Camille, the Lionhearted Temlarine Princess

Chapter 17: Close Call

Inside the How, Camille did her best to wash and bandage her wounds. She took a cloth and went to a bucket of water to wet it. She dabbed it to her shoulder and side doing her best to soak up the blood. A sharp sting rose from her hands and she looked down at them. Several deep cuts outlined her hands. She went over to where she had seen a Narnian put the healing ointments and picked up a bag. Inside were small green leaves. Pearl had shown her a bush that would help take the sting away. Now, she proceeded to crush them into a paste and apply it to her hands.

After treating her hands, she wrapped up her side and was about to checked her shoulder again when Peter, Trumpkin, Lucy, and Edmund ran by. Something was wrong, Camille knew and it made chills run down her spine.

Slowly, Camille got up and hurried after the group.

"Stop!" Camille heard Peter yell.

Camille entered the room just in time to see her friends battling with unknown enemies. Peter faced a hag, Edmund fought a werewolf, and Trumpkin clashed swords with Nikabrik. Nikabrik! Why was he against them now?

Then she saw the reason and it made her blood run cold. There, in front of the Stone Table, was her brother entranced by a lady in white standing inside a wall of ice.

"No!" Camille shouted.

Her shout gained the attention of the werewolf.

Wounds forgotten, Camille drew an arrow to kill the werewolf, but before she could release it, a different arrow flew over her shoulder and struck the werewolf, which allowed Edmund to take the final blow.

Susan had just arrived in time to help Camille and the others with the fight.

Meanwhile, Peter finally defeated the hag by throwing her into a pillar. Nikabrik unarmed Lucy who had come to Trumpkin's rescue and was going to stab her when Trumpkin came up behind him and killed him with his knife. Peter ran up to Caspian and pushed him aside pointing his sword at the lady in the ice wall.

"Peter, dear," the white lady cooed. "I've missed you.

"Come," she held out her hand, "just one drop of blood. You can't do this alone."

                 ****

Suddenly, a dagger flew over the boy's shoulders and stuck into the ice wall, causing a spiderweb crack. Caspian recognized it as Camille's dagger. Then, a sword struck the ice wall from behind to finish its destruction, shattering it to pieces.

Caspian and Peter ducked to avoid the ice shards. They stood up to see what caused the ice to break. Edmund picked his sword off the floor and then sent Peter a frown.

"I know. You had it sorted," Edmund told Peter.

The boys looked at the girls. Susan gave them a disapproving look and Camille had a you-should-have-known-better look.

Then, without warning,  Camille stumbled, swaying dangerously on her feet. Caspian, realizing something was wrong, ran over to her and caught her before she fell to the floor.

"Camille! Camille!" He exclaimed in panic.

She didn't reply. Blood slowly soaked through her shirt on her shoulder.

Now Caspian was really worried. Camille was always brave and courageous. She never worried about what dangers there was. Now her life was at stake.

Carefully, Caspian set her on the Stone Table and checked for wounds. The others hovered around.

Camille's shoulder was badly battered from the arrow she had received in the previous battle, as Caspian had guessed. Her hands were also cut badly by sword blades.

"Susan, wet a cloth in cold water for her shoulder," Caspian told Susan. He looked at her and she ran out.

Then he noticed her side was wrapped in a cloth bandage and soaked in....blood? He touched it. Still wet.

"It's a pretty bad sword wound," Caspian told the others.

"How long has she had it?" Peter asked.

"For a whole day, I'd say," Caspian responded.

"Poor Camille," Lucy sighed as she sat down on the Stone Table.

Then, Edmund spoke up. "Lucy, your cordial."

Caspian looked up sharply and Lucy's eyes got big as she realized that her cordial was still hanging at her side.

Susan ran in with the wet cloth just as Lucy quickly fumbled for the cordial. Opening it, Lucy dropped a drop into Camille's mouth and waited anxiously.

                 *****

Camille started coughing. Her side felt like it was burning. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and she looked up into the panicked face of her brother.

"Ca-Caspian?" Camille stammered. "What happened?

"You collapsed. Honestly, I was afraid you might die," Caspian informed her.

"Aw, I'm alright, Caspian," Camille replied.

Camille noticed that the Pevensies were also there. Quickly, Camille started to sit up. As she did, she felt a sudden rush of pain shoot through her hands and shoulder. Camille winced.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Caspian asked, taking her hands and wrapping them.

Susan and Edmund were helping clean  Camille's other wounds. The drop from Lucy's cordial had stopped the blood flow from the wounds.

"You were fighting," Camille stated.

Caspian looked at the ground. "Well, I'm glad you are better now.

Camille watched her brother walk out the door. She sensed something was wrong.