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N E R I S S A
The sound of twigs snapping pulls me out of sleep. There was a clear silhouette of two figures outside my tent and without a second thought, I reach for the dagger hidden under my hammock and threw it.
The knife goes shooting through the sky, landing with a loud thud on a tree- judging by the sounds of it, followed by several loud curses.
"What in the-" Edmund's voice sounds through the quiet night.
I let out a groan in annoyance before getting to my feet.
"What are you two doing creeping around my tent in the middle of the night?" I demanded as I walked past the Pevensie boys to retrieve my knife.
"You almost got me in the head with that thing!" Edmund yells, his face now drained of colour.
I roll my eyes, "Well, thank god I wasn't aiming for your head, then. Maybe try to be less obvious next time?"
"Wait," The older boy speaks, "You knew it was us and you still threw a knife at us?"
I simply shrug, "Consider that a lesson for you. If you were going to sneak up on someone, do it properly."
I proceed to remove my dagger from the trunk of the tree in which it landed in as the two boys watched.
"Now, what do you want?"
The two boys exchange a glance as if just remembering that they were here for a reason.
"There was a leaf-lady in our tent that just appeared out of nowhere. But she wasn't bad or anything-"
I raise a hand to stop the younger boy from blabbing on.
"I'm sensing there's a point here. So, are you going to get to it or not?"
"It's Aslan!" Peter interjects, "H-He's-"
Peter didn't need to finish his sentence, the look on his face told me everything I needed to know.
I quickly grab my weapons from my tent before rushing over to Oreius's tent which was a few tents away from mine.
"Oreius!" I call from outside.
I hear fumbling inside and a few moments later, Oreius emerges from his tent.
His face falls as his eyes meet mine, "Milady, what's the matter?"
"The Dryads have come with a message for the Princes." I explain, "We're going to need to check Aslan's tent."
"I'll do it." Peter says, straightening out, "I want to be the one to."
I nod, impressed at the boy's willingness to step up to the plate.
The three of us follow behind Peter and we wait outside while he heads in to check.
I notice the map that has been set up outside of the Lion's tent and my heart aches at the thought of everything he has left behind if what the Dyrad's claims were true.
"She's right." Peter reappears after a minute or two, "He's gone."
I curse under my breath as Oreius gazes at me with sad eyes before quickly regaining his composure.
"Then you'll have to lead us." Edmund speaks, "Peter, there's an army out there and it's ready to follow you."
"I can't." The older boy protests.
"Aslan believed you could." Edmund's voice softens as he looks at his brother with pleading eyes, "And so do I."
I find myself tuning out as Peter continues to argue with his brother.
Aslan believed you could. Something in me seems to snap at the words and my legs were carrying me away from the group before I could even fully process my actions.
"Milady." Oreius calls after me, "Where are you going?"
Strapping quiver across my back and securing Nikephoros to the belt around my waist, I don't even stop to look back at him as I continued forward.
"To kill the Witch."
"Milady, you're not thinking this through-"
"I am thinking this through!" I say through gritted teeth as I spin around on my heel to face Oreius, "I should've ended the Witch when I had the chance. I let the opportunity slip twice, Oreius. Not again. I'm done watching the people around me die."
"And your plan to end this is to sacrifice your own life?" Oreius questions, "Milady, if you go alone, you're not making it back here alive."
I take a step towards the Centaur, levelling him with a steady gaze.
"Better me than anyone else."
The worry that flashes across Oreius's eyes is unmissable but I ignore it and turn to leave once again.
"Nerissa, do you really think this is what he would want for you?"
His question makes me freeze up and it takes a while for it to sink in. He wasn't referring to Aslan like I initially thought he was. No. He was talking about Jed.
A fit of rage washes over me as I stomped back towards him, glaring at the Centaur who towered over me.
"Don't you dare, Oreius!" My voice quivers, "Don't you dare use him against me."
"I'm not trying to, Milady. But it seems that even in his absence, he is the only one that can get through to you." Oreius replies, his voice surprisingly gentle, "This vengeance that you seek is a death wish and as your friend, I cannot let you go through with it."
"I don't have friends."
I don't give Oreius the chance to reply before stomping off- but this time, I head for the hills instead.
I soon find myself sitting on the peak of the hill with my legs dangling over the edge, wishing more than ever that I had Jed with me right now. He always gave the best advice. He had always assumed the role in my life of the big brother that I never had; the best big brother a girl could ever ask for.
I could almost hear his voice in my head: Always trust your heart, it knows better than you do. That was what he always said. Although, that was exactly what I had trouble with. What if my heart doesn't know what it wants?
It always does, Nerissa. You're just overthinking this. And that- was what he would say in reply.
"Mind if I join you?" Peter's voice snaps me back to reality.
I scold myself internally; I've been so distracted I didn't even hear him coming. That was careless and dangerous. That's how people lose their lives.
"Yes, I do- in fact, mind." I reply, "Now, leave."
Peter lets out a long sigh before plopping down next to me, "You're really stubborn, you know that?"
"You're one to talk." I grumble, "Why even bother asking if you're going to stay anyway?"
"Just thought you'd appreciate the gesture."
A small laugh escapes me before I could even stop it and it was enough to make Peter immediately brighten up beside me.
I let out a groan at the boy's bright smile, rolling my eyes.
"What do you want?"
My question seems to be enough to dampen his cheery mood and he deflates just as quickly.
"You don't let loose much, do you?" He says with a sigh.
"I'm not here to let loose. If you haven't noticed, your majesty, we're at war."
Peter purses his lips as he focuses his gaze on the horizons. Neither of us say anything and I find myself enjoying the comfortable silence between us.
I sneak a glance at the soon-to-be King, studying his features and if I were being totally honest, he was not a bad-looking chap.
I shake the thought from my head, nothing ever good has come out of getting close to someone. Therefore, I shouldn't.
"You lack confidence. You shouldn't." My voice breaks the silence, "Believe it or not, I do actually see potential in you."
"I-I just...I just can't help wondering about what would happen if I failed and all the lives it would impact." Peter confesses, "I don't even know how to fight properly. How can I protect these people?"
"Anyone can be a good fighter if they tried hard enough. But to be a great fighter, now that takes passion and drive. You see, the thing that not many people realise is that fighting and leading isn't all that different. It all boils down to who has the most fight in them to keep on going."
The boy gazes down at his feet in deep thought, "And what if I don't?"
"Rule number three," I state, "Never underestimate your opponent. Always assume that are more skilled than you are. That way, you'll never let your guard down. There's a very fine line between confidence and cockiness. The latter leads you nowhere, confidence however, goes a long way. Therefore, perhaps the most important point of all is that you should never underestimate yourself."
Peter nods, seeming to take my words to heart before he gazes at me.
"You're not going to try to run off to fight the Witch on your own again, are you?"
The corner of my lip quirk up into a smile, "I've ended up deciding against it."
"Good," Peter says, "Because I'm going to need you beside me when we defeat the Witch."