29

AMBUSH

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The Gryffons had waited for the signal (which was the flashing of Edmund's torch from England - the very torch that he had to explain to all of the Narnians and Alexandra and Caspian) before they descended down from the cover of the night clouds and toward Castle of Caspian. The magnificent Narnians dropped what they had been carrying - which just so happened to be Susan, Alex, Peter, Caspian and Trumpkin.

They all landed with ease and their weapons in hand. Alexandra let her axe fly just as her feet hit the stone of the castle walls and knocked a Telmarine solider down the side of the wall and Peter took down another with his blade. They both shared a curt nod which had been their first interaction in a while.

"Thank you," Alex smiled as she passed the rope to Susan for her to tie on the bricks so that she, Peter and Caspian could all climb down the side of the castle and into the office of Caspian's professor.

Caspian pushed open the window and followed Alex into the room, Peter right behind them. She took in the familiar appearance of the room where she had been woken up in. Her glass box was sealed once more and still contained the bed of Drowsy Pudina flowers that had kept her asleep for 1300 years. The glass box looked to be the only thing tucked away neatly, the rest of his office was covered in paper and books messily thrown around.

Alex felt Susan's hand on her shoulder which drew her away from her staring at the flowers. They both smiled at each other before she weakly smiled to Trumpkin.

"I have to find him," Caspian spoke, holding his professor's spectacles in his hand and running his finger over the lens.

"You don't have time," Peter shook his head, "You need to get the gate open."

"You wouldn't be here without him and neither would I. Alexandra wouldn't be here without him," Caspian thrust his hand in the girl's direction hoping it would change Peter's mind.

Peter seemed to think about it before his sister spoke up, "You, Alex and I can deal with Miraz."

"Can you still get the gate open in time?" Alex asked and waited for Caspian's nod, "Fine, then we go our separate ways, for now. And Caspian, try to find Ernest too."

Trumpkin and Caspian quietly left the office. The other three were left in silence as they tried to remember the directions that Caspian had told them moments before they left Aslan's How.

"Ready?" Peter asked the two girls.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Susan replied, turning to Alex.

"Always," she said.

The group of three made their way through the halls of the castle as silently as they could, taking out as many Telmarines as they needed to whilst making as little noise possible. They soon found themselves at the door to Miraz's quarters and strangely they could hear voices on the other side of the door. One of the voices sounded like... Caspian?

Alex kicked the door down to see Caspian holding the sword at his uncle's throat and Prunaprismia, Miraz's wife, aiming a crossbow at her nephew.

"Put the sword down, Caspian, I don't want to have to do this," Prunaprismia threatened.

"Whereas it would be my genuine pleasure," Alex said, holding her axe towards the woman and staring at her behind the handle.

Caspian turned for only a fraction of a second to see who had entered the room whereas his aunt kept directing her weapon between Caspian and the trio who had just entered the room.

"You know, this used to be a private room," Miraz spoke with his hands on his hips.

"What a shame," Alex mocked.

"Caspian! What are you doing? You're supposed to be in the gatehouse!" Peter shouted towards the prince. On the other hand, Alex wasn't too surprised to see the young Telmarine there. Just from the few days they had spent with each other, she knew that Caspian was a family orientated man and at times he was easily driven by his emotions. He hadn't been advised by his Uncle to be a King, he didn't know how to rule.

"No!" he shouted, the tip of his blade now digging into his uncle's throat, "Tonight for once, I want the truth. Did you kill my father?"

"Now we get to it," his uncle retaliated.

Prunaprismia looked betrayed and confused, "You said your brother died in his sleep."

There was no doubt about it, Caspian IX most likely did die in his sleep. But not from natural causes. He was murdered by his brother in cold blood just for his title and power. A common theme in royalty.

"That was more or less true," Miraz teased, thus confirming Alexadra's thoughts.

Susan looked through her bow that had been aimed at Prunaprismia and Miraz the whole time, "Caspian, this won't make this any better."

That didn't seem to change the boy's demeanour. So Alexandra jumped in, "Cas, take it from someone who did get her revenge. It didn't change a thing. I still think about my parents every day and it hurts just as much knowing that I avenged them. Not one thing is easier. If anything, it made me just as bad as she was. Do you want to steep as low as Miraz? Do you want to be the same worthless tyrant? Or do you want to be a king loved by his people?"

"We Telmarines would have nothing if we did not take it, your father knew that as well as anyone."

Prunaprismia lowered her weapon to glare at her husband, "How could you?"

Alexandra quickly changed aiming her weapon at the Telmarine woman and instead aimed it at her husband.

"For the same reason you will pull that trigger!" her husband yelled back at her, "For our son!"

"Stop!" Prunaprismia shouted when Caspian's sword got closer to Miraz's throat.

"Stay right there!" Susan shouted and pulled the arrow back further.

"Don't move," Alex threatened as her axe was about to leave her hand.

"You need to make a choice," Miraz turned to his wife with a trail of blood dripping down the side of his throat, "Do you want our child to be a king? Or do you want him to be like Caspian here? Fatherless!"

"No!" she screamed and shot Caspian in the shoulder, sending him back and allowing Miraz to sneak out the door as Susan's arrow missed him.

They all shared a glance, knowing that their plan was on the verge of failing. Unless they caught Miraz, many Narnains could die.

"Get to the gatehouse!" Alex shouted as she ran after Miraz and ignored Peter and Susan calling after her.

Miraz was right in front of her as they ran through the halls, getting further and further away from his bedroom. She watched him turn the corner and disappear, silently cursing herself. Just as she approached the same corner as him, she felt something hard hit her in the face and knocked her back.

She fell onto her back with a grunt, feeling her lip split down the middle and blood pouring out. Alex glanced up to see Miraz standing above her with a sword, having hit her with the iron hilt hard.

"I've won," he smirked down at her, holding the tip of the blade in her direction.

"Even if you win, you won't succeed. Your son will grow up hating his father and resenting you for your actions. As soon as you die and he is on the throne, the world will be a better place," she spat with blood spilling from her lip.

He laughed, "He won't even know what happened here. He will grow up with the tale of the ruthless Narnians storming out castle and killing our women and children as we slept. He will hate your species as much as I."

"There is no way for you to come out of this without making some losses."

"Really?" his eyebrow raised, "Because from where I stand, your army is making all the losses."

Just as he was about to bring the sword down, she opened her palm and let the axe return to her hand. He hesitated. Those two seconds may have cost him his life. As soon as she felt the iron in her hand she turned to face him once more.

"Any final words?" she asked.

He opened his mouth but was cut off by the sound of bells ringing and Telmarines shouting around the castle that they are under attack. Just outside the window she could hear Narnians shouting in a variety of ways (some roaring, some neighing and some just... shouting). If she didn't get down there soon enough, they were going to face heavy losses and maybe even a complete loss.

Miraz reached for something on the wall, Alex soon found out that it was a torch. He started waving it around in her direction, aiming to burn her. Alex grinned before punching the side of his head whilst he was distracted, sending a kick to his stomach and knocking him to the wall.

It didn't last very long, Miraz sending hitting the torch into her side which thankfully didn't catch any of her clothes as the flame had blown out. She doubled back and gripped her stomach, when she looked up she saw that he had disappeared.

Alexandra shook the dizziness from her head and looked out the window, noticing how the fight had already commenced. Narnians vs Telmarines. A clash. Just like it had been all those years ago against the White Witch. Narnians fighting for their freedom.

There was no way she could make it in time to save as many Narnians if she ran through the castle looking for an exit. So she looked down out of the window, finding a large tapestry that lay against the castle wall, nearly reaching the courtyard floor. She internally groaned before climbing out the window and sliding down the tapestry, landing on her knees with a hiss of pain after definitely breaking the skin. Her suspicions were confirmed when she stood up and could feel warm blood dripping down her shins.

"Alex!" Susan cried as an arrow flew past her face and hitting a Telmarine behind the knight. She sent the girl a nod before she let her axe fly in an upward position, taking out a row of archers that aimed their bows at her army.

Alex was caught up in the battle, her head spinning as she tried her hardest to concentrate. As she fought, her back collided with something solid. Her first though was that she accidentally backed up into a Telmarine, she gripped her axe tightly and turned, ready to slit a throat or slash at someone. To her surprise, instead of meeting the dark brown eyes of a Telmarine but instead found the ocean blue of Peter.

He too looked ready to attack but let his guard down upon seeing her. Both of their eyes suddenly widened when an opposing Telmarine came upon the other. In sync, they took the Telmarines down before Peter ran off in one direction and Alex in another.

"Trumpkin?" she called upon seeing his lifeless body on the floor, her eyes widened before picking him up and passing him onto a centaur that seemed to be taking their wounded back to safety.

"The gate!" someone called out loudly in her ear, the ringing returning.

Alex felt her eyes widen once more upon seeing the gate slowly closing, soon to leave them trapped with no escape. If it hadn't been for the Minotaur running in and using all his might to hold the gate open, they would have all been trapped.

"Fall back!" Alexandra shouted at loudly as she could, waving her arms in the general direction of the closing gate and watching as various Narnians began to retreat.

"Alex! Get out!" Peter cried as he took down another Telmarine.

"Not until each of our Narnians are safe!" she cried back and throwing her axe yet another time.

Alex watched as an arrow was shot at the Minotaur, missing him by less than an inch. She watched as another was fired, once again missing by much less this time. Within a second she was covering him, standing in front of the fearless Narnian as if her life depended on it. When in reality, all of their lives did.

Alexandra could see Caspian, Cornelius and Peter riding right at the gate on horseback, plenty of their army trying to follow behind them. Caspian began to reach his hand out for her to take as he was in front of them, just as she was about to take his hand an arrow fired directly at her. Peter watched in horror, not knowing where she was hit or even if she would survive such a wound.

When she looked up at him, a small split in her shirt on her arm he exhaled slowly. This time he thrust his hand down, fighting all his urges to jump from the horse and wrap his arms around her. She gripped onto his palm and winced in pain as he pulled her onto the horse.

"We have to go back," she cried out and let her head fall on his shoulder, "We need to go back. We can't leave them there! Peter, please."

Arrows raining down in the courtyard.

The gate thumping closed.

The trapped Narnians shouting for help.

They had lost.

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slightly longer chapter. I used to skip this scene as a kid because it made me cry so much omg