Chapter Twelve
The quiet whisper of my tent flap opening and the gentle stroking on my cheek woke me. For a split second I was disoriented, but then I was wide awake, snatching the dagger from the table next to me. I sat bolt upright, aiming it at the figure materializing before me. "Calm yourself," it spoke in a whispery female voice, "I bring you grave news." I realized what she was. Made of soft pink petals, the girl was the spirit of a cherry tree. I cleared my throat and then lowered my weapon, asking, "And what news do you speak of?" I then noticed that the beds of my queens were empty. The girl whispered again. "Aslan is dead. The queens Susan and Lucy are at the Stone Table. They sent a message to say that the White Witch will attack in a few hours." My body turned to ice as she spoke. Aslan is…dead? At first all I wanted to do is curl up and cry. But there was no time for that right now. I had to tell Peter and Edmund right away.
I leaped out of bed and threw my cloak over my shoulders, slipping into my boots. I flung open my tent flap and sprinted toward theirs. Upon reaching it, I ripped the flap open and went inside. I opened my mouth to wake them, but closed it again when I realized they were already sitting up in their beds and another girl made of cherry blossoms had just begun to dissolve. I stood there, my chest heaving, and I panted, "You've heard?" They only nodded numbly. We all sat for a moment lost in thought. Peter was the first to recover. "Well, we need to tell everyone to prepare for battle immediately. And then…" his voice trailed off and he buried his face in his hands. "I'm not ready for this! I can't lead a whole army, possibly to their deaths!" I didn't know what to say. But Edmund did. "Yes you can. Aslan thought you could. And we can think of a strategy with the general." I nodded in agreement. I was surprised at the support Edmund had managed to show his brother. Once again I saw a new side of him. "I'll give the word to prepare for battle. You two go and start…strategizing with Fireheart." I turned and ducked back out of their ornate tent.
After dressing in my tunic, leather boots, and cloak, I mounted Anduril and rode from tent to tent, explaining our circumstances as quickly as possible. All of the Narnians were horrified to hear about Aslan, but, like me, they realized that now was not the time for mourning. They quickly headed to the forge to get suited up in armor and get their weapons.
Once the whole camp was alive with frantic pre-battle activity, I returned to Peter and Edmund. Peter was sitting in front of a table with a map of Narnia spread out in front of him, Edmund standing back a few feet and Fireheart the Centaur watching over his shoulder. I went to Edmund and asked quietly, "Does he have some kind of plan yet?" Edmund shook his head. "They can't decide anything until we know what we're dealing with. We sent out a scout to see their numbers and location. He should be back soon." I nodded.
A few minutes later, I heard the beating of large wings and raised my hand to my brow to look up at the dawning sky. A huge winged figure was spiraling towards us. As it alighted gracefully on the ground, I recognized it as a griffon, with the body of a lion and head, wings, and tail of an eagle. He told us their location, but couldn't see their exact number because of the trees. But he could see that the Witch's army was heading to a huge open area with many large rocky outcroppings northeast of us and across the Great River. Peter nodded, thanked him, and then dismissed him. I left to go try to eat some breakfast. As I was eating the meal, I couldn't help thinking that it could very well be my last. This ruined my appetite, and I couldn't finish. So much for enjoying my last meal.
I returned to my kings and found that Peter and the general had worked out a battle plan at last and were suiting up. Edmund was already armored, and so he helped me put on my own armor. First I put on the heavy chain mail, then a rough tunic colored with scarlet and gold, followed by my heavy leather belt with the sheaths of my two swords. In addition to that, I wore a helmet, shoulder armor, plates that buckled around my forearms, thick leather gloves, and metal guards on my knees. I felt like I weighed a thousand pounds clanking around in it, but I had practiced armored, so I was adept at handling myself. With a sword on both of my hips and a spear for throwing, I was well armed. We fetched our mounts, and then with the entire red and gold clad Narnian army behind us, we began our march towards the battle that would decide all.