A/N: Hi! This is Val here bringing another cahpter of this story!
I wanted to give you some background for this story. In my mind this story happens several years (both in Earth and Narnian years) after the Silver Chair. It is born of my refusal to the last book of the saga. Don´t get me wrong, I loved it, but it was just so much more I would have wanted the Pevensies to developed in their characters. Throughout this story I will be giving more details about who they are now. I'll give you a hint, they are no longer school children (from 19 to 25), they are making their way in the world.
As always please read & review! I'm also posting this story on Wattpad (the chapters are a little late there!) but you can see the aesthetic of the story! ( my. /FpP5QjwWb9)
NOT C.S. Lewis! All rights to him!
Chapter 3: "Getting in the mood"
As we left Susan and Lucy alone we started walking towards another tent in the middle of the camp. It was the armory.
"Take what you need your majesties; and King Peter as soon as we get to Cair Paravel I'll give your sword and shield back" he said turning back to Peter.
"Thank you" he said smiling.
I started walking around the tent taking some weapons in my hands and proving them giving some twists and stabs. All memories of old battles flowed into my mind and I started feeling that old self confidence I used to have. I loved it.
There were lots of weapons, bludgeons, sharp daggers and swords, scary battle-axes, arrows and bows, and shields capable to bear a minotaur's launch.
Sword fighting was one of my favorites pastimes. I used to participate in competitions of every nations and I've never lost one.
Finally I decided to go for a plain, long and sharp sword, its handle with silver details, also a dagger, sharp and curved.
"No shield?" asked me Peter raising an eyebrow.
"Nop" I said grabbing a belt to put my new acquisition.
"You might need it"told me King Erasmus worriedly.
I only use shields in a very needy case. They don't let me move fast enough.
"Maybe"I simply said.
"Do not underestimate your abilities Edmund, it's been a long time since we've done this" pointed out Peter with a worried face.
"Don´t worry Pete" I said patting his shoulder. He just shook his head.
Peter chose a plain sword, similar to mine, but with it's a handle in gold, and a silver shield with a lion on it.
"Well, are we ready?" asked King Erasmus. We nodded our heads and he said: "Let's go then"
We got out of the tent and King Erasmus left us to change in privacy saying he would meet us in twenty minutes for a formal presentation.
We went behind the tent, where the forest started and where we sure would have a little privacy.
"What do you think?" asked me Peter while tossing his shirt on the floor and putting on a white shirt.
"About what?" I said tossing my own sweater and shirt to the floor.
"About this, about why are we here, about those Stoll." he said impatiently.
"Oh, I don't know" I said. I really didn't know what to think. "All this is weird"
"Why?"
"First of all" I said sitting on a rock and putting on some black leather boots "Aslan said we wouldn't come back, but then that forest appears and we are thrown back here again"
"And second?"
"The Stoll's. I mean, if they are the help, it all resumes to the first question. "Why are we here?" " I said putting emphasis in the word we.
Peter stand there with a boot on his hand letting what I've said sunk on his brain. Finally he proceeded on putting on his boot and saying: "I want to meet them. The Stoll's" he clarified.
I shrugged and then gathering all our clothes we went to meet King Erasmus.
He was standing in the bonfire next to Susan and Lucy, who were wearing a little too big clothes. When he saw us he waved his hand. We reached him and he cleared his throat.
"Warriors! Come on! Please come on now! "he shouted to all the narnians in the camp. Slowly the bonfire was full of creatures and humans looking expectantly to their king. "Are we all here? Alright. Today we received a special visit, and although all of you know about it, I think it deserves a formal greeting. Fellow narnians please welcome back to High King Peter The Magnificent," the crowd burst out in applause and shouts, and Peter smile brightly "Queen Susan The Gentle," the same was for her and Susan's face light up with a huge smile. «Okay here we go», I thought to myself "King Edmund The Just," I took a deep breath while the crowd burst out in applause and shouts, suddenly my heart had warmed up in the same way it did when I heard Aslan's name and I couldn't help the huge smile it plastered on my face "and Queen Lucy The Valiant!" he said and the crowd did the same for Lucy as she smile broadly.
"Long live High King Peter! Long live Queen Susan! Long live King Edmund! Long live Queen Lucy!" the crowd shouted and we all laughed full of emotion.
"Very good! Calm down please! Calm down!" said King Erasmus laughing and trying to get the crowd of enthusiasts narnians to quite down. "Good. Now, we'll have a peaceful dinner and we'll get ready 'cause tomorrow at dawn we are leaving to arrive at nightfall to Cair Paravel, carrying with us the victory of our battle with the giants of Ettinsmoor!" and the crowd burst out again.
As the King said we had a peaceful dinner, listening to the warriors stories. After it the fauns played some melodies that made a few dance around the bonfire.
I sat there, next to the warm bonfire seeing Lucy and Susan dancing with the fauns, and laughing hard when a few dryads started pulling Peter up to dance with them. Of course Peter, being the great gentleman he was, couldn't refused to their pleas and I ended up carrying him (with a big bump, earned when the dryad he was dancing with, apparently felt offended, turned into an oak tree and hit him with a brunch on his head.) to a hammock before the first melody had even finished.
"Ed"
…
"Ed" I felt someone shook my shoulder gently "come on, get up" I ignored the voice and turned around in my hammock "Edmund. Get. Up" the voice said irritably.
"Guaat?" I said incoherently.
"GET UP!" the voice shouted in my ear making me jump from my hammock and stumble to the hard floor.
"I'M UP I'M UP!" I shouted back to annoying Lucy.
"GOOD! Now get ready we are living in twenty minutes!" with that and a laugh she left.
I looked around me and saw some creatures and humans dismounting the tents slowly and tiredly. Other ones were preparing the horses, packing their personal stuff, getting up the lazy ones splashing water in their faces, (I shivered thanking Aslan, Lucy hadn't adopted that measure with me, yet.) and two fauns throwing some dirt in the bonfire.
Fifteen minutes later the whole camp had been dismounted and we were heading to Cair Paravel mounting beautiful horses. Mine was a black, friendly talking-horse called Mila.
We did a few stops so the ones going on foot and the horses could rest, and to drink and eat. The entire journey back to Cair Paravel, the army went giving shouts and singing songs of victory.
During the journey the King told us about what had happened since the last time we were here or, actually, the last time Eustace and that girl, Jill, were here two years ago in Earth years.
He told us King Rilian had died like one-hundred-and-twenty years ago and that he was his fifth descendant. He had a wife, Queen Calantha, a beautiful half-nymph.
Finally, when the sun was starting to descend and the sky had tints of red, orange and pink, the waves of the sea could be heard and the salty water could be smelt, soon Cair Paravel's rampart could be seen. Slowly we passed the entrance, where a few centaurs were on guard, and made our way to the big door that led to the inside of Cair Paravel.
As we dismounted our horses in middle of all the chaos into what had been transformed the entrance of Cair Paravel, people, nymphs, dryads, fauns, dwarfs and centaurs, that were in the gardens or inside the palace, came running to our encounter.
My head was starting to ache from all this chaos, but their happiness was so contagious that it was impossible not to smile or to start shouting and singing with the army.
"Erasmus!" I heard a woman yell in middle of the multitude and I turned to see her. She was a beautiful woman, probably on her thirties, long blonde wavy hair and tanned skin, there was something exotic on her features. I immediately knew it was King Erasmus' wife. "Erasmus!" yell the woman again,
I looked at the king but he was too busy congratulating his men for making it to home safe, that he didn't notice it. So I tapped his shoulder with a small smile and when he turned to me I said signaling to the woman:
"Your Majesty, I think someone is looking for you" He stared at me in confusion and then looked over my shoulder to who I was signaling. Instantly his tired face light up with a huge smile and went running to his wife. I turned around and localizing Lucy, I went to her.
But as I was about to reach her something fell on top of me and knocked me down to the floor.
"Wha…" I started saying but the words stuck on my throat as I horrified saw what had knock me down.
It was a faun with an arrow thrust in his armpit, where the armor couldn't cover.
...
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