The Last Time

The Pevensie children helped fend off the carriage; Lucy and Susan using their archery while Peter and Edmund used their swords.

A cloaked figure escaped the carriage and ran, five soldiers chasing after it. Edmund watched them, but diverted his attention back to his current foes.

“Ed, we have to rescue him!” Peter exclaimed, taking his two foes out easily.

He turned to Rowan whom was near his sisters before speaking.

“Take care of them!” he cried.

The centaur nodded, taking out a soldier who tried attacking Peter from behind. Peter and Edmund rushed towards the forest without a backwards glance.

They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, a weird feeling overcoming Edmund. It was as though he'd been through this before, but he knew he hadn't. It'd been years since the previous time he visited Narnia. It was true, but why was this feeling lingering?

“Ed!” Peter called, bringing Edmund out of his thoughts.

Edmund diverted his attention back to his surroundings and saw two soldiers heading their way. Both brothers clashed swords against their enemies and quickly defeated them, once again, chasing after the remaining three.

The hooded figure was a fast runner; its black and red cloak was noticeable in the sunlight. Suddenly, the figure tripped as an arrow from one of the soldiers grazed its foot.

“We've got to catch up! He's in danger!” Ed got out.

“Come on!” Peter exclaimed.

Soon enough, they approached their foes, Ed immediately taking out one just as the archer readied to shoot at the hooded figure again. Peter took out one of the two foes, having trouble with the last one. Edmund and Peter double teamed the man, defeating him.

They tried catching their breath as they walked to the figure, no longer hooded.

“Are you alright?” Edmund asked breathlessly.

“Yes, thank you”, the person replied in a shy tone, lifting their head.

The girl had a round face with caramel colored skin and brown, animated eyes. She wore an emotionless expression as she stared at the boys.

Peter and Edmund stared at the girl, Edmund recognizing her immediately. He took a few steps back, tripping over his own feet. The girl stood as Peter rushed to her, helping her up, brushing the leaves off of her.

“What's wrong, Ed?” Peter asked staring from the girl to Edmund and back again as he rushed to help Ed up. Ed stared at the girl.

“Y-you're that girl-the girl I saw in London! How can this be?” he asked in shock.

“You're Ed-mund, right?” the girl said, wrinkling her brows in concentration as she seemed to struggle with Ed's name.

Peter stepped closer to her, getting a better look. He remembered seeing the girl after Edmund pointed her out to him.

“You are her!” he exclaimed, stepping back towards his brother. The girl raised a brow at the two in slight annoyance.

“I do have a name, you know?” she said, placing her hands on her hips.

“What is her name?” Peter asked Ed in a low tone, but the girl heard him.

“Arianna. My name is Arianna”, she answered.

“Who are you? How did you get here-in Narnia?” Ed asked as he stepped closer to her while Peter backed away from them, looking towards the way they'd come.

“I remember my name and how I got here, but I don't remember something else-something important”, Arianna said in a confused tone, clutching the necklace absentmindedly through her fingers.

“Like what?” Peter asked.

“I-I don't know. All I know is that I'm supposed to take care of this”, she replied, raising the necklace.

Peter wrinkled his brows as he stared at the necklace, recognizing it immediately and the girl.

The carriage Arianna was in earlier had arrived with Susan, Lucy, and the Rowan arriving as well on a nearby hill. They waved towards the trio as Arianna stood in shock, staring from the girls to the boys and back again.

“You'd better come with us, then, unless you want more of those guys coming after you”, Ed said, looking back at the direction the soldiers came from.

“Alright”, she said after a while.

Peter led the way with Arianna and Edmund on his heels.