Ephemeral (Peter pevensie x oc)

17. The Last Battle

It seemed the whole world had turned to chaos in the three seconds that passed after Miraz had shouted those words.

I looked hopelessly into his eyes and caught myself feeling a small sense of betrayal.

I knew the man my father was, but something in me still wanted to hope he had any good left.

His eyes carried only anger, channeled at us as if I didn't see him planting the arrow deep into Glozelle.

There wasn't a trace of regret or sadness in his eyes, I saw clear as day. So I shifted my gaze towards Susan standing on top the ruins, finding her already looking back at me.

We both knew that she had not shot an arrow, in fact it was still firmly on her wooden bow. I saw the red glint of the back of the arrow against her cheek, and then looked back to Glozelle's lifeless body, an arrow sticking out of his chest, carrying the same look.

At once, war cries erupted from the Telmarine side as the front formations charged.

The Narnians were left no choice but to charge as well, the archers on the wall doing their best to take down the closest soldiers.

I saw Miraz retreating, scurrying back to his army while they readied catapults.

"Look out!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as the huge stones flew across the sky towards us.

By throwing myself on the grass a few feet away, one of the stones shot past me. I felt the wind from it passing by, and caught myself in thanking Aslan that it didn't hit me.

All this talk about these past months had really gotten to my head.

Suddenly I had believed in these stupid fairy tales about an ancient force. The false hope would save no one today.

I took only a second to catch my breath before standing up again and continuing forward.

But I didn't get far before the ground beneath me rumbled, and I heard a familiar voice call out my name.

"Get back!" Peter shouted, waving his arm behind him.

I noticed Caspian's absence, the two Pevensie brothers standing next to each other facing the great line of Telmarine troops, and the archers lining up their bows.

I made a run for it, feeling the ground slipping away under me, and then threw myself onto the grass in front of me.

When I looked back, a huge pit of the ground had collapsed and the green-dressed soldiers lay on the ground, impaled by arrows from our archers.

I looked to Peter again, and he charged with Edmund, taking down enemies left and right, so I stood up and did the same.

My sword clanged with others, my feet kicked their feet, making them fall so that I could finish them.

I convinced myself not to think about their lives, if they had a family who wished to greet them afterwards or perhaps a lover they wanted to be with this very moment.

I could not be weak, I could not retreat, surrender or change my mind. Not when thousands of innocent lives were at stake.

As I charged to swing my sword down upon another soldier, someone grabbed my shoulder and yanked me backwards.

I fell flat on my back and the air escaped my lungs. Two Telmarines stood over me with their swords, ready to end my life.

Before they had the chance, I kicked at their knees, making them fall over in pain and I grabbed a dagger from the strap on my thigh.

I crawled towards the nearest one, but suddenly he kicked at my face, sending me backwards yet again.

My nose ached as warm blood ran down across my lips to my chin. It seeped between my lips and I spit it out quickly before making way over to the guy again.

This time, he didn't see me coming as he scrambled to get up, and I dragged him to the ground where I slit his throat.

The second soldier had disappeared, but I paid no mind. I wiped away the blood with the back of my hand and spat once more.

As I reached for my sword I found it missing. I had dropped it somewhere, but with all of the bodies and the damaged ground around me I could not see it.

I was temporarily left with my three daggers, the one in my left hand and the two still strapped tightly to my thigh.

"Chloe!" I looked behind me and saw the pretty blonde boy my heart ached for running to me.

"Peter!" I ran into his arms, embracing him tightly as if it was the last time I would ever do so, and he hugged me back just as tight.

"I saw you barely make it out of the pit, and oh my god if..." he choked on his own words. His eyes were glossy and I spotted a tear escaping as he pulled away.

I tried to shush him, not wanting to hear the words he muttered but he kept talking.

"I kept thinking, what if the arrows had hit you and I just had to tell you that I-"

"No," I cut him off. I knew what he was going to say.

My hand reached up to face, gently holding his cheek. He leaned into the touch and closed his eyes.

"I'm all right." I smiled at him.

"You can tell me after."

I was not sure if there was going to be an after. I did not know if one us would die on the battlefield, but I had hope.

I had hope that we would fin each other, he would once again tell me he loved me, and we would spend the rest of our lives together, peacefully.

So when I picked up a sword among the hundred bodies on the ground, those thoughts and that hope kept me going. They worked as a shield, forcing me to continue taking down people no matter how hard my muscles ached and no matter how much I wanted to sit down.

I separated from Peter and worked my way through countless men, earning a cut here and a scratch there, but nothing to dangerous.

I had just thrown my dagger at a man, leaving me with only one left when another came at me.

As quick as I could, I plunged my sword deep into his stomach where a tiny slit between his armor made for a deathly entrance.

He fell to the ground and I looked around to check for anyone else attacking me. Then, when I was just about to drag the sword out of him, I gasped from pain.

~~~