The High Queen Book Two

Chapter 7 - War Plans

Third-Person POV

The four Pevensie siblings, Tilly and Caspian, stand in a line approaching the magnificent place. Lucy and Edmund are at the end, with Susan and Peter and Tilly and Caspian in the middle. The entrance to the How sloped downwards, giving it more protection above and underground. The centaurs lined the way as the group reached the entrance, drawing their swords and holding them steady before the royals. The centaurs shift their sword together to make an archway for the Kings and Queens of Old. Even with the tension between the five, they seem to fall back into old habits, moving into a V shape with Tilly in the centre, the youngest on the outer and the eldest two beside the High Queen. Three of the four siblings wait for Tilly to move as she quickly looks back at Caspian with a sad smile knowing this will annoy the Prince, but Peter begins to walk, making the other move as well, luckily Tilly catches this and takes her place in front of Peter, trying to make it clear to the boy he's on thin ice but something tells the girl it's going to take a lot more than stepping in front of him to get through his thick skull.

Once inside the depth of the How they find the rest of the Narnians all preparing for war. Making everything from swords and cannon balls to shields and chainmail. Whatever you would need for war, they were readying it.

"It may not be what you are used to, but it is defendable," Caspian says defensively to Peter, letting Tilly know, while the other three walk ahead with the rest of the group.

"Peter, Tilly. You may want to see this." Susan calls out to the two making them frown at each other but move over to his siblings. As they slowly make their way down the stone tunnel, they start to see pictures carved into the wall of their lives. Running her hand over the image of her and Edmund in the garden when he proposed. Beside that was an etching of the two of them with their baby.

"Darling," Ed rests his hand on her shoulder. "Were you pregnant when we left?" He asks, praying for both answers honestly. He wished for nothing more than to be the father of her kids, but at the same time, he couldn't bare the thought she went through the pain of losing their child alone.

"Yes," Tilly mumbled, her lip quivering as the others listened. "I was pregnant with our child when in Narnia, but when we ended up back in London, I wasn't anymore." Tilly sniffles turning around to face her family. "I planned to tell you the night we left, and we could tell the other after the wedding, but once I realised I'd lost it, I couldn't bare telling you something I knew would break you." She glances up into Edmund's chestnut eyes, she loves dearly.

"My Darling, all I care about is that you're okay. It pains me you were alone,"

"I wasn't. I told Lu and Susan after a while of being home." She shakes her head, looking at the two boys wondering why she didn't tell them. "Being back in my 14-year-old body and not my 29-year-old body, it felt weird to tell my boyfriend's brother I wasn't pregnant with his brother's child anymore." She says, clearly rambling, but Peter steps forward, resting his hands on his shoulder brings her into his chest for a hug.

"You're right. I really don't need or want to know about my brother's sex life, but you're more than his girlfriend, you're family, and we care for each other."

"Thanks, Pete," Tilly says, whipping her tears and turning back to Edmund, who takes her into his arms, pressing soft kisses to the base of her neck as the other conversation continues.

"The carvings...it's us," Susan mutters as everyone studies to drawings carefully, seeing their lives since coming to Narnia until they left before them.

"What is this place?" Lucy question the Prince, who looks confusedly between the five.

"You don't know?" He asks but gets looks of confusion, so he grabs a flame torch leading the way down the dark depths of the How.