Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion, The Witch or the Wardrobe. The Chronicles of Narnia belong to C. S. Lewis and I am making no money off this. Please don't sue, you wouldn't get much anyway.

Chapter Six

It has now been One Hundred years since I first began my reign of winter over the land of Narnia.

I once thought that the satisfaction of taking Aslan's country from him would bring me peace and that by eating the fruit and becoming immortal I would be able to take revenge on the lion. I once thought that power could bring me happiness.

Now I begin to realize that existence can be very lonely without someone to share it with, no matter how long you will live. Now I know that while power may bring happiness's sister, cousin and uncle twice removed, happiness herself is proving to be very skilled at evading me.

My courtyard is lined with statues; people who have tried to stop me and whom I have turned into stone. They are nice to look at, but cold stone will never replace warm flesh and blood.

I remember that it was my Sorcha who first pointed that out to me. My sister had commissioned a statue as a wedding gift for her

Flashback -

There is a cheer as Sorcha and Brand share their first kiss as husband and wife.

They both smile as they turn to look at the crowd, practically glowing with happiness and laughter.

The sun is high as it shines down from a clear blue sky. Both are clad in wedding finery, Sorcha wearing a white gown embroidered with silver and a rosy blush, white ribbons and flowers entwined in her blonde hair, Brand in a silvery-white robe over a tunic of palest blue.

I move up to the two of them, smiling. Yes, I will admit that mothers are always overly emotional on such occasions.

"Good Morning, children, or is it Afternoon?"

Brand grins back at me, he is a fine match for my Sorcha.

"Nay, not yet, Princess Jadis. Not while my beloved shines so bright in my eyes! Surely it is always morning where she is?"

Sorcha beams like the sun coming out. Nearby, Elanisa rolls her eyes, "New-wedded idiots. Gods give me patience."

She is calmly ignored. It takes much more than a single, impaitent comment to ruin a wedding.

There is dancing and music and laughter and fine food.

Sorcha and Brand are both greatly loved. Half of Charn was invited to the wedding, and most of the rest showed up anyway.

Finally, it begins to grow dark, and it is time to give the wedding gifts before the drinking starts and the bride and groom can sneak away without anyone noticing. I sometimes think that sneaking away is as much tradition as the ceremony and the vows exchanged.

The presents are received with smiles and thanks, but when my sister unveils a statue of the two of them, something flashes in my Sorcha's eyes, quickly veiled as she gives the Queen her thanks.

I quietly move to my daughter's side. "You seem to dislike the statue. It is beautifully made."

My Sorcha nods her agreement. "Beautiful, yes. But also cold and lifeless. It will stand for a long time, but never be more than a shadow of what will last for eternity."

I do not have a chance to answer as Brand chooses that moment to reappear and the two of them slip away and are not seen for the rest of the night. They were not seen for most of the next morning either, but everyone was too busy nursing monumental headaches to notice.

End Flashback -

I am riding in a carriage, out on a tour of Narnia, when I come across something that I have not seen for a long while: a human boy.

How very interesting.

It takes a while, but I finally get the idiot to confirm his species. I was correct; he is indeed a son of Adam. I offered him food and drink, obviously no one has taught him not to accept food from strangers. We adjourn into a pavilion that I create and talk further. He tells me that he has a sister who has been here before and met a faun by the name of Tumnus.

Tumnus is one of my spies, why was this sighting not reported? I will deal with him later, after I have had the time to think of a suitable punishment for him. It will be a nasty one, that much is certain. Fear and the loyalty it inspires will take on a whole new meaning once I am done.

The brat is talking again, correcting his earlier statement. It seems he has a brother and two sisters. I am still slightly preoccupied with that wretched faun's betrayal so it takes a moment for the news to sink in.

"Two, three, four…Four!"

The prophecy! Two sons of Adam and Two daughters of Eve! The four thrones of Cair Paravel! Oh, could this day get worse?

There was a prophecy made long ago, by the last queen of Narnia, incidentally. She seemed to think that telling me would somehow save her from death. I gave it little thought at the time, but it seems insistant on coming back to haunt me.

When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sits at Cair Paravel in throne, the Witch's time will be over and done.

Oh, joy.

I swear, the only thing that could make this worse would be news of Aslan returning.

My brain is working quickly, how to remove this threat altogether? I could get rid of this one, but that would leave his three siblings to deal with. Brute force would obviously not work as well as I would hope, so perhaps manipulation would serve better.

I think temptation will be best to start out with and so I invite the boy back to my house. Not Cair Paravel; that place was once the dwelling of Human Kings and Queens. No, my house lies nearer to the Mountains than the Sea. I want to be as far away from that blasted lion as possible. 'Son of the Emperor-over-the-sea'. Humph. The pretentious, stuck up git.

The boy, Edmund, seems eager at the prospect. I know all too well the trials of being a younger sibling, the desire to be first in something! He knows nothing of my reputation, so it will be easy to turn him. Time to raise the stakes.

"It is a lovely place, my house. Except for one thing: I have no children of my own" Not since my Sorcha, and my little Vanerina before her, and none will ever replace them, boy or girl. "I would so much like a young boy whom I could bring up as a Prince. He would be King of Narnia when I am gone. He would wear a gold crown and eat Turkish Delight all day long." No he bloody well would not! There are responsibilities that go with such positions, and one does not learn them by sitting in a room and stuffing one's face! Furthermore, I am immortal and have no plans for dying in the near future!

I tell him that he may journey to my house the next time he visits Narnia, as long as he brings his brother and sisters with him

He does not seem particularly happy at the idea (perhaps he thinks he will be shunted aside in favor of them?) but he agrees.

I give him directions and order him not to return without them. I give the order to my coachman and we drive away, leaving him behind. Thank the heavens, I was not sure how much more of the wretch I would have been able to take and to kill him then would have messed my plans up dreadfully.

We drive back to my house between the two hills and I order one of the servants to bring a cold compress to me in a darkened room. Queen of Narnia or not, the boy Edmund has succeeded in giving me a splitting headache.

l

l

l

l

l

l

A/N – Yay, another chapter up and we get into The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.