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E D M U N D
The scene flying overtop was horrific. I thought I'd seen the worst of wars throughout my years, but I was wrong.
This had to be one of the most heartbreaking times. There's a heap of bodies by the gate, where our troops tried in vain to escape and that, was the hardest pill of all to swallow- that so many had no choice but to wait for their death while I was currently being carried to safety.
While the Griffin soared through the air, a familiar figure caught eye. Upon taking a closer inspection, I realised that my eyes were indeed not playing tricks on me. Laying lifelessly amongst the bodies littered across the area, was Nerissa.
"Head back down!" I yelled.
Despite the look of concern on his face, the griffin complied.
I landed on my feet as I dismounted the Griffin, closing the short distance between me and Nerissa.
"Nerissa?" I called as dropped to my knees beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Relief spread through my chest as her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at me with heavy-lidded eyes.
"E-Edmund?" She groans as her eyes widened with worry, "What are you doing here? You need to leave it's not safe." Even though she managed to get out the words, they sounded slurred, which only made me even more worried about her physics state.
Arrows stuck out from her shoulder and gut, and smoke rose from her wounds, it looked as if the metal had somehow burned her. All of that paired with her shallow breathing made fear blossom in my chest that she wouldn't make the trip back if he didn't hurry.
"I couldn't have just left you, could I?" He says, "Imagine what that would do to Peter."
"P-Peter." She manages, letting out a small cry in pain as she tried to sit up, "He made it out, right?"
"He did," I reassure, "Now, stop moving."
"Good." She mutters, almost too soft to hear before her eyes slowly start to flutter close.
"Nerissa?" I call, panic clawing at my chest when I don't get a reply from her as she laid lifelessly in my arms, "Nerissa!" I try again, tapping lightly on her cheek, but still, no reply.
I curse under his breath, draping Nerissa's arm over my shoulder and supporting her around her waist as I begin dragging her towards the Griffin, startlingly aware that we may be running out of time.
"Hey, you!" A foreign voice calls from above.
My eyes snapped up just in time to see a Telmarine soldier call over his shoulder for backup.
"Alright, c'mon." I mutter under my breath, lifting her onto the Griffin's back. "Go now!" I yell as soon as he secures Nerissa onto the griffin's back.
Hanging on for dear life while making sure Nerissa doesn't lose hers, we fly off towards safety.
As the cool night breeze caresses my face, the only thought in my mind is that I hope we make it out of this alive. For my brother's sake.
*
P E T E R
"What happened?"
I huffed out a breath in annoyance at my younger sister's question.
Tensions were running high and adrenaline was still pumping through my veins. The only thing I needed now was to hold my fiancée in my arms and make sure that she was alright, not to get interrogated by my own sister.
"Ask him," I snap.
The situation was beyond frustrating. I would never want to feel the same sense of helplessness as I did when I watched my troops await their inevitable death on the other side of that gate.
On top of that, there's still the burning question gnawing at the back of my mind; where the hell is Nerissa?
"Me?" Caspian's brows furrowed in anger, "You could have called it off. There was still time."
"No, there wasn't. Thanks to you." I spat, "If you'd kept to the plan, those soldiers would be alive right now."
"And if you'd just stayed here like I suggested, they definitely would be!" Caspian argued.
"You called us, remember?"
"My first mistake," He shot back.
I have tried being nice for Nerissa's sake, but tempers were running high and this time, I couldn't hold back.
"No, your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people!"
"Hey!" Caspian yelled, "I was not the one who abandoned Narnia."
The comment didn't sit right with me. Not one bit. Did he really think I wanted to leave the only thing that mattered to him behind?
"You invaded Narnia. You have no more right to it than Miraz does!" I scoffed, knowing that I was a hairbreadth from crossing the line, but the words still pour out of me. "You, him, your father...Narnia's better off without the lot of you."
Caspian cries out in fury, drawing his sword the same time I reach for Rhindon.
"Stop it!" Edmund's voice cuts through the tension just in time.
My eyes snapped to my brother, and as soon as I take him in, it felt as if the air had been knocked from his chest and my heart had just been smashed into a million pieces.
Standing beside Edmund, in Ironhoof's arms was an unconscious Trumpkin, but as upsetting as that was, that wasn't what had affected me the most.
Behind him, Glenstorm sets down Nerissa's limp body. Her eyes were closed and her face was deadly pale, missing the usual glow that she spotted.
My legs spur into action before my mind could even keep up.
I'm still whirling from the shock of seeing my fiancée's lifeless form before me.
It felt as if I was living my worst nightmare as I reached down to pull her into my arms. "Nerissa..." Her name leaves my lips sounding breathless.
Her skin was cold to touch, something the Phoenix fire that burned within her ensured never happens and my vision was starts to blur with tears. I should've never have left her to her own devices.
I barely even notice Lucy as she rushed forward, dripping a drop of fire flower juice into Nerissa's mouth, then rushing over to do the same for Trumpkin.
"Please wake up, darling," I begged, pressing a kiss to her clammy forehead and hugging her tightly to my body as if it was a lifeline.
My attention was so fixated on Nerissa, that I'd almost missed Trumpkin's voice.
"What are you guys standing around for?"
My stomach turns as I watch the dwarf slowly gain consciousness, why isn't she awake yet?
"Come on. Please." I plead, growing even more desperate by the minute, "Please wake up. Come back to me."
Four agonising minutes had managed to feel like hours as they dragged by. Finally, Nerissa's chest rises as she takes in a sharp breath as her eyes flutter open.
"Oh, thank Aslan," I mumble as I pulled her into a tight hug, hugging her as if he was never going to see her again- which for a minute there, felt as if I was never going to.
"Peter...Ow." She mutters.
I immediately loosens my grip on Nerissa, horrified that I'd somehow hurt her.
"I'm so sorry, my darling. I just-" I shuts my eyes, letting out a shuddering breath, "I thought I lost you."
She reaches a weak hand out to cup my face as her lips stretch into a shaky smile, "You can't get rid of me that easily." She jokes.
Even though she tries to hide it, I could see the pain swirling behind her beautiful sunset eyes, and I knew that she was not okay. Far from it.
Admittedly, it hurt to know I wasn't there to protect her when she needed me. If it wasn't for Edmund...a shiver ran down my spine. Even just the thought of losing her had bile rising at the back of my throat.
Pressing my forehead against hers, I lean down to kiss her on her slightly blue lips, letting my lips linger and savouring the moment- a moment that was almost lost to the clutches of death.
"I love you." I tell her, pouring as much emotion as I could possibly muster into the words, needing her to hear how much I'd meant then.
"I love you, too." She replies.
Despite the panic that was still whirling in my chest, I manage a smile at her, barely holding back tears the tears that were threatening to spill over.
The sight of her made my heart ache. Her skin was still cold and the colour in her face hasn't completely returned yet. On top of that, her clothing was crusted with fresh and dried blood from still-open wounds that should've healed over by now.
"Let's get these wounds treated," I say, lifting her up into my arms and carrying her into the How.
"I could walk you know," She grumbles weakly.
"Sorry, darling." I grimace, knowing how much having her independence meant to her, "That's not happening."
There was no doubt in my mind that Nerissa was beyond capable of taking care of herself. She was strong and resourceful, not to mention headstrong and incredibly self-sufficient. But in this moment, I had decided that I was going to do everything in his power to protect her, even if that meant never letting her out of my sight again.