White Lion

Chapter Eleven

If a girl morphing into a lion wasn't enough, a talking lion definitely startled them.

I grinned, baring my teeth, "What? Never seen a talking lion before?"

"Keep her alive," Miraz said, ordering someone to bring out a cage.

Well, if the Telmarines and Narnians were going to war, I'd be free soon enough. Besides, better in a cage I could escape from than dead. For now, at least.

That thought didn't stop me from snarling at them.

"Now bring it with us," Miraz announced, "We will go to war!"

I stayed a lion because I couldn't cry as a lion. The sheer numbers of this army forced me to lose hope of ever being free.

But I was more concerned about the others. Lucy was too young to die in this battle- but thinking that would make the others old enough.

That young centaur-

No. They would find a way to get Lucy out in time. Susan would be relatively safe with the archers.

The others- I wouldn't think about that. I forced thoughts with as much strength as I had left from the little food I received, Aslan, please.

I knew he heard me somewhere. If he arrived, he would help us win. If he didn't, it meant he knew we would win.

We would all survive this.

I had to believe that.

They had put my cage on wheels, sending me to wherever the battlefield would be. I went a few days on scraps of food, which I didn't eat anyways. They were likely poisoned.

If I would die, it would be of old age surrounded by those I loved.

And if I would die young, it would be on a battlefield, and I would not go down without a fight.

So I made sure to snarl at anyone who came near my cage.

As I fell asleep in my lion form, a couple of young soldiers walked by. They taunted, "Hey, little lion."

I growled.

"Whatcha gonna do about it?"

I roared in their faces, sending them staggering back a few steps, "When I get out of this cage, and I mean when, I will rip you to shreds."

They backed off nervously. I laughed.

The next day, I saw a flash of red and silver. Narnian colors.

Edmund.

I smiled.

"Prince Edmund-"

"King," I corrected Miraz.

The man turned to face my cage, which Edmund had just noticed, "Excuse me?"

"King Edmund," the boy smiled, "Just king. Peter's the High King. It's confusing, I know."

Oh, the look on Miraz's face as we corrected him.

Edmund read out a message challenging him to a duel.

"Why would I fight him when I have the numbers to crush your army?" Miraz asked.

"You are brave to go to battle, but also to fight a duel preventing more bloodshed," Edmund suggested.

Miraz smiled, "Bravery has nothing to do with it."

"So you're bravely refusing to fight a swordsman half your age?" I asked from behind him.

"What are the conditions?"

Edmund smiled, "The winner receives the other side's unconditional surrender. And before the duel, we get Madi back."

That must be new. They didn't know I was here, or even alive.

Not that I wasn't grateful for the chance to get out of my cage.

"Take her," Miraz nearly begged, "She's getting annoying."

Someone opened my cage, and I leapt out to stand next to Edmund, "His majesty is well within his rights to refuse."

Another lord looked at the one who'd spoken, "His majesty won't refuse anything. He will win."

Now, Miraz couldn't back down, "It is agreed."

"Great," Edmund said, walking with me to the clearing before exclaiming, "We thought you were dead!"

"You didn't have to free me, you know," I joked, "My plan of annoying them to death was working."

We both laughed, even if for only a moment. He caught me up on what I missed. I watched Susan and Lucy ride off into the distance to find Aslan.

"You should follow them," Edmund said.

"No, I should be here," I argued.

Everyone seemed almost overjoyed to see me as I shifted human again. Miraz walked across with three men, either lords or guards, as Peter walked out in full armor.

"It's good to see you again," he pulled me into a hug.

I supposed it was sad that we kept meeting like that. Brief conversations every few seconds.

"You may want to go to the stone table," Edmund led me inside the How as the two kings started talking.

I saw the rubble of ice on the floor, "Caspian I understand- he never met my mother- but Peter?"

"She had a way with words," Edmund said, "We lost a dwarf and a hag. They both lost faith and summoned her. If they had faith to begin with."

"I'm glad they were the only lives lost," I said, "We need to be there for the duel. I can't stand not knowing."

We watched the two kings circle each other for a moment, every breath tight and hoarse as we prayed nothing bad would happen.

Then, a group of Telmarines broke off from the army and charged into the woods.

They had found Susan and Lucy.

"They've found them," I warned Edmund and Caspian, "I'm going after them."

"I'm coming," Caspian announced.

I had noticed the conversations between Susan and Caspian. The former being unusually shy and the latter being talkative.

Hopefully that bond would last.

I shifted into a lion as he mounted a horse and rode into the woods beside me.

When we saw the Telmarines surrounding Susan, we realized Lucy had already gotten ahead on the horse.

Susan was on foot, her bow beside her as she lay on the ground beside a Telmarine, sword poised above her.

Caspian killed that soldier in an instant, no hesitation. I tackled the rest for him.

"Thanks," Susan mumbled, strangely quiet in his presence.

They rode back on his horse. I ran alongside them.

Peter has stopped for a break, and Edmund had just popped the boy's shoulder back in place.

"Lucy?"

"She made it through," Susan informed us.

Peter nodded and turned back to the duel, no time to spare. Just a little longer before Lucy found Aslan.

Just a little longer.

Miraz shouted for a break, and Peter granted it to him, walking towards us. But Miraz didn't stop.

He picked up his sword and charged at an unsuspecting Peter.