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✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩⚔️Final Battle⚔️✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩

Miraz dropping lifeless to the coarse ground was a bolt out of the blue. The colour drained from everyone's faces at the sudden turn of events. General Glozelle was already on a horse galloping away to their army.

Realisation then struck Charlotte on the conversation she overheard between the two the day before.

If he fails, we'll kill him. And the attack would proceed.

"They wanted to overthrow Miraz," she deduced, exchanging looks with Peter. "Sopespian and Glozelle planned this, and they wanted to proceed with the att-"

"Treachery!" Sopespian yelled, pointing at them, "They shot him! They murdered our King!"

Sopespian rushed in the opposite direction to join the Telmarines for battle.

"Be ready!" Peter warned.

"Peter!" Caspian shrieked in alarm, pointing behind him.

One of the Council members marched forward, raising his blade to strike Peter. Peter swiftly sliced him and took him out without an ounce of mercy, before turning to Caspian.

"Go!" He instructed with a bellow.

"To arms, Telmar!" General Glozelle's virile and stern voice was distinctively heard from across the field.

"This is it, Charlotte," Peter encouraged her, "this is what Edmund trained you for."

"I don't know," she frowned, shaking her head in distress, "what happened before..."

"What happened before was our fault, you suffered the consequences of our own mistakes, it has nothing to do with your skills." Peter's soothing tone flowed through her ears as she felt his hands gently grasping her shoulders.

"If your skills have anything to do with the last battle, you defeated Miraz in single combat, and that speaks loudly about you as a fighter," Edmund added, "you are ready."

"We let you down before," Peter apologised, meeting her eyes with assurance and confidence, "but we won't this time. We'll fight together, for Aslan, and for Narnia."

Charlotte was silent, as she examined his sincere expression.

"We need to watch each other's backs," she advised them, "I've overheard their discussions. We may be small in numbers, but we're a huge threat to them. They will stop at nothing to take us down."

"We will." Peter promised.

Gulping down her fears and doubts, she nodded slowly at him and glanced at Edmund.

"I'll be back," she assured him, "with a horse."

She sprinted back to the How, leaving the two brothers to stand in formation.

"Cavalry!" General Glozelle bellowed to his troops, "Attack!"

Peter and Edmund looked on at the army of Telmarines galloping in their direction. Boulders were blasted from their catapults, taking out a few of the Narnians. Edmund took a quick glance at his older brother, and back at them. He clung on to that ray of hope that Peter's plan would work this time, considering that they've got Charlotte back and faith in one another.

"Archers to the ready!" Susan instructed.

Peter swiftly glanced back at Caspian and Glenstorm, and they understood his cue to proceed with their battle strategy. Glenstorm galloped with Caspian towards the underground, signalling their troops in hiding to prepare for battle.

At the sound of the fanfare underneath the ground, Peter patiently counted in an ascending order, placing his faith in Caspian to coordinate their attack in perfect synchronisation.

"Get ready!" He announced, once reaching the count of ten.

On cue, the grass collapsed around the Telmarines, instantly catching them off by surprise. The Telmarine soldiers stumbled into the rocky pit in a state of bewilderment. Peter was pleased knowing that Caspian had led the rest of them underneath the ground, smashing all its earthly pillars that supported the ground above.

"Stop! Back, back!" One of them yelled, warning the rest to avoid descending into the pit.

"Now!" Susan released her bow on target from the top of the How.

On her command, the archers sent a wave of bows flying across the field. While a few were eliminated by the opposing boulders, most were successfully planted into the pit, taking out the hysterical soldiers attempting to climb out. Many cries were heard, as panic spread amongst them like wildfire.

"Edmund!" Charlotte's voice was heard, followed by the clip-clops of a galloping horse.

Edmund grabbed the crossbow left behind by the Telmarines and leapt on a rock, swiftly and successfully mounting the moving horse with her.

"Charge!" Peter announced, and the Narnians sprinted forward, thirsty for their victory.

Much to the Telmarines' dismay, the grounds opened and more Narnians emerged from the underground behind them under Caspian's leadership. They were surrounded by determination and resilience of freedom fighters from different angles.

With Charlotte steering the horse, Edmund whipped out the crossbow and began shooting at the Telmarines attempting to climb out of the rocky pit.

"I'm getting off," she announced, "I've only got my sword."

"You're sure you can manage?" He asked.

"Sure, can you?" She challenged fiercely and proceeded to slide off the horse's back.

Charlotte drew her sword and charged at opponents coming at her. She struck the first soldier after a few hits, seizing his shield to use as her own. She crouched with the shield, blocking a blade. Then, she took a soldier out by his legs.

Edmund stared at her with raised eyebrows, lowering his jaw in astonishment. Without a doubt, he was clearly impressed at the excellent fighter he had produced over the course of one week. After all, he never really got the chance to observe her performance up close in battle the last time.

"Ed, look out!" Peter warned.

Edmund raised his guard and began shooting at all the monstrous soldiers coming at him on the horse. His heart pounded in fear that the Council had yet to send out more soldiers into the battlefield, as they were all stationed outside the battle arena. He could only hope that Aslan would come to their aid as soon as possible.

The gryphons soared with dwarves who shot arrows from the sky. They manoeuvred past the flying boulders with success, but unfortunately not the arrows being shot from the ground by the Telmarines' catapults. They rolled on the ground, roughly injuring the dwarves.

Peter oversaw his troops with worry for their well-being. He turned around to Susan who was well protected by the How with the other archers at a safe distance.

"Lucy?!" Peter prompted Susan, hoping that Aslan would be found.

Susan shook her head slowly, seeming just as uncertain as he was. Her faith, too, was shaken by the turn of events. Lucy finding Aslan was their only hope.

Charlotte continued slicing the Telmarines coming at her. Her luck soon changed when a Telmarine sliced her knee, causing her to stumble backwards. He seized the opportunity to shove her shield, sending her flying to the ground.

She glanced wide-eyed at the man about to strike her. She quickly grabbed her sword in the nick of time, blocking his strike.

Then he stared at her wide-eyed, and let out a grunt. Realising he was falling, she rolled to the side, seeing an arrow to his back. Looking up, she noticed her saviour galloping towards her.

"Are you alright?!" Edmund asked, his eyes conveying a kind of perturbation.

"Y-yeah, thanks," she forced out, dusting the dirt off her attire as she swiftly rose on her feet.

"Thought you said you could manage," he teased with a chuckle.

"I was doing just fine," she grinned at him, "but I appreciate the help."

"Charlotte! Ed! Caspian!" The hysteria in Peter's voice caught their attention.

"Back to the How!" His instructions reached their ears as he gestured to the How with his sword.

Charlotte, Edmund, and Caspian exchanged glances with each other.

"Come on," Edmund tugged on her hand, pulling her up on the horse.

Both Edmund's and Caspian's horses galloped in opposite directions as they relayed Peter's message to their troops on either sides. With their warnings, everyone rushed to retreat towards their safe haven, lightly shoving past each other, sprinting as quickly as their legs could carry them.

The boulders continued raining on them, eventually attacking the How to prevent their escape. Seeing their fort under attack caused panic to spread amongst them like wildfire. The boulders came from all angles, slowly inching upwards to attack the archers stationed firmly at the top of the How.

"Brace yourselves!" Susan warned the archers upon realising that they, too, were vulnerable to the incoming rocks.

Charlotte glanced up at the sky before she instantaneously let out a shriek.

"Edmund!" She cried out in alarm.

Before Edmund could react to an incoming boulder, the horse let out an anguished neigh as it dropped to the ground, sending the two riders flying to the ground.

"Charlotte!" He swiftly picked himself off the ground, rushing to the girl who landed a few metres away.

"I'm fine," she winced as he pulled her up.

"The How!" She pointed, where the Narnians were headed recklessly.

"Stop!" Edmund warned.

The hoard of boulders knocked the How, creating a rockslide that ultimately blocked their entrance. Of all the creatures rushing forward recklessly, the rockslide crushed the first fawn underneath it. This prompted everyone to stay back and steer clear of the flying rocks. Charlotte placed both of her hands over her mouth to avoid letting out a cry.

The ground underneath Susan crumbled into pieces in a flash. She let out a cry as she fell off the edge. Fortunately, Trumpkin caught her hand in the nick of time and aided her in landing on the earth debris safely. Caspian and Peter looked on in relief, and she soon climbed down to join them on the lower ground.

"Peter, what do we do?" Caspian prompted.

Peter was stuck. He had no answer, and he was on the verge of losing hope once more. He desperately needed support.

Edmund and Charlotte rushed to his side. Exchanging looks with Peter, Edmund drew out his sword, indicating his loyalty to the end. Peter shifted his gaze to the battlezone. No words were exchanged, but their support alone was sufficient for Peter to charge forward with confidence.

They all followed suit after their magnificent king, charging ahead with full determination. If the fight was to be to the death, so be it.

Charlotte landed a strike at a soldier before swiftly seizing his sword.  She tossed it into her mentor's hand. Successfully catching it in his hand, Edmund proceeded to strike the soldiers coming at him.

Meanwhile, she successfully bound her weapon with that of a soldier, swiping it from his grasp. Only injuring him with a slash to his abdomen, she seized his blade just as Edmund had taught her to. She joined Edmund, fighting while watching each other's backs.

She ducked in coordination as Edmund swung at the soldier she battled. Simultaneously, she injured the soldier in front of him by the knee. They took on as many as four soldiers each time, but they were uncertain how much longer they could keep this up.

"Edmund, there's too many," Charlotte complained, "my arms are getting tired."

Edmund wanted his faith to remain strong, but it somehow seemed like they were fighting a losing battle, despite the large numbers of soldiers they successfully defeated.

"Stay with me, Charlotte," he urged her on, extending his arms to her side of the battle and taking out soldiers who overpowered her.

He kneeled on the ground and slashed a soldier in the legs and abdomen, severely wounding him. He looked on at the army sending more soldiers marching into the battlefield.

The centaurs and fawns charged ahead without hesitation. Reepicheep scurried under them, desperate to take as many of them out as possible.

"Edmund, look out!" Charlotte warned, jumping in between him and a soldier approaching them from behind.

"Charlotte, no!" He roared.

The soldier struck at Charlotte, who bravely struck him back, swinging her sword diagonally. With her back turned on Edmund, it was unclear if she was winning or losing. All he knew was that she was being drained of her energy by the minute. She took a few hits, eventually losing her balance.

He shifted his gaze to the Telmarine soldier. His blood boiled with rage, and his eyes turned red with fury, intimidating the older man. He roared, grasping his sword and protectively shielding her from the soldier. Edmund raised his blade, preparing to end the soldier without sparing mercy.

However, the Telmarine had a look of terror plastered on his face as he glanced behind Edmund, as if something far more enormous and terrifying was in his view. In a split second, a monstrous overgrown tree root grabbed him vigorously, swinging him away far to the right.

Then, it dawned on them that the trees were alive.

*****A/N: We're left with about 6 chapters, I'm super hyped to finish this! Stay tuned, and be patient! I'll try to finish this as quickly as possible but I don't want to rush it with lazy writing.

I'd love to hear feedback. Even though this is just a fanfiction, I'm practising and improving my skills before I dive into some of my original projects. Feel free to criticise my weaknesses, offer suggestions for improvement, or praise some strengths that you think would help in my journey.

Vote and comment too if you enjoy this chapter! Let's support each other :) 💗