A/N: I really hope you all enjoy this, since it took FOREVER to write! Seriously, I don't know that I have ever done a fight quite this extensively. Forewarning, I might not be able to update tomorrow. I'll try, but I'm going to be gone all night. Enjoy this and lemme know if you think it was good! Thanks once again to Phoenixqueen for all the sword-fighting tips. It was fun brandishing my bread knife trying to figure things out.
Part Fourteen:
Their first clash was titanic.
Miraz came barreling toward the slightly shorter Peter and swung his sword down toward Peter's head, forcing the young High King to raise his shield and block the heavy strike. Peter could feel the blow all the way up his arm and into his chest as his muscles strained to keep the shield away from his body.
As he blocked the strike, he brought Rhindon across his body underneath his shield arm and swung from left to right, aiming for Miraz's midsection just below his chest plate. The Telmarine King lowered his own shield and batted Rhindon away, jarring Peter's arm as Rhindon impacted solidly with Miraz's shield before the two combatants disengaged and began to circle each other.
As he eyed Miraz, Peter was immensely glad he was fighting the man and not his brother. If his first strike was anything to go by, this was not going to be an easy duel. His miraculous recovery that morning had probably saved Edmund's life.
Flashback
Peter smiled at Aslan and childishly stomped his foot on the ground, joyous at such a simple act now that he could feel his legs. "Oh, Aslan, thank you! I only wish I had not waited so long to ask you to heal me."
The great lion stood beside the High King and looked off into the wood. "I am always with you, Peter. Never forget that, child."
Peter nodded and turned to look in the direction Aslan had been gazing. He saw a darkness approaching, and shied back a step, turning to look questioningly at Aslan – only to see he was no longer there.
Looking back up, Peter suddenly found himself within the darkness and realized that it was actually a dark chamber. A familiar dark chamber. The one he was staying within at Aslan's How.
"King Peter! King Peter!"
His head snapped up as the door to his chamber burst open and in tumbled Prince Caspian. What was the young Telmarine doing in his dream? "I'm here," he said, waving lightly to his friend.
Caspian's eyes widened and he took a faltering step backward, confusing Peter. "My word, you…King Peter? When?"
Frowning, Peter stepped closer to Caspian. "When what?"
The prince thrust his hands out in front of him and waved them at Peter. "This. You. Standing. When? When last I entered here, you had no feeling in your legs and now I come to find you standing as if you had never been injured."
Peter laughed. "It's easy to stand in my dreams, Caspian."
The young prince shook his head. "Your dreams? But, my liege – you aren't dreaming."
Cocking his head to the side, Peter faltered. "I'm not. But…"
Looking down, he realized he was indeed standing beside his pallet. His legs didn't tremble at all. There was no pain in his body save the small wound the Witch had given him.
Disbelief coursed through him. Had Aslan been here to heal him? Or was he still dreaming and the dream-Caspian was trying to trick him? There was only one way to figure it out.
He pinched his arm hard.
And yelped.
"Ouch," he exclaimed, ruefully rubbing the sore spot. "I guess I'm not dreaming."
Caspian broke in. "You must hurry, King Peter. Your brother is about to fight a duel in your stead!"
Peter's head snapped up and he looked to Caspian. "Then help me dress. There is no time to waste." Turning on his heel, he headed to the pile of armor across the room. There would be time to contemplate his miraculous recovery later.
Right now, he had a duel to fight.
End Flashback
He was drawn back to reality when Miraz suddenly spoke.
"Why don't you save yourself and your people before you get hurt, boy?" Miraz taunted, his eyes the only part of his face Peter could see through the helmet visor. "There is still time to surrender."
With a glare that Miraz probably couldn't see, Peter retorted, "Feel free to surrender then."
The Telmarine King shook his head. "How many more must die for the throne?"
The young High King, grimacing beneath his visor, countered, "Just one…" before he swiftly raised his sword to his left shoulder, overtop his shield, and swung a vicious-looking blow across his body from left to right, appearing to aim for Miraz's middle.
He let his sword drop minutely as Miraz boldly swung his own blade from right to left, following the arc of Peter's and attempting to push it out and open up Peter's torso to attack.
But Peter's initial strike had been a feint of sorts, and as Miraz's blade crossed in front of the Telmarine's chest to finish the block, Peter was already pivoting on his right foot and bringing his left leg around 180 degrees to bring him around behind Miraz.
With his sword back at his left side and across his body, Peter sliced up and diagonally to his right, glancing a blow off Miraz's back before the man could spin and bring his shield or sword to bear.
Knocked forward slightly by the blow to his back, Miraz growled and spun on his left foot, using his momentum to bring his right leg around while at the same time swinging his shield up and around to the left in a fast slash toward Peter's neck.
The dirty maneuver took Peter by surprise, but he quickly drew back his right leg and tilted a few inches further back and avoided the wild shield slash entirely.
Both fighters started circling again and Miraz was inwardly furious at himself for taking that dwarf's bait and thinking this mere boy would be a pushover. In a few short clashes, this child had already proven he had far more skill with a blade then the Telmarine King had thought.
Angered that he had already been one-upped by this boy, Miraz moved in and instead of striking a blow with his sword, he swung his left arm and shield toward Peter's head with such strength the young man was forced to block the blows with his own shield and retreat.
Seeing Peter was giving ground, Miraz continued to hammer the High King with his shield, every so often throwing in a slash with his sword for good measure.
Backpedaling under the vicious onslaught, Peter sensed he was getting too close to the edge of the ring, which was lined by ruined stones, and knew he would have to act – and soon – or he'd be up against the wall and in trouble.
Taking a chance, he moved to the left, leaving his back exposed for only a moment and hoping Miraz's forward motion would prevent him from being able to halt himself in time to strike at the High King.
His move proved successful as Miraz couldn't halt his advance in time and his backhanded slice toward Peter's retreating back missed the blonde by mere inches. Peter settled himself into a firm stance and locked gazes with Miraz, waiting for the man to make his move.
If he was going to buy some time, he might as well buy as much of it as he could.
Miraz chose to swing downward at Peter again, banking on his power whittling down the younger man's stamina, and Peter deflected and blocked the blows, but refused to give ground this time.
He brought Rhindon across his body and slashed back at Miraz from left to right, his sword clanging sharply with the Telmarine's. Miraz blocked with his own blade, then struck the Narnian King above the elbow and managed to lock out his sword arm. Peter was forced to turn his back toward the other King to avoid breaking his arm, and Miraz took this opportunity to swing his shield at the back of the young High King's head.
Stumbling forward as his helmet was knocked off, Peter quickly stepped forward and spun back around, only to have to duck under a sword slash aimed at taking his head off his shoulders.
While Peter was still down, Miraz wound up for a vicious right to left slash at the vulnerable High King, but Peter thwarted his attempt when he surged upward and flung himself into Miraz, slamming his shield into the Telmarine King's face, ripping the helmet from his head and knocking him back a step.
Peter's mail fell back onto his neck, leaving his blonde hair shining in the sunlight, as he teetered precariously for a moment and then backpedaled to put himself out of his opponent's range.
Seeing the Telmarine King still reeling and trying to regain his footing, Peter halted his backward motion and instead surged forward, slamming Miraz once more with his shield before slashing Rhindon from right to left toward Miraz's chest.
Only to miss.
Miraz took advantage of the miss and as the center of Peter's blade drew near Miraz's left hip, he slammed his shield into the High King's sharp blade and forced it back toward its owner, bringing it precariously close to one of Peter's legs.
Before Rhindon could hit him, Peter twisted his sword hand minutely and turned the tip of his blade downward, letting it slide off Miraz's shield and in a swift move, the High King slashed upward and sliced deeply into the Telmarine's thigh.
Miraz immediately dropped to one knee, wincing and instinctively clutching his wounded thigh with his shield hand, swinging his blade diagonally from left to right across his body to drive an advancing Peter back.
Gathering his strength, he pushed to his feet and swung out low with his shield, hitting the back of Peter's forward knee and knocking his foot out from under him. Peter, who had jumped away from the infuriated man's sword blow, completely missed the Telmarine's shield strike and before he could catch himself, he toppled backward and to the ground with a crash of armor on stone.
Momentarily winded and surprised by a sudden pain in the wound he'd received from the Witch, the High King wasn't able to move his splayed out shield arm before Miraz brought his foot down and deposited all his considerable weight on the shield, wrenching Peter's shoulder from the socket with a sharp pop and excruciating jolt of pain.
The High King couldn't hold back the cry and rolled instinctively toward his injured arm to try and release the pressure on the shoulder. He swung Rhindon across his body with all his strength to block Miraz's strike and the man, still standing on the shield, was overbalanced and fell away.
Stumbling to his feet, Peter felt his fingers going numb and his arm hung uselessly, shield still lashed to it. Panting against the pain, he held Rhindon firmly and waited while Miraz struggled to standing across from him.
Out of the corner of his eye, beyond Miraz, he noticed a horse and two riders galloping from the nearby woods onto the open field across which the two armies faced each other. Caspian was at the reins and Peter, faced scrunched in pain, turned his focus back to Miraz as the man, putting as little pressure on his leg as possible, taunted, "Does the High King need a respite?"
Peter's voice broke as he replied, "Five minutes?"
Not wanting to admit he was ailing, Miraz growled, "three" then turned and walked, stiffly but steadily back to his companions. Peter hesitated, the pain in his shoulder building by the second.
He relaxed only slightly when Edmund reached him and relieved a little of the pressure on the joint by holding up some of the weight of the shield as they walked back toward Glenstorm and the rapidly approaching horse and riders.
Seeing Susan and Caspian dismount, Peter's first reaction was to hide his pain, followed closely by a question: "Where's Lucy?"
Susan frowned. "She made it through. I had to stay behind to fend off attackers. Caspian came along in the nick of time, I wouldn't have been so lucky if he hadn't of shown up."
Peter nodded, gulping back pain, before turning to the prince. "Thank you," he said; his voice heavy with emotion. The High King let out a sharp yelp and jerked away as Edmund touched his shoulder. Susan grimaced and stepped forward, but her older brother held up a shaking hand and halted her. "You better get up there with the archers, Su. I don't expect the Telmarines to keep their word and we'll need you."
He shot a quick glance at Miraz, who was sitting heavily in a chair with a man tending his leg wound. Susan came forward instead of back and drew him into a hug, careful not to jostle him too much, but still sending a shot of pain across his chest from his shoulder injury.
"Sorry, Peter," she said, drawing back. "Please be careful. I don't want to lose you again." Memories of the time they thought Peter dead flashed before her and Edmund's eyes, and they exchanged glances.
Their brother shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you two, I'm not going anywhere," he said with a small, pained smile. Susan nodded and turned to run back to the How and join the archers as Edmund sobered and eyed the Narnians.
"Pete? Keep smiling. The Narnians are looking a bit worried," he said, pointing with his eyes toward the How. "I think they saw that shield stomp and realize something's amiss."
In response, Peter gathered himself and raised Rhindon in the air with a fake smile plastered on his face. It was more like a grimace, and he was grating his teeth together, but from afar it appeared to do the trick and the Narnians let out a roar of excitement.
Peter quickly dropped the sword and allowed Caspian to help him sit down. He cried out again and shied away as the prince removed the shield from his arm. "Sorry," Caspian said as he stepped back and let Edmund approach Peter.
The latter turned his gaze up to his brother and sighed. "I think it's dislocated, Ed," he said wearily. "I felt it pop." He winced as Edmund gently felt the back of his shoulder and knew when the boy frowned that it was indeed dislocated.
As Edmund gripped his arm just above the elbow and steadied him, Peter closed his eyes and gulped. "On three," Ed said. "One…two…"
Peter screeched and then turned a glare on Edmund, who had jerked his shoulder back into place on two, not three. When the pain in his shoulder really didn't lessen, he swallowed and groaned, "I wonder what happens back home if you die here." He looked up at Edmund. "There are far too many things I want to say to you, Ed," he whispered, eyes betraying his thoughts.
Defeat was something Edmund rarely, if ever, saw in his brother's eyes and yet here, during what could be the biggest, hardest and most important fight of his life, it came breaking through. Edmund couldn't let it happen.
He forced Peter's shield back onto his arm, somewhat angrily. "Save it for later, Peter. Because there will be a later, and we'll sit back and laugh about all the stupid moves you made in your duel."
"Hey, I didn't make stupid moves," Peter said indignantly as he grasped Rhindon from his brother's outstretched hand. "But Edmund…should anything happen, I hope you know how much I love you."
Edmund growled. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that, Peter, you'll just have to tell me later."
Peter groaned inwardly. Edmund was being difficult. Here he was, arm smarting painfully, body trembling and life on the line, and Ed wouldn't let him tie up loose ends. There was only one thing to do then – survive the duel and tell him later.
Stepping forward, Peter entered the ring again, refusing his reclaimed helmet with a weary shake of the head, and gazing across the field of battle at Miraz's expression, which was tight with pain. At least he wasn't the only one injured here.
His gaze traveled further to take in the Telmarines who had accompanied Miraz and his brow furrowed at the whispered conversation going on amongst them, complete with the man who had tended Miraz shaking his head vehemently in the negative.
The interplay had not gone unnoticed by Edmund, Caspian or Glenstorm either and as Peter and Miraz reengaged with a clang of metal on metal, Caspian turned to Edmund.
"They are planning something," he said ominously. "And if General Glozelle does not approve, I would venture to guess it is something dishonorable. If there was one thing he did not abide by, it was dishonor in combat."
Edmund watched as Peter raised his shield and deflected a particularly hard strike from Miraz that had the young King wincing and nearly dropping to one knee in pain. That shoulder was going to be a problem.
Peter would have to agree as the next harsh blow that he was forced to block with his shield did send him crashing to his knees in pain. As Miraz moved to bring his sword down on the High King, Peter struck out with the hilt of Rhindon and sent it smashing into Miraz's leg wound, abruptly halting the man's strike as the Telmarine King reeled away gasping for breath against the pain.
Peter struggled to get his feet under him, shield arm dangling. When he was standing again, Miraz had recovered enough to come at him again, swinging his blade haphazardly in his pain and fury.
Ducking to the left, Peter thrust Rhindon forward, aiming to strike just below the armor chest plate Miraz wore. His aim was deflected downward and to the left just enough to miss Miraz and the man brought his shield crashing on Peter's forearm with enough force that the young man lost his grip on Rhindon and it went crashing to the ground.
Grasping his shield with both hands, Peter warded off two-handed sword strikes as he retreated until his back was against a stone pillar that had cracked off at the top and was rough against his back.
When Miraz shifted from overhead blows to a thrust, Peter sidestepped and the blade tip wedged into the column behind him. The Telmarine King tugged harshly on the stuck blade and his eyes narrowed in fury.
Peter took advantage of the surprise and swung his shield at Miraz, hitting him soundly on the head and shoulder and knocking him to the ground. He surged forward and reclaimed Rhindon, raising it out to the side and turning with the intent to end this before he was killed.
He was shocked when he was suddenly knocked backwards and to the ground by something that slammed into his chest with such force it knocked all the air from his lungs and left him gasping for breath.
There were gasps from the Narnians and a sharp cry of disbelief from Edmund on the sidelines. Peter, confused by what had happened, made to push up from the ground but quickly fell back down when pain surged through his chest, originating in his left shoulder but radiating outward.
He chanced a look and his eyes widened at the sight of a crossbow bolt protruding from where the pain was most intense, just inside of where his shoulder armor ended. His focus shifted when Miraz stumbled into view, poised over top of him with his sword held high and a feral grin on his pained face.
"I win, High King Peter. Narnia will never rise again."
Anger surged through Peter and gave him just enough strength to roll to the left and avoid the Telmarine King's falling blade, which clattered against the stone beneath them. Wincing, Peter, being careful not to impale himself on Rhindon, rolled until his feet were under him and then he stood, shaking in anger and pain.
His shoulders were hunched and his left arm held tight against his body, but his grip on Rhindon was firm. Both Kings stood facing one another, both with only swords, one with a bleeding leg and one with a bleeding shoulder.
Miraz's gaze shifted to his corner and his men. Glozelle was being held at sword point by Sobespian, obviously not happy with the turn of events. Another man was holding a reloaded crossbow pointed menacingly at the High King of Narnia.
Peter knew he couldn't deflect an arrow, so he turned to Miraz. "So this is what is comes down to ... The great Telmarine King has to resort to cheating to beat a boy half his age," he said, breathing harsh and labored. "I'm sure that will garner the support of your people."
Miraz's eyes narrowed. "They'll never know," he said, gesturing for the man with the crossbow to release the second bolt. Peter waited for the pain of a shot, but it never came. Instead, the man toppled to the ground, a red-fletched arrow in his chest.
Susan, panting from the run, stood beside the ring just behind a fuming Edmund and Caspian. Glenstorm actually had a restraining hand on her shoulder, or she would have been at Peter's side.
Stuck where she was, but still highly angered, she spat, "If you desire to shoot arrows around, why didn't you invite me? Or are you afraid of a 15-year-old girl, as well?"
Peter couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face.
Beyond the ring, both the Narnian and the Telmarine armies were watching with confusion at the halt in the duel. Neither could properly make out what had happened, though there were murmurings of treachery among the Narnians after seeing King Peter fall without being touched by Miraz.
The Narnian High King hunched a little further as pain ripped through his shoulder. "We are at an impasse, Lord Miraz," he said. "If your men try to cheat again, my royal sister will not hesitate to shoot them where they stand. Are you man enough to finish this?"
Edmund cried out, "Peter?" drawing his brother's attention. "What are you doing?" he seethed. "You can barely stand."
The eldest Pevensie nodded. "I know. But I will continue this fight with honor and that means continuing it myself. I'll see this through to the end, whatever that might be. I would ask for a five-minute respite, though, to remove this." He gestured with Rhindon toward his shoulder.
Angry beyond belief, Miraz could do nothing but nod. The dark-haired man stormed, as best as one can with a slice to their thigh, back to his corner where he proceeded to soundly berate Glozelle.
Peter hobbled to his own side and was immediately set upon by Edmund. "By the lion, Peter, this is deep," the younger boy said, fingering where the crossbow bolt was imbedded in Peter's shoulder. "I think it'll have to go through."
"I was afraid of that," the High King muttered before nodding and leaning forward. Gesturing for Caspian's help, Edmund pulled off Peter's shoulder armor and carefully slipped the chain mail shirt over the arrow shaft and then over Peter's head, drawing a cry from the elder King.
Clad in a white under tunic, with the shaft still sticking out from a rapidly growing red stain, Peter shook and held up a hand so that Edmund would stop for a moment and let him catch his breath.
When he nodded again, Edmund gripped him much like Peter had done to Caspian in the woods. The Telmarine prince realized why Peter had known immediately what to do – the brothers had done this before.
There was a loud cry as Edmund forced the arrow through Peter's shoulder. Caspian, ready with a knife, loped off the arrowhead and the Just King pulled the shaft out and tossed it aside to grip both wounds.
"Easy, Pete," he whispered as the elder boy gasped for air and clenched his teeth and eyes shut. "You don't have to do this, Peter," he continued, nearly begging. "We'll think no less of you if you bow out."
Caspian knew Peter's answer before he gave it, and he assumed Edmund likely did too.
"No, Ed. I will finish this. If only to show the Telmarines what kind of King they could have." His gaze shifted to lock with Caspian's. He saw something in his eyes that he hadn't seen before – royal bearing. He wondered at it, but would have to deal with it later as his five minutes were up.
Edmund hastily secured a bandage around Peter's wound and slipped the chain mail back over his head. He secured the shoulder armor, drawing a wince from his brother, and then the older King stood up somewhat shakily. He met Susan's eyes and nodded his thanks to her for avoiding a second injury before stepping back into the ring.
He glanced at his brother, who was holding out his shield. Reaching out, he grasped it, but when Edmund released his hold, Peter had to bite back a cry and the shield clattered to the ground. Peter shook his head slowly from side to side. "I can't hold it, Ed," he said. "I'll have to go without."
Edmund looked like he wanted to argue, but if Peter couldn't hold it –there was nothing to be done for it. Ripping his gaze from his younger brother's, Peter stepped back into the ring.
Miraz wavered before also returning to the field of battle.
Raising his sword in front of him, Peter had the strength of character to offer another small salute – even after everything that had happened and the Telmarine's treachery, he still stuck to honorable combat.
Showing his true colors, Miraz launched himself at Peter before the latter was finished with his salute – bringing his blade down in a vicious downward strike that forced Peter to jump awkwardly to the right and slash out with Rhindon to deflect the arcing blade away from him.
There was a wave of protesting cries from the Narnians assembled around the How at the Telmarine King's blatant disrespect for the rules of an honorable contest, but none of them could do a thing about it but hope their High King could win this fight.
Peter, regained his balance quickly, and brought Rhindon up across his chest and slashed outward at Miraz's head. Instead of blocking, the man ducked and swung his own blade low, swiping at Peter's legs and forcing the younger King to jump to the left and land hard on his wounded shoulder.
Barely stifling a cry of pain, Peter grit his teeth nearly hard enough to break them, and then rolled when Miraz attacked him again, swinging down on the High King's fallen form. Each time his shoulder connected with the ground, Peter's breath caught and he knew he needed to get to his feet before the pain overwhelmed him.
Deciding enough was enough, he surprised the man by switching directions and rolling towards him, knocking the Telmarine King's legs out from under him and sending him crashing to the ground.
Both combatants staggered to their feet and exchanged sword blows, Peter forced to move twice as fast since he had no shield to ward off the other man's blows and had to rely on deflecting and dodging the strikes.
With one particularly strong swing, Peter surprised even himself when he knocked Miraz's blade from his hands, leaving the man with only his shield. Before he could take advantage of the stroke of luck, Miraz lashed out desperately and, using his shield, smashed Rhindon out of Peter's hands.
The Telmarine brought his shield back around, but Peter grabbed on and managed to twist it out of Miraz's hands, leaving both combatants weaponless and panting in pain, frustration and exhaustion.
Miraz threw himself at Peter, hoping to win by brute strength, but Peter sidestepped and lashed out with his armored shin – straight into Miraz's solar plexus – and knocked the wind out of his opponent.
Collapsing to the ground, holding onto his middle, Miraz looked up at Peter as the young King, Rhindon once again in hand, placed himself above him and poised the glistening sword for the death blow.
But Peter didn't strike.
Sneering, Miraz taunted the young King. "Too cowardly to take a life, boy?"
Peter lowered Rhindon and lifted his chin. "As much as I would dearly like to have this honor, your life isn't mine to take. There is another who you've wronged even more greatly than I."
Shifting, but not leaving Miraz uncovered, Peter extended the hilt of Rhindon toward Caspian. Wordlessly offering him a chance to do what he had so sorely wanted to do within his uncle's chamber a few nights ago.
Caspian slowly approached, eying Rhindon with no small amount of trepidation. But while last time he had felt nothing when he reached for Rhindon, this time he felt a draw and he extended his hand and lightly gripped the hilt.
There was no jolt of pain, no burning sensation.
Eying Peter's weary form, Caspian nodded and tightened his grip on the great sword.
Peter retreated to his brother's side and let himself lean heavily on the younger King as the Pevensies, the Narnians and the Telmarines watched the young man and his uncle. Inwardly, Peter knew Caspian would make the right choice. He wouldn't have been able to touch Rhindon if that wasn't the case.
The two men exchanged words, though no one but they themselves could hear what was said. With a shout filled with pain and anguish, Caspian slammed Rhindon's tip into a patch of dirt in front of Miraz and leaned close to his uncle.
"Keep your life," he whispered. "But I am giving the Narnians back their lands and the kingdom." Lifting his gaze, he met that of his old teacher and the man nodded in respect to the prince.
Caspian wrenched Rhindon from the ground and turned back to his companions, leaving Miraz kneeling in defeat. He heard Sobespian moving to collect his lord as he reached Peter and extended Rhindon hilt-first to the young King.
"Thank you," he said. "That was something I had to do."
Nodding, Peter gripped the sword and then returned his gaze to Miraz when the man let out a great cry of pain. Brows furrowed, he took in the red-fletched arrow protruding from the man's back as he fell forward to the ground and did not move.
Turning to Susan, he saw her eyes wide in shock, but her bow was across her back, not drawn. She had not shot the Telmarine King. So who had done it?
Peter's head snapped back to the ring as Sobespian cried "treachery" and grabbed Miraz's sword before running back toward the Telmarine lines, shouting, "Telmar, to arms!"
Swallowing, Peter glanced at Susan and mouthed, "Lucy?"
But his sister could only shake her head no.
Turning to Caspian, he shouted, "Go," and louder, called out, "Be ready!"
Edmund, meanwhile, met an oncoming Telmarine, slashing swiftly with his two blades and beheading the man in seconds. He turned back to Peter and watched his brother sway a little before gathering himself and squaring his shoulders.
"Will you be all right?" He asked as he placed himself beside him.
Peter looked at his younger brother and sighed. "I'll have to be. We still have a conversation we need to have about what you mean to me."
Edmund managed a small smile, despite the fact an army twice as strong was now marching down on them with no desire for prisoners or surrender on their minds. "For Narnia?" He said quietly.
The High King nodded. "And for Aslan."
A/N: Well, I think that was like 13 pages of duel! Review please?? Pretty please?