ooo.┊ # WRONG PATH ✧˖*°࿐
-ˋ 💋 𝒐𝒓𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄 — 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗒-𝖾𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍
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TRUMPKIN HAD TOLD THEM where Prince Caspian last was, so Peter and Anastasia took the lead. "I don't remember this way." Susan said after a while of walking. "That's the problem with girls. You can't seem to carry a map in your heads." Peter remarked. "That's because our heads have something in them." Lucy giggled.
"I wish he'd listen to the DLF in the first place." Susan said. "What's that?" Alastair asked. "Dear Little Friend." Lucy giggled before walking off. "Oh that's not at all patronizing is it?" The dwarf asked sarcastically as Alastair and Edmund stifled their laugh. "I'm pretty sure it is."
Peter and Anastasia ended up leading them to a dead end. "I'm not lost." Peter told himself. "No, you're just going the wrong way." Trumpkin spoke up.
"Alright. You said you saw Caspian at the Shuddering Woods. The quickest way there is to cross at the river rush." Alastair pointed at him. "But unless I'm mistaken, there's no crossing in these parts." the dwarf stated. "That explains it, then. You're mistaken." Peter said.
"So it's settled. We'll go this way and find the path. Easy." Alastair walked off with Peter. "You two do realize there is the possibility of the path not existing anymore, right?" Anastasia called after them.
"Aren't you on our side, Ana?" Peter exasperatedly asked. "Yes." "It doesn't feel like it." Peter was lightly playing on her emotions, knowing she took certain ones very seriously.
"Okay. I'm sorry. We'll follow you." "Thank you." Anastasia gave Peter a small smile that dropped once he turned away. She pursed her lips and kept walking after them.
✧
Once they got to where the crossing was supposed to be, they saw there wasn't one. Anastasia huffed at the cliff. "You see, over time, water erodes the earth's soil carving deeper-" "Oh shut up." Peter cut off Susan."Is there a way down?" Edmund asked. "Yeah. Falling." Came Trumpkin's blanched response.
"Well, we weren't lost." Peter said. "There's a ford near Beruna. How do you feel about swimming?" Trumpkin suggested. "Better than falling." Anastasia responded. "Might as well." Alastair sighed accepting defeat.
"Aslan? It's Aslan! It's Aslan over there! Don't you see? He's right...there." Lucy trailed off after turning back around to see no one on the other side.
"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin mocked. "I'm not crazy. He was there. He wanted us to follow him."
"I'm sure there are any number of lions in this wood. Just like that bear." Peter tried to convince Lucy. "I think I know Aslan when I see him."
"Look, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist." Trumpkin said. "I'll do it. I'd do it for free, actually." Alastair spoke still staring over the edge of the cliff with Anastasia. "Annie!" Edmund harshly whispered - his heart beating like crazy at the fact that she was so close to the edge.
"The last time I didn't believe Lucy. I ended up looking pretty stupid." He told the rest of the group. "That's true." Anastasia said walking back to the group.
She figured that if they were wrong about this then Beruna might be wrong as well. Even if Trumpkin has been there longer. There was also the fact that she and Alastair saw a small path under the cliff.
"Why wouldn't I have seen him?" Peter asked Lucy. "Maybe you weren't looking." "I'm sorry Lu." Peter and Susan started to walk off with Edmund and Lucy shortly behind.
None of them seemed to notice the Beauregard's staying in place. Their unspoken plan was going perfect until Trumpkin spotted them. "What exactly do you two think you're doing?" The Pevensie's turned and saw the Beauregard's getting closer to the edge again.
"Jumping." "Waiting." Came the two replies. Alastair groaned as he got hit in the stomach. "I meant waiting." "For what exactly?" Susan asked them. "For you guys to come back. Just don't question us right now." Anastasia told them.
"Who's going to protect you?" Edmund spoke up taking a step forward. "I don't need any protection." Anastasia quipped back looking over her shoulder at him.
"Just go. Trust us, we'll be right here when you get back." The girl took a seat on a rock as if to prove a point.
The Pevensie's gave each other a look before begrudgingly deciding to leave. 'That girl's going to give me a heart attack one day.' Edmund thought.
✧
Once the group got back to the cliff, they were half expecting to see the Beauregard's there, but were still surprised when they saw the space empty. "Oh bloody hell." Peter stated. Edmund's heart starting beating as fast as it could seeing the empty space.
"Let's find them and hope they aren't into some trouble. So, where exactly do you think you saw Aslan?" "I wish you'd all stop trying to sound like grown-ups. I don't think I saw him, I did see him." Lucy said exasperated.
"I am a grown up." Trumpkin spoke up. Edmund started chuckling at his comment.
"It was right over..." Lucy never got to finish as the rocks underneath her crumbled. "Lucy!" Susan yelled. Once they all ran over they looked down and saw her on a ledge. "Here. There's footprints here too! Maybe Ana and Alastair came this way!"
Slowly, they all were able to get down the ledge and onto the ground before looking around. "Finally." A voice was heard behind them. They all jumped and turned to see Anastasia upside down. "I thought you'd never figure it out." "Let me guess. You did?" Susan asked her.
"Nope." She flipped back down onto her feet while stretching. "Not this time, surprisingly. Lucy did. If you all would've actually looked over earlier you would've seen the ledge. The child can be right sometimes."
"Whatever. Let's just get going and find a place to camp out." Peter told her. She nodded before leading them across the creek to Alastair.