♘

         PRINCE CASPIAN AND KING Peter leads the Narnians through the forest. Dorothy and Lucy were walking side-by-side with each other, holding hands and walking behind Trumpkin, the honey-badger whose name they learned was Trufflehunter, and another dwarf who goes by the name of Nikabrik.

"So?" Trufflehunter asked Trumpkin with wonder. "What are they like?"

"Malcontents, complainers," Trumpkin replied without hesitation. "Stubborn as mules in the morning."

Nikabrik looked towards him with a knowing look, "So, you like them," he summarized.

"Well, enough." 

Behind them, Lucy and Dorothy both smirked, knowing the D.L.F. wasn't as mean as he seemed. The two sisters looked at each other and giggled as the mouse, Reepicheep, walked next to them with a large smile. Soon enough, Peter and Prince Caspian lead them to a large open field.

Across the field was Aslan's How and when they arrived at the entrance, Centaurs lined up, raising their swords high. Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, and Dorothy all walked forward as Caspian followed behind them after a few moments. Dorothy smiled at a child centaur, whose sword was lower than the rest and the adult centaur that was next to him helped him raise his sword higher. The child centaur smiled back as she passed him. 

As they entered the How they found Narnians working on weapons. Dorothy, Lucy, and Susan all ventured off, leaving their brothers with the prince. They looked at the walls that were covered with paintings of themselves and the three shared looks with each other before Susan went to go get Peter and Edmund.

Seconds later, Susan came back with Edmund, Peter, and Prince Caspian and looked at the carvings on the wall. Dorothy recognized one as her and her sisters riding on the back of Aslan and another picture was all of them at their coronation.

"It's us," Susan muttered, staring up at the carvings.

"What is this place?" Lucy asked, looking up at Prince Caspian with a scrunched-up look.

"You don't know?" Caspian wondered, looking between the siblings. He got confused looks from each sibling and grabbed a torch from the wall before leading them deeper into the cave.

The kings and queens followed the young prince into a small room that was pitch black. Caspian lowered his torch to light the fire and it spread across the room, revealing more carvings of Narnia and one of Aslan. In the middle of the room was the cracked Stone Table.

Slowly, Dorothy walked towards the table, trying to forget the horrible memory of witnessing Aslan being stabbed by the White Witch. She placed her hand on the table before turning back to the others.

"He must know what he's doing," she said, her voice soft and looking towards her sisters. Both Susan and Lucy looked at each other, also trying to forget what they had seen on that awful day. Susan Susan remembered well that she told her sisters that after his supposed death.

"I think it's up to us now," Peter spoke up, his voice filled with determination.

He then turned his gaze up to Aslan's carving and the others did as well, hoping that what they were about to do wouldn't go wrong.

♘

The Narnians gathered a meeting in the Stone Table room and Dorothy sat with Lucy on the Stone Table, listening to their eldest brother speak.

"It's only a matter of time. Miraz's men and war machines are on their way," Peter explains, looking around the room. "That means those same men aren't protecting his castle."

"What do you propose we do, Your Majesty?" Reepicheep asks respectfully.

"We need to start preparing for"

"To start planning for"

Caspian and Peter both looked at each other as they spoke and everyone could feel the tension rising. Peter gave him a look, waiting for the prince to speak again, but Caspian backed down immediately.

The High King rolled his eyes before continuing. "Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us."

"That's crazy," Caspian argued, shaking his head. "No one has ever taken that castle."

"There's always a first time."

"We'll have the element of surprise," Trumpkin suggested, looking up at Caspian.

Caspian shook his head, once again disagreeing with Peter. "But we have the advantage here!" He argued once more.

"If we dig in," Susan spoke, standing up and standing by Caspian, "we could probably hold them indefinitely."

While Caspian gave her a grateful nod for taking his side, Peter gave her a hard glare for agreeing with the young prince. Behind them, Trufflehunter raised a paw and spoke up, catching their attention.

"I, for one, feel safer underground," he agreed with Caspian and Susan, annoying Peter even more.

"Look," Peter said to Caspian, ignoring his and Susan's idea, "I appreciate what you've done here, but this isn't a fortress. It's a tomb. "

"Yes," Edmund agreed, causing everyone to turn towards him. "And if they're smart, the Telmarines will just wait and starve us out."

"We could collect nuts!" Patterwig, a cheerful squirrel that Dorothy had met on the way to the show suggested.

"Yes! And throw them at the Telmarines," Reepicheep sarcastically added before glaring at the squirrel. "Shut up!" The noble mouse then turned his gaze towards Peter. "I think you know where I stand, sire ."

Peter nodded firmly before turning towards a Centaur known as Glenstorm. "If I get your troops in, can you handle the guards?" he asked Glenstorm with a hopeful look.

Glenstorm looked hesitant as he glanced at Caspian before back at Peter and nodded respectfully. "Or die trying my liege," he replied.

"That's what we're worried about," Lucy quietly said after she and Dorothy shared a worried glance.

"Sorry?" Peter looked at Lucy with furrowed eyebrows.

Instead of Lucy replying, it was Dorothy who replied as she stared at her brother. "Well, it seems to us that you're all acting like there's only two options. Dying here," she then glanced over at Caspian. "Or dying there."

"I'm not sure either of have been listening, girls," Peter said in his grown-up voice.

"No, you're not listening. Or have you forgotten who defeated the White Witch, Peter?" Dorothy asked with a knowing tone.

Peter stared at her with a hard look and jaws clenched, annoyed that she kept going on about Aslan. "I think we've waited for Aslan long enough," he said firmly before walking out of the silent room.

♘

Lucy was leaning against the Stone Table, holding her cordial in her hand before glancing up at Dorothy, who was fast asleep on the Stone Table. From outside, she heard the sound of a horn, signaling that the troops were back from the raid.

"Dorothy, wake up. They're back," Lucy shook her younger sister softly to wake her up.

After a few seconds, Dorothy woke up and the two queens ran out of the How, seeing Peter, Susan, and Caspian up front of the Narnians, noticing the number of the group was down by a a lot, meaning the others were killed in battle. They glanced up as the sound of a griffin shrieked above them and Edmund was riding on top before looking back at Peter.

"What happened?" Lucy asked quietly, wrapping a comforting arm around Dorothy, who was sad about the amount of people returning.

"Ask him," Peter replied through gritted teeth as he nodded towards Caspian.

"Peter," Susan warned, walking behind them with an old man and Nikabrik. Her voice was tired and cracked from crying at the loss of the many Narnians who didn't return.

"Me?" Caspian exclaimed, snapping his head towards Peter. "You could've called it off. There was time."

"No, there wasn't, thanks to you," Peter stepped closer to the prince, glaring harshly. His voice was also full of hurt and pain, but mostly anger towards Caspian. "If you kept to the plan, those soldiers might be alive."

"If you'd just stayed here like I suggested, they definitely would be!"

"You called us, remember?"

"My first mistake."

Peter shook his head and began to walk away from the prince. "No. Your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people."

"Hey!" Caspian yelled, causing little Dorothy to jump at his sudden actions. Peter turned back around to him as they glared at each other. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia."

"You invaded Narnia," Peter pointed at the Telmarine, his nostrils flaring in anger. Caspian only shoved past him as Peter continued to yell at him. "You have no more right to lead it than Miraz does! You, him, your father. . .!" At this, the young prince stopped in his tracks. "Narnia's better off without the lot of you!"

Outraged, Caspian lets out a yell as he grabs his sword, swinging it above his head. Peter took out his sword as well and their swords clashed together.

"STOP IT!" Edmund yelled as he and Glenstorm joined them.

In Glenstorm's arms was Trumpkin, who was unconscious and injured. Glenstorm set Trumpkin on the ground softly as Lucy and Dorothy both rushed over. Quickly, Lucy grabbed her cordial and unscrewed the lid before giving a Trumpkin a drop of her juice.

After a few moments, Trumpkin gasped and opened his eyes, noticing everyone standing around him.

"What are you all standing around for?" Trumpkin questioned, glancing between them. "The Telmarines will be here soon enough." Lucy and Dorothy both smiled as they got up, along with Susan until Trumpkin got Lucy' 's attention. "Thank you. . . my dear little friend."

Lucy smiled back gently before grabbing Dorothy's hand as they followed Susan and Peter into the How.