CHAPTER 5

EDITED 1/20/22

A low, growling noise awoke Mary the next morning. Her eyes flew open and she sat up with a start, looking around for its source. Though she was still trying to get her mind to fully wake up, there didn't seem to be anything unusual. That is, until she realized that Lucy was missing from their camp.

Edmund let out a snore, much to Mary's entertainment. However, her attention was pulled back to Lucy when she heard the younger girl say, "Aslan?"

Mary jumped to her feet and attached her sheath around her dress before brisk walking towards the direction Lucy had gone. It didn't take long to find her trudging through the trees carelessly, and she was just about to reprimand her for leaving their camp without anyone knowing when spotted a giant creature walking nearby. She got ahold of Lucy and pulled her down behind a bush, causing the latter to yep a little in surprise.

"Lucy, what are you doing?" Mary whisper-yelled. "Did you see that? That... that was a minotaur, wasn't it?"

Lucy peeked through the leaves. When she saw the creature with the built body of a man and the head of a bull, she realized Mary was correct.

"What if it's a Narnian?" she wondered.

"Or it could be wild. You know, like that bear?" said Mary. "Or is there, er, no such thing as wild minotaurs?"

"Well, he doesn't look like it."

Lucy had a valid point. The minotaur was wearing battle gear and walked almost human-like — not just on two legs, but as if it had a purpose. Upon seeing this, Mary bit her lip and gave in, agreeing with Lucy. Perhaps this creature was their ticket to finding the rest of the Narnians.

"Okay, I suppose we can approach it," she said. "But slowly. If he shows any signs of being wild, we run."

Lucy nodded in anticipation and the two stood up cautiously, careful not to make a sound. Mary was almost completely standing up when something long and shiny appeared right next to their faces — a sword. Lucy yelped at the sudden appearance of the weapon and tried to get away as quick as her legs could carry her.

Mary ducked when the sword swung at her face. She heard the sound of it slicing through something, and when she saw a lock of hair fall in front of her face, she realized that whoever was attacking her had cut off a piece of her hair. Then, she finally locked eyes with the attacker: a man with shoulder length black hair, soft eyes contrasting his sharp features, and looked to be a few years older than her. He had a determined expression on his face, giving away that he was willing to hurt Mary and win this fight.

He let out a battle cry upon swinging his sword once more, but Mary had fortunately unsheathed her own and the two weapons clashed loudly.

"Mary!" Lucy cried out in fear for her friend.

Back at the camp, the other four had heard the commotion. Edmund and Peter already awoke at the sound of swords clashing, and not a moment later, the sound of his sister yelling Mary's name was enough for Edmund to sprint towards wherever it came from. Peter didn't have time to stop him, so he got up and followed his brother closely behind, just as Susan and Trumpkin were getting up as well.

Although Mary had fought and defeated Trumpkin, this was different. She was coached and mentally prepared herself to fight Trumpkin, but she was caught completely off guard with this man. Trumpkin was also quicker, but this man was much stronger. Mary was getting by with defensive skills again, not having the advantage with any offensive techniques. The man moved expertly as if he had done this many times before and it impressed Mary, though she shouldn't have been thinking about that because her sword eventually got stuck on a tree trunk.

"Bloody hell —" she cursed when she couldn't take it out. She heard the man's steps behind her and dodged one of his hits, which had sliced a thin tree branch. She used this moment to knee him down below, causing him to groan in pain. He recovered just as Mary pulled her sword out and their weapons struck one another once more. Trying to take advantage of him still recovering from her hit only seconds earlier, Mary took this chance to attack offensively. She made progress at first, but she could see the man eventually catching up to her pace.

Just as she about to aim from the left, someone else collided with her, forcing her down into the grass with a small thud. It wasn't very painful since she mostly landed on a pile of fallen leaves, but the air still got knocked out of her. She groaned before looking at the culprit next to her: Edmund.

"Why did you do that?" Mary asked. "I was fighting him!"

"Obviously," he coughed, removing his arm from around her. "But this is only your second sword fight and it's with some stranger. It's as if you like getting yourself into danger."

Mary scoffed and looked back, wondering what had happened to the man she was fighting and Lucy. The young girl was not in sight anymore, and the man was now getting up from the ground, seemingly having been pushed by someone else, too. Mary realized it was Peter when the blonde boy's sword fell near her, and so did the other man's sword a little further away. Instead of picking their own weapons up, Peter grabbed ahold of a massive rock while the black-haired man took Peter's sword. The two of them rose to their feet, ready to strike.

"No! Stop!" someone yelled.

Both men froze, their weapons suspended in midair. All heads turned to find out that it was Lucy who had reappeared ordered them to stop. She wasn't alone now, though. Now, standing behind her, there were animals and mythical creatures that Mary had only ever read about in fairytales. They were all clad in armor, held weapons, and had a certain aura to them that told Mary they weren't just any animals; they were Narnians.

Realization struck Mary and she looked back at the man who attacked her.

"Prince Caspian?" she guessed.

"Yes?" he answered, looking at her and then the rest of the Pevensies in confusion. "And who are you people?"

"Peter!" Susan shouted and entered the scene before anyone could respond, while Trumpkin was hot on her heels. Upon the call of Peter's name, Caspian looked down as the puzzle pieces began to fit inside his head.

"High King Peter," he said quietly, eventually raising his eyes to look at him.

"I believe you called," Peter replied.

"Well, yes. But I thought you'd be older."

"Well, if you like, we could come back in a few years —"

"No!" said Caspian instantly. "No, that's alright. You're just... you're not exactly what I expected."

"Neither are you," Edmund commented, getting up from the ground and pulling Mary up with him.

"A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes," a badger said wisely. Mary almost jumped at the sight of a badger talking, both in shock and because he was very adorable.

"If you're the kings and queens," Caspian continued, eyeing Peter, Lucy, Susan, and then Edmund in order. "Who is this?"

His gaze landed on Mary and so did the other Narnian's, causing her to grow flustered.

"Uh, I'm Mary," was the only way she could introduce herself.

"Well, Lady Mary, I apologize for attacking you."

Edmund's stare practically burned holes into the side of Caspian's head as he apologized to Mary with a charming smile. Who was he to do that so casually after practically trying to kill her minutes before?

"You are quite a decent fighter."

Mary blinked at the compliment, pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, thank you."

"Your Majesties." Mary followed the voice and found that it belonged to a grey mouse, much larger yet cuter than those back home. "We have anxiously awaited your return. After years of waiting for the prophecy to be true, we had nearly lost hope. Our hearts and swords are at your service."

He bowed and Mary couldn't help but mutter, "Oh my gosh, he is adorable."

"I know," Lucy squealed.

The mouse heard them and drew his small sword, jumping into position as he demanded, "Who said that?"

"Oh, sorry," said Mary while Lucy offered a sheepish smile.

"Oh, my lady and Your Majesty," the mouse said, standing up straighter. "With the greatest respect, I do believe 'courageous,' 'courteous,' or 'chivalrous' night more benefit a knight of Narnia."

"Well, at least we know some of you can handle a blade," said Peter.

"Yes, indeed. And I have recently put it to good use securing weapons for your army, sire."

"Good. Because we're going to need every sword we can get."

"Well then, you'll probably be wanting yours back," said Caspian. He handed Peter his sword back, and the latter sheathed it.

"You've been gathering weapons, you say?" Mary asked the mouse, curiosity taking over her. Contrary to her belief, it seemed that the Narnians had been preparing for an inevitable war long before the Telmarines did.

"I have. We've also been creating weapons of our own. Oh, and Reepicheep is the name, my lady," he introduced. "I must say, you are a good sword-fighter. I commend you for that, though I do believe you can improve on your offense, which I am very skilled at."

"Uh, thanks?" said Mary. She didn't think learning from a mouse would be of much help, but who knew? She probably shouldn't underestimate him.

"Are you a Daughter of Eve, perhaps?"

All eyes continued to linger on Mary, now more than ever.

"She is," Peter answered for her when she didn't reply.

Murmurs spread among the crowd of Narnians, much to her surprise.

"Then you must be from the prophecy," Reepicheep said in awe, only adding to the chatter going on behind him. Mary shook her head frantically.

"No, wait, I —" she began.

"A young maiden will soon arrive with the old,

to bring peace to the two lands known.

With hair as rich as the earth and eyes likewise,

she will assist the children of Adam in their throne.

If destiny shall permit it,

love will prevail,

but a wage of destruction in between,

only likely to succeed or fail."

"It must really be her, then," Caspian said once Reepicheep had finished reciting the memorized prophecy. "My professor used to tell me stories of Narnia in secret, but I must confess that I never thought the prophecy to be true until now."

"Wait, I —" she tried again.

"Of course, she came with the kings and queens of old," a centaur agreed.

"The prophecies never lie," said another.

"It has never been wrong before."

"She just arrived and she can fight like a warrior already."

"She has come to help Our Highnesses in reclaiming Narnia as ours!"

Mary searched for the eyes of the Pevensies, silently pleading for help. However, they could only smile sympathetically, showing that they were in agreement with the Narnians. Even Peter had no argument for this one. As stubborn as he had been the entire time they had returned to Narnia, he couldn't deny that Mary had been of quite some help already, and it truly wasn't a coincidence that she had come back there with them.

"I don't think it's of any use to deny it any longer, Mary," Peter admitted upon seeing the look on her face.

"The hair and the eyes," Caspian observed. "They're as rich as the earth. You fit the description perfectly."

Edmund narrowed his eyes when Caspian stared too long at Mary. He cleared his throat, wanting him to look away, but he didn't take the hint.

"I haven't done anything to save Narnia, I swear," said Mary. "I want to help, but I don't know how."

"You've already started, Mary," Lucy told her. "You saved me from that bear."

"That was nothing —"

"Or that was only the beginning." Mary was surprised to see Peter wholeheartedly agreeing with his sisters. It was no secret that in the last few days, he had been against Mary, mostly because he didn't like being questioned by someone who had no clue what Narnia was until then. But he was now realizing that he was in the wrong. "You've pitched in ideas that I could've accepted but didn't. I know you're capable of more than that."

"You mustn't fight your destiny, m'lady," Reepicheep added, noticing her hesitance. "If it is yours to fulfill, then you must accept it. Do not worry. We are all here standing by you."

Mary froze when one by one, the Narnians began getting down on their knees. She was beyond overwhelmed, not used to all the attention and the fact that she had barely done anything to help Narnia and yet, here they all were, bowing down to her in respect. The turning point was when Caspian knelt too, followed by Lucy, Susan, and then Peter. When she made eye contact with Edmund, she sent him a pleading look once more.

"Don't you dare —"

A smirk tugged on his lips when he didn't listen to her and instead followed everyone else, kneeling before her next to his siblings.

✧ ✧ ✧

Once the Pevensies and Mary settled down with the few Narnians present in their camp, they set to work. They began formulating different plans but hadn't managed to settle on one just yet, deciding that they would finalize it after spying on the Telmarines one more time to see which would benefit them more.

Trufflehunter, the badger, informed them that their main base was at Aslan's How and that they had only left it to acquire more firearms as well as gain more intel on the Telmarines. So, when the initial planning had commenced, Peter ordered for them to train with one another while they could. That meant that Susan went off to practice with her bow and arrow, Peter and Edmund dueled as they hadn't had an official one in years — well, only one year in their real world — Lucy conversed with the few Narnians there who weren't trained for battle, and while Mary had initially joined her, she found that it was hard to continue a conversation when she had no knowledge of Narnia and its history.

Mary excused herself when Lucy and an aged otter were reminiscing the old days of Narnia. She listened at first, but after a while, it felt like the conversation had become personal and Mary didn't want to intrude nor could she contribute much.

She strolled down the length of the camp, hoping that after that whole scene of the Narnians acknowledging her as the girl in the prophecy, she would be able to do something worthwhile. But, she didn't. As she suspected, there was nothing substantial that she could contribute, whether it was coming up with strategies or dueling. Mary sighed in restlessness, stopping to lean on the trunk fin one of the trees in the area.

"Are you bored, young maiden?"

The unusual accent could only have come from Prince Caspian. Mary looked to her left and sure enough, it was him.

"Sort of," she said honestly.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself since I nearly killed you earlier. Prince Caspian of Telmar," he said, extending a hand.

"Excuse me, but I think I handled that pretty well," Mary mused with a hint of humor. "Especially considering it was only my second fight."

"It was?"

"Yes. Oh, uh, I'm Mary Brown of... Finchley."

"You were impressive, Mary," said Caspian. "You could use some practice, but you were overall a good fighter."

"I've been told," she said jokingly.

"Then, why don't you go practice with the others now?"

Mary looked over at Peter and Edmund still going at each other, Susan concentrating on hitting the bull's eye with her arrow every time, and Lucy speaking to Reepicheep and Trufflehunter now.

"No opponent or coach, I suppose."

"To be honest, I may not be a very good teacher when it comes to swords, but I can show you another weapon if you're interested."

With no other plans in mind, Mary nodded at the prince. He motioned for her to follow, so she stood up and walked closely behind him.

"Why aren't you training, either?" she asked.

"I was supposed to duel with the High King, but he seems to think lowly of me," Caspian chuckled. "I might go and battle some of the other Narnians later, though."

"I can relate to that."

"Isn't he your friend?"

"He is," she reassured. "He's just been a bit irritable since we got here."

A triumphant shout from Mary's right caught her attention. Edmund had just finished his duel, defeating Peter whose hands were free of any weapon while his brother pointed his sword at his chest. She didn't even realize that a small smile had found its way to her face until Caspian's voice pulled her out of her daze.

"You're close with King Edmund, aren't you?"

Mary faced Caspian in mild surprise, asking, "Why do you say that?"

"You just look like it," the prince smiled. "Seems like you've known each other for a while."

Mary didn't reply to that comment anymore, smiling again when her gaze returned to the Pevensie brothers, impressed beyond words at how Edmund had easily beaten Peter.

"I win," Edmund was grinning as he lowered his sword.

"Yeah, yeah," sighed Peter, stepping back to pick his own sword up. "What's new?"

"Still got it in me."

"Don't get so cocky, Ed. You know what? Let's have a rematch."

Edmund laughed at his older brother, walking away from him to grab some of the fresh water that he and his siblings were able to collect for their camp. It was then that he noticed Mary walking with Caspian, which piqued his interest.

Caspian was now bringing out a crossbow from one of the piles of weapons in the camp, which Mary assumed was part of what they had collected so far.

"Have you ever used one before?" Caspian asked her.

"If I were ever seen holding one back home, I'd look like a serial killer. So, no," Mary said, half-joking.

Caspian sent her an amused look before demonstrating how to use it. He positioned the crossbow expertly and easily shot an arrow at a tree trunk a few meters away.

"Now, you try."

Mary raised her eyebrows, taking the crossbow from him which was much heavier than a sword. He taught her how to position it, how to stand properly, and then told her to aim at the same tree. She shot the arrow, but it zoomed past the tree that she was aiming for. It looked to have landed on the ground meters away from it — in short, very off-target.

Mary let out a laugh, Caspian joining in a little later with a shake of his head.

"Not what I was expecting, if I'm being honest," he said.

Mary's laughter subsided as she said, "I think I'll stick to the sword."

Edmund caught himself watching Mary's interaction with Caspian ever since he finished his duel with Peter. While his older brother went to check up on their sisters, Edmund was supposed to be resting but instead found himself wanting to know what the two were up to. They seemed to get along well as if they were old friends, causing some foreign feeling to take over Edmund. Caspian even taught her how to use a crossbow, and when she failed, they laughed with one another all the way until they sat next to one another on a large rock, talking about who knows what.

Edmund convinced himself that he was overthinking things. Mary couldn't possibly be that close with Caspian already, and even if she was, she was allowed to have other friends, of course. That wasn't up to him. He was just another one of her friends, too.

"What're you up to, Ed?"

Peter, having returned from checking up on Susan and Lucy, nudged his younger brother.

"Nothing," Edmund responded all too quickly, brushing past him. Peter looked at the direction Edmund was staring at previously and found Mary and Caspian talking. The blonde rolled his eyes and scoffed knowingly.

"Sure, nothing," he mimicked. "Anyway, let's gather everyone again. We have to settle on our plans for tonight's strike and our journey Aslan's How tomorrow."

A/N: Took the time to finally read the comments and wow everyone's pressed over a possible love triangle with Caspian LMAO don't worry about him y'all, I wouldn't do that to Edmund :>