*     *    *
Jamaal.

An object flew through the air. Jamaal quickly ducked as the arrow whistled past, burying itself in the armour of one of the soldiers. It hit him loudly mid-chest, the impact splitting the arrow. The man stumbled backwards, falling.

Jamaal leapt, grabbing the soldier by the wrist, yanking him away from the edge of the wall. It was a thirty foot drop, not something one hoped to expirience. He checked the man for injury. The arrow had struck armour, saving the man’s life. He was uninjured.

More arrows whistled overhead, raining death everywhere he looked. He located Caspian, fighting off those who tried to climb the city walls. Jamaal hurried to his side, helping to shove a ladder off the wall, sending enemy troops flying through the air.

Out the corner of his eye, he saw a man on the ground take aim. “Down!” He shouted grabbing the King’s cloak and pulling him off his feet. They hit the stone as the arrow ripped past, striking a man in the head and sending him off the edge of the wall.

Caspian signaled him, and he crawled closer, trying to hear what his friend had to say. “We can’t hold them off much longer. We need to quickly push them back, then retreat to the castle.” He shouted over the war around them.

Jamaal nodded and blew his horn twice, signaling the men to prepare to retreat. Then the pair surged to their feet, grabbing their bows and arrows. They, and the men around them, began to fire burning arrows, setting fire to the enemy’s wagons.

Other men poured cauldrins of boiling water down the wall, burning the men below. They also poured burning oil and tar where they could, coating the outer wall with flames. The combined effort forced the enemy away from the wall, just as they’d planned.

Enemy troops were screaming, louder now. Many of Thaddias’s men were injured and killed by the hot objects from above, but there were plenty left. There were too many left. His stomach seized, seeing cannons turning in their direction. They had spotted the King.

Caspian caught hiss eye and nodded. The knight blew his horn, the signal for retreat. Jamaal hurried after his friend, both racing for the nearest ladder. Suddenly there was a loud bang! His heart froze as the stone beneath his feet shook, the wall shuddering as the cannon ball struck. BANG!

Suddenly he was in the air, propelled forward by the sheer force of a second cannon ball hitting the wall just behind him. He spotted the edge as his body twisted around mid-air. He caught a blurry glimpse of Caspian, who stared in pale-faced shock as he blew past. This is it, I’m dead. He shut his eyes. No point in watching my own death. His body continued to flip-

*    *   *
Caspian.

Caspian watched in horror as his friend sailed through the air, slapping into the roof of a building below. He rushed down the ladder as the man slid down the roof limply. His boots hit the ground as Jamaal reached the edge of the roof.

He reached the building just as the knight fell, relieved to see he’d landed in a wagon of straw. Caspian leapt onto the wagon and crouched next to his friend, patting his knee to see if he could get a response.

Jamaal didn’t even twitch. The back of his head was bleeding, though the wound didn’t look too deep. His breathing was shallow, face a pasty white. A large lump was rising on the back of his head.

“Your majesty, we need to get out of here.” He turned to see one of his generals standing by the wagon. All around, soldiers and knights fled towards the castle. The air thundered with the sounds of cannons, arrows, and warcries. He nodded and returned his attention to his unconscious friend.

He stood and dragged the man to the edge of the cart, lifting him over his shoulder. “Lets go.”

He led the way, moving at a brisk jog through the city streets. Although he could not see them, he knew that there were kights watching him on all sides, moving with him to ensure he had complete protection.

It was a system The Three had created, allowing him to take part in the battle, but also making sure he was as safe as possible. What he wouldn’t give to have them at his side right now…

They reached the castle, gritty and sweaty, covered in the grime of battle. Caspian carefully lowered his friend to the ground where they were gathering the injured. He was still unconscious, but starting to mumble.

Caspian stood and turned to one of the maids helping the physician. “How is Hiram doing?”

“He is healing, my King. He and the others have been moved to the tunnels as requested, sir.” She answered, head bowed.

“Good.” He started to move past her, but paused, noticing her bloodstained hands. He carefully took them, ignoring the shock that appeared on her face. “Be strong. Remember the lives you are saving.” He said quietly before releasing her and turning away…

*    *   *
Isidro.

Wind and snow whipped past, adding to the feeling of desperation that was building in his chest. The world was oddly silent, despite the howling wind, beating hooves, and gasping breaths. The constant, unchanging sounds were driving him crazy as chaos flooded his mind. The world just continues on, no matter how crazy.

Under calmer conditions he would’ve admired the snow, which clung to the tree branches in thick layers, making the whole world white and frosty.

Isidro was tense, afraid that they would be spotted by barbarians before they reached Aserrawia. Anxiety made him wonder if he was about to lose his last meal.

He’d been in tight spots before, and if he was merely delivering a random lady to another King, he would’ve been pretty calm, even relaxed, but this was different. This was more important and dangerous than anything he’d ever done before.

He checked his mount. The horse was breathing hard and starting to lather. He pulled up on the reins, slowing the animal to a walk. Tamar did the same behind him, matching his speed as she reached his side.

“We’re almost at the border, time to give the horses a bit of a break.” He said, studying her mount to find him in the same condition.

Tamar nodded. “How much further do you think?”

“Another mile at most, then we should reach Aserrawia. Hopefully we’ll find some soldiers with fresh horses to get the message to King Jacques faster.” She slowly nodded again, clearly distracted. “Is there something bothering you, my Lady?”

She slowly nodded, considering him. “I am trying to figure out how I could possibly be the daughter of the old King, and how I ended up in Adrelawin.” She admitted, not meeting his gaze.

Isidro returned his eyes to scanning the snow ahead, cautious of any lumps or dips in the snow. “Six years ago, when Caspian was still a royal bodyguard like myself and The Three, bandits broke into the castle one night. In all the confusion, your father was injured, and you were taken. Thaddias must have been planning to use you for leverage before. I suspect that King Alton’s death was a mistake, and shortly after Caspian became King, they signed the treaty in order to get rid of the pirates. He must’ve kept you hidden because if the other kingdoms found out, we would all attack him.”

He paused, thinking. “When I first met you, I should have thought of that, you look like your father… And your name hasn’t changed. But the truth is, we had all given up hope of finding you, so I guess it was the farthest thing from our minds.”

She slowly nodded though still frowning. How can she not remember, she was twelve when is happened… Maybe it’s for the better, would’ve been pretty tramatizing. Just then he spotted the edge of the frozen river, which marked the boundry between Rayndra and Asserawia. His shoulders eased. Nearly there.

“This is the river. Keep your horse walking on the snowy areas, I’d hate for an accident to break their legs now.” He instructed, making sure he saw her nod before continuing onto the ice.

They were about halfway across when he heard the snow crunching behind them and turned-CRACK!- He spun around to see the ice breaking beneath Tamar’s mount!

He kicked his steed, and the horse leapt forward with such speed, it ran into the backend of the other animal, shoving the horse and rider off the broken area- CRACK!

The next thing he knew, they were plunging into the cold, swirling water. The black water seemed to swallow him, sucking the horse and rider beneath.

The stream might have been frozen on top, but it was still flowing hard below, and he felt himself being sucked along the current, his body scraping along the sheet of ice above. The cold water seemed to shred his skin, and he couldn’t help but lose some of the precious air in his lungs. The icy fingers of death wrapped around his throat, dragging him down…

*     *    *
Caspian.

Caspian stood atop the castle gate, watching as enemy troops piled over the city walls in the distance. The city he had worked so hard to rebuild, to defend, was being destroyed before his very eyes.

The beauty was laid to waste, replaced by rubble, blackened by fire. I vow to protect Rayndra, the land and the people, against all forms of harm. The day he’d become King flooded his mind, mocking him.

I vow to remain in Rayndra even in the greatest of danger, to not abandon the city or its people. I promise to build it up, to strengthen the people and the land, to ensure that all will be well cared for. I vow to seek peace, to put the needs of my people above the needs of myself. I vow to leave behind a worthy heir, one who will follow my example, and pass it down to the next in line… I vow- “My King!”

Caspian turned towards the shout, seeing one of the generals looking nervous. “We need to retreat to the tunnels! They are nearly here!”

He nodded and turned to get one last look at the Kingdom he had spent the last six years ruling. He had put everything into it, and now it was being destroyed. He sigh and lowered his head. Now would be a convenient time for help to arrive.

He turned and made his way down the ladder, knocking it over when he reached the bottom. At least we will not be helping them in any way. He thought, feeling a small measure of satisfaction in knowing that their own ladders would not help the enemy...