After Otto was knighted, the group continued onwards inland. The dwarf, who had introduced himself as Trumpkin, leading the way.

They took the boat Edmund had taken from the soldiers and rowed up river. Peter and Otto did the rowing whilst Trunpkin explained what had been happening in the past hundreds of years. He told of the arrival of the telmarines and their conquering of Narnia. The current change in politics which had led the current prince to flee and join with the narnian people in a bid to take back his throne.

Otto thought that the whole thing sounded like one of those wild fantasy stories from the copy of grims fairytales that his mother would read to him as a young child. Those stories had always had a dark and twisted side to them. Betrayal, murder, revenge. He wondered which when the dark side of the story would turn up. "Are we aiming to join this prince and help him take back his throne?" He asked the Pevensies.

Peter huffed as he gave the oar a huge tug. "Yes. That was what we were summoned for, so that is what Aslan must want us to do".

"I miss Aslan", Lucy voiced softly from behind them.

After a few hours of rowing, Trumpkin gestured towards the forested bank. "Let's get out there. The cliff will be upon us soon and it's easier to walk along them and meet the army as they come round the pass". This seemed agreeable and Peter and Otto began to steer the boat towards the shore.

Trumpkin was out onto the pebbles first. Susan and Edmund jumping out to help him tie the boat to a nearby tree as Peter and Otto tucked the oars under the seats. The two oldest boys soon set their feet upon the pebbled shore and began helping to pull the boat more safely inland. Nobody noticed as Lucy began walking away from the group.

"Hello there", she called. Everyone turned to see who she was talking to. A large black bear was snuffling along the ground a short distance away. Otto frowned and quickly reached into the boat to grab his spear. He didn't know what it was like in Narnia, but most bears weren't friendly.

"It's alright", Lucy continued speaking as she approached the bear. "We're friends". The bear noticed her and grunted, standing up on its hind legs. Otto took a few steps away from the boat, spear gripped in his hands. The bear was a big one, easily twice Lucy's height but she didn't seem afraid.

Trumpkin looked up and froze. "Don't move your majesty!" He yelled. Lucy turned to look at him. The noise seemed to kickstart something in the bear. It fell back onto all four paws and began running towards Lucy.

"Lucy!" Susan screamed as she drew her bow. Lucy began running towards them but the bear was faster.

"Don't you touch her!" Susan called. Lucy shrieked as she tripped and fell. The bear gaining on her.

"Shoot! Susan shoot!" Edmund and Peter were yelling, too far away to do anything.

As the bear reared up with a roar, Lucy screamed. A arrow shrunk into its shoulder and the bear roared in pain. It threatened to swipe at Lucy with one massive claw when a spear sank into its chest and it slumped over onto the pebbles, dead. Whimpering, Lucy scrambled around the see who had saved her.

Susan was still standing there, arrow still notched. She turned to stare at Trunpkin. The dwarf was standing next to the boat, holding and empty bow in his grip. Everyone then turned their gazes to where Otto was stood, empty handed. He had thrown the spear like a Javelin and it had landed with a fearsome accuracy. If he had missed, he would have very likely struck Lucy. But his aim had been true and confident.

Quietly, he jogged over to where Lucy was lying and helped her to her feet. Once she was steady, Otto crossed to the corpse of the bear and pulled the spear out with some effort. He had to tug at it a few times before it came free. It was sticky with blood and he grimaced at it.

"Why wouldn't it stop?" Susan asked in confusion.

"I suspect he was hungry", Trumpkin grunted as he walked away. He joined a Otto and Lucy next to the dead bear and poked it with his bow. The rest of the Pevensie siblings jogged over, Peter wrapping an arm around Lucy's shoulders.

"Thanks", she muttered. Trumpkin barely spared her a glance.

"It was wild", Edmund said, gazing at the bear in horror.

"I don't think it could talk at all", Peter murmured.

"Get treated like a dumb animal long enough and that what you become". Trumpkin's voice was bitter and sad. "You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember".

"I'm sorry", Otto said. It was unclear wether he was talking to the bear or Trumpkin. The dwarf unsheathed a knife and began cutting into the bear's skin. Lucy began crying and turned to hide her face in Peter's tunic as Trumpkin began skinning the bear. Otto sighed and knelt down to help him. He was not squeamish, having spent most of his young life on a farm, unlike the Pevensie children.  All four of them were forced to turn away at the gruesome sight.

They were done in about an hour. Otto washed out the bloody skin in the river before rolling it up and tying it to his sack and slinging it onto his back. The four Pevensie children watched him expectantly as he joined them on the edge of the forest. No words were said but Peter patted his friend on the shoulder as Trumpkin set off into the trees. They all followed after him silently. Peter clasped Otto's shoulder one more time in a tight squeeze, his expression thankful and proud. Otto nodded back at him and they parted, ending the silent conversation.

After a few hours of walking, Otto found himself next to Lucy. The girl had hung back to keep pace with him at the back of the party. She seemed to have risen in spirits after the traumatic bear attack. She grinned up at him happily.

"I forgot to say this earlier but thank you for saving me from the bear", She spoke cheerfully. He admired her positivity and ability to bounce back.

"It was no problem Lucy", Otto smiled back at her. "I am your knight after all".

"A very galant knight in deed", Lucy giggled. Otto laughed.

"Of course. I have to be the most galant knight of all time to deal with protecting four royals".

"Well it seems like Peter made an excellent choice", Lucy teased. Her giggling paused and her face sobered up for a moment. "Where did you learn to use a spear? Or skin a animal?"

"Well it certainly wasn't in London", Otto joked. His grin faded slightly, turned more nostalgic. Lucy watched as his eyes dimmed. He was looking at something far away in the past. He sighed before he began speaking again. "No, my grandfather taught me. When war broke out, my parents had me evacuated out to my grandparents farm in the country. My grandfather was a old soldier and he would train me to fend for myself in case the Germans attacked. He taught me how to fight as hunt with a whole manner of weapons, including a spear. My grandmother always said that he was crazy". Otto laughed and his gaze turned sad.

"What happened?" Lucy asked upon seeing his sad face.

Otto smiled slightly at her, pausing for a moment as they both climbed over a fallen tree. "A bomb killed my mother. Blew up our house in London when I was ten. My father only escaped because he was working late. I continued living with my grandparents until I was thirteen and they died of old age. After that I was sent back to London. By that point, my father had remarried and I had step siblings. Three in total. Although they're all much younger than me and we never got along".

"Is your father waiting for you to return?" Lucy asked. She knew that although her parents worked long hours and she barely saw them, that they loved her and would be waiting for her and her siblings to return. They had waited for them after the evacuation. They would be waiting for them after this adventure too.

Otto barked a cruel harsh laugh that made her jump. "My father? No! He's more concerned with his work and his young new wife. The only reason he keeps me around is for my mother's inheritance. Which he squanders on gifts for his new family. He only sends me to a good school as not to ruin his reputation". Otto sounded bitter and angry as he spoke.

Lucy drew back slightly. "Oh", she muttered. "I'm sorry to hear that". Otto took a look at her face and huffed. He smiled gently at her, having calmed himself down.

"It's nothing to be sorry for", he replied. "Life is just hard sometimes". Lucy didn't exactly know what he mean or why he was being so accepting of it. She simply shrugged.

"Come on", she tugged at his sleeve. "We're losing the others". They both sped up, running slightly to catch up with the rest of the Pevensie children and Trumpkin.

Unedited