Narnia seemed lonely.
Where the water was clear, and so obviously blue, and the world around them was so natural and gorgeous- something just didn't feel right. There was a reluctance in the air, a devilish concurrence that couldn't be ignored.
The Pevensie's were deeply rooted to the core of Narnia, understanding every single thing that it was, and everything it was supposed to be. They knew that something was wrong. They knew that Narnia was lonely, and couldn't let it stay that way.
In the attempt to find the Prince, and the camp that would be built within a few days, the siblings stayed upon the river where they had found their dwarf companion. Though it was beautiful, they couldn't afford to be distracted in their journey. Not when Trumpkin believed both the Kings and Queens of old and Aslan had abandoned the land. Of course, it wasn't the full story.
They had never meant to leave.
They never wanted to leave, either. It had all been a great misfortune to them. The golden age ended abruptly, and they could have done nothing to stop it.
The boat docked at a stone beach, where they worked as a team to make sure their transport didn't leave them stranded. Trumpkin tied it off, attaching it to some long forgotten tree roots. As the others pulled it in to shore enough, Lucy was the first to explore. Although, there wasn't very much for them to explore at all.
Whilst the youngest of the Pevensie's hadn't been searching for anything in particular, she found great sorrow in seeing the state her former home had ended up in. There was little life to be seen, despite the shrubbery. Nothing seemed to be alive anymore. Even the trees were quiet.
There, along the shore, was a bear. It was minding its own business, scavenging for anything it could find. Food must have been in short supply for creatures as big as him.
When Lucy saw the bear, she called out to it, as she might have those few hundred years ago. "Hello, there."
It did not answer; that was enough for anyone to have walked away, but not Lucy. She was determined. Even when it stood upon its hind legs, expressing its power, she reassured it. "It's alright, we're friends."
As it lowered into all four paws, Trumpkin caught wind, and warned her. "Don't move, Your Majesty!"
With a swift movement, she looked to the dwarf, and back once more. The bear was running directly at her, and she couldn't stop it. Then, she ran.
"Stay away from her!" Susan threatened, priming her bow, and directing an arrow towards the chest of the animal. It was just unfortunate that Lucy fell, because otherwise, she might have gotten away.
"Shoot, Susan! Shoot!" Edmund cried, running to his elder sister.
The younger screamed as the bear rose onto its hind legs once more, and towered over the girl. She might have died if not for the arrow in it's heart. They all seemed to turn to Susan, instinctively, but found that she was yet to fire from her bow. The shot came from behind her, from Trumpkin, who stormed forwards to move the creature.
Confused, Susan looked down, despondently. "Why wouldn't he stop?"
"I suspect he was hungry." Said the dwarf, disregarding how the rest of them might have felt.
Peter and Edmund took Lucy away from the bear, and pointed their swords just in case. It had been a while since they faced this sort of threat, and clearly they were out of practice.
"Thanks." Lucy mentioned, in passing, to the dwarf who had saved her. He did not reply.
Edmund gulped, hating what was happening to his home. It didn't make any sense to him. Things were so good. They were so perfect. Why did it have to change? "He was wild." The realisation came quickly.
"I don't think he could talk at all." Peter replied, he too seemingly shocked.
"Get treated like a dumb animal long enough, that's what you become." Trumpkin was holding a grudge for every one of his kind.
"But Aramis would never let that happen." Replied Edmund, swallowing deeply. "He cared too much."
The redheaded dwarf disregarded it quickly. "Aramis has been concerned with other matters."
"You know him? Is he alright?"
Just the news that Aramis was alive was enough to make Edmund feel at ease. Everything was different now, but his loyalty to the spirit remained intact. That was enough for anyone to feel as though they were needed.
"He's fine." Said Trumpkin, dismissively. "But he'd want you to know- you may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember."
The Shuddering Woods, which Prince Caspian had not known well, had quickly become his refuge. With no guide, and no means of communicating to his Professor, all he could do was stray from the pack and hide. The Telmarine guards, as he knew, would not be far behind him. The cover of night had long since drifted from his sights.
With the hope that his native armour may do something to help camouflage himself, Caspian set off on a journey to find the Narnian's. Badger had offered him many ideas to where they were, but forbade them from following. The only person he could not deter was Aramis.
In the short time he had come to know the spirit, he had learnt many things. The most important being how stubborn he was. When his mind was set on something, and that something usually being his intent to protect, there was no one in the world who could change his mind. Duty came above everything, and he would abide by those led until time itself ran out.
Aramis followed on behind him, in his white robes he was characterised by. He held their ends up slightly, and for a rare time, his feet were on show. It was not a proud moment, but one of necessity. There were too many plants to avoid it.
"I can hear you." Grumbled the Prince, turning behind himself to see the badger and dwarf from the tree trunk having followed him.
Their pathetic excuse of a hiding place was revealed when they peaked from behind two trees. "I just think we should wait for the kings and queens." Badger imposed his thoughts once more.
Solemnly, Aramis agreed. "It is a wise plan."
Rolling his eyes, the Telmarine Prince just wandered off, taking little notice of what was being said to him. "Fine! Go then! See if the others will be as understanding." Badger huffed. "Especially if you've abandoned the last spirit to ever walk in Narnia! It's treason!"
"It's not treason, my friend." Aramis disagreed, though no one seemed to care for his opinion on the matter.
"Maybe I'll come with you." Nikabrik grunted, waddling along behind with no intent of being any use. "I want to see you explain things to the minotaurs."
Caspian paused. "Minotaurs? They're real?"
"And very bad tempered." Said Badger, like an old man.
"Yeah, not to mention big." Added the dwarf.
"Huge." Badger emphasised, attempting to throw the Prince off. He could always hope.
Most unlike himself, Aramis mumbled beneath his breath, and sighed. "With an unfortunate case of halitosis."
"What about centaurs?" His interest was easily piqued by the Narnian tales.
He had never heard enough of them from his Professor, though it was under the instruction of his late father. Caspian had never enough time with his father, or mother, in fact. She had died during his birth, and his father, when he was only six. Neither of them he remembered well, but his Professor kept their memory alive. And, of course, there were portraits. His mother was beautiful, with a thin face, and tanned skin. His father was many, with a large beard and moustache to match. He looked like them both, and that was all he had left now.
"Do they still exist?"
"Well, the centaurs will probably fight on your side." Badger confirmed, quietly. "But there's no telling what the others will do."
This time, the Prince thought before he spoke once again. "What about Aslan?"
The others stopped in their tracks, rather taken aback. "How do you know so much about us?" Nikabrik interrogated.
Caspian shrugged. It didn't make any sense to him why they would care. Wasn't it better to be remembered than forgotten. "Stories."
"Wait a minute." Badger paused, he too now, taken aback. "Your father told you stories about Narnia?"
"No, my professor, he..." Sadness overcame him for a moment, and he paused, and harshly he continued. "Listen... I'm sorry. These are not the kind of questions you should be asking."
Marching a quite a pace, Aramis found it rather hard to keep up, though he did it with such ease and grace. "I'm sorry."
"Why?" He spat.
"Because I can feel your pain." It was the way he offered condolences to the broken nature inside of his chest. "In your heart. You must have loved him very much."
Caspian looked despondently upon his hands, like they were the answer to some sort of big secret. "I barely knew him."
"And yet, you still loved him."
There was a way with Aramis, a way which let people feel so at ease and comfortable like never before. He could reveal memories long forgotten, and create a home inside of their heart, unlike any home that existed anywhere else. It was the gift of a spirit, though, after so long around Aslan, as powerful as he was, everything was enhanced.
"What is it?" Nikabrik broke their conversation when he heard Badger sniffing at the air. It was unlike him, especially as he considered himself to be both well-mannered and classy.
Swiftly, he replied. "Human."
"Him?" The grey haired dwarf assumed he was referring to Caspian, only to be proved wrong.
"No." He pointed behind the Prince. "Them."
Not too far behind them, half a legion of soldiers were emerging from the bushes, beginning to surround them. All of them were Telmarines. All of them were armed. And all of them wanted blood. "There they are!"
"Run!" Cried Badger, and so they did.
Arrows were fired at them from all directions, and it didn't feel like there was any way that they could escape. Most of the arrowheads missed, as Caspian was extremely lucky. Almost all of them were directed at him.
Though, when there was a cry from the badger, revealing that he had been caught, no one payed attention to Aramis and the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. Red bled onto his white robes, staining them. He didn't let on, however, and kept running as he was told to do.
"Oh no!" Nikabrik sighed, panicked, going back for his fallen friend.
"Wait. I'll go." Caspian ran back for him, and went to pick him up to make their journey easier. Though, Badger stopped him.
"Take it. Go!" He pushed the horn into the Prince's hands, offering it as a sacrifice. "It's more important than I am."
Caspian hurried to attach the horn to his belt, frightened as more and more soldiers came closer to him. Their aim was getting better the smaller the gap between them. And then, suddenly, they began to fall down. Attacked, was what it looked like. Sliced at the knees, crying out in pain. Whatever was happening, it allowed the Prince time enough to escape with badger over his shoulder.
Despite dwindling in numbers, they were jaded still, and Caspian could see it. "Get him out of here." He said, passing badger over to Nikabrik, expecting that Aramis would be staying, duty-bound, but he tried anyway. "And you."
"No," He said through gritted teeth, though no one could tell. "I shall stay."
"But..." He caught a glimpse of the spirits shoulder, the blood now seeping over the front of his robes. "you're bleeding."
"Wounds can wait." He insisted, powerfully. "You need support, even if it against myself to fight."
It was enough for Caspian to draw his sword. Although, he could only see one soldier left, and it was who he was destined to fight. Getting close would have been difficult since there was a crossbow in his hands, and one shot could murder him in cold blood. Before Caspian could do anything, there was a slice to his knees, and he was gone too.
He watched as the foliage moved, and should he have not seen everything else, he would have put it down to the winds. Though, there was none of that either. Just, a rat (or an extremely large mouse, it was difficult to tell the difference).
It knocked Caspian to the ground, and Aramis could have laughed, because he knew of this particular small beast. A captain of his own party, ready for the battle to fight for Aslan and for Narnia. Of course, he didn't laugh, as it was his role to remain impartial and helpful whenever he could.
"Ah! Hyah!" Cried the mouse. "Choose your last words carefully, Telmarine!"
Frightened, he did not know what to say. "You are a mouse." To that, the spirit smiled, and did so discreetly.
Sighing, the mouse felt rather upset by what was said, and let down, in fact. "I was hoping for something a little more original. Pick up your sword!"
"Uh... no." Gulped the Prince. "Thanks."
"Pick it up!" He demanded. "I will not fight an unarmed man!" The mouse's nobility was commendable, however annoying.
"Which is why I might live longer if I choose not to cross blades with you." Perhaps flattery might have done the trick. "Noble mouse?"
"I said I would not fight you. I didn't say I'd let you live!"
"That is enough." Aramis sighed, rubbing his brow, softly. "There is no need for arms here."
"Reepicheep!" Badger warned, his authority meaning something to the mouse, as well as the spirit. "Stay your blade!"
"Trufflehunter?" Reepicheep was rather surprise by the appearance of an ally. "I trust you have a very good reason for this untimely interruption."
"He doesn't." Nikabrik dismissed. "Go ahead."
"He's the one who blew the horn." Badger warned, as he seemed to do more often than not.
"What?"
"We must trust him." Said Aramis, quietly. "As Aslan would."
"Then let him bring it forward."
From over the very bush the Telmarine soldiers had appeared, the centaurs did too. They came with vast numbers, and size incomparable to any horse Caspian had trained. And they were beautiful. So very beautiful.
"This is the reason we have gathered."
And it was true. The Narnian's were gathered and ready, primed for a war they didn't want, but rather needed, and at its helm would be one of the sharpest minds Narnia had ever seen. They would have a spirit on their side, and soon, the Kings and Queens of old.
All they had to do was wait.
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Disclaimer!!!!
I do not own these characters. I do not own the Narnia series. I do not own the actors, or the characters. The only thing I own is my adaptation of the story, and my original character.