Chapter 4: What's in a Name?

No Name's POV

The Minotaurs were probably the scariest part of the meeting. They were large creatures covered in ratted fur and each and every single one of them carried a large steel axe in their gigantic hands. Every time I made eye contact with one of them, my hold body would shake and I would immediately look down at the ground.

"They won't harm you," Reepicheep had tried to assure me before we gathered around to determine mine and Caspian's fate. He was such a sweet, little mouse. And it was so hard to bite my tongue and not call him cute. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate it if I did.

"Unless you give them a reason to," Nikabrik would add.

So, I made sure not to give them a reason to by staying very far away from them.

The worst part was the things they shouted:

"They're traitors!"

"Kill them!"

"Hang 'em from their toes!"

However, even some of the centaurs and other talking creatures had begun shouting this. They were angry that Telmarines were in their presence. If I was even a Telmarine to begin with. But some believed I was pretending not to know who I was as a façade to get people to feel bad for me and trust me. I would be lying if I didn't tell you that it angered me that they thought this way. They had every right now to trust me, but I only wished I was pretending.

I didn't speak my opinion, though. Caspian tried desperately to convince them.

"You would hold me accountable for what my people have done to yours?"

"Accountable," Nikabrik agreed as he stepped forward, "AND punishable."

"That's rich coming from someone like you," Reepicheep pointed out. "It was your people who worked for the White Witch."

I held my breath. Why did that name scare me so much? Who was she? Perhaps the professor hadn't explained everything to me.

"And I'd do it again to get rid of these Telmarine filth." He growled, knocking the sword Reepicheep had pointed in his face out of the way.

"So, you rather get rid of him than have he follow Aslan?" Trufflehunter asked, looking concerned. Nikabrik said nothing, but seemed to glance at the unsettled audience around him. "Look, Narnia was never in good hands until a son of Adam was on the throne."

"You want him to be our King?!" A female centaur cried in astonishment.

"Well, why not?" I hadn't meant to speak up, but I couldn't help myself. "None of you have proven why he shouldn't be King…" I felt the color in my cheeks rise as all eyes were on me now and I was just glad that it was too dark for any of them to see me. "You've only proven that his people are Telmarines… Telmarine or not, he is here. With you, on your side." I had been holding the horn close to me so far, but now I raised it high into the air. "THIS horn, whether it be magic or not, has brought us all together. And together, we can take back what's rightfully yours. We can take back Narnia!"

Caspian seemed just as surprised as me to hear some hoots and hollers. He quickly turned to the lead centaur, Glenstorm, and spoke with the confidence that he lacked from before. "Outside these woods, I am a King. It is rightfully my throne. Therefore, when I obtain that throne and all that is rightfully mine, I will give Narnia back to the Narnians, where it belongs."

And I believed him. We all did. For Glenstorm held out his sword along with many other centaurs and said, "Then you have my sword."

So, then it was decided that we would find form an army and meet up at Aslan's How. We were going to war.

I was still lying in the grass when I opened my eyes. It was no longer dark out but the Narnians and Caspian continued to sleep around me. I could no longer see the Minotaurs that were keeping watch. Odd, I thought. Had they accidentally fallen asleep?

There was a sudden noise from my right that must have been the thing that woke me. Usually, I would've paused and thought through what to do; wake the others? It could be an enemy… But I didn't hesitate to get up and find the source of noise myself this time.

The rays of light shining through the trees were much more prominent this morning and the leaves seemed to shake as if they were dancing. Looking closely, I could see that the branches were in fact shaking in a movement that looked a lot like playful dancing. I giggled as I walked past the dancing trees and into the clearing ahead. There, standing in an open field of grass, stood a lion. And I gasped when he turned his large head to look at me, but I was not afraid. No, I knew him. I've always known him.

"Aslan…" I let out the breath I was holding as he smiled at me. I made my way over to him where he was close enough to touch. "You're here?"

"I wanted to speak to you." He told me, his voice deep and low. It was a calming noise to hear.

"To me? Have I done something wrong?"

"Of course not. You've been helping me all along, child."

I have? I tried thinking back to what I could've possibly done to help him, but nothing came to me. Then I realized, I couldn't remember how I know him or how he knows me. And I still had no name.

"Aslan… Why don't I have a name?" I whispered, reaching out to touch him. His long mane was softer than anything I've ever felt. Almost like the richest of satin. I ran my hand through it a couple of times as I listened to what he had to say.

"You've always had a name, dear one." He gently rubbed the side of his head against my shoulder. "You've just forgotten it."

"Why? Why did I forget?"

"It was what needed to be done, considering where you went." He spoke to me in a riddle I couldn't understand. "Trust me, there will be a time when you attain your memories once again, but you have other things to worry about in the meantime."

I nodded my head, "You mean I need to help Caspian, don't you?"

He chuckled. The sound was so sweet that I smiled along although I remained confused. "Not just Caspian, my child. You need to guide them all."

"All of who? All the Narnians?!"

"The children."

I counted the humans in my head. "Sir… There's only Caspian and I…"

I opened my eyes once more and blinked a few times to adjust to the darkness. I turned my head to see the back of Caspian's, just barely visible from what was left of the fire we had made that night. I hesitated before reaching out and tapping his shoulder. I was surprised when he turned to face me.

"Sorry," I whispered, "Did I wake you?"

He shook his head, his long, dark hair falling in front of his face. "No. I couldn't sleep." He searched my face with his dark eyes before asking, "Bad dream?"

I struggled to find the right words. "Not really… Bad. Just odd."

"What's so odd about it?"

"Well, lately, I've been having these dreams that seem… Well, familiar…"

I knew what he was going to say then before he even opened his mouth. "Do you think they're memories?"

I thought back to all the dreams I had in the dungeons. The ones of the kids whose names I couldn't remember; the ones where we laughed and joked around like old friends. How the boy with dark hair threw his head back any time he laughed at something I said. I would love for that to be real, to have that happy past, even if I couldn't remember it.

But then the lady with the dark eyes and pale face flashed in my mind and I shook my head.

"Couldn't be…"

Could it?

"Will you two please just shut your mouth and your eyes, and go to sleep?" A grumpy voice from Nikabrik was heard nearby.

Caspian smiled at me apologetically, but my mind was already elsewhere. These children I saw in my dreams… Who were they? And why did they look so familiar?

It was only a dream. Right?

Edmund's POV

"No, stop!" I woke suddenly to the sound of my sister's cry. She sounded worried and afraid; it wasn't a sound anyone would enjoy waking up to.

My concern for her filled me with adrenaline as I jumped up and ran to where I heard her voice. I had my hand on the hilt of my sword, ready to pull it out if I must, but I stopped short when I reached Lucy's side, taking in the view in front of me.

We were face to face with Narnians. Centaurs and animals all around. However, I shuddered at the presence of the Minotaurs. It looked as though they had finally switched sides. However, it didn't stop me from remembering the time when they weren't on our side.

There was one other son of Adam, who stood and pointed Peter's own sword at him. So, this must be Caspian.

"Peter!" Susan cried, looking flustered at the scene before us.

"High King Peter?" Caspian asked, seemingly surprised.

"Yes," Peter responded knowingly.

Caspian's dark eyebrow shot up in confusion. "You're a lot younger than I imagined…"

Peter rolled his eyes and took a step away. "Well, we can come back in a few years-."

"No!" Caspian quickly interrupted. "You're just not what I expected…"

I didn't notice the look he gave to Susan. I was too preoccupied with glancing over at the nearest minotaur. He looked far too comfortable with that heavy axe in his hand. "Neither are you…"

"Your Majesty," the mouse with the red feather on his head stepped forward and gave a large bow to the floor, almost causing his nose to touch the dirt. "It is an honor."

"Oh my gosh, he's so cute…" I heard Lucy whisper to Susan.

"Who said that?!" If the little guy's face could turn red, I'm sure it would've. He aimed his sword around, searching for the person who shot at his pride.

"Sorry," Lucy said, practically shrinking back in embarrassment.

"Oh… You highness… If I may, perhaps "chivalrous" "courtesy" or "daring" would better suit a knight of Narnia."

I tried my best to hide the smile that was threatening to come loose. This little guy surely knew how to use big words. Such big words for such a small one.

And then her laughter caused my heart to throw itself against my chest.

She walked forward then and I had to wonder how I didn't notice her there in the first place. She was almost the same as when she left. Her brown hair was much longer now, reaching the middle of her back and she stood a few inches taller like I did. Neither of us were small anymore and I don't know if it was the shock of seeing her or not, but something about that smile on her face looked a whole lot different than it used to.

"Stand down, Reepicheep." She giggled. "I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it."

Reepicheep cleared his throat and smoothed some of the fur back on his head. "No, of course not… I was just offering some inspiring words for her vocabulary…"

She nodded, "Oh, of course." However, the teasing smile was still on her face. It lit up her whole being, even shining in her eyes. Was she able to do that before? It did look nice on her. I caught myself thinking she should smile like that all the time.

But all too soon, the moment was ruined by the usual image of blood and hearing her cry out in pain. I had held her in my arms that day as she died…

So, what in Aslan's mane was she doing here?

"Jessabelle?" My voice came out shaky as did the oxygen that left my lungs. I almost felt like I was suffocating. Like someone had their hands wrapped tight around my throat.

She didn't respond to it. Of course she didn't. Her name was the last thing to leave her before she died.

However, she did look up to find all eyes were on her. Except Caspian, who was watching me, looking more confused now than ever.

Her cheeks flushed slightly at the newly found attention she was getting. "W-why are you all staring?"

Jessabelle's POV

Jessabelle.

Of course, I recognized the four of them when I saw them. I was hiding behind a tree when they first appeared. They all had slight differences, though; the youngest girl had longer hair now, the oldest girl stood with a sense of who she was, the blonde guy had a little bit of hair growing at the chin, and the dark haired boy stood much taller than he did in my dream. They had all grown to look a little different, but they were definitely from my dreams.

The dark haired boy had said a name and I swear he was looking straight at me the whole time, even after the oldest girl cleared her throat and shook her head at him. But he looked at me like he wasn't expecting to see me. Like he was surprised to see me- a normal girl- standing there before him. Was it the hair?

As we walked along with the other four, I absentmindedly brushed my hair out of my face. It had begun to look like a tangled mess without the proper care.

Whatever the reason might've been, the boy said a name. Jessabelle.

And as I walked behind him, eyeing the back of his head and admiring the shape of his shoulders, I couldn't help but feel deep down in my heart and in my head that it sounded just right.