Wish [Sequel to Hope]

Chapter 11

Ashlynn sat silently in front of Peter, dried tear stains on her cheeks. She had calmed down since the battle, but she now sat motionless staring in front of her. Peter was worried. He knew Ashlynn hated battles, mostly because she didn't like to lose people after her father's death. Peter kept his mouth shut, though, knowing the girl didn't want to hear his voice. It was his plan after all.

The pair rode in the Howe with the rest of the army walking behind them. Every soilder's face was crestfallen, trying to cope with the loss of their comrades. Ashlynn leaped from the horse and ignored Peter's guilty stare. She kept her head high and walked over to Glenstorm calmly. When she reached the centaur she gently placed her hand on his shoulder, comfortingly.

"He saved my life," She spoke, tears stinging her eyes.

Glenstorm bowed his head in sorrow but Ashlynn could see the pride in his eyes. With one final reassuring squeeze, Ashlynn turned and began walking to the Howe. Lucy was standing in the doorway, watching the defeated army approach.

"What happened?" Lucy asked, astonished by the sight.

Peter stormed forward past Caspian. "Ask him."

Caspian stumbled backwards, surprised. "Me? You could have called it off, there was still time."

"No there wasn‟t thanks to you. If you'd kept to the plan, those soldiers might be alive right now."

Ashlynn took a few steps forward, sensing the fight about to occur.

"Peter," She hissed.

Caspian cut her off. "And, if you'd just stayed here like I suggested, they definitely would be!"

Peter and Caspian approached each other with every word, staring each other in the face. Peter's hand had drifted to his sword, preparing for a fight. Ashlynn bit her lip in anxiety.

"You called us, remember?" Peter taunted.

"My first mistake," Caspian bit back.

Peter turned to walk away from the Telmarine. "No. Your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people."

Caspian made his way towards Peter, and Ashlynn followed behind.

"Peter, Cas, stop." She called out, but they ignored her.

"Hey!! I am not the one who abandoned Narnia," Caspian shouted.

Peter turned back around, his anger flaring off his face. He quickly stormed back toward Caspian as he spoke.

"You invaded Narnia. You have no more right to it than Miraz does! You, him, your father... Narnia's better off without the lot of you!"

The High King and Prince immediately drew their swords, ready to fight. Ashlynn rushed forward, ready to break the two of them up but Edmund's voice cut through the chaos.

"Stop it!"

Ashlynn whipped around to see an injured Trumpkin being placed on the ground. Tears welled in her eyes. They had lost so many already, she couldn't handle loosing Trumpkin as well. Lucy raced past, pulling her cordial out of her waistband. Carefully, she poured a few drops into the dwarf's mouth. Ashlynn held her breath, anxious for the healing powers to take affect. Slowly, Trumpkin opened his eyes, glancing at the young queen that knelt next to him. He sat up and looked at the Narnians staring at him.

"What are you all standing around for? The Telmarines will be here soon enough."

Ashlynn chuckled with relief and brushed a few stray tears from her eyes. She twisted her body to head back into the Howe when a hand caught her shoulder. Turning back around, Ashlynn locked eyes with Edmund. She collapsed into his arms, exhausted and relieved to see him unharmed. Edmund held her tightly, whispering calming words into her ear. When they finally pulled away from each other, Edmund furrowed his brows at the sight of Ashlynn's cheek. He ran his thumb over the thin cut, making her hiss in pain.

"It's not that bad," She said to try and reassure him. 

Edmund gave the blonde a pointed look, silently warning her not to lie to him. He scanned the rest of her, searching for any other hidden injuries. He frowned when he noticed the gash in her calf, still bleeding profusely. Edmund quickly scooped the girl into his arms, much to her protest and carried her into the Howe. Ashlynn hit Edmund's shoulders a few times in an effort to make him put her down, but the Pevensie boy ignored her. 

The pair finally settled in the medicine bay, Edmund throwing Ashlynn gently onto a bed before leaving to grab bandages. Ashlynn huffed, finally giving in. Edmund appeared back in front of the girl and quickly knelt down to clean her wound. Ashlynn recoiled in pain when the medicine touched the open skin, and Edmund gave her a look of sympathy. Ashlynn relaxed slightly, and Edmund gently continued to dab the blood away. When it was completely clean, Edmund wrapped a few bandages tightly around her calf and tied it off easily. He then stood and began to inspect Ashlynn's split cheek. 

          "Thought I told you not to get hurt," He spoke as he leaned in close. 

Ashlynn's face began to heat up when she felt his breath on her neck. She was glad the dried blood hid her blush. 

         "Kind of hard to do when you're surrounded by fighting soilders," Ashlynn responded, avoiding Edmund's gaze. 

         "I heard you almost didn't make it out. You wanted to stay." 

Ashlynn looked down in sadness, remembering the Glenstorm's son. "I couldn't just leave them Ed." 

Edmund paused at her words, staring at the sorrowful girl before him. He knew how Ashlynn felt about the Narnians; her title was The Loyal for a reason. Slowly, Edmund reached out to grab Ashlynn chin to turn her gaze toward him. Ashlynn stared at him, tears welling in her eyes. Edmund watched as the blonde's spirit shattered beneath his intense gaze. 

         "They knew what they were doing," he reassured her. "And their sacrifice won't be in vain." 

Ashlynn remained silent,  and turned her head away. Edmund sighed. He hated seeing her so upset. The truth was, Ashlynn blamed herself. If she had been able to stop Caspian from going to Miraz's room or gone to the gatehouse herself, maybe the plan would've worked better and the soilders could still be alive. It was her job to help Caspian and she failed. She wished she had fallen with the rest of the soilders. 

Edmund finished bandaging Ashlynn's cheek and glanced down at the young queen. He could tell she was beating herself up, and no matter what he told her, she wouldn't listen to him.

          "Ash?" He called out to her softly. 

Ashlynn looked up,  shaken from her thoughts. She looked up at Edmund and gave him a small smile. 

         "I'm done," Edmund said, looking at Ashlynn with concern. 

She nodded her head slightly before turning back to the floor. Edmund sighed before he leaned in and placed a light kiss to her cut. Ashlynn glanced up in surprise, but Edmund had already walked away. A shy smile stretched across her lips as her hand reached up to gingerly brush the place Edmund had kissed her. She watched Edmund's silhouette slowly disappear, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. 

Word Count: [1210]

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