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Song for the Chapter—Thriving Ivory, Angels on the Moon

This song I listened to a lot when I was writing this, so I wanted to share it with you guys.

This chapter is pretty different from the others, and I do want to give a blood/gore warning. I don't think it's too bad, but it is there. Also, this chapter jumps around a little bit, so forgive me if it becomes difficult to follow. Anyways, please tell me what you think. I love hearing from all of you!

Chapter 11

Part II

Something Bigger than Us

As the cool night air began to settle over the How, the only sound that was heard across the valley was the thundering of hooves. The noise was deep and wide, like the beating of a drum that played well into the earth. Peter's heart pounded with the same erratic beat, anticipation and fear fueling his pursuit. The forest before him looked as foreboding as the gates of hell, but through those gates his path led him, and through those gates he would go.

Behind the High King rode Caspian and Edmund, their faces as pale as the moon and their hearts beating with the same speed as Peter's. They entered the forest with no hesitation, their hearts and swords pledged to Peter and the people of Narnia. As the moon disappeared behind the canopy of the trees, the High King and his horse became nothing more than a moving shadow, dancing in and out of the trees as it maneuvered its way towards Beruna.

Edmund and Caspian followed by sound, their ears honed in on the breaking of sticks and leaves as Peter galloped before them. Unburdened by passengers and rain, the horses reached Beruna well under an hour. Peter slowed his steed as they moved through the rushing waters, allowing the cooling liquid to wash over both their bodies and renew their fading strength.

"Caspian," Peter said once all were safely across the river, "it is your turn to lead." Caspian nodded in understanding and urged his horse back into the dense trees. Peter and Edmund followed closely behind, the edges of Caspian's cape occasionally whipping in their faces.

The closer they came to the camp, the harder their hearts pounded. Peter ushered his horse into the lead once the twinkling lights of the camp's fires began to gleam before them. They dismounted quickly and left their steeds well hidden in a cluster of brambles. Slowly they inched their way towards the camp and the flickering lights. Voices began to sound and the lights began to move. Telmarine soldiers marched through the trees with heavy feet and drunken swaggers, their voices calling jeers into the night.

"They have seen them," Peter whispered after crouching under a thorny bush.

"Shall we fan out?" Edmund asked his brother.

"No," Peter responded. "We stick together, but we must find them quickly."

With little restraint Peter moved forward, his eyes searching the ground for any sign of Narnian life. Around them Telmarines kicked bushes and flung their torches. They were taunting the children, hoping for just one to scream and run.

"Peter, look," Caspian whispered as he pointed towards the shore of Beruna and deeper into the camp. A small commotion was beginning beside a fire whose flames reached feet into the sky. Many Telmarines were gathering, all laughing and tossing something between them. Amidst the cackling of amusement was the distinct sound of a child crying. Peter clenched his fists and immediately began to move towards it.

"Be smart about this," Edmund said as he reached out and grabbed his brother. "We need to find the other children first." Peter cast one last look at the crying child before nodding to Edmund and moving away from the commotion and the naked ground of the shore.

The three companions continued to move, all searching for a shake of a leaf or a small crack of a branch. For nearly five minutes they crawled along the ground in this way. The moving torches of the Telmarines surrounded them and the cries of the child echoed off of the trees. Peter froze when his eyes caught sight of a small shuffling of sticks. Before him sat a boulder and at its base a barely distinguishable hole covered by ticks and leaves. With a pounding heart Peter moved towards it, his mind racing with the hopes of what the hole could contain.

"What is it, Pete?" Edmund asked softly as he tried to keep up with Peter's pace. Peter said nothing, his mind far too focused on the boulder before him. Once his hand could graze across its surface, he leaned in close to the ground and listened. Barely louder than the vibrating of a bird's wings, was the sound of fluttering breathes.

"There're in here," Peter said with excitement. With a quick hand he removed the sticks that covered the hole, which opened up into a gap large enough for a teenage boy to crawl into.

"Narnians," Peter said softly as he inched closer to the gap. "It is your King." Little voices erupted at his words, followed by moving dirt and whispers of quiet.

"Hide!" Caspian said in a rushed whisper as he dove behind a tree. Peter turned to see a solider lumbering towards him, a torch held high in one hand and a sword swinging in the other. The High King's heart pounded as the soldier's eyes washed over him. After a moment of hesitation, the Telmarine charged towards Peter with wild eyes. Peter reached for his sword and rose from the ground when the man stopped feet from him and collapsed. Sticking from his head with a dagger; the emblem of the lion displayed on the hilt.

Startled, Peter looked forward to find the dark eyes of his brother looking back at him. With a nod of acknowledgment, both boys disappeared back into the brush. Urgency filled Peter as he returned to the gap and called into it. "We must leave now. I swear to you I am no Telmarine. The Lion is my Lord as well as yours."

Thick silence met Peter before a great deal of shuffling and whispers broke out. Soon a tiny set of eyes was staring back at the High King, followed by another, and another. The children were covered in dirt and tears, their faces contorted in absolute fear.

As Peter pulled each child from the hole, Caspian and Edmund appeared at his side, both keeping steady eyes on the whereabouts of the soldiers. Three children were now safely with their King, while one remained in the hole and another in the camp. Peter reached towards the last child's hand when his eyes caught sight of shiny, deep maroon.

"Are you wounded?" Peter asked the young centaur, whose eyes stared back at him in pain.

"It's his hock," a faun said softly to Peter, his eyes refusing to leave the ground.

"How bad is it?" Peter asked feverishly. The faun's face contorted as he began to cry causing Peter to grab the boy and wrap his fingers tightly around his mouth.

"Can you do something for me?" Peter whispered in the child's ear. "Stay strong. Just for a short while longer. We can survive this, but I need all of you to stay strong."

The faun nodded at Peter's words and tried his hardest to swallow his tears, which caused his chest to shake erratically. Slowly Peter took his hand from the faun and moved back to the wounded centaur.

"Give me your hands," Peter commanded. "If you feel pain, do all you can to keep it internal. We must be silent." The centaur nodded bravely and reached towards his King's outstretched hands. Peter latched on and pulled the boy forward, their eyes never breaking contact. Peter's heart lurched as he saw the centaur struggling to not scream out in pain, more and more blood becoming apparent the closer he came to the surface.

With one final heave the centaur was completely free of the hole, silent tears streaming down his face. Behind him was a line of blood seeping from his lacerated hock. Fighting to control his emotions, Peter wrapped his arms tightly around the boy. "Scream into my chest," he said softly, "let it out." Doing as told, the boy turned his head and forced his face deep into Peter's chest, his mouth opening and his hands gripping onto Peter's tunic.

"Peter, we must leave now," Edmund said frantically as two Telmarines began to make their way towards them. Peter released the boy from his arms and glanced around quickly, his eyes landing on the still burning torch clutched in the hand of the already dead soldier.

"The two of you will have to carry the centaur," Peter said quickly as he pulled the torch from the Telmarine's hand.

"What are you planning, Peter?" Edmund asked as he watched his brother grab the torch and his sword.

"Just run," Peter responded before he disappeared into the brush. Edmund watched the light in his brother's hand as it slowly approached the inside of the Telmarine camp. Once the light was nothing more than a gleam amongst the trees, he turned to Caspian and sheathed his sword.

"We head for the horses," he said as he walked over to the centaur boy. Caspian made his way over as well, and with perfect timing, the two boys lifted the wounded boy into their arms and began to move.

"You must keep up with us," Caspian said to the three remaining Narnia's. Looking as if they were suddenly renewed with hope, the boys crawled to their feet and moved quickly after Edmund and Caspian. The trip was slow and cumbersome, for Telmarines still surrounded them, but with the help of Peter the woods soon became dark and quiet.

Beside the shore of Beruna, yells began to echo through the trees and a mirage of flames danced across the sky. "Peter," Edmund said softly as he and Caspian glanced back at the commotion and the fleeing soldiers.

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Throbbing with adrenalin, Peter plunged his sword into the chest of a Telmarine and worked his way towards the center of the camp and the last child. Behind him the tents were nothing more than burning embers and flames, his torch stuck securely in the heart of the largest tent. He watched as the gleaming lights of other torches began to leave the woods and enter the shore, his face sporting a content smile.

The Telmarines ran around him in an array of madness. Few actually attacked, for their main focus was the blaze that now reached yards into the sky and illuminated the moon above them. Still, a small group surrounded the dwarvin child and looked to Peter with taunting eyes. Soon they began to attack. Their blades were quick and sharp, but Peter danced around them with ease.

As he continued forward, the sight of a dwarvin child met his eyes. Her face was contorted as she cried and beat her fists against the Telmarine that held her. Peter killed without mercy. All that approached him were nothing more than corpses moments later. His focus was entirely on the girl, and no amount of swords or men could stand in his way.

Nearly all Telmarines were free from the woods, save for one, whom broke from the trees near Peter and ran to the man holding the child. Peter watched as best he could as the two soldiers shared quick whispers before moving apart once again. Only moments later soldiers appeared on horses. Peter's mind struggled to forge a plan as blades continued to bare down upon him. In a moment of desperate action, he pulled a dagger from his belt and lobbed it at the last rider. The man fell forward instantly and slipped to the side, his hip crunching as it hit rocks. His horse jumped slightly to the side before tossing its neck and following behind the other horses.

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Deep in the woods behind Peter, Edmund and Caspian were entering the brambles that enclosed their horses. Edmund's arms were now covered in the blood of the centaur boy, who teetered precariously between life and death. Using their last bit of strength, they pushed the boy across the back of Caspian's horse, his voice crying out in pain as his hock stretched. After taking a moment to breath, Caspian leapt onto the horse behind the boy and wrapped one arm securely around him.

"I need you three to be brave," Edmund said as he crouched down and looked to the remaining children. "You are going to follow Caspian back to the How."

"Without you?" one of the fauns said softly.

"Yes," Edmund responded. Although they still looked terrified, no child complained as Edmund lifted each one onto the back of his horse. With one last nod to Caspian, he unsheathed his sword and disappeared back into the brambles.

Holding on tightly to barely conscious centaur, Caspian urged his horse out of the brambles and into the forest. Soon he and the children were galloping towards the How and away from their Kings.

As Edmund ran towards the shore, the sound of hooves reached his ears. Thunderous shadows began to dance before him as Telmarine riders galloped off of the shore and into the woods.

"No," Edmund repeated softly as the riders headed directly towards Caspian and the children. The King watched in horror as the horses flew passed him and disappeared into the darkness, the beat of their hooves continuing to reverberate through the ground.

Hope in the form of a rider-less horse followed quickly behind the galloping group. Reacting without thought, Edmund latched on the horse as it moved passed him, the power of the animal lifting him off the ground. After a moment of struggle, Edmund crawled onto its back and took hold of the reins. Although Edmund could not see beyond the Telmarine riders, he knew that Caspian and the children traveled not far ahead, and would soon be in a great deal of trouble.

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Caspian's only focus was reaching Lucy and her cordial. The children beside him seemed to be calming as the cool night air whipped through their hair, and the camp was nothing more than orange ciaos in the darkness of night. The centaur in Caspian's arms struggled to remain conscious, but the battle was futile, for darkness once again overtook him as the blood of his hock seeped down the side of Caspian's horse. As the child went completely limp, the small ray of hope that was growing in Caspian's heart vanished.

"Hang on," he pleaded silently and pulled the boy's cold body closer to his. Lucy seemed worlds away as the woods continued with endless trees. The night was now unmoving and silent, save for the sound of the horse's hooves and the throbbing of Caspian's heart. As Caspian looked to the children beside him, power surged through his body and rejuvenated his will to continue.

Clenching his jaw and refusing to give up hope, Caspian urged his horse on even faster and crouched low to its neck, but worse things were to come, for steadily approaching was the group of Telmarine riders.

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Peter plunged his sword into the belly of the last Telmarine that approached him before turning towards the soldier with the dwarf clutched in his hands. His eyes were no longer taunting, but completely afraid. As Peter approached with even strides, the soldier dropped the child to the ground and fled into the trees. Working quickly, Peter hurried to the dwarf and pulled her into his arms. She latched on to him with deadly force and buried her head into his shoulder.

With his sword still drawn, Peter rushed into the forest and towards the brambles, where he prayed to Aslan his horse still waited. Yells began to erupt directly behind him as soldiers attempted to find horses and continue the chase, but luckily for Peter, the camp was now in total disarray, and he had nearly reached the brambles when the pursuit continued.

"Hold on to me," Peter said to the child as he found his horse and leapt onto its back. Unsteady with excitement, the horse rushed from the brambles and into the dense trees. Clutched tightly to Peter's chest was the child, her heart beating erratically and her eyes watching the Telmarine riders that followed in the shadows. Peter ignored the riders behind him and urged his horse on quicker. His mind could think of nothing but returning the children to the How and seeing the smiling face of the dieing centaur boy. He had to survive. Peter would offer him no other choice.

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Caspian was closing in on the path that led across the river when an array of arrows began to rain down upon them. The children screamed in fear and huddled closely together on the back of Edmund's horse. Caspian's mind raced. The discovering of the How was now inevitable, for a changing of course could lead to the death of the child in his arms, but continuation placed all of Narnia in danger.

"Aslan, help me," he whispered as he turned onto the path that led do Beruna. Stopping at the water's edge, he pulled his sword from his sheath and twisted back towards the forest. Behind him Edmund's horse was steadily crossing the rushing waters with the children safely upon its back.

"Hand over your Narnian swine," a soldier yelled to Caspian as they came to the edge of the forest.

"Only swine would murder a child," the Prince responded causing the Telmarines to laugh.

"You hold a disfigured beast in your hands little Prince. The only child I see it you," the soldier barked back. As the Telmarines began to raise their bows and point them directly at Caspian, the Prince's heart slowed and his mind came to terms with the possibility of death. Behind him the remaining children were now safely across the river, all three watching the scene intently.

Caspian unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards the Telmarines, his body and mind preparing to charge, but a charge was never allowed, for in a streak of black and brown, Edmund rushed out of the woods and rammed his horse into the side of the lead soldier. The man was knocked to the ground instantly, his rearing horse coming down heavily upon his leg.

"Go!" Edmund yelled to Caspian as he swung his sword and knocked another Telmarine from his mount. Shaken by the sudden assistance, Caspian pulled his horse towards the river and quickly made his way across. After casting one last glance to Edmund, Caspian urged his horse towards the How, the children following close behind.

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Cara sat at the edge of the Stone Table with Susan. Both Queens were staring at the carving of Aslan and silently praying that no harm would come to their Kings or the Narnian children. The How was thick with silence, and a cool draft seemed to waft through the air sending chills down Cara's spine. Susan's hand held Cara's tightly, for her mind was sick with worry and the feeling of Cara's warmth seemed to calm her. All words shared earlier were now of little consequence, neither thinking anything of prior arguments or misunderstandings.

Lucy slept upon the Stone Table, her eyes fluttering behind closed lids as her mind dreaming of fire and swords. She was lost in the darkness of the forest. Before her stood a wall of flames, but they seemed to emit no heat or sound. Soldiers rushed passed her upon horses of black, their swords gleaming with blood. Among the flames a vision of Peter and Edmund appeared, both looking weak and beaten. She tried to reach for them, but the light of the flames kept her from approaching. In an instant the vision vanished and was replaced by the face of Aslan. Lucy stared back into his eyes of flame, her hand reaching towards him. Suddenly, the flames rushed towards her. Lucy screamed as the flames overtook her.

"Lucy?" Susan asked in a terrified tone as Lucy sat up trembling and covered in sweat. "Lucy what happened?" she repeated as she moved towards her sister and wrapped her arms around her. Cara watched the two with a look of concern.

"They need us," Lucy whispered into Susan's chest.

"What did you say?" Cara asked as she stood up. Lucy pulled away from Susan and looked to Cara.

"Aslan came to me," she answered, "I think he was telling me that they needed us."

Cara's eyes shot to Susan. The gentle Queen stared back for a moment before nodding. "Lucy, be ready with your cordial when we return. Susan, come with me," Cara ordered before she ran from the room with Susan not far behind her.

"Glenstorm!" Cara yelled as she ran through the corridors and towards the stable.

"It something wrong your Majesty?" Trumpkin asked when he appeared from around the corner.

"Yes, Cara responded as she continued towards the stables. "Find Glenstorm and tell him to gather his sons and meet me at the head of the How." Trumpkin nodded at her words and hurried off in search of the general.

Once Cara and Susan reached the stables they quickly bridled two horses and jumped onto their backs. "They are waiting for you," Trumpkin said as he entered the stables.

"You have my appreciation," Cara replied as she moved past the dwarf and cantered her horse out of the large chamber. Susan followed directly behind, both Queens nervous with anticipation and fear. Cara did not slow when she exited the How; instead she pushed her horse into a gallop and entered the tall grass of the valley. Glenstorm and his sons broke into a gallop as well, their swords drawn and their eyes looking steadily ahead.

So, I am going to be mean and stop here. If I was to continue this chapter would be quite a bit longer, and I don't want that. The next part is complete though, so if you guys are nice and review, I will post it very, very soon!