Narnia's woods were beautiful in the morning. The trees stood tall, their leaves forming canopies high above them and allowing beams of light to seep through. The sun was bright and warm, but a gentle breeze blew by every once in a while. The ground was covered in fallen leaves and twigs, causing soft crunching noises with every step they took. In spite of all this beauty, though, something about the woods felt so incredibly still. It was like there should be more life to it — as if this wasn't its fullest potential.

"Can I ask more about Narnia?" Elara said to no one in particular.

"You ask an awful lot of questions," Nikabrik scoffed.

"Let her ask away, Nikabrik. You should be glad she wants to know more about us after years of being in the shadows," said Trufflehunter. "What else do you want to know?"

"Did the trees ever dance?"

Nikabrik and Trufflehunter halted and turned to her with curious eyes.

"Why, yes," Trufflehunter answered simply.

"How did you even know about that?" Nikabrik said.

My dreams, Elara thought, but she couldn't say that out loud. Just like the kids at the orphanage, they would probably think she was strange.

"I don't. It's just a hunch," she said. "The forest just looks so... alive. I just wondered whether it used to be more than what I see now."

"Well, you're right about that," said Trufflehunter. "The trees would sway like they were dancing, and that's partly because dryads lived within them. Meanwhile, naiads lived in our rivers and seas and —"

"Enough chit-chat for now," Nikabrik interjected. "The boy is walking too fast. We might lose him."

Sure enough, Prince Caspian was several of meters ahead of them. His pace was faster and strides were longer as he was determined to seek the Narnians as early as he could, as well as to avoid being hunted down by the Telmarines who were likely lurking somewhere nearby.

"He's in a rush, isn't he?" Nikabrik commented. "Any faster and he'll be galloping like a horse."

Caspian suddenly stopped walking. With a small sigh, he said, "I can hear you."

Elara, Trufflehunter, and Nikabrik all quickened their steps to catch up with Caspian, wearing slightly guilty looks on their faces from being caught talking about him behind his back.

"I just think we should wait for the kings and queens," Trufflehunter tried to reason.

"There's no guarantee that the Narnians will even accept you if you waltz in alone right now," Nikabrik added.

Caspian did not utter a word. Instead, he continued walking, his boots trampling on some ferns on the ground.

"Fine, go then! See if the others will be as understanding," Trufflehunter waved him away.

"Or maybe I'll come with you. I want to see you explain things to the minotaurs," Nikabrik taunted.

This is what caused Caspian to falter. In what seemed to be a mixture of fascination and fear, he faced them in interest.

"Minotaurs... they're real?" he asked the badger and dwarf.

"And very bad tempered."

"Yeah, not to mention big," Nikabrik smirked.

"Huge," Trufflehunter finished off.

"What about centaurs? Do they still exist?" Caspian went on.

"Well, the centaurs will probably fight on your side. But there's no telling what the others will do," Trufflehunter said thoughtfully.

"And fauns?" Elara couldn't help but join in on the questioning again.

"They're as loyal and noble as ever. They'll most likely accept Prince Caspian's cause as well if you get through to them."

"What about Aslan?" asked Caspian.

Just like when Elara mentioned the dancing trees, Trufflehunter and Nikabrik fell into silence and sent each other curious glances. This time, though, they looked even more cautious. Elara had no clue who this Aslan was, but it seemed to have struck a nerve.

"How do you know so much about us?" Nikabrik said slowly.

"Stories," Caspian said as if it was the most obvious answer.

"Wait a minute," said Trufflehunter. "You were told stories about Narnia?"

"Yes. Some are vague, but I know my father and professor told me a few," explained Caspian.

"And you? Don't tell me a peasant like you has got a professor telling you all about Narnia, too," Nikabrik sneered, looking at Elara now.

"I'm an orphan, not a peasant," she said mostly to herself, but it didn't sound like much of a defense. But Caspian heard and couldn't help but sympathize with her. Speaking louder, she said, "Like I told you earlier, I'm just making assumptions. Besides, my parents read fairytales like that to me, too."

It was a lie; she didn't remember her parents at all, nor what life was like before being brought to Fernsby's Home for Abandoned Children. She could only recall what all the doctors in the past would say to the headmistress when she was first brought in: that her memory loss must've been caused by some trauma with her family, leading her to repress everything in her childhood. She's still functional, they would tell the headmistress. No need to worry. Everything she knew now simply came from imaginations and daydreams like a silly little child with nothing better to do.

"Only they're not fairytales, miss," said Trufflehunter. "This is our reality."

"It won't be for long if we don't stop the Telmarines," Nikabrik said cynically. Then, he stared at the boy before him once again with narrowed eyes. "So, Prince Caspian, what more do you know about Narnians? What else did this professor of yours tell you?"

"Look, these are not the kinds of questions you should be asking," said Caspian. Lips pursed tightly, he turned away from the dwarf and badger to keep moving forward, his strides even longer and faster than earlier.

Elara's shoulders sagged in defeat, bummed by both Caspian's icy demeanor and how she wished that Trufflehunter and Nikabrik would share more about this fascinating world. Sensing that she was not going to get anywhere with them at the moment, she made a move to follow Caspian when Trufflehunter abruptly stopped in place. He turned his snout up in the air, his nose twitching as he sniffed furiously for something.

"What is it?" Nikabrik asked, having noticed the badger freeze.

"Human," replied Trufflehunter.

"Them?" Nikabrik tilted his head towards Elara and Caspian.

"No... them!"

With their hearts dropping to the pits of their stomachs, all four of them looked over their shoulders to find a crowd of men clad in iron armor, crossbows all loaded with arrows as they weaved their way through the many tall trees in their path. The Telmarine soldiers had found them.

"Run!" yelled Trufflehunter. The rest didn't even need to think twice; their legs were already carrying them as fast as they could away from danger even before the word came out of his mouth.

It was a blur. Elara had to pick up her dress to move quicker and keep up with Caspian's pace, and Nikabrik and Trufflehunter found themselves struggling to speed up as well. It didn't help that it was only a matter of seconds before the arrows began flying their way.

The first arrow that was shot was directed at Caspian. Agile and perceptive from years of learning how to fight and protect himself, Caspian practically felt the pointed weapon hurtling his way. He leaned to his right in the nick of time, feeling the arrow breeze past his left ear and stick itself into the trunk of the tree next to him.

It was mayhem. Arrows were flying from all angles nonstop, and Elara couldn't even tell anymore if she was just lucky or somehow had a knack for dodging them. And then —

"Duck!"

Elara barely processed Caspian's warning before a hand found the back of her head and pushed it down, causing her to stumble slightly. When she recovered, standing back up to see what had just happened, her eyes were as wide as saucers at the sight before her: an arrow lodged into the tree directly in front of her, just a couple of inches away. If Caspian hadn't pushed her, she might have taken an arrow to the head or ran straight into a tree and smashed her face; neither option sounded appealing to her.

As expected, Caspian reacted quicker than she could once again. He grabbed her wrist and tugged her onwards, forcing her to keep running.

And then, there was a loud gasp followed by a thud from behind. Simultaneously, Elara, Caspian, and Nikabrik turned on their heel to find that Trufflehunter was struck by the arrow, now on the ground in pain

"Oh no!" exclaimed Nikbarik, ready to save his friend.

"Wait, I'll go!" Caspian insisted, jogging towards the badger.

The Telmarines were much closer now. They were at the perfect distance to target and attack – no, kill Caspian. Having observed this as well, Trufflehunter grabbed hold of Queen Susan's horn and held it out for the boy to take.

"Take it, go! It's more important than I am!" Trufflehunter urged. Caspian felt conflicted as he pocketed the horn. In the long run, he knew he needed to leave if he wanted to find the Kings and Queens of Old and ultimately defeat the Telmarines. But in the present, he did not want to leave the kindhearted badger to be mercilessly murdered by his own people.

But Caspian didn't even get a chance to make a decision. The ferns started rustling, which could have just been the wind – but there was no gust that blew their way. Instead, the soldiers were now shouting in pain as the leaves rustled madly by their feet, and then falling to the ground in the process. One by one, the Telmarines found themselves lowering their weapons in confusion, only to get attacked out of nowhere. It seemed to have come from below them as they just could not spot their attacker at eye level. Similarly, Elara, Caspian, and Nikabrik could not see what exactly was going on; all they knew was that they had to take this opportunity to escape.

While their opponents were distracted, Caspian picked up the injured Trufflehunter and hurried back to the group. Several Telmarines continued to follow them, but their mysterious attacker was relentless. The soldiers just weren't quick enough to find the source and defend themselves even as they attempted to sprint away. Before long, each and every one of soldiers except one had been struck down and injured enough to be unable to move, now just lying limply on the forest floor.

Finally, Caspian reached Elara and Nikabrik. He transferred the badger into Elara's arms, saying, "Get him out of here."

"You're going to fight?" Elara asked, holding Trufflehunter cautiously. It was almost foolish of her to say so while the boy was already drawing out his sword and grounding his feet in a stance fit for fighting.

Of course, the answer was yes. While something or someone was successfully taking down the Telmarine soldiers in their stead, there was no knowing if this was even their ally. For all they knew, it was out to get them as well. And so, with his weapon out and his eyes and ears straining for any movement, Caspian prepared himself for the appearance of his attacker.

The remaining Telmarine soldier's efforts were in vain. He swung his sword blindly around and below himself to no avail. At long last, he yelled in pain and found himself falling to the ground next to his comrades.

Heart pounding madly, Caspian watched as the ferns and grass began rustling rapidly towards him. It was coming at him now, whatever it was. And then, in the blink of an eye, a small figure leapt out from its hiding and jumped onto Caspian's chest, tackling him down into the ground.

There was a battle cry, and then: "Choose your last words carefully, Telmarine!"

Caspian blinked his eyes. Was he imagining things? Why was there a mouse standing atop him? Why was it wearing a feather on his head, a strap around its body with a sheath, and a tiny sword in his hand? More importantly, why in the world was he speaking?

"You are a mouse," Caspian deadpanned. The mouse sighed, clearly disappointed at that.

"I was hoping for something a little more original," he rolled his eyes. "Come on, pick up your sword."

Caspian looked over at his sword, which he realized had fallen from his grip and was now on the soil beside him.

"Uh, no thanks."

"Pick it up! I will not fight an unarmed man," the mouse demanded.

"Which is why I will live longer if I choose not to cross blades with you, noble mouse," Caspian said carefully.

Elara, who was watching in awe from a distance, could not tell if the boy was genuinely pleading for his life or still just as dumbfounded by the talking mouse as she was. Lowering herself to set Trufflehunter down and be at eye level with Nikabrik, she asked, "Um, do you know him?"

Nikabrik nodded with a grunt while Trufflehunter answered, "A friend."

"Shouldn't we stop him from, er, killing Prince Caspian?"

"Maybe," Nikabrik merely shrugged. Meanwhile, the mouse was still taunting the boy under him.

"I said I would not fight you. I didn't say I'd let you live!" he was saying, pointing his sword directly at Caspian's face. He raised it, ready to strike, and Elara felt the need to step in.

"Wait, stop!" she exclaimed.

"Reepicheep, stay your blade!" Trufflehunter added even louder. Fortunately, the mouse named Reepicheep obeyed, halting his movements and looking past the fallen prince.

"Trufflehunter?" he said in shock, eyes flitting from his fellow Narnians and to the two humans nearby. "I trust you have a good reason for this untimely interruption!"

"He doesn't," Nikabrik said uncaringly. "Go ahead."

"What do you think you're doing with these humans?"

"Reepicheep, they're not our enemy! He's the one that blew the horn!" Trufflhunter explained.

At that, Reepicheep finally withdrew his sword and gazed at Caspian.

"What?" he whispered.

"Then let him bring it forward," a new voice boomed. "This is the reason we have gathered."

Elara thought that she had seen enough for the day – no, for an entire lifetime to leave her speechless. But she was very wrong. There, just a couple of feet away from her, stood four beings that had emerged from the thicket of trees with bodies that were half-human, half-horse. Mouth parting slightly in surprise, she took in the scene before her: four majestic centaurs, carrying themselves humbly and proudly all at once as they stared them down intensely.