Whisked Away

74. Preparing for Battle

Brief talk about lacking the will to live I'll put something before the section so you can skip it if that is potentially triggering for you. Enjoy!
Eustace's POV
Jill and I walked together behind everyone else with Puzzle just in front of us, but I was not thinking about that. "Pole," I admitted, "I may as well tell you I've got the wind up."

"Oh you're alright Scrubb," she countered, "You can fight, but I-I'm just shaking if you want to know the truth."

"Oh shavings nothing," I retorted, "I'm feeling I'm going to be sick."

"Oh don't talk about that for goodness sake," she exclaimed. I began to think about the battle ahead until an odd thought occurred to me.

"Pole," I asked, "What do you think happens if we die here?"

"Well we'd be dead I suppose," she replied. Smart alick.

"But I mean what happens in our own world? Shall we wake up and find ourselves back in the train? Or shall we just vanish and never be heard from anymore? Or shall we be dead in England?" I explained.

"Gosh I never thought of that."

"It'll be a rum for Peter and the others if they saw me waving out of the window and then when the tram comes in we're no where to be found. Or is they found two...I mean if we're dead over there in England," I rambled.

"Ugh," exclaimed Jill, "What a horrid idea."

"It wouldn't be horrid for us. We wouldn't be there," I countered.

"All the same," Jill replied, "I'd rather die fighting for Narnia than grow old and stupid back home and perhaps go about in a bath chair and then die in the end just the same."

"Or be smashed up by British Railways?" I commented.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, confused.

"Well,' I explained, voicing what I'd been thinking since we got to Narnia. "When that awful jerk came, the one that seemed to throw us into Narnia, I thought it was the beginning of a railway accident, so I was jolly glad to find us here instead."
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Levi's POV
As we walked we began to discuss a plan after Levian and I had been filled in on everything that had happened. To me the most unbelievable thing was the existence of Tash. I shuttered at the thought. The dwarf, by the name of Poggin, was talking about hiding in the woods for a time afterwards and gathering reinforcements.

Turning to myself and Levian, he asked, "How many of your people are left?"

"Aside from myself and Levian," I began before my voice failed me.

"None," Levian whispered. "I don't know how we managed to get away. My wife and children." I lay my hand on his shoulder and blinked back the tears that came to my own eyes from my niece, nephew, and sister-in-law.

We all became rather miserable again, but we had come close to the hill with the stable and began to quiet. As quickly and silently as we could, we got behind the stable and hid behind some bushes. There we were to wait until night fell, but it was a terribly long time. Tirian and the two children managed to sleep as well as teh birds, but everyone else stayed wide awake.

This is the potentially triggering part. I'll put something at at where it ends.

Levian and I sat leaning against a tree in silence until he commented, "I must confess, brother, I am not sure I want to come out of this. My wife is gone and my children also."

"We'll get through it," I replied, for I know not what else to say. The loves of our lives and our dear children were gone and I knew not what to say to comfort him or myself.

It's over, you guys are good! I know it was short, but I'm not taking any chances because I know some authors don't put trigger warnings and I don't want to be one of those.

Finally night had fallen and a gong began to wake us all either from sleep or our own thoughts.
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Shifra's POV
My heart trembled at the sound of that gong, but I turned to my dear friend Azar. "My friend," I began, "If I have ever offended you in anyway or did any harm to you please forgive me now."

"I almost wish you had so that I might forgive it," Azar replied. "You were the greatest friend I ever had, my queen."

"Come on, we're going to our deaths, I think Shifra will suffice," I chuckled even though my eyes filled with tears. I embraced both children, my godsons, and Jewel before I turned to my husband.

"Shifra, my queen, my love," he said, grabbing hold of my hands, "I will most likely die by your side this day and I need you to know that I love you."

"I love you too, Tirian," I replied. Our lips briefly met before we stalked to the side of the stable to see and hear what was going on. Jewel and Puzzled remained behind,but everyone else was listening in with us. In front of the stable came three figures: Rishta Tarkaan, the ape, and Ginger the cat.

"Now monkey," the Tarkaan began quietly so the animals could not hear him, "Say the words that wiser heads have put into thy mouth. And hold up thy head."

"Do leave me alone," the ape muttered, but he held up his head and faced the animals. "Now listen all of you. A terrible thing has happened, a wicked thing. The most wicked thing that ever was done in Narnia, and Aslan..."

"Tashlan, fool," hissed the Tarkaan.

"Tashlan I mean of course," corrected the ape, "is very angry about it. Yes, at this very moment while the Terrible One is among us, there in the stable behind me, one wicked beast has chosen to do what you'd think no one would dare to do even if he was a thousand miles away. It has dressed itself in a lion's skin and is wandering around in these very woods pretending to be Aslan."

I instantly tensed, for the beasts began to scream, "Who is he? Where is he? Just let me get my teeth into him!"

"It was seen last night!" the ape screamed, trying to rile up the crowd, "but it got away. It's a donkey! A common miserable donkey! If any of you see it..."

"We will, we will!" Growled several beasts, "He'd better keep out of our way."

"That's taken the wind from our sails," whispered Eustace.

"The ground was taken from our feet," I agreed.

"Cursed, cursed cleverness," Poggin muttered, "I'll be sworn this new lie is of Ginger's making."