Voices echoed in the enclosed room crowded with Narnians.
Every voice seemed to get louder in her head. It was all a mix of gruff and soft voices, all mingled up to create chaos in her head that served as a background to her thoughts.
But despite her mind wandering off, Aria couldn't think of anything that the Narnians could do against the telmarines.
They were lower in numbers in comparison and possessed no proper weapons.
Everything wasn't exactly in their favour.
And with the Telmarines getting closer to where they hid, it was only a matter of time before they would be forced to counter attack.
Aria stood behind Caspian, her eyes trained on the dirt ground infront of her.
"It's only a matter of time. Miraz's men and war machines are on their way. That means those same men aren't protecting his castle".
Aria looked up at the sound of Peter's voice, her eyes meeting his as he addressed the room.
"What do you propose we do, sire?", Reepicheep called out from his spot in the room and Aria glanced at the mouse in deep thought.
Peter and Caspian spoke at the same time, their gazes instantly turning to each other in a battle of their own egos.
Aria looked from one to the other, as the room filled with an awkward silence that was disrupted only when Caspian looked away.
Aria met his downcast eyes and smiled comfortingly at him, placing her hand on his arm.
Caspian smiled back gratefully.
"Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us", Peter stated.
Aria looked from Caspian to the boy, her mouth opening and closing without being able to form any words.
"That's crazy. No one has ever taken that castle", Caspian objected.
"There will always be a first", Peter stated.
"We'll have the element of surprise", Trumpkin added and the girl looked to the dwarf in doubt.
"But we have the advantage here", Caspian tried to get every one to understand but it didn't seem it was of use.
"If we dig in, we could probably hold them off indefinitely", Susan spoke up, her eyes meeting that of Caspian in approval.
Aria smiled softly at the two but she didn't miss the frown that Peter wore on his face.
"I, for one, feel safer underground", Trufflehunter agreed with Susan.
Aria's gaze shifted from one Narnian to another as they agreed to different options.
Stricking first was a good strategy, one that when executed properly would result in their favour.
But it wasn't the perfect plan for them yet.
The telmarine castle was impenetrable.
One wrong move could result in an immediate alert to a large number of telmarines. Much larger than their own army.
And Aria grew worried with each comment that was in favour of the idea.
"Aria?", Peter called out and the girl frowned.
Her gaze met that of the Narnians, who turned to look at her before meeting Peter's hopeful eyes.
"You don't know what they are capable of", the girl said and Peter's eyes grew wide for a moment.
He shook his head, his eyes narrowing in visible confusion.
"They won't know they are under attack. If we sneak in we-"
"No".
"Excuse me?"
Aria walked closer to Peter.
"Peter, I've seen what they can do", she stated softly. "So has most of the Narnians here".
"Like Caspian said it would be impossible to take the castle. And even if we do get in, their numbers are far greater than ours. They'll be able to take us out with ease. How can we assure everything would go to plan?".
Peter stared at the girl with furrowed brows.
He had expected her to agree with him despite the shaky relationship they currently shared.
He had felt the both of them slowly growing closer as they spent more time together.
But he was disappointed.
"Look, I appreciate what you've done but this isn't a fortress. It's a tomb", he replied and Aria's face fell.
She looked at the boy, The high king.
Even if it had been years in Narnia, it had only been a year in England.
But within that span, the boy had changed.
He was more stubborn than he was before, seeming to forget that he didn't have to shoulder the burden of protecting Narnia by himself.
She looked to Lucy who wore a frown on her face.
The young girl turned to look at Aria and she knew there was no doubt she wasn't the only one feeling it.
"I agree with Peter. If the Telmarines are smart, they'll just wait and starve us out".
Edmund sided with his brother, shooting Aria an apologetic glance.
"We could collect nuts", a squirrel spoke up from the crowd.
"Oh Yes! And throw them at the Telmarines", Reepicheep shot back sarcastically. "Shut up!".
The mouse turned to Peter.
"I think you know where I stand on this, sire".
Peter nodded.
"Well then, we've made a decision".
"No!".
Aria's sudden outburst turned heads in the room and her gaze faltered.
She bit her lip.
"No.. I have a bad feeling about this".
She looked at Peter who stared back in doubt.
His gaze fell to his feet and seeming to make up his mind, he shook his head.
"It's not the time to be relying on our feelings anymore. We are at war".
To be continued..