The Prince and I

12 - The plan

The Telmarines had arrived. And they had an army.

The plan was for Lucy and Susan to escape to the forest, to find Aslan. But not everyone was happy with letting them go, and that was causing arguments. Willow had also disappeared, and no one knew if she was coming back or not. Caspian desperately missed her, and, while he was worried, he was also trying to figure out how he had developed such strong feelings for her, when they had only met a week ago.

"Where's Willow?" Edmund suddenly asked, and Caspian was snapped back out of his thoughts by the question. Caspian looked guilty, and Susan frowned.

"Did something happen between you two? Is it about the White Witch?"

"Among other things. She sort of... disappeared." He mumbled, and Lucy looked horrified.

"You lost her?!"

"I didn't lose her! She left me!" He snapped, but Lucy still glared at him. "What does it matter, anyway? She's gone, and we have to focus on the plan."

"You're talking about her as if she's dead." Edmund said, and Caspian scowled.

"She might as well be, if she's left us." He muttered, and Lucy gasped. Caspian instantly regretted saying it, and suddenly felt a stab of worry for her. He missed her, and he wanted her back.

"Haven't enough of us died already?" Trumpkin, and Caspian knew he was referencing the earlier battle, and the loss of his friend, Nikabrik, who had tried to bring the witch back and was stabbed.

The badger, Trufflehunter, spoke up.
"Nikabrik was my friend too, but he lost hope. The kings and queens haven't. And neither have I."

Reepicheep, the mouse, drew his tiny sword. "For Aslan." He said, and held it high.

"For Aslan." Echoed the bear, and a few others.

Trumpkin, the dwarf, turned to Lucy. "I'm going with you. I'm not about to let you go with just your sister."

"No, we need you here." She said softly, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We have to hold them off until Lucy and Susan get back." Peter told him, and Caspian stood up once more.

"If I may..." Peter gave a slight nod, and he continued. "Miraz may be a tyrant, and a murderer, but as king... he is subject to the traditions, and expectations, of his people. There is one in particular that may buy us some time."

"What about Willow?" Lucy asked, in a small voice, and Caspian turned to her.

"I don't know where she is. And I don't know if she's coming back." He admitted, and Trufflehunter spoke up.

"We will know soon if she returns, and I assure you, she is not the type to walk away from a fight. She will always help the things she loves."
Caspian turned these words over in his head, and thought back to the night they met. She had helped him...

"Right then." Peter interrupted Caspian's thoughts, and the Prince looked up at him. "Until she comes back, what's this tradition you're talking about?"

A/N: The tradition is a sword fight btw, but I'm not going to write about that bit because Willow isn't there ;)