Far From Home

Execution

The sun slowly rose over the horizon, piercing through the trees. Caspian woke to hear mourning doves singing in the trees. The peace was suddenly disturbed by panicking sounds coming from Lauren who was still asleep. She tossed and turned, lost in a nightmare. Caspian shook her, but she wouldn't wake. "Lauren! Lauren!" he shouted until Emily, Tam, and Astra awoke.

"What's going on?" Tam asked.

"There's something wrong with Lauren," Caspian said. "I can't wake her and her hands are ice cold."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Aren't they always?"

"They've never been this cold." he said, looking very worried.

Astra walked over and nuzzled Lauren on her shoulder. When that didn't wake her up, he led out an ear shattering whinny in her ear. Laruen instantly opened her eyes and shrieked. She began to look around her frantically.

"Where is she?" she asked.

"Where is who?" Emily responded.

Lauren opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it. "Oh," she said. "Thank Aslan it was just a dream."

"We couldn't wake you up," Caspian said.

Lauren nodded. "I couldn't wake myself up either. I had a dream that Jadis had returned."

"Is that why your hands are so freezing?" Tam asked.

Lauren felt her hands and her eyes grew wide. "The last time this happened was when I heard Jadis's voice a few months ago. I-I think she's back."

"How could she be?"

"I don't know," she whispered and then cleared her throat. "But we need to get ready if we are going to put our plan into action."

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Astra had secretly teleported into Cair Paravel's armoury and brought back Lauren and Caspian's armour. Lauren wore a dark purple long sleeve shirt with matching long leggings and gold boots that came to right below her knees. From the stomach up, a black chestplate protected her with a matching black tasset that went to her knees. A black vambrace protected the wrist where the golden one was not on. Her bow was strapped across her back and her sword was hanging from her belt inside its sheath. Caspian wore the deep green telmarine armour that he wore during the first battle with the Calormenes.

"Are we ready?" Lauren asked once she and Emily were mounted on Astra.

"Yes," replied Caspian.

"Well, let's go!" Emily shouted as they teleported to the Dark Woods that surrounded Cair Paravel.

__________________

The group found themselves just outside the gates of the small village that was below Cair Paravel. Lauren, Emily, Tam, and Caspian put cloakes over themselves and pulled up the hood. Lauren put a blanket around Astra's body to hide his wings and he cast a spell to make his horn invisible so he looks like a regular horse.

"Remember," Lauren told him. "Don't say a word, or you will reveal that you are a Narnian and you will be killed with the rest of them."

Astra nodded. "My lips are sealed." and with that, he closed his mouth and went silent. The group snuck into the village and were shocked.

In the village square stood a large platform that took up almost the entire area, and on that platform, stood hundreds of Narnians. Villagers and onlookers stood nearby; some anxious, some angry, and some happy.

At the front of the stage, stood at least a dozen Calormenes, all holding loaded crossbows, and at the front of them, stood the Tisroc. He slowly nodded to the soldiers.

Lauren, not caring about a plan rushed forward, notched an arrow on her bow, and started to repeatedly fire at the Calormenes. The Narnians and onlookers cheered their queen on. One soldier fired an arrow at Lauren but she just raised her right hand and deflected it with an icy shield.

Tam, Emily, Astra, and Caspian ran to back Lauren up. Once they were finished with the soldiers, Lauren turned to face the tyrant who had taken her kingdom away from her. "You are not going to do any harm to these creatures," she told him. "Just because they are different from you and are not of your race does not give you the right to kill them. They are of their own race and live in their own country. You came here and took their peaceful home away from them and now I am going to give it back to them."

Everyone except the Calormenes cheered with joy and happiness. Lauren had saved the Narnians, but suddenly, an icy chill shot down her spine and she gasped and staggered into Caspian.

"What's wrong?" he nearly yelled.

"I-It's her," Lauren whispered. "She's here."

Suddenly, out from nowhere, a figure in white approached Lauren. "It's nice to see you again." The voice said as Lauren turned around to face her tormentor.