𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 || Edmund Pevensie

XIV

"Sometimes you lose a battle. But mischief always wins the war"
- John Green

Narnia, 1000

Night fell after a lot of partying. Susan and Lucy sneaked away from camp with Aslan, but the others stayed behind in deep slumber. When news came to camp, Olivia had been the first to be awakened, soon after Peter and Edmund.

Aslan was dead. He had treaded his life for Ed's. Lucy and Susan had spread the word through the trees, and Jadis was coming for war. In a matter of minutes, Olivia, Edmund, and Oreius stood outside the boys' tent, looking at a map of their troops and creating strategies.

The Narnians were running up and down, crafting last-minute weapons, forging more armour, and finishing whatever had to be completed.

Peter came out of the tent looking sorrowful. " She's right. " He spoke, referring to the nymph that had given them the news. " He's gone. "

Edmund looked at Olivia, who was biting the inside of her cheek. She looked back at him, nodding her head. Edmund fumbled with his fingers and talked.

" Then you'll have to lead us. " Peter looked at his brother confusedly. " Peter, there's an army out there ready to follow you. "

" I can't! "

" Aslan believed you could. And so do I. " Edmund replied. Peter looked up at him again and nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.

" The Witch's army is nearing, sire. What are your orders? " Oreius asked the boy.

Peter looked to the sides. " I need to think. "

" I've got some ideas. " Olivia said. " But we'll need a bigger space. "

━ ◦ ❖ ◦━

They got to another tent, one with a large table, a big map of the camp and a nearby region named Beruna, where the battle was supposed to happen. Olivia grabbed her bag from her shoulders and dropped it in a chair. She opened it, grabbed her books, notepad, and quill, and dropped them in a space on the table.

Peter and Edmund shared an exasperated look when they saw the girl with all that material. Oreius entered after, and the tent was just them four.

" I suggested we start the battle with a surprise attack with the Gryphons. " Olivia said. She grabbed a small token representing the gryphons and moved them forward on the battlefield.

" They'll be carrying rocks. The most giant rocks they can take. Drop them on Jadis' first line, where the biggest strength of her army will lie: the minotaurs. " She slapped the token of the minotaurs out of the battlefield. " Our first line will mainly consist of the slowest animals. The faster they are, the more in the back they stay. " Olivia moved the figures of the cheetahs to the far back of the army.

Edmund and Peter shared an astonished look and Oreius a smirk. " Here, things get a little tricky. We shall have to find a few people willing to be frozen. By feeding Jadis' ego, she lets her guard down and feeds her arrogance. Let her believe she is winning and strike. "

" That... is actually very good. " Peter smiled. Olivia grinned at him. " Oreius, can you go ahead and gather the rocks? "

" And also, can you please find out the amount of time it shall take for our troops to arrive in Beruna? " Olivia added. Oreius nodded and left the tent.

" Edmund, you will not be very fond of this part of the plan. " Olivia told him with a sign. " You will stay behind with the archers. Do not engage in battle unless very much needed. "

" You said I was getting better with the sword! " Edmund told her.

" You are. But when we retrieved you, Jadis felt a sense of defeat. You need to keep out of her sight as much as you can, for we cannot remind her of the failure she has suffered. Anger can be a potent stimulator. "

Edmund was about to complain, but Peter shushed him. Olivia raised one finger and grabbed her book. She read something, and Oreius came inside the tent.

" Your majesties, the rocks have been gathered. "

" Temperature? " Olivia asked, not averting her gaze from the book.

" Sun is out, but not too hot. Very dry, though. "

" Time? "

" About one hour. Less, maybe. "

" Great. We'll need a lot of water. " Olivia told Oreius. Her mind seemed to be working a thousand miles per second; she had never thought about orchestrating war in this depth. " How many phoenixes do we have? "

" Only one, your majesty. "

She shrugged. " Will do. Do we have fireproof armour? "

" Yes, your majesty. " Oreius replied.

" Place them on your best warriors. " Olivia said.

" Very well. My King, may I distribute her orders? "

" Yes, you may. " Peter told Oreius. " In fact, tell your troops to obey her orders in battle today. As we can see, she is clearly the right person for that. " The centaur smiled and left the tent with a bow.

" What book have you got there? " Edmund asked, moving to Olivia's side.

" The Art of War; by Sun Tzu. " Olivia responded. " Great book on war tactics. It was the one I was reading the day we all stumbled into Narnia. The perfect book, I would say. "

" Agreed. " Peter replied with a smile.

" Anyhow, I need the phoenix for a fire attack. The phoenixes turn into fire and can cause quite a lot of damage. We can use it to create a barrier, so Jadis' soldiers can't pass. If they pass, they burn. The soldiers with fireproof armour can go through the fire as they wish and play within safe zones. " Olivia added a token of a barrier in the map, blocking the path. She grabbed some tokens symbolising soldiers and used them to go forward and backwards on the token of the barrier.

Peter gulped. " How did you elaborate all those strategies in such a short period? "

" Dunno. It just... came naturally. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter. " She signed. " Sun Tzu once said: Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. "

Peter and Edmund looked at Olivia confusedly, making the girl groan. " Get ready. We're leaving soon. "

With that, Olivia turned her back on the boys, grabbed her things, and left, leaving Peter and Edmund stunned.

They took a while to process everything, and when they were done, they finally left the tent. Olivia was talking about something with Oreius, though they couldn't distinguish the exact words. She raised her palm and five erect fingers. Oreius nodded and made a movement that made everyone start getting ready.

Edmund blushed as he saw Olivia winking at him when she caught him staring. Peter chuckled at his brother.

" I think someone's got a little bit of a crush. "

" Shut up. "