The Queen & Her King (sequel to the princess & the lost boy) Completed

Chapter 28 - Not Trained Soldiers

(Ashlynn's P.O.V.)

Training the lost boys had taken a lot of my time so far. Most were pretty well adequate at fighting having been taught by Pan. Some by Felix. Others primarily Felix. Still, they were easily beatable. And if I could beat them—with what knowledge I had from my childhood—then there was without a doubt that any soldier could easily defeat them. If not kill them. If I really wanted to, I could do the same. They were lucky I was trying to teach them. The only blessing I had received was that a quarter of them caught on fairly quickly and took it upon themselves to help the others.
So far, the only ones that I had yet to beat were Felix and Pan. Primarily because Pan was busy scouting the terrain with Felix, planning where the boys should be hidden. When Felix wasn't with Pan, he was watching the boys and refused to fight me, claiming that he didn't want to hurt me. I suspected it was because of Pan. Even so, it was getting on my last nerves.
I don't want to see Felix get harmed or any of the other boys. They were just boys brought into my war. Shaking my head, I chastised myself for even allowing them to come to Camelot to fight for me. Just because they would remain up in the trees meant nothing. If they were spotted, my mother could easily kill them, or the archers could take care of them. Maybe there was still time to send them back to Neverland where they belonged. The two armies that I had coming would be grateful for the dreamshade and could wield it far better than the boys. They'd at least be able to kill my mother's army along with Samuel's.
Samuel of Amata...ugh.
Only yesterday he had sent me a letter inquiring about Mithian and Annis' battle strategy. He wanted to know in order to form his own strategy separate from my mother. Smart. He didn't trust her any more than I did. He wanted a way out for him and his men in case Morgana decided to betray him, which I could see happening. Especially once she realized what was happening. She would sacrifice the lives of his men and her own if it meant her being able to get away and regroup back at Camelot. Mainly the letter talked about a marriage proposal to him. Instantly I had thrown it in the fire before Pan could spot it.
Only a few more days until Nemeth and Caerleon's armies arrive, I reminded myself.
Both Queens had sent word that they would be with us in a matter of a couple days. It would give us ample time to prepare for battle and get the boys acquainted with their sigil. The amount of dreamshade they had brought was a fairly good amount, but I didn't want to risk anything. Not when I wasn't sure of the size of his army. I could only hope that we were at an equal standing or at the very least was close. A five to four ratio would even be preferable.
Pan plopped down beside me. "What are you thinking about?"
"This battle. There are so many things that could potentially go wrong. We can't hide an army of this size in the woods without them spotting us. There's no way around it. And the second they see the boys in the trees, the archers will take them out. Hundreds will be slaughtered. There's not even a guarantee they won't try to surround us. I don't know how to keep them from outflanking us."
"There is such thing as a cloaking spell. I can cloak all of us, even the boys. I can even make it seem as if the entire army is asleep in our camp. Your mother won't even suspect that we will be the ones launching a surprise attack. I'll even have the boys take out the archers first and keep them invisible."
"That'll wear you out. Holding a spell for that long..." I drifted off, running my fingers through my hair in exasperation.
Maybe I should have killed my mother the last time I saw her. Spared countless amounts of lives. With her death, I could easily take the Saxons and order them to follow my command. Force Amata forces to retreat from Camelot once and for all. Even try and make a truce with Samuel as my uncle tried to do with his father, Sarum. As much as I hate to admit it, a peace treaty with Amata would be beneficial to the entire kingdom. Of course, I wouldn't marry him to ensure that peace. Not unless it was absolutely necessary. Any other prince or King would be far better than Samuel.
Pan is better than Samuel.
"I'm more powerful than you give me credit for, love. Besides, all I have to do is hold it long enough for Morgana's army to enter the clearing. Then, we'll make our move. I promise you that it won't wear me out. And I always keep my promises."
I bit down on my lip to keep from smiling as I peered up at him from under my hair.
"I think it would be best if you sent the boys back to Neverland," I said quickly.
"And why would you think that? You were fine with it earlier."
"That was before I saw how far their training extends." I turned towards him. "What happens if they somehow land on the ground and have to actually fight, Pan? If they were trained soldiers, maybe they'd stand a chance, but they're not. They'd lose, and I don't want to see any of them dead."
I smiled when I saw some of the boys throwing knives at the ground, trying to beat out the other. Some were shooting arrows at the other boys who stood still. Target practice. While others used knives. Another group, the more older boys, were practicing fighting with swords. Even using some of the moves I taught them to outsmart their opponent. Over by some of the trees, the boys were climbing up and down a rope, using the tree as leverage occasionally as they descended. Felix was busy hunting with the small group he acquired from what I heard. Apparently they had left early in the morning before I had even woken. They hadn't returned yet.
"My boys have lost a few fingers and toes. Some have even lost their own lives. Cost of the game. They didn't mind. They still don't."
"This is not a game!" I hissed out. "There will be casualties on both sides, Pan. I'm trying to spare the boys lives! They don't belong in a battle."
"And you do? You're the Queen of this land. If you die, none of this will matter."
"Arthur was faced with an impossible situation of winning the battle against Morgana. She outnumbered him five to one and planned to outflank him. He found out about the path and was able to stop her from doing so. With my father's help, he was able to turn the battle. The Saxons retreated. He never called upon other kingdoms to help, and he didn't risk the people of Camelot being massacred while he and his army hid behind the citadel. He was more than willing to sacrifice his life at Camlann all to end this war. To keep my mother from desecrating the values this kingdom was built on. He died to protect Camelot. What kind of Queen would I be if I refused not to do the same? To not spare the lives of my people with more bloodshed than is necessary?"
He clasped my hands with his and forced me to stare at him. "You'll be alive and safe. As long as you're alive, Morgana cannot hold the throne. Once the people see you, they will rebel against her. You're the sovereign of this land. She can never command this kingdom as long as you're alive."
"And the people will never be safe until she's dead," I pointed out. "If it means giving my life to end this once and for all, then I'll gladly do it. Because if I die, I will take her with me."
"And wipe out the Pendragon dynasty once and for all?"
I forced myself to look away from him to keep myself from giving anything away. He couldn't know, not yet. After the battle, I would tell him. He needs a clear mind until then. Needs to stay focused on the battle at hand. Any mention of our children would surely distract him from that. Should I die, I would bring my mother along with me. To free this land from the plague she brought. All that would be left of the Pendragon line would be Emrys and Freya. Not that they would even know until they were given the letters. I could only hope that if that were to happen, the kingdom wouldn't be in shambles for when my son took over.
Hopefully that wouldn't happen. As much as I was willing to give up my life, it didn't mean that I really wanted to. There was still so much I wanted to do. That could only happen if I lived and didn't return to Neverland. Finding my children would be a start. I wiped away at the few strand tears that fell when the thought of holding them again crossed my mind.
"No need to worry about such frivolous matters. I'm not planning on dying anytime soon. The Pendragon dynasty will continue. Long after I'm dead. My children will rule when I'm dead."
He reacted as I expected. Acting entirely as if I'd slapped him across the face.
"You can't expect me to return to Neverland after this. This is my home, Pan. It always has been, and it always will be. I have a life here."
"You have a life with us as well. With me."
"I know that. I do! But there are things I want that you can't give me. I want to experience every aspect of life that I can. That includes growing old with my husband and having grandchildren. I need to be the Queen my people need me to be. Finish what Arthur started. Bring about a time of peace and prosperity. Unite the five kingdoms. I'm not just fighting for Camelot, but for Albion...for the future of the United Kingdom's. I can't do that if I'm on Neverland. I have to move on, but I will never stop loving you." I reached up and touched his cheek. "You were my first love and will always be my first love, but I can't be with you. To do so would be selfish."
"I never should have let you leave," he muttered.
"Probably not," I admitted, thinking about all that happened between us, "but I'm glad you did."
I kissed him softly on the cheek before pulling away. Dropping my hand, I stood up and headed over to the boys fighting with their swords. They stopped though when I approached them. One of them—Kaleb, I think—gave me his sword, which I took and swung it around Pendragon style, earning cheers as I did so. They loved it whenever I did that. They thought it was so cool but never tried to attempt it themselves. Not that I would have minded. To each their own.
"I think I can beat you now, my Queen."
"How many times do I need to tell you to call me Ash, Jeffrey?"
"Okay," he chuckled mischievously. "I think I can beat you now, Ash."
We'll see about that.
With one more swing, I lunged at him, catching him by surprise by how quick I moved. That was one thing Arthur taught me about. Always stay light on your feet. More with speed and agility. And that's what I did. It had taken me awhile to be able to do so, but I learned. It was one of the things I was teaching the boys, but less than a week wasn't much time to master it. As long as they could get close enough to being able to do so. It would be better than nothing. I ducked when Jeffrey swung towards my head. It was the wrong move on his part when I swung my leg out, knocking him off balance. He fell to the ground without his sword in hand and when I looked up I reached out and caught it.
Glancing around, I smiled at all the boys who were cheering for me and teasing poor Jeffrey who was now sitting in annoyance as he glared at his brothers. I drove his sword down into the ground and offered him a hand. He eyed me carefully before taking it.
"You need to be prepared for anything, Jeffrey."
He nodded. "I'll work on it."
"Anyone else want to give it a try?" I asked, taking in all the faces of the boys who were all staring at one another, wondering who was going to take the leap to see if they could beat me.
No one took to the offer. Although when Felix and his group returned with some deer, some of the boys whispered in his ear and pointed at me. I chuckled softly, knowing full well they were hoping that he would take me on. They believed in him so much. Maybe he could beat me. I had never seen him fight before whereas he had seen me. Plus he was tall. Probably six foot if not taller. If anything stood out to me the most from my training would be that height doesn't matter. If I wanted to beat him, I would have to use his weight against him. That is if he did take one of the swords that was being offered to him.
"You're not a chicken are you, Felix?" I teased, catching his attention from under his hood. "I mean, you're not afraid that you're going to lose to a girl, are you? Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that."
"Careful, Ashlynn. Unlike the other boys, I won't take it easy on you."
I scoffed. "Who ever said I wanted you to take it easy on me? I could use a challenge. But if you're scared, I totally understand. I wouldn't want to go up against me either."
"You asked for it, princess."
"Not a princess anymore, Felix," I pointed out as he threw back his hood and took a sword out of one of the boy's hands—well, more like yanked it away.
He smirked before lunging at me. With each strike, I blocked each and every move. He made some moves I hadn't anticipated but still managed to avoid getting cut. He wasn't so lucky though. I only barely cut him on the arm since I didn't want to severely injure him. Mainly I was surprised when he pulled off one of the moves I taught some of the boys effortlessly. I actually had to jump backwards, which I had yet to do.
"Give up yet?" He questioned.
"Never."
With that, he tried again to lunge at me, but this time I sidestepped him and tapped him on the back with my sword. I laughed when he growled as he spun around. Even the boys found it slightly funny based on how they covered their mouths to keep from laughing. I wouldn't want to face Felix's wrath either if I were them. This time instead of waiting for him to strike, I took the offensive. Dodge, block, strike. We were practically dancing around as our swords collided. It took a lot of effort just to bring his sword to the ground with my own, having to use all of my strength to do so. When I managed though, I punched him in the face as hard as I could.
Never said I was going to fight fair.
He stumbled backwards, running his hand over the redness in his cheek while glaring up at me. I merely shrugged, only infuriating him more. I could see it in his eyes that he was practically seething. If I hadn't looked into his eyes, I doubted I would have noticed. He was pretty stoic otherwise. The growling though was funny. Sounded like an animal when he did it.
When he charged at me again, I blocked him with ease, doing everything to knock the sword out of his hand. Took a while too, but eventually I succeeded when I made him think I was going to do one move and then did another. He hadn't seen it coming. When I took his sword, I pointed both at him, waiting for him to surrender. After a few seconds, he did so, putting his hands up in surrender. I smirked and handed him the sword, which he took before throwing it at the boy whose sword it was.
"Well, you did better than expected. I didn't believe you actually paid attention to my training sessions."
"Of course I do. If the enemy moves anywhere close to you, then you're the perfect subject to study. Until we get actually soldiers to study that is."
"And you can handle our enemy?"
He smiled, an actual genuine smile. "I know I can. I know that we can. Anyone who goes against Pan," his voice dropped several octaves, "will not survive. You should remember that, Ashlynn. No one survives Pan's wrath. He always get's what he wants in the end. Right now, he wants you. He will get you."
"He can't have me if I'm dead," I whispered, surprising him. "I'm not worth it, Felix. Not if he wants to live, and he needs to live. If something happens to me, he needs to live."
"Why?" He whispered.
I opened my mouth to tell him before I saw Pan approaching. "It's nothing. Just promise me that you'll do whatever it takes to keep him alive."
"I will."