34

AND SO THE BATTLE BEGINS

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There wasn't anything for the Narnian army to do other than watch as Glozelle and other Telmarine officials rode back to their own armed forces shouting tales of treachery and betrayal. It wasn't long before catapults were hauling boulders at Aslan's How and the Telmarine army started their ascension over the field.

"Archers to the ready!" Susan shouted as she, followed by Trumpkin and the rest of the archers, secured an arrow within the strings of their bows.

"Peanut," Alexandra turned to the squirrel as he ran up and down the pillars anxiously, "Have them carry through with Aurora; it's our only chance now that they have had a head start."

He nodded furiously before jumping down and running through the blades of the grass and into Aslan's How to tell the appointed generals of their plans. Aurora was the back up plan in which the stability beams for the How were to be destroyed as the Telmarine army crossed the fields and two openings would appear behind the army so that the Narnians could surround them and demand their surrender.

Peter, Caspian and Edmund all nodded in agreement of her plan, it was a much better one that that of the initial plan they had drawn up. Caspian promptly jumped up onto Destrier and rode into the How before the entrance became destroyed by the catapults. From there he would lead the Narnians through the hollowed out field and they would destroy the dirt beams with their swords and hammers.

The signal - a traditional Narnian fanfare - sounded from one of the horns. Simultaneously both Caspian, Alexandra and Peter began to count. 

"1...2..." Peter started, his hand tightening around his sword.

"3...4..." Alexandra followed, swinging her axe in her palm to build up momentum.

"5...6..." he followed, giving her a forced smile for they both feared the worst.

"7...8..." she responded, returning the smile before turning to face the approaching army.

"9."

Alexandra let the axe fly from her palm as Peter said the number. "10," she finished once it was back in her palm, only this time it was a little bloodier.

Horses began to stumble on the shifting earth beneath their hooves. The soldiers on their backs looked around in fear as large cracks became visible through the dirt before large chunks of earth started to fall down; taking horses and soldiers with them.

Susan gave the signal to the archers to let their arrows fly and the distinct whistle could be heard as they began to fly through the air and rain down on the soldiers trapped in the earth.

"Charge!" Alex shouted, drawing her axe in a downward motion to signal the army forward. Centaurs, Fauns and Talking Beasts alike all ran forward with their weapons raised and hope flashing behind their eyes.

Edmund jumped onto horseback whilst Peter and Alex ran through the Telmarine forces on foot. They worked in sync to slash at their enemies whilst also using the hilt of their weapons to make as many as they could unconscious. Alexandra sent a harsh kick to the stomach of a Telmarine and watched him fall into the pit created by the Aurora plan. 

Another shift in the ground could be felt beneath their feet as the two openings were made and Caspian, followed by the Centaur generals, led their half of the army from underneath the field and behind their rivals. This trapped the majority of the forces within a the Narnians.

Alexandra took as many soldiers from the backs of their horses as she could. Afterwards she would slap the hind legs of the horses and watch them retreat in the forests. They may not have been the Talking Horses that she had made acquaintances during her reign as the Crimson Knight, but she still held sympathy for the horses. They were trapped and abused by their soldiers, scarcely fed proper meals or given proper care. No one deserved that.

Above them battle Gryffins started to fly from one side of the field to another, holding dwarf archers tightly in their claws and letting them take out the reserve troops of the opposing army. Even though Peter, Alex and the Narnian troops had worked hard to take out the soldiers on horseback, they still hadn't made a visible dent in their numbers.

Alex had long lost sight of Caspian, Edmund and Peter as she was deep within the carnage of the battle. All around her lay lifeless bodies of soldiers, both of her own army and against them. But she was still able to make out Peter's voice calling for them to all retreat to the How. There was no way she could make it on foot.

"Alex!" Caspian cried out, shooting his hand out from the reigns of Destrier to help her onto the horse. She gratefully accepted the help and gripped his hand, letting him pull her onto the horse behind him. They were both reminded of the day their first met at Castle Caspian; when they were riding on Destrier through the woods. But, since then, they had both aged and became more wise. War had that effect on people.

They were, regrettably, just in time to see the entrance to Aslan's How destroyed by the boulders. The rubble rained down on the Narnians that tried to retreat. This caused Susan to loose her balance and tumble down the side of the ledge, thankfully getting saved by Trumpkin's hand as he gently lowered her down onto the ledge below them.

Caspian and Alex jumped down from Destrier and joined Peter as Edmund and Susan did the same. Respectfully, they all armed themselves with their swords and bows. It wasn't long before the five of them were running to the fight. Jumping down from the pillars are driving their swords and axes through their targets and saving their own troops in the process.

The regiments of foot soldiers got closer and closer to the fight, the echoes of their marching being easily heard over all the shouting and clashing of the fight. Alexandra kicked the side of a Narnian shield into the ground, watching as it bounced up into the air. She quickly placed her hand through the handle and knocked it on the side of her attacker. Next, she jumped up as high as she could, even with her heavy armour dragging her down, and used the momentum to drive her axe down into another. It wasn't long until she was standing in the middle of a pile of bodies.

Alex stared at the regiment getting close to her, only looking down once Reepicheep climbed up a Narnian shield beside her. 

"What do you say that we make things a little easier for our friends?" he asked her.

"I thought you'd never ask," she replied, swinging the axe behind her and letting it fly. The silver weapon skilfully flew through the air and right through the middle of the regiment that had been using shields to make a wall of sorts to push through the Narnian army. Only now they couldn't do that with an empty line through their middle.

Reepicheep took this as his signal and ran right at the troops, slicing his sword at their ankles and rendering them immobile. The army tried to rebuild their shield wall, only for a female Centaur, who Alex later learned was called Antares, pulled the knight onto her back and then jumped over the wall and down into the vulnerable soldiers in the middle.

Alex later noted to Caspian after the battle that this was the highest honour in Narnia. To ride on the back of a Centaur was for the Centaur to make themselves vulnerable and push aside their pride. And for a Centaur, this was no easy task. In fact, Alexandra was the only one alive, for many years before and after the battle, who had ever been on the back of a Centaur.

From there, Alex, Antares, Reepicheep and countless other Narnians took down one of the few regiments left. Not a single casualty was faced in their little band of Narnians as all of them made it out through the other side and circled back around to join in the height of the fight. Not once had they stopped to take a breath, but afterwards they had spent a whole night drinking sweet wine and telling their tales of the battle.

Alex was quick to join Peter's side in the centre of all the fight and slaughter. They both noticed how the other's weapon was dripping with bloody and their armour looking more red than silver. But none of that mattered. Because they were both alive.

Although fairytales thrived in Narnia, it takes time for them to happen. Just as they were happy, Alex's face dropped. "Peter!" she called out running forward to push him out of the way. But she was too late. 

Sopespian, Glozelle's brother, had used a heavy stone from the pillars to hit Peter across the back of his helmet; knocking it from his head. The High King fell to the ground with bloody, blonde hair.

Alex's face dropped instantly. The Telmarine circled around Peter's lively body, dropping the rock in the process and instead replacing it with his rapier. 

"Miraz and I often didn't see eye to eye but there was one thing that he and I agreed on," Sopespian smiled wickedly, "Your head would look wonderful on display in my castle."

"Well, if it's a head that Miraz wanted," she remarked and stepped forward, "It's a head he shall have."

Sopespian didn't have enough time to register her words. Just as he finally started to understand what she was implying, his head dropped to the floor with a thump and she was holding her bloody axe in her palm. 

She dropped to her knees at his side, rolling him onto his back to see his eyes closed and a small trickle of blood dripping down his temple. "Peter?" she whispered inaudibly over the shouts of the battle. She shook him lightly. She shook him again. And once more. And again. And again. She didn't stop calling his name and shaking him until his eyes fluttered open.

He slowly blinked to open his eyes and for his vision to clear up. When he found that he could see again, his blue eyes focused on Alexandra with teary eyes leaning over him.

"I thought I lost you."

He weakly smiled as he sat up, "I wouldn't dream of it."

She leaned down to lightly kiss his lips. "Come on, we've got a battle to win."

Alex pulled his up to his feet, noticing how he wobbled ever so slightly. She made a mental note to have him drink some of Lucy's healing cordial as soon as possible.

Something below their feet shifted as if the whole ground they stood on was shaking. It didn't take long to realise that the trees from the forest had dug up their own roots and started to use the roots as feet to walk across the battle field. They would bring up their branches and wrap them around the Telmarines.

"Lucy did it," they both smiled. 

Aslan had returned to Narnia.

Alexandra watched as Peter helped Caspian out of the crater in the field and joined her side once more. They shared a small, silent moment in which they were just thankful that they were alive. 

"We need to take those catapults down," Alexandra shouted over the chaos of the fight, speaking to no one in particular. That last thing she expected to see was one of the trees thrust their roots down into the field and for them to shoot back up on the other side, successfully bringing down one of the catapults. "Thank you." She wasn't sure if the little shake of the leaves was a nod or not; regardless, she was still thankful. 

"For Aslan!" Peter cried out, shoving his sword in the direction of their enemies as the whole Narnian army started to run at the retreating Telmarines.

"They're planning on regrouping at the bridge," Alexandra managed to get out in-between her deep breaths, "If Aslan has returned, we can assume that others have too."

Caspian had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Cornelius had only described the Talking Beasts, Centaurs, Minotaurs and other Narnian creatures; all of which he was currently commanding in the battle. What more could there be?

However, Edmund, Susan and Peter all nodded as if they knew what she was implying. 

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