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ONE | THE HORN

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FOR AS LONG AS ANGELINA MURPHY COULD REMEMBER, SHE HAD ALWAYS BEEN A MONSTER! I suppose she couldn't help herself for thinking so, for her oldest memory was the one thing she wished she could forget and the one thing she would regret for the rest of her life. She couldn't blame anyone but herself for her misdeeds and that's what plagued her mind every day for the last ten years of her life since she made that one mistake ten years ago.

She could always see why her sister did what they did, she could understand why there was so much fear behind everyone's eyes those six years ago when she lost control and they suffered for it. Her own parents, dissolved in the flames that she could have prevented. The flames that she started because she was angered at the girl for enclosing her for so long. It was too much for a orphaned twelve year old to watch as her ten year old sister became the monster she possessed and murdered her own flesh and blood along with others in the village she called home. So Angelina understood why she took action.

She understood why Natalia Murphy abandoned her in the forest.

But that had been six years ago, the blossoming girl now sixteen years old with more power in her pinky finger than the Lord Protector had in his whole being despite his many years on the Narnian throne. Angelina Murphy knew more than anyone about Narnia, the girl having been raised among those who had also been deemed monsters throughout society and banished to the woods she was abandoned in.

Angelina had never expected to find herself belonging ever again. She never expected herself to find a family in the solitude of the trees among the Narnians who were sworn extinct. She never expected to ever fit in ever again and have people understand and not judge her for who she was.

She never expected to find happiness again.

Trufflehunter had never expected to find a human girl lying unconscious in the woods. He had also never expected to find that she was the warrior of the Enchantress who helped banish them to the woods all those years ago. But he wasn't afraid of her like the humans were; he saw the regret hidden between her eyes and the tears that welled in them and he knew that she had no control over what happened in the village nearby for it wasn't her doing but the Enchantress'. So he took her to the Council and let her explain herself and her doings. He had never expected for them to let her stay so quickly and Nikabrik to be the one to secure it.

For why would Nikabrik, who wanted to murder any human that was in his path, be so adamant for her to stay?

Trufflehunter didn't know, but he was happy to help her nonetheless.

"Check mate." Angelina declares as she claims the king as her own and smiles triumphantly at Trumpkin, the older dwarf scowling as he crosses his arms over his chest upon finding himself defeated once again by the sixteen year old girl.

"You're cheating somehow." Trumpkin states as he looks at her, Angelina rolling her eyes at the dwarf.

"I'm not cheating, you're just a sore loser." She mutters, Trufflehunter hearing as he prepared soup in the kitchen as a small laugh escapes his lips - Trumpkin mumbling under his breath that only further proved his point.

"Remind me why we took you in again." Trumpkin asked as he watched Angelina clear away the chess set, Angelina rolling her eyes again as a small smile formed on her face.

"Ask him," Angelina stated as she motioned to Nikabrik who was sharpening his dagger, his ears pricking as he heard the girl speak. "he's the one who convinced the council even though he hates humans."

"You're not a human." Nikabrik sneered as he stood up from the table and looked at the girl with a frown. "As soon as they abandoned you, you became one of us and we protect our own. You were young and you didn't know any better and yet the Enchantress took advantage of you. You need us and we need you."

"What's in the pouch you always carry with you?" Angelina asked him after a moment, Nikabrik turning back to her as he put his hand over the pouch and tried to formulate an answer.

"The key to putting wrong to right." Nikabrik stated, watching as the girls face portrayed confusion - the dwarf smirking as he thought of the reason himself and then looked back at her. "You'll understand one day."

For a moment there is silence, Angelina contemplating what his words mean before the group could hear the sounds of horses hooves, swords clanging and the shouts as loud as an army on horseback. The four exchange glances before Trumpkin and Nikabrik share a look, collecting their weapons before they go to open the door - Angelina grabbing Trumpkin before he could.

"I'm going with you." She starts as she tries to retrieve a sword, Trumpkin pushing her back as he shakes his head.

"Stay here!" He demands but she doesn't listen as she grabs the sword anyway, Trumpkin shaking his head as he looks at Trufflehunter. "A little help?"

Trufflehunter sighed as he took the sword from the girl, Angelina frowning before she kneeled in front of Trumpkin and gave him a pleading look, the dwarf sighing as the sounds got closer to home Trumpkin hugging the girl to keep her at ease before he and Nikabrik left the home in the tree - closing the door behind them.

The two step out of the tree with caution, their eyes immediately training on the Telmarine soldier who laid on the floor taking a breath. They gasp as he turns his head towards them, his eyes widening whilst he rises to his fist and draws his sword.

"He has seen us!" Nikabrik shouts. Trumpkin draws his sword and runs towards the boy, his motive clear until he spots the all familiar horn before he stops. 

Trumpkin looks over his shoulder and sees Telmarine soldiers quickly approaching, his eyes darting from them to the tree their lived in as he thought of the girl who they could be looking for as he sighs. He then looks back at Nikabrik, his motive clear as he pats his friends back.

"Take care of him!" He demands before he rushes towards the Telmarines with his sword drawn, the Telmarine soldiers immediately following him as he runs as far as his legs can take him.

Nikabrik watches as his friend goes for a moment before he turns back to the boy, his eyes widening as he reaches for the horn and the dwarf begins to run towards the boy as the horn presses against his lips.

"No!" Nikabrik shouts but it was too late. 

He blew the horn.

Then Nikabrik hit him across the head, the boy becoming unconscious.

Nikabrik bends over slightly as he catches his breath, his eyes training on the unconscious boy on the floor before he hears the door of the tree slam open. Nikabrik turns around as he sees both Angelina and Trufflehunter stepping out of the tree, Angelina immediately looking round for the other dwarf but finding that he in fact wasn't there anymore as a frown settles on her lips.

"What happened?" Trufflehunter asked as he approached Nikabrik, the dwarf not giving an immediate answer as he drops his weapon and stares at Trufflehunter as he shakes his head.

"Nikabrik, where's Trumpkin?" Angelina asked feebly, frowning when Nikabrik didn't answer her question immediately. "Where is he?"

"They have him now." Nikabrik grunts before he points at the boy and glares at him. "He led them here."

Angelina takes a step closer to the unconscious body, immediately leaning down to turn him over so that she could see his face before a gasp escaped her lips. Though she had never met him personally, everyone knew of the Prince who was rightful heir to the throne but was too young to resume responsibility - hence why Miraz stood as Lord Protector whilst he grew into the young man he was today. Angelina stumbled back for a moment, Trufflehunter and Nikabrik looking at her in confusion before Nikabrik finally spoke up.

"Do you know him?" Angelina merely nodded. It was that one question that Angelina wished she didn't know the answer too, for it reminded her of what her friend had said many years ago telling her that she could get her dream if she married the poor boy laid before her. It had been her dream. 

But she was wrong!

She didn't want that anymore. She wanted to be rid of all the reminders of what she did, even if it was just a name that could link back to that moment before she made the biggest mistake of her life. So she looked at the boy laid in front of her and took a deep breath, her eyes trailing to the gash across his forehead from where Nikabrik had hit him and sighed as she walked over to him and lifted him up into his arms and took him into the tree - Trufflehunter and Nikabrik following the girl in confusion as she bandaged up his head and left him to wake.

"Who is it Ang?" Trufflehunter asked her, the girl sitting up as she turned to the old badger and dwarf as a frown settled on her features as she took the sword from the boy and put it out of his reach.

"He's the heir to the throne." She muttered before she turned to the badger and dwarf and smiled slightly. "It's Prince Caspian."