Hey! Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! Sry this chapter took so long to get posted but the eighth grade is horrible! With graduation coming up, tests, projects, Spanish (a subject I'm not the best at), and high school acceptance tests. Just a few things I need to point out:

The children can't die, unless they are killed IN A REAL WAR OR FOR THE CAUSE OF WAR!

The children stay in Narnia and rule FOREVER, whether Edmund lives or dies

Lots of tear jerking moments; some just Edmund abuse, some of the other three children thinking of Edmund, or some family moments (I'm a Drama Queen)

Lucy's cordial doesn't work on Edmund's wounds except for his final stabbing

There will be no more multiple P.O.Vs in chapters. Plz excuse and spelling or grammar mistakes; they are perhaps my weakest points. This is in third-person point of view.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone except the people or things you have never heard off. This is a disclaimer for the rest of the story.

Enough of my rambling, ENJOY!

Chapter 2: Marked

Everyone was stark still. No one moved, no one spoke, no one even breathed. The silence was deafening as it rang throughout the forest. All eyes were positioned to that one spot, the spot where they had last seen the young boy. It was empty now of course, but you could tell by the small blood stains and shuffled dirt that something bad had happened. It was Lucy who broke the loud silence.

"Edmund…" A small whisper of the name was all it took to make the youngest child collapse into the snow. "He…he…sa…said…" But no matter how hard she tried Lucy couldn't bring herself to tell the others what Edmund's last words to her were. Tears trickled down her pale face, slowly at first, but then they turned to silent rivers.

"Lucy, what happened?" Peter's voice was stiff as if he was trying to hold back tears, but that of course was impossible. Peter never cries.

"I…I…Edmund…he…saved me…and, OH it's all my fault!" With a sudden gasp Lucy started sobbing, burying her face in her small hands.

Dropping down beside her, Susan gathered the weeping girl into her arms and started rubbing soothing circles up and down her back.

"Shhh, Lucy, shhh, it's alright, shhh, it's not your fault." The older girl whispered in her ear as Lucy's sobs turned into hiccups.

"Yes it is Susan. If I hadn't been there then Edmund could have escaped." Mrs. Beaver waddled over towards the sisters with a sad smile.

"Don't worry dearie, your brother did what he knew was best. He could have escaped and left you there, but he didn't. He risked everything because he loves you, even if he doesn't show it. The best way to repay him is not to blame yourself." Lucy looked up and nodded a slow, small nod, still unconvinced.

The two girls stood up and faced Peter who was still staring at the spot where he had last seen Ed.

"Peter?" The oldest child's head snapped up, his attention turning to Susan. "What should we do?"

There was a long pause and after a deep sigh, Peter came to a decision.

"I don't know Su, I really don't know." As if making the choice of a lifetime, the he-beaver slowly made his way through the snow and over towards the children.

"I can take you to Aslan, Son of Adam, but you must have faith that your brother will be alright."

"But what if he isn't alright? He could be hurt and in pain or…or…dead! We have to go after him!" Peter's face seemed determined like a protector's should, but all that anyone could see was a thirteen year old boy afraid for his little brother.

"NO! Don't you understand? He's the bait! The Witch wants all four of ya!"

"Why?"

"To stop the prophesy; TO KILL YA!" There was a stunned silence as everyone absorbed this information.

"This is all your fault!" Susan looked angrily at Peter, but if one were to look hard they could see that it was only a mask to hide her worry.

"My fault?"

"None of this would have happened if you had just listened to me in the first place!"

"Oh, so you knew this would happen?"

"I didn't know what would happen," Susan looked defeated for a second before becoming defiant once more. "which is why we should have left while we still could!"

"STOP IT!" Everyone turned to Lucy for it was very rare that she yelled like that. Seeing everyone's stares her voice quieted. "This isn't going to help Edmund."

"She's right. Only Aslan can save your brother now." There was another long and uncomfortable pause.

"Then take us to him." Peter's words bore into everyone's mind as Mr. Beaver cautiously moved towards the edge of the thin patch of forest. As soon as he saw that everyone was with him, the he-beaver started to make his way away from the dam and into the wood.

Before following the others into the dense wild, Peter turned one last time to the now destroyed dam and all that he could think about was one thing.

I'm sorry Edmund, please forgive me. And with that, he turn towards the woods and began the journey of a lifetime.

Farther away, Edmund was being pulled along by the edge of his socks (and some skin). He was bleeding and in pain and for the first time since the beginning of the war, he felt afraid; afraid for himself and for his siblings, no matter how much he resented them.

The sudden change in temperature jolted Edmund out of thought. It was horribly cold and it reeked with the smell of evil and death. Everywhere he looked there was death, or something very similar. The wolves were pulling him through a frozen courtyard simply filled with stone creatures. Edmund knew they were real; fake animals didn't have the feeling of dread and despair around them.

"Get up human." The head wolf sneered at the helpless child, scratching his face with his razor claws. Edmund cried out in pain, but was push ahead and up the stairs. As the group neared the large crystalline blue doors, Maugrim stopped.

"Wait here." He left followed closely by three wolves, only leaving two with Edmund. Two were enough; Ed was afraid to move.

After what felt like years, Maugrim reentered and shoved the young boy into the room.

It was a spacious room made entirely of ice, with large pillars and a domed ceiling. At the end of the room was a throne occupied by one of the coldest looking women he had ever seen. She was beautiful with her pale face and hair, but her eyes showed fury and a cold evilness that Edmund betted could even frighten Peter.

"Hello, Son of Adam." It was the voice again, the voice as cold as ice. Edmund remained silent which only angered the lady more than she was before. "When someone says hello, you're expect to say hello back."

"Hello." Edmund's voice was flat and unemotional.

"Hello what?" She gritted through her teeth.

"Hello, your Majesty." The Queen smiled a cold, cruel smile.

"Good, at least you know your place. Now get on your knees and bow in respect."

"No." Edmund's response brought about an uncomfortable silence.

"What did you say?"

"I said no, I will not bow to you." The witch lady stood up abruptly and slowly made her way towards Edmund.

"And why, may I ask, is that?" She approached him and stared down at him with her unmerciful eyes.

"Because I don't bow to people I don't respect, and don't respect you. Respect is earned, not granted." There was another silence before a 'slap' sound was heard. Edmund's cheek was now red with blood and a hand print mark.

"Ginnabrik?" A small bearded man stepped through the side doors. In his right hand was a newly sharpened knife that glinted in Edmund's eyes. He approached the throne and bowed. "Take the boy to a large cell, he's going to be here a while." The small man smiled a devilish smile and silently crept towards the child.

Putting the knife to his back, the dwarf steered Edmund up the icy steps and towards the dungeons. Before leaving, Ed heard one more of the Witch's command.

"Maugrim?" The head wolf appeared next to the throne. "You know what to do." Sticking up his head high, Maugrim howled and ear shattering howl and soon the secret police were all assembled and on the move.

With fear in his heart, Edmund was pushed forward and taken down icy corridors to the cells. They passed by stoned men in armor that Ed suspected were once real creatures and each window seemed to tell a story of their defeat. Once below, in the icy caverns, Edmund's feet were shackled together and he was given some stale bread and water-turned-ice.

Ginnabrik turned back around towards the door as Jadis strode into the room. Raising her wand, she slashed it down in an 'X' shape across the child's chest.

"Ahhhh!" Edmund screamed as the cold ice met his flesh. Blood began to flow in rivers down his torso onto the floor, staining the once blue ice red. A cruel smile played itself across the Witch's face.

"You have now been marked as mine." And with that the beginning of a thousand beatings began.

I know I said it would be longer, but I need this to be fast at first so I can get to the plot. I hope you enjoyed it. Plz review, but DON'T FLAME! In the next chapter you will get to see A LOT of Edmund angst so keep your eyes peeled.

By the way, I came up with two knew story ideas so in your review tell me what you think of them:

Schooling- Even kings and queens need to go to school. A year after the coronation, the Pevensie children are sent in disguise to a private school in Archenland. Not only do they have to keep up their disguises, but they also have to avoid being killed by the remainder of the Witch's army and some very jealous Calormens.

Sunlight- AU. When Edmund was born he was diagnosed with a rare disease that kept him from going out in the sun. All his life he had to deal with the bullying and the taunting of other people. Now, he and his siblings are in Narnia and the Witch's favorite torture is the Sun. Will Edmund survive or die?

Of course I wouldn't post these until after this story unless you want.

Thanx for reading, BYE!