I'LL COME BACK: A Narnia Fanfiction

Chapter 4 - Caspian Wakes

Caspian came to in a fire lit home with a horrible headache, the type that did not subside no matter how long you rubbed your temples and a slight turn of the head would only make it worse. While taking in the unfamiliar surroundings, he sat up slowly. He realised his head was bandaged, so he took it off and got up on his feet.
"This bread is so stale" a hoarse voice sounded. Caspian paused at once to listen.
"I'll just get him some soup then" another piped.
"You said you were going to get rid of him"

Caspian stalked out of the room, spotting two figures. He took a deep breath out of shock. One was a dwarf, exactly as he had seen in the history books, and the other was very hairy and had a very long nose with odd patches of white on his head - a badger! Not an ordinary badger though. It was nearly double the size of a normal badger and stood on his hind legs. It certainly looked much more intellegent than any other animal Caspian had come across in the castle's gardens.
It was his first time encountering the Narnians and was taken aback because all his life, he had been taught that Narnians were extinct.

"No, I said I'd take care of him" the badger said. Caspian took great notice of the fact that the badger had indeed spoken the words of men.
"Well, I don't think I hit him hard enough" the dwarf replied coldly.
"Nikabrik! He's just a boy!"
"He's a Telmarine, not some lost puppy"
"We can't kill him now, not after bandaging his head. It'll be like murdering a guest" the badger ended calmly.
Caspian tiptoed towards the door. He wanted to get out of all this so terribly badly. Who knew what the Narnians would do to him? He was a Telmarine - their enemy!
"Ah, and how do you think his friends are treating their guest?" The dwarf questioned.
"Trumpkin knew what he was doing" the badger said, suddenly sounding very solemn.
Caspian reached for the doorknob. It was locked. He started to bolt it out of panic, but it was a wrong move. Trufflehunter dropped the bowl of soup in his paws at the sudden noise.
Nikabrik ran up instantly and stood in Caspian's way to the door. Caspian grabbed a hot poker from the fire and held it up towards Nikabrik, shaking.

"See, I told you we should've killed him!" Nikabrik snapped.
"You know why we can't"
"If you're taking a vote, I'm with him" Caspian said in his thick accent, looking at Trufflehunter.
"We can't let him go! He has seen us!" Nikabrik protested.
Nikabrik drew his sword and swung it a few times, but Caspian blocked all of his blows using a mere poker.
"That's enough, Nikabrik! Or do I have to sit on your head again?" Trufflehunter huffed.
Nikabrik stopped abruptly with his face scrunched up and lowered his sword. He sulkily stomped back to his seat at the table. Getting sat on by a badger was indeed a terrible experience.

"Now look what you made me do! I spent half a morning on that soup" Trufflehunter muttered under his breath, wading over to the kitchen counter to get a cloth before cleaning up the spilled soup.
"Wh-what are you?" Caspian stuttered.
"It's funny. You'd think most people would recognise a badger when they saw one" Trufflehunter chuckled while scooping up some hot soup from a pot.
"No, I mean... you're Narnians. You're supposed to be extinct"
"Sorry to disappoint you" Nikabrik said sternly, slamming the table.

Trufflehunter returned to the room with a piping hot wooden bowl of soup in his paws.
"Here we are. Still hot!" He exclaimed, somewhat excited, as he set the bowl down on the table and rubbed his paws to clear the heat.
"Since when did we become a boarding house for Telmarine soldiers?" Nikabrik questioned, obviously annoyed.
"I'm not a soldier!" Caspian stopped at the surprised looks from the Narnians. "I'm Prince Caspian... the tenth" he finished rather awkwardly with the duo still staring at him.
Nikabrik raised and eyebrow. "What are you doing here then?"
"Running away. My uncle has always wanted my throne. I suppose I have only lived this long because he did not have a heir of his own" Caspian sighed, his eyes darting around nervously. He hated talking about such things, in addition to sharing all this with strange Narnians he had just met.
"Well, this changes things" Trufflehunter said.
"Yes... it means we don't have to kill you ourselves" Nikabrik said smugly.
"You're right" Caspian replied, while getting up to put on his armor which was laying on a bench near the door.
"Where are you going?!" Trufflehunter exclaimed worriedly.
"My uncle will not stop until I'm dead"
"Wait!" Trufflehunter stood in front of Caspian. "You're meant to save us! Don't you know what this is?"
Trufflehunter held out a horn in his paws.

***

Caspian obviously didn't listen to Trufflehunter and left them the next morning. He walked through a forest of ferns aimlessly. He honestly did not know what to do next. He heard a rustle from behind and stopped.
"I can hear you" he said, rolling his eyes while turning his head.
Behind him, Nikabrik and Trufflehunter stepped out from behind their hiding places.
"I just think we should wait for the Kings and Queens" Trufflehunter suggested.
Caspian ignored him and continued to walk on.
"Fine! Go then! See if the others will be as understanding!" Trufflehunter was exasperated.

"Or maybe I'll come with you. I want to see you explain things to the minotaurs" Nikabrik chuckled.
Caspian stopped, blinking a few times. Again, he had always believed that Narnians were extinct.
"Minotaurs? They're real?" Caspian asked disbelievingly.
"And very bad tempered" Trufflehunter added.
"Yeah, not to mention big"
"Huge" they reinforced.
"What about centaurs? Do they still exist?" asked Caspian.
"Well, the centaurs will probably fight on your side. But there's no telling what the others will do" Trufflehunter explained calmly
"What about Aslan?"

Nikabrik and Trufflehunter exchanged shocked glances.
"How do you know so much about us?" Nikabrik asked suspiciously.
"Stories" Caspian said simply.
Trufflehunter's eyes widened, "Wait a minute. Your father told you stories about Narnia?" He questioned disbelievingly. According to his sources, no Telmarine would ever want to spread the legacy of the Narnians.
"No, my professor..." his voice trailed off. "Listen, I am sorry. These are not the kinds of questions you should be asking"
Caspian walked off again. Trufflehunter scurried towards Caspian but stopped. He seemed to pick up a scent and started to sniff about wildly.

"What is it?" Nikabrik asked.
"Human."
Nikabrik pointed at Caspian, "him?"
"No... them!" Trufflehunter looked over his shoulder and saw Telmarine soldiers approaching on foot with their crossbows loaded.
"There they are!" They shouted.
"Oh no..." They muttered at the same time. Then, they broke into a run, dodging the multiple arrows fired continuously by the Telmarine soldiers pursuing them.
Trufflehunter started to lag behind slightly and an arrow pierced through his skin into his arm, causing him to collapse in pain. Nikabrik rushed towards him.
"Wait! I'll go!" Caspian said, pushing Nikabrik away from the approaching soldiers. He trudged through the thick ferns quickly and picked Trufflehunter up before missing an arrow that shot by with a whizz nearly.

The soldiers each stopped to take aim. Caspian slowly backed away, bracing himself for the worst. Suddenly, the ferns on the ground started to rustle, and a soldier fell with a groan. Caspian was extremely confused by now, but he turned and ran.
One by one, the soldiers fell as they pursued them. Caspian reached Nikabrik who had ran far ahead and put Trufflehunter down beside him.
"Get him out of here" he told him.
Caspian drew his sword and continued to walk backwards as the soldiers and the rustling of ferns advanced.
One step back.
Another soldier fell.
Two steps.
The last soldier started to swing his sword wildly at the ferns around him.
"Where are you!" He screamed.
The soldier fell.
The rustle in the ferns started to advance towards Caspian.
Three.

A brownish figure flipped out of the ferns and knocked Caspian down onto his back. A tiny sword flew into the air, landed in the creatures hand expertly and was pointed at Caspian's face.
"Choose your last words carefully, Telmarine!" The creature said.
Caspian stared at it and blinked profusely, not believing his eyes. It was a big gallant mouse, which stood about two feet tall, with a golden ring around its head which had a red feather attached to it. It had a tiny rapier in its small paws.
"Your a mouse" he finally said.
"I was hoping for something a little more original" It sighed while it rolled it's eyes. "Come on! Pick up your sword!" demanded the mouse.
Caspian shook his head, "uh, no thanks"
"Pick it up! I will not fight an unarmed man" it argued.
"Which is why I will live longer if I chose not to cross blades with you, noble mouse"
"I said I wouldn't fight you. I didn't say I would let you live!" said the mouse crossly.

"Reepicheep! Stay your blade!" Trufflehunter's familiar voice sounded.
"Trufflehunter?" said Reepicheep, who diverted his gaze to him. "I trust you have a good reason for this untimely interruption!"
"He doesn't. Go ahead" Nikabrik piped.
"Reepicheep, he's the one who blew the horn!"
Reepicheep stared at Caspian and lowered his weapon slightly.
"What?" he questioned, looking at Caspian, then Trufflehunter and back at Caspian again.
"Then let him bring it forward" boomed a deep voice.
The sound of hooves grew louder and louder, and four noble centaurs with dark skins and strong builds, standing tall and proud emerged from the thick bushes.
"This is the reason we have gathered" Glenstorm announced.