The Early Chronicles Book Three: Narnia and the North

Chapter 13

Swanwhite and General Goran had met with the others outside of Ettinsmoor as scheduled, with great disappointment that Laurel and Thasian were not with them.  They were trying to decide their next course of action, when they heard a great ringing of a bell from the city.  Swanwhite gripped her ears at the terrible tolling of the loud bell, for Giant bells are ten times worse than the volume of any human bell.  Goran looked at her with alarm and the two of them raced to the top of the slope to see into the city.  What they saw filled Swanwhite's heard with more dread than she had felt since the White Battle.  Giants stood at the entrance of the city with Giant-sized armor and weapons.  Some carried boulders and all stood with the look of fierceness in their eyes that meant war was near.  Swanwhite saw the king Giant among them.  He must have discovered who Goran was.  It seemed as if every Giant in the city was standing there waiting for them.  

"It seems as though we may yet face a Giant battle sooner than we thought, my lady."  Goran said sadly.  

Swanwhite knew now that Thasian and Laurel couldn't be alive in the city.  They must be lost out in the wilderness.  She swallowed her fear and worry for them and knew she had to focus on the present.  They wouldn't be able to find Laurel and Thasian if the Giants were not stopped.  

"I must talk to them."  She said but Goran grabbed her wrist.

"No.  They are past it now.  They know who I am and their stubbornness will win out.  We've missed our chance."  His shoulders slumped.

"We'll think of something.  Until they throw the first boulder I'm not giving up hope."

Instantly one of the Giants saw them peering over the slope and hurled a rock at them.  It slammed into the slope and sent Swanwhite and Goran stumbling from the shake of its impact.  

"Satisfied?"  Goran said in an exasperated tone.  Swanwhite grumbled but followed him back to the others.

"This isn't going to be pretty, and I know you are all tired, but I need you to make another effort for Narnia."  Swanwhite raised her voice to her troops as they came back down the slope.  "You are the bravest and most loyal soldiers in the land and I know we will prevail again."  

The knights raised their weapons and cheered at her words.  She mounted Kismir and readied her bow and arrows.  She didn't trust her swordsmanship skills enough with Giants, so she preferred a weapon that could work from a distance.  Goran raised his sword and shouted the command to charge, and soon they were pouring over the slope and down towards the daunting enemy.  

Giants aren't extremely clever, but they are hardy.  They many not be watching closely in an attack, but their brute strength and force makes up for it.  Swanwhite sent her arrows flying up towards the Giants and the rest of the knights made use of their swords and spears.  A few Giants fell but more kept coming, and with only twenty men fighting and it taking several of them to handle one Giant, the situation looked grim.  Swanwhite tried to think of what Goran had told her about Giants, then she spied a rope on a cart within the Giant city.  There were several Giants standing in her way and there was no way she could force her way through them firing arrows one at a time.  She gulped and drew her sword.

"Aslan, please help me do better with a sword this time."  She whispered, then urged Kismir into a gallop.

"Swanwhite!  Stop!"  Swanwhite heard Goran's warning but she kept riding forward.  The Giants spotted her and began stomping towards her.  

"Come on, Kismir.  You can do it."  She urged her mount.  As a Giant braced himself with a massive club above his head, she dug her heels into Kismir's side and they charged under the Giant's legs before he could bring the weapon down.  A Giant came to her from the right and she swung her sword at his shins.  The Giant wheeled backwards howling in pain and then stumbling to the ground.  She did a similar thing to the feet of a Giant to her left, until finally she saw the cart and rope straight ahead.  Not bothering to dismount, she snatched the rope from the cart as Kismir slid sideways to a stop.