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✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩🐻Bear Attack🐻✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩

One by one, they all boarded the vacant boat. First, Trumpkin entered the boat, followed by Peter. Then, they both extended their arms out to help Lucy and Susan onto the boat. Edmund got on in the last row and looked back at Charlotte, who was still shaking like a leaf, deep in thought over the prophecy.

"Come on," he urged, holding a hand out for her to take, "it'll be okay. We'll sort this out together."

She took his hand, and he cautiously pulled her on the boat, sitting her down beside him. Peter then grabbed the oars and began rowing. Edmund kept looking worriedly at Charlotte, who refused to make eye contact with anybody. She hung her head low. He was still uncertain how to make her feel better, especially after hearing such bad news about her fate, but he felt upset seeing her look so anxious and nervous.

"Hey," he spoke, gaining her attention, "are you alright?"

"Just thinking about what the dwarf said," she shrugged, "I don't know what to expect. If I would really..."

"We felt the same way when we first came to Narnia," Peter said, as he continued pulling and pushing the oars.

"Really?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah, we met the beavers who told us a prophecy too," Peter shared, "that we were to fight the White Witch in Narnia."

Edmund stiffened at the mention of the White Witch. Charlotte let out a gasp, placing a hand over her mouth. This stunned Peter, who blinked twice at her.

"You fought the White Witch?" She whispered lowly.

"Well, yeah," Peter nodded awkwardly, "you know about her too?"

"My parents helped a friend plant a tree to ensure Narnia's protection from her," Charlotte explained, "but how did she get in?"

"That was centuries ago. The tree died after many years," Trumpkin explained, "and I heard stories that she ruled Narnia for a very long time before the Kings and Queens came in the Golden Age."

"That's impossible, my parents are only a generation older than us," Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows, "it couldn't have been that long, all of this couldn't have happened in such a short time frame."

"Apparently," Susan began, "time passes in Narnia much faster than on Earth."

"I don't believe it," Charlotte said breathlessly, still in shock, "you actually fought the White Witch."

"We were just as scared," Peter shared, "but we followed through with the prophecy. And we turned out alright."

"So you see," he added, "prophecies might sound scary at first. We thought it was impossible and we were reluctant to fight. We were sure we would die. But eventually, the events unfolded and we understood our importance. Either way, we would fight or die trying for Narnia."

"Thanks, Peter," Charlotte managed to smile, feeling more relieved.

She looked over to Edmund, who was deep in thought. His eyebrows were furrowed, his shoulders raised. He just plainly stared at the waters, his chest rising and falling slowly as if he was internally trying to calm himself down.

"Edmund," she spoke quietly, placing a hand delicately on his shoulder.

He blinked and jumped in surprise, as if returning to reality, and shifted his gaze towards her, still frowning. When he realised it was only her, he relaxed his knuckles and took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" She asked, causing Peter to shift his gaze towards Edmund worriedly.

"Y-yeah," he stammered, "just got shaken up."

"It's over, Ed," Peter reminded, "we don't have to think about that witch anymore. She can't hurt you."

Though only knowing Edmund for a short period of time, Charlotte felt her heart sinking for him. She was curious to know more, but she decided not to press on. He seemed a tad rude in the beginning, but she now noticed that he, too, was vulnerable. Judging by the look on his face, it was clear to her that he had a traumatic encounter with her.

They sat in silence for a while. Charlotte was concerned, as she sat deep in thought. Obviously, Narnia was not an ordinary fairytale like she had expected. If she was honest with herself, she did not know what she expected either. An adventure in a fantasy sounded much better than facing war in reality, and even the narrations by her parents made it seem heroic to battle the White Witch. But now, she was just realising that it might not be any better living in Narnia than struggling in war back in England.

"The trees," Lucy broke the silence, "they're so still."

"They're trees," Trumpkin replied with a dull tone, "what'd you expect?"

"They used to dance," Lucy reminisced with a gloomy expression.

"Wasn't long after you left that the Telmarines invaded," Trumpkin shrugged, "those who survived retreated to the woods. And the trees, they retreated so deep in themselves that they haven't been heard from since."

"I don't understand," Lucy frowned, "how could Aslan have let this happen?"

"Aslan?" Trumpkin looked at her oddly, "I thought he abandoned us like you lot."

Charlotte enquired, "Why would he leave? Surely he'll come back at some point."

"You're delusional if you think he'll ever come back," Trumpkin shrugged.

"We didn't mean to leave, you know," Peter argued softly, his lips lightly quivering.

"Makes no difference now, does it?" Trumpkin shot back at him gloomily.

"We can make a difference now," Charlotte spoke, "we're all here together. We can make things right again."

"So full of optimism," Trumpkin said dryly, narrowing his eyes at Charlotte.

"Charlotte's right," Edmund agreed, frowning at him, "we'll do everything we can. Whatever it takes."

"Just take us to the Narnians, and it will make a difference," Peter ended the argument sharply.

When they reached land, Trumpkin got off first, followed by Lucy, then Susan. Peter extended a hand to Charlotte, as Trumpkin anchored the boat.

"Come on, help me pull this ashore," Trumpkin instructed.

Susan, Peter, Charlotte, and Edmund all tugged on the rope as told.

"Hello there!" They heard Lucy's cheerful voice and shifted their attention to her all at once.

She approached a silent bear about a stone's throw away. It looked towards her and sniffed in her direction. Then it let out a low grunt as it stared menacingly in Lucy's direction.

"It's alright," she carried on walking, "we're friends!"

The bear began to growl fiercely. This caught Trumpkin's attention, and he stood rooted to the ground, slowly holding his palms up.

"Don't move, your Majesty!" He warned, slightly trembling.

Lucy looked back, wondering what Trumpkin meant. The moment she turned her back on the bear, it picked up speed and began charging towards her.

"Lucy!" Charlotte cried, dropping the rope instantly and bolting towards her, "run!"

Lucy, baffled at Charlotte sprinting towards her, turned around to face a bear charging ferociously towards her as well. She gasped in horror, lifting her dress and quickly racing towards Charlotte. Peter, Trumpkin, and Edmund, now in panic mode, rushed to the boat to retrieve their weapons.

"Stay away from her!" Susan yelled, positioning her bow and arrow at the ready.

Lucy was almost reaching Charlotte, only to trip over and fall to the ground.

"Lucy!" Charlotte shrieked, grabbing Lucy finally, but the bear was too close for them to pick Lucy up and make a run for it.

"Shoot, Susan, SHOOT!" Edmund prompted her, his voice burning with trepidation.

Lucy screamed in horror as the bear stood tall before the both of them. Without hesitation, Charlotte cast herself between the two of them, shielding Lucy protectively from the ferocious beast. She readily anticipated a gash from the back, only to hear an arrow being fired, followed instantaneously by a heavy drop to the ground behind her.

She looked back at the monstrous beast, seeing it lying unconscious on the ground, having been struck by an arrow. They both looked to Lucy's siblings, realising that Susan was equally clueless with her arrow still on her bow. Trumpkin stood behind all of them, with an empty bow in his hand.

"Why wouldn't he stop?" Susan asked, perplexed.

"I suspect he was hungry," Trumpkin suggested casually.

Peter and Edmund rushed forward towards their little sister. Peter helped Lucy up, and Edmund uttered a thank you to Charlotte for protecting Lucy, still drawing his sword out just in case the bear was still alive. Trumpkin came forward to inspect the bear, discovering it was still breathing.

"Thanks," Lucy uttered gratefully.

"You could have drawn your sword," Trumpkin said, eyeing Charlotte.

"But I don't know how to use one," Charlotte admitted, hanging her head low in shame.

"Yet," Edmund placed a hand on her shoulder with a promising tone, turning to Trumpkin, "and she did the bravest thing anyone of us didn't, even without a weapon. I'm grateful for that."

A reassured and grateful beam crept upon Charlotte's face, and she placed her hand over Edmund's on her shoulder. Just this morning, he shamed her for casting herself between Peter and the bullies. At this moment, he seemed to appreciate her.

"He was wild," Edmund remarked, referring to the bear as Trumpkin poked the bear with a stick.

"I don't think he could talk at all," Peter added, exchanging glances with his brother.

"Get treated like a dumb animal long enough, that's what you become," Trumpkin explained, drawing out his dagger.

"You may find Narnia a more savage place than ever," he added, putting an end to the beast's misery.

Charlotte winced at the thought of the bear's soul leaving its body, with its ferocious expression still etched on its face. Lucy buried her face into Peter's chest, breaking into sobs.

"Come on," Trumpkin urged, "We should carry on."

Lucy was still trembling like a leaf, so Peter led her by the hand protectively. Susan followed suit, leaving Edmund and Charlotte behind. Charlotte kept her eyes glued to the lifeless bear.

"Even if I did know to use a sword," Charlotte began, causing Edmund to shift his attention to her, "I would rather he killed me than I killed him."

Edmund pursed his lips. He was not entirely sure what she meant, but she appeared gloomy and upset about the bear's death. They stood in silence for a few seconds, until Charlotte felt ready to move and catch up to the rest.

They continued walking for a bit into the woods, but minutes soon turned into hours. Charlotte was practically trudging, ready to drop dead on the ground at any second.

"Where are we now?" She asked, trying not to groan.

"I don't remember this way," Susan shared in the hopes that someone would give a better answer.

"That's the problem with girls," Peter stuck his nose high, "you can't carry a map in your heads."

"That's because our heads have something in them," Lucy shot back.

"I wish he'd just listen to the DLF in the first place," Susan retorted, to Lucy, walking on.

Edmund, catching on easily, pulled himself onto a huge boulder, which also had tree roots all over it. Placing himself on the higher ground, he grinned goofily beside Trumpkin.

"DLF?" Trumpkin asked cluelessly.

"Dear Little Friend," Lucy replied with a goofy grin, walking with Susan.

Charlotte halted behind Trumpkin. Edmund grinned mischievously, or rather amusedly, at Trumpkin's dry expression. Charlotte struggled to stifle a giggle.

"Oh, that's not at all patronising, is it?" He replied dryly.

Charlotte finally let out that giggle, gaining Edmund's attention. They met eyes, laughing together.

"Come on," Trumpkin urged the both of them, walking and leaving them behind.

"Come on, I'll walk with you," Edmund offered, gesturing her to keep moving.

Charlotte's lips curled up and she uttered a silent thank you to him before trudging forward.

They carried on walking for a while, and Charlotte again grew exhausted. She kept stopping to rest, but pushed herself to avoid holding back the group. They had reached an area in the woods full of rocks and boulders, that Charlotte simply could not resist resting on a rock.

"You alright?" Edmund stopped beside her, ensuring she was not left behind.

"My legs are getting weak," she finally complained, "does Peter even know where he's going?"

"I'm not lost," Peter mumbled as if he heard Charlotte.

"No," Trumpkin said, "you're just going the wrong way."

"My ankles are sore," Charlotte shook her head, "sorry, I'm just not used to hiking in an old-fashioned dress."

Edmund broke into laughter, extending his hands to carry her, "need some help?"

"No, it's okay," she insisted, "I'm heavy anyway. You wouldn't be able to lift me."

"You insult me." Edmund scoffed, withdrawing his hands back to his sides as he accompanied her to catch up with the rest.

"Don't take it personally, King Edmund," Charlotte let out a laugh, "I'm sure you could if I was as small as Lucy. Or even the dwarf."

"Now you're insulting him," Edmund shook his head.

"Don't tell him I said that," Charlotte added, causing Edmund to break into an amused grin.

"I mean, if he could walk this far without complaining, I should too," she added, finally making him laugh.

"You said you last saw Caspian in the shuddering woods," Peter recalled, "and the quickest way there is to cross at the river rush."

"Unless I'm mistaken, there's no crossing in these parts," Trumpkin replied.

"That explains it then," Peter said arrogantly, "you're mistaken."

They all exchanged glances, taken aback by Peter's attitude. One by one, they trudged forward, following him.