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Susan stared in horror as the Telmarine armies came at them full force from every direction. Lucy hadn’t arrived yet, and she wasn’t sure she ever would. How could they know that some of the soldiers hadn’t gotten away and gone after her? She’s was only a little girl, after all.
She also saw another problem. She was running out of arrows. Sure, she could take some already used ones from the bodies of the fallen, but that would take time that she didn’t have as the men surrounded them. Looking around quickly, she caught Peter’s eye and shook her head. She had no idea how they were going to get out of this one.
Sensing her train of thought, Peter pulled everyone back to the How, and as some of their men stayed to fight, the siblings tried to help the ones who were injured. Among them walked an injured Caspian.
“Caspian, you really need to get that looked at,” Edmund said from behind him.
Turning, Susan looked at him in shock. “You’re hurt! You need help.”
Shaking his head, he sighed. “I am fine. We need to get back out there and fight.”
“Caspian, you are obviously not fine, and it will only get worse if you don’t-” Peter stopped as Caspian groaned and slid to the floor. “See?”
Susan knelt next to Caspian as Lucy was seen running over with her healing cordial. “Caspian…”
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he whispered, looking at the liquid soaking through his pant legs in horror. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
As Susan gently probed the area where the arrow had pierced his leg, she shook her head. “You will be fine, Caspian. Lucy is coming with her cordial, and then you’ll be healed.”
He looked up at her now, eyes filled with pain and sorrow. “No, this! This fighting! This shouldn’t be happening! My uncle should never have gotten the throne. None of these deaths would have happened, and Narnia would still be at peace.”
Susan shook her head. “The Telmarines would have been at peace, but look around you. Every one of these Narnians would still be hidden somewhere in the woods. You brought everyone together, Caspian. You did this. This is a good thing. Whatever happens…you did good.”
He smiled at her, then groaned as she pulled the arrow from his leg. “Ow!”
Susan shrugged. “Sorry…I need the arrow.” She moved back as Lucy gave him a drop from her cordial and then helped him to his feet. “Now come on…we’ve got a battle to win.”
He watched her walk away, a smile on her face, then followed her into the dusty battlefield.