A Plan?

Caspian couldn't believe what he was seeing. The two kings just rushed in there with no one to help them, and were winning! Then, out of nowhere, a third person started fighting by their side. As Caspian watched the battle, he realized that it was a girl! He was almost certain that his mind was playing tricks on him.

Within moments, the soldiers were all down on the ground, and three fighters stood together, panting. After a few minutes, Caspian saw first King Edmund, and then the High King embrace the girl. Then, the three walked towards the Howe.

As they came closer, Queen Susan spoke;

"Lucy, is that…"

"It is!!!" the younger queen shouted, and ran out of the Howe. Queen Susan raced after her.

Glenstorm looked down at Caspian, not quite sure what was going on. Caspian just shrugged his shoulders.

They watched as Queen Lucy ran into the girl so hard that she knocked her over. The two kings laughed as their younger sister hugged the girl on the ground. Laughing, the two got up and brushed themselves off. But it wasn't long before Queen Susan rushed over and wrapped her arms around the girl's neck. Now Caspian was really confused.

As the group of five stepped closer, Caspian could feel Glenstorm tense beside him. Suddenly, the centaur drew his sword, took three steps forward, and put his sword right in front of the girl's chest.

"Glenstorm," King Peter said sternly, "What is the meaning of this?"

"If your majesty has not yet noticed, she has the sword of the Warrior!" Caspian heard Narnians behind him gasp, and some began murmuring angrily.

"And do you know exactly why she has the sword of the Warrior?" Edmund asked slyly.

Glenstorm paused for only a second, then said;

"Sire, none could penetrate the vine that Aslan put around the sword! She may be a worker of dark magic!"

"And tell me my good centaur," the girl said, "If I were a worker of dark magic, as you say, then how could I still penetrate the vine? Aslan's power is far stronger than that." She spoke with an ease and grace that only people of court could know of.

Caspian looked at the faces of the kings and queens. King Peter stared coldly up at the centaur, with a gaze far older than he looked. King Edmund had become quiet and still, relaxed and cool. Queen Susan looked a bit frightened, but hid it well. And Queen Lucy; she was smiling from ear to ear. Caspian had a feeling that something was about to happen that no Narnian was expecting.

"Then who are you?" he decided to ask, knowing that the question would come up sooner or later.

The girl looked at him, and Caspian suddenly felt very young, for her eyes told him just how old she had once been.

"I am Miranda the Courageous, Warrior of Narnia!"

Caspian's eyes went wide, and the Narnians that had gathered around became quiet and still.

Miranda drew her sword and said;

"This is my sword, Alanosa! The sword that served Narnia, the kings and queens, and Aslan! This is the sword of the Warrior, and I am that Warrior!

"Impossible," Glenstorm whispered. "The Warrior was said to be strong and brave."

"And you think that just because I am a girl, that I am not strong and brave!"

"How could you be a Warrior? You are just a child!"

"And I was a younger child when Aslan chose me for this!" She turned and pointed towards the kings and queens. "The monarchs you see before you can all testify this."

Caspian looked up to the kings and queens, and said;

"This is true then? She is the Warrior of Narnia?"

"It is true," King Peter said.

"She fought by our side," Queen Susan said.

"Saved our lives," King Edmund added.

"Not to mention served Narnia with everything she had," Queen Lucy finished.

Glenstorm slowly put his sword away and looked down at the floor.

"Well then," Miranda said, "Now that we have that finished with, do you have anything to eat around here?"

The kings and queens began laughing, hard.

"Would you just so happen to be hungry Miranda?" Edmund asked with a wink.

"I have eaten hardly anything since getting back into Narnia. So, if you could please..."

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Miranda took another bite out of a piece of bread. My, it felt good to have some food on her stomach!

"Narnia's not going to run out of bread Miranda," Lucy joked.

Miranda smiled at the youngest queen, and then looked to the others around her. They sat in a small private room, sitting around a circular table. It felt good to be back with the family that she had come to miss so much.

"So how long have you been here?" Edmund asked

"I've been here since the afternoon before the horn was blown."

"Then you must have some general idea of what is going on here," Peter said, his voice sounding a lot older than he looked.

"I do not know much, but you are right. I do have some idea of why we are here." Miranda stopped for a moment, waiting for them to all listen.

"For one, we are not here to take back the life that we once had."

"What do you mean Miranda?" Susan exclaimed, a genuine look of confusion on her face.

"I mean, I don't believe that we are staying here long. Before I came here, I saw Aslan. He said that a new king would be crowned."

"A new king?" This time it was Peter that spoke.

"That would be Caspian!" Lucy exclaimed.

"The dark haired young man?" Miranda asked, making sure she had the right face with the right name.

"That's right," Edmund said.

"But why? Why bring us back just to do that? Could he not have others do that? Why would it have to be us?" Question after question spilled out of Peter.

"That, I am not sure of. But Aslan knows what he is doing. We just need to follow the path that he has set before us."

"That will not be easy," Susan said, "Miraz's army, weapons, and supplies outnumber ours by many."

"A grumpy centaur once told me, "Numbers do not win a battle,"" Peter said quietly.

"No," Miranda said, "But I bet they help."

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Caspian stood to the side of the Stone Table, staring at King Peter. Once again, they had all of the Narnian leaders around them, and the kings and queens. Caspian noticed that the Warrior sat at the very edge of the room close to the entry. She seemed slightly uncomfortable.

"Miraz's men could be here at any moment," the high king said.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" a Narnian voiced.

"We need to…"

"We must…"

Caspian and King Peter had begun talking at the same time. The high king looked over towards him, and Caspian took that as a hint to stand down.

"We need to strike them before they strike us. We need to attack them first."

"Impossible," Caspian argued, "No one has ever taken that castle."

"There is always a first time," King Peter said coolly.

"If we attack first, then we have the advantage of surprise," King Edmund stated.

"But if we dig from here, we'll be able to get under, and then attack," Queen Susan said.

"I for one, feel safer underground," a badger, Trufflehunter, said.

"Look," King Peter said, looking at Caspian, "I appreciate what you have done here. But this isn't a fortress. It's a tomb."

"All Miraz has to do is starve you out," King Edmund said again.

"We have no choice," King Peter stated.

"That is what bothers me." This time, it was Queen Lucy.

"What Lu?"

"Well, you seem to be coming up with only two decisions. Dying here, or dying there."

"Haven't you been listening…"

"No, you're not listening. Or are you forgetting who really defeated the White Witch."

Caspian was shocked at the young queen's words. But he was even more shocked at the high king's reaction. His face became pale and stern, and he said in an almost cold voice;

"I think that we have waited for Aslan long enough."

If there was anything Caspian was expecting, it wasn't that.

"You have been awfully quiet Miranda. What is your opinion on this?" King Edmund said suddenly. Caspian watched as the Warrior's head lifted and her back straightened. Her face had taken on a stern look, and Caspian wasn't sure what was coming next.

"My opinion is that your young sister is right sire." She turned to face the high king. "Never in all of our years in battle did we ever not first consult Aslan. Never have you forgotten him. This time you have left him out of the entire thing." She stopped for a moment before continuing. "Whatever decision you make, I will follow you into battle. I took an oath sire, and I will not break it." She stopped again, and pointed a finger towards King Peter. "But I do warn you. One mistake, one single mistake, and I will get as many Narnians out of there as I can, with or without your permission. And if I have to, I will drag you out with my bare hands. This I promised Aslan I would do, and his orders come before your's."

With that, the Warrior turned around and left the room.

King Peter turned to look towards the others.

"Your majesty," Glenstorm said, "Was that an open threat?"

"No," the king replied, "Call it a friendly warning."

Caspian had a feeling that the warning was slightly less than friendly.

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Edmund turned into another corridor, trying to find the armory. Finally, he got directions from a dwarf, and headed down a flight of stairs.

As he reached the bottom, his heart made a huge leap. Silver armor, broad swords, knives, bows and arrows. It felt just like the older days. And putting on some sturdy leather armor in the middle of the room was Miranda.

"I had a feeling that I would find you here," he said.

"Yes, not much has changed," she replied. Her voice sounded sad and constrained.

"Miranda, it has been a hard year for him," Edmund sighed.

"He is not the only one that has had a hard year," Miranda retorted.

"Yes Miranda, but I think worse for him because he was the High King."

"He still is the High King Ed! For a year he has been at the very least able to act somewhat like he did in Narnia! I have not had that chance! How many girls do you know go around with a sword at her side?"

"What do you mean Miranda?"

"I mean that he can at least act himself around you all. At least he can act like he is the magnificent. I have had no one Ed. I could never tell my mother about it, she would think that I had gone insane. And I can't be strong there because my body is weak." Her voice had become strained, and her eyes had tears. "And how can I be courageous when there is nothing to be courageous for?"

Edmund looked at the Warrior and friend that he had known for so long. She had changed so much since they had first met. So scared and young they had once been. So many times she had been there for him, and he for her. This time, they needed to band together.

"You know Miranda; I think that Peter in this last year has become a man. I think that he has been trying to fight out of the boy he was into the man he will become. When we came back, he was so hopeful and happy. We were all expecting things to be the same. But when we found the Narnians, they didn't treat us like they used to. Yes, they call us by our titles and say "your majesty," but there is really no respect. I have felt it, you have felt it, but Peter is taking it the hardest."

"Because they used to treat him with the most respect. Because he was the High King, they honored him more. They never treated him like a kid, and now, it's like we had never been here before," Miranda said, her eyes glancing up towards Edmund.

"Thanks Ed. I needed to be reminded. And thanks for listening."

"Then thank you for letting me explain. I've been trying to explain it to myself for the last year, and it hasn't worked. Telling you has."

Edmund reached out an arm and pressed Miranda's shoulder.

"We need to be there for him Miranda. Are you with me?"

A smile crossed Miranda's face.

"I am my king."

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Sorry if movie quotes are wrong. Again, I only saw the movie once.

Originally, the conversation between Miranda and Edmund never took place. But after seeing an interview with William Moseley in which he explained the changes in his character, I decided to explain through their eyes how he changed.