AN OHMIGOSH I'm so sorry about the enormous delay! See, our power went out in that huge storm, and Comcast wasn't fixed for another week. Then, I was studying like mad for finals, and then I got sick, and then went camping, and then to Hersheypark. Did I mention I suffered major writer's burnout? But, I'm back, and that's all the matters. By the way, I must note that a bit of this is AU. I've stretched out the timing, due to what happens in this chapter. R&R and enjoy the longest chapter ever!
It was warm here, wherever here was. But the nice kind of warm. Everything was hazy, but whatever it was that was mixed up in this haziness was very nice. Something sounded in the distance, maybe a bugle. Suddenly, the world began to slowly tilt downwards, coming to a gentle halt. Everything became cold and hard.
Tess shivered awake. She rubbed her eyes, and tried to remember what was going on. She looked across the tomb, and saw Lucy and Susan sitting, yawning.
"What's going on?" Tess asked.
"Telmarines. They've set up camp nearby. Peter, Ed, Trumpkin, Caspian, and our warriors are holding council," replied Susan.
Everything fit together. Tess must have curled up against Edmund while sleeping the night before. Then he left, and that explained the whole tilting thing.
Damn, she thought, I hope nobody noticed me sleeping with him. Not that we were actually sleeping together... I guess.
But Susan thought nothing of it. The girls stumbled to their feet, and made their way out doors to the warriors. They reached the council just as it was being adjourned. Tess looked for Edmund in the confusion, but saw nothing of him until everyone had left. He was waiting for her behind a large rock nearby.
Tess ran into his strong arms, filled with questions.
"Ed, what's going on?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm to go and give Miraz a challenge. A challenge to duel Peter... to the death. I'm scared, Tess. What if Peter's killed?"
"I'm sure Peter will win. Don't be worried. You have me. As long as we're together, everything will be fine. I love you."
Edmund mounted his horse and rode off.
Soon enough, he was in the Telmarine camp. Nervously, Edmund entered the tent, scrolls in hand. He put all his worries behind him, and began to read the scroll.
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Tess was having armor fitted. The armor she'd worn when Edmund had been attacked by the leopard was too big, as it had belonged to Susan in the Golden Age. Just as the final touches were being added, bugles sounded and Edmund rode into the camp. Everyone rushed to assemble near him, to listen to the news.
"He's agreed. He's given you three days," said Edmund solemnly.
Peter nodded, and stalked off to wherever he spent his time planning and practicing.
The next day everyone woke up very early. Nobody could sleep well the night before, but fear and spirit kept them awake. They were all preparing for anything. Because the tiniest little detail mattered. Nobody really spoke to each other but for war related things (AN just thought I'd say that Lucy, Susan, and Tess still spoke to each other). The centaurs, Minotaurs, and talking animals practiced battle strategies in the field, and the fauns and dwarves practiced archery. Nobody expected Miraz to keep his word. The chances were slim that he wouldn't start a battle.
Tess saw nothing of Edmund for the next few days. She was quite worried about him; she had never seen him look so worried and stressed before he announced Miraz's decision. Lucy even went so far as to say that she'd never seen him so bad ever. They were puzzling over reasons why other than the whole battle thing he could be in such an emotional and mental ditch when Susan joined the conversation.
"Tess, you may not think I knew about you two… but yeah. I did. And he's fallen hard for you. He's fallen deeper than he ever fell for all those girls back in Finchley. And I really think he's worried about his future with you. Anybody could die in this whole war. I'd be willing to bet that he'd have us stay here forever and rule Narnia with Caspian and take you as his queen, if given the choice."
"Wow," said Lucy. "How'd you get all that?"
"I don't know," shrugged Susan. "I've always been able to guess how people feel accurately.
"Oh. Okay."
"But that's beside the point," said Tess. "You really think that's all true, Susan?"
"Yup."
"Wow. That's a lot to handle. But I guess it's a good lot. Oh, and what you said about me not thinking you knew? We know about you and Caspian."
Susan simply blushed, and walked off.
The day came. Miraz and his troops arrived, and Peter strode out onto the battlefield, Edmund at his side. Edmund looked a little more confident, but still worried.
The battle between Miraz and Peter was intense. Twists, turns, jumps, plunges, everything… but Peter swung his sword at just the right angle…
And Miraz was down. Just as he was about to kill him, he hesitated.
"What's the matter, boy?" Miraz hissed. "Too cowardly to take a life?"
"It's not mine to take," snarled Peter.
He handed the sword to Caspian, who also couldn't bring himself to kill Miraz. Miraz hobbled off to his men. As Peter and the others had their backs turned, one of the Telmarine lords (AN Oh, gosh, I can't remember the name… I think it's Sopespian) cried out.
"They've killed him!" He motioned to Miraz's body. He had a bright red arrow in his back.
Of course, nobody had shot the arrow. Sopespian had stabbed Miraz with it. But the Telmarines either believed it or just wanted a reason to fight. The Second Battle of Beruna ensued.
Armed Narnians ran out into the field, and Susan and her archers stood at the ready. Beneath the ground, Caspian and more Narnians thundered through the caverns, destabilizing the ground. A huge chunk of the ground sunk down, taking Telmarine soldiers with it. Narnians entered the pit, taking down the startled Telmarines.
Among the Narnians in the pit were Tess and Edmund, on horseback (AN This is an unnecessary bit of information but Tess's horse is named Rassa and Ed's is called Stonehoof. Me and my OCD, hehe). They circled a group of Telmarines, their swords a silver blur. In no time, the enemies had fallen to the ground, but a fresh batch of them appeared. Maybe fifteen minutes later, no Telmarines were left in the pit, but more were on their way. The Narnians raced out of the pit, diffusing into the ranks of Telmarine foot soldiers.
Tess was fending off a horde of Telmarines when one of them snuck up behind her horse and slashed its hind leg (AN No worries, my fellow equestrians, in the magical world of Narnia, there is no need for euthanization! I hope that's a word… Yay!). Rassa fell, Tess tumbling down with him. The Telmarine grabbed her and dragged her off into the woods. He chained her up to a tree and gagged her, with a bunch of other Narnian hostages.
"You're coming back to Telmar with us, whether you like it or not, you little traitor brat," he hissed. He slid a blindfold down over her eyes, and retreated to the battlefield.
For what seemed like hours, she sat there in darkness, hearing only sounds of war. All of a sudden, she felt the tension of the gag release, and the rough cloth of the blindfold slide up her forehead.
"Miss? Are you alright?"
It was a small centaur boy, with long brown hair and a bay body. He looked to be about ten years old, in human age. He was covered in dirt, and had red scars on his arms, legs, chest, and face, some bleeding.
"Alright, I guess," she replied. "But what's going on? Who are you?"
"My name's Agripin," he said. "I was taken captive while my father was fighting. My mother must be here somewhere, she was taken too. They're planning on making us slaves for them. If they win, that is. The battle looks as if it will go on for several days, though. They keep sending in more troops, but we're fending them off pretty well."
Tess nodded slowly, taking all the information Agripin had given her.
"Thank you for freeing me, Agripin. Is there any way to get rid of these dratted chains?"
"I'm sorry to say that there isn't. The keys are with the guards. By the way, you can call me Grip. That's what everyone else calls me."
"Alright then, Grip. How long have you been here, anyway?"
"A bit longer than you have. It's now late evening, or early morning. I was taken just as the battle started. You've been here since early evening."
Tess and Grip talked for a long while, and became fast friends. Grip was the son of the centaur chief, Glenstorm. Soon enough, they'd hatched a plan to break out of the camp, if it was necessary.
The next morning, something happened. Tess, Grip, and the other captives heard cries from the guards, as if someone were attacking them. A few fauns had strayed from their archery posts to come rescue the captives. After thanking them, Tess and Grip went their separate ways, Tess to rejoin the fray and Grip to stay with his mother.
The Telmarines were very weak, but still, the last fighters needed to be defeated, unless they surrendered. Edmund, who had been sick with worry over Tess's disappearance, saw her at the center of the field, on foot. He galloped Stonehoof over to her, and swung her onto the back of his horse. He held her tight, and kissed her full on the mouth. The battle seemed to halt around them, for nothing else mattered in their minds. They broke apart after what seemed like ages.
"What happened to you?" he asked, overjoyed.
"I was taken prisoner by a Telmarine. There were other captives too. But some fauns came through and saved us."
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The battle ended as Lucy and the fabled Aslan (whom Tess was amazed to see; she thought that he only existed in fairytales) appeared at the river, where the battle had moved towards. Aslan roared, awakening the river god, who destroyed the Telmarine soldiers. The Narnians were victorious. Caspian had gained his rightful place on the throne, and the Narnians were free at last. And it looked as if Tess and Edmund could have their future together.
AN OMG the suspense! Haha. Seriously, though. Check it out when I put it up. Reviewers get… uh… the joy that they reviewed. Yay!