Blue Blood || Caspian X

Chapter 5- Attack

  Instantly, Harvey seemed to understand James' disposition to violence. He fought, but only for certain causes. "That's why you refuse to fight Jimmy McTavish all of the time."

  "And why you look like you've been mauled." Alfie shrugged.

  "I almost was, once." The memory was still vivid in James' mind. It was his first real encounter with destiny. "I killed three wolves that day."

  The younger of the Gallaghers was immediately enthralled by the idea of violence. "Which scars did you get?" James gestured to a thick, jagged piece of skin at the bottom of his left cheek, and a similar one at the base of his neck. They were shallow, he remembered, but hurt like hellfire. "That's so cool."

  "Careful." Warned Harvey.

  "It's alright." Said the eldest King. "They don't bother me like they used to."

     Whilst on their boat journey, Alfie questioned James on everything he could. It seemed, however, it all circulated around the scars littering his body. Every little white line to the greatest, thick, ugly parts of his skin that stretched over spaces too small. The Gallagher boy kept being told by his brother not to be a nuisance, even when they put the boat to shore.

    Trumpkin used the anchor, which James thought to look much like a hammer, to make sure the boat stayed still. Edmund, Peter and Susan helped pull in the wooden raft, whilst James was given the harder task. Helping Harvey and Alfie out of the boat, on his own.

    It wasn't the meanest feat James had to tackle, so didn't mind it really. Alfie jumped into the water, the bottoms of his brown trousers wetting, and running up his leg. Though, the smile on his face was enough to show how much he didn't care. This was fun, for him, at least. Harvey, however, took a while getting his sea legs. He wobbled as he tried to set foot out of the bottom of the boat, and James smiled.

     Harvey was much like James when he first arrived in Narnia. The comparison was welcome.

     It was whilst this happened that Lucy wandered off. They wouldn't have noticed until it was too late if she hadn't spoken.

  "Hello, there." It was when she said this that James' head snapped her way. There, only a few hundred feet away, was a large grizzly bear on its hind legs. "It's alright." The youngest smiled towards it, edging closer. "We're friends."

  "Lucy..." James warned, standing straight, on guard. Something felt off. The animals didn't used to act this way.

  "Don't move, your Majesty!" Trumpkin called out, and when those words were said, the bear pounded towards her. Lucy began to run, despite the warning. She was terrified: they all were.

  With a commanding voice, and arrow ready to fire, Susan stated. "Stay away from her!"

  As she did, James dropped all of his weapons. "Don't move, Lou." He said, body contorting until he was no longer human. His icy eyes were the only notification to the animal that there would be a fight.

    Within seconds, James leaped upon the bear. His panther form was strong, but so was this bear. They clawed at one another, growls galore as they hissed and hurt. James felt himself being pushed to the ground, a large paw on his throat, yelping like a kitten.

  "Shoot! Susan, shoot!" Edmund called out, panicked.

  "It's too close." She fretted. "I could hit James."

  "Trumpkin?" Questioned Peter.

  "I'm sorry, your majesty."

     All eyes were on the event as James was fighting for his life. The paw on his throat was restricting air as the King attempted at claw it away. Then, it stopped.

    The bear fell to the ground with a cry, and James transformed back into human form. A purple bruise surrounded his neck, small cuts over his pale skin.

    Their eyes all snapped to where the arrow came from. Susan's arms were down, and Trumpkin wasn't near his. However, an arrow was fired, with blue feathers. They were James', and Harvey Gallagher was the one holding the bow.

    Harvey Gallagher had saved James Pevensie.

     "Why didn't he stop?" Susan asked as she walked over to her brother and sister.

  "I suspect he was hungry." Trumpkin released a knife from his belt.

  Peter helped Lucy, holding out his sword as she clung to his side. However, James was coughing as he gasped for breath. Edmund rubbed his back, aiding him, before giving him a shoulder to lean on. "Don't scare me like that." The younger warned.

  "Sorry." James gasped. "Just- just couldn't let, couldn't let Lou get hurt."

  "Thanks." Smiled Lucy, in response.

  "It's alright."

  "He was wild?" Edmund wondered as he was handed James' weapons by Alfie, and helped put them into the correct holders.

  Peter tilted his head, confused. "I don't think he could talk at all."

  "You- you don't say?" James widened his eyes in a sarcastic way, using the back of his hand to wipe away some blood from his cheek. Another scar.

  "Get treated like a dumb animal longe enough, that's what you become." Trumpkin stated, solemnly. "You May find Narnia a more savage place than you remember." From then, the dwarf began to skin the bear. Although James wasn't sure if the meat would be any good, survival was key.

    "Since when could you do that?" Alfie almost hissed at his brother, confused.

  "I don't know." Panicked Harvey, pushing back his dark, curled hair. "I had to do something."

  "You could've hit James." Peter shook his head.

  "But he didn't," The eldest King smiled sweetly towards his best friend. "He saved me when no one else was able to."

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Disclaimer!!!!
I don't own anything to do with the Narnia book series or film trilogy. These predominantly belong to C.S. Lewis. However, I do own James Pevensie, Alfie and Harvey Gallagher, and their respective alterations to the storyline.