✿ ( 𝐈𝐃𝐘𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐂 ) ✿
❝ ✧ * 𝖜𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖇𝖞: 𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗮 * ✧ ❞
THE FIVE WERE loitering around outside, and Astoria was turning her new dagger around in her hand.
"Maybe practice with some fighting," Peter advised, coming up behind her. Startled, she flipped him around with his back landing on the floor with a large thud.
"I'm so terribly sorry, Peter!" Astoria apologized as she gave him her hand to help him back up.
"I'm alright," he grimaced. "How'd you learn to do that anyway?"
"I dunno. Now that I think about it, I've never done hand-to-hand combat before."
"It isn't wise to walk around here not knowing how to fight, but I guess you're covered." Pater laughed. He paused. "Maybe try throwing that dagger you got there, Tori."
"Sure," Astoria nodded, twirling her dagger in her hands. "Just going to go attack a tree! Be right back!"
"I'll come with you, Ri," Susan said holding the bow in her hands. "It's been over a year since I've had any practice with this. I need to get a feel of it again." Susan said clutching her bow. The pair walked back outside, making their way over to where the trees were now surrounding them. "You go first. You've never experienced anything like this before."
Astoria nodded and pulled out the dagger that was fastened in her belt. She aimed it at the tree, her hands shaking a bit as she stared directly at the bark on the trunk. She threw the dagger at the tree with as much force as she could. "Woah—" she breathed out when the dagger flew straight into the tree.
"You're a natural!" exclaimed Susan, grinning at her friend.
"Fluke shot," Astoria replied still shocked as ever. She honestly couldn't believe that she had thrown a knife correctly, let alone in the exact area she was targeting.
"She can fight too. She literally just flipped me over. It is quite extraordinary, considering she has never done anything of the sort before." Peter said. "How about you give it another go?"
( She felt like one of those badass agents of spies in a secret organization. )
Continuing on with stabbing trees, she noticed a boat floating about in the water in the distance with three figures rustling about in it. She stood up from the broken stone that she sat on. "Who is that?" Astoria asked, gaining the attention of the others.
"No idea," Susan came to stand next to her. "Let's go find out."
They rushed towards the water, and her heart came to a stop when she realized these people were holding up a short man—all tied up—and that they were about to throw him into the water.
Susan quickly sprung into action, and shot an arrow at them, hitting the boat in the side so hard that it rocked side-to-side.
"Is that a dwarf?" Astoria asked as the five ran up to the shore, drawing their weapons.
No one bothered to answer her.
"Drop him!" Susan demanded.
"Seriously, Susan? Out of the whole English dialect and words to choose from, you string two words together to make 'Drop him'?" Astoria said, exasperated.
Susan rolled her eyes, and within seconds, the two men threw the dwarf ( or at least Astoria thought it was a dwarf but no one bothered to confirm her suspicions ) into the lake, and he started to sink to the bottom of the water.
Astoria's heart stopped—someone was going to die if they didn't do anything.
Before Astoria could jump into the water, Peter was just a tad faster than him and sprinted over to save him. Susan pulled back her bow, shooting another arrow that landed in one of the man's chest.
"D-Did you just kill that person?!" Astoria stammered in shock.
"You literally just stabbed dozens of trees though," Edmund raised a brow.
"Sometimes people have to die. Hard, but sad truth. You get used to it," Lucy sadly smiled, placing a hand on Astoria's arm. "I simply cannot stomach it though."
Peter managed to resurface with the prisoner and pulled him to land where they were standing. Edmund lugged the boat towards shore. Lucy crouched down to cut off his bindings. He coughed a few times before standing up, glaring at Susan.
"Drop him?!" The dwarf scoffed. "That's the best you can come up with?"
"Shut up, Shortie. Only I'm allowed to bully Susan." Astoria snapped.
"A simple 'thank you' would suffice." Susan retorted.
"They were doing fine drowning me without your help!" The dwarf shot back.
"Did your parents ever teach you manners? You should be more grateful. If we weren't here, they would have killed you." said Astoria.
"Yeah, maybe we should've let them," Peter said.
"Why were they trying to kill you, anyway?" Lucy wondered.
"They're Telmarines. That's what they do." He replied.
"Telmarines?" Edmund said. "In Narnia?"
"Where have you been for the last few hundred years?" The dwarf asked.
"It's a bit of a long story," Lucy chuckled.
A look of realization crossed over the small man's face when he noticed the hilt of PeterLs sword. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. You're it? You're the Kings and Queens of Old?"
"I wouldn't mess with them," Astoria remarked.
Peter nodded, stretching out his hand. "High King Peter, the Magnificent."
Astoria snickered at the cheesy name.
"You probably could've left off the last bit," Susan muttered, making them laugh, but dwarf man still looked unimpressed.
"Probably," the dwarf chuckled.
Peter pulled out his sword, offering it to him. "You might be surprised."
"Oh, you don't want to do that, boy." The dwarf said.
"Not me... him." Peter said pointing towards Edmund.
Slowly, the dwarf took the sword from Peter. They stood in silence, before the duel started out. Weapons whirled about, clinking and clanking against each other.
And the next thing Astoria knew, Edmund had knocked the sword out of the dwarf's hands which completely shocked him as he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Beards and bedsteads!" He breathed. "Maybe that horn worked after all."