~By the Lion's Mane~ >A Narnian Fanfiction<

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

I woke a few hours later, my arm in a sling and well bound up. Candle light flickered on the wooden planks, casting a warm, comfortable glow. I was in my bed, and Edmund, Susan, and Lucy were all sitting or standing around me, crowding my little cabin.

"Ah, good, you're up," Susan said, her voice sounding relieved. She held out a small cup of cocoa, which I drank greedily.

When I finished, she stood and went. She paused at the door, and then whispered, "Thank you," before turning and leaving. Lucy looked between me and Edmund, and then also stood.

"Goodnight, Rose. Watch that arm." Then she also left, leaving only me and Edmund.

"Why didn't you tell me you got hurt? Rather stupid of you to come down here alone. You lost so much blood, you passed out," he said, a worried frown on his handsome face.

I remembered those strong, muscular arms around me. So comforting, so safe. I found myself longing to feel them again. I sat up straighter. I wanted to tell him right then, how I felt, how much I loved him. But instead, I had to ruin the moment with a typical Rose response. "I was fine. I thought I could do it up myself."

He gave a short, humorless laugh. "Yeah, obviously you had it all under control."

I frowned. "I'm not completely helpless, you know."

"I didn't say that, I just said that since you fainted, you probably needed some help, which I provided."

I glared at him, and tried to cross my arms. Pain shot up my right. I hissed, clenching my teeth. Edmund's smug look vanished as he leaned forward, looking worried.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," I said defensively.

He nodded once. "Just... careful with that arm," and then he turned and left.

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The next morning, I rose and went up onto the deck. I looked to our left and saw a gray smudge on the horizon. I guessed that we were sailing past the huge triangle of land that juts out of Calormen into the sea. It would take at least two more days to reach Cair Paravel. The water here was sapphire blue, and dolphins leaped and cackled in the white-capped waves the ship made. I spent most of the morning watching them, as my arm didn't allow me to climb the ropes.

The next two days passed in the same way. On the third day, I finally saw the white cliffs of the Narnian coast jutting out of the horizon. We anchored in the harbor, and I led a very relieved Anduril down off of the ship. He hated traveling by sea, as most animals do.

Corin followed with his pony, and then Edmund with Phillip. But as Susan and Lucy's mares were being led down, we were startled at the sound of galloping hooves. A handsome stag slid to a stop in front of where I stood holding the horses.

"Anvard," he panted, "is under attack. Calormenes. You must go at once."

I blinked, my mind racing. They must have found the dead guards soon after we departed during the night and marched nonstop across the Great Desert. Rabadash was a fool, but that fact, combined with Calormen's huge army, made the situation all the more dangerous.

I turned and shouted up to the men on the ship. Edmund and Susan and Lucy raced back down the plank. Susan began crying and saying it was all her fault, while Lucy tried to console her. I quietly conversed with Edmund.

"What do we do?" I asked. On such short notice, it would be impossible to gather a suitable army.

The stag, whose name was Chervy, spoke as if reading my mind. "I have already gathered a small army, and more are on their way. If you march right away, you could reach Anvard before it's too late."