Always || Edmund Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia) [1]

Chapter 3: Wayward ✔️

Mary helped with bringing down whatever belongings they had while the others pulled the boat onto shore. Lucy got out first and started to explore her surroundings. While the others were busy, she spotted a black bear drinking water a few meters away and was filled with excitement. She could ask him or her for more answers.

"Hello, there!" Lucy said to the bear.

Mary found it unusual to talk to animals, but since the others explained that they could talk, she tried to get used it. Still, just to be sure, she asked cautiously, "Are you sure that's safe, Lucy?"

"Well of course, it's Narnia!" the girl smiled, walking towards the bear.

"But —"

"It's alright." She was talking to the bear now. "We're friends."

"Don't move, Your Majesty," Trumpkin said from behind Mary. She looked at him and found him cautiously walking towards Lucy.

But it was too late. The girl was already too far ahead and the bear had noticed her. The wild animal let out a few growling noises before standing up on its hind leg, and then, it was bursting into a run, going straight for the youngest Pevensie.

"Lucy!" everyone yelled.

Lucy yelped and ran the other direction, heading back to where everyone else was. However, she tripped in the middle of running and fell to the ground. She screamed, frozen in fear as the bear neared her at an alarming rate. Susan grabbed her bow and arrow and aimed it at the bear, ready to take it down before it could hurt her sister.

"Shoot, Susan, shoot!" Edmund shouted.

But Susan still hadn't released the arrow and the bear was now right in front of Lucy. In a last minute decision, Mary, who was closest to Lucy since she had followed closely behind her earlier when she was on her way to the bear, dived for the youngest Pevensie and pulled her away, just enough to not be directly in front of the animal.

An arrow landed on the bear's chest and it slowed down. Mary glanced over her shoulder and found that it was Trumpkin who shot the arrow, not Susan, and she would forever be thankful for his actions.

However, the bear was still alive and angry, and he was now facing both Mary and Lucy with more rage. Mary fumbled with her sword and managed to unsheathe it with a slight struggle. Lucy screamed again, but this time, it was because Mary had slashed the sword across the bear's chest, delivering the final blow. At long last, it collapsed on the ground right where Lucy would have been seconds before.

The two girls panted heavily, eyes wide as they stared at the now dead bear next to them. The Pevensies made their way to them just as Mary had shakily stood up and lent a hand to the younger girl. Lucy's siblings all fussed over her, wanting to know if she was alright. What surprised Mary was when, after Edmund had made sure that Lucy was fine, he grabbed her by the arm and brought her into a hug, too.

"That was reckless, Mary," he told her in a reprimanding tone when he pulled away, checking for injuries.

"He's right," Susan added, directing her attention to Mary now. "You could've gotten hurt, too."

"Who knows what could've happened if she didn't do that, though? The bear could've actually gotten to me," Lucy said before sending a thankful smile to Mary. "Thank you."

"So, that bear..." Edmund started. "He was wild."

"I don't think he could talk at all," Peter said.

"You get treated like a dumb animal long enough, that's what you become," Trumpkin, explained. "You may find Narnia a more savage place than ever."