Chapter 26~ Here For The Party
"204, 206, 208…hold on a second," Edmund frowned, peering at the last two soldiers boarding the ship he was on. "Oh Aslan, I cannot believe this. Well, maybe I can, but…" he instantly followed the red hair peaking out of one of the soldier's helmets, and he finally heard one of them say,
"I can't believe we're doing this."
"Neither can I," Edmund said, standing with his arms folded and looking down at Lucy and Rose. The two girls froze, and then slowly turned around. Edmund wanted to laugh, yell at them, and walk away all at the same time.
"We aren't leaving," Lucy said defiantly.
"Your are if I have something to say about it."
"I thought you were on our side!" Rose said.
"I am. But I am not going to go against the High King's orders. It is not my place to allow you to come."
"You are king of this country as well," Rose pointed out. "You have plenty of authority."
"That doesn't matter. We shouldn't have to be 'allowed' to do anything!"
"Lu, you know when Peter…"
"I don't care that he is High King! I love this country just as much as Caspian, and Peter, and you. This is my country; my home, and I would die fighting for it to keep our freedom! I used to go into battle with you all the time. Why is it different now?" Edmund looked down at the ground, but Lucy forced his head up. "Why?"
"Because…because we already lost one sister. We don't want to lose you too." Lucy smiled sadly and said,
"Susan is still alive."
"Not the Susan we know."
"You aren't going to lose me, Ed."
"No one can promise that in time of war."
"Edmund, I am Queen of this country. I deserve to fight for it!" Lucy said in exasperation, her blonde hair spilling out from under her helmet, and her blue eyes ablaze. She was indeed Queen Lucy the Valiant.
"If you feel you must fight, than you should," Edmund finally said after a few minutes of the two siblings staring at each other in silence. "However, you are to stay with the archers."
"As long as I can help my country win this war, I will do whatever is needed."
"Edmund…I can't shoot an arrow to save my life. You know that," Rose said.
"You are not under my protection. As much as I would like to send you back to the castle, I, nor Peter, nor Caspian have the right to do so."
"But you are Kings."
"We are Kings of Narnia. And you are technically still a citizen of Archenland. It would be a violation of the law if we forbade you to come."
"I knew you were always good at the legal system for a reason," Rose beamed. "Thankyou."
"I should never have made that law," Edmund mumbled. "But I was 12. What did I know?" He looked back at the two girls and continued. "Keep yourselves hidden behind your armor at all times. If Peter finds out, I don't want to face his wrath, and I am positive you wouldn't either."
"It shall be done, I promise," said Lucy.
"And if either of you get hurt or die, I will bring you back to life so I can kill you myself for dying in the first place."
"That doesn't sound like a well thought out plan, but we promise to come back alive."
"No one can promise that in time of war," Edmund said again. "Now go below deck before people begin to suspect you." The girls nodded and hurried below deck.
"Do you think we are doing the right thing?" Rose asked, beginning to second-guess her idea they were now executing.
"Definitely. Narnia needs us, and I won't let her down."
0123456789012345678901234567890
"Sire, are you alright? You look awfully pale," Arianna said quietly, joining Caspian at the side of the ship they were both on.
"I have this horrid feeling about Lucy…like she is in great danger. Do you think the Calormens will invade Narnia while we are gone?"
"No, Sire. I believe they will want to have as many troops in Calormen as possible to try and defeat us."
"I must be paranoid then."
"You should retire soon, Sire. Morning will dawn early." Arianna bowed and left Caspian to stand alone.
"Please, Aslan," he whispered. "Please let her be all right. If anything happen to her…I can't imagine what I would do. Keep her safe. Narnia needs her. I need her. I love her more than anything." Caspian closed his eyes and felt a warm, delicious smelling breeze blow gently on his face, even though the night air was chilly. Reassured, he retired to his cabin where he soon fell asleep and dreamt of Lucy the entire night.
012345678901234567890
"Is there anything I can do for you, my liege?" Raul asked softly.
"No, thankyou. I must work," Peter said, rather distracted. The tiger nodded, bowed, and left. "Oh where is Edmund when I need him?" Peter threw his hands up in the air in frustration, looking at the battle plans he had laid out in disgust. "No wonder Aslan had all four of us reign together. I would have been lost without Edmund." Peter gripped his blonde hair and sighed in exasperation. "Now how strong would the Calormen army be compared to ours?"
"Larger, but not as strong." Peter jerked up and looked at Rhince.
"What are you doing here?"
"Raul said you were rather frustrated, so I let Charles take control of the boat, and I came to help." Rhince took a seat across from Peter.
"So they are larger in numbers but not in strength?"
"Yes. They care more for size, whereas we care more for quality."
"Things haven't changed much in the past 1300 years. However, their allies will arrive sooner than ours. That could be an issue."
"We'll have to stop them when they arrive, then."
"And how do we suggest we do that?"
"Surprise attack, of course."
"It is too risky. I'd rather the entire army be fighting together than to be split up."
"Peter, we're going to have to take risks if we want to win this war."
"Even so, we don't want any suicide missions."
"Touché," Rhince sighed. After five minutes or so he said, "Peter, you need to sleep. We have been at sea all night and all day, and you haven't slept a wink."
"I can't, I am too worried."
"About what?"
"This war. Archenland, the Lone Islanders, and Galma reaching us in time. Narnia's freedom. Shaina's safety. Lucy's safety." Peter sighed and looked at Rhince with weary eyes. "Do you think I was wrong for making her and Rose stay home?"
"Yes," Rhince said simply." They are both skilled swordsmen, and Lucy is a skilled archer. Not to mention Lucy would have had her cordial to help the wounded. They could have helped us."
"We needed someone to stay home and keep the country safe…"
"You realize Shaina is High Queen now, do you not?"
"I hadn't thought of that. Even so, I couldn't live with myself if I knowingly put Lucy into danger." Rhince's eyes widened at the word 'knowingly'.
'They wouldn't, would they?' he thought. 'No, that isn't the sort of thing Lucy would do…Rose maybe, but not Lucy…'
"Should we have the giants attack from the front of all lines?"
"Definitely. They will shield the arrows, and they won't be killed by them."
"And the cats should come from the front. If I know Calormen they will have the cavalry first…"
012345678901234567890
Five nights later the thousands of Narnians were gathered in the woods surrounding the fields of Sillah. The fields were where the battle would be partaking, and the woods were the only place where the Narnians could retreat. There were no villages or towns for miles, and the Calormens already had their flag flying from the fortress on the field. (Peepiceek and his mice had gone to see before they risked the Calormens seeing the Narnian army.)
Things were not looking good for the Narnians. Not only did they not have shelter, but the wind had picked up and storm clouds were gathering over the night sky. The Calormen army was indeed very large, and the Narnians hopes of defeating them were slim. No one slept well that night: especially Peter, Edmund, Caspian, Glenstorm, Damien, Arianna, Raul, Peepiceek and the Giant Rumblepuffin. They were the leaders of the army, and so stayed up late into the night discussing the battle plans.
"Edmund, Peter and I will have to meet Valdis, and his brothers Xavier and Haidar in the center fields," Caspian said in a low voice. "Their army will already be in the fields, but away from the Princes. Therefore our army must remain on the edges and far away from the three of us." There were murmurs of agreement and Caspian continued. "The cats will attack from front center—the cavalry will be first in line for the Calormens."
"How do we know all this?" the giant asked in a poor excuse for a whisper.
"My ten mice and I dropped in on the Calormens plans this afternoon," Peepiceek said with a small bow. "I thought it cheating, but we do need to get the formations figured out. Continue, Your Highness." Caspian bit back a laugh and continued.
"My troops will come from the left front, and Peter's from the right front. Edmund's, yours will come from straight left." Edmund nodded and Caspian went on. "Peepiceek, your troops of fauns, satyrs, dryads, naiads and animals will approach from the back center to throw off the foot soldiers."
"I will make sure of it, Your Highness," Peepiceek said with another bow.
"Glenstorm, your army will approach from the back right. Damien's, yours from the back left. Arianna, there are hills on the on the straight right side of the fields. You will take the archers there for higher ground, but stay behind the hills. It will confuse the Calormens." Arianna nodded and Peter said,
"Rumblepuffin, your job is very important. You and your fellow giants will be in front of all the troops so as to protect our side from the arrows. Crush anyone in your path."
"Yes, My Liege. I won't fail you."
"I have no doubt of it." The giant smiled proudly and Edmund took a deep breath.
"I think we are ready," he said.
"We're going to have to be," Damien said solemnly. "As for now, we should try and get a little rest. The battle begins at dawn." The group broke up, and Edmund immediately sought out Lucy and Rose.
"Is everything all set?" Lucy asked quietly, and he nodded.
"We head at dawn. You go to the hills. Rose, you go from back left. That is Damien's troop, but also the safest point."
"I will. Are there any others besides him who might recognize me?"
"Drinian and Rhince, but that is all." Edmund turned to Lucy. "I know I won't have any other chance to talk to you, so be careful, Lu. I love you."
"I love you too, Ed. And you had better do the same." Edmund hugged her tightly, and Rose began to think he wouldn't let her go until he turned to Rose.
'She has never looked more beautiful,' he thought to himself. Red curls were tumbling out from under her helmet, and her green eyes were ablaze with determination. No fear or worry was evident in her face. Her jaw was set, and her head was held high. Edmund wanted more than anything to kiss her right then, and to tell her how much he loved her and how important she was to him…all the feelings that had built up inside him over the past few months, but he wouldn't let himself.
"Be safe," he finally said.
"You too." Edmund squeezed her hand and walked away.
"I was hoping for a romantic scene, but Edmund's always been one to disappoint in that area," Lucy sighed.
"Trust me, I was hoping for it too. That might be the last time I ever see him."
"Oh Rose, don't think like that…"
"Lucy, if anything happens to either of us, I just wanted to say I am so glad you became a part of my life. You are the most important person to me—I owe my happiness to you. Aslan knows where I would be if it weren't for you."
"I love you too dear. You are practically another sister to me, and I am also glad you became a part of my life." A soft rain began to fall, which hid their tears from the others, and they hugged each other tightly.
012345678901234567890
The first rays of light peeked out from behind the storm clouds as the Narnians marched onto the fields. All they saw was the massive army behind the three princes, but Edmund, Peter and Caspian only had eyes for Valdis, Xavier, and Haidar.
Peter knew the Calormen princes were thinking how small the Narnian army was, but they couldn't see over half of it. They were still in the woods, waiting for the signal to attack. He couldn't wait for the reactions of the Calormens when they realized they had underestimated the Narnians.
Edmund, Peter and Caspian all nodded at each other and began to walk toward the middle of the fields. Dark hair whipped around Caspian and Edmund's faces, and blonde fell into Peter's from the strong wind blowing around them, but they took no notice. Their armor clinked from the light sheets of rain falling down, but they took no notice. All they focused on were the enemy's faces.
Valdis' eyes were mocking and his face was full of cruel amusement. Xavier looked bored, and Haidar was in disbelief at how pitiful the Narnian army looked compared to theirs.
Peter's face was fierce, and his dark brown eyes were full of contempt. Caspian's face was brave, and his fists were clenched at his sides. Edmund's normally hollow dark blue eyes were full of pure loathing, and his dark hair fell into them. He didn't care, though. Nothing distracted him from Valdis.
They reached the Calormens, and the Narnian Kings drew their swords. The metal rang out on the fields, and the Calormen princes followed suit.
Then, all was still. The Kings and Princes stared each other down until out of nowhere, an arrow flew from the Calormen side and into a foot soldier of Peter's troop.
"FOR NARNIA!" Peter cried, and pointed his sword forward. The trumpets rang shrilly, and the battle began.
Cue Narnia music! Put that last scene to the music that is played during the battle scene in LWW, and it will give you chills! I was trying to make it as suspenseful as possible, but at the same time tried to make the guys seem really hot. I just kinda thought they should be in a scene like that. Call me shallow, I don't care. I will try and update soon, but December is reallly busy for me. REVIEWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please.