The Last Tree In Narnia

13. Turning The Tides

Rhea could see that the Narnians were losing the fight, and very soon they would be overwhelmed by the Telmarine army. So she would have to act quickly if she wanted to save the day.
She took a deep breath before stepping onto the battlefield, ready to fight. But she did not walk alone.
A dozen trees had pulled themselves out of the ground, and were now walking in a protective circle around her, using their roots as legs to help them cross the field.
The trees moved at Rhea's command, and she immediately set them to work.
They began knocking over Telmarine soldiers and incapacitating them, so that they couldn't fight back.

The Telmarine's began to realise that she was the one in control of the trees, so they started to target her.
But Rhea was not afraid, for she had the forest on her side.
She didn't have to protect herself, for the ground would do it for her.
As soon as an enemy got too close, the ground beneath them would crumble, causing them to fall. Or roots would erupt from the earth, and tangle up the soldiers.
Sometimes even the trees themselves would put themselves in the line of fire, just to keep Rhea safe.

The Narnians stopped and looked in awe as Rhea and the trees took over the battle.
When one of the Telmarine war machines hit a tree, Rhea sent roots all the way across the field to the Telmarine side, and had the roots destroy every single catapult and trebuchet.
Once that was done she found Caspian and the Pevensies, who though injured, were all still alive.
"You did it" praised Edmund.
"I did" smiled Rhea.
"Where is Lucy?" Questioned Peter.
"She's safe, don't worry. Aslan has a suprise planned for the Telmarine's, that Lucy is a part of" answered Rhea.

"You found Aslan?" Asked Caspian.
Rhea nodded, "Yes. Well, really he found us. He chased off the Telmarine soldiers who had been following us, and then he helped me to awaken the forest".
"You woke up the forest, not Aslan? Does that mean you are the one doing all this?" Quizzed Peter, as he pointed at the trees.
"Yes and no. I did wake the forest by myself. Aslan told me that he has been allowing the power of the earth to flow into me, so that I could bring the dryads out of hibernation, and wake up the trees. Once they are fully awake, the power I am feeling right now will go back into the earth. And to answer your other question, I am sort of co-ordinating the trees attacks, but they are also sentient, so are able to attack the Telmarine's without me telling them exactly what to do" revealed Rhea.

"You really arrived just in time, for we were losing quite badly. I don't know how much longer we could have held on for" admitted Caspian.
"I'm glad I got here in time" replied Rhea.
"You have done an amazing job" praised Caspian.
"Thanks. How did we end up here though? I thought we were trying to avoid a battle, as we didn't want to lose anymore of our people. So, what exactly happened after me, Lucy and Susan left?".

"Well, Peter fought Miraz and he managed to beat him. He then gave me the chance to kill Miraz, but I chose not to, for I did not want to become a murderer like my uncle" revealed Caspian.
"That was a very noble thing to do. And I can't imagine it was easy to let him go, when you know that he killed your father" replied Rhea.
"It was one of the hardest things I've done. But I do not want to end up like my uncle, which is why I chose not to kill him when I had the chance. Miraz ended up dead anyway though. Lord Sopespian stabbed him in the back with a Narnian arrow, making it look like we shot him after the match was over. So a full scale war began despite our efforts to avoid it".

"It looks like the Telmarine's are retreating" pointed out Susan.
"Then we should follow them, for I think Aslan wants us all to see what he has planned next" informed Rhea.
"Let's go then" announced Peter.
As a group, they charged after the Telmarine's and began chasing them back towards the water.
When they exited the forest, they saw that the Telmarine's had been stopped from crossing the bridge, by Lucy, who stood alone, holding a small dagger, on the other side.
But she was not alone for long, for Aslan soon appeared at her side.
After a few confused moments, the Telmarine's began to charge across the bridge, no longer feeling conflicted about killing a small girl, when their own lives were at stake.
As they reached the half way point, Aslan let out a mighty roar, stopping them all in their tracks.

Rhea gasped as she watched the river begin to sway back and forth, knocking over the soldiers, at Aslan's command.
The water then began to rise up, taking the form of a huge man, which glared down at those on the bridge.
All the Telmarine's quickly jumped off the bridge, except for one lord, who stayed fixed in place; Lord Sopespian.
The water man then lifted up the bridge, taking the Telmarine with him.
Aslan roared again and the water man exploded, sending water all over Lord Sopespian, drowning him.

After seeing what had happened to their last remaining lord, the Telmarine's began throwing down their swords and weapons, in surrender.
A smile lit up Rhea's face, as each Telmarine dropped his sword, signalling their defeat.
"We did it. Narnia is finally free!" Announced Rhea, causing all the Narnians around her to cheer loudly.
After so much suffering, her people were finally free from oppression. And she was looking forward to living in a free Narnia, for the first time in her life.