Night has fallen over Narnia, leaving the Shuddering Woods under a thick blanket of glittering star light and an ethereal moon. A mass of Narnians had accumulated into the clearing of the Dancing Lawn, where trees didn't obscure the light from above, giving all of them a clear view of the Telmarine who stood before them. They circled him, jeering and shouting insults at Caspian all of which he refused to react to. If he wanted to be accepted and trusted by the Narnians, he needed to take the anger they had long supressed. It's the least he could do, after all, his kin did almost run them into extinction.
The yells only grew more violent, some yelling death threats and others calling for punishment. "This horn proves that they have stolen yet another thing from us!" Nikabrik sneered, jutting out his finger towards Caspian's direction. What Caspian thought to be a building friendship between him and the dwarf deteriorated with the dwarf's spite towards him. A part of him hoped that he might have gotten the dwarf on his side after saving Trufflehunter from the Telmarines. Of course his attempt to save the badger was overshadowed by the arrival of the Dark Angel, who had yet to return to the clearing. He turned to the dwarf, his face stoic as he addressed him. "I didn't steal anything."
"Didn't steal anything? Show me a list of things the Telmarines have stolen from us!" A Minotaur roared to the Narnians from his place on an alcove.
"Our homes!"
"Our lands!"
"Our freedom!"
More yells erupted, ranging from villages to families and to faith. They screamed what they lost at the expense of the Telmarines, and Caspian could do nothing but listen. "You would hold me accountable for all the crimes of my people?" He asked, his gaze trailing over the Narnians. He didn't understand why they would hate a Telmarine who ended up retrieving Queen Susan's Horn for them, but what can a Telmarine Prince do in a foreign land surrounded by natives? He truly had no name in the Narnian forests, nor claim of authority. He was the outcast of his own kin and the land he hoped to find refuge. "Accountable and punishable," Nikabrik scowled, his dark eyes flashing dangerously with anger as he walked towards Caspian.
Fear started twisting inside Caspian, a part of him hoping that a centaur or Trufflehunter could ease Nikabrik's hostility towards him, but none came to his aid. Only Reepicheep stepped forward, his sliver of a sword drawn against the dwarf. "Ha! That is rich coming from you, dwarf. Or have you forgotten that it was your people who fought alongside the White Witch?" Reepicheep snarled, pointing the tip of his sword towards the dwarf. "And I'd gladly do it again," Nikabrik said, flicking away the mouse's sword and turning to point at Caspian. "If it would rid us of these barbarians!" He growled.
"You've ought to bite your tongue, dwarf, before I slice it off for you."
Silence erupted, and all eyes turned to Raven who stood motionless at the treeline. She lowered her hood long ago when nightfall hit, finding it hard to see in the darkness with something thick obscuring her vision. Raven walked forward, her footfalls silent as her sinister glare on the dwarf grew. "What darkness you utter will not fall upon deaf ears, nor will it be forgivable," Raven said, her voice eerily calm. She now stood in the center of the clearing, her stance growing in authority as both Nikabrik and Caspian cowered.
"The White Witch is a damnation, a curse upon the land. She will destroy the Telmarines and the rest of us. She will even go as far as to try to destroy Aslan. Is that what you wish?" She seethed, her eyes glowing like iridescent crystals in the moonlight. It only further unsettled the Narnians and instilled more fear into Caspian. Her presence was overwhelming, thick with intense anger that was unparalleled with any other. Nikabrik didn't speak, only choosing to avert his gaze from the Dark Angel. Many jeered in objection, wishing no ill will against their true king.
Raven's gaze travelled up to the Narnians huddled around her, before speaking once more. "This boy," She began, looking at Caspian ferociously. "Is to be your ruler. He has been chosen by Aslan and appointed under my protection where he shall grow and lead you into battle."
An uproar of disapproval came from the Narnians, all yelling that they would not take a Telmarine as their king. "He is a Telmarine!" Nikabrik cried out in distaste. Raven drew her sword, pointing the tongue against his jugular. "He is a Son of Adam, a legitimate heir to the throne among his people and ours," She spat, removing her sword once Nikabrik recoiled into submission. The crowd quieted once more, frightened by the Dark Angel's ability to kill her own kin without flinching. "Some of you may have forgotten, but we badgers remember well," Trufflehunter spoke up, stepping into the center of the clearing. "Narnia was never right, except when a Son of Adam was king."
"Why would we want him as our king?!" A voice cried out from among the crowd. "Because I can help you!" Caspian blurted out, his eyes wide in surprise at how quickly silence came once more. Caspian looked to Raven in exasperation, only receiving a look that screamed for him to defend himself. Raven can not speak on behalf of him forever, especially if he is to be a king. He sighed, closing his eyes shut tightly before speaking. "Beyond these woods, I am a prince. The Telmarine throne is rightfully mine," he said to the Narnians. "Help me claim it, and I can bring peace between us."
None spoke in agreement with Caspian. In fact, no one uttered a word. Doubt and anger clouded their judgement, and the idea of helping Caspian on behalf of Narnia seemed absolutely absurd, but one stood level-headed. "It is true, the time is ripe," Glenstorm spoke, walking forward to stand next to the badger. He was the father and leader of the centaurs, and main instigator for the meeting in the clearing. "I watch the skies for it is mine to watch, as it is yours to remember, badger," he continued.
"Tarva, the Lord of Victory and Alambil, the Lady of Peace have come together in the high heavens," Glenstorm told the Narnians, looking down at Caspian and Raven. "And now here, a Son of Adam has come forth to offer us back our freedom, and in his stead has awakened our warrior from stone."
"If the Angel of Darkness shall too follow in your lead, then my sons and I offer you our swords," He proclaimed, drawing out his sword upwards, an action of respect given to a king. His sons and many other Narnians followed suit, drawing out their swords and pointing it upward. "And we offer you our lives, unreservedly," Reepicheep said, bowing to Caspian as many other woodland animals did the same.
Caspian stared around in shock, finding it unbelievable that he managed to gain the favor of the Narnians. "Caspian," Raven called gruffly, gaining his full attention. "Miraz's army is not too far behind us. We must hurry to lead them to weapons and safety," Raven spoke to the young prince. His eyes widened slightly, remembering his dangerous uncle and his vile ways. "Where will we go? The woods is no place for all of us Narnians to hide," he asked the Dark Angel, seeking counsel from her.
She nodded in agreement, turning to look at the Narnians. "Women and children shall go to Aslan's How, and the rest shall come with me to Beruna. We will gather weapons there and meet at the How," Raven ordered, and the women immediately began to disperse. The men followed Raven and Caspian, who was leading them towards Beruna.
As Raven led her small regimen of Narnians towards Beruna, deep in the Shuddering Woods the four Pevensies and Trumpkin set up camp for the night. They had no beds nor blankets, but the weather was fair and the grass was plush enough to act as a thin comforter. They circled a small campfire and laid there, for their journey today was formidable enough to earn them a night of rest. However, rest did not come to Lucy. She was stuck in her thoughts, her mind keeling over with all of the events that unraveled today.
Lucy nearly died, twice, seen a mass of Telmarines at the edge of the Shuddering Woods and Beruna, and crossed a gorge. Not only that, she also saw Aslan and the Dark Angel. The Dark Angel was retreating into the woods, so only her back was seen, but Lucy knew it was her. Who else would talk to Aslan clad in dark armor? Lucy may have appeared to be a child, but her mind was nearly twice her age, failing to regress back just as her body did. It led her to think more clearly than the others, who had been neck deep in the sorrow of their destroyed kingdom. "Lucy, are you awake?"
Susan's whisper was barely loud enough for Lucy to hear, but she heard it and replied with a small hum. Her older sister moved to sit up, looking at her sister as she laid comfortable with her hands behind her head. "Why do you think I didn't see Aslan?" She asked quietly, fiddling with a few pieces of grass. Lucy spared Susan the details of the Dark Angel, fearing that Susan wouldn't sleep for weeks if she had done so. Lucy had seen how she acted today and had grown weary with her sister's ever growing fear that the Dark Angel will kill her. It was Lucy's turn to sit up and stare at her sister, her eyes widening in astonishment. "You believe me?" She questioned.
Susan forced a small smile. "Well... we got across the gorge," Susan admitted sympathetically, averting her gaze away from Lucy. Her younger sister frowned at that, feeling slightly disappointed that even now Susan and Peter refuse to believe her. Letting out a sigh, she shrugged. "I don't know, maybe you didn't really want to," she replied honestly, eyeing her sister's saddened reaction. Yet Susan still mustered up a small smirk.
"You always knew we'd be coming back here, didn't you?" She asked her. Lucy let a ghost of a smile grow on her face, her eyes shining with hidden joy. "I hoped so," Lucy confessed. She had dearly missed Narnia in the year she was stuck back in Earth, subjected to the lifestyle of a child in wartime England. She had forgotten that there was a war, and that her father was fighting in it. Then, just as she slowly forgot her life on Earth when in Narnia, she had begun to forget Narnia. Lucy wondered if Aslan had anything to do with it, or if it was the lack of magic in Earth. She hopes to never forget Narnia or Earth again, if Aslan allows it.
Susan laid back on the grass, a loud huff escaping her lips. "I finally got used to the idea of being in England," she mumbled, her eyes trained on the starry night sky above. Lucy noticed the distant look on Susan's face, a small sense of fear stirring in her stomach at the frown visible on her porcelain skin. She had never seen such a look since the day they returned to Earth, which made her wonder if she missed Earth more than Narnia. "But you're happy to be here aren't you?" Susan stayed quiet, her thoughts turning in her mind like a broken record.
Susan had quietly suffered through the separation from Narnia, more so than any of her siblings. They were vocal about it, constantly discussing how it was and all of the memories. Susan wouldn't engage in those conversations, always finding remorse in the topic and chose to go out of her way to get accustomed to England once more. She was the one who accommodated first, finding peace in her loss. There were plenty of things earth offered, even if it didn't include a crown.
"While it lasts."
Their conversation ended there, leaving Lucy to her thoughts once more as her sister drifted off into slumber. Lucy laid back against the grass, discomfort churning inside of her at the thought of her sister's doubts of Narnia. Will she stay? Would she want to? More unanswered questions erupted in her mind, all concerning the wellbeing of her siblings and their company. Unbeknownst to the girls, Trumpkin had been wide awake and overhearing their conversation. He wasn't sure how they could have such trust in a nonexistent being, as if it was real.
Then, sleep finally greeted them, rendering Trumpkin and Lucy into a dreamful bliss. As Lucy dozed off, her thoughts went to that one frigid night long ago when Crystalline had sung her to sleep. A smile grew on her face, and into the darkness of rest she went, her heart melancholic as it echoed the lullaby into her soul.
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HERE IS THE CHAPTER!
It was supposed to be longer but it was just not working in my favor so it became kind of short.
I hope it is still enjoyable for you guys! Please tell me what you think in the comments, I'd really like to know (: