I'm on a roll! Here's Chapter Four!

I don't own Narnia or the Quote at the beginning, just Joanna and her parents!

Chapter Four: Father Christmas' Gifts

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Life ends when you stop dreaming,

Hope ends when you stop believing,

Love ends when you stop caring,

Friendship ends when you stop sharing

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The next morning I was woken up by Mr. Beaver shaking me saying, "Get up we have to get to Aslan's camp today!" I groaned and rolled over and stretched my muscles. The night before was full of tossing and turning. I was worried about Edmund. He was alone with the Witch. What was he going through? The day passed slowly and soon we found ourselves on a cliff above the frozen river.

"Now, Aslan's camp is near the Stone Table just across the frozen river."

"River?"

"Oh the river's been frozen solid for a hundred years." That doesn't make me feel safe. I bit my lip and snuck a look at Peter. He seemed to be nervous as well.

"It's so far." My eyes took in the sight before me. The water was frozen over, reflecting the rising sun. The mountains in the background framed the sun, a perfect painting. As I took in the scene I wasn't in Narnia, I was just a girl with a perfect view. No worries, no witches, no one to protect. We slowly made our way down to the frozen river.

"You're worried." My eyes darted to Susan's as I thought of an answer.

"Of course I am. My friend is in the hands of a witch. Who wouldn't be?" Her eyes bored into mine, reading my soul.

"Are you sure you're worried about your friend, and not something more." I suddenly found my shoes very interesting. I knew she would suspect I was lying if I answered her without looking her in the eye. We were on the river now, slowly making progress.

"Yes, whatever gave you that impression?" Her eyes danced around, trying to see if anyone was in hearing distance before cocking her head at me.

"You two have grown closer than normal. I was just wondering if you happened to fancy my brother." My eyes widened, was that what it looked like to others; that we were skirting around and toying with the line between friendship and something more? You know it might be possible. Shut up I don't fancy my best friend. Somehow though I didn't believe myself.

"Oh. Is that what you think? It's not like that we just, uh, delved deeper into our friendship." I cringed. It sounded like a complete lie. I blushed a she scrutinized me. Thankfully she let the subject drop without another comment.

"Come on, humans! While we're still young." The three Pevensie children seemed to be dragging their feet. I was suddenly thankful for my gymnastics coach for pushing us so hard. I stopped as I saw Peter bend down so Lucy could hop on his back.

"If he tells us to hurry one more time, I'm gonna turn him into a big, fluffy hat." I rolled my eyes and laughed. That did seem to be like a good idea, at times. The beavers had slowed and were looking behind us.

"Hurry! Come on!" Mr. Beaver was waving his arm trying to make us mover faster. There was almost no way he could get us to move faster.

Lucy's head was right beside Peter's as she muttered, "He is getting a little bossy." I scoffed.

"A little bossy? I'm sure you mean really bossy."

We didn't have time to laugh as Mr. Beaver pointed as Mrs. Beaver screamed, "Behind you! It's her!" I whipped my body around as I heard a bell jingling. My eyes squinted and I could make out an outline of a sleigh. Lucy slid off Peter's back as the six of us took off in a dead run. Edmund would be with her! You should help him. My feet slowed, but it didn't last long as Susan's vice grip was on my wrist and she was dragging me along. My eyes were darting around, trying to find a place to hide. Though I doubt it would do any good, she was too close. We made it to the edge of the forest as we dove into an outcropping. I landed in the corner with Lucy to my left and the beavers in front of me. The only thing that could be heard was our labored breathing and bells jingling.

"Maybe she's gone." Lucy looked up as she said this. I was biting my lip so hard it was a wonder I didn't break the skin.

"I suppose I'll go look." Peter made a move to get up, but stopped at Mr. Beaver's sharp 'No'.

"You're worth nothing to Narnia dead."

"Well, neither are you, Beaver." He grabbed his wife's hand and squeezed it.

"Thanks sweetheart." Mr. Beaver disappeared out of our sight and we sat in silence until, "Come out! Come out!" Lucy shrieked as I jumped and slammed my shoulder against the rock. "I hope you've all been good 'cause there's someone here to see you!" I scratched my head as I stooped over to get out. I grasped Lucy's hand and pulled her out. We walked up the small hill to see a man with a long grey beard and a sleigh. He chuckled when he got a glimpse at our faces. It was Father Christmas.

"Merry Christmas, sir." Lucy was the brave one who said it. Of course the rest of were still in shock so, we couldn't really say anything.

"It certainly is, Lucy, since you have arrived." Susan slowly turned to us, wide eyed.

"Look, I've put up with a lot since I got here, but this…" Peter interjected, talking to Father Christmas.

"We thought you were the Witch." I let a smile slowly spread over and light up my features.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry about that, but in my defense, I have been driving one of these longer than the Witch." He pulled off his gloves as Susan took a step forward.

"I thought there was no Christmas in Narnia."

"No. For a long time. But the hope you have brought, Your Majesties, is finally starting to weaken the Witch's powers." We were slowly depleting her strength? "Still, I daresay you could do with these." With that he hefted out a sack filled with many different things.

"Presents!" Lucy and I said in unison. I am after all only human. Father Christmas chuckled.

He bent down to Lucy's level as he said, "The juice of the fire-flower. One drop will cure any injury." Lucy grasped the cordial as Father Christmas held out a dagger. "And though I hope you never have to use it."

"Thank you, sir, but I think I could be brave enough." He sighed and nodded.

"I'm sure you could. But battles are ugly affairs." He reached back into his sack and pulled out a beautifully crafted bow and a set of arrows. "Susan. Trust in this bow and it will not easily miss."

She looked up at him with a puzzled look on her face. "What happened to 'battles are ugly affairs'?" I stifled my laugh with my hand, though it still came out as a gasping laugh.

"Though you don't seem to have a problem making yourself heard, blow on this and wherever you are, help will come." The horn seemed to be made out of ivory and had an intricate lion's head design. She mumbled a 'thanks' and stepped back to my side. "Peter. The time to use these may be near at hand." He was handed a silver shield with a red lion stamped on it. Also with his gifts came a sword.

"Thank you, sir."

"Ah, Joanna. You may find you'll need these sooner than you think." With that said he handed me a black belt with two swords on it. They were shorter and lighter than Peter's, but had the same design. It seemed they were made so you could wield them both at once.

"Thank you so much." Though I was a bit nervous, I barely trusted myself with a butter knife let alone two swords. I bit my lip and smiled at him.

"These are tools, not toys. Bear them well and wisely. Now, I must be off. Winter is almost over, and things do pile up when you've been gone a hundred years. Long live Aslan!" He slung his sack back in the sleigh and then got in himself. "And Merry Christmas!" With that he rode off with a chorus of thanks behind him.

Lucy just couldn't help herself, she had to say it. "Told you he was real." I cracked a smile which soon turned to laughter as I saw the slight pout on Susan's face. The laugh and smile was soon erased as I realized what Father Christmas had said. Winter is almost over. His voice was like a mantra in my head.

"He said winter was almost over." Peter's face was thoughtful, and then he whipped around to face us. "You know what that means."

My voice was a mere whisper as I said, "No more ice."

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We soon found ourselves above the melting river. I let out a few mumbled curses as piece by piece the ice broke away. The six of us stood at the edge of the cliff looking at our way down. "Peter, we have to cross now or it'll be too late." He nodded, not taking his eyes off the receding ice.

"Don't beavers make dams?" Lucy swung her head towards Mr. Beaver.

"I'm not that fast dear."

"Come on!" Peter grabbed Lucy's hand as he shuffled towards the edge,

"Wait! Will you just think about this for a minute?"

"Susan, we don't have a minute!" I tried and failed to keep my voice level, but the anxiety crept into it.

"I'm just trying to be realistic." She mumbled.

"No, you're trying to be smart. As usual." That was harsh Peter. It's just the way she handles stress. I resisted the urge to smack the back of her head as I heard howling. We worked our way down as fast as we could while Susan mumbled about this being a bad idea. We reached the bottom and saw that even more ice had disappeared and what was left was creaking under the strain. Peter took a tentative step out on the ice and it almost buckled under his weight.

"Wait. Maybe I should go first."

"Maybe you should." We all had horribly masked faces of worry. Mr. Beaver made his way on the ice slapping his tail now and then. He stepped on a not so sturdy piece of ice and it almost collapsed.

"You've been sneaking second helpings, haven't you?"

"Well, you never know which meal is gonna be your last." He said as he turned around. "Especially with your cooking." The creaking ice covered up my tiny laugh. We stepped carefully as we danced across the ice. One wrong move and we would all be in the freezing waters.

"If Mum knew what we were doing…" Susan trailed off as Peter snapped at her.

"Mum's not here!"I sent a withering look at him as I grumbled.

"No need to be snappy. " I jerked my head up as I saw two wolves running across the top of the frozen waterfall to our left. We were running and the end seemed so near yet so far away. "Lucy! Come here!" She obeyed my order and I motioned for her to get on my back. She wrapped her arms and legs around me as Maugrim stopped us in our tracks. He was blocking our exit. Out of my peripheral vision I saw another wolf standing behind me and in perfect position to get Lucy. Without thinking of the consequences I pulled out my two swords, hands shaking the whole time, and my eyes met with the wolf behind me. I heard Mr. Beaver whimper and I glanced back at him. One of the wolves was holding him by the scruff of his neck. On the other bank were three more wolves. I couldn't pay attention to Peter as I had to keep my eyes on the wolf in front of me.

"I wouldn't try it Warrior. I could kill you in a heartbeat, but you're Narnia's only hope. We need you." I tilted my head in confusion. Whose side was he on?

"What do you mean? Whose side are you on?" He gave me a wolfish smile and playfully growled.

"Without you Narnia will fall back into darkness, so whose side do you think I'm on? I am getting a bit sick of all this snow and ice." My teeth were biting the inside of my cheek so hard I was surprised they didn't break the skin.

"Come with us." He didn't have to think even for a second before bounding by my side and growled viciously at the other wolves. I smiled down at him for a moment before I heard Lucy's urgent shout of 'Peter'! I looked to the waterfall and saw that water was coming from cracks. I sheathed both my swords and looked around, panicked.

"Hold onto me!" Peter bellowed as he drove his sword into the ice. With one hand I held onto the wolf and with the other I held onto Peter's coat. I clamped my eyes shut as the waterfall broke. The water washed over us and we went under for a moment. Once my head was above water I gasped in breaths, thankful I was alive. We swam with the current and off to the side so we could reach the bank. I tugged myself onto land and squeezed the excess water out of my hair. Susan got off the chunk of ice looking around wildly. That's when I saw Peter held not Lucy, but just a coat.

"What have you done?" Peter looked so devastated. My eyes flashed over the water, trying to see anything of Lucy; that's when a howled broke through Susan's screaming. I saw the wolf that betrayed his friends paddling towards us with Lucy in his grasp. His dark eyes danced happily as he plopped Lucy on the bank. He crawled up after her, panting. His black fur wet soaked and dripping.

"You should really be more careful. Someone more sinister could have taken her." I grinned. I didn't care what the others thought as I hugged the wolf around his neck, tightly.

"Thank you so much for saving her." I felt him rumble out a laugh.

"We can't really defeat the White Witch without her can we?" I shook my head as I stood, taking Lucy in my arms. The beavers and the older Pevensie children looked at the wolf with suspicion. "I'm Ludwik. I was hoping you would allow me to join you. I swear my allegiance to Aslan, not the White Witch." They nodded slowly still a bit weary.

"Can I have my coat?" Peter helped Lucy into it as Mrs. Beaver said something about not needing the coats anymore. I saw many pink buds flower on the trees. The beavers walked hand in hand leading us to Aslan's camp. Soon Mrs. Beaver was right, we didn't need the coats. The tension eased as the others realized that Ludwik was on our side.

"Ludwik, do you have any family?" The wolf shook his head and sighed sadly.

"No, my family was killed by the White Witch to make me join, My Warrior." I ruffled the fur on his head, trying to convey my condolences. "I want to thank you for trusting me and helping the others begin to trust me. I know I will have enough distrust when in the camp, so I'm glad at least I'll have two people trusting me."

"Two people?"

"Yes you and Queen Lucy. It seems that since I saved her, I earned her trust." I let out a noise that told him I understood. Thankfully almost all the snow had melted so our shoes were drying out. We reached the camp around two, and a horn sounded as we did. Ludwik seemed to get more and more nervous the closer to the middle we got.

"It'll be alright. I'm right here." His wolfish smile was back and he stood with more confidence. Though Ludwik got many glares and growls he never backed down.

My smile grew as Susan asked, "Why are they all staring at us?"

"Maybe they think you look funny." There was a crowd gathering behind us as we reached the biggest tent. Peter unsheathed his sword and looked at the centaur before us. I stood to the left of him, with Ludwik right beside me.

"We've come to see Aslan." The crowd murmured behind us and I'm sure I heard the words 'why would one of the enemies come to see him?' I glared at the leopard who said that. The centaur said nothing; he just looked at the tent's entrance. I heard the crowd kneel as the tent flaps moved a bit. I looked as a majestic lion stepped from the tent. Aslan stood before us and I gently fell to one knee, bowing before him.

"Welcome, Peter, Son of Adam. Welcome, Susan, Lucy and Joanna, Daughters of Eve." His voice automatically calmed me and washed all my fears away. "And welcome to you beavers, Ludwik. You have my thanks." I smiled as I saw Ludwik's eyes widen. "But where is the fifth?" We stood, looking a bit ashamed and sheepish.

"That's why we're here, sir. We need your help." Peter once again sheathed his sword as he said this.

"We ran into a bit of trouble along the way." Aslan looked at me and soon I found my eyes darting away from his. "Well, maybe more than a bit." I added.

"Our brother's been captured by the White Witch."

"Captured? How could this happen?"I scratched the back of my neck. How could we have let this happen? The four of us glanced at each other, none of wanting to answer.

"He betrayed them, You Majesty." The crowd murmured even louder, but Aslan was not angry.

"Then he as betrayed us all!" The centaur said, shaking his fist. I bit down on my tongue to control my anger.

"Peace, Oreius." It was laced with a small growl. "I'm sure there's an explanation."

"It's my fault, really. I was too hard on him." Peter sounded so defeated that all I wanted to do was hug him, but I refrained.

"We all were." I flinched, well not all of us.

"I'm afraid I might have been too easy on him. I let him get away with many things." I gnawed on my lip a bit more.

"Sir, he's our brother."

"I know, dear one, but that only makes the betrayal all the worse. This may be harder than you think." I nodded; I just wanted my friend back. A female centaur showed us too our tents, girls in one, boys in the other. Aslan had asked Ludwik to stay for a moment. Hopefully he would be able to stay. Inside the tent were three beds along with trunks filled with dresses. Oh no. Oh yes I had to wear a dress.

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YAY! New friend and we met Aslan. Don't forget to read and review. I accept all kinds!

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