07

BEST DRESSED SOLDIER

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"I don't know-" Alex whined as Susan braided her hair tightly, leaving it to hang in a mixture of white curls and braids behind her head, "The dress is one thing but my hair as well? I'm a soldier, we don't wear pretty clothes."

"Well, you will be the best dressed on the battlefield when the time comes," Susan replied before stepping back to be with her sister who just stared in awe at the sight of Alexandra.

Alex also had a hint of a smile on her face as she looked down to her faded, red dress that was tightened around her abdomen by the strings that held it together on the back. The dress had thankfully loosened around her legs but not nearly as much as she wanted due to the small strides that got her hardly anywhere. But there was some sort of elegance to her appearance; her lips and cheeks were bright pink, her hair curled neatly around her face in white loops whilst many strands were braided and secured behind her and she had a smile on her face for perhaps the first time in years.

"You look gorgeous, Alex," Lucy laughed before turning to her sister, "So do you. You even look like Mum."

"Mum hasn't had a dress like this since before the war," Susan sadly smiled down to her younger sister as all three girls stared intently at the reflection in the small river.

Lucy's lips tugged upwards, "We should bring her one back! A whole trunk full!"

The happiness on Susan's face seemed to fade away at the mention of going home, "If we ever get back," the oldest girl seemed to realise the frown that spread over Lucy's face which made her motion to the older Pevensie, "I'm sorry I'm like that. We used to have fun together, didn't we?"

"Yes, before you got boring!" Lucy giggled.

"Wait, there was a time where Susan wasn't boring?" Lexi chuckled which made Susan's brow twitch playfully, a playful grin danced around on her lips before her hands cupped water from the river which landed all over the two unsuspecting girls who squealed.

The three girls spent a few seconds playing around in the water before Susan stepped away to retrieve a towel that hung loosely on a tree branch. Alex, on the other hand, continued to stare intently in the water where she could see the colour of her eyes fade from the lifeless grey to the frosted blue that would mean that the Witch or her entourage were nearby.

The blue only got more vibrant which scared Alexandra deeply before she realised why, "Susan, don't!" she called out before it was too late and the girl's hand tightened around the towel and pulled it down to reveal Maugrim, the leader of the wolf pack with his teeth bared.

Susan and Lucy jumped back with small screams whereas Alex's hand twitched behind her back to call for the trustworthy axe that Susan had begged her to leave in the tent.

"Please don't run, we're tired," the leader growled as he jumped down to reveal his second in command, Vardan, beside him, "And we'd prefer to kill you quickly."

Alex cried out in pain as yet another wolf jumped out from the tree line and pushed the girl to the grass with his large paws weighing her down. She recognised the wolf that attacked her as Ulmer.

"Susan!" Alex yelled and directed her eyes up to the tree above them and then to Lucy, the girl nodded her head before throwing the towel at Maugrim and hoisting her sister up to the tree before doing the same to herself.

The loud blowing of the horn echoed through the camp to alert them to the trouble of what was going on at the river. The most important person to hear it was Peter Pevensie who talked with Aslan as they both looked over Cair Paravel. Both of them immediately broke out into a sprint.

Alex continued to try and push the wolf from her body, the claws created the smallest wounds on her shoulder that seemed to draw blood that pooled on her neck painfully. Susan and Lucy proceeded to scream as the wolves jumper up to bite their legs, thankfully they missed each time.

"We were told to bring you back with whatever force was necessary," Ulmer sneered in the girl's face with his teeth inches away from her throat but she was fearless.

"Good luck with that," she grinned up at him just as her hand raised from the grass to grasp the iron of the axe as it flew through the air to get to the girl. As soon as the icy cold of the weapon hit her palm she raised her knee to kick the beast off to turn the blade on him, "If any of you mutts lay a fang or claw on my new friends then I will have to skin you alive, got it?"

"Get back!" Peter screamed at he ran through the river with his sword in hand that was directed to the two wolves that tried to attack his sisters at the base of the tree where they hid. His eyes switched to Alex to make sure she was okay.

The two wolves that were at the base of the tree stopped snapping their jaw at the Pevensie girls and turned to the oldest of the siblings, Maugrim being the first to talk and taking his usual position as leader, "Come on! We've already been through this before. We both know you haven't got it in you."

"Peter!" Susan screamed to catch the boy's attention, "Watch out!"

The second wolf circled around the unsuspecting Pevensie, the animal was quick to yelp out as Aslan's paw held him down painfully and forcefully which Ulmer took as an opportunity to jump up and claw Alex's shoulder to make her whimper in pain once more. Her blue eyes snapped towards the creature that froze in his place, as she glared at the wolf she noticed how the fur began to solidify into darker grey stone.

"Alexandra!" Aslan almost roared out to gain the white-haired girl's attention, as soon as she turned to face them all they noticed how the grey in her eyes had brightened into the blue that was usual with the wolves around, except this time they were darker than normal.

She quickly shifted her attention back to Ulmer to see that the stone started to recede down his frame quickly but it didn't stop her axe blade pointing at his neck just in case he decided to attack her any more than he already did.

"No!" Aslan turned to General Oreius who had drawn his sword on the wolves and was ready to attack, "Stay your weapons. This is Peter's battle."

Peter's glare on Maurgim seemed to intensify as the wolf lowered on his legs to prepare to bounce, "You may think you're a king, but you're going to die like a dog!"

The beast leapt off the ground and to the unsuspecting Pevensie who was thankful that his sword had been out at the time of attack. The iron of the blade plunged deep into the chest of Maugrim who whimpered as his body landed on Peter.

"Peter!" his two sisters cried as they jumped from the tree to check on their brother, both of them fearing the worst for him. Susan's worried hands pushed the animal from their brother's body before they all cried in relief and brought him into a tight embrace, Peter, however, watched over his sister's shoulders at Alex who appeared to be just as worried for him.

Aslan's paw was removed from Vardan who whined and ran off through the trees, "After him! He'll lead you to Edmund," the lion watched as his variety of Narnian soldiers chased after the wolf before his soft gaze set on the Pevensie children, "Peter, clean your sword."

Alex's axe got closer to the wolf's throat as he stepped back with a whine. "Alexandra," the deep voice of Aslan interrupted the girl, "I trust that you will make the right choice."

Lexi's glare deepened on the wolf before the axe lowered to her side, "Run, Ulmer. Run to the Witch but you tell her that I won't stop fighting for what I believe in."

The wold broke out in a sprint through the woods that the other wolf had run off through, the girl turned just in time to see Peter wiping the blood from his weapon with the water from the river and then drying it on the grass. The tip of the blade gently poked the ground as he kneeled in front of the great lion. Aslan's paw wiped over his left shoulder.

"Rise, Sir Peter Wolf's Bane, Knight of Narnia."

The pride that was evident over each of the Pevensie children's faces was joyous to witness. Peter was sure to send his own smile over to Alex who returned the favour. But as soon as she did, she noticed how Peter's face fell to a solemn glare with his feet almost rushing towards her.

Alex felt the urge to step backwards but she didn't, not when Peter's soft hands went right to her arm where the blood seemed to drip down her fingers and to the grass below them.

"I'll get my healing cordial," Lucy rushed out as she was about to run to where her dagger and pouch had been left draping over a chair.

"Lucy," Aslan's voice stopped the girl in her tracks, "Your healing cordial will not work on Alexandra. With the history of her and the snow, the Fire-Flowers that thrive in the mountains of the Sun will not aid her in any way that you would imagine. It may even have a long-lasting negative effect."

Lexi watched as Lucy's face contorted sadly but the girl just pushed through the pain that she felt on her arm, "Lucy, this is nothing that a bandage and rest won't cure. But I thank you for your generosity, truly."

"Let's get that cleaned up," Peter smiled at her as he gently took her wounded arm and guided her to the river bank so he could wash away the blood. His two sisters shared a glance between them before breaking away back to the main camp with Aslan trailing behind them after waiting a few seconds with his black lips almost tugging up at the sides.

Alexandra winced as Peter brought the cold water up the wound, as soon as the hiss of pain left her lips he was worried. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it was my fault for turning my back on an opponent during a battle," she sadly wmiled and watched as he struggled to treat the injury with her sleeve getting in the way. Her hands came up and ripped it off the dress fully and handed it to him, "There, this could be used as a bandage until I can find something better."

"You ruined your dress," he remarked and tied the fabric around her arm tightly but he was cautious as to not do it too tight.

"I didn't like it that much anyway," she laughed and peter joined in quietly, "A dress isn't the choice of clothing for a knight. The skirt is too heavy to move around in, it also restricts speed and it doesn't limit the damage from a blade."

Peter finished tending to her gashes and sat beside her, "You know a lot about fighting, don't you?"

"Well, that's the price that I had to pay as soon as I stepped through those wardrobe doors," a dry chuckle slowed the train of words and created a tension in the air that made her uncomfortable, unbeknownst to her Peter was just agreeing with what she had said, "How about I teach you to properly wield your sword?"

"I'd like that," he replied and jumped up eagerly before offering his hand out for her to take, and she did.

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the way that Peter kills the wold reminds me of what happens between Thomas and Newt in TMR (check out my TMR story on my page!)