For safety reasons, this chapter alone will be rated T. It doesn't get bloody or anything like that; but I would like to be safe with this one. Thanks.

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Deadly Choice

Caspian felt the anger rise within him as he saw the bruised and broken form of Miranda. The soldier grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her upright.

"Uugh," she groaned.

She was not tied or seriously wounded, which confused Caspian for a second. Until another look at her revealed her arms and legs bleeding badly.

"You beasts!" he shouted at Lord Sopespian, and would have gone charging in if the strong hands of Edmund and Peter had not held him back.

"Calm down Caspian," Edmund said softly. "Attacking will do her no good."

"They've shredded her!" Caspian exclaimed, still pulling away.

"What?" Peter questioned, his eyes wide.

"They've shredded her," Caspian said again, pointing to her arms and legs.

Peter looked up coldly at Sopespian.

"Yes," Sopespian said, no remorse in his voice. "The worst form of torture we have. We dig our swords into the arms and legs of our enemies. That might not be so bad... if the armor was not on. The broken armor then digs into the skin, and causes the wounds to be unable to heal on their own. It also causes the enemies limbs to go numb with pain, and soon, it is unable to even move."

Peter's face went white with rage, and Caspian knew that only the fact that Susan's hand was pressed firmly against his shoulder reminded him that it would be impossible to help her if he attacked.

"Now, High King, you have a choice to make. Either you give us the life of Caspian, or, you face her death."

As the last words left his lips, the soldier pulled a knife out of his belt and held it over Miranda's chest.

Caspian looked to Peter, but Peter's eyes refused to meet his. He only looked at Miranda.

"I'll do it Peter," Caspian whispered.

"No," Edmund protested. "It's for you that we have been fighting this battle. Aslan has chosen you as the next King of Narnia, and it is your responsibility to remain alive to fulfill that duty."

"I won't just let her die like that," Caspian said fervently, looking down at Edmund. "And shouldn't this be my decision?"

"No, it's not your decision," Edmund said, his voice changing. "She knew what she was getting into when she took that oath. Aslan has chosen this path for her, and she has followed as faithfully as she could. Don't destroy that."

Caspian didn't say anything after that. No one did. They all knew that it was Peter's decision. But his eyes never left Miranda's. The two just stared at each other. Only one movement was made, and that was Miranda shaking her head; no.

Then, quite suddenly, Peter shouted.

"No!"

Tears began to stream down his face as he said;

"The answer is no."

Sopespian's face suddenly went pale.

"What?"

That was when a new sound was heard. Laughing.

Miranda was laughing. It was not a bitter laugh or a forced laugh, but it was a laugh of....joy. She was laughing with joy!

"You heard him right Sopespian!" she exclaimed, a broad smile on her face. "He said no; and you have failed! King Caspian still lives, and your bait is useless! He shall sit on the throne as next King of Narnia, under the authority of Aslan! And there is not one thing that you can do against that!"

Sopespian's eyes flashed with merciless anger.

"Kill her."

The soldier raised the knife and plunged.

But it never hit the mark. A sudden flash of brown fur attacked the soldier.

"Reepicheep!" Susan shouted.

Then, suddenly, the battle started again. The Telmarine soldiers began drawing in a tight circle around the Narnians. Caspian immediately had to defend himself against two soldiers.

His eyes glanced around, trying to find Miranda.

"Peter!" he heard Edmund shout. Looking to the younger king, Caspian followed where he was pointing. A soldier had grabbed Miranda and flung her across his horse, carrying her back towards the Telmarine castle.

"What do they want with her?" Peter asked beside Caspian, his voice tired and weak.

"Sopespian wants to kill her personally," Caspian replied. "That's the only explanation for that soldier carrying her off instead of killing her now."

Peter's eyes went wide with fear.

But then, the two had to defend themselves against more Telmarine soldiers. Caspian threw his knife at a Telmarine about to harm Trumpkin, and he fell. Peter hit his shield into the faces of two soldiers, and they went down, unconscious.

Caspian suddenly felt a push on his back, and he turned to two Telmarine soldiers. He tried to defend himself against the swinging swords, but he fell into the trap that the Narnian made. As he pushed himself up, he realized that he had dropped his sword. Turning around, he tried to get up and out before someone saw him.

But someone already had.

A Telmarine soldier picked up a spear and came rushing at him. But, at the last second, he stopped, and Caspian recognized General Glozelle.

He just stood there above Caspian for a moment, not moving. Then suddenly, a large rope seemed to emerge from the earth and wrapped itself around Glozelle's body. The rope pulled hard and hit the general's body against the hard earth. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

Caspian pulled himself up from the hole, and his eyes went wide as he realized that it wasn't a rope that had just saved him. It was a tree root. The trees were coming alive and grabbing Telmarines all over.

Peter, Edmund, and Susan ran up to Caspian's side, and for just a moment, they let the trees do the work.

"Lucy," Peter said in a relieved voice.

"Obviously," Edmund replied.

Then, the four monarchs rounded up the standing Narnians.

"For Narnia!" Peter shouted. "And for Aslan!"

And the Narnians charged behind the trees towards the retreating Telmarines.

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The damaged armor scraped against Miranda's skin every time the horse moved. She tried not to groan or shriek, but it wasn't working so well. They had dug in deep in one place on her leg, and every time she moved, the armor dug deeper. It was even worse on her shoulders. She tried not to let the tears fall, but they did.

The soldier gave no attention to Miranda's groans whatsoever. He only kept his eyes fixed ahead, pushing his horse to its limit.

As they reached the bridge at Beruna, they could just barely make out the sounds of the battle.

"All of your friends will die," he taunted. "Caspian will die too, and your sacrifice will be for nothing. You have failed your Narnians, and your precious Aslan."

At the mention of Aslan, Miranda's mind cleared for just a second. Anger rising within her, she reached down for the saddle's girth and let it loose. Miranda and the soldier suddenly fell off of the running horse.

The soldier picked himself up shouting and threatening. Unsheathing his sword, he walked towards the weak and helpless Miranda. She couldn't even try to stand up and run. Her arms and legs were going completely numb.

"I don't care what Sopespian says," he said with spite. "I'm going to kill you now."

He ran towards her, his sword raised, his eyes full of hate. And Miranda embraced death.

But then, something happened that made Miranda hope again. A root of a tree suddenly shot out of the ground and grabbed the leg of the running Telmarine. He turned and swung his sword, but another root shot out and grabbed it from him.

Desperate now, he turned to look at her, and glee srang across his face.

"You will die! Even if I have to die doing it!"

Then, he lunged and grabbed her leg.

"AAAHHH," Miranda screamed as the armor dug in deeper.

He yanked her towards him; then did something she wasn't counting on.

He pushed her over the bridge. She heard him scream as the roots pulled him away, but she had a bigger problem on her hands right now.

She saw it at the last second, and grasped the wooden planks of the bridge, trying to pull herself back up. Her shoulders were screaming with pain, and her arms were quickly losing strength.

"Come on," she told herself, but it was no use. Her body was too weak.

Miranda could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness, but not before she heard the undeniable sound of a lion's roar.

"Aslan."

Then, she let go.

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Peter could feel the ground beneath them shaking as they chased the Telmarines to the river. The trees were doing their work well.

They ran until they came to the river, where the Telmarines were pushing their way across. Some went straight into the river as the Telmarines on the bridge were getting across.

Then, they abruptly stopped.

Peter squinted his eyes, and saw the small form of Lucy on the other side of the bridge, dagger at hand, with a golden lion by her side.

"Aslan."

Seeing just what it was they were up against, the Telmarines spurned their horses faster, getting ready for an attack. Lord Sopespian was in the lead.

When the Telmarines reached the middle, the golden lion opened his mouth, and Peter covered his ears.

The great lion roared, and it was a roar that had not been heard in Narnia for years. The river rippled as the force of the roar reached it. And the river slowly began to move.

Peter felt a smile crawl upon his face. The river god was awakening.

A great wave suddenly emerged from one side of the river, then stood up to its full form. It took the shape of a great man, and attacked the bridge that was chaining his river. The bridge cracked, then shattered as the river god picked it up. Only one single Telmarine stood upon the bridge now. Lord Sopespian.

The river god opened its great mouth, and Peter turned away. He knew what was happening, and honestly thought that he had seen enough death that day.

It took no time at all for the other Telmarines to see that they were defeated. They surrendered their weapons and were rounded up into groups.

Peter, followed closely by Caspian, Susan, and Edmund, waded to the other side of the river; towards Aslan.

Peter didn't meet Aslan's gaze for a moment. He was too ashamed. But he could feel Aslan's eyes looking at him, and he looked into the great golden eyes.

They held some sadness, but also light, and joy. And Peter knew that he had been forgiven.

He bowed before the great lion, as did the others.

"Rise Kings and Queens of Narnia."

Peter rose, followed by Edmund and Susan. But Caspian remained where he was.

"All of you," Aslan said softly.

Caspian's eyes gazed up at the great lion.

"I don't think that I am ready," he said shakily.

"It is for that very reason that I know you are," Aslan replied.

Caspian got up to his feet, a relaxed smile on his face. But before anything else could be said or done, a group of mice stepped forward, holding a stretcher. And on the stretcher was the brave and noble Reepicheep.

Lucy immediately stepped forward and poured a drop of her cordial into his mouth. It took only a few seconds to take effect, and the captain of the mice stood up.

"Oh," he said surprised. "Great Aslan. It is an honor to..."

At that he stopped, because as he bowed before the lion, he suddenly lost balance, and realized in horror that he had no tail.

"Oh my!" Reepicheep exclaimed, covering his stub with his hands. "Forgive me for arriving in such an embarassing fashion."

Looking up to Lucy, he asked;

"Um, perhaps a drop more?"

"I don't think it does that," Lucy said in a sorrowful tone.

"Well then," Reepicheep said in a dutiful voice, "Then I must renounce my position as Captain of my people."

"And why must you do that?" Aslan asked.

"Well sire, because of...." he then pointed to his stub. "And a tail is the honor and glory of a mouse."

"Perhaps you think to much of your honor," Aslan replied.

"Well, it's not just for honor," Reepicheep protested, then began making a list of good things that a tail did for a mouse, when another mouse suddenly stepped forward.

"If it may please your honor, that we may cut off our own tails. We will not take an honor that is forbidden to our Captain."

Peter's heart went out to the loyal mice who loved their leader so well.

"Not for the sake of your honor, but for the love of your people," Aslan whispered.

Peter heard Caspian gasp beside him as the tail of Reepicheep was restored.

"Oh, thank you sire," Reepicheep exclaimed. "I will treasure it always."

That started everyone in a moment of laughter.

"And now," Aslan said, addressing Lucy, "Where is this dear little friend that I have heard so much about?"

That was when they noticed that Trumpkin had been watching them out of the corner of his eye the whole time. At the mention of what they had nicknamed him, Trumpkin took three steps forward and knelt before Aslan. Peter could see his arms and legs visibly trembling.

Aslan suddenly roared, and they all jumped back in surprise.

When the sound ended, Lucy smiled and said;

"Now do you see him?"

Trumkin's eyes looked at her with relief and apology.

Lucy then looked proudly from one of the group to the other. But then, her eyes took on a worried expression.

"Where's Miranda?"

Peter felt his heart gave a great twist, and he was surprised that he didn't shout from the pain it gave him.

"Where's Miranda?" Lucy repeated, her voice becoming frantic.

"We don't know Lu," Peter replied. The pain within him was growing. If she had died....

Suddenly, Aslan roared again, and this time, the sound knocked them off of their feet.

A dryad on the other side of the river came forward, grasping hold of a dark body. When the dryad reached them, it bowed before the great lion, then dropped what it was holding at Aslan's feet.

It was a Telmarine soldier.

He looked sround him for a moment with wide and crazed eyes. Then his eyes came to Peter, and a malicious grin covered his features.

"Where is she?" Aslan growled at the soldier. The soldier's eyes darted towards the lion, and went wider, like a bug's.

"Where is she?" Aslan growled again.

The soldier stood up, and trying to make himself look tall and great, he said;

"In the river."

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Caspian's mind went blank as he heard the words. He grasped his sword and stepped towards the soldier. But Edmund's hand held him back. Susan was holding back Peter, who looked as if someone had stabbed him in the stomach.

"No!" Peter shouted like a madman. "No!"

Then, he dropped to the ground and wept like a child. Susan bent down and put her arms around his shoulders, tears running down her own face. Caspian's face darted down to Edmund's. He wasn't even trying to fight the tears. Lucy came forward and hugged her brother, sobbing.

"She died because of me." Caspian thought, remembering the words of the prophecy.

That was when he cried too. Because she had died in his place.

Aslan, who had giant lion tears running down his golden cheeks, stepped towards the river and breathed upon it.

It began to take form again, and the river god stood up, bowing before Aslan. He held out his big, wet hands in a cup. Slowly, carefully, he set his hands upon the shore of the river, revealing something within it.

The water slowly fell away, and the still form of Miranda lay within it.

They all immediately stood up and crowded around her lifeless form. Caspian thought that no Narnian could have looked so noble in death.

Suddenly, Edmund gave a great cry;

"She's still breathing."

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Peter grabbed Miranda's wrist, and sure enough, there was a pulse. She was still alive.

Lucy looked worriedly at Miranda's wounds.

"I can't heal that."

"What do you mean?" Caspian questioned.

"I mean that if I give her a drop of the cordial, the skin will heal but the armor won't come out. And to try and pull the armor off is too dangerous. We would only make the wounds worse. The only way to do this is to get her to a tent and take the armor off slowly."

"That'll take too long," Edmund protested. "She has had these wounds for too long and she has been submerged in water for no one knows how long. If we don't do something soon....," Edmund's voice trailed off.

"You're right Ed," Peter said solemnly. "But there is nothing we can do."

"Nothing we can do."

Peter couldn't bear the thought of not being able to help his best friend; to not be able to help the one that had given her all to Narnia. And her friendship to him.

At that moment, Aslan appeared beside him, and bent his great head towards Miranda's face. He took a deep breath and breathed upon her.

They all gasped as the damages to her armor were suddenly mended. Lucy immediately put a drop of the cordial in Miranda's mouth.

Miranda coughed once, then twice, then opened her eyes.

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The first thing that Miranda said when she returned to consciousness was;

"Thank goodness you're all alright."

"Us?!" Edmund exclaimed incredulously. "We've been waiting...." at this point, he pretended to look at a clock, "I don't know how long to make sure you were alright!"

"Oh," was Miranda's reply, which started almost everyone in fit of laughter; all except Caspian. He was looking at her like he couldn't even believe that she was still here. It was in that instance that he pulled her into a fierce hug.

Miranda was surprised for a moment, until she felt his shoulders shaking.

"I'm alright Caspian. I'm alright."

"You were willing to die in my place," he said in wonder. "You were willing to do that, for a person that you barely knew."

"Not just anyone," Miranda replied. "My king."

She was then attacked by a dual hug from Lucy and Susan, both of them laughing with joy. Edmund waited patiently for his sisters to finish before he helped her up from the ground and pulled her into a hug for himself.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," he whispered to her.

"You said that before," Miranda replied softly.

"I know. You still need to quit scaring me."

Miranda gave a little chuckle. She then turned to Peter; her best friend.

"I thought that you were dead," he whispered, hugging her softly, as if she were a piece of glass.

"I was for a moment Peter. But I was ready for it."

The two friends parted, and that was when Miranda saw her heart's true desire. The great golden lion; Aslan.

Miranda walked towards her greatest King and knelt before him.

Aslan stepped forward, and gave her a warm kiss on the forehead.

"Embrace me child."

Miranda did just that, and wrapped her arms around the head of the one who knew everything about her.

"And may I welcome you personally to the family."

Tears of joy stung Miranda's eyes.

"Thank you Aslan. Thank you Jesus."

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