A/N: Hello all readers! This is my first fanfiction so be nice. I have not read all of the books in the CON series so all the information I am using in this story is coming from the movies of WikiNarnia. I DO NOT OWN THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. I do not own High King Peter the Magnificent (sadly) or any of his siblings. I do not own any of the canon characters or the world of Narnia. I hope you enjoy my story and feel free to review or PM me about any ideas or questions you might have about the story.
The Great Witch
When Aslan Bears his Teeth
by Magic or Magyk
Mary looked up at the clouds as she idly followed her mother through the crowded station. People were rushing by, late for their train to work, on their way to visit relatives or even for the same reason she herself was. To be taken to the country with all the other children of London, away from the bombings. But that wasn't how Mary saw it. She was being forced away from her home, her things, her mother…
Mary's mother squeezed her hand as she began to slow down reminding her that they were running a tight schedule as it was. Mary's eyes drifted from the clouds to her mother's face. Jane Darling was very beautiful, very strong woman. To anyone who did not know her like Mary did they would have thought today was no different. Mary saw Ms. Darling was holding back tears. Her mother checked the ticket she held in her hand and stopped at the correct platform.
Ms. Darling turned to face her daughter. She smoothed out Mary's hair and pinned a piece of paper to her coat. Mary looked up at her mother's beautiful face and tried to etch every detail into her memory. Mary knew her mother was trying to do the same. Her mother cleared her throat. "You have everything I gave you?"
Mary nodded. Everything of value that could fit into the bottom of her ransack had been stored there early that morning. The silver wear, the contents of her mother's jewelry box, her grandfather's gold pocket watch and anything else her mother had been able to scrape together. Even her mother's wedding ring had gone into the bag. Her mother claimed it was in case anything happened to the house in the bombing and that it would be good to have something to start over with should that happen. Mary had seen the way her mother had answered that question and knew deep down that the all the valuables in her bag were there in case anything should happen to her mother.
Mary took a deep breath. It would not do any one good to think these thoughts. She must be strong, like her mother. She had to be strong. She had to be…
She couldn't do it.
In less than a second her mother's arms were crushing her ribcage. Mary could smell her mother's favorite perfume in her nose. Gardenias. She could feel her mother's soft long hair tickling her cheeks. She watched as her mother untied a blue silk ribbon from her neck and tied it around Mary's hair.
'No' Mary thought. She hadn't said a word when her mother had put her wedding band in her bag, knowing that her mother believed it was best she have it. 'This is more than that'. Now her mother had given her everything.
The whistle blew sharp and clear breaking both of the Darling women from their thoughts. "Go" her mother said softly. Even though her voice had been scarcely louder than a whisper, her voice was firm and left no room for argument. Mary nodded.
Mary was forced to run to make it on the train as it had begun to move. She leaned over the rail and waved to her mother not looking out of place with the others dozens of children doing the same.
"Be good for Ms. Plummer, Darling! And remember to write!"
How her mother still managed to look regal and graceful while shouting above the noise, Mary did not know but she tried to do the same as she shouted back.
"I will mother, I promise! I love you!" Mary did not hear her mother's response however as the train had begun to pick up speed and she was now too far away to do much else but wave. Mary did not let herself cry for her mother. In her mind she had already locked away the thoughts of the danger her mother now had to face alone and her resolve to be as strong as Ms. Darling strengthened. But in her heart was a hole the threatened to drop Mary where she stood.
Mary checked the piece of paper pinned to her coat as she found an empty compartment. She sighed and prepared herself for a long ride.
The platform Mary now stood on (if a few planks of wood near the tracks counted as a platform) was barren of all people besides herself. A dirt road maybe 10 feet from the platform was empty of any cars or carriages. Mary checked her ticket for the third time since she had gotten off the train just as she heard the clattering of hooves. A strict looking old woman on plain wooden carriage rode towards the station and stopped in front of Mary.
"Mary Darling?"
Mary nodded. The woman looked annoyed. Mary didn't know what she did, nor did she care much. She sincerely hoped this was not Ms. Plummer.
"I am Madam Crouch, one of Ms. Plummer's house keepers. I was sent here to retrieve you."
'The way she said retrieve', Mary thought, 'you would have thought I was a sack of rotten potato skins.'
The ride to Ms. Plummer's house was long and uncomfortable but when Mary saw the house these thoughts were quickly forgotten. The house was large and beautiful and the grounds were vast and filled with trees and trimmed shrubs. Mary was sure the house would be filled with all sorts of things of historic value. Mary was so lost in thought she almost didn't hear Madam Crouch speaking.
"…very lucky that Ms. Plummer chose you to stay with her. There are many worse places one could have ended up. Why it is strange that Ms. Plummer even allowed a child to come at all as she accepts very few visitors and most certainly never any house guests…"
Mary soon tuned out Madam Crouch's voice in favor of staring at the lavish (and quickly approaching) mansion. 'There certainly are worse places to be.'
A very handsome, finely dressed, young man assisted Mary and Madam Crouch down from the carriage giving Mary a large smile. "Miss Darling I presume? A pleasure to have you staying with us. My name is Rogers. If you ever need anything all, you need just to ask." Roger's bowed and kissed her hand.
Mary smiled back just as widely. She liked Rogers already. "Please, call me Mary. And I assure you Rogers the pleasure is all mine."
Madam Crouch left them then saying she was tired from the carriage ride. The train ride had taken up a better part of the day and the ten mile carriage ride had by no means been short, leaving Mary sometime past dinner. Mary was shown the kitchens and given some food although Mary ate very little. A young maid, Mary escorted Mary to her rooms. "If you need anything, just ring for me, alright?"
Mary nodded. The room was very bare, have only a nightstand, two doors and a gigantic bed. The wood was a dark wood with silver and gold designs. As Mary stared at the bed she began to read the designs. A story inscribed on a bed? How odd. A very intricate and detailed Lions head was carved into the headboard and Mary noticed that the same lion seemed to appear several times on the bed.
Mary threw her bag down on the bed and blew out a gust of air. She checked a clock on the wall. She was feeling too restless from sitting down on a train and then a carriage for most of the day and it was too early to for her to go to sleep. "Time to explore, I guess," she said to no one.
Mary strolled through the halls, idly looking at a painting or a vase. She was somewhere on the top floor when something caught her interest. Almost hidden at the end of a long hallway, tucked away from view was a small winding staircase. Mary looked up with interest. Now that she thought about it she did in fat remember seeing a tower like structure when she was trying to block out Madam Crouch's ramblings…
The stairs creaked as Mary ascended them. 'They look older than the rest of the house, less cared for.' Mary looked on in awe as she finally reached the top. A large telescope dominated most of the room, looking out through a window in the glass domed ceiling. Constellations were mapped on the walls and strange instruments covered shelves. Mary had never seen the stars as bright as she had now. 'And I bet they look even better through the telescope.' Before Mary could take another step a soft voice broke through her thoughts.
"Beautiful aren't they?" Mary froze. A woman sat in a desk behind the stairs in a way that is the woman had not spoken Mary would have never seen her. The woman did not appear to be mad, but Mary knew looks could be deceiving. Mary thought since she had apparently been caught n a place she was not supposed to be, she might as well play the respectful child and maybe her punishment would be lighter…
The woman raised a grey eyebrow. Mary still hadn't answered. "Yes, mam', very beautiful, never seen them quite this clear," she said quickly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know anyone was here, I just got here today…"
The woman smiled and Mary's words faded. "You must be Mary Darling. Yes, I was expecting you." The woman got up from her chair behind the desk and moved closer to Mary. The woman had obviously been beautiful when she was younger and still maintained a good portion of that beauty. She looked like the perfect grandmother, Mary thought. Beautiful, with smile wrinkles, but a firmness in her voice that reminded Mary of her mother. The woman looked closely at Mary looking at something. Apparently she found whatever she was looking for as she had begun to smile widely. "Yes, you are most defiantly her." The woman gestured at the stars. "Tell me Miss Darling, do you know anything about stars.?"
"We learned a little about how stars form in class, but I don't know much else."
"No, no dear," the woman said. "Not about the theory or any of that rubbish. Do you know about the constellations, the stories, and the magic that they hold." She said this all so normally that she might have talking about the weather. For a second Mary wasn't quite sure whether or not the woman in front of her was sane. But the woman certainly acted sane. "I'm not quite sure I know what you're talking about, Mrs…"
"Plummer. Polly Plummer."
"Ms. Plummer." Mary gulped. "Oh…Well thank you for letting me stay here for the summer Ms. Plummer. I'm very grateful."
Ms. Plummer smiled. "Of course dear. You know the house can get very lonely. A good friend of mine lives a few miles over and he is taking in a few children himself. Maybe I can schedule a play date for you all in the near future?"
Mary nodded and smiled a bit. She had been worried about spending the summer without any other children. "I would like that."
Ms. Plummer returned to her desk. "Well, child. It's getting late. Off to bed with you then. "
Mary nodded and quickly left and ran back to her room. Only when the door was shut behind her did she breathe. She thought over the words Ms. Plummer had spoken. 'Do you know about the constellations, the stories and the magic that they hold'. Mary flopped herself down on the bed and released a gust of air. Adults were so confusing.
'What is that?'
Mary turned her head trying to get a better look. In golden letters four lines of words were written in beautiful Calligraphy in the ceiling of the wood. 'What an odd thing to do.' She thought. 'Although I do suppose it is more comfortable to read when lying down.' It took a few seconds but Mary was able to squint through the odd looking letters.
"When Aslan bears his teeth, winter meets its death…"
A dim light formed where from the letters and Mary gasped. This was defiantly odd. No matter how hard she looked Mary could not find any ulterior source of the mysterious golden light. 'No point in stopping now.' She continued to read.
"When He shakes His Mane, we shall have spring again…"
A low humming grew in Mary's ears; faint enough for her to be unable to hear any words but strong enough to hear a sweet melody that was slowly growing.
"And when the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve sit on their rightful thrones…"
The light grew brighter and the music grew stronger. A strange feeling of weightless engulfed her but she did not turn her eyes from the last line of words.
"She of Magic, but of flesh and bone will be brought to her rightful home!"
Mary had to shout the last words over the beautiful symphony that roared in her ears. She shut her eyes tight for the golden light had become blinding. And then she was falling down and down and down.
And then it was black.
