The group trudged through the mounds of snow on top of the last "mountain" that was in the forest/wood section of Narnia

24/08/2008 14:05:00

The group trudged through the mounds of snow on top of the last "mountain" that was in the forest/wood section of Narnia. No one had talked since that night, other than a few "good-nights" or "'mornings". Down below them was a snow covered field, where they would fight the final battle against the White Witch. Amber limped beside Lucy, she didn't mind the young child like she did the others. What had come over her last night? Maybe it was just the teenaged hormones running through her body, yeah, that's was it.

Now they walked on the field, leaving footprints behind. "Come on, hurry!" Beaver shouted from ahead of the group. He and Mrs. Beaver were about four yards ahead of the rest.

"Y'know, if he tells us to hurry one more time, I'm going to turn him into a fluffy hat," Peter grumbled, lifting Lucy onto his back.

"I agree," Amber muttered. "He has gotten a bit bossy."

"But, isn't turning him into a hat a little harsh?" Susan asked openly without wanting a response.

Amber's ears perked back, she heard something. Beaver had heard it too. "Run! It's the Witch!" Beaver shouted with Amber echoing him. Peter let Lucy down from his back, took her hand and started to run. He looked over his shoulder, seeing a sleigh being pulled their way, as well as Amber still limping at the same pace.

Amber glanced over her shoulder and saw the sleigh too. Her heart began to race, there was no way she was going to be captured by the Witch again. She started to run like the others, but couldn't match their pace. Her shoulder was too badly injured to move at that pace. "Go! I'll catch up!" she called after them, lightly jogging in the snow.

"You're bloody crazy!" Peter shouted, pulling Lucy along as they reached the beginning of the next section of wood.

The sleigh was right behind her, she could hear it, but she couldn't speed up anymore to lose it. Would she just admit defeat? Hell no, she broke into a run. Her hind paws kicked up snow and she jumped over the little drop in the beginning of the wood. She turned at the sound of Peter whispering her name and hid in the little alcove in the rock. The seven of them shut their mouths as they heard the sleigh come to a stop above them.

Amber's chest rose and fell at a rapid pace, as did the others. The adrenaline was slowing to a halt in their blood streams, and soon they saw a tall shadow on the ground in front of them. Their breathes were held as the shadow disappeared.

"Maybe she's gone?" Lucy said with a question.

"I'll go look…" Peter suggested and was pushed down by both Amber and Beaver.

"You're nothing to Narnia dead," Beaver said. "I'll go."

Mrs. Beaver protested, "Either are you!"

"Beaver, what ever happens, thanks," Amber smiled and watched the beaver jump up to the ground above them. Everything went silent, not even the wind made a sound. Oh god, Beaver's dead! Amber thought, her tail twitching at the thought of it.

Beaver gave them all heart attacks as he peered over the roof of the alcove saying that there was someone there to see them. Who could it be, if not the White Witch? Amber went first and then tilted her head to the side for the others to follow. Amber leapt up onto the upper ground and laughed as she saw who was actually following them.

Lucy came up beside Amber. "Is that really…" she asked.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Susan exclaimed, before Lucy could finish.

In front of them stood a jolly fat man in a red coat with a long white bear: it was Santa Claus. "We thought you were the White Witch," Amber said, sitting down and placing her tail on her paws.

"I can see why," St. Nicolas replied with a chuckle. "In my defense, I've been driving one of these."

"I thought that there was no Christmas in Narnia," Susan stated, looking at the sleigh.

Santa chuckled and lifted a bag from the back of his sleigh. "Yes, not for a very long time," he said, putting the bag on the ground and opening it.

"Presents!" Lucy exclaimed running up to him.

Peter stood next to Amber, but said nothing and watched Santa give Lucy some presents. He handed her a vile that contain the juice of the fire-flower and a sheathed dagger. As a precaution, he told her that he hoped that she would never have to use it. Santa then turned to Susan with a bow and quiver in hand. He explained that if she trusted in the bow it wouldn't easily miss. Also, he handed her a horn and said that if she were to blow on the horn help will come to wherever she was.

"Young lion, I believe you will find these of some use," Santa said, lifting up a pair of clothes. Amber looked so thankful and took the clothes in her teeth and bounded off to change. St. Nicolas laughed as he watched her go.

While Amber was gone, Santa gave Peter a sword and shield. "These are not toys, these are tools. And I expect the three of you to use them wisely. Also, Beaver, your house has been repaired, not to worry."

"Thank you," Beaver smiled looking at his wife who was happy too.

"Peter," Santa said, "give this to Amber when she returns." He handed Peter a sword and sheath.

"I will," Peter said with a nod.

"Well, I must be off. Winter is almost over and I've got a lot of catching up to do since being gone for a hundred years. Oh, and long live Aslan!" Santa said, sitting in his sleigh. He snapped the reins on his "reindeer" and went off into the forest, disappearing.

"Told you he was real," Lucy smirked to Susan and then looked at Amber's sword in Peter's hand. "How come she gets a sword!?"

"Because," Amber said, coming up from behind Lucy, "I'm entitled to one, if I'm going to fight against the witch. And besides, it's a special sword."

Lucy turned and was actually able to see what Amber looked like as a human with the night sky. This time, at least, Amber was clothed and wore a knee-length white dress with a light forest green ruffles across the top of her chest; it had no sleeves and spaghetti-straps were holding it up. She was all curves and seemed a bit scrawnier than when she was a lion. "Phew," Amber said, taking the sheath from Peter, who was just awestruck at the whole girl thing. The sheath had a strap and allowed Amber to put it on her back.

"Come on, we want to get a little closer to the river before nightfall!" Beaver said, beginning to walk to the east.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Amber agreed with a slight nod and slowly turned to follow the Beaver with her eyes looking at Peter and then straight ahead. Lucy jogged to catch up with them, leaving Peter and Susan to drag behind.

Susan looked up at her brother. "You don't have a chance," she laughed.

"Why not?" Peter replied with a frown.

"Because, she's way too pretty for you," Susan answered with a laugh before running to catch up with Lucy. Peter sighed, his sister was right, Amber was way too pretty for him and besides, he knew nothing about her. He slowly followed with his mind wandering about her, was she with the White Witch or was she telling the truth about being captured. The part that was bugging him was what Beaver had said at the house on the dam: "There are few that go in there that come out."

Darkness fell over the horizon and the group stopped for the night. Beaver had gathered some woods for a fire and Mrs. Beaver started to prepare a light dinner for them. Peter started a fire when Beaver returned, at least they had some warmth from the chilly frostbitten night. Amber sat cross-legged by the fire with her arms slowly stroking their opposite to keep warm; having clothes was wonderful, but maybe something a bit heavier would have been nice. Her body was too tired to change back into a lion, so she would have to deal with it.

Peter noticed Amber shivering, and went up behind her and draped his coat over her shoulders. "Here," he said, and sat next to her.

"Thanks," she smiled, glancing at him and then back at the fire. "Y'know, I've never sat around a fire like this."

"If it makes you fell any better, neither have I," he replied with a smile.

Susan and Lucy were helping Mrs. Beaver prepare the food on the other side of the camp fire. Lucy heard Peter and Amber talking and whispered to Susan, "Look at them."

Susan looked over her shoulder, and chuckled slightly. "Yeah, what do you want me to say?" she replied.

"Stop being so boring, I think it's cute," Lucy replied before turning back to Mrs. Beaver. Susan sighed, she knew that there was something hiding behind those amber eyes that was going to change everything. Mrs. Beaver tugged on her coat sleeve, "This meal isn't going to prepare itself, you know… oh! My, my, maybe there's more than hope in the universe."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Susan asked, turning back around.

"You'll see," the beaver smiled and took the prepared food over to the fire. Susan was brought over to the fire by Lucy, she looked at Amber with a evil smirk.

"Amber," Susan said, bringing Amber's attention away from the fire. "How did you escape from the White Witch, the way Beaver describes it: it's nearly impossible."

Amber looked away, how was she going to explain it? "Well…" she said, but drifted off.

Lucy spoke up before Susan could jump to a conclusion. "If you don't want to tell, it's okay," she said, glaring at her sister.

"It's not that. It's just hard to explain to people who haven't been in Narnia too long, and haven't seen what the witch is capable of," Amber replied, looking at Peter before dropping her gaze into the orange flames.

Susan crossed her arms and grunted in frustration, obviously she didn't like Amber very much since she was found out to be human. The food was done within five minutes and they all ate. Lucy fell asleep not too long after finishing her meal. She wasn't the only one too; the beavers slept on the right of the fire and Susan passed out beside Lucy. Now, only Peter and Amber were awake.

The fire was nothing more than a slight flare or two and soon it went out to absolutely blackness. Amber looked up at the stars, and couldn't help but wonder if they were the same in the world that Peter came from. A memory swam through her head, the night before she had been taken. Her and her father had sat on the cliff by the Stone Table and named the signs in the sky that the stars made.

Peter looked up at the sky as well and then looked at her. Her amber eyes seemed to glow like a gem in the sunlight. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, snapping her back into reality.

"What? Hm? Oh… yeah, sorry. The stars brought back some memories," she laughed and then sighed. "Tell me, are they the same in your world?"

Peter was confused by her question for he couldn't really tell. He never sat outside and looked up at them since before his father went off with the army to fight in the war. He looked up at the sky's lights and said, "I don't think I'm the one you should be asking."

Amber followed his gazed and gasped as a star streaked across the sky. "A wishing star," she said, closing her eyes to make a wish. After a few silent moments, she opened her eyes and saw that Peter had done the same. "What did you wish for?" she asked.

"If I tell, it won't come true, now would it?" he replied.

She sighed, "I guess you're right. You wouldn't want to waste it."

They sat in silence for a moment, and not a second longer. Her wish came true as he pressed his lips to hers…