Chapter Seven: Overturn
"Could you have been any more rude to him?" Kristen asked turning on Peter now and he rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms.
"I wasn't being rude."
"You were. He's a long way from home, Peter, and you're being kind of a..."
"A what?" he challenged.
"Kind of a royal pain in the ass." she said honestly and with as much conviction in her voice she could muster. Peter looked at her for a long moment and nodded before he looked off to the side his blue eyes a little distant.
"Well if you say so...must be true." he said. "But in all fairness, you're not being all that nice either."
"I'm being strong. I'm leading though example with the best of intentions. I fight for them." Kristen gestured to the groups of Narnian's around them.
"And I don't?"
"No, you're fighting for your pride. I saw it in you today when we sparred. You couldn't even take a joke."
"It wasn't an appropriate time to joke then." his voice hardened to match hers and she shook her head at his ridiculous nature.
"And what? Be all serious and guns blazing, charging in with all serious intent to kill you? Because believe you me, I can do that, but I don't believe your siblings will look to kindly at me when I've killed their eldest brother."
"You've let all of this...war, gone to your head. You think you're all-powerful, but you're just as weak as the rest of us."
"Really? Last time I checked, I was the only one who could still hear the voices in the trees, or see the pain in the river, the break in the souls of these people. I have a sight, granted to me by Aslan because of my faith. You've lost yours Peter. Maybe you should start trusting in him, rather than trying to do things on your own. Maybe then...all of this, will become clear."
Kristen turned, scooping up her belongings and started for the How's entrance. Lucy who was talking with a faun spotted her and started running after her, picking up the skirts to her dress as she went. Peter, watched her go, with a sense of anguish in his heart. When had things become so different for them? He couldn't even remember the reasons he had now for being angry at her, because now all he wanted was to be forgiven and to kiss her. But, of course his pride got the better of him and it would be a long time before an apology would pass his lips.
They all sat in the room of the Stone Table now. Everyone practically had crammed themselves into the room like sardines in a can and now they were discussing battle strategies. Kristen stood next to Caspian as she glared at Peter as he paced back and forth talking. Her ears had become a little fuzzy as she listened to it all...it was like nothing she had said earlier had penetrated that abnormally thick skull of his. All of his words were on their way to a steady implication of taking on the battle head-on, in a very rash and uneven way.
"It's only a matter of time before Miraz and his war machines arrive. We have to strike them before they strike us." he said looking about.
"That's crazy, no one has ever taken that castle." Caspian said straightening some as he looked at Peter shocked and Kristen clenched her jaw as she was staring at Peter with such intensity that Peter couldn't bring himself to look her way.
"There's always a first." Peter countered.
"When I was talking about being aggressive, Peter, I wasn't talking about this." Kristen said finally and all eyes turned to her. "You know how idiotic this is."
Peter finally looked to her and raised a brow.
"Really? Do tell us then what you're brilliant plan is, Kristen, please...enlighten us oh fearsome Lady of Cair. She who is far superior than us all."
"Peter." Susan scolded but Kristen rose to the occasion.
"I have no plan as of right now. But that doesn't mean that I can't see the holes in this one. You'll be walking into their territory and they will have the home field advantage. Do you think that our tide is large enough to break over the walls of that castle?"
"They did it to ours, I'm sure we can do it to theirs."
"No." Kristen disagreed.
"This isn't a fortress, it's a tomb!" Peter said.
"Yes but if we dig in, we can hold them out indefinitely." Susan said softly trying to find some common ground. She hated the tension in the room right now, and it was killing her seeing two people that loved each other so much, fight and be at each others throats. Especially the girl she had come to call her family and her eldest brother who was her kin.
"We can collect nuts." a squirrel input.
"Yes, and throw them at the Telmarines." Reepicheep said mockingly. "Now shut up!"
"If we wait the Telmarines will just starve us out." Edmund sighed, thinking about it rationally.
"Well I don't agree." Kristen said turning her attention back to Peter. "You know this is wrong."
"This isn't as complicated as it's being made to be." Lucy said wisely and now all eyes were to her. She sat comfortably on the Stone Table in the center of the room, the small girl seeing things that most at her age wouldn't be able to see.
"I wish you just had stayed in your room." Peter sighed looking at his youngest sister warily.
"She is much good cause to this war as you Peter. Don't doubt her because of her size and age." Kristen defended.
"I don't doubt her."
"You do. You doubt everything...most importantly you doubt Aslan. You're going to get us all killed, and you don't even think about that do you. You want to be King Peter the Magnificent, but you need to be King Peter, servent to his people. They come first, not you!"
Peter clenched his jaw and then looked to Glenstorm.
"If it's possible, can you get your men inside?"
"Or die trying my liege." he bowed.
"You all act like there's only two options, dying here or dying there." Lucy said strongly.
"You don't understand Lu."
"No you don't understand Peter, or have you really forgotten who defeated the White Witch?"
"We attack at midnight, those who wish to join me to defend our land, come, those who do not, can stay." and with that Peter turned and strode out of the room.
Kristen, clenching her fists, uncurling them and curling them again stormed out another hallway that lead to one of the underground tunnels to be alone. Susan sat down and placed her face in her hands as she felt near ready to cry.
"Why are they at each other's throats so much?" she sobbed as she looked up at Edmund who had moved to sit next to her.
"Oh Susan." Lucy hopped down off the stone table and knelt in front of her sister taking her pale hands in hers. "They just...haven't seen each other for a long time. I'm sure now that things are different it's harder."
"But they love each other. It shouldn't be like this."
"You know they're stubborn." Edmund rationalize as he pat her back. "They'll come around."
Caspian feeling like he was now intruding on a private moment, silently backed away and turned, going to seek out a very angry woman. He found Kristen in one of the pillared caverns that went on for a long stretch. She was pacing back and forth, her silhouette illuminated by torchlight. He was captivated for a moment by her, as her small willowy form moved and her blond tresses as they were pulled half back. He wasn't entranced per say like a man would look at a woman romantically but entranced as a man would looking at the night sky and seeing the stars in the heavens as the light rained down on his face. Her presence was commanding, but then it was soft. She intrigued him and also, was touched that she would want to include him in any of these harsh and difficult proceedings.
"Kristen?" he asked and she stopped and looked at him. At first he saw the fierceness in her eyes, one that would bring any man to his knees, but then it softened and she looked on him with tenderness.
"I am so sorry for his arrogance. You don't deserve to be talked down to like that."
"I'm more concerned on you being talked down to. You don't deserve it either."
"I'm used to it. I'm only trying to include you in on decisions because I can see that when this is over we'll have to go back and the rule will be left to you. You have to start making these decisions for yourself, Caspian. And you need those chances."
"I'm glad you have such faith in me." he said sadly as he sat on a fallen pillar and looked down at the ground. "But, I'm afraid I don't see that in myself."
"Why?" Kristen asked as she folded her arms and walked over sitting next to him. "Why don't you see the potential I do?"
"Because, I suppose I've been a failure all my life. Never amounting to the Telmarine Prince everyone wanted me to be...or what my uncle wanted me to be."
"Your uncle is a bad man. Don't ever try to measure up to his lousy expectations. You should be the Prince and one day King, that you want to be."
"I don't agree with tonight's plans. But, if I am going, I would rather you come along. I would feel safer knowing that the Legendary Lady Kristen would be fighting alongside me."
"I have such a bad feeling about this siege though. I feel this ache inside of me, right in my gut, that just won't ease up. It's telling me this is bad and that we won't come out of this unscathed. Aslan is telling me this isn't right."
"You have such a connection with this Great Lion. One I would never understand, but I trust you. You have given me so much reason to." he said looking at her.
"He once told me the reason he gives me so much power is because of my unwavering faith in him. And the funny thing is I've never even met Aslan face to face. He comes to me in visions and in dreams...a state of neither conscious nor sleep. I...I just wish Peter would see what a mistake this is. Wish he could just believe, like everyone else."
"It's hard to believe without proof."
"What more proof does he need...we're back in Narnia. I've dreamt about this day since I left. I missed the trees and the rivers, the long rolling hills and grassy plains, every rock, and every creature. I missed being free of all my inhibitions, and just lying underneath the sunshine knowing everything is in peace. This wonderful, magical, land is all the proof anyone needs."
"I have faith, because you have faith." he held his hand out and stood up and Kristen looked at him with such a compassionate look. "Let us stand side by side and deal with this together as friends."
"Of course." she slipped her hand into his and gripped it tight as she stood and then sliding it out of his grip the two of them made their way back to the others. It was going to be a a long next few hours until they prepped to leave and take the Telmarine castle.
Kristen was standing outside waiting with Caspian next to her Griffin that was to be her flight into the castle. She was strapping armor to her, making sure everything was settled when Peter came striding out with Edmund and Susan.
"I thought you weren't coming along since you hated the idea so much." Peter said and she looked at him with such a disdain and then went back to fixing her weapons.
"If I do not go, then you'll all come back dead. So, despite my better judgment, I'm coming along."
"Kristen, you don't have to prove anything..." Susan started but Kristen shook her head.
"Tell that to your brother." and with that she hopped up onto the Griffin's shoulders and the giant winged beast took off into the night sky.
"Her arrogance is killing me." Peter grumbled as his Griffin picked him up by the shoulders and feet and carried him off into the air, and soon Edmund, Susan and Caspian were following.
The night sky was dangerously dark, the only thing illuminating it was the dim stars in the distance. They had to land on the towers and defeat the sentry's that were stationed there and then make way to the gatehouse and the drawbridge. Edmund landed first as the rest circled about the towers and Kristen waited for the signal. Once the tower had been captured Edmund flashed his torch in the air, illuminating the sky for a moment before it was dark again. The Griffin's descended in succession, until feet were touching stone. Kristen withdrew her bow and began to knock arrows and fired them rapidly, earning no one the chance to strike down any of the opposing soldiers.
She silently strode past Peter and looked around before knocking another arrow and aiming across the circular tower and through the gate. With only the sound of the twang of the twine, it flew in the air and seconds later the sound of armor falling to the ground.
"Clear." Kristen said turning to her partners.
"We need to pair up, head for the drawbridge and the gatehouse."
"There is a way into the castle, it's through my professors window. He will surely let us inside." Caspian said.
"Good thing I brought rope." Kristen grinned as she tossed it to Peter whom caught it. He didn't want to particularly talk to her but right now the mission was the most important thing.
"Well, so far so good. But I have a bad feeling about this." Trumpkin said as he looked at them all and they all looked down at him.
"At least someone agrees with me." Kristen muttered.
Everyone quietly followed Caspian as he led the way through the towers until they reached a particular place to enter into the castle. Taking the rope that was attached to a grappling hook, Peter tied it to a stone fixture and pulled on it with all his weight testing it.
"Should hold, who's first."
"I'll go first." Caspian offered as he took the rope and tossed it over the edge and then slowly began to descend. Kristen followed after he was down a few feet and then Peter, Susan and lastly Trumpkin. Caspian landed on the sill first and using his knife he slid it into the windows slot and pulled the latch up. Opening the large windows he stepped through into a large study with many books, some of them scattered about as if someone had been looking for something but couldn't find it.
"Professor?" he whispered out as he stepped further into the room and the others were piling behind him.
Kristen entered the room next and looked about spotting no forms of life. She watched as Caspian walked over to the desk and picked up a pair of small cylinder glasses that would simply sit on the bridge of one's nose. Peter, Susan and Trumpkin all entered then and looked at Caspian expectantly.
"He must have been taken after my escape. It's all my fault." Caspian said sadly.
"We have to get to the gatehouse." Peter reminded him.
"Yes but without him, I wouldn't even be here and neither would you."
"We don't have time for this."
"I can get him and still get to the gatehouse in time."
"I'll go with him." Kristen said looking between the two, almost daring them to start a fight.
"And I'll go on ahead to the gatehouse, just to be sure." Trumpkin said and everyone silently agreed.
"Come on Susan." Peter walked towards the door, drawing his sword as he did and gently snuck out. As Susan passed she gave a sad look to Kristen and then slipped out after her brother. Trumpkin left next and soon Kristen and Caspian were alone.
"Well guess it's to the dungeons then." Kristen said as she looked about.
"You didn't have to come along. You know you're just making Peter angrier with you."
"He has no right to be angry at me." Kristen scoffed as she motioned for him to follow her. "I'm the one that's being rational, he's the one being stupid. I should be the one angry at him...which I am."
"I guess I'll never understand love."
"Pray to whatever god you have, that you don't." she grumbled quietly as they snuck out into the hallway.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because, it's a larger headache than the regular ones, you always have to consider that person's feelings much more sometimes than your own or anyone elses, and you always have to ask permission...though I never asked permission from Peter, I just kind of did what I wanted. I view it as like having children...which of course, everyone who really knows me knows my views on brats."
"Which would be?"
"They suck." she ducked down a hallway and headed for the stairs having him follow.
"I take it that's bad."
"Very."
"You seem to know your way around the castle." he commented and she stopped and looked at him.
"Well...all dungeons I presume are downstairs. And we're going downstairs."
"Yes, yes, just keep going." he smiled a bit and the two of them flit off into the night, disappearing like shadows.