The High Queen Book Two

Chapter 10 - Broken

Third-Person POV

Even though all the Narnians wanted to do was go home, none of them, especially Peter, couldn't face the others just yet. So, they decided to wait for Edmund, who insisted on going back to check, but the thing is that no one told him Tilly had been left behind. He assumed she was somewhere in the crowd, but when he saw her standing strong before Miraz knew she was about to die, the boy felt a part of him die with her. A large part. Edmund lands harshly on the ground, tumbling off the griffin, not able to catch himself being so rattled. Susan hopes up running to her younger brother, holding onto his hand to steady him. She notices quickly how quick and sharp his breath is, but it seems he isn't taking in any air.

"Ed!" Sue yells as softly as she can. "Ed, you need to breathe. Or you'll pass out." The King tries to take deeper breaths, but as tear trickle down his cheeks, every breath feels like a ton of brick is falling on his chest. "It's okay. Copy me." As he follows his sister's lead, the King's breath returns to how it usually is, but the tears never seem to stop.

"Why-" Ed stops himself as painful sobs rack through his body. "Why didn't you tell me Tilly was trapped?" He asks the sister but looks around, wanting- needing someone to tell him.

"We thought you might try to save her, getting yourself killed in the process," Reepicheep answers the sorrowful boy.

"And we didn't have much of a chance either," Susan says sadly. "You left almost after you said it."

"You still could have told me... my wife!" He snaps. "Was being killed." The pain etched on the King's face seems permanent by the disdain in his voice. "I watched as an arrow shot straight into her chest!" He screams, whipping around, glaring at everyone, but they know his anger isn't at them. "Everyone else, dead or dying, but she stood tall, holding her head high...smirking at Miraz as he... as he killed her." More sobs break through the King as he falls to his knees, wailing at the loss of his second half.

"We shall avenge her, my King, as we will with all lives lost," Asterius says, trying to stand up despite the apparent break in his leg and the protest of the warriors around him. "She saved my life. And my men's," he pointed to the two other minotaurs sitting beside him, who Tilly helped out from being crushed by the gate.

"She saved countless lives." Glenstorm stands beside his co-leader. "She took on hundreds of fights, letting us escape. She held off the first wave of guards until we reached her." The stoic leader's voice quivers slightly as he's also mourning his son.

As Susan comforted her brother, Caspian and Peter stared silently at their feet, blaming themselves for the people's pain and the Queen's death.

"She came after me, and instead of taking the horse I offered, she made the injured hope on him and the cart." Caspian shakes his head. "She had a heart of gold and the fight of a lion." He mutters.

"We rarely see royalty so willing to sacrifice themselves to save us. And for that, she shall live on in our hearts and watch down on us from the sky," Glenstorm bellows looking up into the heavens, which he is burdened with watching over. Stabbing his sword into the grass, everyone else follows him.

"If you listen carefully...." Reepicheep begins the mantra for the young Queen.

"You can hear the roar in her voice...." Susan continues standing up with Edmund.

"As she bellows to her Narnians...." Caspian follows the girl standing beside the two.

"Preparing them for battle...." Edmund mutters sadly, barely above a whisper.

"Their Queen of Narnia." The High King says, raising his sword in the air before plunging it into the ground as the group continually repeats the words over and over. "Their Queen of Narnia," Peter finally looks up to face his people, who look to him for direction. "It's time to go home." With sorrow dragging them down, the warriors nod, pulling their swords from the ground and glancing up at the sky, where their fellow warriors and Queen are watching down on them.