The High Queen Book Two

Chapter 7 - War Plans

The five confused royals follow the Prince into a dark room that echoes with each step they take, letting them know the room is large. Caspian leans over to the side, dipping his torch into a stone drum, lighting up the room slowly. The flame licked around the room, illuminating the carvings on the walls until the whole room was warm and bright with the fire, finally revealing its origins. Before the five royals, the cracked Stone Table from when Aslan woke from his death-like sleep, Tilly plunged him into for Edmund. Lucy steps forward, reaching out and placing her hand on the rough stone before turning back to her family.

"He must know what he's doing." She justifies, to which Tilly nods.

"Of course he does, Lu." She takes her head, moving next to the girl, sighing at the contact of the table. "I killed him on this table because he asked me to. No one who's that selfless would leave his people alone in a dark time." Tilly mumbles to herself, but Lucy hears her and the sorrow in her voice. It's clear to the youngest that their time back in London hit Tilly the hardest.

"I think it's up to us now." Peter chimes in, taking Tilly off guard. She whips her head to face the eldest of them, frowning at him.

"Peter-"

"I don't want to hear it, okay. He's not here, but I am."

"We're here. All of us." Tilly snaps, her jaw tightening. "This is about more than an ego boost; this is about saving our people. And with Caspian's knowledge of the Telmarines and the Narnian's knowledge of the land, we have a fighting chance, but if you try to make this about yourself, countless people are going to die." She shakes her head, "and that's not who we are." Tilly says sadly, walking out of the stone room toward the rooms where the six royals would be staying.

The early morning fog lays low to the ground in the early morning, making the tree line nearly invisible for the scout to watch. The faun on watch glances over the foggy land waiting for something to catch his eye, but nothing so far. As his eyes scan past a fallen tree branch, he moves past it but doubles back, squinting to see clearer. Hiding behind the branch, on the edge of the tree line, a Telmarine soldier sat on his horse watching the How for reconnaissance on the Narnians. The faun watches as the guard turns tail and gallops back into the trees before dashing back into the depths of the How, where the others were gathering for a meeting regarding their next move.

"It's only a matter of time," Peter speaks to the crowd. "Miraz's men and war machines are on their way." Peter and Caspian are in the centre of the room, with Tilly behind both boys leaning against the Stone Table and Lucy sitting on it. Edmund and Susan were in front of them to the side of the walls. While the rest of the room listens to the High King, Caspian shakes his head, knowing where he's going. Even though there were nearly a thousand of them, the Telmarines outnumbered them eight to one. "That means those same men aren't protecting his castle."

"What is it you propose we do, your majesty?" Reepicheep asks Peter, but Caspian also goes to answer. Both boys glare at each other until Caspian bows out, knowing Peter has authority.

"Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us."

"But that's crazy. No one has ever taken that castle." Caspian tries to reason with the High King.

"I think-" Tilly tries to join in, but Peter keeps going waving his hand in her direction to make her shut up.

"There's always a first."

"We'll have an element of surprise." Trumpkin adds, standing on Peter's side.

"But we have the advantage here!" Caspian snaps, knowing it's a suicide mission to attack the castle. Tilly carefully watches how panicked the Prince is and knows he's not just saying this to piss off Peter. He honestly thinks they'll die if they go.