was a long, downwards trek. Elliot sighed, the heat of her armor contrasting with the cool forest air. "I don't remember this way," Susan said, lifting her skirt awkwardly. "That's the problem with girls," Peter smiled lightly. "You can't carry a map in your head." Elliot rolled her eyes and was about to say something, but Lucy beat her to it. "That's because our heads have something in them," Lucy countered. Peter turned around to retaliate, his eyes narrowing.
"No use in saying otherwise, Peter. You and I both know you'll trip if you don't keep your eyes on the path." Elliot smirked. "I do not trip!" Peter insisted. "No, you don't, actually. You more so fall over and roll down," Elliot said teasingly.
"I just wish he'd just listen to the DL. F. in the first place," Susan murmured. "DL. F.?" Edmund piped up. "Dear little friend," Lucy smiled, not turning back to look at the dwarf. "Dear, not so sure about that bit," Elliot smirking a little. "Oh, that's not at all patronizing, is it?" The dwarf asked, stopping. Edmund turned to look at him and Elliot paused, turning back.
Elliot and Edmund shared a knowing smile, and Elliot shook her head. "No, not at all," she replied blithely.
Peter kept moving forward, only to reach a dead end. "I'm not lost," he said to himself, voice soft. "No," the dwarf cut in. "You're just going the wrong way." Elliot stifled a slight giggle, while Lucy and Susan just looked concerned. "You said you last saw Caspian at the shuddering woods, and the quickest way there is to cross at the river rush." Peter snipped.
"But unless I'm mistaken, there's no crossing in these parts," The dwarf countered. "That explains it then," Peter snapped, "You're mistaken." He turned around and kept walking. The others followed him, shooting each other looks of concern and worry and slight amusement. When they did reach a sort of clearing, Peter rushed to the edge with Susan, only to see a deep crevice, and at the bottom of that crevice was a river.
"You see, over time, water eroded the earth's soil, carving deeper—" Susan began, in a patronizing tone. "Oh, shut up." Peter sighed. "Shut doesn't go up, Peter," Elliot remarked. "Is there a way down?" Edmund asked, turning to the dwarf.
"Yeah," he replied.
"Falling,"
"Well we weren't lost," Peter insisted. "I thought we got over that?" Elliot asked, confused. "There's a ford near Beruna. How do you feel about swimming?" The dwarf asked, tone flat. "I'd rather that than walking," Susan grimaced, turning away from the crevice.
"Aslan?" said Lucy. Peter turned around quickly, trying to see the Lion. "It's Aslan! It's Aslan over there!" Peter squinted dubiously, and Edmund and Elliot turned around. Susan was the last to spin around and see nothing. "Don't you see?" Lucy said excitedly spinning to Elliot and Peter. "He's right— there..." she trailed off, her vision/hallucination disappearing.
"Do you see him now?" asked the dwarf, voice raspy and doubtful. Lucy turned around and narrowed her eyes at the dwarf. "I'm not crazy," she said, her voice stern. "He was there. He wanted us to follow him," she pointed at the other side of the gorge, meeting eyes with the skeptical dwarf, then turning to Peter to try to convince him.
"I'm sure there are a number of lions in this wood," he started, shooting Elliot a glance. "Just like that bear," Elliot pursed her lips, her brow scrunching up. "It wouldn't be able to disappear that quickly without making any noise, nor would it be able to hide from our sight and just show itself to a Lucy," She countered. "She's right." Edmund muttered. Lucy looked relieved, then turned to Peter. "I think I know Aslan when I see him,"
"Look, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist," The dwarf explained. "The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I ended up looking pretty stupid," Edmund cut in, his eyes flickering between Peter and Elliot. "Why wouldn't I have seen him?" Peter asked, almost sounding exasperated. "Maybe you weren't looking," she murmured. "I'm sorry, Lu." Peter finally said after a moment of hesitation. Then he turned around, along with Susan, who began following the dwarf. "I didn't see Aslan, Lucy. But I do believe you," Elliot consoled her sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Lucy turned back, trying to see past Elliot, but nothing changed; Aslan wasn't there. Edmund let out a small sigh, and gestured to his sisters to follow him.
Later, Susan pulled Elliot aside. "I don't see why you're indulging in Lucy's fantasies," Susan muttered lowly, watching and gauging Elliot's reaction. "They're not fantasies," Elliot replied sharply. She was touchy around the subject of her younger sister, especially with fact-straight Susan. "I didn't see anything, neither did Peter. Even Ed didn't see anything," Susan retorted, frowning. "I don't think you wanted to see, Susan. I think you just wanted to do something without Aslan in mind," Elliot stared at her sister as Susan looked away, embarrassed but clearly upset. Elliot scoffed and marched away from her sister, taking the path ahead.
They wandered for a long time, trailing behind the dwarf. Awkward, tense silence was thick enough to be cut with a knife, but Peter made no move to reconcile with his sister and Elliot couldn't stand looking at Susan for time being.
They had ended up at the ford in Beruna. They snuck behind logs, weapons at the ready. It definitely was an industrial site; men shouting, trees falling, the sound of machines whirring and clanking, and more men shouting orders. A rider and several men passed by the pile of logs they were hiding behind. Peter, Edmund, Lucy, Susan, and Elliot slid down, along with the dwarf.
Peter grimaced, turning to Susan. "Perhaps this wasn't the best way to come after all," she whispered. "I'd rather scale the gorge than waste my time with these men," Elliot glowered at Peter. As soon as the men disappeared, they popped their heads up, scanning their surroundings. Peter look conflicted and annoyed, but he turned back and crawled back into the woods, his siblings following him. As soon as they reached the cliff, Peter asked Lucy, "So, where exactly did think you saw Aslan?"
Lucy was not having any of it. She was definitely upset, her dark eyes watery, her lip quivering. "I wish you'd all stop trying to sound like grown-ups," Elliot short Peter and Susan a pointed look, especially her older brother. "I don't think I saw him. I did see him," Lucy maintained, walking along the edge of the crevice. "I am a grown-up," the dwarf muttered. "Well, you didn't really grow-up, did you?" Elliot smiled wanly at the dwarf, placing emphasis on up. Edmund stifled a laugh, but the dwarf still glowered at them menacingly.
"It was right over—" Lucy said, but she quickly cut herself off with a shrill scream of terror as she plundered down, grass and earth collapsing beneath her feet. "Lucy," Susan yelled, quickly running over to where sister was once standing. Elliot yelped in shock and dashed to Susan, Edmund following right behind them. Susan and Elliot were leaning over the edge, looking down at Lucy, who was sitting on a sizable ledge, still looking frightened.
"Here." Lucy continued, glancing up at her siblings, a small but terrified smile on her face. "You were right, then," Elliot grinned at the dwarf warily.
Her siblings followed, and after a while, they found themselves slowly scaling the crevice, walking and trekking along its carved ledges, and soon enough, they found themselves at the very bottom, right next to the river. Lucy and the dwarf started walking ahead, the girl nearly tripping but her companion holding on to her and steadying her. Elliot followed behind, a slightly excited grin on her lips. "It's beautiful," she murmured.
It was a long journey and they had to find a place to rest, and so they scaled up the small ravine, and found themselves on the other side of the river. The children and the dwarf entered a clearing, surrounded by tall, spindly trees. Cool, almost chilly forest air blew, and the sky started darkening, the dusk showing itself.
Later in the evening, when Peter and Edmund were asleep (Elliot was half-asleep), Susan whispered, "Lucy, are you awake?" Lucy hummed in reply, flat on her back as she stared up at the stars. "Why do you think I didn't see Aslan?" Susan asked. "You believe me?" Lucy smiled brightly, looking at her sister. "Well, we got across the gorge," Susan conceded, glancing down at her hands as Lucy turned onto her side.
"I don't know," Lucy admitted, voice soft. "Maybe you really didn't want to," her voice faltered, eyes boring into her sister.
Elliot's eyes half-opened, then closed sleepily, right as Susan said, "You always knew we'd be coming back here, didn't you?" Elliot wanted to listen in, but her drowsiness and exhaustion overtook her sense, dragging her down into a deep sleep. Her sisters continued talking, softly at first, but it was Susan who slowly got louder.
"I hoped so," Lucy smiled faintly.
Susan pursed her lips, her mouth turning down into a frown. She then lay on her back forcefully, eyes frozen forward. "I finally just got used to the idea of being in England," Susan conceded, voice a little strained. "But you're happy to be here, aren't you?" Lucy prodded almost sharply. "While it lasts," came Susan's quiet reply. Lucy couldn't help but feel hurt, and instead of saying anything, she turned on to her back, facing the stars.
XxX
"Susan! Wake up!" came Lucy's rather loud whisper. "Hm?" Susan sighed softly, still asleep. "Certainly, Lu. Whatever you like," A twig snapped loudly, startling Elliot out of her sleep. Elliot's fingers frantically scrambled for one of her blades and she gripped onto one for dear life. "What?" Elliot snapped hotly, her other hand gripping onto a random stick. "N-Nothing!" Lucy gasped out, her voice faltering. "Oh, sorry, Lucy," Elliot yawned. "Don't mind me, just getting fresh air." Lucy lied, already feeling guilty. If Elliot was just a bit more alert, she would've seen right through Lucy's lie.
"Oh, all right. Don't wander off," Elliot mumbled, adding the last part. Lucy nodded faintly, and got up as soon as Elliot's eyes fluttered shut. Lucy headed off towards the source of the sudden snapping twig, brushing past leaves and bushes. "Wake up," her sister softly said to a tree, glancing up st its unmoving branches. No swaying, no dancing. Lucy let out a little sigh, and walked off.
As she turned around a bush, a soft growling sound was alerted to her. "Aslan?" Lucy gasped excitedly. Suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around her mouth, harshly pulling her back. It was Peter, who had somehow been following her stealthily. Peter shot Lucy a sharp look, and slowly let go of her face. They glanced over the edge of the bush, only to see a grunting, armed Minotaur. Lucy looked back at Peter fearfully, who then moved to follow the Minotaur.
A safe distance away from the two children stood Elliot, a pair of throwing knives on each of her hands, poised to throw with deadly precision. She grimaced as she saw Lucy hiding behind the bush. She specifically told her sister not to wander off, and so easily brushing off her word of caution?
Peter slowly walked forwards, drawing his sword, when a flash of dark hair came out of nowhere, startling Elliot terribly. She nearly threw one of her knives, but the sound of clashing metal let her know that she could not throw a knife without a clear target. Peter had hit the man with flat of his sword and began thrusting in various directions. The man had dropped his sword as Peter twisted it out of reach, but Elliot's brother, ever the show-off, had embedded the blade into a tree, and was kicked back. Elliot grimaced, her arms starting to strain from her position.
Peter soon gained the upper hand though, reaching for his opponent's sword. He was about to slash the man down when two dull thuds came from the tree and a slight, stinging pain along his chest flared up. Lucy had yelled, "No, stop!" the exact same time as Elliot had thrown two of her knives to stop Peter from killing the unarmed man. One of the knives grazed Peter's chest, slicing his shirt, and the other had cut his opponent's arm, tearing the cloth as well. As soon as Lucy screamed imploringly, the man had taken Peter's blade from the tree, while Peter dropped his sword and glanced down at his slightly torn shirt.
Growls, grunting, and the sound of swords unsheathing came from the surrounding wood. Dwarves, Minotaurs, Centaurs, and other Narnians of all kind came from all around. "Prince Caspian?" Peter asked doubtfully, still a little confused. "Yes, and who are you?" The man had a slight accent, surprising Elliot. "Peter!" Susan yelled, running towards him with Edmund and the dwarf in tow.
"We found our not-so-prodigal prince," Elliot cheerfully informed her siblings, getting down from her hidden vantage point. "I told you not to wander, Lucy." Elliot then continued sternly, sending Lucy a cross look. "Sorry," Lucy said guiltily, glancing down at her feet.
"High King Peter," the tall, dark-haired man said, his voice a little strained, eyes flickering down to the hilt of the blade he held. "I believe you called," Peter nodded, a bemused smile almost on his lips.
"Tooted, rather," Elliot sniggered lowly, a knife in each hand again, twirling it between her fingers. Prince Caspian didn't notice, he was too dumbfounded to bother with anything else besides a few pieces of information, such as: one, High King Peter was far younger than he expected; two, the girl with the bow was very pretty; and three, the girl with knives was certainly intriguing— she was dressed in men's clothes, for God's sake.
"Well, yes, but... I thought you'd be older," Caspian said slowly, expressing his first concern. "Well, if you like, we could come back in a few years," the girl with knives piped up simultaneously with High King Peter. Gods above, the girl's sharp, almost golden eyes were ridiculously distracting, almost as distracting as the stupid, sharp throb in his arm. "No, that's all right," Caspian said quickly, almost embarrassed. "You're just..." he trailed off slowly. "You're not exactly what I expected," he finished, glancing between the five Pevensies, eyes finally focusing on the other girl, the one with luminous blue eyes.
Caspian was about to say something, but he shut his mouth quickly when he realized he forgot what he was going to say. All five of the Narnian royals were staring at him, but with slight differences.
If Caspian had his names right, the girl with the golden eyes was General Elliot, the girl with the bright blue eyes was Queen Susan, the boy with dark hair was King Edmund, and the little girl with brown hair was Queen Lucy. Of course, the blond in front of him was High King Peter.
General Elliot had a bright, curious but amused look in her eyes, almost childish in a sense. Queen Susan, on the other hand, seemed to be less trusting and a bit icier at first, but he was just guessing. King Edmund had his brow furrowed, clearly not liking the idea of a Telmarine prince. Queen Lucy had a passive but inquisitive look like her older sister. And there was High King Peter, who certainly did not like the way Caspian was staring at his sisters Elliot and Susan.
"Neither are you," Edmund cut in suddenly, warily eyeing an armed Minotaur, stopping Caspian's scattering thoughts. Elliot held her tongue, about to make a sharp comment in jest, but she didn't bother.
"A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes," a badger said, voice gentle yet wise. This pulled a smile onto Elliot's face. "We have anxiously waited for your return, my liege," A mouse scampered towards Peter, excitedly chittering. "Our hearts and swords are at your service," he said, bowing. "Oh my gosh, he's so cute," Lucy whispered to Susan.
Elliot overheard, but instead of replying, she fixed her gaze on Prince Caspian, who looked a little more than apprehensive. The prince returned her stare hesitantly, then quickly looked away, shifting his weight and awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
"Who said that?!" The mouse bellowed, drawing his tiny sword."Sorry," Lucy smiled apologetically. "Oh, uh," the mouse stammered. "Your majesty, with the greatest respect, I do believe 'courageous', 'courteous', or 'chivalrous' might more befit a Knight of Narnia," The mouse placed back his sword in its sheath. "Well, at least we know some of you can handle a blade," Peter nodded approvingly. "Yes, indeed. And I have recently put it to good use..." Elliot stopped listening, instead of which she moved to stand next to Edmund.
"Good, because we'll need every sword we can get," Peter suddenly said, startling Elliot. "Well, then you'll probably be wanting yours back," Caspian said, and handed Peter back his sword, trying not to drop it. Peter almost looked annoyed for a moment, then sheathed his sword, and began trekking away from the Prince, who only moved to follow him. Elliot and the others moved to follow, trailing behind Peter.
Elliot suddenly remembered something, a thought surfacing to mind.
"Peter! Just a moment, let Lucy fix up your cut!" Elliot came up to him, pulling at his elbow. "I don't have anything to mend your shirt, though..." she trailed off upon seeing the severity of the rip. "It's fine," Peter waved her off, but he quickly shut up as soon as he saw the seriousness in Elliot's eyes. "All right, everyone, don't worry, we'll get moving soon, I'll just have to patch up the boys!" Elliot shouted, bearing a dashing grin on her face.
Caspian couldn't look away from her amber eyes, her brilliantly gold eyes shining. "Lucy?" Elliot asked, her voice sounding ridiculously melodic. "Here you are, Elliot," the little girl said, handing her the half-full bottle. "Prince Caspian— Can I call you Caspian? Please sit, I'll have a look at your arm in a moment— oh boy, it's bleeding badly!" Elliot tutted. "Lucy, you deal with Peter, give him a drop, I guess, and Susan, cut me a long rectangle of cloth from one of our shirt. And Ed, find me some twine! We'll have to keep you from scarring," Elliot said to Caspian, moving over to sit next to him.
Caspian's arm throbbed, stinging severely. The cut was right by his biceps, nearly missing his elbow, nearly missing his vein. "My apologies, I just didn't know how to stop you without killing you," Elliot frowning, rolling up the sleeve, avoiding the cut. It wasn't large, just a little deep, perhaps half an inch deep. Some blood was drying around the edges, otherwise, it was a slightly grisly sight, but nothing too be too concerned about, given Lucy's healing potion-thing.
"I'm sorry, this'll hurt a little," Elliot muttered, eyes flickering up, awkwardly smiling at the awestruck prince. "It's fine— ouch!" He hissed right after, grimacing as she wrapped the cloth she requested from her sister around his arm multiple times, closing the open cut. Edmund handed her the twine, and she ten wrapped it around his arm, effectively closing the wound. "Lu?" Elliot asked offhandedly, hand outstretched for the healing potion-thing.
The little girl handed it to her sister, who then gave Caspian a drop of the spicy-smelling medicinal potion.
He felt a knot in his arm, discomfort contorting his face. "Yeah, I know that it feels like," Elliot smiled. "Thank you, General—" Elliot cut him off with a quiet laugh, glancing around to see her Susan busy talking to the badger and Edmund talking to one of the many dwarves in the vicinity. Peter sat next to Lucy, who was talking to him about her dream.
Caspian studied Elliot, from the way she dressed to the way she carried herself. Her apparel was close to a spy's armor— light, noiseless, but still strong enough to withstand harsh blows from a double-edged sword. Her hair was a light ashy brown, lighter than Queen Lucy's but darker than the High King's blonde hair. Her eyes were— as he already noted earlier— were a startling amber-gold. They were large, vivid, and perfectly shaped. Her freckled, heart-shaped face complemented her small nose and her pink lips.
"Not a lot of people call me General Elliot, you know," she sent him a lopsided smile. "It's what you're best known for," Caspian protested, his tone still filled with curiosity. "Really? How nice! I've always thought of myself as an excellent tactician, but never to the point where even a Telmarine prince would know of it," She noted smugly, a smile on her face. Caspian laughed lightly and opened his mouth to say something, but Elliot began unwrapping the slightly bloody cloth from his arm, and showed him that it had healed with no marks.
"Wow," he breathed, amazement clear in his eyes. "That's amazing— I thought it was only in stories," Elliot grinned and said, "We were only stories, too, y'know? I think that for a long time, we were nothing but bright fairytales and legends," Caspian scanned her smiling but unreadable face, and he promptly replied, "I can see otherwise."
XxX
Later, Elliot was walking next to Lucy, arm around her little sister's shoulders. She could hear Caspian and Peter faintly discussing plans and the like, but she paid no heed to it and simply walked alongside Lucy.
"So, what are they like?" The badger Trufflehunter not-so-discreetly asked the dwarf they were with previously, now known as Trumpkin. "Malcontents, complainers, stubborn as mules in the morning," Trumpkin groused, glancing at Trufflehunter. Elliot huffed a small smile, trying to hide a light giggle. "Oh. So you like them, then," the dwarf Nikabrik commented. "Well enough," Trumpkin grunted.
Lucy smiled, while Elliot glanced down at Reepicheep. "Hey, are you getting tired? I could always carry you, y'know," Reepicheep viciously shook his head, his little feather bobbing. "No need, your majesty. I am merely proving myself capable for battle,"
Elliot quirked her lips a little and replied, "You already are. I heard from Caspian himself that you pounced on him and drew your sword upon his neck," The mouse let out a victorious laugh and said, "Why, thank you, Queen-General—" Elliot cut him off, "Please, don't call me Queen-General. If you must insist on calling me by a title, call me General Elliot. But really, I would just love it if you called me by my name alone." Reepicheep would've blushed if mice could blush.
"Thank you, Elliot." He squeaked.
It continued this way for the rest of the walk, Elliot hastily correcting those who called her Queen or Queen-General, and teasing and bantering with their troops. As soon as Peter had found his way, though, they quickly ended up at an oddly familiar place. "Bloody hell," Edmund whispered, and Elliot quickly glanced to see the gigantic fortification embedded in the hills.
As the five Pevensies and Caspian walked, Centaurs sped ahead of them, lining up on either side of the sloping entrance. By the time the six had passed the arch, the centaurs had drawn their swords, and pointed it diagonally to the heavens. Peter, Susan, Edmund, Elliot, and Lucy made their way forward, basking in the magnificence of the fortification. Caspian slowly lagged behind and Elliot turned around to glance at him, but quickly looked away to avoid eye contact.
As Elliot walked downwards, a young centaur stood there, his sword lower than the rest. She smiled lightly and motioned for him to raise his sword, which the young foal-human did with the help of his companion.
The five entered the stone fort first, and were suddenly in a hot room, and the sound of clinking metal made Elliot assume it was a forge. "It may not be what you are used to, but it is defensible," Caspian said to Peter. Elliot was just about to walk away from the two boys when she heard that. "You failed to inform me that you would be discussing things pertaining to the battle," Elliot smoothly said, shooting Peter a look. Peter rolled his eyes and countered, "Well, yes, here you are now,"
"Peter!" Susan's voice carried in the hot room, alerting the three. "You may want to see this," she held a torch and gestured to a tunnel. Elliot followed Peter, and Caspian followed Elliot as they headed off to wherever Susan was pointing out. Peter took a torch and swept it near the wall, and he saw carvings or paintings of them. "It's us," Susan helpfully pointed out. "Really? Didn't know that," Elliot remarked loftily. Susan groaned and rolled her eyes, but didn't reply.
"What is this place?" Lucy asked, confused. "You don't know?" Caspian's brow furrowed in slight surprise. "That's a rhetorical question," Elliot muttered. Caspian fixed his stare on her, but he didn't say a word as he took a torch from the wall and moved past the siblings, and continued down a more downhill tunnel. Edmund took a torch as well and followed Caspian, along with the others. Elliot held onto Lucy's shoulder, glancing down at her sister.
Caspian moved to the side and lowered his torch in the shallow trench-thing filled with something flammable. Fire ripped through the room, lighting up the area with brilliant light. "Wow," Elliot breathed, her amber eyes reflecting the flames. Statues of fauns and other Narnian creatures decorated the walls, and a broken altar was in the center, very similar to the one from their last adventure. Lucy moved away from Elliot, slowly approaching the broken stone table and pressed her hand onto it, glancing back at Susan and Peter.
"He must know what he's doing," Lucy murmured hopefully. "I think it's up to us now," Susan said, almost forcefully. "'Us' has always included Aslan," Elliot drawled out, trying not to clench her jaw. Peter said nothing, simply staring at Aslan's image, a carving right above the flames. "Aslan is nowhere to be found, Elliot!" Susan cried out, fuming. "Let's say you're missing because you're waiting for the right moment to help us, to help us when we need it most," Elliot smiled dryly, crossing her arms over her chest. "We pretend you don't exist and we act as if we can save the world on our own," She said flatly and calmly, eyes unreadable.
"We aren't pretending Aslan doesn't exist! We are simply being independent!" Susan cried out, insulted. Peter turned around to say something, but he quieted down when Edmund warily shushed him. Meanwhile, Lucy's jaw was quivering, her lip in a pout and her eyes watery. She refused to say a word, instead staying silent and watching the unfolding fight.
"Oh, of course you're being independent. You're the best at being independent, the best at everything, the best, the best, the best," Elliot mockingly smiled, her voice still scarily placid but tone somehow sharp. "Susan the Gentle, Susan the Best. Everyone loves Susan, everyone adores Susan because she's so smart and great and awesome!" Elliot didn't know what she was saying now, she was getting lost in her haze of pent-up frustration.
Caspian was getting a little bothered at this. Elliot's voice was sharp and cruel and cold, and oddly calm, nothing like the voice of the humorous, kind girl he conversed with earlier. Edmund knew better than to speak, but Peter opened his mouth to say something, but he shut up as soon as Elliot shot him a murderous look.
"I'm sick of being short-changed! I'm tired of being expected to do good things and not being even the least bit acknowledged!" Elliot seethed acidly, anger flaring. "What good have I really done? Injure people? Make jokes? I'm sick of being your clown— your comedic relief! In fact, if that's all you find me for— if that's all I'm good for, then consider me gone!" She spat angrily, walking out of the room, leaving the five dumbfounded, confused, scared, and a little bit ashamed of themselves.
XxX
Elliot angrily grabbed a flask of water from the How's makeshift pantry, along with a loaf of bread. She swiped a leather knapsack, an angry scowl marring her bright features. Light, almost inaudible footsteps came from behind her. "I'm cooling down. I'll be back by noon," she snapped viciously. "Elliot, please. Susan just wants to prove herself, she just wants to prove herself to Peter. She would never really fight you over something as important as Aslan," Lucy begged imploringly.
Elliot grimaced. She didn't want to hurt Lucy, but she was really upset. She bit her tongue and refused to turn around for a a good minute, anger flaring up and slowly cooling down, and flaring up again. She was upset and she did not want to say harsh words towards an innocent third-party.
"Lucy, if she really wouldn't fight me over something as important as Aslan, then tell me, why would she fight me to prove herself to a boy?" Elliot said tightly, glaring at her sister.
"I don't know. I don't know how her mind works. I do know that she didn't know you felt that way around her," Lucy sighed, wringing her hands together. "Tell her I don't care. What's done is done, Lucy. Like I said, I'll be back by noon,"
Elliot pushed past her sister, slinging her knapsack over her shoulder.
Elliot strode outside the How, her sharp eyes noting the time of day. Nearly dusk as it appeared. She walked across the field and into the forest, arming herself with her knives. Elliot moved deeper and deeper into the wood, crouched down, warily watching her surroundings. She hopped down into a small trench. She turned around curiously and saw nothing but earth, but as she looked closely, she saw a small, rocky opening.
Elliot found a low, hidden mini-cave and hunkered down. She pressed her back against the stone and earth, closing her eyes and letting a few private tears slide down her cheeks. She wiped at her face, sniffling softly. She drew a deep breath and opened her eyes. The mini-cave was not warm or anything close to that, but it was dry and Susan-free. She lay down on the hard surface and closed her eyes again, the sound of the wind lulling her to sleep, and if she listened closely, the soft purr of a lion. The last thought on her mind was simply this: I'll be back by daybreak, and I'll help, and I'll pretend none of that happened. Back by...
DAYBREAK! Daybreak! Her eyes opened suddenly to the sound of low chatter and before she let out a yelp, she slapped a hand over her mouth while the other automatically moved itself to grab a knife from her thigh. Elliot clambered over to the hidden opening, laying on her stomach but supporting herself with her elbows. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out the peeking pink dawn along the forest's horizon. It was still relatively dark, the sky still dim.
She nearly let out a sigh when she heard a low rustle and a crunch, the sound of leaves being stepped on. She frowned, listening intently. The sounds she were waiting for were far closer than she expected.
"Miraz told us to starve them out," a raspy voice groused out irritably, as if scolding someone next to him. "Didn't tell us to starve ourselves," another person countered gruffly. "We'll get our break soon enough when the little children come out of their little hideout," a third party said and Elliot could almost hear the grin in his voice. Elliot drew 3 knives, holding them between her fingers on one hand. The audible click of a weapon alerted Elliot to a certain realization.
One, the Telmarine soldiers were nearby, very near. Two, they had crossbows. And lastly, something told her that they were scouting the area. A slow grin appeared on Elliot's face. Maybe they would get a break, a permanent one. She took her specially forged knife from a hidden space in her boot, a smile appearing on her face upon seeing the twisted blade and it's ringed hilt.
She grabbed a small pebble threw it at a nearby tree, the small thunk alerting the soldiers. They came from over the mini-cave, jumping down and drawing their swords. As soon as she got a clear view of at least two of the soldiers' weak points, she threw two of her knives. The first knife hit a helmet-less soldier in the nape, blood spurting, spraying the tree with red. The second knife embedded itself in another soldier's neck. The last Telmarine, shaking but bluffing his fear with rage shouted, "Out you come, filthy Narnian!"
Elliot rolled her eyes and squeezed out of the small opening, tackling the Telmarine soldier, running from under the mini-cave and hurtling towards the armed man. He was taken by surprise and failed to raise his sword properly, and just because of his failure to lift his weapon to strike with the sharp edge, it cost him his life.
Right as Elliot stabbed the man's jugular, right by the base of his neck, one of his hands with a gauntlet on hit her right in the ribs. Blood splattered on Elliot's hands and on her neck, a little bit on her cheek and by her eyes. Her side spiked with pain then began throbbing horribly, but it would've been worse without her armor. Elliot's jaw was a little more than hurt too, a blackish bruise slowly blooming from a blow from the soldier's capulets. She stifled her cry of pain as the dead soldier dropped his sword on her shin.
The man's eyes were wide open as he collapsed on the ground with a clatter. Elliot coughed, holding onto her side as she took a painful breath. She looked worse for wear, but she felt never better. Her anger was released right, if murderous self-defense was right in any way. Adrenaline was still pumping in her veins and she felt guilty for feeling elated that she killed a man. Elliot went back into her mini-cave to grab her knapsack and opened it to take a swig from her flask and took a bite from her bread. She sighed deeply and slid her bloody knife into her boot.
She exited the dugout, crouching low to the ground and slowly making her way towards the How. She realized how stiff and sore she was from sleeping on stone and how drained she was from that quick fight. She didn't encounter any soldiers directly nor did she see any on the way back, save for a distant glint of metal. A sentry faun drew his bow, aiming for her, but he quickly stood down upon seeing the flash of red on her neck and hands and face.
Elliot limped back into the How, her ribs aching horribly. She went down into the room with the broken altar, going down the stairs quite loudly, armor clinking and her breathing heavy and reined tight. Peter was still asleep, along with the rest of her siblings. Only Caspian was awake in the room, sitting down and sharpening his sword.
"Hey," Elliot smiled wanly at Caspian who quickly looked up in shock. The look on his face shifted from shock to slight fear to concern to extreme concern. "Blood," He simply said, eyes wide and concerned. "Are you bleeding?" He stammered, placing his sword down with a clatter. "No, I'll explain later." she smiled awkwardly and sat next down to him, wincing as her rib twinged badly.
"Where did all those bruises come from?" He asked, glancing at her. "Soldier. Telmarine soldiers scouting and I killed them," She grimaced, turning her head to look up at him. She stared into his eyes, unreadable but filled with emotion at the same time. "You killed them?" He asked, shocked. "Yes," she moved away from him, grimacing. "You must think me evil and vile now," she chuckled bitterly. "I think I am correct in assuming it was done in self-defense," Caspian said, voice even as he scooted closer to her.
Elliot closed her eyes and huffed out a sour smile. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and taking a risk here, she gingerly placed her head against his shoulder and let her exhausted body relax. Caspian held his breath as Elliot pressed her cheek against his shoulder, his face heating up a little. Caspian turned his head to see her staring straight at him, her eyes warm with gratitude and something else.
"Ow," Elliot suddenly half-laughed half-whined, grimacing as she straightened herself and flinched again. "My ribs," she groaned out. "I'll wake up your sister," Caspian offered. "Peter, too," Elliot scowled, grunting softly. And so, Caspian watched that warm look in her eyes— a warm look he thought was reserved just for him, slowly disappear. Caspian woke Peter up first and then Lucy and the two irritably asked what was wrong and Caspian gestured to Elliot who smiled at them guiltily, holding her side and a bluish bruise creeping up her cheek.
"Alright, look— they were soldiers and it was self-defense,"