~ by Amanda Pizzolatto
Nico rode quickly to the border of Archenland and Narnia, then he dismounted. What could he do? He had practically been banished from both countries. How was this any of Aslan’s plan? He was grateful for Jason’s kind words of hope, but nothing he did seemed to work. As he took a few breaths to calm his racing heart and boiling blood, he did have one thing to be thankful for — Lucy was still alive.
But what did Octavian mean with that tone of voice while calling her Nico’s favorite queen? It wasn’t like he knew Queen Susan that well. But that tone of voice… did Octavian think Nico was falling in love with Queen Lucy? Nico blinked. Wait, did Tumnus think that, too? Nico shook his head; that wasn’t possible! That, that just couldn’t be!
Nico had only ever really noticed Percy Jackson. He grunted as he kicked a rock. But Percy only had eyes for Annabeth. And seeing as how everyone else besides his own sister just about avoided him like the plague, well, there wasn’t exactly much of an opportunity to find any friends, much less a romantic interest. Yet, everyone in Narnia just about welcomed him with open arms. This banishment was through no fault of his own, and most importantly, it had nothing to do with him being a son of Hades. It was nothing like the unspoken banishment he had received from Archenland.
Nico squeezed his eyes shut as he ran his hands through his dark locks. That wasn’t the important thing at the moment. What was more important was getting this stupid feud to stop.
“Aslan,” he whispered into the night sky as he slid down into a sitting position in front of a tree. “How do you expect me to stop this when no one will listen to me? When no one… when no one will… will notice me?” A soft gasp escaped his lips, along with a sob. “Please, Aslan, help me, I… I feel so alone… so helpless. Help me, please Aslan! Tell me what to do! What should I do?” A tear rolled down his cheek. “What should I do?”
“Oh, Nico!’ exclaimed a voice.
Nico quickly wiped his eyes and stood up, just in time for a warm figure to wrap him in a hug. He stood as still and as tense as a statue.
“Q-queen Lucy!” he blurted, realizing who had come to comfort him.
He blinked. No, he needed to stop thinking about himself. Yes, he was lonely—no, had been lonely. How could he forget her kindness? The kindness of all of the Narnians? He paused, everyone, that is, except for Octavian.
Lucy glanced up at him. “I’m so sorry, Nico,” she said. “So, so sorry about everything.”
“It’s not your fault,” Nico found himself whispering as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “It’s not anyone’s fault, except for Octavian.”
Lucy nodded grimly. “That’s why I’m here; he’s been busy getting everyone roused for war. I’ve tried to talk Peter out of it, but he seems set on it.” She buried her face in her hands and let out a sob. “Why, why won’t he listen to me? He’s listened to me before! Why won’t he now?”
Nico let out a sigh as he pulled her close. “Maybe we can still convince them. I know where they might meet in battle.”
Lucy sniffed before replying, “Alright, but can we stay here for a little bit? It’s so… so peaceful here.”
Nico glanced down at the golden-brown head in surprise. “W-why?”
“Because, with all this quiet, I almost feel like I can think,” muttered Lucy burying her face in his shirt.
Nico’s mouth dropped before opening and closing like a fish. Was that the reason why Aslan sent him out here? To think? Odd way of doing it, but it was working. His mind was running faster than a horse, almost faster than shadow travel, but he was thinking.
“The duel!” he blurted, breaking the silence and startling Lucy.
She blinked at him questioningly. “I, I beg your pardon?”
“An old Archenland tradition! Now that, now that…” Nico gulped; he wasn’t ready to say her name yet. Or was he? “Now that . . . Bianca is dead…” He began to tear up and choke a little, but Lucy was already rubbing his back, making him feel a little bit better. “Um, the tradition holds that the commanding officer of both armies duel first before breaking out into full battle; that is, if the opposing army is itching to fight.”
“But, how is that supposed to help us?” asked Lucy.
Nico glanced at her, a full grin finally appearing on his face. “It will get Peter and Percy apart from the rest of the army for one. We can stop them from fighting, at least. Two of them, two of us. And maybe, just maybe, we can convince everyone of the absurdity of this whole thing.”
Lucy’s eyes widened when she caught on to what he was suggesting. “Why, Nico, it’s brilliant!” she blurted, giving him a peck on the cheek. “This just might work, after all!”
“Um, yeah, yeah, I’m glad you think so.”
“Well, of course, I think so; I wouldn’t have known about that tradition!” blurted Lucy.
Nico chuckled. “You have a point there.”
“So now what?” asked Lucy.
Nico glanced around at the quiet forest. “Well, I guess sleep.”
“What about food? Have you had anything yet?”
“Um, no,” began Nico as he watched Lucy reach into her bag and bring out a simple meal of breads and cheeses. She then pulled out a blanket. “How did you fit all of that in there?” blurted Nico with astonishment.
Lucy giggled. “A faun secret. Mr. Tumnus still won’t tell me.”
“Uh-huh, right. Or you’re just not going to tell me.”
Lucy laughed. “Well, there’s that too.”
Nico chuckled as he helped her lay out the blanket and the food. They ate quietly for the most part, but when they did speak, it was of anything other than the impending battle despite the fact that they both knew it was at the forefront of each other’s minds.
After cleaning up and putting away everything, the two tried to get comfortable on the ground, using the blanket as a makeshift sheet and their robes to cover them from the chilly night air. Finally, they were both sound asleep, despite worrying that they wouldn’t wake up in time. But they needn’t have worried as a warm breath enveloped them, comforting them and sending them off into a dreamless sleep.