Accidentally Falling | Narnia

51 | devastations

Chaos.

Everything was in chaos around Susan.

Glints of armors, slashing of swords against swords, arrows flying, flashes of knives... and bodies. Everywhere. The sun had just broken out to the sky and was shining above the hills behind the Narnian army and already, it illuminated a field filled with the bodies of Narnians, Archenlanders, and the enemies.

And Susan was already tired. She just wanted to rest. To just lay down her bow and arrows, curl up in the corner and sleep. Perhaps, cry. But she knew she couldn't. Even though a part of her was still chasing the thought of how all of these chaos was her fault from her mind, still... this was her fault. But she couldn't afford to think about that now. What mattered to her the most for the moment was her bow and arrows and how she could possibly send those arrows into an enemy's body on one second without her dropping dead on the ground on the next.

Her fingers were aching. Her feet were burning. Her ears were buzzing with all the screams around her and yet, she continued to send arrow after arrow from her bow without even bothering to see who got hit. The enemy were too many around her that she didn't need to squint and concentrate to hit one.

Edmund was still on his horse. Somehow, he acquired a crossbow and was shooting while riding around the plain, his brown eyes losing their childhood playfulness and replaced by intense concentration. Susan thought he was doing a great job and was starting to wonder how she didn't notice that he was actually good with a bow.

Peter was a few paces from her, slashing, hacking with his sword and smacking with his shield. Somehow, his helmet got lost in the fight, possibly when the both of them got knocked down from Flisk's back, and a trail of blood was forming above his eyebrows.

Peter met her gaze briefly but quickly looked away as he ducked and slashed a Minotaur that was attacking him.

Susan turned around too, reached for another arrow on her back and discovered that only one remained. Groaning mentally, she sent her last arrow into the neck of a leaping hag. A few paces in front of her, a dead black Dwarf had a protruding sword on his chest. Susan unstrung her bow, stuffed it into her quiver, then ran towards the sword. As soon as she freed the sword, a wolf came leaping at her. She sidestepped and slashed at its legs and the creature came down howling.

And then something hit Susan in the face and, for a moment, she staggered and she felt blinded by the searing pain. When she regained senses, she discovered that it was a Minotaur. She shook her head slightly to stop the world from spinning then ducked when the Minotaur swiped at her with its axe. And then another searing pain sent her stumbling to the ground and saw a black Dwarf in front of her, another axe on his hand.

The Dwarf raised it and Susan, having just grasped the fact that she was holding a sword and how it could be really useful at that moment, when the Dwarf suddenly doubled over and fell on its back, a knife on its chest. She quickly looked around and saw Peter, hand still outstretched, and quickly sidestepping a bear leaping at him and slashed it with his sword.

Susan then tore her gaze away from him and quickly got up. She charged towards the Minotaur that was previously attacking her then skidded to the ground at the last second and slashed at the creatures beefy legs. When the Minotaur fell, Susan slashed at its neck. Suddenly, she remembered the way how Peter killed that Minotaur he saved her from.

Peter was suddenly on her side, holding her arms.

"Are you okay?" he held her face and looked at the gash on her temple where the Minotaur had hit her.

Susan couldn't help from rolling her eyes. "I'm fine, Peter. And for the record, I had that dwarf under control."

Peter cracked a smile. "I know."