𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 came for the entire Telmarine army to station their ranks and regiments on the field surrounding the How and the small pile of ruined monument, the more Charlotte felt panic set in. She'd finished tying up the back of her dress just in time to arrive in a room far under the grounds that Aslan's How was built on, connected to the upper levels by long twisting and intricate tunnels made of rough stone, lit with flaming torches that licked the cracks and danced along the growing moss.
Caspian dusted off his hands on his leather tunic after helping Lucy up onto his horse behind Susan, raising his eyebrow at Charlotte wondering where she'd been. Charlotte hit him in the side when he opened his mouth, so he focused his attention back to the Pevensie sisters. "Destier has always served me well. You are in good hands."
"Or hooves." Lucy giggled, but sobered when Charlotte said, "I'll have to go in a minute, be safe you two, good luck. I love you."
Caspian smiled internally at the small interaction of sisterly affection between three girls who were different ages and came from two families, and looked up again at Susan who was already looking back at him, "Good luck." That was all he said to her, although he wanted to talk to her more, wishing he could tell her that he needed her to come back alive. Caspian then pulled her ivory horn out of his belt and stared at it blankly, "Maybe it's time you had this back?"
Susan hesitated with it held tightly in her hands, before pushing it back towards the prince looking up with wide eyes, "Why don't you hold on to it? You might need to call me again." The Telmarine looked and felt a great deal more important with what he'd been entrusted to keep safe, holding the fabled ivory horn that brought him his saviours.
Both Queens grinned down at him and Charlotte, and then Susan flicked the reins. The shadow of them stretched across the walls of the tunnel, and Lucy's voice echoed, sounding as of she'd not been impressed with her sisters not so subtle attempts of flirting, "You might need to call me again?"
"Shut up."
Charlotte and Caspian stood listening in a weighty silence to the sound of clipping hooves drain away up to the field, and she clapped her hand over his shoulder, finally coming to point at the horn with her quivering fingers, "You should feel rather privileged, Caspian."
"Why? Surely Queen Susan isn't that protective over her horn?" That hadn't been in the history books he'd been forbidden from reading as a child.
"Oh no. You'd be surprised at the amount of times Lucy or I would try to use it when we were bored. She'd ignore us all throughout dinner if we so much as went near it, let alone even tried so much as to touch it. You should feel honoured she let you keep it for longer than you actually should have." Caspian seemed to positively glow at the revelation.
"I'd better go, Miraz won't be long." Charlotte walked up the first few steps leading to the tunnel, until Caspian's question caught her attention. "Why are you letting him do this? You seem awfully calm."
"I don't know. I think it'll settle in just before he's about to go, believe me I'm a wreck on the inside."
✰
𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓, Charlotte was correct in her assumptions. She'd finished tying her leather gauntlets to her arms, and slotted her sword into her scabbard. Charlotte secured her quiver and bow over her shoulder close to her back, and met Peter in the room he was staying in with Edmund. "I don't want you to go out there." Peter was halfway through picking up his sword, and he let it dangle in mid air as he stared.
Charlotte marched over to him, and took Rhindon from him, keeping it firmly behind her back. "Give it back, Lottie. Hiding it like that won't make it disappear forever."
"I don't care. You can't go out there, Peter, you'll lose and you know it." Both did, but it had taken the event to come closer for either to finally admit it. Miraz was older, and Charlotte and Peter had been able to grow up twice. The Telmarine King was more skilled than either of them could ever be, putting more pressure on the high King to hold the usurper off for as long as possible, giving Susan and Lucy enough time to find Aslan and return back to the How.
"I have to do this Lottie, you know that. It doesn't matter if you don't agree to it, I did and it was accepted." Peter tried to reason with her, but Charlotte stood firm with her opinions. "Oh come on Lottie, try to see things from my perspective. Just because you don't want to stay here for longer than you have to, doesn't mean that I don't want to do what's right."
Peter had slowly been edging closer towards Charlotte, but she took one single step back at his words, shocked. "Why would you say that?"
"Because it's true. You don't want to stay here for longer than you have to, but that doesn't mean I feel the same."
"But you said you understood. You understood why I didn't want to stay, but you just went ahead and used it against me. I was only coming here to tell you I thought this duel was a bad idea, then wish you luck because I knew you would want to do it anyway. I don't think I'll do either now." She dropped Rhindon from her grip, and let it clatter to the floor.
"Lottie please? Are you bloody insane?"
"I didn't think I was, I thought you were."
✰
𝐍𝐄𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐃𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐍𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐀𝐍 suspected anything was wrong between Charlotte and Peter, until the two didn't say anything when Peter stepped up to the ruined monument, helmet gripped under his arm. Miraz and Glozelle presented themselves at the front of the sea of Telmarines clad in the same black armour, surveying the Narnians that were sporting a significant decrease in numbers.
"If it should appear to be going poorly . . ." He gestured to the crossbow clasped behind Glozelle's back.
"Understood, my Lord." Miraz pulled his golden mask down over his face, sword drawn at Peter. The two Kings, one rightful and the other forceful, began to circle one another. "There is still time to surrender."
"Well feel free."
"How many more must die for the throne?"
"Just one." Peter countered, before surging at the Telmarine King.
Charlotte stood in between Edmund and Caspian, trying desperately to swallow the bile rising up in her throat. She was kicking herself mentally for not telling him she loved him, or at least just wished him luck. She'd managed to do both for Susan and Lucy, all while believing the prospect of them being able to find Aslan wildly slim.
Both sides of the war jumped or raised their arms in vigour when the two engaged in the duel collided swords, neither knowing who held the current upper hand. The small, diminishing shadow of Susan and Lucy on Destrier riding into the forest caught Charlotte's eye, as they did Glozelle. He tore his eyes away from the duel of his King and who he saw as the enemy, and commanded three of his cavalry members to pursue them in chase.
Charlotte deliberated whether to cry out to them, but decided against it as Peter couldn't afford to have any distractions. He would have tried to stop the whole earth from spinning if it meant he could keep his sisters safe from harm. Instead, Caspian took it upon himself to chase those in pursuit, and departed from the battle scene, not leaving Charlotte enough time to wish him luck and tell him to bring both girls back alive.
Then she was distracted again by the clinging of swords, and the dwarves and centaurs bashing their swords or axes against their shields. Peter swung his sword at Miraz, who blocked three blows with his shield raised high above his head, and pushed Peter back with it afterwards. They continued to circle around, blades raised, and Edmund seemed to be rather enjoying himself. Charlotte elbowed him in the arm, though neither could feel anything through their armour.
However both immediately wiped small grins off their faces when Miraz raised his left elbow, knocking Peter's helmet off and clattering to the stone. In retaliation he tried to find a weak spot in his armour, successfully piercing the skin just below Miraz's knee.
Miraz took a long minute to look at his Lords and Generals, three of which were slowly shaking their heads at him. Taking no notice of their silent suggestions of him offering a respite, Miraz continued to fight, and Peter landed on his feet after trying to strike him on the head, despite him still not taking the moment or the time to remove his mask or helmet from his head.
Peter was then the one on the offensive rather than the defensive he'd been on not two minutes before; seemingly he and Miraz had switched roles. Peter was the one making more contact of his blade to exposed skin, and the wrongly appointed Telmarine King put his shield to more good use that his sword had ever been. Ultimately this caused the Narnians to rouse and cheer as their King and leader had the upper hand in a previously failing duel.
However it was not to last, as Miraz used his side and foot to push Peter down, until he was lying flat on his back. The silver shield with the red lion emblazoned on the front that was stuck under Peter's arm was slid forwards by a armoured foot, lodging it under his shoulder, a crack echoing towards Charlotte and Edmund.
Charlotte doubled over his disgust as she felt her face pale significantly, and she leaned into Edmund's side while he secured his arm around her waist, ensuring that she wouldn't collapse on the spot. "I think I might be sick, Ed. Why did I think it would be a good idea to watch this?"
"Because he needs you to be here, Charlotte, and it doesn't matter what he's said to you at the moment. He's my brother, and if he dies-" Charlotte managed to clip him sharply on the ear, and the boy understood what she was trying to say almost instantly. "I mean it, Charlotte." Edmund's own voice was starting to weigh him down, and he pushed through the pain to finish, "If he does die, Charlotte, he would want you to be there with him. He wouldn't want me, or Su and Lu to be there, he'd want you there to know he was leaving you in safe hands."
Peter raised his sword with his good arm from where he was still on the floor, but he rolled out of the way of the blade pointed directly at his head. He pushed himself to a stand after Miraz had clumsily tripped over his feet, aided by a knock of Peter's sword to his ankles. Looking past where his opponent was slowly starting to rise, to Charlotte held tightly to Edmund, and finally the re-emerging figure of Caspian and Susan leaving the Shuddering Woods on horse back.
"Does his highness need a respite?"
"Five minutes?"
"Three."
✰
𝐌𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐙 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 from the monument by Glozelle and Lord Sopespian as well as another advisor, as Charlotte was steadied by Susan, and Edmund lead Peter to a cracked pillar that was broken in half fairly close to the ground. Patting his brother on the back, Edmund forced him to sit down after both looked to the new arrivals. "Lucy?" Peter asked the question the three remaining had been wondering.
"She got through . . . with a little help." Susan held Charlotte's hand to keep her steady, while turning to look briefly at Caspian, who smiled slightly. "Thanks." Peter smiled his gratitude through the pain slicing through his arm.
"Well," Caspian shrugged his shoulder as if it wasn't bothering him, "You were busy." Peter contemplated his answer, and laughed a little in spite of himself. Then he glanced up to where Trumpkin was staring down at the older royals were congregated. "You'd better get up there, just in case." He gestured to the dwarf, who quickly diverted his gaze towards the sky line, "I don't expect the Telmarines will keep their word." Susan squeezed Charlotte's hand, and gave her a tight hug before turning to her brother also giving him a hug, though it was brief.
"Ow." Peter winced, however he tried not to let it show. Susan, picking up on this, drew away and held him away at arms length, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
"Take care."
Edmund faced the crowd of Narnians, who had fallen significantly more quiet as the silent three minutes slowly began to tick away into the depthless oblivions of time. "Keep smiling." He said, speaking through a forced smile.
As Susan turned to walk into the How, eventually leading to her emerging out on the ledge next to Trumpkin, Peter braced himself and raised his sword up, rallying the spectators. The morale that was once low among troops rose instantly, and they clanged their weapons against any solid surface they could find or reach.
Caspian wasn't focused on the task at hand, instead he was staring at Miraz, who'd just had a bandage wrapped around his wounded leg. He and his men were muttering words of incoherence, and Caspian was too busy trying to lip read, that when he pulled Peter's shield off of his left arm he buckled over his pain. "I think it's dislocated." He stared back down at his shoulder that was slightly bent out of place.
Charlotte, not wanting a thick air to hang around them for longer than it already had, placed her hands on Peter's shoulder, and looked down at him. He was looking up at her, mouthing the words, "I'm sorry," Silently so that only she could see. "What do you think happens back home . . . if you die here?" Edmund was immediately on his other side, and he and Charlotte looked at each other over Peter's head and then back down at him. Charlotte gestured for Edmund to keep a brave face, as she braced her hands, ready to twist Peter's shoulder back into place.
"You know, you've always been there for me. Even when — ah!" Charlotte gagged silently as Peter's shoulder was pushed back. "Save it for later, Pete." Edmund picked up Peter's shield, while Charlotte took his sword. Both held their hands out for him to take his weapons, and Peter focused on Charlotte for longer than he did his brother.
Charlotte bit her lip and looked to the Narnians waiting with bated breath, up at Susan who swallowed thickly, and back at the Telmarines, as silent as ever. Miraz was waving his hands about, gesturing to the crossbow occasionally hitting him on the arm. Then she stepped forwards, pulling Peter to her instantly. Her hands held the back of his neck, and his her shoulders. Charlotte placed her chin on his shoulder; the tips of her toes just being able to remain on the floor. "I'm sorry, Peter. I love you, so much."
Peter felt Charlotte's hair move under his nose as she tried to keep her tears at bay, and he kissed the crown of her head. With a great deal of reluctance, Charlotte slowly removed her hands from Peter's neck and kissed his cheek, before attempting to wipe her eyes dry on the back of her hand. "You'd better get up there too, Lottie."
Both of them looked up to Susan, where she stood with pursed lips, internally hoping that Charlotte would join her above the ranks on the field. "Alright. I love you, again."
"I love you, Lottie. Good luck."
With one last look at Edmund ( who nodded and tried to hand Peter back his helmet which he refused with a grimace ) and Caspian who patted her comfortingly on the back, Charlotte turned swiftly on her heel and disappeared into the shadows of Aslan's How.