We crept up and hid behind some logs. There were men all around us and they were cutting down the forest. Men with horses were coming beside us and we all ducked. "Perhaps this wasn't the best way to come after all." Susan said. "You think?" I said sarcastically. We looked back up. They were building a bridge across the water. Peter got up, with his back still crouched over and walked back in the direction we came from.
***
We went back to where Lucy and I saw Aslan. "So where exactly do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter asked Lucy. "I wish you'd all stop trying to sound like grown-ups. I don't think I saw him, I did see him. And so did Ali." "I am a grown-up." Trumpkin said. Lucy went over to where we saw Aslan, on the edge of the cliff. "It was right over... Ahhh!" The ground broke and Lucy fell. "Lucy!" Susan yelled as we ran to where Lucy fell. A foot or two under where the ground broke there was a ledge of dirt, which she landed on. "Here." Lucy finished her sentence from before. There was a path from the ledge to the bottom of the cliff, where the river was. Lucy moved over and I hopped down, everyone else followed us. Once we got to the bottom, we had to cross the river. I went first with Lucy and then Trumpkin behind her. Lucy stepped on the wrong rock and lost her balance, but Trumpkin held her waist so that she didn't fall. She smiled back at him in thanks.
***
That night we fell asleep around a fire. I was sleeping next to Peter and he had his arms around my waist and my head was in the crook in his neck. I woke up and detached myself from Peter. I glanced around and noticed that Lucy wasn't there. I saw her walking away in the distance so I shook Peter. "Peter. Wake up, Lucy's going somewhere!" He sat up and I grabbed my half-sword and he grabbed his sword before we ran off after Lucy. When we caught up to her there was a soft growling and she whispered. "Aslan?" Peter grabbed her shoulders and put his hand over her mouth so she wouldn't scream and pulled her down so we were hidden. Once she saw who it was, Peter took his hand off and we looked around the bush to see a minotaur. Lucy gasped and I put my finger to my lips before Peter and I snuck forward with our swords in our hands. Suddenly a man
jumped in front of us and clanged swords with Peter. I decided instead of my sword I would use my powers, so I sheathed my sword as they fought. Peter hit the guy in the head and they clanged swords again. Then he knocked the sword out of the man's hands. He swung but the man ducked and he kicked Peter. I got a fireball in my hand and I was going to shoot it at him.
As I got that ready, the man tried to grab Peter's sword that was stuck in the tree and Peter grabbed a rock. "No, stop!" Lucy yelled and we all turned to look at her. We looked around and saw centaurs, fauns and more coming to this man's rescue. "Prince Caspian?" Peter asked. "Yes? And who are you?" Caspian asked. "Peter!" Susan yelled as her, Edmund and Trumpkin came into sight. I put my hands at my side but I still had my fireballs in them.
I stood next to Lucy. Caspian looked between Susan, Edmund, Lucy and then me. I saw his eyes glance down at my hands and his eyes widened. He then looked at Peter and then the sword that he took from Peter that was in his hands. "High King Peter." He realized. "I believe you called." Peter said. "Well, yes, but... I thought you'd be older." His eyes glanced over all of us, staying on Susan a couple seconds more than the rest of us. "If you like, we could come back in a few years..." Peter said, pretending he was about to leave. "No! No, that's all right. You're just.... you're not exactly what I expected." His eyes again went to Susan and I smirked. Somebody had a crush on my best friend. "Neither are you." Edmund said, eyeing the minotaurs. They were one of the creatures that fought along side the White Witch in the White War. "A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes." A badger said. A mouse with a red feather on his head and a belt with a sword around his shoulder
Ran up to us and said. "We have anxiously awaited your return, my liege. Our hearts and swords are at your service." "Oh my gosh, he is so cute." Lucy whispered to Susan and me. The mouse pulled out his sword and said. "Who said that?" "Sorry." Lucy apologized. "Oh. Uh.... Your Majesty, with the greatest respect, I do believe 'courageous', 'courteous' or 'chivalrous' might more befit a knight of Narnia." He sheathed his blade. "Well, at least we know some of you can handle a blade." Peter said, basically saying Caspian wasn't good with a blade. Caspian was good, it's just Peter is better. I knew at that moment that there was going to be a lot of rivalry between them. "Yes, indeed. And I have recently put it to good use, securing weapons for your army, sire." The mouse told Peter. I could tell that Caspian wasn't happy that we just swooped in and took control of his army. "Good. Because we're going to need every sword we can get." Peter turned to face Caspian. "Well, then you will probably be wanting yours back." Caspian said and handed Peter's sword back to him and Peter sheathed it. We started walking away with Caspian, Susan, Lucy and Edmund following us.
***
I was walking beside Peter who was also walking beside Caspian. "Well, its good you have troops, but we need some fortifications. Somewhere to train." Peter told Caspian.
***
We came to a field and at the end was a temple made out of rocks, with trees growing on it. When we came up to the temple there was a walkway in and on both sides there was centaurs with their swords raised in an arch. Lucy was beside Peter, Peter was beside me, I was beside Caspian but he fell behind to let us go first which made me next to Susan and she was next to Edmund. As we walked there was one centaur that was a boy and only a child and his sword was a little too low so just as we were about to pass, the centaurs father I'm assuming, helped him raise it. We walked inside and there was a bunch of people working there. "It may not be what you are used to, but it is defensible." Caspian told us. Susan had gone ahead of us and she said. "Peter, Ali. You may want to see this." Peter and I nodded and headed towards her, with Caspian coming with us. On the walls of the hallway she was in there was pictures of what happened during the White War, there was us on our coronation day, there was Lucy and Susan riding Aslan. "It's us." Susan said. "What is this place?" Lucy asked Caspian. "You don't know?" Caspian asked and we were all silent. Caspian grabbed a torch and headed down the hallway. At the room at the end, Caspian put his torch down on a thing and the fire spread across the entire room in a indent. It was supposed to do that though, it lit up the entire room. At the end of the room there was a picture of Aslan carved into the wall and in the middle of the room was the cracked table that Aslan died and came back to life on during the White War. Lucy started walking up to it and we followed, she touched it and then turned back to face us. "He must know what he's doing." There was a moment of silence and I looked back up at the carved picture of Aslan. "I think it's up to us now." Peter announced and I disagreed but did not say anything.
***
Some of the people in our army were gathered in the same room we were in earlier with the cracked table. Lucy was sitting on it and I was standing beside her on the ground. "It's only a matter of time. Miraz's men and war machines are on their way. That means those same men aren't protecting the castle." Peter said. "What do you propose we do, Your Majesty?" The mouse that we talked to earlier named Reepicheep asked. "We need to get ready for it." Peter said at the same time Caspian said. "To start planning for..." I shook my head at those two. Caspian clearly wasn't used to having some one say your majesty and it not be about him and Peter always assumes it's about him even if there are other royals around. Peter gave Caspian a look and Caspian looked towards the ground. Peter turned to face him. "Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us." "Crazy. No one has ever taken that castle." Caspian said. "There's always a first time." Peter told him. "We'll have the element of surprise." Trumpkin agreed. "But we have the advantage here!" Caspian exclaimed. "If we dig in, we could probably hold them off indefinitely." Susan told us, agreeing with Caspian. "I for one feel safer underground." The badger from earlier said. "Look. I appreciate what you've done here, but this isn't a fortress. It's a tomb." Peter told Caspian. "Yes. And if they're smart, the Telmarines will just wait and starve us out." Edmund agreed with Peter. "We could collect nuts!" A squirrel suggested. "Yes! And throw them at the Telmarines." Reepicheep said enthusiastically before glaring at the squirrel. "Shut up!" He then turned to Peter and said. "I think you know where I stand, sire." Peter turned to the head centaur. "If I get your troops in, can you handle the guards?" The centaur looked at Caspian before he looked at Peter. "Or die trying, my liege." "That's what I'm worried about." Lucy said and everyone turned to look at her. "Sorry?" Peter questioned. "Well you're all acting like there's only two options. Dying here, or dying there." Lucy told them and I nodded in agreement. "I'm not sure you've been listening." Peter said to Lucy. "No, you're not listening. Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?" Lucy asked. "I think we've waited for Aslan long enough." Peter said before he turned to me. "What plan do you think will work, Ali?" I hesitated. "Honestly, I see flaws in both. Peter, in you're plan if anything goes wrong, we're going to be in the heart of where all the soldiers are, but you're also right, if we go we'll have the element of surprise and that might be enough to win, as long as everything goes to plan. And Caspian, you're plan gives them time to get their armour on and their weapons ready and their machines ready, but again you're also right, we'd have the advantage here, where we can set a sure plan. Overall, I think both plans are good and bad. I just want to win, I don't care how." I answered before I walked out of the room.
***
We ended up going with Peter's plan. A griffin flew Edmund to a tower so he could signal us with his torch (flashlight). After a minute, Edmund faced us and flashed it on and off. That was the signal for our griffins to take off. There was a griffin carrying me, one carrying Peter, one carrying Caspian, one was carrying Trumpkin and one carrying Susan. They dropped us on a pathway in the outside of the castle. There were three men there. Susan shot one, Peter slashed another and I stabbed the last one. Caspian had already slashed a guy during our flight down. The griffins flew away and I made sure I had my sword right in my hand. We tied a rope to one of the stone things that were standing up from the walkway and we tossed the rope over. We took turns climbing down it onto a ledge. Caspian went first, then Peter, then me, then Susan, then Trumpkin. Caspian unlocked the window, that the ledge was outside, with a dagger and we all stepped in. It was Caspian's professor's room, but he was not there. "I have to find him." Caspian said. "You don't have time. You need to get the gate open." Peter told him. "You wouldn't even be here without him, and neither would I." Caspian reminded us. "Peter, you, Susan and I can deal with Miraz." I told him. "And I can still get to the gate in time." Caspian told us before he ran off to find his professor. Trumpkin went after him, to go do the job he was meant for. Susan, Peter and I glanced at each other before we headed off to where Caspian told us Miraz's room was. "We don't want you to either." Susan said as we barged into the room where Caspian held his sword to Miraz's neck and Miraz's wife had a crossbow pointed at Caspian and now Susan had her bow pointed at her. Peter and I had our swords out and in my other hand was a fireball. Miraz's wife pointed her crossbow towards us before back at Caspian. Miraz put his hands on his hips in a 'this is boring' and 'really'? way. "This used to be a private room." He stated. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be in the gatehouse!" Peter told Caspian. "No! Tonight for once, I want the truth. Did you kill my father?" Caspian asked/ordered Miraz, getting closer to him. "Now we get to it." Miraz said and his wife looked at him with wide eyes. "You said your brother died in his sleep." "That was more or less true." Miraz answered and I felt my blood boiling. No one should leave a child parentless. "Caspian, this won't make things any better." Susan tried to persuade him. "We Telmarines would have nothing had we not taken it. Your father knew that as well as anyone." Miraz said and his wife lowed her crossbow. "How could you?" "For the same reason you will pull that trigger. For our son." Miraz tried to walk forward and his wife raised her crossbow again at Caspian. "Stay right there." Susan ordered, her bow now pointing at Miraz. "You need to make a choice, dear. Do you want our child to be king? Or do you want him to be like Caspian here? Fatherless!" "No!" His wife screamed and pulled the trigger, the arrow grazed Caspian's arm, drawing blood. "Caspian!" I yelled and Susan shot Miraz but he dodged it as he ran out of the room using a different door. The warning bells were wrung. We started running through corridors. Susan, Caspian and I were planning on retreating but Peter had different ideas. "Peter!" Susan yelled. "Our troops are just outside! Come on!" We ran into the courtyard and Peter unsheathed his sword. "Now, Ed! Now! Signal the troops!" Peter yelled at Edmund who was currently fighting a soldier. "I'm a bit busy, Pete!" He yelled back. Two soldiers came up to us and Peter slashed one and I slashed the other. Caspian and Susan were a bit behind us. "Peter! It's too late. We have to call it off while we can." Susan told him while he started to turn the wheel to open the gates. I nodded my head in agreement. "No, I can still do this!" Peter insisted. "Help me." He ordered as guards started coming into the courtyard. I immediately started helping him turn the wheel. Susan and Caspian helped too though I could tell, like myself they wanted to retreat. "Exactly who are you doing this for, Peter?" Susan questioned. More and more guards started filling in and Edmund still hadn't signalled the troops. Then a few seconds after, he finally did. We got the gate up just as our troops came in and the guards were just about to reach us. We let go of the wheel and the gate stayed up. We turned around and Caspian, Peter and I raised our swords while Susan put a arrow in her bow. "For Narnia!" Peter shouted and we joined the fight. A man came at me and swung at my head, I ducked and slashed at his feet, making him to a front flip and fall. I dodged a stab a soldier tried to do to me and I clashed my sword with his before I kicked him in the chest, making him stumble and then I sent a fireball at him with my mind, catching him on fire. "Duck!" I saw Peter yell at me and my instincts kicked in and I ducked. I heard a sword wizz by where my head was. Someone was trying to cut off my head from behind. I turned around and slashed his neck. Then I heard. "Archers!" Being yelled and I saw archers lining the walls and they were about to shoot us. One of them aimed for Peter but Edmund slid down from the roof of there they were and he landed on him, knocking him over the edge. "Ed!" Peter and I yelled. The archers beside him aimed their crossbows at Edmund and shoot him but he dodged them all and ran inside a room and shut the door. I ran up to a soldier about to kill a cheetah and I stabbed him through the neck. The cheetah gave me a thankful glance before he pounced on another soldier. I saw someone about to stab Caspian from behind so I threw a fireball at him before he could. Then Caspian disappeared from my sight. I saw Trumpkin get pushed out of a window and tears got in my eyes but I blinked them away sticking to my 'emotions are for after the battle' rule. A soldier cut away a chain holding up a cylinder wooden box. When it hit the ground, smoke came out of it. The gate started lowering and I looked at it with wide eyes. A minotaur stood under it and held it up but the gate was heavy and I knew it was only a matter of time before the minotaur gave out. "Fall back!" Peter yelled and I ran over to him. "We need to retreat now!" He yelled. "Go! Get them out of here!" Peter ordered the leader of the centaurs. He meant get Susan and I put of there. He ran and held out a hand of me and Susan but only Susan took it. "I'm staying with Peter!" I yelled and there wasn't time to argue so he rode of with only Susan. "Caspian!" Susan yelled back to Peter. "I'll find him!" Peter answered before I ran back over to where Peter was. "What are you doing?" He asked/yelled since it was so noisy. "I'm not leaving you." I told him. We went around yelling at our side people. "Get out! Go! Get outta here!" "Retreat!" I yelled as loud as I could. Caspian came back to the courtyard on a horse. His professor was there and an empty horse. "Fall back! Retreat!" I yelled. Caspian and his professor started riding towards the gate, him holding the reins for the horse that had no one on it. Peter and I ran towards that horse. It had a double saddle so both of us could ride it. I climbed on it and threw my other leg over so I was riding correctly, but Peter was having some trouble. He kicked a soldier that was trying to attack us as we rode and then he threw his leg over as well. He was closer to the horse's head then I was and I had my arms around his waist/chest so I wouldn't fall off. The archers were now shooting us and the minotaur that was holding up the gate. One arrow hit the minotaur in the leg and one arrow hit me in the shoulder. The pain was intense. I bit my tongue so I wouldn't yell out in pain. I didn't want anyone to know I was shot until we were out of there so I wouldn't distract them. I pulled out the arrow again biting my tongue so I wouldn't make any noises of pain. I probably should have kept the arrow in since now that it was gone I had started bleeding a lot. We had just gotten through the gate when the minotaur couldn't take it anymore and collapsed, the gate falling on top of him, making it so that no one else could get out of there. There were people trying so get out but they were getting shot. I looked at Susan and then back at the people. "Peter! The bridge!" I heard someone yell and we looked back one more time before he made the horse move forward and the horse jumped over the gap between the ground and the bridge. We galloped away and Edmund was on a griffin and he flew behind us. Once we got into the woods we slowed down and I was hardly keeping my eyes open. I had lost too much blood, and since Peter and I were at the back and I was behind Peter, no one realized I had been shot. "Peter." I said weakly and he turned his head to look at me. "My shoulder got shot." I got out before my eyes shut and I felt myself falling off the horse but then Peter caught me. That's when I couldn't feel anything anymore.