(All characters and major themes belong to C.S. Lewis)
Promises and Magic
By
SusanPevensie394
"Susan," Lucy hissed, awakening me from a very pleasant dream.
My eyes fluttered open and I slowly pulled myself up so that I could see where she gestured. Stifling a yawn I realized what she seemed so upset about. Aslan was going somewhere. We hurriedly dressed and began to follow him. This continued for awhile, and for some reason I had a feeling that the lion knew we were there. Finally he stopped, forcing us to quickly dart behind a tree to keep from being seen.
"Shouldn't you both be in bed?" he asked, his voice sounding incredibly tired to me.
Lucy and I shared a guilty look before we creeped out to me him.
"We couldn't sleep," Lucy replied, to which I rolled my eyes. I had been sleeping perfectly well--she was the one with the problem sleeping.
There was something... suspicious about the way that Aslan looked upon us. He looked almost... sad. What was bothering him?
"Please, Aslan. Couldn't we come with you?" I asked pleadingly, knowing that I sounded very much like a child. Though at the moment I didn't really care.
After pondering my request for what seemed like hours, the lion gave us a small smile. I had to keep from staring, for it was still strange for me to see an animal showing such emotions. "I would be glad of the company for a while," he said softly, "Thank you."
Lucy and I each took ahold of a handful of his mane as we began to walk. We all walked in silence, but it was a comfortable silence--not the sort that made me want to say anything, if only to make it end. I had no idea where we were headed, and I doubted that Lucy knew either. I only hoped that Aslan did know where we were going. When we finally came to a stop Aslan turned to us.
"It is time. From here I must go on alone," he said.
Despite the calm manor with which he spoke, I could sense that something was bothering him. "But Aslan--"
"You must trust me. For this must be done. Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Lucy. And farewell."
And before we even knew what was happening, Aslan had walked off toward the Stone Table. I was terribly frightened, but knew Lucy was more so. I had to be strong for her. Grabbing her hand I pulled her off to a more secluded spot where we could still see the Table, but where we would not be seen. I shivered. The Witch's horrible creatures were surrounding the table, making foul comments to Aslan as he neared the Witch. I saw that she was holding a knife and my heart dropped. Why was this happening? How was this happening? My thoughts were racing as the Witch began a speech.
"Behold, the great lion," she announced as one of her minions slammed Aslan to the ground with his ax.
"Do you want some milk?" That little dwarf taunted.
I heard Lucy whisper something next to me about Aslan fighting back, but I couldn't answer her. I could barely even speak, let alone come up with a way to comfort her.
The White Witch spoke again, her voice as cold as ice, "Bind him."
There were some more calls from her minions, and each one filled me with more dread. By now I knew what was going to happen to him. Tears pricked my eyes and I had to bite my lower lip to keep from crying out loud. This wasn't right--I wanted to stop it, but I couldn't. I was completely powerless. I bit my lip harder as we watched Aslan getting tied to the Table, and having a rope tied about his mouth as well.
"Wait! Let him first be shaved!" the White Witch ordered.
I felt Lucy next to me let out a gasp, and fearing that she would rush down there and try to stop their treatment of Aslan I reached out to take her hand once more.
"Bring him to me," the White Witch said, smirking as her soldiers did her bidding, pulling the lion up to her feet.
She said something to him softly that I couldn't hear before standing. "Tonight...the deep magic will be appeased! But tomorrow we will take Narnia forever!" Her minions cheered and she let out a cruel laugh. "In that knowledge, despair," she paused, before continuing, "and die!" With that she plunged the knife into the lion's body.
Aslan's eyes widened for a few seconds before he let out a groan and they closed. Lucy began to cry outright and it took everything I had to keep from doing the same. I held onto her tightly, feeling the tears fill my eyes and the anger fill my heart.
"The Great Cat is dead!" the White Witch exclaimed, ending in an eruption of cheers. She turned toward her minotaur, or whatever he was, "General, prepare your troops for battle. However short it may be."
I gasped, and jerked into a seated position. Breathing heavily I looked around the room I was in, wondering how I had gotten here. Where had Aslan gone? He was... he was... Tears filled my eyes at the memory as I slowly regained sense. I was in my bedchamber at Cair Paravel. Lucy and I were safe, Aslan alive, and the White Witch dead. Even so, the dream had been so realistic, it was as though those horrible events were happening again. I had been plagued by that same nightmare for the past seven days straight, resulting in not a single proper night's worth of sleep.
I shivered slightly, and wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to warm myself. Why were castles so cold, I wondered. I sighed, and slowly swung my legs around so that the dangled over the side of the bed. I set my feet on the cold flagstones of my floor and shivered again. I made my way across the dark room and opened the shutters on one of the many windows. I smiled a little as I looked out. Before me lay a small courtyard high on the cliffs, looking out upon the ocean. I took a deep breath, and was rewarded with the fresh air that smelled faintly of salt.
The torches that lit the courtyard were nearly out. The pearly radiance that came from the eastern sky in the hour before dawn fell over snow, stable, and the edges of a low wall that surrounded the castle and beyond. I smiled slightly as a bird flew by the window. I yawned, and my eyes darkened. Something was off. Despite the peaceful serenity that surrounded Cair Paravel and the rest of Narnia, I could sense that something was brewing. Something...evil.