XV

                                    

                                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
"Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak"
 - Sun Tzu




Narnia, 1000
As Olivia ordered, the Narnian army soon left the camp and headed to Beruna. As the girl hoped, they had been the first to arrive, meaning the troops had time to stuff their bellies and get hydrated, being fresh for a fight. 
But, the witch's army did not take too long to arrive, and soon enough, Trilo, the Gryphon, had come back flying with the news that they were in a dangerous distance. Trilo then went back and flew over to the witch's army to check their numbers.
Peter, Oreius, and Olivia were on the army's lead at the start of the first line. All of the armour of the folk was red and silver, with the lion figure on evident display. Peter was riding a unicorn while Olivia rode a grey horse named Horacia. 
Olivia's armour wasn't the fireproof one. She recognized other fellows deserved that armour better than she did, so she gave up on that. Her armour was a silver skirt of reasonable length, with her boots very high until they met the bare of her skirt. Her arms and chest were fully covered in the silver tunic with the red lion in the middle. Her helmet was a little heavy on her head, but nothing the girl couldn't support. Her spear was steady on her saddle, her grandfather's dagger hidden on her shoe. Her lion necklace had been left behind since Olivia couldn't risk losing it. 
The Gryphon finished taking a round in the army and landed next to Olivia to the far right. 
" They come, your Highness, in numbers and weapons far greater than our own. " Trilo the Gryphon panted. 
" Numbers do not win a battle. " Oreius spoke wisely. 
" No. But I bet they help. " Peter gulped. 
Olivia looked over her shoulder to where she could see Edmund. She nodded, and so did he. The loud sound of a horn broke the two's gaze, signalling the witch's dramatic arrival. 
In sight, first came a minotaur. He roared and raised his axe, and the entirety of the white witch's army appeared. But the most infuriating thing wasn't the number in the army nor the weapons; The worst thing was the scarf of fur wrapped around Jadis' neck, Aslan's fur. 
" Is that what I think it is? " Olivia asked, glaring at the white witch. 
" It sure is. " Peter responded. He looked back at his brother, who showed him a stern look. You can't give up now, Edmund thought. He hoped his brother had understood the message. 
Peter grabbed the hilt of his sword and unsheathed his weapon, raising it high. The horn of the Narnian army was blown, and the crowd cheered. 
With a command from his queen, the minotaur roared, and the opposing army began attacking. Peter was about to drop his sword and signal for their troops to initiate their plan when Olivia stopped him. Find an opportune moment, the girl's words echoed in Peter's head. 
She turned her head towards Edmund, raised her finger, and spun it. They had devised the command for Edmund to unsheathe and raise his sword. He did as she ordered, and Olivia nodded in approval. 
Olivia saw the minute the first creature crossed the imaginary line the girl had drawn in her head. " Now! " She yelled, making the boys move their swords up and down, and the Gryphons started charging with the rocks in their claws. 
According to the plan, the strike of the Gryphons was perfectly timed. Olivia projected a mental image of the token from the first line of the witch's army being thrown off the table.
Peter turned his head towards Oreius. " Are you with me? " He asked the centaur general. 
" To the death. " Oreius replied. 
Peter turned his head towards Olivia. " Don't even ask. Yes, to the end. " She responded, cutting Peter off with a grin. 
Gather your courage. 
" For Narnia and Aslan! " He called. The unicorn neighed and stood on its two paws.
Olivia unsheathed her spear and yelled, making the army begin charging toward the enemy, except for her, for she stayed still. The girl still had a much larger plan in mind before she would start attacking as well.  
" First formation! " Olivia yelled, and the centaurs gained speed and set out to meet the army first. The half-horse half-human creatures projected their shields in front of their bodies and used their spears to attack blindly. Peter lowered his helmet, breathing heavily and his heart strumming against his chest. 
The armies clashed with fury, as violent as they could get. The death of a traitor minotaur drew the first blood. Olivia watched as Jadis started walking, meaning her second line was charging into battle. The girl looked up and saw no remaining gryphon, indicating a green flag in the sky for her to proceed with her plan. 
" Edmund, now! " She yelled, making another different move with her hand for Edmund to see. 
" Fire! " The boy ordered, swinging his sword from the bow to the field. The first archer took her position and flamed up an arrow. She launched it into the sky, giving cue to the phoenix. 
It soon came into the scene, and when near enough, she drew a flamed line between the first and second part of Jadis' army. The crowd of Narnians cheered, and Olivia smiled in victory.
Jadis cut that happiness short. When her wand touched the fire, it turned blue and disappeared in thin air. Peter's eyes widened, and he turned to Olivia. The future king found it comforting she did not look defeated, meaning she had other ideas in mind. Olivia did a tornado movement with her fingers and pointed to the rocks. Peter nodded. 
" Fall back! Draw them to the rocks! " 
The horn blew, and the archers started moving in the said direction. Olivia and her horse rushed to encounter them there. The witch smirked in victory, thinking she had won and that they were trapped. 
When the witch's army reached the rocks, the archers unleashed their arrows at the command of Edmund. The aims were precise and only got those in the opposing army. Olivia winked at him and muttered: excellent timing. The boy blushed and filled himself with pride. 
One of the archers of the opposing army managed to hit the leg of Peter's unicorn, throwing him off balance. Peter fell into the grass and lost his helmet amidst the confusion. Olivia widened her eyes and charged towards Peter, helping him up to his feet. 
" Horacia, take care of him. " Olivia said, jumping off the horse. Peter looked at her confusedly. 
" What are you doing? " Peter asked her when he got up. 
"Sometimes, some sacrifices are needed in order to win. " She grinned. Oreius passed by and helped her up his back. 
Peter only understood what she meant when it was too late. He yelled out the girl's name as she charged towards Jadis on Oreius' back and with Baltazar, the rhinoceros, by her side. 
Baltazar had done quite the damage but was soon pushed to his back. Oreius and Olivia jumped over him, running towards the white witch. A minotaur named Otmin clung to Oreius' back and threw Olivia off. 
The girl managed to land on her feet. With her spear in hand, Olivia started running toward the white witch, slashing those who tried to enter her path. Oreius arrived first but unsuccessfully fought the woman. 
The white witch froze Oreius on the spot, and Olivia attacked her the second she had frozen the centaur. Catching the witch off guard, Olivia managed to leave a nasty cut on her arm, one that would leave a mark and make her fight with difficulty. 
But not all glory lasts long. The last thing Olivia saw was the tip of Jadis' blade on her stomach and the feeling of her veins running cold. 
" Olivia! "