"What the hell happened here?" Rowyn said as they all searched around the ruins for any clue as to what may have occurred. Peter gave her hand a loving squeeze as they followed Edmund to a small boulder that rested on the ground near them.
"Catapults . . ." Edmund said, observing the rock. Rowyn's eyes widened as she moved closer to the rock and observed its positioning.
"This didn't just happen." She and Edmund looked at each other and then turned back towards the others. "Cair Paravel was attacked—when we left it made Cair Paravel vulnerable . . . but who would've attacked? When we left there was peace across all of Narnia."
Susan spoke up. "Maybe someone was working in secret, plotting against us, and then when we vanished they saw that as their go ahead."
Rowyn crossed her arms and looked around. "Maybe . . ." That was when she noticed a familiar area and asked Peter and Edmund to help her push a small concrete wall to the side. Her heart slammed against her chest when she saw the door that the wall had hidden. Peter worked with Edmund to break the door open and then he turned to start cutting off the end of his shirt. "What are you doing?" She questioned while sharing a confused, yet amused, look with Susan and Edmund.
"I don't suppose you have any matches, do you?" Peter said as he wrapped the material around a large stick.
Rowyn shook her head when she saw Edmund reaching for his flashlight and she pulled her cell phone out and turned on the flashlight. "You guys . . ." She shook her head and began the descent down the stairs.
"How does that produce light?" Edmund questioned with a dumbfounded expression.
Rowyn turned her head to glance at him before continuing down the stairs. "Shit, I don't fucking know, but it is extremely helpful."
"You might've mentioned that a bit sooner, Rowyn." Peter said from behind her. Rowyn just laughed as a response when they finally got to the end of the stairs. "I can't believe it . . . it's all still here." Peter smiled wide when they saw their royal chests all resting against the wall in front of their own statues.
Rowyn and Lucy rushed towards their chest and immediately opened them. Rowyn's heart fluttered at the sight of her wedding ring resting at the very top. She smiled wider and unclasped her oval locket from around her neck and slipped the ring on the chain as well before securing it back on her neck. The ring and locket fell just above her breasts.
"I was so tall." Lucy smiled, holding one of her old dresses to her chest.
Susan and Rowyn shared a smile and turned to the youngest girl. "Well, you were older then."
"As opposed to hundreds of years later . . . when you're younger." Edmund said with one of his old helmets on.
"Okay, Bobby Fischer." Rowyn chuckled at Edmund who gave her a confused glance which she just waved away. "He was a chess player . . . uh never mind." She turned back towards her chest and grabbed out her old sword. The blade began to glow softly when she grasped the handle.
"My horn!" Susan said with her bow and arrows in hand. "I must've left it on my saddle the day we went back." Rowyn and Susan shared a look before the sound of a blade being unsheathed made everyone turn towards Peter.
Rowyn smiled softly, leaning against her chest, as he observed his sword. "When Aslan bares his teeth, winter meets its death."
"And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again." Lucy finished with a sad tone. Everyone turned to her to see her eyes lined with silver. "Everyone we knew . . . Mr. Tumnus and the beavers . . . they're all gone." Rowyn couldn't ignore the heavy weight in her chest as she thought of the fawn and the beavers.
"Alice and Christofer . . ." She mumbled, praying to God that they weren't harmed when the attack happened, praying that they lived a long happy life away from here.
Peter placed a hand on Rowyn's back, reminding her that he was there for her no matter what. "I think it's time we found out what was going on."
....
After dressing into some of their old Narnian clothes, the Pevensie's all wandered down the beach. Rowyn twirled a fire dagger between her hands as she walked behind with Peter.
"Could it have been the Telmarines?" Rowyn asked Peter, turning her head slightly in his direction. "I'm just trying to think about any possible nation that could've risen once we left . . ."
Peter glanced at Rowyn for a moment and adjusted the strap of his shield. "I don't know, but whoever it was . . . they'll regret it soon enough."
Rowyn tightened her hold on her dagger before allowing it to vanish into the air. "I'll make sure of that."
"Guys!" Susan shouted back towards them and pointed towards a boat that rested on the small river to their right. Rowyn's eyes widened when she saw two soldiers about to throw a small man into the water.
"Drop him!" Susan shouted at the men with her bow and arrow ready to strike. When the soldiers didn't obey and threw the man in anyways, Susan shot an arrow directly into one of their hearts while the other fell into the water from shock. Peter instantly ran forward with his sword out followed by Rowyn and Edmund who also had their swords drawn.
Peter wasted no time diving into the water after the man while Rowyn helped Edmund secure the boat for them to use. Rowyn didn't even care as the end of her deep red dress turned a shade of black from having to stand in the water. Once the boat was secure, Rowyn rushed towards Peter and made sure he was alright.
"I'm okay, Wynne, I'm okay." He breathed out as he coughed a bit. Rowyn rolled her eyes and then turned to the man they had saved as Lucy went down to cut away his restraints. The man instantly turned over and coughed out the water that had been trapped in his mouth
"Drop him!" The man exclaimed as he stood up and faced Susan. Rowyn shared a confused glance with Susan before he spoke again. "That's the best you could come up with?"
Rowyn felt a twinge of annoyance at the man's ungratefulness. "I suppose I could throw you back in if you really want to be ungrateful right now." Rowyn told the man.
"Yes, a simple thank you would suffice." Susan chimed in.
The dwarf grew more anger. "They were doing just fine drowning me without your help so throw me back girl!"
Finally, Lucy spoke up. "Why were they trying to kill you anyway?" Her tone was soft and kind towards him. Lucy always held that tone no matter who she talked to that's how she became one of the most beloved Queens in all of Narnia.
"They're Telmarines . . . it's what they do."
Rowyn turned to Peter. "Who called that shit!" Peter sent her a look along with his siblings and the girl dropped her hand that had been awaiting a high-five from her husband. "Sorry, bad timing . . ."
"Telmarines? In Narnia?" Edmund brought the attention away from Rowyn when he saw her sheepishly rub the back of her neck as her cheeks darkened to red.
The man rubbed his wrists. "Where have you been for the last few hundred years?"
The family shared a look. "That's a bit of a long story." Lucy huffed in amusement and Susan finally handed Peter his sword back.
The man's eyes widened heavily when he saw the blade and his shoulder's dropped. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me . . . seriously? You guys? You're it? You're the Kings and Queens of Old?"
Peter perked up and took a step towards the dwarf with his hand out. "High King Peter, the Magnificent."
"I don't think that last part was needed, Pete." Rowyn mumbled under her breath from beside Peter.
The dwarf let out a small laugh. "I agree with your wife." Rowyn smiled gently at the man.
Peter straightened his posture. "You might be surprised . . ." Peter drew his blade.
The dwarf cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, you don't want to do that, boy."
"Not me . . . him." Peter turned to his brother and smiled while handing the dwarf his sword.
"Maybe I want to fight High Queen Rowyn?" The dwarf retorted and Rowyn gained a cocky posture.
"Oh trust me . . . you would lose that battle before it even started." Rowyn brushed the hair from her shoulders and the dwarf huffed in amusement again and accepted Peter's sword.
The blade fell limp in his hands and Edmund smiled, cockily, at his family. Suddenly, the man rose his sword and slammed the butt end of it against Edmund's forehead. "Oh, are you alright?" The dwarf said and swung his sword again but Edmund dodged it this time.
Rowyn crossed her arms and turned to Peter. "I did not expect that . . ." She said quietly and Peter shook his head with a small laugh.
"Oh and-" Peter rose her hand and slapped it with his. "You totally called that."
Rowyn smiled and laughed. "Oh, I know. How does it feel to have married a genius?" Peter stifled a laugh and kissed her temple.
More consistent sounds of metal hitting metal made the couple look back and see Edmund getting the upper hand on the dwarf before finally knocking the blade from his hand and causing him to stumble into the sand.
"Beards and bedsteads . . ." The man began whilst breathing heavily from the fight. "Perhaps that horn worked after all."
Susan perked up. "What horn?"