Hoff's POV

He told me to forgive, I will try, but it is so hard. I won't say I forgive him until I do. I don't want to lie.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Peter turning to me.

"Look, I'm real sorry for not listening to you early, I should have because it was clear that you knew your way around. Will you forgive me?"

"I can't answer that question yet." I said stiffly.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't forgive you, but I'm trying to forgive you, and I'm not going to lie to you and say that I do forgive you."

"Okay."

Then we walked along until we got to a dark little stone archway. It lead into the mound. Some growly voices called out. "Who goes there?"

"Trumpkin. Bringing the High King of Narnia out of the far past."

The badgers seemed quite happy to see the too boys. "But who are these two?" they said pointing to Chanson and me.

"I am Hoff, and this is my friend Chanson." I answered.

"Do you mean the Hoff who saved our badger friend Trufflehunter?"
"Yes."

"Then you are welcome here."

"Give us a light, friends." asked Trumpkin. We got a light and Peter gave it to Trumpkin. Why are they calling him D.L.F? What does it mean?

Trumpkin went and lead us through the cold dark tunnel.

"I say, Peter. Look at those carvings on the walls. Don't they look old? And yet we're older than that. When we were last here, they hadn't been made." Ed observed. Oh yeah, I forgot. They were made a bit after they had left. Wow, that makes me feel old.

"Yes. That makes one think." Peter replied.

We kept on going right, then left, and on and on, finally we saw some light. I've been here before with Chanson, but the other two hadn't. The light was coming from under a door. We all heard voices, they sound mad. One was talking very loud. We decided to listen.

"You know well enough, why the Horn was not blown at sunrise that morning. Have you forgotten that Miraz fell upon us almost before Trumpkin had gone, and we were fighting for our lives for the space of three hours and more? I blew it when first I had a breathing space." said the boy Caspian. That explains the delay in the blowing. I wonder what would have happened if it was blown earlier

"I'm not likely to forget it, when my Dwarfs bore the brunt of the attack and one in five of them fell." Oh bother Nikabrik, lookup. I'm sure they didn't try to make that happen.

"For shame, Dwarf. We all did as much as the Dwarfs and none more than the King." spoke Trufflehunter. Well at least one of them have sense.

"Tell that tale your own way for all I care. But whether it was that the Horn was blown too late, or whether there was no magic in it, no help has come. You, you great clerk, you master magician, you know-all; are you still asking us to hang our hopes on Aslan and King Peter and all the rest of it?"

"I must confess - I cannot deny it - that I am deeply disappointed in the result of the operation." confessed the doctor.

"To speak plainly, your wallet's empty, your eggs addled, your fish uncaught, your promise broken. Stand aside then and let others work. And that is why . . ."

"The help will come. I stand by Aslan. Have patience, like us beasts. The help will come. It may be even now at the door." Trufflehunter spoke up. You have brains. I always liked that badger . . .

"Pah! You badgers would have us wait till the sky falls and we call catch larks. I tell you we can't wait. Food is running short; we lose more than we can afford at every encounter; our followers are slipping away."

And they continued like this for awhile until . . .

"They are friends of mine. And what better right have you yourself to be here than that you are a friend of Trumpkin's and the badger's? . . ." Blah blah blah . . . Get to the point.

"Perhaps, your new friends would like to speak for themselves. You there, who and what are you?"

"Worshipful master doctor . . ." stop the flattery you thin voiced one . . .

A creepy voice filled the air "I'm hunger. I'm thirst. Where I bite, I hold till I die, and even after death they must cut out my mouthful from my enemy's body and bury it with me. I can fast a hundred years and not die. I can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze. I can drink a river of blood and not me your enemies." oh no . . . this is not going to end well.

I turn to Chanson, from the light I can see his outline. I move closer to him, trying to push out memories.

"I will eat you, for I am hunger. I am thirst. Where I bite, I hold till I die, and even after death they must cut out my mouthful from my enemy's body and bury it with me. I can fast a hundred years and not die. I can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze. I can drink a river of blood and not burst. And I will do that to you." Then he lunged, I gave a cry, pain filled my arm. An old friend of mine killed him. I lost a portion of my arm that day, now that part is wooden, thankfully I can still move it and use it."

I'm snapped out of my thoughts by a voice say (I do believe it was Nikabrik.

"I mean a power so much greater than Aslan's that it held Narnia spellbound for years and years, if the stories are true."

"The White Witch!" No no no no no, this is not good.

"Yes. I mean the Witch. Sit down again. Don't all take fright at a name as if you were want power: and we want a power that will be on our side. As for power, do not the stories say that the Witch defeated Aslan, and bound him, and killed him on that very stone which is over there, just beyond the light?"

"But they also say that he came to life again." Trufflehunter snapped.

"Yes, they say, but you'll notice that we hear precious little about anything he did afterwards. He just fades out of the story. How do you explain that, if he really came to life? Isn't it much more likely that he didn't, and that the stories say nothing more about him because there was nothing more to say?" You are dumb. What should we do?

"He established the Kings and Queens." Caspian pointed out.

"A King who has just won a great battle can usually establish himself without the help of a performing lion." Nikabrik said dryly. "And anyway, what came of the Kings and their reign? They faded too. But it's very different with the Witch. They say she ruled for a hundred years: a hundred years of winter. There's power, if you like. There's something practical."

And they continued to argue. I was scared, I know what the Witch had done to Edmund. I wasn't going to let it happen again.

""I'll come back, I promise" He did come back, maybe I can forgive him..." "NO YOU CAN'T!" "Yes you can" a quiet voice spoke in my head. "Forgive." "HATE!" cried a louder . . .

"Call her up. We are all ready. Draw the circle. Prepare the blue fire." said the creepy voice.

"What?" Cried the boy Caspian.

"So that is your plan, Nikabrik! Black sorcery and the calling up of an accursed spirit. And I see who your companions are - a Hag and a Wer-Wolf!" the doctor cried.

There was confusion. All of us standing at the door raced into the room and started fighting. I glanced around seeing a Wer-Wolf jump on the boy Caspian, I pulled out a sword and sliced the Wer-Wolf in two. We all fought for awhile. Then silence.

"Are you alright, Ed?"

"I - I think so. I've got that brute Nikabrik, but he's still alive."

"Weights and water-bottles. It's me you're sitting on. Get off. You're like a young elephant."

"Sorry, D.L.F, is that better?"

"Ow! No! You're putting your boot in my mouth. Go away."

"Is King Caspian anywhere?" asked Chanson.

"I'm here. Something bit me." He sounded weak. This was not good.

Then I heard a match strike and light a candle.

"We don't seem to have any enemies left. There's the Hag, dead. And Nikabrik, dead too. And I suppose this thing is a Wer-Wolf. It's so long since I've seen one. Wolf's head and man's body. That means he was just turning from man into wolf at the moment he was killed. And you, I suppose, are King Caspian?"

"Yes. But I've no idea who you are."

"It's the High King, King Peter." Trumpkin explained

"Your Majesty is very welcome." Caspian welcomed

"And so is your Majesty. I haven't come to take your place, you know, but to put you into it."

"Your Majesty." spoke Trufflehunter. Then Peter bent down and kissed him. I smile. It is a good thing he is a high king otherwise it would be very weird.

"I am sorry for Nikabrik, though he hated me from the first moment he saw me. He had gone sour inside from long suffering and hating. If we had won quickly he might have become a good Dwarf in the days of peace. I don't know which of us killed him. I'm glad of that." Will I become like Nikabrik? Have I already? I sure hope not.

"You're bleeding." Chanson said worrying.

It turns out he was bit by the Wer-Wolf. I shuddered at the sight of him and moved closer to Ed.

We got some people to take care of the body's and had a nice breakfast. After we had finished eating Peter got up and spoke.

"Now, Aslan and the girls are somewhere close. We don't know when he will act. In his time, no doubt, not ours. In the meantime he would like us to do what we can on our own. You say, Caspian, we are not strong enough to meet Miraz in pitched battle."

"I'm afraid not, High King."

"Very well, then. I'll send him a challenge to single combat."

"Please, could it no be me? I want to avenge my father."

"No. You are wounded." Chanson spoke up. "And fighting would just make the wound worst." I agreed completely with that.

"And he would laugh at you. You see, you are a king, but he thinks of you as a kid." Ed added.

"But Peter. Would he accept it?" I wondered. Peter looked a bit startled - I was being nice.

"Very likely he won't, but there's always a chance. And even if he doesn't, we would waste some time and make it take longer."

Soon Peter was dictating the letter to be sent. Then they decided to send Edmund, the giant and a centaur.