Chapter Fourteen~

As Edmund inspected the broken destroyed ruins of Cair Paravel, Jessie turned around to see a part of the ruins that weren't destroyed and tapped Peter on the shoulder. Turning to see what she was pointing out, Peter walked over to the secret hideaway as the others followed so that Edmund and Peter pushed aside a secret wall to reveal a door. It took a few tries but soon the ancient lock was busted allowing the door to swing open and Peter began ripping off a part of his shirt then asked Edmund,

"I don't suppose you might have any matches in there, do you?" so that Edmund reached into his bag pulling out an electric torch saying,

"No, but would this help?" as Jessie smirked Peter took it from him as he said laughing,

"You could have mentioned that a bit sooner!" before turning it on and leading them all downstairs into a Treasure Chamber where five trunks with five statues awaited them. Statues from the Golden Age, statues of them when they ruled Narnia. As they continue down the stairs its Jessie who says in wonder,

"I can't believe it, it's all still here!" as the five of them step before each trunk to open them in turn. As Lucy pulls out a dress she says giggling,

"I was so tall!" as Susan tells her with a wistful smile,

"Well you were older then." while Edmund with armor on replies,

"As supposed to hundreds of years later, when you're younger." Jessie turns to see where Peter is and finds he's holding a golden plate with a carved image of a Lion staring back at him—before he too goes over to his trunk and after bowing his head to his former self opens his trunk as Lucy asks,

"What is it?"

"My horn, I must have left it on my saddle—the day we went back." Susan says aloud sounding confused as Peter pulls out his sword reading the inscription saying aloud,

"When Aslan bears His teeth, winter meets its Death." then Jessie taking out her own sword a mirror image of Peter's continues,

"And when Aslan shakes His mane we have Spring again." tears begin to fill her eyes as Lucy's voice says from her trunk sounding wounded and sorrowful,

"Everyone we knew—Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers—there all gone." so that Jessie setting down her sword went over to Lucy to wrap an arm around the younger girls shoulders as Peter says sounding stern,

"I think it's time we found out what happened here." so that each of them nodded as they dug through the chest to find something Narnian to wear. The boys went outside to stand guard as the girls changed first silently and once done the boys changed next. As the girls were waiting for the boys Jessie adjusted the strap of her sword as Lucy came over to her saying,

"It feels wrong." looking up at the younger girl, Jessie asked her feeling her brow furrow,

"What feels wrong?"

"Being back when we left so soon." Jessie was going to say something to comfort her went Peter and Edmund appeared from the Treasure Chamber so that Peter called out,

"Alright, let's go everyone!" so that Jessie just stood and pat Lucy on the shoulder giving her a reassuring smile before they with a heavy weight in their hearts left the ruins of Cair Paravel and headed down the cliff side before coming to the river that fed into the Eastern Ocean. As they were walking it was Jessie who noticed a boat with two heavily dressed guards in black and silver with what appeared to be a dwarf tied up. Pointing, the group of Kings and Queens prepared for battle as Susan aimed an arrow crying out,

"DROP HIM!" to the men in armor and as one picked up a crossbow she fired hitting him in the chest as the other tossed the dwarf into the waters causing him to sink as he fled into the waters. In an instant Peter and Edmund jumped into action, Peter to save the dwarf while Edmund went to get the boat. Once Peter appeared with the dwarf on the sandy shore Lucy ran over to cut his bonds as Jessie asked him,

"Are you alright Master Dwarf?" so that he shouted sounding angry,

"Drop him, is that the best you could come up with?" so that Susan sounding confused said to him,

"A simple 'thanks' would suffice." as the boys stood beside the girls so that the dwarf said whipping himself off,

"They were doing fine drowning me without your help." so that Peter sounding just as angry told him,

"Maybe we should have let them." causing Jessie to slap his shoulder as Lucy asked him softly,

"Why were they trying to kill you anyway?" making the dwarf look sideways at the group telling them in an annoyed voice,

"They're Telmarines, that's what they do." it was Edmund who panting a bit looked at his family asking confused sounding,

"Telmarines, in Narnia?" causing the dwarf to scoff sounding now not only annoyed and angry but confused as well,

"Where have you been for the past five hundred years?" making Jessie giggle and say smiling kindly at him,

"It's a bit of a long story Master Dwarf." while Susan hands Peter back his sword the dwarf notices it and Jessie's matching one before his eyes widen and he groans out,

"Oh you've got to be kidding me! You're it?! You're the Kings and Queens of Old!?" so that Peter steps over holding out his hands saying sounding confident,

"High King Peter, the Magnificent." but Jessie tells him as the dwarf simply stares at his hand,

"You could probably left out the last bit Pete."

"Probably." the dwarf says as Peter glances at Jessie before Peter says to the dwarf,

"You might be surprised." as he draws out his sword handing it to the dwarf as he says,

"Oh you might not want to do that boy."

"Not me, him." Peter says as Edmund smirks taking out his own sword while the dwarf drops Peter sword as the others step back a bit. Then suddenly the dwarf swings at Edmund and the fight is on, and before long Edmund has the dwarf spinning and slashing until his borrowed sword goes flying and Edmund has the dwarf pinned.

"Beards and beanstalks! Maybe the horn worked after all!" making the group look at each other as Susan asks,

"What horn?" it's then that the dwarf bows low and says stutter over his words,

"Forgive me you're Majesties, I meant no offense to you all." Peter went over to grab his sword Jessie said to the dwarf,

"There is nothing to forgive Master Dwarf, tell us, what is your name?"

"Trumpkin Queen Jessica, and please allow me to be your guide if need be." Trumpkin the dwarf says so that Peter comes back over putting away his sword saying strongly,

"That would be much appreciated good dwarf, we need to reach the Narnians in order to aid them." nodding, the dwarf suggested the boat and as they all stepped into the boat with Peter rowing they started up the river Glasswater. Trumpkin spoke of how a Telmarine who called himself 'Caspian' had used Queen Susan's horn before his friends Trufflehunter and Nikabrik were able to take him in. He spoke of his capture by the Telmarines who had taken over Narnia, how Narnia had been destroyed by them. Then they all fell into a period of silence as they continued down Glasswater before Lucy spoke up looking at the trees saying,

"They're so still."

"They're trees, what do you expect?" Trumpkin asked so that Jessie replied,

"They used to dance."

"It wasn't long after you left that the Telmarines invaded. Those that survived retreated into the woods and the trees have retreated so deeply into themselves that no one has heard from them since."