𝐎𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍, peter pevensie ✓

twenty eight.

28

ASLAN'S HOW

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The five royals approached Aslan's How, greeted by a row of centaurs either side of the walkway with their swords pointing to the sky. Creating a bridge of honour. Behind them, Alex walked beside Reepicheep, Trufflehunter and the rest of the army.

As they got closer to the archway, Alex noticed how Caspian stopped walking as if unsure whether or not he was worthy of the royal treatment. All it took was a small shove from Alex for him to follow Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy into Aslan's How with the knight at his side.

Upon arrival they realised that the How was much bigger that they anticipated, it stretched further underground than they initially thought. Stretching underneath the field that they had just walked across and filled with the chatter of Narnians as they worked to create weapons and armour for their battle.

"It may not be what you are used to, but it is defensible," Caspian spoke to no one in particular as they all took in their surroundings.

"It's perfect, Cas," Alex smiled weakly and clutched the pile of clothing closer to her chest. Her mind was too preoccupied with the troubling thoughts to form a more persuasive smile - one that could reach the corners of her eyes. But all she could think about was the smell of iron from the weapons, how all the sharp blades caused fear inside of her chest.

"Peter, you may want to see this," Susan called from not too far away from them, waking Alex from her thoughts, "Alex too."

Her white brows furrowed together in confusion, Peter's own eyebrows did too. But nevertheless, they followed Susan with Caspian hot on their tail.

The older Queen of Narnia had a flame torch in her hands, shinning it closer to the walls of the How which depicted drawings in the stone. Some were of Susan and Lucy riding on Aslan's back,  the coronation of the Pevensies, Alexandra being knighted by Aslan on the same day and the battle in which Alex had sacrificed herself in. 

"It's us," someone whispered behind Alex, though she couldn't quite make out who. She instead stared at one drawing on the wall. One of her. One of the day her body was found under the tree, a purple flower in her hand and her soul in a deep slumber.

"What is this place?" someone else asked, once again she had no idea who.

"You don't know?"

Alex would have been staring at the wall for all eternity if Susan hadn't taken ahold of her elbow and followed Caspian, him now in the lead. The six of them sauntered through the halls of Aslan's How and climbed down stairs into a much bigger room. The room was also much darker and colder, sending shivers down their spines.

At once, Caspian lowered his torch onto something that caught flame. Now, the flames of the fire reached across the edge of the room like a small wall to provide light. Showing them carvings of Narnians in the walls, one in the centre was of Aslan in all his greatness.

But in the centre of the room was something that Alex had just assumed had disappeared in the years. She thought that the stone would have cracked even more over time, leaving nothing but a few rocks behind. But there it stood, cracked messily down the centre as it had for 1303 years.

The Stone Table.

The four siblings approached the table, touching the stone under their fingertips and wiping years of dust from its surface. Alex and Caspian held back. Caspian had no reason to get closer to the structure, for he had no experience of its power. But Alex couldn't bring herself to get any closer; knowing that her mother had died upon it many years ago. She had also watched as Aslan was sacrificed upon the stone. She would never forget the look in his eyes.