So I'm going to update every day, meaning that we should be done by either Thursday or Friday. :) And I apologize in advance for my crappy battle scene writing skills. Really, it's quite awful. But you shall have to bear with me because I did the best I could. (I actually think the final battle-because that's inevitable, not really a spoiler-is better, but that's just my thoughts.)
Suggested music: For the part with Lucy and Eugene, listen to "Market Forces" from the VDT soundtrack for the best experience! :) That's what I listened to while writing that scene. :)
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THIS! STOP RUBBING IT IN! :( Please review and enjoy! :)
Chapter XVI – Attack and Escape
Edmund quickly located Oreius fighting two men at once. He joined the centaur and began fighting the two men. "What happened?" shouted Edmund.
"We were ambushed from all sides," Oreius replied. "Thank Aslan you and the Princess weren't here."
Oreius fatally stabbed one of the men and quickly took care of the one Edmund was fighting. But immediately after the King and the centaur were victorious, another fold of men approached. Edmund and Oreius fought valiantly. Edmund swung his sword, wincing as it forcefully hit the other man's sword. He jumped as a dwarf swung at the other man's feet, nearly hitting one of Edmund's legs. The Just King ducked as the other man thrust his sword into the air where Edmund's neck would have been seconds before. Edmund quickly recovered, but was forced to drop to the ground as the man flung his sword at Edmund once more.
Two more men joined against Edmund, so he was fighting three men at once. Where are these people coming from? Edmund wondered angrily. Well, at least we now know that they're human and not invincible. The three men swung their swords at the ground. Edmund regretted not wearing more armor than his tunic and leather jerkin that was of the same style that Rapunzel was wearing the day before. I hope she made it to the Stone Table, he thought, but was forced back into reality as he rolled from a sword to his left only to be face to face with another blade. He kicked his knee back toward his chest and used the momentum to roll up to a position where he could easily stand.
Edmund turned and swung his sword, hitting one of the men in the arm, forcing him to double over to try and staunch the blood flow. At least this specific enemy wasn't wearing much armor. Unfortunately, he seemed to be the only one who wasn't wearing chain mail and a foreign suit of armor. Edmund didn't recognize this foreign army or the armor they wore. The helmets and masks they wore didn't exactly help him distinguish their nationality either. Edmund fought viciously, but wasn't in the proper attire to be fighting two or three men at once. Oreius was too preoccupied with his own enemies to help Edmund.
Thankfully, an arrow flew through the air and hit one of the men in the small gap between the chest armor and the helmet. The man dropped to the ground and the other looked around wildly for the source of the arrow. Another arrow flew and hit the other man in the side where the breastplate ended. Edmund looked around this time and saw a faun, Christyn, nod at him. He nodded in return and turned, taking in his surroundings while he was being left alone. The Narnian and Coronan armies were greatly outnumbered by these mysterious soldiers. Edmund could not have imagined the numbers that this enemy had. He would have to send word back to Susan immediately, and she could relay it to Archenland and get more help.
According to Oreius, the battle hadn't been going on for very long when Edmund returned. But already, bodies littered the ground, of Narnian, Coronan, and unknown descent. This was not good. Edmund felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He swung his sword around as he turned and felt the impact as it hit another weapon. Edmund jumped back into battle mode and ducked as the man swung toward Edmund's unprotected head. The King vowed to never go into battle without proper armor again. Without hesitation, the man swung at Edmund's head from the opposite direction. This time, Edmund was not as ready. The sword nicked his cheek, and Edmund felt the blood rush to his face and slide down his cheek. His hand flew to the wound, and he gasped. Immediately, Edmund shoved his sword at the man's gut, and was able to stab the man where there was a break in the armor. The man fell to the ground, and Edmund jabbed his sword in further, and then pulled it out, running to aid an injured faun who was attempting to fight two men at once.
Edmund took care of one man, and a Minotaur ran over to take care of the other. Was it just Edmund's imagination, or were the numbers of the enemy growing? Ah, it can't have been his imagination, because over the hills were pouring more of the opposing army. Edmund groaned. When will this end?
Narnians and Coronans seemed to be falling faster and faster. Their numbers were quickly decreasing at a rate that would only lead to certain death for Edmund and Oreius and the rest of the army. Edmund quickly approached a man from behind and kicked him in the back of the knees, forcing him to the ground. Edmund stabbed the man in the back and watched him shudder and fall still. The Just King stepped to the left and saw an arrow land in the ground. The King cried out in surprise. That arrow had flown where his head would have been half a second before!
Edmund turned and saw a fleet of archers on the hill. They were all wearing the foreign armor. It seemed that every time Edmund looked around, the numbers of the enemy were increasing! Edmund sprinted over to a man and stabbed him in the back, just as he was about to kill a satyr. "Thank you, sire!" the satyr exclaimed.
"No problem," he muttered in reply. Edmund wondered how long he had been fighting. Surely not that long. Of course, the sense of death and blood in the air of battle made time pass strangely. Edmund swung his sword at the feet of a man who was running up to him. The man jumped at just the right time and threw his sword through the air at the level where Edmund's head should have been, had he not ducked at the right time. From his low position, Edmund was able to thrust his sword up underneath the man's breastplate, fatally wounding the man.
Just as the Just King was about to kill another man, he felt a sense of comfort wash over him. And then came the roar. Edmund looked to the hills, and saw a girl—Rapunzel!—standing next to a Lion—Aslan!
A cry arose from the opposing army as the Narnians rejoiced and the Coronans shook in their boots. "Retiro! Retiro!" shouted a single voice. The enemy began to retreat and run in the opposite direction.
Edmund began to chase after but he heard Aslan's voice say, "Let them go, Son of Adam." He stopped in his tracks and looked up at Aslan. The dark-haired King met eyes with the Lion and nodded in thanks. He looked at Rapunzel. She had her right and buried in Aslan's mane. Both sets of golden hair were blowing in the wind. Once the enemy was gone, Rapunzel and Aslan bounded down the hill. As Aslan approached the Just King, Rapunzel immediately set off around the battlefield, pressing her hair to healable wounds and singing to make her glow and heal them.
"You have fought bravely, Son of Adam," Aslan said.
"Thank you, Aslan," Edmund replied humbly. "But I do not think so. I should have been here to help from the beginning. Things may not have been as bad—"
"Do not worry about what might have been, Son of Adam," the Great Lion commanded. "It is not good to worry about what could have happened if things were done differently, but to reflect on what did happen and how it changes things."
"How so, Aslan?"
"You must go return to Cair Paravel as soon as possible, King Edmund. Narnia is in grave danger. It is pertinent that you try to return to Cair Paravel before things get worse."
"Can't you stop things from getting worse?"
"I can try, King Edmund, but not all things can be helped."
Edmund opened his mouth to ask another question, but Rapunzel ran over. "I've healed everyone who can be, Aslan. There are so many people who—oh! Edmund, you're hurt!"
"What? I am?" he asked, and realized that she was looking at his cut cheek. In the midst of the battle, he had forgotten. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just a scratch."
"Here, allow me," she said, holding up her thick braid. She pressed the end of her hair to his cheek, closed her eyes, and hurriedly sang, "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine; make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine; heal what has been hurt, change the fates' design; save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine; what once was mine…" She lowered her hair and said, "There, that's better. And there's not even a scar!"
"What?" Edmund asked, raising his hand to his cheek. It was smooth. "I was hoping that I would have a scar so I could tell my grandchildren a story…"
The three laughed—a somewhat nervous laugh from Edmund, a high-pitched giggle from Rapunzel, and a throaty, growl-like laugh from Aslan.
"When I healed Eugene's hand, he asked me if he was going to get superpowers, but, unfortunately, my hair doesn't do that. I just thought I would save you the trouble of asking."
"Well, uh, thanks," Edmund said. "I guess I should check on the army then…" Without another word, the Just King travelled down the hillside and toward the men.
Rapunzel watched him walk away. "Thank you for coming, Aslan."
"Of course, Daughter of Eve. You saved many lives today."
"Not as many as I wish I could've."
"Queen Lucy has the same thoughts as you in battle. There is only so much that you can do." The Princess and the Lion looked down upon the weakened army. Their numbers had decreased significantly. Edmund beckoned the two down. "I must leave you now, Daughter of Eve. But I shall see you soon."
"Goodbye, Aslan," Rapunzel said, smiling at the Lion. She headed down the hill and when she looked back, the Lion was gone. Rapunzel sighed and continued down, standing next to Edmund when she arrived.
"We will be leaving for Cair Paravel first thing in the morning. I thought it best to let everyone rest and recuperate before we make the journey. And if we started back tonight, we wouldn't arrive until after midnight." Rapunzel nodded and watched Edmund turn back to the army. His voice grew in volume as he said, "Narnians and Coronans, we have all suffered and have sustained injuries. Our numbers have lessened and our strength diminished. But our hope and our determination have only grown stronger! We may not know the identity of our enemy, but it does not matter because we will eradicate them as we have eradicated the followers of the White Witch and any other enemy who has threatened Narnia!" The armies cheered. "Now, we will eat and gather our strength and rest for the night. Originally, we were supposed to stay here for a few more days and then journey through Narnia, but those plans are changing. First thing in the morning, we will return to Cair Paravel and plan our next move against these malicious fiends!" More cheering commenced. "Now let us eat!"
The armies moved to get their supper, and Edmund turned to Rapunzel. "You are a great King, you know," she told him.
"Not as good as Peter."
"Stop doubting yourself."
"Even if it's true?"
"It's not. Peter is a good King as well, but you have such power and majesty. It's nearly frightening."
Edmund sighed. "Let's get some food. I'm starving. Neither of us got to eat lunch. By the way, how did you find Aslan?"
"Well," said Rapunzel, "I was walking through the forest, trying to find the Stone Table because I couldn't remember the exact route and the woods were strangely empty, unlike earlier today. I was wandering around, heading in the general direction of the Stone Table, and I saw a Lion. He spoke to me, and I just knew he was Aslan. We spoke for a few moments and then he brought me here."
"I'm really glad that you arrived when you did. Had you come any later, we might not be here."
"Was it really that bad?" Rapunzel asked, worry filling her eyes.
Edmund nodded solemnly. "Come on; let's go get something to eat. We're all going to need some energy and rest if we're going to make it all the way back to Cair Paravel tomorrow. Especially after the battle today, everyone's extremely exhausted."
"I'm tired and I didn't even fight!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "I really shouldn't be. I guess I'm just emotionally drained…or something like that."
The two sat down in one of the circles that were being formed around the camp. A fire was being built by a Minotaur, and food was being passed around by dwarves and fauns and centaurs. One man whom Rapunzel recognized as the Captain of the Guard of Corona sat down next to her and asked, "You're that girl who was with Rider, eh?"
"Uh, yes," she said, feeling an awkward conversation coming on.
"Why did you go with him?" the man asked. "Did he kidnap you?"
"No," she said firmly. "It was more along the lines of I forced him to take me. You do realize that I was locked in a tower for eighteen years, don't you?" Rapunzel knew that she was being unfair by yelling at this man, but it made her angry that people were always accusing Eugene! He was silent, so Rapunzel said, "I don't understand why all of you are so adamant on having him hanged or banished or whatever! He may have done some bad things, but he was a good man! And all of you are just so wrapped up in the thought that you're the good guys and he's the bad guy, that you're losing your sense of reality and forgetting that you never actually knew him. I did," she said hotly. Rapunzel stood and said, "I'm tired. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."
Edmund was shocked. The sun was barely half below the horizon. It wasn't even dark yet! But he knew that she just needed time to be alone. He would check on her later. "G'night," he told her. Edmund watched her walk off and sighed to himself. "She loves him, y'know."
"Who? Rider?" the Captain of the Guard asked.
The Just King nodded. "I think the greatest heist he ever pulled off was stealing her heart, and he still has it, making it impossible for anyone else to even dream of holding it."
It went without saying that the King was speaking of himself. "Did I offend her?" the Captain asked.
Edmund shrugged. "It's hard to say. I think she's just upset, but she'll get over it. She's not the kind of person to hold a grudge. Come tomorrow, she'll be fine and the entire ordeal will have been long forgotten. Don't worry."
Rapunzel entered her tent silently, wiping tears from her cheeks. Why wouldn't these people just understand that Eugene wasn't a bad person? Everyone did bad things, some worse than others, but did that necessarily condemn them to eternal damnation? She didn't really want to answer that question, even to herself.
As she set her weapons down on the floor, Rapunzel felt that something was off. Pulling out the dagger that Edmund had given her in case she needed it, the Princess looked around the tent. She was alone. Nothing was wrong. Edmund and the army were only a hundred feet or so away. Nothing was going to happen. Sheathing the dagger, Rapunzel picked at the food that she had taken with her, but she had lost her appetite. Placing it carefully on the ground, Rapunzel climbed into the hammock. It was strange sleeping on something that swayed back and forth, but she liked it. Rapunzel had made a hammock out of her hair before, but that was more of use as scaffolding when painting and not so much for sleeping.
The Princess stared at the ceiling of the tent, admiring the beautiful embroidery and fabrics that had been used. And then she felt uncomfortable again. There was slight movement to her left, at the tent's entrance. Slowly, Rapunzel sat up and called, "Edmund? Is that you?" No response. "Edmund? Are you the—"
She was interrupted by a cold hand clapping over her mouth. Rapunzel gasped in surprise and fought back against the figure that was holding her, but to no avail. She kicked her legs, causing the hammock to swing, but she wasn't able to get free. Rapunzel bit down on the hand that was clamped over her mouth, forcing the person to release her.
Rapunzel immediately turned around and drew her dagger. Upon seeing her attacker, Rapunzel nearly dropped her weapon, but saved herself by keeping hold of it and carefully saying, "Don't move, or I'll scream and the entire Narnian and Coronan armies will be upon you."
Eugene and Lucy panicked as they were yanked up from their sitting positions and dragged up the stairs, into the sunlight. They had reached Telmar. The thief and the Queen winced and squinted in the sunlight. They had been used to the dark for so many weeks that it was strange to be in an environment with so much light. Especially when there were no clouds in the sky and the sun was at its highest and hottest and brightest.
As soon as their feet hit the deck, Lucy realized that they were still a few miles off the coast. Perfect. She and Eugene sprang into action. Used to fighting multiple people at once, Lucy was able to free herself and attack those around her. Eugene also escaped and pulled a hidden dagger from his boot. He quickly tossed it to Lucy—who grabbed it by the hilt expertly—and then proceeded to knee a man in the gut and steal his sword.
Their plan progressed as ever so carefully planned. Lucy fought the men while Eugene ran to the upper deck to try and gain control of the ship. If their plan failed, they would be killed, if they were lucky. Lucy swung her foot out, knocking one man to the floor. She promptly placed her foot on his back so he couldn't rise, while she hit a man on the side of the head, rendering him unconscious. Living up to her title, Lucy fought and made many men unconscious, fortunately not having to kill any.
Once there were only a few men on her side of the deck left, she chanced a glance up to see how Eugene was doing. He, too, caused many bodies to lie on the floor, but there also was some blood spreading. Eugene had sworn not to purposely kill anyone, so Lucy knew that it must have been absolutely necessary. The thief quickly grabbed the Captain of the ship and pressed a knife to his throat. Lucy could have sang and danced she was so thrilled that the ship was theirs!
She smiled up at Eugene and called, "We did it! I can't believe we did it!"
Eugene was grinning like an idiot, but then said, "I hope you know how to steer a ship, because I don't and I don't think the crew will be awake for a while."
"Of course!" Lucy cried and ran up the stairs to the deck. She quickly grabbed hold of the helm and gained control of the ship. "You might want to take care of him," she told Eugene, referring to the Captain. "We don't want him or anyone else signaling to the island."
"Will do, Captain Lucy," Eugene said and rapidly hit the man over the head with the hilt of the sword. "Do you think we'll have enough supplies?"
"Enough to make it to another island," Lucy said. "We can't risk stopping in Telmar, so we'll have to ration everything that we have until we can make it to another civilization."
"Do we have our heading?" Eugene said.
"West with as much speed as we can muster," Lucy answered decisively. "We did it, Eugene. We're going home."
"We're going home," he repeated. Lucy could've sworn she saw a glimpse of a Lion in the setting sun. We're going home, she thought happily. We're going home.
Edmund laughed at one of the Coronan soldiers' joke. It was nice to laugh at something new, something he hadn't heard before. "Okay, okay, okay, I got one," a young man said. "What did the sea say to the mermaid?" He waited for a response before saying, "Nothing! It just waved!"
There was a roar of laughter before another Coronan soldier said, "I wish mermaids were real. It sure would be something to meet and fall in love with a mermaid!"
"Surely you believe in them," Edmund said. "They most certainly are real. The Narnian mermaids off the coast of Cair Paravel are very sweet and helpful, but the mermaids out in the Eastern Sea can be frightful at times and a pain in the rear end."
"So they are real?" the man asked. Edmund nodded. "Gee, ain't that somethin'! 'Course, none of us had seen the sea before coming to Narnia, either."
"I can't imagine living without the sea," Oreius said. "While my family and I are native to the forests, we do love the waters."
Edmund nodded his head in agreement as he said, "Some of my favorite memories are journeys on the Eastern Sea. In fact, there was this one time—" But the Just King didn't get to finish his thought because a loud sound resounded through the fields. It sounded familiar to Edmund and most of the Narnians. It sounded like—"Susan's horn!" Edmund shouted.
The Just King immediately jumped to his feet and sprinted toward Rapunzel's tent, drawing his sword as he ran. The entire circle he had been sitting with followed through the darkness. Edmund leapt through the curtained entrance to the tent and saw Rapunzel sitting on the floor, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth.
He knelt beside her and said, "What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's—it's her!"
"Who, Rapunzel? Who?"
"Moth—Gothel. She came for me!" Rapunzel said, her voice shaking as she finally looked Edmund in the eyes.
"What was she wearing?"
"Her black cloak, red—red dress, and—and…I don't remember!"
Edmund stood and leapt back outside the tent to see the army waiting for his news. "Quick! Spread out and fan the area! We're looking for an old woman in a black cloak and red dress. Hurry! It's extremely important!" As the army jumped into action, Edmund returned to the tent and sat next to Rapunzel. "Did she hurt you?" The blonde was silent. "Rapunzel, did she hurt you?" She shook her head furiously. "What happened?"
"I came in here and laid down, intent on going to sleep because I was just exhausted, but I felt something was wrong. I didn't see any threat, so I shook off the feeling. But then I saw the entrance to the tent move and I called out, thinking it might have been you. Then a hand clamped over my mouth. I bit the hand to escape and drew my dagger. And then I saw that it—it was her. She wanted me to sing for her, but I told her that I wouldn't. I—I don't know how she was so young! There was no way! I mean, it's been months and months since I've seen her! At the very least, she would have had to have aged significantly, but she looked just as she did the last time I saw her."
Edmund understood what Rapunzel did not. "Did she have a small, glass-like vial with her? It's a diamond vial filled with red liquid."
"I don't remember. Why?"
"You remember that Lucy's cordial was stolen a few weeks ago, right? Well, the liquid in that vial is made from the juice of the fire-flowers that grow in the mountains of the sun. My siblings and I have a hunch that the power you have comes from that same type of flower. So, theoretically, if Gothel were to use Lucy's cordial every day, she would be able to remain young. Does that make sense?"
Rapunzel nodded. "I'm sorry. I should've captured her or—or something. But we talked for a while, and I was trying to distract her so I could get Susan's horn and when she saw me raise it, she bolted. I blew Susan's horn and you came, but Gothel got away! How could I have been so stupid?"
"You did the best you could, Rapunzel. And it's okay. We'll find her eventually," Edmund said. Rapunzel was crying again. "What's wrong?"
"I still love her, Eugene. She may be a wicked person, but she's my mother. Well, I know, not really, but she raised me. She was the only person I ever knew before I met Eugene. Is it so bad that I still love her? I think that's what was keeping me from attacking her. And she used that against me, I think. She—she told me that she loved me, and, out of habit, I told her I loved her, too. But then I used Susan's horn. Am I an awful person?"
"No," Edmund said, wrapping his arms around Rapunzel and pulling her to his chest. "No, you're not. You could never be an awful person, Rapunzel. You're right. She did raise you, and therefore, you feel emotional ties to her. Don't be hard on yourself, Rapunzel. It's alright."
After some time had passed, Oreius poked his head into the tent. "Excuse me, sire, but we could not find the attacker anywhere. She has vanished."
Edmund sighed. "Thank you, Oreius," he said. "Have some people patrol and guard in shifts to allow the others to rest." Oreius nodded and left. Edmund looked down and saw that Rapunzel had fallen asleep. Carefully, Edmund lifted the sleeping Princess and tenderly set her down in the gently swaying hammock.
"Mmm," she said in her sleep. Rapunzel's eyes flicked open slightly and she said, "Don't leave. Stay with me."
"I can't, Rapunzel," Edmund whispered. "It wouldn't be proper."
"Please, Eugene, don't leave," she said, half-asleep.
Edmund's heart broke. She didn't even realize that it was Edmund she was talking to. Part of him wanted to storm out and scream at the world, but he knew that wasn't right. The other part of him knew that he should stay with her, even if the only reason he could come up with was to protect her, which he knew wasn't really necessary. Despite the physical pain in his chest, Edmund whispered, "I'll stay with you, Rapunzel."
"Thank you," she said. Rapunzel smiled and rolled her head toward him. Even though she was on the very brink of sleep, she whispered, "You're still my new dream, Eugene."
Edmund didn't know how to respond, so he just lay down on the ground and held her hand as she slept. It took a long time, but eventually, Edmund fell asleep but even in his dreams, he couldn't ignore the pain that filled his chest.