тwιlιgнт

NINE

edmund finally gathered the courage, as they were approaching land, to ask a question that had been on their minds since learning of the telmarines conquest of narnia.

"what about the fae? surely they wouldn't have allowed the telmarines to take over narnia so easily. they would've fought against it," he says, desperation lacing his tone as a deep sadness fills the children. they couldn't imagine what might've happened to their friends, wondering if they were still even alive after all of what the telmarines had done.

trumpkin observes the four, a depressing look in his eyes, before he sighs. "the fae were one of the last to stand against the telmarines. it was only after a large chunk of their people had been captured and killed, and one of their royals was murdered brutally, did they retreat into the woods, and no one's heard a word of them since. no one knows what happened to them, either if they've long died out or are just in hiding."

there was silence among them after he said that, the siblings worried that it might've been aster or keeva who was killed, and lucy went to try and talk to a lone bear, only for trumpkin to being to panic.

"don't move, your majesty."

the bear charges at the girl, surprising the kings and queens as it tries to attack.

"stay away from her!" susan shouts in command, aiming an arrow at the bear, but she hesitated.

the bear was shot down by an arrow coming from a whole other direction, surprising even trumpkin who had notched an arrow and aimed it as well.

all of them turned to face the woods, where the stray arrow had come from, and their eyes widen upon seeing a figure emerge from the line of trees and approach lucy and the now-dead form of the bear.

it was a young looking woman with dark purple hair and gentle looking facial features, but they were twisted into a dark expression as she observed the bear before turning to eye lucy. she stretches out a hand, the little girl taking it and allowing her to help her up.

"why wouldn't he stop?" susan questions the dwarf, eyeing the woman that was now kneeling next to the bear as lucy observed her.

"i suspect he was hungry."

the four of them approach the other two, and peter was quick to pull lucy behind him and point his sword at the purple haired woman.

"who are you?" he questions, earning a sarcastic snort from her.

"not even a 'thank you' for saving the girl? how polite of you," she retorts, eyeing trumpkin as he pokes the dead body of the bear.

"thank you," lucy states gratefully, smiling thankfully at the woman before frowning again.

"he was wild."

"i don't think he could talk at all."

trumpkin was somber as he stared at the bear, him and the woman both mournful thinking of the events that had led up to animals going wild. "get treated like a dumb animal long enough, that's what you become. you may find narnia a more savage place than you remember." trumpkin readied his knife and began to skin the bear, making lucy turn away while sobbing.

once the dwarf was done with his task, he turned and readied his bow at the woman that had remained silent.

"who are you?" he demands, a dark glint in his eyes, but he was cut off by a gasp from edmund.

"you're fae."

all eyes immediately shoot to the pointed ear poking out of her unnaturally colored hair, and the woman scoffs. she shifts her head, making her hair fall around her face and cover her ears once more.

"what of it?"

"i thought the fae were..." trumpkin murmurs, awe etching across his face once realizing that she really was what edmund said. he lowered his bow, not exactly knowing how to react, but another scoff left the woman.

"i assure you, my people are far from dead. we merely made the telmarines believe it, and they haven't tried looking for us since."

a hopeful look forms on the pevensie siblings' faces, and they exchange looks before peter lowers his own sword a gives her a pleading look.

"what happened to princess keeva and prince aster?"

the fae tenses, but she notices the worried and almost desperate looks on their faces before sighing.

"the prince and princess are still alive. after one of their own was murdered so brutally, they were forced into hiding, being more highly guarded than any others. they wanted to fight the telmarines on their own, but my people and their protectors forced them to back down and retreat. we didn't want to lose anymore of our royalty."

the pevensie's let out sighs of utter relief, glad that at least some of their friends were still alive.

"i'm syvis," the woman states, bowing slightly at the four. "i was sent out by my people to find out who blew the horn and what might've come from it. it seems that the legends were true, though, considering the four of you are here."

"it's a pleasure to meet you, syvis. thank you for saving lucy," susan greets with a kind smile, and the purple haired fae nods.

"we must go. i'm sure the others would be overjoyed to know you four are back."

•••

"i don't remember this way," susan states as the group of six hurry along the maze-like stone and wood area.

"that's the problem with girls. you can't carry a map in your heads," peter retorts, smug, but he was cut off when syvis whacked him upside the head. he shot her a glare, only to wither at the scowl she was directing at him.

"that's because our heads have something in them."

lucy amusedly comments, "i wish he'd just listen to the d.l.f. in the first place."

"d.l.f?" trumpkin questions, unaware of what it meant, and the fae has to suppress a smile at his expression after he was answered.

"dear little friend."

"oh, that's not at all patronizing, is it?"

"not at all, my dear little friend." he shoots syvis a scathing glare, shoving her when she grins at him in delighted humor.

peter came to a stop at a crossroads, his brow furrowed and frustration clear on his face as he glared at the multiple paths ahead of him.

"i'm not lost."

"no. you're just going the wrong way," trumpkin announces, and peter turns to face the two narnians with a light scowl on his face.

"you last saw caspian at the shuddering woods, and the quickest way there is to cross at the river rush."

"but unless i'm mistaken, there's no crossing in these parts." syvis narrows her eyes at the high king as she and trumpkin both realize the boy was arrogant, the two of them tilting their heads in slight irritation at him.

"that explains it, then. you're mistaken."

trumpkin grits his teeth, only calming slightly when the fae puts her hand on his shoulder in understanding.

"how awfully arrogant of you, high king peter."

the sniping words catch the attention of all four siblings, the younger three tensing in concern as peter snaps around to face her.

"what did you just say to me?"

but syvis just scoffs, moving past him and down the path he'd already been heading.