Royal Protector [Narnia]

Chapter XIV: Not Lost

"If he looks at you like that again, I'll run my sword though his stomach."

"I don't remember this way." Enzo chuckled his hand interlocked with Susan, as Peter perused the journey on behalf of his memory, ignoring the advice of Trumpkin, of whom followed grumbling to himself,

"That's the problems with girls, you can't carry a map in your head." Enzo laughed boisterously, attempting to offer a retort, however the youngest Pevensie beat him to it,

"That's because our heads have something in them." Enzo, looked at the floor sheepishly as Peter turned to glare at him, assuming that he was responsible for Lucy's sharp tongue.

"I wish he would listen to the DLF in the first place." His expression furrowed confused as to whom Susan was referring to,

"DLF?" Susan gazed at her husband with a wide grin, Lucy supplementing his with the answer,

"Dear Little Friend." The sister smirked at one another, Trumpkin offended at their humours words,

"Oh that's not at all patronising is it." The Knight chuckled trailing after his wife as Peter continued to defend his position denying that he was unaware of where they stood.

"I'm not lost." Enzo clapped Peter on the back with a small sympathetic smile,

"It's been hundreds of years, Peter. It's alright if you are." Trumpkin agreed his tone exhaustive as attempted to convince Peter to adhere to his navigation.

"No your just going the wrong way." Enzo's brows furrowed, as he hoisted himself atop the nearest boulder, his arms aching furiously as he scaled the rocky terrain.

"You said you last saw Caspian, at the shuddering woods, and the quickest way there was to cross at the river rush." Trumpkin nodded his tone growing in agitation.

"But unless I'm mistaken, there is not crossing in these parts." Peter spoke through groups teeth, his pride enveloping his better judgment.

"Well that explains it then, your mistaken."
Enzo jumped from the rock emitting a low grunt as he did so,

"Maybe he's right, rocks erode over time, it's possible the crossing depleted and finally disappeared a few hundred years ago." Peter shook his head continuing steadfast in his journey.

They stumbled upon the river not long after Susan smirking as she proved her husbands theory, "See over time water erode the earths soil carving deep into-"

Peter glared at her, sounding defeated at his sister made a jab at his ego. "Oh shut up."

Edmund spoke up from his position stood aside Trumpkin, curiously questioning if there was potential to continue Peters assumed route. "Is there a way down?"

The dwarf sighed heavily, his voice deep, depleted at the energy required to sustain conversation with the monarchs. "Yeah, falling."

"Well we weren't lost." Peter defended, his ego thoroughly deflated.

"There's a ford near Beruna, how do you feel about swimming?" Susan sighed latching onto Enzo as she pulled him toward the trail to continue their walk,

"I'd rather that then walking."

Enzo continued walking, his eyes catching the faintest glimpse of lion hair. "Kallias?"

He hadn't seen much of the lion after the battle, he had scampered off without a word to the knight.

But it seemed that his sighting of Kallias, was in tuned with Lucy's sighting of Aslan, a lion of who she regarded with deep affection.

"The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I ended up looking pretty stupid." Enzo nodded returning to the close proximity of his wife, as he immediately regained his positive attitude, as the eldest Pevensie daughter smiled at him, her own eyes brimming with adoration.

"Why wouldn't have I seen him?" Lucy shrugged disheartened at their disbelief,

"Maybe you weren't looking." Enzo agreed silently, an arm around his wife, as he gazed at Lucy with an empathetic expression.

"I'm sorry Lu."

"Perhaps this wasn't the best way to come after all." The group all hid covertly behind a large accumulation of logs staining the beach.

The Telmarines had invaded yet another landscape of the Narnia people. Each of them individually concealed themselves back into the shadows of the wood.

"So where exactly do you think you saw Aslan?" Lucy attuned her gaze to Peter huffing indignantly,

"I wish you'd all stop trying to sound like grown-ups, I don't think I saw him, I did see him." Trumpkin spoke softly, almost defensive of his age,

"I am a grown up." A breathy chuckle emitted from Enzo's throat, as he observed the small man,

"It was right over." The ground gave way and Enzo immediately urged forward, his grip falling to the collar of her dress as she sat on an embankment preventing her descent.

"Lucy!" They all gazed her her thoroughly relieved, Enzo huffing a particular loud breath as the rhythm of his his heart returned to normal.

"Here." They descended in an orderly fashion trailing after Lucy, as she led them in the right direction, night befalling quickly.

Enzo hugged Susan to his chest the even sounds of her breath coaxing him to sleep, for the first him in months, it seemed he would have a successful night unconscious without interruption. "Enzo? Are you awake."

A loud yawn was coaxed from the man, as he nodded softly, "What's wrong my darling?"

Susan sighed into his chest, "Was it stupid of me to think when we came back and that everything could have been normal, that it all would have been as we left it?"

Enzo shook his head, sleep infused with his voice, as he grumbled, "No, what's stupid are the fucking Telmarines that have invaded our land. And here I was thinking that colonising was a strictly English practice."

Susan giggled quietly nudging Enzo lightly, "Seriously, Enzo."

Enzo sighed heavily his arms enveloping Susan entirely, "No my darling, it's wasn't stupid, I had hoped the same thing."

Susan nodded, her gaze drawn to the stars that glistened above them, "I had just gotten use to living in England, again." Enzo nodded silently reflecting the sentiment.

"I know, I had just come to the conclusion that I would have to propose again." Susan chuckled lowly at his world a blinding smile lulling him to sleep.