The Call (Lucy/Caspian)

Chapter 21

Peter and Edmund stopped their horses beside Caspian, and Lucy followed directly behind. Although Caspian's frame was broad and muscular, it did not keep her from seeing what could have possibly been her worst nightmare.
      It was a bloodbath. Everyone sat frozen at the edge of the forest gazing upon the thousands of carcasses scattered across the blood stained grassy hills. They watched in horror as Vartan's army slaughtered Narnian after Narnian, hoping it was merely a dream.
   There were no reinforcements. Maybe they had not arrived yet?
   Caspian could only see his native red and green armor shining in the sun and  Vartan's black and white armor. It shocked him that his own army, merely a total of five thousand, had stood against an army of more than twelve thousand soldiers. For hours. But there were so many wounded. Vartan's army now outnumbered them one Narnian for every six of his. Caspian watched in complete terror as two centaurs were slaughtered by at least twenty men and it was beyond heartbreaking to see so many loyal Narnians fall.
     They were still holding their ground, but if they did not receive any reinforcements soon, they would not be able to hold their ground.
Edmund was the first to react out of everyone. He turned his head and looked directly at Caspian. "Are we just going to sit here, or are we actually going to do something?" He asked, trying to sound sarcastic, but the light did not quite reach his eyes.
    Caspian looked to the glistening Eastern Ocean and asked quietly. "Are you with me?"
"To the death." The eldest Pevensie answered without hesitation as memories flooded through his mind of his very first battle.
    Caspian turned and looked at the rest of his brigade, expecting every face to be downcast and fearful of what was about to occur. Instead, every pair of eyes were staring at him intently waiting for his command. An overwhelming feeling of gratitude landed on Caspian then, as each Narnian mentally offered him their life, their very fate, for king and country. He knew he could not guarantee they would live through this day, and he knew that they all were most likely to perish, but he knew they were doing this because they believed in a free Narnia. However, he knew the biggest reason they decided to give their lives. For Aslan. The King of the Whole Wood. The Author and Protector of Narnia, and the greatest friend any of them had ever known. Even if he did not save them from their death, they had faith in him.
"Caspian." Lucy called gently from behind Caspian. He looked over his shoulder.
"Aslan has done far too much for Narnia. We cannot fail to act in the end. What a waste that would be." Lucy reminded him. "Please no not lose hope." She added quietly.
"You've never lost your faith have you?" He found himself asking in complete wonder.
"How could I, when 'Aslan is on the move?' " She whispered with a smirk and gave Peter and Edmund a brief nod. After receiving her signal, they immediately turned their heads immediately to the valley below and threw their swords in salute.
"For Narnia!" Peter's and Edmund's baritone voices cried as blood veins protruded along their necks and foreheads as they cried with everything they had within them. Hope and Faith rising, Caspian joined in for the most important battle cry of all. "AND for Aslan!" Everyone sprung forward in a V shape line, Caspian leading the rank, with Peter and Edmund behind, followed by Lucy who expertly pulled her bow and arrows from her quiver as they charged down the hill towards an unknown future. But for the first time in years, Caspian felt peace, and most important of all, hope.
__________________________

     Elwyn and Trumpkin were not hard to find. They both stood at the front of the lines and worked together to kill as many men as they could block. As they galloped closer with their horses, Lucy studied their actions, and she noticed that Elwyn and the dwarf waited until one of their enemies decided to strike first before they acted and finished him. Lucy watched closely as a soldier ran up to Elwyn and tried to swiftly execute her head, but she easily blocked it, ricocheted the momentum, and threw her sword downward cutting an open area in the man's armor, his neck. Blood flew across her face, but she did not seemed fazed. Trumpkin used the same strategy, and it seemed to be working, but there were still an endless supply of armored soldiers fighting for Vartan, scattered across the field. It was one swift movement for Elwyn and Trumpkin, and when an enemy troop decided to strike, it would be the very last thing that soldier would ever do.
They'd work together by keeping their backs close together, enabling them from attracting any unwanted attention aimed toward their backs.
Narnians were known for their expertise in combat. Every country in the world knew it. And though Vartan outnumbered them, it was easy to see that most of his troops had never seen a battlefield. Yes they were large, stocky, and intimidating, but Lucy knew it was all an act. And it gave her hope as she watched it only take one swift movement for Elwyn and Trumpkin to eliminate.
Caspian, Peter, and Edmund did not waste anytime. They urged their horses to a bolt and expertly slashed any man they came across in thick heavy armor. After arriving near Vartan and Elwyn, the three men easily lept from their horses and killed any nearby enemies easily.
    "Happy you could join us." Trumpkin said sarcastically as blood splashed on his forehead from slitting a man's throat. The dwarf, Elwyn, Lucy, and the three kings stayed in hearing distance from each other, letting each opponent come to them.
"We did not expect an attack so soon." Peter explained as he occupied himself with another enemy.
   "Well neither did we." Trumpkin humphed as he blocked a strike aimed for his head. "We've got less than a thousand still alive on our side, and over seven thousand on Vartan's according to our scouts." He said gesturing to the sky, and Peter could not help but smirk as he saw several Griffins soaring high in the sky.
    "You know, I was told by a wise centaur long ago that numbers do not win a battle." Peter said easily.
   "No, but they do help." Trumpkin stated before thrusting his sword through a giant man's throat, killing him instantly, thus having the greatest effect.
"Where are all of the weak points in the armor?" Edmund yelled as he blocked several advances with a smirk.
"Throat, forehead, below the abdomen, elbows, and kneecaps." Elwyn said easily as she blocked two advances from two opponents, but in just four moves, they both fell to the ground.
"Lucy! We need more men." She heard the dwarf yelling in her direction as she struck her blade through a man's neck. That was all she needed to hear.
     Though she was busy merely trying to stay alive as men in every direction tried to distract and strike her, she saw Caspian come in her peripheral vision, and soon he had her area secured. She backed away without a second glance, and searched for any wounded but living Narnians nearby. There were more than she had realized, but she worked quickly, getting into her old routine of dropping one drop of her crimson cordial in each breathing mouth, and moving quickly to the next one, making herself turn before she got to see the healing process, for it had always mesmerized her, and she knew she needed to keep moving. She always felt saddened when she would find a dead creature or man in narnian armor who had fought bravely for his country and for Aslan. She decided to force herself not to dwell on the dead,  but to look at the living, and joy never ceased to surge through her veins every time she heard someone start choking and gasping only seconds after she placed a drop of cordial on someone.
     "Lucy wake up!" She heard Elwyn yelling. She suddenly turned and saw a blade coming down on her head. She tried to block it, but it was too late. It ricocheted off of her blade and cut off  a generous chunk of her shoulder. She cried out in pain, and she suddenly felt dizzy. She started to stagger as her vision began to blur, but instead of hitting the ground, she found herself being caught in a strong set of arms. She felt her eyes slowly starting to close against her will, while feeling a hand yank something from her belt. She suddenly felt a cool feeling in her shoulder, and soon the pain completely stopped and she found it was easy keep her eyes open as if nothing had ever happened. She looked up into Caspian's face and smiled lazily.
     "Told you I wasn't going anywhere."
Caspian smirked in reply as he gently shoved her away. "Go get us some more soldiers."