The High Queen II

No time for Pride

As the five Pevensies and Trumpkin navigated through the dense forest, Susan muttered under her breath, "I don't remember this way at all."

Peter, walking ahead of them, replied with a condescending tone. "That's the problem with girls. You can't carry a map in your heads."

Eleanor's fists clenched. She shot Peter a sharp look, but before she could say anything, Lucy quipped back, "That's because our heads have something in them."

Susan, rolling her eyes, added, "I wish he'd just listen to the DLF."

"DLF?" Edmund asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dear Little Friend," Lucy explained, gesturing toward Trumpkin with a cheeky smile.

"Oh, that's not patronizing, is it?" Trumpkin retorted dryly.

Peter stepped into a rock passage, pausing to get his bearings. "I'm not lost," he insisted.

Trumpkin smirked. "No... you're just going the wrong way."

"Didn't you say you last saw Caspian at the Shuddering Wood?" Peter asked. "The quickest way there is to cross at the River Rush."

"But unless I'm mistaken," Trumpkin replied, "there's no crossing in these parts."

"That explains it then. You're mistaken," Peter shot back confidently, leading them further.

They walked in silence until they reached the edge of a deep gorge. The sound of rushing water below filled the air as they looked down.

Susan knelt near the edge, examining the terrain. "Over hundreds of years, water eroded the earth's soil..." she began.

"Oh, shut up," Peter interrupted impatiently. "Is there a way down?"

"Yeah, falling," Trumpkin replied, eyeing Peter with a mixture of amusement and frustration. "Come. There's a ford at Beruna. Any of you mind swimming?"

"Anything's better than walking," Susan said, sighing as they began to move on.

Eleanor stayed quiet, her anger simmering beneath the surface. Peter's attitude had been grating on her for days now, and his arrogance was wearing thin.

As they continued walking, Lucy suddenly froze. Her eyes widened as she stared off into the distance. "Aslan?" she whispered, a smile spreading across her face. "It's Aslan! It's Aslan over there!"

The group stopped, turning to look where Lucy was pointing. But all they saw was more trees.

"Well, can't you see? He's right..." Lucy trailed off as she turned back to see nothing. Her smile faded. "...there."

Trumpkin, unimpressed, gave her a pointed look. "Do you see him now?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'm not crazy. He was there. He wanted us to follow him."

Peter crossed his arms, his expression skeptical. "I'm sure there are any number of lions in this wood. Just like that bear."

Lucy glared at him, her frustration clear. "I think I know Aslan when I see him."

"Look," Trumpkin cut in, "I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist."

Before Peter could say anything, Edmund spoke up. "The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I ended up looking pretty stupid."

Peter frowned, glancing between Edmund and Lucy. "Why wouldn't I have seen him?" he asked, his tone sharper than necessary.

Lucy's face tightened. "Maybe you weren't looking."