Narnia: Prince Caspian & The Dark Angel

05 | Raven's Words

Night has fallen over Narnia, leaving the Shuddering Woods under a thick blanket of glittering star light and an ethereal moon. A mass of Narnians had accumulated into the clearing of the Dancing Lawn, where trees didn't obscure the light from above, giving all of them a clear view of the Telmarine who stood before them. They circled him, jeering and shouting insults at Caspian all of which he refused to react to. If he wanted to be accepted and trusted by the Narnians, he needed to take the anger they had long supressed. It's the least he could do, after all, his kin did almost run them into extinction.

The yells only grew more violent, some yelling death threats and others calling for punishment. "This horn proves that they have stolen yet another thing from us!" Nikabrik sneered, jutting out his finger towards Caspian's direction. What Caspian thought to be a building friendship between him and the dwarf deteriorated with the dwarf's spite towards him. A part of him hoped that he might have gotten the dwarf on his side after saving Trufflehunter from the Telmarines. Of course his attempt to save the badger was overshadowed by the arrival of the Dark Angel, who had yet to return to the clearing. He turned to the dwarf, his face stoic as he addressed him. "I didn't steal anything."

"Didn't steal anything? Show me a list of things the Telmarines have stolen from us!" A Minotaur roared to the Narnians from his place on an alcove.

"Our homes!"

"Our lands!"

"Our freedom!"

More yells erupted, ranging from villages to families and to faith. They screamed what they lost at the expense of the Telmarines, and Caspian could do nothing but listen. "You would hold me accountable for all the crimes of my people?" He asked, his gaze trailing over the Narnians. He didn't understand why they would hate a Telmarine who ended up retrieving Queen Susan's Horn for them, but what can a Telmarine Prince do in a foreign land surrounded by natives? He truly had no name in the Narnian forests, nor claim of authority. He was the outcast of his own kin and the land he hoped to find refuge. "Accountable and punishable," Nikabrik scowled, his dark eyes flashing dangerously with anger as he walked towards Caspian.

Fear started twisting inside Caspian, a part of him hoping that a centaur or Trufflehunter could ease Nikabrik's hostility towards him, but none came to his aid. Only Reepicheep stepped forward, his sliver of a sword drawn against the dwarf. "Ha! That is rich coming from you, dwarf. Or have you forgotten that it was your people who fought alongside the White Witch?" Reepicheep snarled, pointing the tip of his sword towards the dwarf. "And I'd gladly do it again," Nikabrik said, flicking away the mouse's sword and turning to point at Caspian. "If it would rid us of these barbarians!" He growled.

"You've ought to bite your tongue, dwarf, before I slice it off for you."

Silence erupted, and all eyes turned to Raven who stood motionless at the treeline. She lowered her hood long ago when nightfall hit, finding it hard to see in the darkness with something thick obscuring her vision. Raven walked forward, her footfalls silent as her sinister glare on the dwarf grew. "What darkness you utter will not fall upon deaf ears, nor will it be forgivable," Raven said, her voice eerily calm. She now stood in the center of the clearing, her stance growing in authority as both Nikabrik and Caspian cowered.

"The White Witch is a damnation, a curse upon the land. She will destroy the Telmarines and the rest of us. She will even go as far as to try to destroy Aslan. Is that what you wish?" She seethed, her eyes glowing like iridescent crystals in the moonlight. It only further unsettled the Narnians and instilled more fear into Caspian. Her presence was overwhelming, thick with intense anger that was unparalleled with any other. Nikabrik didn't speak, only choosing to avert his gaze from the Dark Angel. Many jeered in objection, wishing no ill will against their true king.