Nevermore (Peter Pevensie x OC)

Chapter 5

The woods were full of joy that night. It had been a peaceful raid, no injuries on either side. And Mavi had performed beautifully. Evelyn smiled where she lay, curled up against the dragon for extra warmth. Around her, the Narnian soldiers slept peacefully, or else tried to. They were all elated by their victory against the Telmarines, but their exhaustion was finally catching up to them.

"Hey." a voice whispered from her left. She whipped her head around, pulling her cloak to further cover her head. But it was only the prince. He glanced towards Mavi as he sat down beside her, wary of the dragon who had tensed at his arrival.

"My prince." Evelyn nodded, aware of the awkward formalities that surrounded her this time.

"Caspian, please. I have been stripped of my title." He waved his hand dismissively.

"Not for long."

"You're confident."

"Of course." Evelyn nodded. "Look around. These Narnians are angry-"

"Anger only births recklessness." Caspian cut her off.

Evelyn nodded in acknowledgement. "You're right, anger is dangerous sometimes. But it can also be your best weapon. The trick is to learn to control it. Use it to motivate you, to push you further towards your goal."

"And how do you do that?"

"There's no one way. It's different for everyone, and it takes time. You don't magically wake up one day and suddenly you're completely disconnected from all emotion."

"What?"

"I- never mind. Don't do that, it's not fun. Just- really try to feel your emotions. The injustice, the anger, but don't let it stop you from seeing the bigger picture."

"Also," Evelyn turned to him. "just a thought. You should stop trying to interrupt people as much. No-one will listen to you if they think you don't listen to them. It's a respect thing."

"Oh, sorry." the prince apologised, as Evelyn waved him off.

"Don't apologise, just improve." She smiled. Caspian hummed in thought, looking up to the stars. After a moment, he spoke again.

"They're brighter."

"Hmm?" Evelyn looked up from the ground, where she was tracing shapes in the dirt.

"The stars. They're brighter tonight."

"They have hope."

"Hope?"

"Well the stars are beings too."

"So I've heard. What's that to do with hope?"

"Well, the stars aren't any one thing, y'know? They aren't children of Adam and Eve or centaur or Narnian or Telmarine. They just exist. They're stars. Which, in a way, is what makes them so powerful. But it also restricts them. They're neutral beings, they can't pick a side. They can't fight a war for one and sabotage another. They have to just...watch, I guess, to balance it out." Caspian frowned, intrigued by what she said.

"So..."

"Well, that doesn't mean they aren't affected." Evelyn sighed. "When the Telmarines took over, they lost that freedom they had. They, lost their familiar home, their friends and families, with the new Narnia. So, while they can't necessarily partake in this battle, they can show their support, their belief. They want their old life back. And after tonight, they have hope, just like us. That's why they shine brighter."

"Really?"

"Mmm. You'd be surprised how much you Telmarines don't know."

"I don't think I would be, not anymore."