The Return of the Brave & the Honest // Narnia

Chapter 4

Taking deep breaths in order to regain control of my breathing, I lean forward slightly as I finally come to a stop. I hear Susan and Lucy acting the same way, our heaving breathing mixing with the sounds of laughter - the boys obviously finding our misfortune rather hilarious. I glare toward Andrew, straightening up slightly as my breaths becoming easier but before I can say anything Peter's voice catches my attention. 

"Glad you three could join us." 

I can't tell whether he's angry at us, or if his words are sarcastic - either way I notice Susan sending an incredulous look toward her brother. Her hands grip her hips tightly and I bite my lip to prevent myself from smiling - never cross Susan Pevenise. 

"We just happened to be talking. It's not our fault you all walked off on us." 

I can see the two begin to bicker ever so slightly, making me sigh at the nostalgic feeling spreading through my body. While it didn't happen often, Susan and Peter would often disagree upon small things - most of the time it being parties and the decorations used to make the ball room look magical. As their voices get louder, bringing me out of my dazed state, Lucy's voice catches everyone's attention. 

"Guys, look." 

My head snaps towards the direction she's pointing to, furrowing my eyebrows as I notice a lone boat sailing along the water. They're close to a nearby chasm, the water rather calm and deep compared the to shallow water and waves closer to shore. Trying to peer closer, I make a confused noise as the occupants of the boat are two men and a dwarf - the latter looking rather uncomfortable as far as I can tell. All of a sudden, two men stop rowing and pick the dwarf up - my eyes widening in shock as I see the poor dwarf bound by the hands and feet, his mouth gagged by fabric. Before I even have time to process anything further, Susan loads out her bow and begins trekking up the closest sand dune - aiming the weapon toward the men. I hurriedly follow, pulling my bow out of my quiver just in case - yet I watch as Susan shoots the boat without any hesitation. The thud of the arrow embedding itself causes the men to look up at us all with wide eyes, just as Susan shouts out. 

"DROP HIM!" 

The words don't exactly have the impact upon the men I'd hoped, for they simply shrug before throwing the poor dwarf into the water - dusting their hands off as if they'd just gotten rid of trash. Rather mad, I aim my loaded bow toward one of the armour clad men - shooting him in the shoulder, between the opening of his protection. Susan does the same to his friend, and we both watch in amusement as they fall into the water with an loud splash. High-fiving her, I sigh in relief as Peter and Andrew wade their way in it the water to rescue the dwarf - the swords falling to the sand. As Susan reaches forward to pick them up, I frown ever so slightly. 

"How do the boys know the difference?" 

I gesture to the weapons, only now simply realising just how alike they are. Their shields have always been different, but their swords are identical. As the Pevensie girls shrug, just as clueless as I, Edmund lets out a chuckle while shaking his head in amusement. 

"You don't know how many times those two would argue over whose sword is whose."  

I let out a snort at the thought of the two arguing in the middle of the battle filed, yet my enjoyment is cut short as my brother appears on the shore - the men's boat dragging behind him. Beside him, Peter emerges from the water with the dwarf in his hands - the creatures eyes wide and full of fear. In a flash, Lucy is kneeling beside her brother as he lays the dwarf upon the sand - her dagger unsheathed in her hand. As soon as she cuts the rope bound around the dwarfs hands, she shuffles out of his way as he pulls the fabric away from his mouth - coughing and spluttering up water. I share a soft smile with Lucy, helping her to her feet once again - happy that we could save this dwarf from a disastrous fate. Suddenly, the creature gazes at us all with fire burning in his eyes.