• Centaur Memories

    Clouds blocked the sun, sending a pale light on another average day. The dull pine trees and gray grass of Owlwood covered the area, surrounding the small Narnian village of Equose. The day was quiet, and the bland, late autumn weather made everyone gloomy. Unenthusiastic Narnians walked from place to place, doing their daily routines. Shoe shops and smithies and the like were set up in dusty canvas tents and workshops along dirt roads throughout the town. In one of these smithies was a blacksmith named Sophos. Sophos was a centaur. He had curly auburn locks, a chiseled jaw, serious emerald eyes, and bronze skin, with tribal tattoos that formed a maze-like pattern on his torso and arms.

    “Sophos”, said a voice from his house behind the workshop. The voice was from Nadia, his lovely centauress wife. Her wavy ebony hair went down past her shoulders and rested on her worn linen tunic, draped over a silver leaf necklace (made by Sophos) that she wore wherever she went. Her horse half was a rich brown, like her husband’s. “Can you watch Aiolos for me?” she said. “I have to make a trip to the marketplace.”

    Sophos replied, “As you wish.”

    Aiolos, the son of the family, sat on a leather mat, watching his father do his trade. He had coal black hair that covered one of his ocean blue eyes. He had tan skin, and the hair on his equestrian half was chocolate brown, with a black tail.

    Sching! Sching! Sching! Sophos sharpened the edge of a sword on a wheel powered by one of his hooves.

    “Father,” Aiolos inquired, “May I go to Adreaus’s house and practice sword fighting?”

    “Not today, son,” his father replied. “Today I will teach you how to craft a real sword, not one made out of a stick.” Aiolos jumped up with excitement and trotted over to his father. Sophos set aside a newly finished weapon. He took out a new chunk of steel and placed it over the luminous orange coals, to heat up. “Aiolos, do you know why my swords are so well known throughout the land?”asked Sophos.

    “Why?”

    “Because my swords are made with the finest Damascus steel. And what do you think is so special about Damascus steel?”

    Aiolos guessed, “Does it make sharper and stronger swords?”

    “You’re right, my son! You will be a fine blacksmith someday. I just know it.” Aiolos grinned as Sophos ruffled his hair with his hand. Sophos grasped a pair of tongs and took out the chunk of steel that was heating up, and placed it on an anvil. He used the tongs to hold it in place, and began pounding it with a hammer. Once the metal was flat, he folded it on itself and continued pounding. “Now you try.” He continued grasping the metal and gave the hammer to Aiolos, who began pounding away. Eventually, the piece of steel lost its heat, so Aiolos’s father placed it back on the coals to warm up again. “Once it its hot again,” reminded Sophos, “you’re going to fold it back over, and flatten it some more. All right?”

    “All ri—…” Aiolos’s words were brought to a halt. A piercing scream shattered the silence of the day. It put utter trepidation in the minds of the citizens of Equose.

    Aiolos asked, “Father, did you hear that scream?” Sophos did hear the scream, and he tore off his leather smithing apron. He slipped on some training armor he wore when he was in the Narnian army. Then he grabbed the sword he finished making earlier that day.

    “Aiolos, we have to go! I… I…” Sophos paused to wipe a tear from his eye, and continued. “I know whose voice that was.”

    Aiolos gasped. “Mother!”

    Sophos and Aiolos dashed out of the workshop and galloped down the road, searching for Nadia.

    They passed a panicking faun with a red scarf who yelled, “The Telmarines are invading! The Telmarines are invading!”

    Soon the father and son arrived at the source of the commotion, which had turned into a battle. A charging wave of Narnian soldiers separated the two, but since Aiolos was far from any enemies, Sophos wasn’t worried. Sophos spotted Nadia. Ruthless Telmarines beat and manhandled her as well as other innocent centaurs as they led them away in chains. Sophos couldn’t stand the sight of his beloved wife being treated this way.

    In emotional pain, he cried out, “Nadia!”, and galloped in her direction, slaying Telmarines who got in the way of his sword. Aiolos also saw his mother’s struggles, and was not going to just stand there and let her be abused. He picked up a small wooden shield, mustered up his courage, and pushed and shoved his way thru the enemy line, to get to his mother. The Telmarines were too busy focusing on the opposing army to notice the small centaur passing right by them with nothing but a shield. Sophos and Aiolos both did everything in their power to get to Nadia, but they were both too late.
    Nadia heard Sophos’s cry and turned around. Once she saw him, she began on an all-out rampage trying to break free from her merciless captives. She bucked Telmarines and sent them flying through the air. She jumped on them and crushed their heads. She clothes-lined them and dislocated their necks. She struck their throats so hard that they couldn’t breathe. But as more and more of her enemies went down, more and more of them came. And the more she fought, the more exhausted she got. With her last wisp of energy, she took off her precious silver leaf necklace and threw it across the thick line of Telmarine troops, across the lifeless bodies of loved ones that littered the area between the two opposing armies, and it landed at Sophos’s front hooves. As he picked up the necklace, Aiolos met back up with him.

    Nadia yelled at the top of her lungs, “Sophos! I love you! And Aiolos! I love you too!”

    Aiolos responded, and Sophos was about to do the same. Before he could, an arrow pierced his armor and entered his chest. He collapsed on the ground and, after wheezing, reached out with his arm to his son. Aiolos skidded down to his father and wept at his side.

    “My dear son,” Sophos said with a raspy voice, “Find your mother. When you do, tell her I love her. Aiolos, I will always love you. And one last thing…” With that, his last breath left his body. When Aiolos stood back up, Nadia was long gone. Just then, a small group of about five Narnian soldiers circled around Sophos’s body and grabbed his arms. As they drug him away, a Minotaur warrior broke off from the group and walked to Aiolos. He had something in his hand.

    I thought you might want this,” he said. Aiolos extended his arm, and out of the Minotaur’s hand came something shiny. It was his mother’s silver necklace. The soldier continued, “It was in your father’s hand. I think he meant to give it to you.”

    Aiolos shed yet another tear and said in a soft voice, “Thank you.”
    The soldier resumed. “Now why don’t you come with us and other refugees back to camp?”

    “Yes, sir.”

    About a half of an hour later, the sun had come out, and they arrived at the camp. Aiolos gazed in awe at the splendor of it all. Crimson tents with gold trim were set up throughout the grounds, and each tent had its own flag that blew in the soft wind. Soldiers young and old trained with their swords on a small field of grass. Aiolos even recognized a few of their swords. Wow! They could’ve bought those swords from my father, he thought. Targets were set up as well, letting archers practice their trade. Aiolos had never seen anything so grand before in his life. He was so amazed that he had almost forgotten the tragedy that had occurred not long ago. What really caught his attention was the tent at the center of the camp. It was twice the size of the other tents. After noticing the flag atop the huge tent did he acknowledge who it belonged to. The flag had the silhouette of a lion on it.

    Aiolos found himself standing in front of the magnificent tent, when suddenly a scrawny faun came out of its front door flap. The faun held a bronze horn. He blew into the horn, and a high, royal sound came out of it. Upon hearing this, the creatures in the camp hustled to the tent, formed two lines adjacent to the entrance (one line on either side), and kneeled down. Aiolos did not notice, though. Instead, he was focused intently on two fiery eyes that were in the tent. The eyes were huge – almost two inches wide. They stared at him with great intensity, yet they were soft, not piercing. Then the door flap opened. The eyes belonged to Aslan, the Great Lion. Aiolos, realizing what he was doing, fell to his knees like the others did. Everything was silent as Aslan walked over to Aiolos and stopped.

    But Aslan could still sense fear and nervousness within him. “Be calm, my son. You need not be afraid. You are in a safe place now. I know what happened to your father, and I am truly sorry. But I will not let that happen to your mother.” Aiolos sighed with relief, for he knew that whenever someone as great as Aslan promised something, it is going to get done no matter what. Aslan resumed “You look tired. You should get some rest.”Aiolos was directed to a nearby tent, and fell asleep in no time.

    Night came, and Aiolos was woken up by the sound of people talking and a crackling campfire. He was not tired anymore, so he left the tent to see what was happening. He saw a group of Narnian soldiers and Aslan in a circle around the campfire. They were discussing what to do about the Narnian captives of Equose.

    The next morning, everybody met up together to find out what was going to happen. Aslan announced to the crowd, “It is time to get the Equosians back.” Aslan braced himself, and let out a thunderous roar that echoed for minutes.

    The Minotaur soldier who had become Aiolos’s friend said to him, “Aslan has summoned the griffins. They’re going to get your mother back.”