The cold night air filled my lungs as my horse, Pan, and I trodded towards the edge of the forest. The moonlight reflected off my steed's dark coat and lit up the clouds of smoke that came from his lungs with each breath. The clip-clop of his hooves on rocks was the only sound in the night.
I could hardly believe what I was doing. I was alone; no general, advisor or friend knew where I was. This aspect, the solitude, was what made me suspicious of the Professor's plan. Why could I not get help? The Narnians are strong together, so why was I to operate alone? Then again, I knew the answer – they would've refused. I knew my friends well enough to know that they would never trust an old Telmarine professor. They would've left Caspian to die, and I would've gone to save him and betrayed their trust.. Yes, alone was better. Alone I could protect them from the unknown. From Miraz. From hope.
Once we reached the outer rim of trees where the forest was less dense I quietly hopped off Pan before I left him to graze. I made my way to the edge of the treeline and took a seat on a large, outcropped rock. I didn't expect my third night on watch to be any more eventful than the first or the second, but I knew I had to be alert. It can happen any day, he had told me, You must be ready.
And so I sat there, staring at the many stars that shone brightly in the night sky. The light from Telmar did not dim them in the slightest. The city was close, close enough that I could hear the noisy parties and gatherings of the people in the town. The castle reached into the sky, but no sound came from within its walls.
In front of me was a wide expanse of flat land. No trees or bushes littered the ground until you reached the city walls of Telmar. A sea of the dead, I had called it. How many Narnians had died here while fighting them? While fighting the enemy?
The stars had always been one of my favourite parts of Narnia. It seemed that no matter how many things went wrong on the ground, the stars were always there. They were there when Edmund and I were captured by the witch. They were there when the Telmarines attacked. They were there when the Narnians died. They were always there, a symbol of hope. I recalled how few and dim the stars were in London. They hardly ever escaped the clouds that always seemed to cover the city like a large blanket. The thought made me wonder if they were watching the stars. Were they missing Narnia? Did they miss the Narnian sky and the Narnian air?
Thoughts raced through my head about what they could be doing. Maybe they were in school right now, learning about maths and science and all the things that I used to think made the world go round. My time in Narnia taught me differently – maths and science were only man's way to explain a greater power. In Narnia, that power was called Aslan – but even I had lost faith in the Great Lion. I hadn't seen him since he disappeared on the day of the coronation, and since then he had failed to answer my prayers. Perhaps he too weakens when the Narnians' hope fades, just like how I lost my power when all hope was lost.
A scream.
A loud cry raced through cold air from the castle. It broke through the treeline and banged against my eardrums. I was sure the city could hear it just as well as I could, and their parties grew even louder. I knew what that sound meant – Caspian's Aunt was giving birth.
I whistled for Pan and he quickly came to my side, nuzzling my cheek in affection. I held onto his reigns while I waited, praying to every single god I had ever known that it would be a girl. A girl meant that I didn't have to do this. It meant there was no need for the plan. There could be a smooth transition without violence.
An hour later, once the screams had died down, the first firework was released into the air along with the verdict, "A son! The Lady Prunaprismia has given our Lord Miraz a son!"
I sucked in a nervous breath at the announcement. I couldn't believe it. Was that it then? Was our only hope for survival a Telmarine Prince who was about to be killed? I didn't ponder on the thought much longer, for fear I would abandon the plan. Pan was ready when I jumped onto the saddle and he immediately raced off into the night. I let my hood fall to my shoulders as the wind raced passed my ears.
The trees were widespread on the outer edges of the forest and they allowed some light to pierce through the leaves, however, the further we travelled the darker it became.
We were nearing the lake; the sound of horse hooves reached my ears through the trees. There were many of them, a whole entourage of soldiers had raced after Caspian. Pan and I quickly peeked through the treeline towards the lake. A lone horse, Caspian I assumed, was urging his horse faster through the great marsh. The cavalry of soldiers behind him forced their horses into the water as well, but Caspian had almost made it through.
I pulled on the reigns and Pan was quick to rush into a gallop. We ran along the edge of the lake and remained behind the trees for cover. I could see Caspian not far off, and he was almost out of the water. We had to get ahead of him. Pan raced deeper into the woods, leaving the lake behind us. It was a shortcut, one we had taken many times before, but the road was treacherous and full of rocks and low hanging branches. I ducked to avoid the onslaught of leaves and Pan dodged the rocks with his feet.
Soon we came upon the familiar branched archway that led to the clearing where my friends were sure to get a healthy surprise. I knew I couldn't face the soldiers alone, so I made my own plan to get reinforcements without breaking my agreement with the Professor.
I pulled Pan to a halt at the treeline and we stared out into the night. The sound of horse hooves were slowly getting louder. There were only 2 pairs of hooves, so the soldiers must've been little ways behind Caspian. That was good, it gave me more time.
Soon I caught sight of a horse breaking through the nearby treeline and it made its way towards me – only, it had no rider. My heart dropped to my stomach as I realised the soldiers must've caught him on the lake. But that's impossible, I thought, He was so far ahead.
Then I heard it – the rustle of the leaves and the sounds of a struggle coming from the oncoming horse. Pan moved aside to let it pass, only it was not alone. Caspian let out a cry as he was dragged along the forest floor by his foot that was still caught in the stirrup. The situation was almost comical – had we not been running from Telmarine soldiers. With a nudge in the ribs, pan raced off after Caspian's horse towards the clearing.
"Come on!" I yelled at Caspian. I didn't know if he heard me, but he only reached up to his foot one more time before it came loose and he skidded to a stop on the forest floor. A loud groan left his chest.
Pan stopped at the edge of the clearing and I clambered off the saddle before I sent a light smack towards his bum. He ran off into the night. He knew where to go.
I let out a soft giggle at the sight of this oh-so-mighty Prince the Professor had described. His hair was a dishevelled black mess, although, I supposed that was expected after being dragged along the forest floor. His clothes were dirty and ripped in some areas while his face was contorted in an expression of pain. His dark hair, high cheekbones, and full pink lips reminded me of another royal from long ago. I abandoned the thought of the Just King in my mind.
"Prince Caspian, I assume?" I questioned, alerting him of my presence.
He stared at me incredulously, "Who are you? Why did you come after me?"
I shrugged, "Most people in these parts of the woods call me Amelia, but you can just refer to me as your savior. I'm not picky."
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Savior?"
"Why yes, did you think the old Professor was going to leave you to die out here? Please, I've only know the man for a few days and I'm positively certain he's not that stupid." I spotted the blood marking the edge of his face and took a step towards him, "Now let's check tha-"
"No! Don't come any closer!" he shuffled away from me in fright. I understood his fear, although I didn't think he needed to take it that far. I looked just any regular human from Telmar would, albeit with a few Narnian accents.
"You need not fear me, Prince Caspian. I am here to help you. Professor Cornelius asked me to protect you from your uncle."
"My uncle," he sneered, "What do you know of him?"
"Just that he's a pig who wants to kill you and take the throne."
Caspian gazed at me, "What are you?"
"Well-" I was interrupted by the familiar sound of my front door creaking open. I looked towards the house – a small hut hidden in the root base of a tree – only to see Trumpkin and Nikarrbrik staring at me in shock.
"Amelia, what is this?" Trumpkin demanded, but his head turned towards the forest at the sound of the oncoming horses, "Take care of him," He told Nikarrbrik, pointing at Caspian, before he looked at me, "We'll talk about this later."
There was no time to discuss it. As soon as Trumpkin finished his last word, the soldiers atop their horses broke through the trees and charged towards our quartet. I pulled out my bow on instinct and knocked an arrow. The moonlight reflected off the silver tip and glimmered off the surrounding tree trunks before I let the spotlight fly right into the heart of the first soldier. He dropped to the floor and his horse scampered off into the nearby trees.
I immediately readied my next arrow and it hit the next soldier in the head just as he came into the clearing. Behind him, the rest of their entourage followed at a rapid speed. I shouldered my bow once I realised they were far too close for my long-range weapon. Beside me, Trumpkin stood with his short sword drawn and a scowl on his face. For a moment, I considered how grateful I was to have my fellow Narnian beside me. It suddenly felt like I didn't have to fight this battle on my own, but I had the support of my people. I hated the secrecy of the Professor's plan, which is why I made sure that the path Caspian was instructed to take would lead him here, to my doorstep, where I knew my friends would fight by my side. No matter what.
The moment the horses were close enough, I drew my sword and slashed at the first few riders. Trumpkin nicked their ankles, forcing them out of the stirrups and causing the riders to fall. I drew my second sword and drove it into a rider's upper leg. The blood spattered onto my face and I spit out the iron water in my mouth. Just as I was about to slash at another soldier, a cry sounded from my left.
"No!" Nikarrbrik yelled before a loud horn-like sound thundered through the trees. It echoed inside my eardrums and sprinted through my veins until it reached my heart. It pumped further into the very depths of my being where memories and feelings that I had hidden from myself awakened and came to life. I could feel my eyes grow wide in recognition as I heard it. Susan's horn.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nikarrbrik drive the butt of his sword into Caspian's head, knocking him out cold. I stopped for a moment, trying to recollect my thoughts and gather my strength. The sound had knocked back my instincts and forced me to remember. To remember all those times where I took happiness for granted.
"Amelia!" At the sound of my name my head snapped back into action and my swords were drawn once again. Trumpkin stood alone, surrounded by the four remaining soldiers atop their horses. His sword was drawn, but his eyes showed uncertainty. He didn't know what to do.
I jumped into the gathering with a battle cry, the sound channelling all the strength I had left from my long night. I drove my sword into the stomach of the soldier closest to me. The squish of his flesh as I drove my sword deeper only accompanied the anger and frustration that was fueling my power. I was angry that I left Trumpkin alone; frustrated that I had to remember all those years with the people I now practically loathe.
The soldier fell to the ground with a thump, but my eyes had already averted to Trumpkin, who had been lifted onto the horse of one rider. He had been stuffed into a bag and was being tied onto the horse. I screamed in protest and ran across the clearing to the rider who was about to run away with Trumpkin's soul. The rider mounted his horse and kicked its side. The steed started running, and in a desperate attempt to stop them, I drew a knife from my belt and chucked it with all my strength at the rider. Two seconds later, it was embedded into a tree and the rider was gone, along with his two companions.
I screamed out in frustration, knowing that there was no hope of catching them. Even if I managed to summon Pan from the other side of the woods where the Narnian's were, we would never reach them before they got to the castle. We would get caught and be sentenced to death like he will be. I knew that's not what he wanted. He wouldn't want me to die while trying to save him. I couldn't help but think 'what if' whilst the Silvanus inside me throbbed with desperation and anger at another Narnian death.
"Don't do it, Amelia," Nikarrbrik echoed behind me, "You have other responsibilities." He gestured down to Caspian who was lying on the floor, unconscious, "I hope he was worth it."
"We'll have to wait and see."