The Phoenix Archer ∞ Peter Pevensie

i | O N E

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N E R I S S A

"Oreius." I greet the Centaur as I emerged from the woods.

A wide smile stretches across his face as his eyes landed on me, "Milady." He greets, "Right on time."

"You and your formalities, Oreius." I shook my head, but couldn't help but return a smile.

"Well, we Centaurs take pride in being well-mannered." He says, "It's good to see you, Milady."

"It's good to see you too, Oreius." I give him an affectionate tap on the shoulder, before turning to scan the forest to make sure no one was around, "What do you have for me?"

The expression on Oreius' face grows serious, "There have been sightings of humans here in Narnia." He starts, "A boy and a girl."

"I've heard. They already have Tumnus locked up and I've overheard the Witch talking to the wolves. It seems she's has spoken to the boy and he's given his word to return again."

"The boy is working with the Witch?" Oreius asks, clearly not too pleased with the news.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly, Oreius." I quickly calm him down, "The Witch can be very manipulative. I don't think he's fully aware of what he's doing."

Oreius nods thoughtfully at that, "You're right, Milady." He agrees, taking a deep breath, "For now, the only thing my troops and I can do is keep an eye out for their return."

"So will I." I reply, "While I'm at it, I could try to speak with Mr Tumnus as well, see what he knows about these humans. Did you bring what I asked?"

"I did." Oreius says, holding out a small package wrapped up in cloth.

I take it from him before stuffing it into my pocket, "Thank you."

"One last thing before you go, Milady." Oreius adds, "It seems the Great Lion has been on the move and I expect you to be with us when he arrives."

My eyes grow wide at Oreius' request, drawing a laugh from the Centaur.

"I...I appreciate the sentiment, Oreius. But, I don't think I'm quite ready for that." I admit.

"Trust me, you're ready." He smiles, "You've come a long way from serving the Witch. You've put yourself at great risk by working with me and my troops. For that, I think Aslan would want to meet the person who helped save the lives of so many of his people."

"I'll think about it." I shrug.

Oreius offers me a bow, "As you wish, Milady. I'll let you know when I have any more news."

He shoots me another nod in reply before he gallops off into the woods. I too, take my leave, heading back to the castle through the short cut through the woods.

It was already getting dark when I finally make it to the looming castle several feet ahead and I sneak in using the hidden back door tucked away in a tight corner of the tall building.

I silently make my way down the empty hallway, pressing myself up against a pillar and out of sight when a Minotaur passes by.

I rush down the flight of stairs right at the end of the hall as soon as it's gone. The stairs lead me down a tunnel and soon, I'm lead down to the dungeons.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Mr Tumnus." I say.

The faun that was being held captive in its cell quickly cowers away in fear as I approach.

I slowly take a couple of steps towards him, reaching into my pocket for the package that Oreius had given to me and unwrapped it.

"Peace offering." I offer the faun a reassuring smile as I placed the package on the ground between us.

Wrapped inside the cloth were pieces of soft white bread and a couple of boiled eggs, a simple meal, but one drastically better than what the Witch had been feeding him.

Beyond starved, the faun rushes forward, gobbling the food down within minutes.

"Thank you." He thanked, still weak from the lack of food and water.

My heart aches at the sight of the terrified and tortured faun, "I'm sorry I couldn't bring more."

"Why are you helping me?" Tumnus asks.

I take a look around, making sure the coast is clear before I answered, "I work with Aslan's troops." I explain, "I'm going to need you to tell me where you saw the girl."

Mr Tumnus looks at me, hesitant. Fearful that he may unknowingly betray his own people yet again.

"You can trust me. I will not let harm come upon any of them." I reassure, urging him to tell me.

Tumnus lets out a heavy sigh and finally speaks, "There's a lamppost in the middle of the woods."

"I've seen it." I say, visualising the location in my head.

"She came through there. I don't know where exactly, but she mentioned something about a Spare Oom." Tumnus recalls.

"Spare Oom?" I furrow my brows in deep thought, unable to decipher what that had meant.

Mr Tumnus shrugs, "I'm afraid that's all I know. I wish I could be of more help."

"This is incredibly helpful information. Thank you."

"How dare you come alone!" A scream echos through the hallways.

I inch closer to the entrance listening closely to the rest of the conversation.

"Edmund, I ask so little of you." The Witch says next.

"They just don't listen to me!" The voice of a young boy-presumably, Edmund's, protests.

"Couldn't even do that." The Witch says.

"I-I did bring them halfway." The boy explains, "They're at that little house at the dam, with the Beavers!" He informs.

I curse under my breath as soon as I hear the information that had been told to the Witch.

"Go quickly." Tumnus speaks again, looking at me with worried eyes, "They're going to need your help. Don't let her get to them. They're Narnia's only hope."

I shoot him a firm nod, "I will, and I will be back for you. I'll do everything I can to get you out of here, you have my word."

"You have to save Narnia." His voice comes out almost like a plea.

I reach out to him, placing a comforting hand over his, "The Witch won't stand a chance. I assure you, Mr Tumnus, Narnians will have back what's theirs."