The Return of the Brave & the Honest // Narnia

Chapter 3

Strolling next to Lucy, I bask in the sunshine as we travel to the east wing of the castle - each part of our once gorgeous home now completely ruined. My eyes glaze over slightly as I reach where the kitchen once stood, nothing left beside the remains of a singular wall. I sigh in disbelief, the happiness of our return slowly being squashed. All of a sudden, I notice Edmund bending down beside a large rock - his eyes rather focused and intense. I admire his side profile before shaking my head - this is not the time to fawn over the boy.

"Catapults."

His voice shocks me slightly, causing me to jump. The tone in Edmund's voice makes it seem as though it's the most obvious thing in the world, yet I stare at him rather confused. I notice Susan crossing her arms over her chest with a huff, trying to make sense of it all, while Peter and Lucy simply stare at the boy with no understanding whatsoever. My brother is the only one to speak.

"Catapults, right. What does that mean exactly?"

I snort at Andrew's attempt at sounding smart, shaking my head in pure amusement. Edmund, however, sighs at my brothers antics before gazing up at us all - worry dancing around his eyes.

"This didn't just happen. Cair Paravel was attacked!"

Silence envelops us all as Edmund's words sink in, my eyes widening slightly in shock. Our home was attacked, and we weren't even here to put up a fight - what kind of rulers are we? As I hang my head in disappointment, I hear someone shuffling around among the grass - my eyes gazing up to see Peter approaching a wall covered in long vines. As the boy begins to get rid of stray branches and vines, my eyes widen in realisation - memories erupting in my mind of this particular aspect of the castle. Hardly anyone knew about it, which was rather nice - I could always sneak down here to avoid certain duties I didn't want to attend. Once I even avoided Orieus, and that is something not many Narnian's have the privilege of doing. I slowly walk toward the wall, just as Peter is accompanied by Andrew - both boys attempting to open the secret door with loud grunts. I chortle at this, finding it quite amusing for they aren't quite a strong as they once were - yet the wall is moved at the wooden door is revealed. I'm surprised it's still intact, but then again it is such a hidden passage that even catapults found it hard to destroy. Andrew breaks down the wooden door, the wood having become quite rotten over the past however many years we've been gone for - by the looks of these ruins, I'd say more than a hundred years. As Andrew destroys the wood, I watch as a dark and gloomy passage opens up - not a single ounce of light getting through. Gulping hesitantly, I glance at Peter just as he begins to rip his shirt apart - tying loose pieces of fabric around a branch. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, wondering how this is a necessity, before the High King gestures to Edmund's satchel with a small grunt.

"I don't suppose you have any matches do you?"

Out of the corner of my eye I notice Susan shake her head is annoyance - just as Edmund shakes his head. Peter let's out a small sigh when all of a sudden, Edmund smirks.

"No, but would this help?"

My eyes widen as the boy pulls out his electric torch he received for Christmas last year. It's such a thoughtful invention, even more so if it's coming in handy here. I giggle softly at Peter's amused face, just as my brother's eyes light up with happiness.

"You might've mentioned that a bit sooner?"

Andrew simply gets a wink in return, Edmund trailing down into the dark passage way. I don't ever remember it being so gloomy, but I suppose everything had changed. Hesitantly I follow Susan through the threshold, carefully trailing down the stairs in the minimal light given to me. I bite my lip in anticipation, hoping my footing doesn't slip - letting out a sigh of relief as the staircase opens up to a small platform. I slowly walk forward, the light appearing to be brighter down here due to the holes in the ground above - allowing me to see clearly the contents below. I let out a gasp of excitement, realising everything is still completely in tact - from our stone statues to the chests filled with our valuable belongings. Noticing Lucy standing beside my with awe written upon her face, I grip her hand tightly and guide her down the remaining steps with an intense speed. Just as I catch up to the others, the bar gate is thrown wide open which allows me to simply run straight through - my hand slipping from Lucy's as I approach my own chest with hesitance.  It's not that I don't want to see what's inside, but the longer I stare at it the more I feel disheartened about our abrupt departure from this world. We'd left it defenceless, and this is the price we have to pay. Shaking my head slightly, I slowly open the lid of chest to sigh in happiness - sitting atop everything else is my quiver filled with golden arrows and my perfect bow, my looking scope lying beside it. Quickly tying the quiver around my back, I feel a sense of magic returning to me - as though this is how the world is meant to be. Sighing in content, I grip my looking scope and brace myself for the sight I'm about to see - my mind wandering to all of our friends that we so helplessly left behind. Yet my looking scope does nothing, staying black the entire time - my heart dropping at the thought of my friends dying and suffering from old age. I slowly place the magical object back into my chest, rummaging through some of my old dresses just as Lucy lets out a gasp.