Edited: 6/4/2024

The trial wasn't going well.

"Kill her!" One of the centaurs pointed sharply to Briar.

She was on her feet at once.

Try, she dared him, hoping her gaze burned holes into his skin. He stared back, unflinching. Instinctively, she drew her dagger as an approval echoed around them. Reepicheep and his company immediately swarmed around her skirts, swords drawn.

"Best keep those under wraps," Reep said. "We don't want to provoke them further."

It took all of Briar's willpower to sheath it.

"Telmarines!"

"Liar!"

"Murderers!" a high-pitch voice shrieked next to her.

"All this horn proves is they've stolen yet another thing from us," a stout dwarf with eyes and hair the color of granite surged through the crowd. Through the mist of gray in his beard, his mouth was upturned in a sneer. He pointed a jaunty finger at Caspian.

"I didn't steal anything," Caspian defended. Despite his decent opening of the meeting, things had unwound alarmingly fast.

"Didn't steal anything?" The minotaur that had grabbed Briar's wrist the previous morning swung an axe at the air angrily. "Shall we list the things the Telmarines have taken?"

A chorus of agreement rose from the crowd as they stirred.

Briar watched in dismay as Windmane, next to a silent Glenstrom, raised her sword and let out a cry, "Our home!"

"Our land!"

"Our freedom!" accused a scraggly, blond faun; he was glaring at her.

She stared back at him, dumbstruck. Would the Narnians truly take the blame out on them? They had barely been alive long enough to hear the last rumors of their existence, and the foreign nation was ready to burn them at the stake for something they didn't do. Amongst the outcry, Briar also heard someone accuse them both of stealing Narnia.

Stealing Narnia?

"We didn't steal anything!" she protested to the surrounding folk.

Around her were a few dwarves, one of them female. They had only murmured to each other during the entire meeting, and a few had their weapons close. Briar couldn't tell their loyalties, but they, along with others, looked unsure. A few fauns, who appeared more goat-like than human, shook their heads.

They don't believe me, she realized, but they don't believe him, either.

Maybe there was hope.

Her insides lurched and the hilts of her knives became sweaty and cold from her palms. Her place by the base of a large, ancient tree was in the most sparce section of the circular gathering. Yet, the protest was still overwhelming. Exasperated, she stood helplessly and watched as Caspian faced the growing mob of mythical creatures; he looked stunned.

"You would hold me accountable for all the crimes of my people?"

The dwarf that had spoken climbed down from atop the rock in which he stood. Briar didn't have to be smart to know he was a hot head; she had met plenty at social banquets Miraz organized.

He marched right up into Caspian's face. "Accountable," he growled, "and punishable."

"Who is that?" Briar bent down and whispered to Peepiceek.

The mouse twitched his whiskers angrily. "Nikabrik, a close friend of a dwarf we lost recently. He's a descendant of the White Witch's dwarven servant."

Reepicheep scampered forward, drawing his sword. "Ha! That's rich coming from you, dwarf. Or have you forgotten that it was your people who fought alongside the White Witch?"

Briar froze, her blood turning cold. The Narnians didn't know of their Jinn ancestry, did they? They couldn't. If they knew that they were direct descendants of the two parties most responsible for Narnia's oppression...

We'd have no chance.

"And I'd gladly do it again if it would rid us of these barbarians," Nikabrik claimed loudly. He spoke with conviction.

He looked around at the crowd, locking gazes with Briar. She swore she saw his eyes narrow a bit before flitting away.

A chill went down Briar's spine. That settled it: the Narnians couldn't know about Briar and Caspian's lineage, or her inheritance. Especially her inheritance. It would put everything at risk. No, there wouldn't even be a risk. It would just be suicide.

I just won't tell them, she decided. It'll be fine.

If she and Caspian survived this whole ordeal and, assuming they retook Telmar and Narnia, maybe she would mention it in passing.

A striped badger entered the ring. "Then it's lucky that it is not in your power to bring her back. Or are you suggesting that we ask this boy to go against Aslan now?" he challenged boldly.

Briar hadn't thought it possible, but the commotion grew even louder. Tigers and leopards roared, the wolves howled, and everyone began shouting, waving their weapons in the air. She covered her ears, wincing. The mention of Aslan didn't have the effect she thought it would.

Why doesn't the mention of Aslan bring them together? From Professor Cornelius's teachings, she would've thought the mention of him would act as a mediation, a middle-ground, in disagreements.

This...this was throwing fuel into the fire.

The badger shook his head. "Some of you may have forgotten, but we badgers remember well...that Narnia was never right except when a Son of Adam was king."

Caspian looked at the badger gratefully.

Checkmate!

"He's a Telmarine!" Nikabrik sputtered. "Why would we want him as our king?"

Behind him, the crowd vocalized their agreement.

"Because I can help you," Caspian turned to look at them. Briar watched as he intentionally looked each of the creatures in the eye, silencing their drowning sounds.

The boy began to find his words and his confidence. He stood straighter, clearing his throat. "Beyond these woods, I'm a prince. The Telmarine throne is rightfully mine! Help me claim it, and I can bring peace between us."

This time, Glenstrom stepped forward, a strong grip on his sword. "It is true," he confirmed with a humble nod towards Caspian. "The time is ripe. I watch the skies, for it is mine to watch as it is yours to remember, Badger. Tarva, the Lord of Victory, and Alambil, the Lady of Peace, have come together in the high heavens. And now here, a Son of Adam and a Daughter of Eve have come forth to offer us back our freedom."

"We can take it for ourselves!" the same faun from earlier glared at the two of them.

"Yeah!"

"Excuse me," Briar took a few steps forward, trying to make herself heard over the commotion, "if you would all just listen-"

"We don't have to listen to you!" someone shouted from within the crowd.

"We should take them as captives!" barked another.

"Yeah!"

"You aren't our king!"

"Kill them!"

A chorus of loud voices suddenly erupted into the air. Fists raised into the air. Animals howled and snarled. Minotaurs and bears stamped their feet. The roaring in Briar's ears was resounding. They advanced, tightening the circle around them. She stumbled back towards the center, finding herself back-to-back with Caspian. Briar's chest heaved, her eyesight blurring under the horrific clashing of her senses. Instinctively, she found herself clutching Caspian's hand, and he squeezed her hand so hard that her fist turned white.

"What do we do?" he whispered.

Briar's mind short-circuited at the fear in his voice. He sounded as small as she felt. They couldn't leave. Telmar wouldn't welcome them. The Narnians would just capture them before they got too far. Or Miraz might find them, and Briar would be sent away to Prince Hondor; Caspian...she didn't want to think about it. The siblings quite literally had nowhere to go.

We have to figure this out.

The two siblings looked about, seeing hundreds of years of anger and frustration boiling through the air, reaching its breaking point. The Narnians were justified in their fury, there was no denying it. They'd lost their forests, their friends, and all sense of dignity, value, and equity to Telmar.

But so had Briar and Caspian, and they weren't about to lose their only chance at regaining it.

A hot fervor came over the Telmarine girl. "That's enough!" she shouted.

Briar's voice boomed through the meeting place, making the retaliation recoil. Within moments, the whole gathering was absolutely silent. It was deafening; Briar almost preferred the chaos. The only sound in the entire forest was that of her heart thudding loudly in her chest like a fist on a doorframe.

Her mouth was agape as all eyes fixed on her. They were waiting.

Think Briar. Think.

She let out a long, hard breath of air, stepping out into the open. The moonlit shown down on her in one, focused beam. Briar forced herself to close her eyes for a moment, gaining her composure.

"I certainly hope you don't intend on gaining respect with your current etiquette," she met their gazes levelly, "because at this rate I'd sooner make way for a butterfly."

"Well said," Reepicheep said emphatically; his party of mice chittered their agreement.

"My brother and I are not the enemy," Briar raised her voice, hoping the tremor it carried wasn't as prominent as it felt. "Telmar has oppressed you and it will not easily be forgotten. They have wronged us, my brother and I, too. Our own flesh and blood attempted to murder us both right before we got here."

Caspian turned to face her with wide eyes. She cleared her throat and glanced at him. Briar hoped her expression conveyed some kind of apology.

She went on, "I don't mean to suggest that we have directly experienced what you've gone through, but I assure you that we can understand and discern what it's like to be treated like an outcast in your own homeland. None of us deserve to feel like we are in danger in a place that should be our sanctuary."

"Our interested are aligned," Caspian added. "We cannot atone for the mistakes of our country, but we can join forces and return to a time of peace and prosperity."

The Narnians began murmuring amongst themselves in deliberation, shifting back and forth around the two siblings. Their expressions gave Briar a surge of confidence. Caspian seemed to sense it too.

All eyes turned to see a red-tailed squirrel pacing. "Is this possible?" asked the forest creature. "Do you really think there could be peace?"

A smile tugged at Caspian's lips. Briar watched with a glow of pride as he glanced around him. The way in which he carried himself was determined as he put himself, and Briar, on the line. His poise showed promise. Only Briar, his sister, could notice the nervous twitch to his fingers and the way he struggled to clear his throat.

He and Briar made eye contact as his gaze swept the bystanders. She nodded to him, her brown curls polishing the sides of the frame of her face as it cascaded down from her face. Briar found herself unable to sit, her feet tingled with anticipation.

"Two days ago, I didn't believe in the existence of talking animals...or dwarves... or centaurs. Yet here you are in strength and numbers we Telmarines could never have imagined." Caspian unveiled what appeared to be an ornate horn, crafted from birch and carved into a lion's head. Gripping it tightly, he raised it into the air.

"Whether this horn is magic or not, it brought us together. And together, we have a chance to take back what is ours."

A magical horn?

The whole crowd had hushed, the uneasy shifting of movement stilled. The whole clearing had turned into a garden of life-like statues, where the air felt a sacred sort of placid. Even the trees had gone silent, as if they, too, were listening. It was so quiet, in fact, that Briar could almost hear the heartbeats around her.

Seconds later, however, Nikabrik yapped sharply.

"And you expect us just to let you, a Telmarine descended from our oppressors, rule?" the dwarf demanded. "Are we sure this is the best idea?"

Caspian straightened his shoulders like he was bracing himself. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

"If we are victorious, Prince Caspian will have proven himself worthy of the throne," Glenstrom strode forward. "A Son of Adam has always led us into a new age. It is tradition."

Caspian is being given a chance to prove himself.

Nikabrik only huffed, his arms crossed. To Briar's immense relief, the Narnians around them were nodding in agreement. The herd chief and Reepicheep must've been highly respected in order for them to be swayed by their words. She made a note to thank them later for their support.

"And what of the girl?" A new voice spoke up.

Briar turned to see a pack of wolves approaching the center. Their eyes glinted mysteriously as they all focused their attention on those who were leading the meeting. Each of them kept periodically looking at Briar, as though they were examining her. It was unsettling.

The wolf she had met before was at the front. He was the one who had spoken earlier, and he was larger and more muscled than the others. His hazel eyes glowed calmly as he stared at Glenstrom, expectant.

"My name is Briar," she cleared her throat.

His eyes flitted to her briefly. "Are we to apply the same justifications for Princess Briar?" he inquired.

"Alpha Zhade," the centaur nodded to him.

"If I may intrude," Caspian hesitantly spoke up.

The two leaders gave him a nod of approval, and the boy mustered his courage. He moved closer to Briar's side, her frame almost hidden behind his. Protectively, he hovered near her, unaware of how she shifted at his presence.

I can defend myself, she thought.

"My sister will rule by my side," he declared. "She is the reason I stand before you, all of you, today. Without her, I wouldn't be here, and together, we will face our Uncle."

It wasn't you, a small voice hissed in Briar's ear, you did nothing.

Zhade's gaze rested on Briar thoughtfully, his magnificent, slender head tilting to the side. She swallowed, looking at him. She wasn't able to speak; her tongue had become puffy and her throat turned dry. Her gut twisted as something sparkled in Zhade's round, relaxed expression; was it sympathy?

"Very well," he rumbled at last. "These terms are acceptable."

"Then we are in agreement," Glenstrom announced. "If you will lead us, then my sons and I offer you our swords."

Briar's mind flinched as he unsheathed his broadsword, the blade glinting darkly in the moonlight. As if on cue, the younger centaurs that stood behind him did the same. One by one, the Narnians raised their weapons into the air. Briar's heart lifted in elation as a chorus of agreement sounded around them.

Reepicheep, Peepiceek, and the other mice scampered forward. They halted at Briar's feet. Reepicheep was practically glowing as they all bowed. "And we offer you our lives, unreservedly."

"Thank you," Briar whispered. Peepiceek winked at her.

The same badger from before coughed behind the siblings. "Miraz's army will not be far behind us, sire," he said.

Caspian stared blankly. Briar noticed and gently elbowed him, gesturing with her eyes. "If we are to be ready for them, we need to hurry to find soldiers and weapons," she replied. "I've no doubt they'll be here soon."

"Right, then." He shook himself as though trying to shake off water. His black locks swished along his face as he inhaled. His sword unsheathed, the blade reflecting the moon brightly.

Caspian lifted the sword into the air, raising his voice. "Let's move out!"

A/N: Sorry for posting late! The end of summer is getting busy, you know how it is. Proofreading and refining took way longer then I expected. Honestly, I'm thinking once school starts back up I'll be moving updates to every two weeks. We'll see, I'm trying to be optimistic rn. 

ANYWAY...I know that's a bit of a downer, but I've got some good news!! Edmund and Bri will be meeting soon!! AHHHHH!  So be sure to vote and save this story so you can be there the second Bri and Ed meet irl :D

EDITING NOTE: I've been writing that Briar has two daggers when, actually, she has only one (her mother's dagger). I was proofreading the beginning the other day and was like o.o just thought I'd let you all know so you don't get confused.