𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑: 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐀𝐍

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By the mane! I groan in pain as my head aches. I want to rub my head, feel the bump. But my hands are bound. I flutter my eyes open and I see that I am in a cave.

The walls are wet from the rain and the ground feels ice cold beneath my knees. My blue dress is torn, as is my white silk slip dress. I can see my left hip as the tear is there. But that is of later care, I have to get out of here! If these men are men of Rabadash, I never leave this place alive! Shivers run through my body as memories flash before my eyes. I close my eyes and breathe out. I cannot panic. My brothers are on their way.

Caspian.

Elvira and Salvador.

They are coming. They just have too.

Suddenly I hear voices, coming closer. 'I tell you, it is really her. The Gentle queen.'

'I will be the judge of that,' a low voice huffs. I try to remember but this is not him. Their shadows appear on the wall of the cave and I see their silhouettes. Both young adults, filthy from the time they spend in the woods. They are both dressed in black and brown leather and have a lot of weapons on their belt. One of them, a man with raven black hair and piercing blue eyes is smirking at me.

'Well, well, well.'

'Lost your tongue?' I say sarcastic. Bad move, Susan.

His eyes grow darker but his smirk grows wider. 'I can make that happen,' he says as he draws a dagger out of his belt.

The other guy looks a little afraid as the blond man steps into my direction. 'Nathan, this is not a good idea. She is for him.'

'He doesn't have to know,' Nathan sneers at the other guy, who now steps back.

Nathan is squatting in front of me, playing with the dagger in front of me. 'I shall carve the symbol of your father on your forehead. So everyone will know that he wasn't there to save you.'

I have the courage to look him straight into the eyes. But Nathan is just smirking and he holds the hilt of his dagger steady. He sets the point of his dagger against my forehead.

'I will mark you, daughter of Eve,' and for a moment his blue eyes light up and I know that it is not a man who is squatting before me.

It is the white witch, Jadis the so called empress of Narnia.

But I can do nothing, she drags the point of the dagger into my flesh. And with all my will power I hold in the scream what wants to come out. I feel the blood rushing down as she carves His mark into my forehead.

I bite my tongue and I taste my own blood. But then she is finished.

Her callused hand roughly grabs my face and she gurgles, spits on my face. 'He will like you so much more,' she says with a laugh. She puts the now bloodied dagger in the belt and stands up.

The glow in the man's eyes disappears and for a moment he looks out of place.

'What the--,' I hear him mumble. He looks at me and his eyes widen with what I think is fear. He rushes out of the cave without another word.

The blood drops on my corset, on my dress, on the tear of my dress. On the cold floor.

After some time, I begin to feel light-headed again.

'Aslan,' I whimper. I tug at the rope that holds my wrist in place. Maybe if I lay down. A bit unladylike I fall on my stomach and look to the left, letting my head rest. Now the blood drops on the floor and mixes with the water. But I cannot keep my eyes open and after a long fight, they close and let the darkness consume me.

✦✧✦

'Wake up, wench.'

Hello to you too.

A rough voice wakes me and kicks against my left side. I cannot help it but to cry out in pain. But he doesn't stop. He kicks again and again and I know for sure my left ribs are bruised.

I groan as he yanks me back with my hair. Now I sit on my knees again and this time, another man is standing before me. He has a scar on the right side of his jaw but before he can beat me up again, screams begin to rise from outside.

'مMadha yahduth alan,' he mumbles angry and in a strange tongue as he leaves me be, rushing out of the cave.

'Where is she?' Someone yells furiously. And I smile. This voice belongs to one very protective older brother, the High King.

'Peter!' I scream with all my might.

More metal against metal, groans and yells from pain. Men being killed just because they took me.

A part of me feels bad for them, because I know what my brothers can do. What Caspian can do. And I know for sure that Elvira and Salvador also know their way on the battlefield.

I begin to struggle against my rope again, I want to be free. I want to help them! They risk their lives for me!

But running footsteps can be heard and Edmund comes running in. His eyes grow wide and anger flashes through his eyes as he sees my wounds.

'Susan,' he mumbles.

'Ed!' I say happily.

Edmund wastes no time as he runs towards me and sinks down to free me from the rope. When my hands are finally free, I rub my wrist. Both of my wrists are red and some skin is scraped off. They bleed, but it will heal again.

'Can you walk?' Edmund asks in a low voice, sword tightly in his hand. I can still hear the screams of the men. It is not over yet.

I nod. 'Yes.'

But I do not know for sure. Unsteady I stand and Edmund holds my waist. I groan in pain as he touches my left side, but I just smile at him.

We have no time.

Together we rush, I am more stumbling, out of the cave. But what I see is just. . .

Peter and Elvira fight side by side. I see that Elvira has bandaged her shoulder.

Caspian and Salvador are also fighting side by side. As one they fight and kill the men who charge at them.

'I got her! Go!' Edmund screams when one man thinks he can kill us. He races towards Edmund. But my brother is quicker and killing him with a stab in the lower stomach. It is weird how things can be normal again and that just in a couple of hours.

It is as if my brothers never stopped fighting. But for us it was two years. And lived two lives.

'Come on!' Edmund yells.

Peter rolls over the ground as Elvira kills another one with her sword. Slicing the man's throat. Peter stands up and grabs her wrist, dragging her with him.

'Salvador!' she calls her brother. Who just kills a man who wanted to strike Caspian. My king turns around and when he sees me, he smiles.

'Now!' Peter yells as my older brother lifts me up with one arm and holds his sword with the other.

'Hold me, Su,' he whispers and I fold my arms around his neck to hold him with my dear life.

With Caspian and Salvador behind us and Elvira next to Peter and Edmund in the front, we rush out of the bandits camp. The forest helps us escape and the horses can't be far away. But the pain in my head and the blood that has spilled, makes me weak and even though Peter begs me to stay awake, I simply cannot.

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𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄, 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 ✯ 𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 ✓Where stories live. Discover now