Above on his balcony, Miraz watched impassively as the remaining narnian's fell. Crossbow bolts piercing their limbs and chests. Dead bodies littering the cobbled courtyard. At his side stood the captain of the guard and a few men. All of them looking down at the carnage with blank faces.

There was a shout and their eyes turned towards the gate. Someone was still fighting. Miraz  raised a amused eyebrow as another soldier fell back from Otto's spear. The archers raised their crossbows again but halted as Miraz held up a hand. "Don't kill the boy". He ordered. "He could be useful". 

The captain repeated the order, shouting down to the soldiers below. Otto looked up at the command. He bared his teeth at the balcony, eyes narrowed in anger. His hair was shiny with blood and sweat. Clothes filthy and torn but there was a stubborn set to his chin and his spear still shone. The soldiers once again tried to advance on him but jumped back as the spear blade swung round with deadly intent. Otto continued fighting, exerting all his effort to keep them back. But he was getting tired, arms drooping with exertion and Miraz was getting tired of watching.

"Finish this soon. I'm going back to bed", Miraz waved a hand as he turned and walked back inside. Down bellow, all the soldiers ran at Otto at once. He fought back the best he could but he couldn't hold out for long. One soldier managed to get in close and strike him on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword. Otto promptly crumpled, vision fading to black. Two soldier picked him up and carried him inside. The rest of the soldiers left to clean up the courtyard.

No one noticed a small drain in the corner by the gate. Where, a mouse with a rapier on its belt had been crouching. Having seen enough, the drain lid lowered again and the mouse scurried away. His little tail flicking behind him as he vanished down the tunnels.

——

As the remains of the narnian forces approached the temple, Lucy came running up to meet them. She took one look at the faces. The tired resignation in Susan's eyes. The blood stains in Edmund's face and the tear tracks on his cheeks. Peter was more shuffling than walking, his hands over his eyes as he lumbered forwards, back still shaking. Caspian was walking with a dead eyed gaze, head tilted back and face so blank that it looked like he wasn't there, just an empty shell.

Lucy scanned the wounded army. There was a fourth of their number missing and the remnants were filthy and worse for wear. Several were wounded and were carried past her inside. Lucy kept looking around. "What happened?"

Peter looked up at her and his face crumpled. Lucy felt tears begin to gather as she realised what had occurred. They had been defeated. "Where's Otto? Peter, where's Otto?" Lucy asked desperately. Peter sagged, his knees hitting the earth as he buried his head in his hands. Caspian was still staring at the sky but his expression was of fury, fists clenching at his side. Behind them, Susan shook her head as Edmund wept into her shoulder. Lucy began sobbing. Loud chest heaving sobs.

Trumpkin stepped forwards and laid a hand on her shoulder. "He saved many lives. Fighting until the last so that we could all get away. We would have lost far more people if it wasn't for him". His words rang out in the mournful air.

"This shouldn't have happened", Peter moaned. "He shouldn't have come. Why did he come? I lead my best friend to his death!" He began sobbing again. His cries ugly and raspy and heart breaking to listen to. Susan was crying softly now. Seeing her siblings in such pain breaking her normally calm composure.

"It wasn't your fault", Edmund murmured. "He kept on protecting me, pushing me out of the way". His hand rose up to his forehead where Otto's blood still stained his skin.

"I shouldn't have called you", Caspian said softly, voice tinged with frustration and anger. "This should have never have happened!" He shouted loudly. "Why does Miraz always have to take from me? My father, my home! And now he's taken Otto too!"

Peter watched in surprise as the prince screamed wordlessly into the air, his own tears slowing for a second. Caspian's face was coloured with rage. He screamed and yelled until his voice was horse, regardless of the surrounding narnians. He continued screaming and shouting and cursing. Not stopping as the army began to head inside the temple. Nor did he stop when the Pevensie siblings all gathered together and sat in a small huddle on the grass. Lucy with her head tucked under Susan's chin. Edmund leaning quietly on her shoulder. Peter at Susan's side, Lucy's legs resting in his lap. All of them watched until Caspian's voice broke and he fell over from exhaustion. Chest rising and falling as he stared wordlessly up at the clouds. The sun had risen in the sky. The light shining in midday. The cheerful brightness seemingly insulting to their mood.

Slowly, hesitantly on battle stiff muscles, Peter removed himself from his siblings and crawled over to lay down at Caspian's side. "I'm sorry", Peter muttered. "I was arrogant and thoughtless. This is not the narnia I once knew. I should have stopped being jealous of you and listened to your counsel. It's my fault. Their deaths, Otto's death is on me. There was time to call it off, you all told me to call it off. Why didn't I just listen?"

Caspian didn't answer, voice gone. But he raised a hand and laid it on Peter's shoulder in a silent gesture of support. Around the two boys, the rest of the Pevensie children all gathered. Edmund lay on Caspian's other side, Susan next to him. Lucy curled next to Peter so that their heads formed a circle in the grass. The tears on their cheeks drying under the sun, but the holes in their hearts still hurt.

"He loved it here", Lucy muttered, voice soft. "Said that it was like a book".

Peter chuckled dryly. "Birch never went anywhere without a book. Always reading and loitering round the library. I never asked why but I knew that he hated going home".

"His father used to smack him", Edward said. "He came to school with a black eye once. And it wasn't from a fight like he told you Peter. He never actually got into fights without you".

Peter frowned, the hurt in his chest throbbing. "Why didn't I notice? I was his friend. His only friend. I should have paid more attention". He rubbed his fists into his eyes with a frustrated sigh.

"I think he would have stayed", Susan spoke after a while. Her voice was wistful. "He asked me once why would I ever want to leave. I think he came with us for a reason and I think that reason was that he belongs here. If that was his life in London. I don't blame him for not wanting to go back".

"No", Lucy muttered. "He wouldn't have wanted to go back". She began crying again.

All of them felt silent once again, staring at the sky. After a while, when their stomachs were rumbling and their bodies ached. They got up and went inside. Lucy and Susan, then Edmund and then Peter until just Caspian remained. The prince lay there. The breeze tugging on his long hair as he watched the cloud drift lazily above. He wasn't sure what he felt now that the anger was gone. It didn't hurt. He just felt empty, like the rage had left him drained dry.

He could recall the way Otto had looked under the moonlight. Silver in his sandy blonde hair. Eyes a soft warm brown as he smiled. Lips crinkling and legs kicking over the edge. The deep green of his tunic emphasising his pale skin and the gold in his hair, the red flush to his cheeks.

"Your highness!" A voice called. It was small and distant. "Your highness!"

Caspian forced himself to sit up with a deep sigh. A mouse was scampering across the ground towards him from the forest. He recognised it was one of Reepicheep's tribe. The mouse came to a haunt a few feet away, panting heavily. It swept into a tired bow. There were patches of dried blood matting it's fur and there were a few scrapes on it's skin. "Your highness", it said again once it had gotten its breath back. "Your highness I bring news". Caspian nodded for the mouse to continue, only half listening.

"Your highness. The knight Otto brich is not dead".

Caspian blinked, turning to face the mouse fully. "Where did you hear this?" He asked, voice horse and scratchy. "Tell me!"

"I saw it with my own eyes your highness. Miraz has captured the knight alive in the castle", the mouse repeated. "He is most likely being held in the dungeons".

Caspian felt hope bloom in his chest. The dead emptiness fading away as hope and joy replaced it. Jumping to his feet, he scooped the mouse up under his arm and began running towards the temple. Ignoring the mouse's squeaked complaints. Caspian bounded down the slopped entrance and into the main hall. The space was filled with narnian's tending to the wounded. He scanned the area but did not see the Pevensie children. Knowing where they maybe, he began sprinting down the corridor towards Aslan's tomb.

The children all jumped when he burst in. Lucy was lying on the broke stone table. Edmund resting his back against it as he stared off into space. Susan was brushing her hair while Peter walked circles round the room. All of them looked up in surprise as Caspian jumped down the steps and placed the mouse on the floor. "He's not dead", he croaked, a huge grin breaking across his face.

"What?" Peter asked, stepping forwards. "We saw them get slaughtered. What do you mean he's not dead?"

The mouse, who was slightly dizzy from being carried, raised a hand in objection. "Um excuse me your majesty. But I saw Knight Birch being captured and taken inside the castle alive on Miraz's orders".

"Are you sure?" Edmund asked hastily, siting up. "Are you certain?"

The mouse nodded. "Yes your majesty. My general ordered me to stay and keep watch for any survivors. Only Birch survived. He was knocked unconscious and taken to the dungeons. But he was alive and mostly unharmed".

"Thank Aslan", Susan sighed deeply.

"He's alive but he's still being held hostage right?" Lucy asked nervously. "We're going to get him back right?"

Peter looked over at Caspian. The two of them shared a glance, eyes determined. "Yes", Caspian croaked. "We're going to get him back and make my uncle regret ever challenging us".

Unedited