The High Queen of Narnia

Chapter 9

They were walking through the few stone columns that were still standing outside the Howe, Peter and Caspian next to one another as they watched Lucy and a female centaur run out to greet them. And Glenstorm simply shook his head at the female who promptly burst into tears, and Peter remembered seeing her husband's face as he was stuck inside the castle of Telmar.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"Ask him," Peter spat.

"Peter," Susan scolded, still worried about the fact that Edmund and Elodie were nowhere to be seen.

"Me?" Caspian asked in surprise. "You could've called it off. There was still time."

"No, there wasn't, thanks to you," Peter replied, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "If you kept to the plan, those soldiers might be alive."

"And if you'd just stayed here as I suggested and like your twin agreed, they definitely would be!" Caspian yelled.

"Leave Ellie out of this," Peter growled. "And you called us, remember?"

"My first mistake," Caspian whispered.

"No. Your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people," Peter said as he began to head into the Howe.

"HEY!" Caspian shouted shrilly. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia."

Peter took menacing steps towards the prince as he pointed a finger at him. "You invaded Narnia. You have no more right to lead it than Miraz does!" Peter bellowed as Caspian pushed past him, not wanting to listen to this anymore, not wanting to be told that he was the same as his uncle when he knew he was different. "You, him, your father...Narnia's better off without the lot of you!"

And that was the last straw as Caspian drew his sword and Peter drew his as they pointed them at each other. But the two boys had been so wrapped up in arguing with one another that they didn't see who'd also emerged from the Howe until that person let out an enraged battle cry.

A silver axe came down on both swords as it pinned them to the ground and they turned to see Elodie holding it, a fresh tunic on her torso and her arm free of any wound, Edmund standing at Lucy's side.

"That is enough out of both of you," she snarled at both boys as Lucy went running over to the centaur that carried an injured Trumpkin. And while Susan sat at her side as Lucy went about healing him, Elodie continued addressing the boys. "Assigning blame won't do Narnia any good. And the Telmarines will be here soon and they hope to wipe us out, so you two better sort this out or else we're going to die and everyone that fell at Telmar would have done so in vain," she scolded, and Caspian simply took his sword back as he sheathed it and headed back inside the Howe. Elodie let him go, deciding it would be a good idea to let him calm down before she spoke to him, her twin on the other hand. "You better come up with a brilliant apology," she instructed.

"But he-"

"I don't care!" she snapped as she stood almost chest-to-chest with him. "His uncle murdered his father and you said he was the same as Miraz when Caspian has done nothing more than prove you wrong."

"Since when are you such a big fan of him?" Peter drawled.

"Since he saved my life back at Telmar when he didn't have to," she shot back. "And don't act as you wouldn't have done exactly as he did if you had the chance to face the person that hurt any of us."

Elodie seemed to finally get through to him as a look of realisation covered Peter's face as he seemed to realise at last, what he'd done. As Trumpkin was finally able to stand once more.

"Where is Caspian?" Susan asked as she and Lucy rose to their feet as well.

"He went inside the Howe to calm down. He's fine," Elodie assured.

"Are you sure about that?" Trumpkin asked and her brows furrowed.

"Why wouldn't he be fine?" she questioned.

"Because Nikabrik is gone as well."

"Who's Nikabrik?" Peter asked.

"Only the descendant of one of the White Witch's most loyal supporters," Trumpkin answered. "He always claimed he knew a ritual that could bring her back but he never had the final ingredient. The blood of a son of Adam."

And all of them went running after Caspian.

And when Elodie entered the chamber of the stone table, she saw a sight she never wanted to see again.

Through a wall of ice, Jadis's figure could be seen, almost as if she floated behind it. You would have thought her a ghost had one of her hands not reached out from the ice. Reaching for Caspian who stood with his arm outstretched as blood pooled in his palm.

"Stop!" Peter yelled as they charged into the room and two creatures charged at them. Lucy stayed back as Trumpkin charged at Nikabrik and Edmund and Elodie charged at a werewolf whilst Peter tackled a vulture-looking creature.

She was glad her axe was made of pure silver as she struck at the wolf as he pounced at them and she ducked as she thrust her weapon upwards, scratching its leg as it howled in pain. It turned as it growled at her and prepared to strike but Edmund threw himself in front of her.

"Stop Caspian!" he urged as he struggled to keep the werewolf from biting him.

"But Ed-"

"GO!"

And Elodie jumped onto the stone table just as Trumpkin shoved a knife into Nikabrik's back, saving Lucy as Peter still struggled with the vulture woman.

"Come on! Come," Jadis urged as gently as she could, trying not to break whatever trance Caspian was in as he took slow steps towards her. And Elodie tackled him to the ground.

"Get away from him!" Peter spat as Elodie tumbled to the ground, her body on top of Caspian's as Peter stood in the icy circle.

"Are you ok?" she asked the prince.

"I'm fine," he promised as she rolled off him and helped him sit up before she watched her brother lower his sword, Caspian rubbing the back of his head where he'd hit it on the hard floor.

"Peter! Peter, don't do it!" she shouted but he didn't seem to hear her as she and Caspian got to their feet.

Thankfully, Peter didn't have time to make a decision as a sword was shoved through Jadis' stomach and the ice wall began to crack. And the White Witch threw her head back as the fractures spread to each corner and she let out a huge scream as the ice exploded.

Peter dropped to the ground and shielded his head while Caspian threw his body over Elodie, shielding her as pieces of ice were sprayed across the room, a few hitting them but not causing injuries.

And who was standing behind that wall and wielding that sword but Edmund.

"I know," he said to his brother. "You had it sorted," he finished before he walked off and Elodie wanted to laugh.

"Are you hurt?" Caspian asked her worriedly and she shook her head.

"I'm ok," she assured him before turning to her twin. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," he muttered, still staring at the carving of Aslan that was now visible after the wall of ice had crumbled before turning to Caspian and sticking out his hand. "Ellie helped me realise something," he said. "We will not win this war if we can't get along. Because then more things like that will happen," he continued as he gestured at the cracked ice. "So, I vote we start over. We make decisions together."

Caspian looked down at the outstretched hand, and for a split second they thought he was looking at it in disgust until he said, "I would shake your hand but..." and he held up his still bleeding palm as Elodie had to laugh, Peter even cracking a smile as he swapped hands and the two royals clasped hands in a firm shake.

"A fresh start. For Narnia," Caspian agreed.

"Come. I'll help you clean your hand," Elodie offered and Peter didn't really pay attention as the two walked out and he sat staring at Aslan.

And he hoped, he prayed with everything he had, that the lion would return to help them. Because if anyone knew how much help they needed, it would be Aslan.