serendipity - narnia [EDITING]

chapter 21

Chapter 21
The Aftermath of a Self-Made Mess

At some point during the survivors' return to the How, Dahlia woke up. She was still on Caspian's horse, but the prince himself was walking at the front of their group; Susan and Edmund were walking on either side of her to make sure she didn't fall off. The other two horses and a few centaurs were carrying the rest of the severely wounded, very few of which were able to escape the castle. Susan and Edmund's explanation of what happened at the very end of the fight was the only talking that occurred for the entire walk back.

Dahlia struggled to stay awake and upright as they approached the How; the arrow was still in her shoulder. Blood had stopped dripping from the wound and was starting to dry on her armor and the fabric of her dress, but the pain had only worsened. Edmund, who was on the side of Dahlia's good shoulder, had one hand on her arm to keep her steady in case her weak hold on the horse's reins wasn't enough.

Lucy came running out of the How, stopping when she saw their pitiful numbers approaching the entrance. The Narnians who stayed behind were also gathered outside, scanning the group for their loved ones. Dahlia felt their pain just as much as her own.

"Lia!" the young queen cried, sprinting over to Dahlia's horse. Edmund carefully lifted the mage to the ground with the help of a minotaur and Lucy pulled out her cordial. Susan wrapped her hand around the shaft of the arrow in Dahlia's shoulder, locking eyes with the mage (there were tears in Dahlia's eyes, although she didn't realize it). It would have to come out before the wound was healed.

"One...two..." Susan ripped the arrow out in one quick motion before she got to three. Dahlia let out a pained yell and hunched forward, her good arm shooting out and grabbing Edmund's hand. She nearly broke it with how hard she squeezed but the king knew how much pain she was in, having been stabbed before by the White Witch. The mage grabbed the cordial with her free hand, ignoring the searing pain when she moved her arm, and downed a sip of the liquid. It was probably more than she needed but she couldn't have cared less.

Dahlia's grip on Edmund's hand relaxed as a slightly numbing warmth spread through her entire body. The pain faded away and the mage rested her head on Susan's shoulder, whispering a 'thank you' to Lucy. The little queen looked up at Peter and Caspian, who had both been watching Dahlia's healing with concern.

"What happened?" Lucy asked as Edmund and Susan helped Dahlia stand. The mage leaned a bit on Edmund, the numbing effect of the cordial still wearing off.

"Ask him," Peter said bitterly, glaring at Caspian. Dahlia and Susan glanced at each other; they were doing it again.

"Me?" Caspian challenged, taking a threatening step towards the High King. "You could have called it off, there was still time." Dahlia grimaced; they truly could not have picked a worse time to argue.

"No there wasn't, thanks to you. If you'd kept to the plan, those soldiers might be alive," Peter said, gesturing back the way they'd come.

"And if you'd just stayed here like I suggested, they definitely would be," Caspian retorted, his voice rising. "Dahlia almost died with them!" Dahlia scoffed. She despised being used as a way to place blame.

"She's strong, and she knows the risks of going into battle. The five of us protected Narnia for fifteen years," Peter yelled back, pointing at Dahlia and his siblings. The four of them looked at each other, not knowing what to do. "You called us, remember?"

"My first mistake," Caspian said, his voice dangerously quiet. Dahlia had never been so concerned by the fact that they both had swords.

"No. Your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people," Peter said as he turned to enter the How.

"Hey!" Dahlia nearly jumped at Caspian's volume. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia." Edmund and Dahlia glanced at each other; it was the first time Caspian had implied that the Pevensies leaving was their fault.

"You invaded Narnia," Peter said, pointing his finger at Caspian. That clearly bothered Caspian and he moved to walk past the High King. Dahlia understood his anger; blaming Caspian for his ancestor's actions was the same as blaming Dahlia for the fall of Narnia. "You have no more right to lead it than Miraz does! You, him, your father." Caspian stopped walking. "Narnia's better off without the lot of you!" Caspian yelled and drew his sword, spinning around to face Peter. The High King drew his sword as well and Dahlia finally had enough.

"Stop it!" The mage rarely got smoke-coming-out-of-the-ears angry, so when she did everyone knew to shut up and listen. The king and the prince looked back at her, but they didn't lower their weapons. Dahlia stopped leaning on Edmund, slowly stalking towards the boys as she spoke. "I can't even begin to fathom the stupidity it must require to think that this exact moment is the best time to start a fight." Peter and Caspian's blades lowered as she got closer; they actually started to step back. Dahlia was hovering off the ground.

"Lia-" Lucy started, cutting herself off when Susan tapped her on the arm and shook her head. Dahlia was the only one the boys would listen to.

"I knew it was gonna be a massacre. We didn't stand a chance. I warned you, Peter, and you didn't listen. You never listen until things go wrong." There was genuine fear in the High King's eyes as Dahlia turned her fury to Caspian. "And don't you dare blame the Pevensies for what happened to Narnia. You haven't blamed me, it should be the same for them. They didn't mean to leave, and they absolutely would've come back sooner if they could." Dahlia seemed to realize she was floating and dropped to the ground in front of the boys. She snapped her fingers and their swords flew out of their hands and back into their sheaths. "Half of us are dead. The other half are mourning. This is absolutely not the time for a duel between two people who are supposed to be allies." She raised her hands and pushed, sending a gust of air at each of the boys. It wasn't enough to hurt them, but it did knock them down so they were flat on their backs. "Get it together."