Caspian looked at the Narnian expanse before him in utter despair. This was their place – his and Amelia's – but she was not with him. She was gone. He remembered their talk on the roof the day the Pevensies had arrived...
"But do you love him? Yes or no?"
"No."
He gave her a skeptical look, "Do you promise me?"
She nodded, "I promise. You're the only one who has even a piece of my heart."
Her statement seemed to invite him closer, "Only a piece?"
She nodded again, "Only a piece, Caspian. You have to work if you want to the whole thing."
He smiled, "I assure you, I plan to work day and night."
He had failed. He let her die. He didn't work hard enough to earn her heart... he just let her die. He wasn't oblivious – he had always known that she still loved Edmund, but he had always wanted the best for her. He didn't want her heart to break for Edmund, but he wanted her heart to yearn for his own touch, his own love. But he didn't help her get over the king, he only managed to get her killed. I should've kept her closer...
Caspian heard a rustle behind him and he turned to face his Professor, who he had been lucky enough to rescue the previous night. The bearded man sat next to Caspian and looked at Narnia with the same glimmer in his eyes that Amelia had – the glimmer of hope.
"Why did you never tell me about my father?" Caspian asked, breaking the silence.
"My mother was a black dwarf from the Northern Mountains," his professor began. Caspian was shocked. His professor had been Narnian all along? He supposed it all made sense now. It explained why Cornelius was so adamant on teaching Caspian the Narnian ways. "I risked my life all these years so that one day you might be a better king than those before you."
Caspian replied, "Then I have failed you." He thought of all the Narnians dying behind those iron gates. His chest clenched in pain and heartache.
"Everything I told you, everything I didn't, it was only because I believe in you. You have the chance to become the most noble confladiction in history: The Telmarine who saved Narnia."
The Professor's words left Caspian speechless, so he didn't reply. Instead, they both looked at the Narnian landscape before them. Caspian wondered if there was any hope left to save the Narnians, but as always, Amelia had given him the answer:
"You were born to be King, Caspian. Your whole life has been built on being ready when the time comes."
"That does not mean I feel ready to lead these people."
She sighed, "Perhaps the fact that you do not think you are ready makes you even more worthy than the proudest of Kings."
Peter POV
Peter stared at Aslan's portrait in front of him and wondered where it had all gone wrong. They came to Narnia to save it, but now it seemed he had only brought the Narnians and his brother and sisters a deep sadness. Edmund would hardly look at him anymore, but Peter understood. It was his idea that got Amelia killed. His plan had failed, and Ed was paying the hardest price out of all of them. Yes, Peter could see Caspian's grief, but he knew Edmund's was greater. Peter's little brother hardly spoke. It was as if he had faded away, and only his body remained behind – it was like speaking to a robot.
Lucy sat down next to him, and Peter was glad for her presence. At least one of his siblings could still stand him, "You're lucky, you know."
She asked, "What do you mean?"
"To have seen him," he gestured to Aslan, "I wish he would just give me some sort of proof."
Lucy was silent for a moment, "Maybe we're the ones who need to prove ourselves to him."
They were both silent as they looked at Aslan. Peter's chest tightened for a moment as he wondered what to do – how to save everyone. However, his time for thinking was cut short.
"Pete," Edmund walked in, but his gaze was fastened to the floor and Peter's chest tightened again, "You better come quickly."
His little brother led Peter and Lucy through the corridors until they reached a door that led to the balcony on the roof. Caspian was there already, and his grim expression only made Peter fasten his pace to see what was happening.
Then Peter saw it.
A large black and silver mass emerged from the tree line across the field. The sun glinted off the Telmarines' armor as they marched in perfect synchronicity. Peter flinched as he spotted the catapults they had brought with them. Their thunderous marching boomed around him, and his heart was frozen in anxiety.
Suddenly, they stopped marching and a tide of horses started to ride through the middle of the army. The horses and their riders placed themselves in a line across the front of the troops, but a lone horse was left walking behind them. The horse's rider was adorned in a golden armor and Peter could see his one hand held a rope. His eyes followed the rope and then he heard a gasp escape Edmund beside him.
Attached to the rope was Amelia Cromwell.
Amelia POV
"I know who you are, little girl," Miraz spat in my face. My eyes clenched themselves in disgust, but I made no sound, "I saw your face in that old sod's book. I saw your brown hair and your necklace as you faced the White Witch. I saw you, Silvanus, and now you have nowhere to hide."
I could not stop my heart from dropping to my stomach. It felt like the stone floor beneath me suddenly opened and that the Earth had swallowed me whole. He knew. He would carry me around like a trophy because I was a prize to him. I was the Silvanus and he had captured me – now he was going to parade me.
Miraz turned to the jailer, "Take her to the stables and secure her on my horse." He walked away and the jailer immediately got to work.
Miraz's horse was a tall white stallion that constantly shuffled around. I felt like falling over when the jailor put me on the horse's back. My body was weak and I had been sitting in that cell for days. My muscles were worn and barely remembered how to walk. The jailer had joined my feet with a rope under the horse's belly, and my hands had been tied behind my back. My mouth was stuffed with a piece of cloth and I realized that my feet were tied to prevent me from falling off.
Miraz was dressed in gold armor when he mounted. He gave me an evil smirk before we set off into the day with an entire entourage behind us. The ride was long and my bones felt like shattering every time I landed on the saddle. My eyes were dropping, but I knew I needed to stay awake lest I fall off and get dragged along the forest floor.
We only stopped when Miraz's guard spotted a large black mass of tents in front of us, and I froze in horror and realization. The Telmrine Army was going to attack.
Miraz gestured for one of the guards to come closer and the guard quickly untied my feet before dragging my weak body off of the horse. I almost fell as my feet came into contact with the floor, but I managed to steady myself whilst a rope was tied around my wrist. My backside was in a terrible pain from the ride, and my legs were weak was cuts, blood loss and starvation. I couldn't remember the last time I had food.
Miraz's horse started walking forward and Miraz yanked on the rope attached to my wrists. I groaned in pain as I slowly took a step forward. My leg wobbled, but by some miracle it held and I was able to take another step and then another. Each step made my heart pump faster and my eyes drop lower, but I forced myself to stay awake. Miraz would drag me if he needed to, and I would not be shamed like that.
I noticed that the army had already cleared out and I could hear their march on the other side of the trees. Miraz and another hundred horses slowly walked forward towards the march, and then I noticed we were just outside the How. This was their grand entrance.
The other horses left before Miraz did, but Miraz soon pushed his steed forward and I stumbled after him. They walked through the ranks. I could see that the mask on each soldier was a carbon copy of Miraz's face. The sight sent chills down my spine. If I made it out alive, nightmares would surely plague me for years to come.
When Miraz reached the front lines, I gathered all of my courage and looked up. The How was standing strong and I could see Narnians littering the base, but my eyes were focused on a single face standing on the top balcony. Edmund.