.

.

.

.

.

EIGHT | THE JUST MEETS THE LOYAL 

.

.

.

.

.

LUCY COULD NOT STOP THE TEARS FALLING FREELY FROM HER CHEEKS.

Lucy woke up abruptly, her chest heaving as she tried to catch a breath from the terrible dream she had just had. Despite dreaming, she knew not to take Aslan's warning lightly and the shrill sound of the whispers still crawled into her mind as she shuddered. Hesitantly, she looks over and sees Susan sleeping and in wake of her nightmare she started nudging her.

"Susan, get up!" Lucy pleaded in whispers, watching as her sister muttered quietly under her breath - Lucy barely able to hear her but leaned in closer nonetheless.

"Certainly, Lu. Whatever you like." And with that Susan rolls over and keeps sleeping much to Lucy's dismay.

Lucy sighs as she sits up and wipes her hands on her dress, craning her neck slightly as she tries to remove the uncomfortable tension in her neck due to sleeping awkwardly on the ground. Again, Lucy sighs as she begins to walk in the direction she had seen Aslan in her dream. After a while Lucy stops to look at the lifeless trees around her, their rich colour having been ripped from them until they looked almost grey. Softly, she touches one of the trees.

"Wake up." She whispered to the tree softly, leaning her head against it in one last attempt to wake it up. But it doesn't; so she keeps walking.

Then she heard the growl.

"Aslan?" Lucy asked aloud, a glimmer of hope of hope in her eyes as she begins to advance towards the sound.

Then she is pulled back.

Lucy muffles a scream before she turns around snd sees that it is Peter. he body quickly relaxes as Peter signals her to stay quiet. They look over and see that the source of the growl was in fact a minotaur who appeared to be patrolling the area for some reason. Slowly, Peter draws his sword and advances towards the minotaur ready to strike.

Then Caspian comes out of nowhere. 

The fight between the two royals was intense. Peter swings his sword quickly at Caspian but misses and accidentally sticks Caspian's sword into the tree. Unable to figure out another plan,  Caspian kicks Peter and he falls to his knees - Caspian taking the moment to try and pry his sword form the tree but failing. Peter soon recovers, picking up his sword and raising it over Caspian ready to strike.

"Drop the sword or Aslan help me I will shoot." Someone screams at him, Caspian sighing in relief before he smirks up at Peter - knowing that it was his fight won.

They stop as Peter eyes the keeper of the voice, his eyebrow raising as he noted that it was just a simple girl who looked around the age of Edmund. Angelina Murphy was placed in one of the trees, the girl dropping down as she raises her bow and arrow in Peter's direction and takes aim. Peter didn't know what it was but intuition told him that the girl was trouble and she wasn't to be trusted. 

So he dropped his sword.

"You alright Cass?" Angelina asks Caspian, the Prince nodding as Peter raises his eyebrow at the duo. It was then that Peter looked around and noted that the Narnians had come out of hiding.

"Prince Caspian?" He asked Caspian, the young Prince giving Peter a confused look.

"Yes. And who are you?"

"Peter!"

It is then that Susan, Edmund and Trumpkin join them and Angelina drops her bow and quiver of arrows to the ground. For the first time, the Pevensies had seen a genuine smile grow on Trumpkin's face as he eyes the girl who looked like she were about to burst into tears.

"Angelina!"

"Angelina?" Lucy asked in question as Angelina drops to her knees as Trumpkin advanaces towards her.

"Trumpkin!"

The two embrace and those looking on could see why they were dependent on each other. Angelina begins to cry softly as she relaxes into his arms so fully it's like they are one organism, melted together as one. Trumpkin kept whispering apologies, hoping that she didn't hate him for leaving so abruptly. The word 'sorry' was thrown around between them so often it were as if there were playing tennis with the word.

Caspian looks at them with a smile before he picks up Peter's sword form the floor, eyeing it until he sees the lion head encrusted onto the end of it. A smile spread out onto his face as he looks up at Peter with hope clear in his eyes.

"High King Peter?" He asked hopefully, Peter smiling from ear to ear as he nods and shakes Caspian's hand.

"I believe you called." Peter said to him happily, his eyes warily glancing at Angelina as she stood up and gave him a challenging look which he didn't like.

"Well yes, but... I thought you'd be older." Caspian admits, hoping not to hurt his feelings with his words.

"Well, if you'd like, we can come back in a few years." Peter jokes as he pretends to turn around but Caspian only grabs his arm and shakes his head.

"No! No, that's alright. You're just..." Caspian turns to stare at Susan as a ghost of a smile forms on his features. "You're not exactly what I expected."

Truth be told, Caspian wasn't the only one who appeared to be staring at the opposite party. Edmund couldn't cast

"Neither are you!" Edmund stated as he casts his eyes over at the blonde haired girl who had previously been hugging the dwarf.

Edmund couldn't deny that the girl was beautiful. Despite the fact that she seemed to be littered with various scars, bruises and marks that seemed to resemble tattoos Edmund still though that she was beautiful. What enchanted him the most about her was her eyes. Though they were nothing special to others, Edmund noted the fear and anger that laid side by side in them as if she were afraid of something. He had seen that look before as he had been the one to give that look and somehow, Edmund felt connected to her in some way - but not as harshly as he did the White Witch.

But he knew, just like him, she was damaged.

"Stop staring at me or I'll remove your head from your shoulders." Angelina threatened him as she caught him staring at her, glaring in his direction as she picked up her bow and quiver of arrows and scoffed. "I don't care how royal you are."

"Angelina behave!" Trufflehunter demanded as he hit the girls leg. "He is royalty!"

"Yeah, a royal pain in the arse." Angelina agreed as she glared at the Just King.

"Speak for yourself!" Edmund laughed, somehow unaffected by her words but his laughter beginning to diminish as Trumpkin gave him a look.

"You don't want to get on her bad side your majesty." Trumpkin warned him, Angelina staring up straighter as she smirked at the king.

"Damn straight."

There was silence for a moment, Edmund and Angelina staring at each other challenging the other to look away first. Edmund found the interaction amusing, challenging her on purpose as if it were a game that the two were playing. But Angelina wasn't up for playing games. 

She knew she had already made a bad impression on the Kings and Queens but she couldn't help it. She was afraid. In that hour that the Enchantress was searching for her heart, Angelina had discovered that the heart was no longer locked away in Narnia and in fact that been found by somebody. If the Enchantress found the individual, Angelina and Narnia were doomed for eternity.

"A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes." Trufflehunter broke the silence as Angelina looked away, Edmund smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest in victory.

"We have anxiously awaited your return, my liege." Reepicheep tells Peter as he and his mice draw their swords and bow at the King. "Our hearts and swords are at your service."

"Oh my gosh, he is so cute."

"Who said that?!" Reepicheep asked as he points his sword in no particular direction with a glare which made Angelina laugh.

"Sorry." Lucy apologised, Reepicheeps glare softening as he bowed at the Queen.

"Oh, uh... your majesty." He stammers to begin with, but his confidence grows with every sword. "With the greatest respect, I do believe courageous, courteous, or chivalrous might more befit a knight of Narnia."

"Well, at least we know some of you can handle a blade." Peter smiles at the mouse.

"Yes, indeed." Reepicheep agrees as he puts his sword away. "And I have recently put it to good use acquiring weapons for your army, sire."

"Good. Because we're going to need every sword we can get." Peter says to the mouse, Caspian smiling at him as a chuckle leaves his lips.

"Well then, you'll probably be wanting yours back." Caspian gives Peter his sword and the Magnificent King immediately sheathes it, and walks away.

. 

.

 .

 .

 .

The group of Narnians, along with the three Sons of Adams and two Daughter's of Eve were all making their way back to the How when Edmund had decided to start a conversation with Angelina. Granted, Edmund had purposefully decided to get on her nerves earlier but he hoped that the girl wasn't actually angry at him as he had meant his actions to be halfhearted - a joke that they could laugh at later. 

"So if he's the Prince then you must be the damsel in distress." Edmund joked as he joined Angelina's side to which she scoffed.

The girl, having had enough of his 'jokes', immediately pushed him against a tree and raised a dagger to his neck as she sneered in his face. Edmund gulped at the sudden change in attitude but kept a smirk on his face nonetheless as he tried not to make it clear that her actions had taken him by surprise.

"Listen here your highness." Angelina also spat out her words, anger clear in her eyes as she looked at the King. "I'd take Trumpkin's advice and not get on my bad side if I were you. Because I promise you, you'd rather be dead than get on my bad side so stay away from me."

"Angelina!" Trumpkin shouted at her from a little away from them, but Angelina chose to ignore him but lowered the dagger.

"I'll take my chances on that Angel." Edmund replied softly, but there was a confident edge to his voice that took Angelina by surprise as he leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Besides, you wouldn't want to get on mine either."

And with that Edmund stepped away and kept walking.

"What has gotten into you?" Trumpkin asked as he stood next to her, clearly unamused by the exchange she just had with the Just King. "I leave for a couple days and it looks like you're a brand new person."

"You don't know what I did." Was all Angelina said, feeling burning in her arms as the anger began to eat at her. Cautiously she cradled her arm, the girl taking deeper breaths until the pain relieved itself and she sighed.

"Lucy told me some information," Trumpkin started as he walked beside her. "apparently Aslan spoke to her in a dream."

"And let me guess, you don't believe her." Angelina muttered, almost certain of the answer but stopped when Trumpkin pulled on her arm.

"Actually I do and I threat you may not have been honest with me." Trumpkin admitted, Angelina's face growing pale as she looked ta him with alarmed eyes.

"Why?"

"Where is her heart Angelina?" Trumpkin asked her calmly, Angelina stumbling back at his words as she hadn't expected them.

"What did she tell you?" She asked urgently, but Trumpkin didn't reply. "What did she tell you Trumpkin?"

"She told me the heart has been released and she is on the move." Trumpkin declared, Edmund having heard as he looked at the two for a moment clearly intrigued by their conversation. Trumpkin looked at the King before he shook his head and turned to Angelina. "We will be having words later and you better tell me the truth."

"What was that about?" Caspian asked Angelina as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder in hopes to comfort the girl who looked as if she were about to break down.

"Aslan's confirmed it." Angelina muttered, Caspian raising his eyebrows at her in confusion as he willed her to continue.

"Confirmed what?" Caspian asked as Angelina linked her arm in his, giving him a serious look as they walked.

"Maybe we're not as safe as I thought."

.

.

.

.

.

It wasn't long until the group reached Aslan's How. The Pevensie gawked at the sights as they saw centaurs stood on either side of the entrance with their swords raised to honour the Kings and Queens. Caspian, with Angelina still on his arm, stopped at the entrance and allowed the Kings and Queen to past through first - to which they were grateful. Lucy smiles at a child centaur who was holding his sword too low as their enter the How and disperse in their own directions.

"It may not be what you are used to," Caspian started as he stood with Peter and Angelina at the entrance. "but it is defensible."

"Why did you choose a cave?" Peter asked with a scrunched up nose, Angelina sighing loudly as she turned to him and shook her head.

"For the last time it's not just a cave." She whined before she noted Susan running over and pointed at her. "Exhibit A."

"Peter, you may want to see this." Was all she said and Peter followed her.

The Pevensies along with Caspian and Angelina followed Susan through the cave as they became mesmerized at the carvings on the walls, which portrayed them during the Golden Age of Narnia. Edmund furrows his eyebrows as he notes a marking of a mysterious figure alongside the White Witch - green mist being distinctively drawn on the wall as if it were a warning. 

But he chose to ignore it.

"It' s us." Susan mutters before Lucy turned to Caspian and gave him a confused look.

"What is this place?" She asked and Caspian gave her a bewildered look.

"You don't know?" He questioned her, Angelina hitting his arm at his ignorance.

"Of course they don't Cass. It didn't used to be like this. Remember?" Angelina states with an eye roll, Caspian nudging her in the process.

Caspian picks up one of the flame torches as he leads them down a dark tunnel. At the end, he lights a fire and it spreads around the room, the orange flames shielding the attraction for a moment before it finally revealed carvings of Narnians and Aslan. Then they finally saw the cracked Stone Table. Lucy looks at the carving of Aslan and slowly walks forward and presses her hand to the table.

"He must know what he's doing." She whispers and Peter sighs.

"I think it's up to us now."

The all look at the carving of Aslan but Angelina shakes her head as she leaves the room, her eyes navigating until she finds what she's looking for. The girl shakes her head at what she was about to do as she leans down and dips her hand into the water.

"Pandora. Pandora. Pandora." She whispers and then, as if expecting it, the Enchantress appears. "What do you know?"

And all she did was smirk.