CHAPTER 9
EDITED 7/16/21
The time to raid the Telmarine castle arrived. It was in the dead of the night that the plan went in motion.
Caspian, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Mary were carried by griffins as they made their way to Miraz's territory. Mary couldn't help but marvel at the exhilarating feeling of flying and could only wish that the circumstances of Narnia were better so she could enjoy. Susan initially didn't want Mary to join for her safety, but much to their surprise, Peter said that Mary had the freedom to choose if she wanted to go or not. Of course, Mary wanted to help in whatever way she could, and so she was assigned to a station with Edmund.
Edmund landed on one of the tallest towers of the castle. The griffin dropped him off on the highest point of it before grabbing the guard on patrol just the level below him and throwing him off of the tower. Edmund jumped down when the coast was clear and used his electric torch to signal the others. The rest of those carried by griffins flew in and landed in their respective posts next. Caspian, Peter, and Susan stayed down on the ground while Mary went to the same tower as Edmund. He watched as Mary made her way and touched down on the same landing he was in, having to tuck and roll to keep her balance and stay as quiet as possible. She dusted herself off as Edmund jokingly muttered, "You didn't have to do that, but whatever works for you you, I suppose."
Mary rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She then noticed a guard on a separate tower looking at them, an arrow loaded on a crossbow and aimed at Edmund.
"Edmund!" Mary exclaimed, pulling him aside. Thankfully, she didn't really have to do that because Susan had shot an arrow at that same guard, having seen that he had spotted the two of them already.
"You might want to pay attention next time," Mary nudged him.
"I was too busy watching you."
Mary raised her eyebrows and Edmund soon noticed his blunder.
"Watching you land!" he corrected himself all too quickly. "You know, I was busy watching you land and then you even did that roll and... yeah, that's it."
Mary nodded suspiciously, just grateful that none of them had gotten hurt and the plan seemed to be working despite her reluctance to do it in the first place.
The two were supposed to wait for Peter to tell them to signal the rest of the Narnians. During their wait, they leaned back on the walls quietly, simply keeping an eye out for Peter to arrive or in the event that other Telmarine soldiers would spot them. They eventually grew bored, and Mary could see Edmund becoming restless as he began to flip his electric torch back and forth in his hands. When he heard Mary breathe out a laugh at his antics, he looked to her and said, "Catch."
Mary caught the torch and decided to play along. She flipped it a few times before throwing it back to him. Their only source of entertainment came to an end when Edmund caught it wrong once, his grip loose as he fumbled with it. Mary tried to reach for it, but Edmund eventually let the electric torch slip from his hands and it fell off the edge of the tower and out of sight. The two shared wide-eyed looks with one another before peering over the edge of the balcony.
Without any words, the two scrambled for the door that led down to the next landing. They peeked through another window before proceeding, though, and saw that a Telmarine guard had already found the electric torch. He picked it up and inspected it curiously. He accidentally switched it on, the bright light flashing his face before he turned it away from him. Mary gulped; this was their only way to signal their troops outside the castle. She could only pray that the Narnians did not enter at the wrong time.
"I'll get it," Edmund said to Mary. Without giving her a chance to respond, he jumped out of the window and landed on top of the guard, knocking him out.
"He's crazy," Mary muttered before eventually doing the same as Edmund. Luckily, the window was not too far from the ground anyway, so she was able to land safely on her two feet.
"What, no tuck and roll this time?" Edmund joked.
"Really? At a time like this?" Mary said. "Go check if it's still — "
Mary stopped short when bells began ringing all throughout the castle. That must've meant that Miraz had encountered Peter, Susan, and Caspian already. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her from behind in an attempt to strangle her. It was the same man that Edmund knocked out earlier. She struggled for air as she elbowed the soldier's stomach repeatedly, successfully freeing herself from his grip. While she caught her breath, Edmund made his way to attack that same soldier, kicking him in the face. Mary had to recover quickly though when she noticed yet another solider running towards hem, having seen his fellow guard in trouble. Both Mary and Edmund unsheathed their swords and began fighting.
With the limited space they had in the small landing of that tower, it wasn't difficult to get stuck. Edmund found himself leaning backwards over the edge of the balcony with the solider trying to get him to fall off. Mary was struggling as the Telmarine was close to overpowering her, his sword dangerously near her throat.
"Now, Ed, now! Signal the troops!" Peter commanded from below, sounding breathless.
"I'm a little busy right now, Pete!" Edmund shouted back.
"Mary, help!"
"Just a minute!" she answered, grunting as she put all her strength into shoving the Telmarine off of her. She managed to do so and he stumbled back, but in the middle of it, he was able to disarm Mary, her sword swinging out of her hands and landing with a clang a few feet away. Mary saw from her peripherals that Edmund had knocked out the guard he was fighting with his electric torch and had hence dropped his sword nearby. She dived for it and swung it on the legs of the Telmarine before her. The cut to his legs caused him to cry out and he dropped on the ground. Edmund hurriedly went over to him and took him out with the torch as well.
"Thanks," Mary said, heart racing. Both her and Edmund were breathless by that time, certainly not expecting to be jumped by those two guards. "The torch."
"Oh, right," Edmund jumped, fumbling with the electric torch. He shook it and hit it on the palm of his hand a few times, trying to get it to work.
"Come on... yes!" he exclaimed once it switched on. He made his way to the edge of the tower and pointed the electric torch to where the rest of the Narnians waiting, finally giving the signal. From a distance, the battle cry of the Narnians could be heard as they charged into the castle.
This was it. Their night raid had officially started. In a matter of moments, all hell would break loose within the castle.
"Let's go," Edmund said. Mary nodded and took off running next to him. Sure enough, shouts and orders from below had begun. Telmarines were running into the courtyard and Peter, Susan, and Caspian were desperately trying to open the gate.
"For Narnia!" Peter yelled. At that moment, their troops had entered and chaos ensued. Mary and Edmund sprinted towards where the fight was on a thin beam on top of one of the roofs. Below them, a row of Telmarines had lined up with their crossbows, all directed at the courtyard.
"Archers!" one of them directed. "Pick a target!" One of them had his crossbow aimed specifically at Peter. Edmund noticed it just in time and slid down the roof, successfully kicking the said soldier off the edge and out of sight.
"Ed!" Peter warned when he realized where his brother was standing. This caught Mary's attention too and she saw that the line of Telmarines were not facing Edmund. She gasped as Edmund made a run for it, heading towards the door to his right.
"Mary, run!" he shouted as he dived and disappeared from view, kicking the door shut just as multiple arrows had been shot. She released a breath she didn't know she was holding before following what he said and running away. She was instructed to stay with Edmund to keep an eye out for one another, but it was no use going back to him at that point. She assumed she'd have to do what she could in the battle on her own.
Mary's feet pounded on the roof, but she felt as if her heart pounded even louder. She slid down on the other side of the roof to make her way down to an empty landing that lead to a set of stairs. She could see some of the Narnians battling nearby and decided that this was where she could be of help.
She attacked a Telmarine from behind, taking him by surprise by slashing his back where his armor didn't cover him. He cried out at that, and a faun in front of him kicked him down the steps to finish him off. Mary and the faun continued fighting their way up, which lead to where a man she assumed was Miraz stood. He had a greying beard and held a certain air of arrogance and power — but certainly not the good kind — around him as he stood with soldiers guarding him from all sides. All he was doing was looking at the chaos taking place within his castle. It angered Mary how he had no care in the world, barely batting an eye at all the lives that were being taken at that very moment.
Peter eventually fought his way up from the courtyard and to where Mary stood.
"I'm going to get him," he informed her.
"Miraz?" Mary asked, though she already knew his answer. "He's surrounded by men, it's not —"
Mary stopped short when a minotaur named Tyrus, who had been fighting next to her, jumped up until he reached the balcony where Miraz and his men stood. She and Peter stood in anticipation as he only hung there for a second until an arrow sunk into his arm. She heard his whimpers of pain but couldn't do anything to help except stand there. Miraz pushed him with the slightest bit of force, but it was enough to send Tyrus falling down. Mary and Peter watched with wide eyes as the minotaur hit the side of one of the roofs on its way down until it landed on the ground with a harsh thud.
Peter, who held a crossbow, shot an arrow at one of the Telmarines as Miraz ordered, "Get that gate closed!"
Peter and Mary shared a look. If that gate closed soon, they were trapped. Miraz's men worked unbelievably fast as Mary saw the gate begin fall down, only stopping when another minotaur named Asterius rushed over it to keep it open.
"Fall back!" Peter commanded.
Mary had no time to question the High King. The urgency in his voice was enough to catch her attention. As Peter ran down the steps, she finished fighting off one of the men who had just arrived, grabbing his own crossbow to hit him over the head until he was knocked out.
"We need to retreat now!" Peter continued, a leopard following him on his way back to the courtyard.
Mary skipped down the steps after them, yelping when a Telmarine appeared out of nowhere. She stopped on her heels to avoid the tip of the sword that nearly hit her face, and in that moment where she didn't have much balance, the same man tripped her and she fell down the remaining few steps, her ankle rolling in an unfamiliar way.
Peter quickly made his way back to her, kicking a soldier off of the steps before helping her up.
"Can you still walk?" he asked.
Her ankle was throbbing, but she could manage.
"Yes."
"Then run. Now. Tell everyone to retreat."
Mary obeyed and limped through the battlefield, dodging the arrows being thrown and swords being swung around. Some of the Narnians were beginning to fall back already, and she called those who continued to fight.
"Mary!" Caspian called from behind, the sound of horses' hooves hitting the ground accompanying him. Mary turned around and found him on a brown horse, Susan sitting behind him. There was one more horse next to him where an old man sat. They halted for a second and helped Mary get up and sit behind the man she did not know. Then, they burst into a run again.
"Are you alright?" Caspian asked as they weaved through the ongoing fight.
"I'm fine. But the others aren't going to make it," Mary said worriedly, looking over her shoulder. Most of their troops were too busy fighting back to even attempt to retreat.
They made it past the gate just as Asterius began to grow weaker, the weight of the gate being too much for him to bear together with the arrows that had started flying his way eventually hitting him.
Caspian stopped his horse right before the drawbridge, forcing it to turn around and see what was happening. Peter was the last to make it through the gate before Asterius collapsed, the gate crushing him and the remaining Narnians screaming for help. Mary's heart tugged at the scene, feeling helpless. It became even worse when she saw the look of sorrow and guilt that Peter held. At the sight of the Narnians trapped inside the courtyard, Mary thought of Edmund. What happened when they separated? Was he injured? Did he make it out alive?
"The bridge!" someone screamed from the other side. The drawbridge was beginning to go back up upon Miraz's orders to prevent the rest of them from escaping.
"Go," Caspian told Mary and the old man, who slapped the reigns of the horse so that they could make it before the drawbridge closed. They made it just in time, but Susan, Caspian, and Peter were still on the other side.
"You're Mary, aren't you?" said the old man.
Mary raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"How do you know my name?"
"Caspian told me that the prophecy had started to unfold," he answered. "He briefly told me what had happened since he escaped, and that included you."
"Are you his professor?" Mary said in realization.
He nodded with a fond smile.
"Doctor Cornelius is the name."
"Peter, we must leave!" Susan was now calling out to her brother.
"We've got no choice!" Caspian added. Looking torn, Peter eventually ordered his horse to run. It galloped as fast as it could and jumped just at the edge of the closing drawbridge. Peter landed safely on the other side, but his face gave away that he wasn't happy at all.
✧ ✧ ✧
By the time the remainder of the Narnians had arrived at the clearing before Aslan's How, the sun had already risen. It was only then that those riding the horses or on the centaur's back quietly got off and walked on their own while those being carried by the griffins landed as well. There was an unspoken silence as they mourned those who could not escape and those who had gotten fatally injured.
Caspian, who learned that Mary had twisted her ankle, allowed her to ride his horse instead while he and Susan decided to walk. His professor had fallen asleep, probably weak from being imprisoned and treated unfairly in the past few days, and so he stayed limp on the same horse Mary had ridden earlier.
Mary watched as the griffins made their way down and immediately looked for Edmund. She saw a few dwarves getting off, and finally, she spotted that unmistakable dark hair and fair skin. She couldn't help but have the urge to go to him at that very second. Bearing the pain on her ankle, she hopped off the horse, ignoring the curious looks she received from Caspian and Susan.
When Edmund landed, his eyes naturally searched for those who meant the most to him first. Peter was in the lead, looking disappointed but perfectly fine. Susan was walking next to Caspian, both of them quiet but unharmed. And finally, Mary. He took a double take, nearly missing her as she was just about to get off of the horse. He let out a sigh of relief and brisk walked towards her. He was quicker than she was as she was injured, and he wrapped his arms around her the moment he reached her.
Mary hugged him back, glad that he was safe, too. Both of them had been worried the entire time for one another, especially after they got separated during the battle.
"You're okay," he breathed.
"You are, too," Mary pointed out.
"I'm sorry for not thinking things through earlier."
"What are you talking about?"
"I was supposed to stay with you but I didn't. It was dumb of me because this was your first real battle and I left you behind. Peter and Susan can handle things on their own, but you —"
Mary shook her head profusely.
"You don't have to apologize," she told him. "You did what you had to do to save Peter. Besides, I'm lethal, remember?"
He chuckled softly at her words before hugging her once more. Though the two of them had a friendship that revolved around bickering and teasing one another, they both knew it wasn't the time. They were just happy that they were both safe, but they were also in solemn states as they processed their unsuccessful night raid of the Telmarine castle.
When he let go, he noticed Mary wince when she shifted her weight to the other foot. Concern instantly filled his features.
"What's wrong?"
"A Telmarine tripped me," Mary explained, not liking how careless it sounded now that she was saying it out loud. She expected Edmund to laugh and make fun of her, but she was mildly surprised when he didn't.
"How bad is it?"
"Not too bad," she reassured. "I just twisted it, but I think I'll be fine."
Ignoring her words, Edmund put his arm around her and assisted her in walking. She felt her cheeks grow warm at the action and secretly didn't want to tell him she could still walk properly, just a bit slower than usual.
By the time they reached the pathway leading to the entrance of Aslan's How, Lucy must have heard their arrival because she came rushing out.
"What happened?" she asked right away.
"Ask him," Peter said shortly, tilting his head towards Caspian.
"Peter," said Susan warningly.
"Me?" Caspian said in disbelief. "You could have called it off. There was still time."
"No, there wasn't, thanks to you. If you'd kept to the plan, those soldiers might be alive right now."
"And, if you'd just stayed here like I suggested, they definitely would be!"
"You called us, remember?"
Caspian stood up straighter. "My first mistake."
"No," Peter retorted. "Your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people."
"Hey!" Caspian raised his voice so suddenly that it startled Mary. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia!"
Peter glared at Caspian so harshly that Mary could feel it burning into her even if she wasn't the one he was looking at.
"What would have happened if we didn't leave, huh? Or are you too daft to understand the prophecy? We came back for a reason. If you hadn't noticed, it wasn't just us who came to Narnia this time around. And don't forget that you invaded Narnia. You have no more right to it than Miraz does! You, him, your father — Narnia's better off without the lot of you!"
Caspian gave a battle cry and both he and Peter unsheathed their swords, pointing their weapons at one another.
"Stop it!" Edmund yelled, getting their attention. Mary turned to her left to look at him. It was then that she noticed that Glenstorm stood next to Edmund, holding someone in his arms — Trumpkin. Mary inhaled a sharp breath when she realized he wasn't awake, a nasty wound on his head.
Edmund assisted Glenstorm in setting Trumpkin down gently on the floor. Lucy ran over to him and took out a cordial that Mary hadn't seen before. She knelt down on the ground next to Trumpkin, opened the cordial, and tipped a few drops of it into his mouth. Mary watched in curiosity and anticipation, wondering what was going to happen. After a few seconds, Trumpkin's eyes opened.
"What are you all standing around for?" was the first thing he said. "The Telmarines will be here soon enough."
Lucy smiled down softly at the dwarf.
"Thank you, my dear little friend."
Mary faced Edmund for an explanation, surprised at how that cordial worked. He noticed her looking at him and knew what she wanted to ask without her needing to say anything.
"It was a gift from Santa."
A/N: I asked you all in my old author's note here (back in 2015 I think? wow) what the ship names should be and these are what y'all suggested before I edited this chapter hihi:
- Marmund
- Edry
- Edmary
Edmary sounds the cutest to me!! ♡