High Queen Layla, It Has a Nice Ring to It

Waiting for the signal that would begin the raid was when Layla finally got the chance to confront Peter.

“Peter, can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked him stopping his conversation with Susan. He nodded to his sister before following Layla into an area on the side. As soon as they stopped was when she spat out the first question that had been bugging her most. “Why do you act like you’re angry that we were married before?”

Peter looked at her with surprise. “Layla, now isn’t really the time t—”

“Yes it is Peter! It is the perfect time because people are going to die tonight! And if you end up being one of those people, and I never get to hear the answer or tell you anything I’m going to regret it. So just answer the damn question! Humor me!” Layla exclaimed knowing the time press.

Peter sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I’m not angry that we were married. I’m angry that I don’t remember it.” He said, and the temper that had began to flare up in Layla was diminished in a second. “I wish I could remember it, because I’ve been in l—”

“Peter, the first signal.” Susan informed them. Peter nodded before he pulled Layla into a hug.

“I promise you, we’ll talk about this later.” He told her. Then he made his way towards the cliff and was picked up by a Gryphon, as was Layla.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Layla muttered to him even though he couldn’t hear her. Layla only had to use one spell on a person who was aiming for Edmund, that wasn’t spotted by Susan or Peter.

Layla was relieved when they landed and thankful she wasn’t falling to her death yet, following behind Peter as they descended into a room, Layla found herself thinking of Yvainne and Carissa who were still at the Howe, and Jared, who was waiting with the others for the gate to lower, and Lucy who would hopefully be alright when she found out that we had basically lost.

“I have to find him.”

Caspian’s voice broke Layla out of her reveries. “You don’t have time. You need to get the gate open.” Peter told him in reply. Layla felt bad for him, since she knew how it felt. He was a natural born leader taking Orders from a thickhead that just happened to be an old King.

“You wouldn’t even be here without him.” Caspian defended. “And neither would I.” He added softly. Layla knew that would break Susan as Peter turned to her to get her opinion.

“You and I can deal with Miraz.” She said before turning to Layla.

“And I can still get to the gate in time.” Caspian said as Layla sighed, giving into Susan’s pleading eyes.

“I’ll go with him, and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” I supplied. Peter chuckled.

“I don’t think that’s as reassuring as you meant it to be.” Peter told her with a smirk as Susan and the others began to head out. He almost followed them, until Layla grabbed his wrist.

Without thinking Layla reached onto her toes and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. “Be safe.” She muttered to him before following after Caspian.

~*~

On their way to... wherever they were going Layla spoke up with something else that had been bugging her, “So you like Susan?”

“Really? Layla you are one strange girl.” Caspian retorted Layla huffed as they turned another conrer.

“Just answer the question.” She told him.

“No.” Caspian replied.

“No as in... No I won’t answer your question, or No I don’t like Susan?” Layla asked.

“No as in, No I don’t like Susan. At least, not the way you’re thinking. Yes she is a beautiful girl, but I love someone else.” Caspian responded as they approached a few guards. Layla took them out before stopping him in confusion.

“Hang on. Who?” Layla asked grabbing hold of his wrist.

“Layla we really don’t have time right no—”

“Then just answer the damned question!!” Layla exclaimed.

“Your sister.” Caspian answered before moving forward.

“That’s a bit on the perverted side don’t you think? I mean she is only 14, and you’re, what 20?” Layla rambled, Caspian laughed.

“Not that sister.”

“Oh.” Layla said blushing. It was then that they reached the holding cells, and Caspian had to fight one guard. Layla waved at the other one sweetly as her magic built in her fingers before she sent a spell at them.

With a giggle she followed Caspian down towards wherever the guy was. He opened a cell door, and Layla decided to keep watch in case anyone else came down here.

There were a few words exchanged between the two, which Layla didn’t exactly hear, until, “I didn’t help you escape just so you could break back in!” the professor told Caspian raising his voice. “You have to get out before Miraz learns you’re here.”

“He’s going to learn soon enough, now come on!” Layla told them.

Layla watched out for another minute or two as the two exchanged a few more words. Then Caspian was racing past her. Layla turned back to look at the professor, who looked both confused and a little bit worried. With a sigh Layla told him, “Come on, let’s get you out of here and safe.”

But the professor refused. “No. Go after him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” Layla laughed.

“After spending all my time with Peter, that’s like my specialty.” Layla told him with a wink, then she was off following the Prince.

~*~

Layla was still trying to find Caspian when she ran into Peter and Susan.

“Where’s Caspian?” Peter asked her. Layla sighed.

“I lost him when we were down with the professor. He just raced past me and—”

It was then that Susan shushed Layla.

“Put the sword down, Caspian. I don’t want to do this.” Came the muffled voice from the room they were standing before.

Susan opened the door, “We don’t want you to either.” She said aiming her bow at the ‘Queen-to-be’.

“This used to be a private room.” Miraz said with dry humor. Layla laughed.

“Yeah well that privilege is lost when you’re someone like you.” She spat without thinking.

“What are you doing? You’re supposed to be in the gatehouse!” Caspian shook his head at Peter’s words.

“No! Tonight for once, I want the truth.” Caspian said, pressing his sword closer to his uncle’s neck. “Did you kill my father?”

Layla’s eyes widened as Miraz drew a look of comprehension. “Now we get to it.” Miraz said with a smug tone. Layla felt like releasing all of her emotions just then on Miraz through magic, but held herself back as she felt Peter’s free hand take hers.

“You said your brother died in his sleep.” Miraz’s wife said with confusion.

“That was more or less true.” Miraz commented.

“Caspian, this won’t make things any better.” Susan told him, being the voice of reason as always.

“We Telmarines would have nothing had we not taken it. Your father knew that as well as anyone.” Miraz told Caspian, only trying to fuel the fire.

“How could you?” Miraz’s wife asked, fear evident in her voice as she realized that her own husband had killed the old king.

“For the same reason you will pull that trigger. For our son.” Miraz told her. Caspian pressed the sword further into his neck as the woman cried out, “Stop!”

“Stay right there.” Susan called.

“You need to make a choice, dear. Do you want our child to be king? Or do you want him to be like Caspian here? Fatherless!” Layla saw what happened next coming and sent a spell towards the crossbow that disabled it.

“No!” She cried releasing the arrow.

Dammit, it hit too late.

Everything happened so quickly then.

“Caspian!” Peter called as Caspian grabbed his arm in pain from the arrow. Miraz escaped. And Peter hurried Layla out of the room and towards the gatehouse.

She heard the bells ringing as she ran after Peter. She’d never seen him so intent on getting something done. Susan tried to convince him to just let it go and call the whole thing off. They’d screwed up, and she knew they’d suffer for it if the continued, but he said he knew he could do it. Then he cried out in desperation, “Help me!”

Layla couldn’t help but respond to that, not when he sounded so helpless, and so all three of them helped him; Susan though wasn’t satisfied.

“Exactly who are you doing this for, Peter?” she asked him. Layla saw him glance at Susan before looking at Layla, and then concentrating on the task at hand.

As soon as the troops were through the gates, they all turned around and drew their weapons, Layla charging her magic, as Peter shouted, “For Narnia!”

Then Layla cast an invisibility spell, and she made her way around casting spells at as many enemies as she could, and always moving so that they couldn’t find her. Though at one point, Layla stopped to watch Peter as he fought. She’d never seen something quite like it.

Layla made her way to her post from her vision, and began shooting spells.

“Get that gate closed!” Layla heard from above her as she shot spell after spell at the soldiers. She saw Trumpkin fall, and the soldiers began cutting the only thing hold the gate up.

“Peter!!” Layla called out to get his attention. She knew she would be giving her position away by doing so, but she had to warn him of the gate. He looked over just in time to see the soldiers cut the thing off, and the gate begin to fall. A minotaur began to hold the gate up, and Layla muttered a spell to lend him strength and heal any injuries he had.

It was then that Peter realized they had to retreat, and called out, “Fall Back!” It was like her heart began to break at seeing so many deaths, and all for nothing now. People began to do as they were told as Layla heard Peter shout, “We need to retreat! Now!”

“Go! Get her out of here!” He told a centaur motioning to Susan. With that Layla reversed her invisibility spell and found her way to Peter.

“Back to the gate! Go!” Peter shouted for their troops. Layla grabbed his free hand to let him know she was with him as they progressed back to the gate, still shooting spells left and right trying to keep the soldiers away.

“Caspian!” Susan shouted back to Peter as she rode away with the centaur.

“I’ll find him!” Peter called out.

“I’ll help!” Layla told him but he stopped then.

“No, you need to get out!” he tried to tell her but she wouldn’t have it.

“No! Peter, I—”

“Go!” he told her, releasing her hand and pushing her towards the gate. Then she heard him call to one of the cheetah’s, “Make sure she gets out!” And before she knew it she was on the cheetah’s back and they were on their way to the gate.

Layla wasn’t sure what she would do if Peter didn’t make it out, but all she could do now was hope as she made her way out.

Once she was out, the cheetah let her off beside Susan, and she saw Jared standing on her other side. She quickly ran to him and gave him a hug, as she cried into his chest. He rubbed her back, not understanding at all what was wrong, but still comforting his sister. Then she heard their voices.

“Run for your life.”

“Save yourself.”

Layla turned around to see Caspian, the Professor, and (‘Thank Merlin, God, Aslan, and every other freaking deity out there.’) Peter. Peter looked at her as soon as she turned around. She still had tears in her eyes, and a now relieved expression on her face, as her eyes connected with his, but the look on his face was of complete pain. And she understood completely. This wasn’t what he wanted. He just wanted to win, to make Narnia a better place, and to show her that he could take care of things.

“Peter! The bridge!” Reepicheep called out, as he made his way over.

The panic was back on Layla’s face as it was on Peter’s, and he made his way over the now closing bridge, thankfully making the jump over it.

Layla was pulled onto his horse behind him as they all rode away. The tears in her eyes, falling once again out of fear, relief, sadness, and most of all regret, as she held on to Peter for dear life.

Her sobs shook her body as they rode away, and even though he couldn’t really do anything, Peter still tried to help by whispering to her that they were alright, and that everything would be okay.

Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.