𝐰𝐡𝐲 // 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒂𝒏

XXIV.

Lucy rides on, still pursued by a Telmarine on horseback. Aslan jumps out and roars. Destier rears and Lucy falls up. She looks up at the lion. Aslan jumps over her head, knocking the soldier off his horse. Lucy runs to the top of the hill. The lion looks at her.

“Aslan!” Lucy exclaims. She runs towards him and tackling The Great Lion in a hug.

“I knew it was you. The whole time, I knew it. But the others wouldn’t believe me,” Lucy spoke.

“And why would that stop you from coming to me?” Aslan asked.

“I’m sorry. I was too scared to come alone. Why haven’t you shown yourself? I thought you’d come roaring in to save us like last time.”

“Things never happen the same way twice.”

“If I had come earlier… everyone who died… could I have stopped that?”

“We can never know what would have happened, Lucy. But what will happen is another matter entirely.”

“You’ll help?”

“Of course, as will you.”

“Oh, well I wish I was braver,” Lucy said.

“If you were any braver, you’d be a lioness. Now, I think your friends have slept long enough, don’t you?” Aslan asks before he roars.

The battle continues. A few Telmarines gang up on Caspian, he grabs onto something and he falls into the pit, “May I ask why you pulled me?” The unmistakable voice of Gwendolyn asked.

“Sorry,” Caspian muttered. He noticed Glozelle walk over with a pike and lifts it. He sees that it is Caspian and Gwendolyn, and hesitates. Then, a tree root grabs him and pulls him away. Peter helps Caspian out of the pit. Caspian then pulls Gwendolyn out as well and they see that the trees have come, “The trees! They’re… alive!” Gwendolyn smiles in disbelief.

“You should smile more, it suits you,” Caspian whispered in her ear.

“Later, look,” Gwendolyn says as she points to the Telmarines who continue launching rocks, and one of them knocks over a tree. Another tree sticks a root into the ground. It comes up further down, taking out a trebuchet.

“Lucy,” Peter muttered to Caspian.

“For Aslan!” Peter yells. The Narnians charge.

“We can defeat them if we draw them to the river!” A soldier suggests.

“To Beruna!” Sopespian yelled. 

The Telmarines retreat. They reach the bridge and start crossing. Halfway down, Sopespian brings the army to a screeching halt. Lucy stands on the other side, apparently alone. She draws her dagger and smiles. Then, Aslan joins Lucy. Sopespian stares more. He looks ahead. The Telmarines charge towards Aslan. The lion roars and the Telmarines stop. The water beneath the bridge starts behaving strangely. Then it shoots up and forms the river-god. The river-god lifts up the bridge and soldiers fall off. Sopespian stands alone on the bridge in the river-god’s hands. He swings his sword wildly as the water comes crashing down on him. The Telmarines climb out of the water, handing their swords to the Narnians. Peter, Susan, Edmund, Gwendolyn and Caspian kneel before the lion.

“Rise, kings and queens of Narnia,” Aslan says. Peter, Susan, Gwendolyn, though hesitantly, and Edmund rise.

“All of you,” Aslan adds.

“I do not think I am ready,” Caspian says.

“It’s for that very reason I know that you are,” Aslan replies. Gwendolyn looks at Caspian and smiles.