TW Warning: Physical Abuse/Torture

Edited: 8/23/2023

It took about ten seconds for Briar to wrestle her brain into cooperation. Arms reached down towards her, and she rolled to the left, hastily stumbling to her feet. Her head and vision quality pulsed in sync as she heaved. The world rocked beneath as she tossed her misshapen braid out of her face.

"I must admit," she said breathlessly, "I'm surprised to see you out here, so far down from your high horse."

Her eyes darted to the log where she'd taken refuge. Her crossbow was still on the ground, but it was too close next to her Uncle for her to reach it. She'd have to use her dagger and her wordplay to get out of this.

"No one steals from me and gets away with it," Miraz rasped, his voice grinding like stone against the dense air. His sharp features were full of irritation, like she had inconvenienced him, which she had.

"And what exactly have I stolen?" Briar inquired, squinting. "My life? The chance not to be another trophy on your shelf? You don't own me."

"Trophy? You speak of yourself as if you are of such value," sneered her Uncle.

Briar leaned back on her heels. She pursed her lips thoughtfully, a familiarly crooked smile spreading across her face. "Well, if I'm so worthless, why exactly did you come all the way out here?"

Miraz let out a displeased growl and advanced a few paces. "Archenland and Telmar expect your engagement to Prince Hondor. You will return to the castle and make yourself presentable for his arrival."

"Breaking my face doesn't exactly make me presentable, though, does it? Besides, I actually kind of prefer the rugged look. It's very flattering." She motioned to her own riding attire and her windswept, dirt-stained appearance.

Miraz snapped his fingers and pointed to the ground. "Get over here, now."

Briar's fists clenched, sending a cold burn through her muscles as the blood twitched in her veins. She swallowed her heart, which was crawling up her throat, and stepped forward.

"Call off the engagement. I'm not going back."

Miraz stepped forward. "Ah," he said, his tone carefully controlled, "so you think you're finally in the position to make demands, do you? I let you live, I gave you purpose and opportunity to keep your royalty, and yet you leave under the cover of darkness, slinking away like a dog with its tail between its legs. You wait until you're out of Telmar's castle to speak like this. This isn't bravery, it's cowardice."

"You sent your soldiers to kill Caspian in the dead of night," Briar scowled, although there was no mistaking the sudden hitch in her throat. "You could've at least done it yourself, since it means so much to you. After all, he is the rightful ruler of Telmar. He is the one who will bring honor back to our country."

"And what are you going to do? Cower behind your brother? I don't see him anywhere," Miraz spread out his arms. "Look around, Briar. There is no one left to hide behind. Whose fault is that, do you think? Tell me where he is and go back to the castle, and I'll consider letting him live."

Lies.

"Caspian's far beyond your reach now," Briar snapped. "He's going on a path you can't follow or forge yourself, and so am I."

She straightened herself out, locking gazes with him. His flinty, snake-like eyes sliced into hers, and she glared back. She offered him a fickle smile. "I'm not marrying Prince Hondor, and I'm never going back to that pile of ro--"

"Then you'll wait to marry my son," Miraz snarled, "or what should've happened to your brother will happen to you."

His face had turned to stone, and Briar's smile vanished. He advanced. A chill plunged down her vertebrae, emptying her throat of any feeling. She sidestepped quickly, her stomach contracting in discomfort from where he'd kicked her in the ribs. Briar believed his threat. Based on the aching in her ribs, he wasn't messing around.

But neither was she.

"Caspian and I aren't playing your game anymore. We aren't pawns on a chessboard," she gritted her teeth. "We're its king and queen."

Cold tingled the inside of Briar's nose as she inhaled sharply, watching Miraz as he unsheathed his sword. It glistened a sickly green, the blade curved and patterned in black stone. Her own hands maneuvered to her wrists, where she knew her knife was kept.

To her horror, her hands found nothing. Her knife wasn't there. A cold, blind panic started to set in as she glanced back up, her mouth agape.

Miraz grinned. Through the air, a small object sliced through the air with a familiar glint. It was the glint of a blade, her blade.

"Checkmate."

The dagger soared through the air. Briar dove to the left, hearing it sing as it glided straight over her, cleaving a long gash down her right forearm. She let out a strained cry. Dirt, blood, and leaves sprayed everywhere. She rolled and came back to her feet just in time to see Miraz's fist coming at her.

She dodged, swerving. Her good hand reached for her quiver, which hadn't been taken from her, and pulled out an arrow. Just after Miraz stumbled forward from the momentum, she planted the head in his shoulder blade. It was shallow, but he still let out a roar of frustration.

Briar retreated down the hill, clutching her arm, her boots slipping on the rocks beneath the river. She lost visibility of him when she almost lost her balance.

Her mind reeled. I wasn't trained for this kind of combat. I don't know how to fight. They never showed me-

"You're alone, Briar. There's no use in fighting." Miraz called from the hill; voice grizzled.

Briar's breath came in rolling pants. Shallow water splashed underfoot as she stumbled back into the river, cradling her arm as it throbbed madly. Crimson ebbed from the clothes that were now plastered against her skin, dripping down to fuse with the river.

She cocked her head to the side, her gaze darting back and forth as she searched frantically for her Uncle. "Yeah? Guessing by your intent I'd say the same goes for y--"

Pressure exploded from her back, expanding to rattle her entire body with cold electricity. Her Uncle leaned in from behind, breathing hot air against her neck.

"Whatever it is you think you've changed into, you haven't," Miraz hissed into her ear. "You're still the same, scared little girl."

The force of a push sent her down to her knees. Water splashed in every direction as she was slammed onto her back. The river unfolded around her, making room, before it swallowed her whole.

Water clogged her airway, burning her eyes, teasing her with air she barely couldn't reach. Briar let out a shriek as a hard force shoved her head down. She thrashed, clamping her mouth shut to try and keep any oxygen left inside of her. The world roared in her ears, the weighted force of water diving and crashing around her body. The pressure of Miraz's arm against her back squashed her chest, squeezing at the lungs. Everything blurred, all she could see was the glare of sunlight and a large, looming shadow.

The rest of Briar struggled above the surface. Her whole body felt unstifled in comparison, without the prevention of water suffocating movement. She kicked, jerking her neck, pushing with her back. The weight of an anvil crashed down on her, crushing her knees.

Just as the blackness started to seep through her vision, something jolted her upright by the scalp. Miraz's fist clenched her hair as water streamed down her face, barely holding her face above the surface.

Briar gasped. Water sloshed against her face, filling her eyes, mouth, and nose. Each breath crushed her ribcage as she struggled for air. Her chest beat down on her chest with fiery fists. Cold nipped every inch of her skin, water dripping from her heavy, soaked cloak. Every part of her was shaking madly, every ounce of confidence sucked out of her, leaving only raw fear.

"This is your last chance. Your brother isn't here to save you." The lord's voice was garbled by the water sloshing violently in her ears.

He seized her by the neck of her cloak and watched her closely, smiling darkly as Briar stared straight through him, her eyes round and bright with shock. After a second, shaking, the words formulated in her mind. Her gaze refocused and her eyes hardened.

"You tried to kill Caspian," she shouted, spitting at his face. "Go ahead, reunite me with my parents. I'd rather die than marry your son or anyone else you pick."

He leaned down, his rancid breath hot in her ear. "Then tell them I sent them a gift."

Uncle Miraz let out a snarl and shoved her under the water. Immediately, she began shrieking, though unheard in the flushing river. She kicked and struggled, her mind senselessly beating at her skull and her body thrashing with terror.

Briar choked on screams as they bubbled to an overflowing state in her throat, like boiling water. She fought the gag, struggling wildly and tanking on the ropes on her hands to the point of stinging horrors. Everything started to darken. Her vision pulled back, her focus waned, and the grip her fingers had on the pebbles below loosened. Briar tried fighting it, but her mind had been reduced to nothing but the thought of air.

No, no, no. I will not die. The thought came one word at a time, flat, emotionless.

Her body twisted inside, making her convulse. You must breathe. Breathe. It fought her and pinned her conscience down, putting it in a bag. She had to breathe, she had to. It didn't matter if there wasn't oxygen, she needed to do something, anything.

She inhaled. Water flooded her lungs like boiling, hot lava. Her whole being screamed in agony as it rushed through her eyes, nose, and mouth. It suffocated her mind, filled it with the roaring and torrents of the river so that there was nothing but one fuzzy thought.

I'm going to die.

Then, something shoved it away. No, you will not.

Help me! Briar begged.

Focus. Imagine a barrier between time and life. Preserve yourself.

Okay. Barrier. Time. Preserve. Briar grappled her slurred and slowing thoughts, scraping at the walls in her skull for something, anything, to listen to her. Through the dying panic, she clutched to the idea of preservation. Nothing could get in, not Miraz, not the water, not anything. She just wanted everything to stop.

Summoning her remaining energy, she imagined a wall of iron, built around her and stilling the water, making the world numb. This time, the fading of Briar's conscience felt warm and smooth...like she was sinking into a bath. Her insides cried in confusion and terror, but something shushed them. Something was happening, and she couldn't fight it any longer.

Her eyes closed. A dark blanket was wrapped around her, and Briar knew no more.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! This chapter was honestly one of my favorites to write, and it's going to be a very important one going forward :) This scene has been in my head and half-written for over four years. I had it written as a one-shot originally to go with some Voyage of the Dawn Treader content I'd written w/ Briar in it. Depending on how well Benevolence does, maybe I'll write a sequel...

Anyway, feel free to comment save this story so you can be the first to read new chapters when they come out! <3 :) See you next Monday!