Great Woods
Near the Narnian Camp
In the week after the Narnians joined forces with Prince Caspian, the bulk of the group moved on to travel to Aslan's How and meet up with the Narnians who were hiding there. The rest of the group – which numbered roughly twenty-five Narnians including Tempestra – continued to rove around the Great Woods looking for the ancient kings and queens, and conducting reconnaissance on the Telmarines. Their small number allowed them to travel faster and lighter. At one point, they even managed to steal enough weapons from the Telmarine army to equip three regiments. Caspian had led that particular raid, leaving a bold 'X' under a menacing note for the Telmarines to find. If they did not know who led the rebel army, they did now.
Tempestra was largely left out of the excitement, spending most of her time practicing swordsmanship and scouting ahead with various partners. Although she did not like spending so much time roaming around because there was never anything to report, it did take her mind off of her mission to return home. It had been four weeks since she had appeared in Narnia, and it was beginning to dawn on her how long it would take for her to get back to Earth. She remembered her history lessons about insurgencies; it took years for them to bear fruit. In an effort to shake off that foreboding feeling, she had volunteered to increase her share of scouting missions.
On one particular reconnaissance operation, Tempestra was assigned to work with two Narnians: Asterius (the minotaur from the How), and Pattertwig the squirrel. She had suggested a few days earlier that scouts traveled in trios, and with various strengths; thus, there would always be a heavy-hitter, a swift messenger, and a silent shadow. Tempestra was always the third. She usually didn't mind scouting with others, but Asterius and Pattertwig were not her ideal partners. Pattertwig was fast but dim-witted, and Tempestra had a strong suspicion that Asterius disliked her. He was one of the few Narnians in their group who had not attempted to talk to her, and he had an annoying habit of insisting that he travel heavily armed, even on scouting missions where lightness and swiftness were crucial.
Tempestra ignored the tense silence as they picked their way around the trees, the minotaur trudging behind her and to her side as Pattertwig scampered along the tree branches on the opposite side. They kept a triangle formation with Tempestra in front, her steps light and quiet on the forest floor. Once in awhile, she winced at Asterius' loud plodding at her rear; even from ninety feet away, she could hear the crunch of broken branches and rustle of leaves. It was no small wonder that she almost missed the sound of a voice.
It had been fleeting and high-pitched, but she had definitely heard it. Tempestra signaled Asterius to keep going as she doubled back and around, making a wide arc around the minotaur as she investigated the source of the noise. As Asterius continued to trudge on without her, the young woman cautiously hiked around a small dirt ridge upon which a few trees were stubbornly clinging. What she saw on the other side made her stop short.
There was a girl – a human girl.
She was around eleven or twelve, but clothed like a Narnian, in a dress that fit perfectly with the Narnian world. The red-haired girl was crouched behind a bush, anxiously watching something on the on the other side of the ridge. Tempestra brushed aside her initial questions – Where was she from? Was she Telmarine? – and turned to looked in the direction of the girl's gaze. For the second time in as many minutes, her heart leapt into her throat.
On the other side of the ridge, a young man – also human – was stealthily approaching Asterius from behind. He was blond and dressed in Narnian clothes, holding a heavy sword in both hands in preparation to attack the minotaur. As quietly as she could, Tempestra crept behind the ridge and towards him, keeping out of his peripheral vision. He might have been human, but for all she knew, he could have been Telmarine. And as long as he was about to attack her ally – however much her ally disliked her – he was the enemy.
Tempestra reached for her weapon. But instead of going for her usual twin knives, she reached to her side for the slim sword sheathed and belted around her waist. Only a few days before, Glenstorm had equipped her with a more fitting weapon – a one-handed sword. It was shorter and lighter than the longsword that the centaurs and Telmarines favored, but it was broader and easier for the quick movements that Tempestra preferred.
The young woman wanted to have the upper hand when she surprised the young man, but she did not relish the chance of accidentally killing him. Ideally, if she alerted him to her presence right before she struck, he would be able to defend himself in time - if his reflexes were good. She would find out either way.
With one smooth movement, Tempestra unsheathed her sword. So preoccupied was the young man, that he did not even hear her as she padded closer, right hand gripping the sword hilt. When she was close enough that she could reach him, she swept her sword from underneath her opponent's weapon, shoving it out of the way in an attempt to distract him.
He didn't disappoint.
The blond youth, startled, turned but managed to hold on to his sword. Before he could retaliate, Tempestra swung her weapon around, the edge diving for the boy's right arm – his sword arm. He blocked the slice easily and shoved her weapon aside before darting in and swinging the hilt of his sword towards her head. The young woman ducked. Moving in close to her opponent so that he could not use his sword, she released one hand from her sword hilt to land an uppercut into her adversary's diaphragm. He stumbled forward, half-winded. Taking advantage of the moment, Tempestra ducked out from underneath his arm. She pivoted and chopped again at his out-stretched right arm, hoping to force him to drop his weapon.
But as her sword cleaved the air, she realized that she'd allowed her left side to be unprotected. Her opponent turned on the spot, swinging his sword in a flashing arc towards Tempestra's neck–
–and stopped, the edge of the weapon inches from her skin as he stared at her face. Tempestra saw a flash of recognition cross the young man's features, followed by shock.
"Julia?" he whispered.
Tempestra suddenly felt like the ground beneath her feet had fallen away. There was no way that this stranger – this person from another world – could know her real name. No one in Narnia knew her real name, not even Glenstorm, whom she trusted the most. She'd thought she was used to surprises in Narnia, but this topped everything.
She just stood there, sword forgotten, as she stared back at the young man, who was as frozen as she was. Now that she was closer, she could get a good look at him. He had sideswept blond hair, a square jaw which was clenched tightly, and determined blue eyes which roved over her face as if drinking in her appearance. Unlike the other Narnians, he seemed unsurprised by her male garb. But his expression, which had been stunned a moment ago, became bewildered at her lack of recognition. They might have stood there for several more minutes staring at her each other, had the next events not happened.
There was a low shout and Caspian leapt out of nowhere, his sword lunging at the young man's shoulder. The blond youth whirled around and blocked the strike just in time, beginning an earnest fight with the prince. Asterius appeared behind Tempestra, grabbing her arm and tugging her back in time to avoid a swinging blade. It barely missed the young woman, who stumbled backwards, still dazed by the sudden change of events. Who were these people, how did he seem to recognize her, and why hadn't he killed her? Most importantly, how did he know her real name?
She watched the fight numbly. Though the two young men were equal in age, strength, and stamina, the blond boy seemed to be more experienced and skilled than Caspian. His fighting style, however, was more angry and forceful than when he had battled her. At times, his chops and strikes were so powerful that they could hear the sound of the swords shuddering against each other.
Caspian was hard-pressed trying to keep his opponent off, and eventually the Telmarine prince found himself weaponless, trying to tug the blond boy's sword from where it was lodged in a nearby tree. Although Tempestra saw the other young man raise a rock to smash into Caspian's head, she could find no breath to shout a word of warning to the unsuspecting prince as his back was turned. Luckily, someone beat her to it, though it was not a sharp word of warning but a sob of distress.
"No, stop!"
It was the young red-headed girl whom Tempestra had spotted before. The little girl had stood up on the ridge and was looking at the two young men in anguish. It seemed that she could not stand to see the sight of bloodshed and death.
As if on cue, the rest of the Narnian camp appeared on the scene, all of them armed to the teeth and ready for a fight. Pattertwig had run back during the fighting to alert the group that there was danger ahead. Turning and seeing that he was outnumbered, the blond youth looked back at Caspian, who had finally pulled his opponent's sword from the tree and was holding it ready.
"Prince Caspian?" the blond boy asked hesitantly, his voice vaguely British. The Telmarine prince lifted his chin challengingly.
"Yes? And who are you?"
"Peter!"
At the sudden shout from behind the ridge, Tempestra turned to see three more people appear from behind the little girl: a teenage human girl, a younger human boy, and a white dwarf. Both humans had black hair, wore Narnian clothes, and were armed – the girl with a bow and arrows, and the boy with a longsword. With a jolt, Tempestra realized that all four humans looked related, as if they were siblings. It was the girl who had shouted the blond boy's name, her voice echoing his English accent.
Peter? Why does that name sound familiar? She didn't know anyone named Peter, and she was sure that none of the Narnians had the same name.
Caspian also seemed to be adding things up. He looked at the newcomers, then at his opponent's sword which he still held, and finally at the young man himself. Realization dawned on him.
"High King Peter?"
High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy the Valiant… the kings and queens ruled Narnia during the Golden Age.
This was it. These were the kings and queens of old. These were the people whom the Narnians were waiting and searching for, to lead them out of their exile and reclaim their kingdom. And Tempestra had nearly been killed by one of them.
The blond youth, High King Peter, adopted a patronizing tone. He dropped the stone in his hand.
"I believe you called?" he remarked, more regal than he had been mere minutes ago. Caspian still looked astonished.
"Yes, but – I thought you'd be older."
Judging from the high king's expression, it was the wrong thing to say, though Tempestra could see the Telmarine prince's point. The four of them were much younger than she had expected; she had thought that the rulers would be adults, perhaps the same age that they had been when they had disappeared. But the youngest girl could not have been more than ten or eleven years old. How in the world would they be fit to lead a rebellion?
High King Peter began to turn away coolly.
"Well if you'd like, we can come back in a few more years-"
"No," Caspian broke in hurriedly. "No, that's all right. It's just…you weren't what I expected."
His eyes flicked over to the rest of the siblings, and Tempestra saw his gaze linger a second longer on the girl who must have been Queen Susan, the girl holding the bow and arrows. The teenage girl smiled slightly, and Tempestra raised an eyebrow. Did she detect some kind of attraction between the two royalties?
In spite of Caspian's quick backtrack, High King Peter still seemed irritated.
"Neither are you," he shot back. He looked directly at Tempestra, who met his eyes evenly. Despite the moment they had had during the fight, she liked the blond youth less and less. His lofty, arrogant manner left something to be desired. If this was what the ancient kings and queens were really like, the Narnians had exaggerated their noble and good characters.
The high king was still staring at her accusingly. "Why did you attack me?" he demanded. Tempestra, remembering the sword still clutched in her hands, sheathed it and returned his look challengingly.
"You were about to attack one of the other scouts," she retorted curtly, folding her arms. "I think it's fair that I defended him." When he just stared at her in stunned silence, she glanced questioningly at Caspian, then Glenstorm. Caspian was looking irritably at the high king, and Glenstorm looked disconcerted. Ferrah, Asterius, and a few of the other Narnians avoided her gaze.
Something was wrong. They had withheld an important bit of information from her.
High King Peter bridged the gap between the two of them. Grabbing her by the arms, he shook her slightly as his urgent blue eyes pierced her own.
"Julia. It's me – Peter."
"Hey, get off me!" Tempestra shoved the boy in the chest, making him stumble backwards. "What is wrong with you?" she demanded, as he gaped at her. "You can't just grab people like that. I don't even know you!"
The young man blanched. For a moment, he was speechless with shock and outrage.
"Your Majesty," Glenstorm intervened abruptly, his deep voice carrying over to them, "The Lady Lightning has no recollection of being in Narnia."
The high king shook his head.
"That's impossible," he snapped. "We fought alongside each other! We were betrothed, for God's sake!" He took a step towards Tempestra, who summoned a handful of lightning and held it in front of herself defensively.
"I dare you to touch me again," she warned, and the young man took a step back, his jaw clenched in fury. There was a tense silence throughout the area. Nobody wanted to speak up and confirm this revelation and in turn infuriate the two of them.
Tempestra swallowed hard, but her outstretched hand did not waver. It all made sense now – Glenstorm evading her questions about her relationship to the long-lost rulers, and the reason why she had been pulled to Narnia in the first place. When the magic horn had summoned the ancient royalty, it had even summoned her – the advisor and royalty-to-be.
"Well…." The younger boy, the one named King Edmund, awkwardly broke the silence. "We can talk about that later." He looked around at the array of Narnians – wolves, black and white dwarves, centaurs, minotaurs, and more. "We weren't expecting…everyone."
Trufflehunter seemed to understand what the boy was hinting at.
"A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes," the badger replied tactfully, and with that, the Narnians began putting away their weapons. Finally, they had found what they were looking for: their kings and queens of old, their leaders, their inspirations, their saviors.
Reepicheep, the leader of the mice, scurried over to stand in front of High King Peter.
"We have anxiously awaited your return, my liege," he proclaimed nobly, giving a small bow. "Our hearts and swords are at your service."
The young man swallowed his former anger and turned to the mouse. He smiled appreciatively, and Tempestra noticed that his expression was not condescending. The fact that he was a mouse was a touchy subject for Reepicheep – not because he was ashamed of being one, but because so many people underestimated and belittled him for it. At least the high king knew better than to do that.
"Well at least we know some of you can handle a blade," High King Peter remarked, though Tempestra thought that he might have been mocking Caspian's swordfighting. However, nobody else seemed to notice; in fact, they all looked relieved that the young man seemed to have moved past his initial fury over Tempestra's reaction.
"Yes, indeed," Reepicheep replied proudly. "And I have recently put them to good use securing weapons for your army, sire."
High King Peter nodded decisively, though Tempestra saw, from the corner of her eye, Glenstorm glance at Caspian. When the high king spoke again, the girl turned her attention back to him.
"Good," the blond boy stated, turning to look at Caspian. "Because we're going to need every sword we can get."
One glance at Caspian's face showed that the Telmarine prince was clearly displeased by the recent turn of events. Indeed, Tempestra could see that resentment had been growing in Caspian's eyes as he watched everything unfold around him. She could not blame him; they had all met High King Peter in the span of only a few minutes, and already he was establishing himself as the new leader of the Narnians.
Tempestra's suspicion was confirmed when Caspian held High King Peter's sword out, his eyes coolly matching the blond boy's.
"Well then, you will probably be wanting yours back."
The resentment did not seem to be lost on the young man. However, he merely accepted his sword and sheathed it without comment, before turning around and walking away. The other Narnians, without waiting for Caspian, fell into line behind the high king. With one last glare at his back, Tempestra followed.
A/N: Another chapter redone! I tweaked the first meeting between Peter and Tempestra, which will make more sense in the next chapter when it'll be explained why Peter reacts the way he does below.