the girl from archenland | narnia

Chapter One

Three Months Later...

"What did he say, Susan?" Nenya asked

  "You girls can't come the fight would be nasty then." laughed Susan, counting her arrows.

Nenya rolled her eyes and slid her swords into their sheaths on her back. "I mean I understand why Lucy couldn't come but did they honestly think I wouldn't come?"

 "I still think it's a bad idea, not that you listen anyway," Edmund called from several yards away, where he was polishing and sharpening his own sword.

"Really?" Nenya asked, not expecting an answer.

 "Really," Edmund answered, sheathing his own sword.

 "Well, she's going with you Ed so you better get used to it," Peter said, smiling at his brother. "Susan and the rest are coming with me."

"What?" Edmund scowled at his brother. "I thought I was taking Susan! I need someone who can take people out from a distance, not Nenya!"

"Hey!" I can take people out from a distance! Just because I don't use a bow doesn't mean I'm not effective. You just don't want me to come because I'm a girl!"

"Susan's a girl." Peter pointed out.

"She's your sister." Nenya snapped back. "it's different. And she's a queen."

"To be fair, since you aren't a queen you should have listened to me when I said not to come. Seeing as I'm a king." Edmund said, smirking.

"You aren't my king, and I'm not a Narnian!" Nenya said, scowling. "And I'd never wish to be," she whispered under her breath.

"Why did you stick around then?" laughed Edmund, clearly overhearing her whisper. "You could have gone back."

Nenya only bit her lip and stayed silent, her joking smile fading.

"Shut up Ed!" Susan turned to her brother. "She-"

"Susan!" Nenya looked up and cut off Susan sharply. She and Susan exchanged glances and Susan looked away.

Nenya stood up. "Come on. Let us just get this over with." She began walking away from the others.

Edmund exchanged glances with Peter and Susan then began walking after Nenya, knowing it would be pointless to argue.

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"Edmund! Watch out!"

Edmund dove to the ground just in time to avoid an oncoming spear, he nodded at Nenya, far too out of breath to thank her, and dove back into the midst of the fighting.

Nenya turned back to her own corner of the battle. Her mission was to take down the leader of the raiders before they could do much damage. She wasn't skilled with a bow but she could throw knives. Unfortunately, knives couldn't pierce through solid metal. At least not her knives.

She needed to think of some other way to take down the leader. The skirmish seemed to slow around her as the pieces of the plan came together in her mind. Then drawing her swords she began to put it into motion.

"Ashbel!" she called to the ancient centaur, "I need your help." 

"Yes, small one?" Ashbel lowered his bow as she rushed towards him, taking out two raiders on her way.

"I need you to help me take out their leader, you are one of the strongest here, can you throw that," she pointed to a large rock resting atop a mossy part of the battlefield, "towards him once he gets about there?" she pointed to where the land dropped off, anyone who tripped would fall almost a hundred feet. "I'll handle the rest."

The centaur studied her for a moment. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I am, now hurry!" she darted back into the battle, heading in the direction of the cliff. The raiders' leader was already heading that way, she just needed to distract him long enough for Ashbel to throw the rock.

"Hey!" she screamed, drawing his attention. He turned towards her and smiled. 

Nenya knew he would come after her, she had escaped his gang once, he wouldn't let it happen twice. Now she just needed Ashbel to throw the rock. So she waited and waited, and the raider drew closer.

That's when the arrow hit her.

she instantly doubled over in pain, gritting her teeth to keep from crying out.

Then she was being thrown, and she cried out as the arrow's shaft hit a rock, driving it deeper into her flesh before breaking off. Everything was fading and the battle seemed to silence around her.

Fighting to stay conscious, knowing that she would not survive otherwise, she forced herself to her feet and attempted to pick up one of her swords. But it slipped from her grasp and she could feel herself falling, everything turning dark around her. She had failed them, failed them all. And now she was going to die for it.