Chapter Eighteen~
Peter doesn't listen to her however as he continues to turn the wheel of the gate to open it and seeing him being stubborn goes to help him as he shouts to Susan and Prince Caspian,
"Help me!" so that reluctantly they do as Jessie says to him,
"Just who exactly are you doing this for Peter?" he doesn't even look at her so that once they finish getting the gate up Narnians charge past them in full readiness so that the four ready themselves as Peter cries,
"For Narnia!" and they enter the fray of battle. As they fight Jessie sees a Telmarine with a crossbow aimed at Peter so that she pushes him out of the way as up top Edmund knocks the soldier over. As Peter and a satyr along with Jessie fight their way up towards Miraz's balcony where he stands watching with his Captain of the Guard watching, someone kills the satyr so that Jessie watches him fall to the courtyard below. In a rage she reaches the balcony only to be grabbed by Miraz by her hair so that she shrieks.
"What a prize you shall be!" Miraz snarls into her face yet she spits into his own face causing him to drop her, all the way towards the courtyard below! Letting out a scream of fright, Jessie watches the ground come closer to her until a griffin catches her on his back and swoops so that it drops her next to Prince Caspian. Gasping for air, Jessie spies Peter coming towards her as she hears Miraz shout,
"Get the gate closed!" then turns to see the Minotaur trying to keep it open by his shoulders! Suddenly everything turns to slow motion around her as she watches Narnians starting to be pushed back while she hears Peter finally cry,
"Fall back! Retreat!" Glennstorm manages to get Susan onto his back as Jessie is helped onto another centaur before she cries out,
"Caspian!" so that Peter says,
"I'll find him!" yet as he goes to search Prince Caspian and his tutor emerge from the stables on horseback with an extra horse which Peter swings onto. The three barely make it out before the poor Minotaur collapses by the weight of the gate trapping so many Narnians still inside the courtyard—doomed. As Peter looks back hesitating Jessie too looks back with tears in her eyes and cries out an old Narnian prayer,
"May the Stars guide you to Aslan's Country, and may we see each other Again!" hoping her words give the Narnians some peace before they meet their fate, Jessie and Peter are forced to leave them behind as Jessie silently cries for them. It's morning when the army reaches the How again in less numbers than when they left the night before and as Peter and Prince Caspian walk ahead of them Lucy appears asking,
"What happened?" so that Peter snarls,
"Ask him." indicating Prince Caspian who wonders,
"Me? You still could have called it off, there was still time."
"No there wasn't thanks to you, if you had kept to the plan those soldiers might be alive right now." Peter tells him staring him down as Prince Caspian stares right on back telling him,
"And if you had stayed here like I suggested they diffidently would be!" only Peter snaps,
"You called us remember!" so that Prince Caspian starts to walk away growling out,
"My first mistake." so that Peter challenges him with,
"No, your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people!" only that makes Prince Caspian turn around and shout,
"Hey I'm not the one who abandoned Narnia!" yet Peter only shouts back louder pointing a finger at him,
"You invaded Narnia, you have no more right to it than Miraz does! You, him, your father—Narnia is better off without the lot of you!" so that finally Prince Caspian has had enough and shouting draws out his sword and they aim it at each other but Susan shouts at them,
"Stop it!" as Glennstorm carries an injured Jessie on his back and gently helps her off his back. Apparently during her scrape with Miraz he had pulled a knife on her and dug it into her side and now she was heavily bleeding, having lost much blood during the night. Woozy, Jessie nearly toppled over on the ground had it not been for the help of Susan who helped ease her onto her back on the ground. It was Lucy with her healing cordial who ran over to her and knelt down next to her as Peter and Prince Caspian both forgot their anger spat to make sure she was alright. Uncorking her cordial, Lucy put a drop of the liquid into Jessie's mouth and they all waited with baited breath for her to say something. Even Reepicheep, Trumpkin and Trufflehunter stood around silently. Finally after three minutes or so Jessie opened her eyes weakly and looked around before saying,
"We got to get ready for another fight."
"You're not doing anything Jessie until you've healed up." Peter said tenderly kneeling down right next to Lucy and taking a hand of hers gave it a squeeze. Smiling at him, Jessie coughed before Susan and Edmund both helped her to stand. With Susan on her injured side and Edmund on the other, the two of them helped her into the How with Glennstorm saying he'd go fetch some healing herbs from the forest aided by a few other centaurs for protection. Once in the How, Jessie was helped to lie down near the Stone Table room where Lucy stayed with her as Peter and Prince Caspian went their separate ways. Glennstorm arrived back quickly with a few herbal plants to help the wound mend and wrapping the wound with care, the centaur taking extra care before leaving her to rest. Lucy stayed with her the entire time asking what had happened only Jessie wouldn't go into detail—she didn't want Lucy to know. At some point they heard a commotion going on in the Stone Table room and both turned towards the sounds and Jessie, being the Bravehearted, stood despite her wound.
"Jessie!" Lucy tried to say only she even with her wrapped bandaged side took up her sword and went towards the sound of fighting so that Lucy followed. As they enter they see a fight going on, between a Hag, Werewolf and Nikabrik the dwarf who were fighting Peter, Prince Caspian and Edmund! Instantly Jessie started into the fray to help Peter as Lucy joined only she was caught by Nikabrik and thrown to the floor. Jessie mean while attacked the Werewolf who swung at her only she, even injured moved with graceful accuracy and managed to kill the beast. Seeing Lucy down, Jessie went to help her only to spy Trumpkin kill the other dwarf and knowing Lucy was safe, turned to see ice covering where Aslan had been and the White Witch calling to Peter! Storming over, Jessie pushed him out of the way so that the White Witch cooed,
"Ah, my favorite little Queen."
"Go back to the Dark Place you came from!" Jessie snarled with eyes flashing dangerously so that in that moment the ice shattered and standing behind it was Edmund with his sword which he had used to break the ice. As she smiles at Edmund to thank him, she turns to both Peter and Prince Caspian and exhaling gives them a disappointed look as Susan arrives to share the same exact expression. Going over to Lucy and brushing past the two, Jessie helps Lucy and Trumpkin out of the room leaving Peter, Prince Caspian and Edmund who quickly leaves also. As Jessie, Lucy and Trumpkin walk through the How Trumpkin asks Jessie how her wound is doing so that she checks it to see it's healed up leaving her with a small scar. Smiling she thanks him before he bows his head and wanders off leaving the two girls be.
"I'm glad you're ok Jessie." Lucy says as she replies,
"So am I Lu, so am I." Lucy turns to look behind them and seeing Prince Caspian coming tells Jessie,
"I'm going to find Peter." then heads off so that Prince Caspian comes over asking Jessie,
"Are you alright?" smiling, Jessie tells him,
"Well, I have a scar to show for it." making him bow his head as he told her,
"I should have been there to stop him."
"Caspian, you can't protect me from every bad thing you know. Even Peter couldn't do that in the Golden Age." looking up at her, Prince Caspian smiled at bit before saying,
"Your name rings true, you really are the 'Bravehearted Queen'." feeling her face flush with color, Jessie was about to say something when Susan called to them so they followed her outside and onto a ledge to see—Miraz's army approaching! Rows and rows of soldiers and war machines at the ready along with Miraz in golden armor leading the charge. Exchanging glances, the group head back inside to talk strategy and its Peter who says his plan—to have Lucy go find Aslan.
"Cakes and kettledrums! That's your next big plan? Sending a little girl alone into the darkest parts of the forest alone?!" Trumpkin says in wonder since he had grown attached to Lucy as Peter tells him,
"It's our only chance." as Jessie adds,
"And she won't be alone." putting a hand on her shoulder so that she noticed Prince Caspian's eyes widen in worry. But she wasn't afraid, in fact—she was more determined than ever.