27

AFTER ALL THIS TIME

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The small army had managed to sneak up behind the Telmarine trail just as the row of carriages and horses appeared over the hill. At the very front of the Narnian army had been Alex, the Pevensie siblings, Reepicheep and a few others that had been hiding within bushes or in the trees.

"I'll go," Caspian declared and made a move to stand up from where he and Alex hid behind a large rock, only he didn't make it far before she let her hand wrap around his wrist and yank him back down. Peter and Susan turned to see what the commotion was only to find Alex whispering to the young prince in a hushed tone that they couldn't hear.

"I swear to Aslan, Caspian, if you say that you should do it because they are your people or whatever nonsense you come up with, I will kill you myself," she threatened, "If you haven't realised, there is no way you will be able to take down half a regiment by yourself - you have no experience."

Caspian's lips glued together, there was no way that he could win against the Crimson Knight. He watched as she turned to a few Narnians beside her.

"Reep, you stay at my side and we take the first carriage with Edmund. Susan should stay in the tree line and provide backup with her bow with Lucy. Peter, Glenstorm, Trumpkin and a few others take the next two carriages" Alex faced a small band of foxes, bears, fauns, centaurs and even a squirrel that they had all nicknamed Peanut, despite him saying that his name was Oakley, "We can work together to get as many weapons as we can in silence. Peanut, you tell the Kings and Queens the plan."

Oakley nodded and ran up and down the tree branches before leaping on the rock that the Kings and Queens of Old had been hiding behind to tell them what Alexandra had said, once it was over she noticed how Edmund gave her a curt nod but Peter didn't even meet her eyes. In fact, the two had hardly said any words after they departed from the clearing where they reunited. He didn't even spare her a few glances or smile. If her heart could shatter, it would be in smithereens.

The sound of hooves on rocks only got louder as the Telmarines neared them. Alex nodded to Edmund and to Reepicheep before the three slowly came out from behind the rocks and waited for the carriage to be directly infront of them. As soon as it was, they jumped into battle.

The Telmar soldiers didn't know what to expect but seeing a mouse, a King and a Knight with white hair was at the bottom of their lists. They didn't even get to shout for help before Reepicheep had taken the rider down and Alex had hit another over the side of the head with the hilt of her axe. Edmund had done the same which left the two bodies to fall to the mud in sync.

Peter, Glenstorm and Trumpkin were next, taking out the following carriages as the first group joined them. The plan was so well thought out that it only took a matter of minutes until all the unconscious Telmar soldiers had been tied to trees and their horses set free.

Alexandra had opened up the wagons and started to had out swords of all shapes and sizes, bows and arrows, daggers, helmets and armour down the line of awaiting Narnians. For some, this was the first time that they held a blade in their palm but for them, it was almost too familiar.

She handed Caspian a small dagger from the back of a carriage, his eyes narrowing in confusion until she spoke, "Let them know what happened, let the fear give them restless nights and let them know that we are coming."

It all made sense. By letting Miraz and his men know what had happened in the road, it ensured that they would have restless nights as they tried to sleep with one eye open. They would know that they had enemies lurking in the shadows and behind every corner that they will turn. It was a tactic that hit too close to home.

Caspian pulled the wooden door of the carriage up and dragged the blade up and down to form letters until a satisfied smirk lit up his face. 'YOU WERE RIGHT TO FEAR THE WOODS. X,' the message read. It was perfect.

"Where too now?" Edmund asked his older brother who surveyed the scene from afar.

"Now we go to Aslan's How," Alex informed the Pevensie siblings and those around her. This had been the first time that Peter looked her directly in her eyes. He could see the years of anticipation and hurt filling her up and slowly suffocating her. Seeing her in pain... it brought him pain.

"Lead the way, Lexi," Lucy smiled up to Alex and drew her attention from one monarch to another.

The last thing that Alex did was pull a fresh set of clothing from the wagon, one similar to what the Telmarine soldiers had been wearing. It was just a simple pile of white shirts, beige trousers and a thin jacket. Just as her hand reached up to take the last golden chest plate as her only armour, a soft paw landed on top of her hand.

"Trust me when I say you won't be needing that," Trufflehunter spoke out softly, an ever knowing source of light behind his eyes. She smiled and nodded to show that she trusted them before they started off through the trees once more in separate groups.

Caspian hovered around Alex as she listened to Narnians with Lucy and Edmund beside her, all of them wanting know something from each other. Peter and Susan walked separately ahead of the group to talk between them, though Peter was much faster than her.

"Peter!" Susan called to her brother as he slashed his sword at the shrubs to give him a clear path, the Pevensie didn't turn to face his sister and continued to do so, "Peter! Stop!"

Susan had to grip his arm and pull him back to get his attention, even then he still looked as if he  could freeze hell over. The way that his eyes were almost filled with anger and his lip bloody from having to bite down to stop himself from screaming... It all broke her.

No words were needed to be said so all she did was pull her older brother into the tightest hug that she possibly could. Susan hugged him even tighter than when they had returned from Narnia, even tighter when their father had been called to war and even tighter, if it was possible, than when Alex's lifeless body had been carried through the gates at Cair Paravel when she was found in the field of Drowsy Pudina.

"Tell me what's wrong, brother," she whispered to him as he just pulled his sister in equally as tight. After almost a whole day of trying to put off how he was feeling, it was practically making the High King burst at the seems.

"Why won't she look at me the same way?" he asked rhetorically as they sat down on a fallen log to talk, "After all this time, I would've thought that she wouldn't be able to look away or be at a distance. But here I am, crying like a child because the girl I love won't pay me any attention."

Susan felt her own eyes well up at the sight of Peter and how the tears dripped so freely down his cheek.

"Oh, Peter. I know its hard to see her with Caspian and not with you, but you need to remember that she has just woke up after being asleep for over a thousand years. She is probably way more confused and disoriented than we are which is hard to believe. Just try to think what Alex is going through, waking up and everything having changed around her. She must have thought that we left her here-"

"She left us," he spat out, "She left us here without a single word to say where she was going and what she was going to do. Do you think thats fair? All I got was a letter. A letter! I loved her and all I got was a piece of paper."

Unbeknownst to the siblings, Alexandra lurked behind a tree having heard the whole conversation. She wanted to run up to him and wrap her arms around his neck and never let go. The knight wanted to tell him how she truly felt and that she would rather die than not be at his side. But she couldn't.

The reality was far more concerning than the dream.

It was only a matter of time before the blood was on her hands and his body at her feet, his siblings around him. It's how it always happened. Why would this time be any different?

"Peter, what you and Alex had was real. Love like that can't be destroyed by time," Susan took his hand and put it on his chest, "Your heart beats for Alex, just how hers beats for you."

Alexandra knew that it was wrong for her to be listening to the conversation between the brother and sister. She had heard enough already and returned back to the group, this time she went out of her way to stand beside Edmund instead of Caspian.

"Are you okay?" Edmund asked the girl beside her, turning his attention away from Trufflehunter who was telling the two younger royals of Narnia about the change in their land over the years. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's just-" she struggled to find the words, "I feel as if everything is- I'm just overwhelmed thats all. Everything is changing so quickly and I can't keep up. I'll be fine as soon as I can sit down and breathe for a moment."

He nodded his head though he didn't quite believe her.

Alex knew that Edmund didn't believe her. In fact, she wasn't sure how long she could keep up her facade. Trying to persuade everyone you know that you aren't falling apart was proving to be harder than she first thought.

So she focused her attention on the trees instead. When she first awoke, they all stood in stationary as if they were in England. The most movement they would show was when an extremely strong breeze would flow past them. But ever since the arrival of the four siblings, she noticed how there was a soft hum in the air. A little melody of sorts. The air smelled sweeter, too. Flowers bloomed brighter, the sky was clearer, everyone was hopeful.

All but her.

"Peter!" Lucy chimed excitedly, "You must come and listen to Trufflehunter, he is friends with the distant relatives of Mr and Mrs Badger and he has the most delightful stories to share."

Peter weakly smiled and started to approach his youngest sister, Susan trailing behind him silently.

But the trees around them had a different idea.

Alexandra, who had been paying the shrubbery at their feet more attention as of Peter's arrival, could have sworn that her path was clear. That there had not been a tree branch before her. But within a second, or less than that, she noticed how the tree root shifted in the dirt and tripped her.

Forcing her to fall into his chest.

Alex's palms connected with his shoulders as she pushed Peter to the ground with a grunt leaving their lips. Their faces were inches apart. Their breath hot on each other's cheeks. Their hearts beating rapidly within their chests.

"I'm sorry," she apologised quickly and pushed herself up, offering him a hand to take (which he did) before she started to dust the skirts of her dress from the dirt that covered the fabric. "Honestly Susan, what were you thinking when you dressed me in such a gown. I have lost count of how many times I have tripped and stumbled on these hems, I would have far preferred a pair of trousers."

Susan just burst out laughing, Lucy and Edmund joining in.

"You owe both Luce and I a shilling each," Edmund remarked as he recovered from his laughing fit.

Susan's cheeks blushed a bright shade of red.

Alex turned to face the three Pevensie children, "Hold on, did you bet on my reaction to being placed in a dress?"

They nodded.

"Am I truly that predictable?"

They nodded.

"Really?"

Peter just smirked, "If it's any consolation, I had also been against Susan."

Alex just picked the skirts of her dress up and started walking once more, "Well, I do hope that the whole of Narnia was against Susan during this decision making."

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I felt truly horrible for adding so much tension between everybody over the past few chapters, so enjoy just a little fluff at the end for all of you Palex (ew this sounds wise than Steraline) shippers. Also, I love the Alex and Edmund friendship for some reason; its so sweet!