Camille, the Lionhearted Temlarine Princess

Chapter 15: The Battle

Peter, Susan and Caspian ran down the hallway, Caspian holding his left arm.

"Peter!" Susan called.

"Our troops are just outside! Come on!" Peter urged, running out into the courtyard.

Camille was running towards them. "The bridge is down!" She reported.

"At least someone remembered!" Peter exclaimed as he passed her.

Caspian frowned a little, offended.

Peter ran across the courtyard to the gate wheel. "Now, Ed! Now! Signal the troops!" Peter yelled up at him as he fought and defeated two guards.

"I'm a bit busy, Pete!" Edmund replied from where he was fighting the Telmarine guard.

Edmund blocked the soldier's strikes with his sword but then he dropped it. Skillfully he dogged the Telmarine's sword and reached down to grab his torch. With it, he managed to knock the soldier out—That was one way to finish a fight— But now his torch wouldn't turn on.

Down below, Susan paused. "Peter! It's too late. We'll have to call it off while we still can."

"No, I can still do this!" Peter protested, finally reaching the wheel. "Help me!" Peter started to move the wheel but it moved slowly under his own strength.

Susan, Caspian, and Camille hurried up to the wheel and started turning it with him.

"Exactly who are you doing this for, Peter?" Susan questioned.

Peter didn't answer he continued turning the wheel with them.

Up on the tower, Edmund tried to get his torch to work. "Come on!" He urged, banging it with his hand.

Finally, the torch came on. Quickly, Edmund flashed the signal.

Outside, Glenstorm the centaur, rose up on his hind legs. "Charge!" He commanded.

Two guards watching the gate saw them coming. Artimus the Minotaur, ran faster and knocked the outer gate open with his horns. Then he knocked the soldiers over the bridge. Bells rang all over the castle. All the sleeping soldiers grabbed their crossbows and swords from the weaponry.

"Attack!" The men yelled.

Caspian glanced behind them to see whole troops of Telmarines running towards them.

Suddenly, their Narnian army ran through the gate. "Attack!" They cried.

Peter and the others turned around. "For Narnia!" Peter exclaimed.

Caspian, Camille, Susan, and Peter ran into battle. The boys fought bravely with their swords and Susan her bow and arrows. Camille ran around with her sword in hand to help anyone who needed it and fight off their opponents when they were overpowered. Camille noticed one Telmarine rush up behind Susan. Camille quickly took her bow and nocked an arrow on the string. With skill, Camille killed the man and he fell with a thud beside Susan.

Susan turned around when she heard the thud. Seeing the man on the ground beside her, she nodded her thanks to Camille and continued fighting with her bow and arrows.

A line of Telmarine archers lined up on the courtyard walls and aimed their crossbows. "Take aim!" They shouted.

Susan backed up and looked around at them. Camille noticed them too. Behind them up in the tower, Edmund saw one soldier aim for Peter.

Quickly, Edmund jumped onto the roof. He wasn't going to let someone shoot his brother. He slid down the roof and knocked the soldier over the side.

When Peter heard the soldier fall to the ground below, he looked in Edmund's direction. He noticed all the guards turn their crossbows at Edmund. Camille saw it too.

"Ed!" Peter exclaimed.

"Looked out Edmund!" Camille called at the same time.

Edmund jerked his head in the direction of the soldiers and then dove into a small tower for cover, kicking the door closed with his feet.

Down below, Camille continued fighting with her sword and bow. Without warning, an arrow pierced her armor and struck her shoulder. She fell from the force.

"Camille!" Caspian yelped in panic. He dashed over to her.

"Camille, are you alright?" He asked bending down.

"I'm fine," she grunted, breaking the arrow on her shoulder. Some blood oozed, but she ignored it.

"The same old Lionhearted Camille," Caspian grinned.

Camille stood back up and went on fighting. Minutes later, she noticed Peter and Artimus climb up the stairs to the balcony where Miraz stood.

Artimus leaped up to the top of the balcony to take on Miraz, but was shot down mid air by general Glozelle and his soldiers.

Camille fought on courageously. She had received a bad side wound from her opponent's sword, when she heard the call from Peter, "Fall back!"

Camille looked up and saw the gate was closing. Another Minotaur ran over to the gate and tried to hold it open.

"We need to retreat, now!" Peter commanded.

Caspian heard his command and quickly disappeared into the stables.

Peter ran around telling the Narnians to get out. "Go! Get out of here!" He exclaimed.

Glenstorm galloped past Susan and swung her onto his back.

Susan turned her head back at the battle. "Peter! Caspian and Camille!" She yelled.

"I'll find them!" Peter assured her. He ran to other Narnians.

"Go! Get out! Go!" "Get out! Retreat!"

Suddenly, the stables doors flew open and out came Caspian on a horse with the professor behind him. He led a saddled and bridled horse behind his. Camille, however, was not with them.

Peter frantically looked around for her and saw Camille a little way off, trying to stumble to the gate.

Caspian glanced at Peter and then down at the horse signaling him to get on.

Peter ran over to his horse and mounted, kicking over a Telmarine.

As they neared the gate, Camille was pulled onto Caspian's horse.

They managed to get out the gate before the Minotaur collapsed and the gate closed shut, but half of the Narnian army was trapped inside.

Peter stopped his horse just after the gate. He glanced back at them, horrified. The remaining Narnians were trapped inside the castle with nothing but doom and he couldn't do anything about it!

Camille coughed. She was losing blood but she, like Peter, was more worried about the Narnians. She wanted to help them get out but she was too badly injured to do it.

"Leave us!" "Save yourself!" The trapped Narnians yelled.

Camille looked the other direction. She couldn't bare to see the destruction that would befall them. Just then she heard Caspian exclaimed, "Peter! The bridge!"

The bridge was going up, ready to trap them inside with the other Narnians. The whole group turned around and darted out the gate.

Looking back, Camille saw the other Narnians watch them leave before turning back into the war with the Telmarines. The thought of them dying made her sicker than she already was.