Disclaimer: We do not own Power Rangers or The Chronicles of Narnia.
Written in collaboration with mae-E.
Chapter 7 – Faith and Understanding
When Tommy and Kim awoke it was to the freezing feel of the ice below them. They'd been thrown in a cell that, like the entire palace they'd seen from a distance, was wholly make of the frozen water.
"How did we let this happen?" Kim groaned as she and Tommy sat up, both checking for their Morphers but coming up empty. "We're smarter then this."
"Apparently not." Tommy muttered back. "So how we gonna get out of here?"
"I don't see it being that easy without our Morphers. Especially as Goldar knows how we operate."
"Well, we gotta think of something." The two sat in silence wondering how they were going to escape their prison. Their options were limited, especially without their Morphers. The entire palace was made out of ice, including the barred door to their cell, and while they were certain that the enhanced strength given to them as Power Rangers, even un-morphed, would be able to break apart the icicle bars, neither Tommy nor Kim held out any illusions that it would be that easy. They sat for what must have been hours, huddling together against the cold, before anything changed, or any potential escape opportunity presented itself. Two human guards come to their door, opening the cell and throwing in a tray of food.
"You know he's going to kill you right?" Tommy called to the guards before they could retreat. These humans resembled the Telmarines they'd lived among for the past several months and after being attacked by Telmarines on the battle field the other day it was unsurprising that there were other traitors. Tommy's words didn't seem to phase the guards, though they did stop their retreat.
"Goldar, the golden monkey that's apparently in charge, he'll kill you once your usefulness is up."
"It doesn't matter what you've done up till now." Kim got in on the act. "If you help us, we can save your lives and make sure you're welcomed back at the castle."
"Think you we want to go back with those Narnians in charge?" One of the guards snarled. "All they care about is themselves, the Telmarines suffer under that Narnian loving Caspian's rule."
"Especially with the return of the Kings and Queens of Old." Said the other.
"Then tell them your grievances." Kim implored. "They're reasonable people, work something out with them. Help us now, and we'll make sure they listen to you." Two scoffs was the only thing that met Kim's words so she tried Tommy's original tactic once again. "Whether you live at the castle or not the fact remains that you won't live for long if you stay here. Goldar, and whoever is possessing him, will kill you."
"We will prosper under the new regime."
"No one will prosper under the new regime." Snapped Tommy. "You don't know Goldar, he's pure evil and only cares about himself, and maybe a bit for the two he usually serves. Either way he's just using you and one day your usefulness will run out."
"Don't think to trick us with your mind games." The first guard snapped back before he and his companion walked away.
"So much for getting them to help us." Kim muttered as she grabbed the tray of food they'd left before settling back into Tommy's embrace. "Frozen…of course." Was her assessment of the food before tossing it aside. "How could we have been so stupid, Tommy? How many times have we learned not to run off on our own, to accept help, only for us to go right ahead and do just what we know we shouldn't? And do it in a way that gets us captured."
"We may have learned that lesson many times but always with Zordon, and our friends, who are also Rangers." Tommy tried to soothe her though he knew she had a good point. "We've said many times that we're not programmed to allow non-Rangers, and those without power, to put themselves in harms way. We were just trying to protect them."
"Just because our intentions were good doesn't mean we did the right thing. Now it looks like we're going to be putting them in danger anyways when they come looking for us, as we know they will. And we won't be at their side to help them." Tommy didn't reply but merely tightened his arms around his mate. The two sat in silence for some time before a loud thud and a scrapping noise was heard outside their cell. With finely honed reflexes the two jumped up and fell into fighting stances, wondering if Goldar had finally decided to come for them. They waited as footsteps were heard approaching, gearing up for battle, and braced themselves when their cell door slammed open. When their eyes refocused, however, it was not to see who they expected.
"Aslan!"
oo00oo00oo
As the day wore on with no news from the search party they'd sent out, the Pevensies and Caspian split up, going their separate ways in the castle until news arrived. Caspian and Susan were the only two who remained together and they once again found themselves out in the gardens, it quickly becoming their favourite spot, where they'd confessed their love for each other.
"We will find them, Susan." Caspian said when the Gentle Queen took a seat on a bench, forlornly overlooking the forest far below the castle.
"But in what condition? What if they have been captured, Caspian? What torture will Jadis put them through?"
"They are strong."
"I know. But I still worry." Caspian took a seat next to his queen and pulled her into his arms, relishing their closeness. It was still all so new to them, the admittance of their feelings for each other, yet both felt completely at ease with the other, every action feeling entirely natural.
"Of course you do. We all worry." He agreed.
"But with the White Witch back…how did she even return? We destroyed her staff after her last attempt at resurrection at The How…"
"I don't know what to say in that regard. I too had thought her staff destroyed."
"Maybe it's not the staff. Or that her magic isn't entirely concentrated in the staff and so long as her magic exists somewhere she'll never be truly gone."
"Perhaps. I really have nothing to compare it to, or draw from. Until just over a year ago, when you returned the first time, we thought magic, and even Narnians, to be nothing but fairy tales; stories parents tell their children at bedtime."
"And did your parents tell you fairy stories? Did you fall asleep hearing about Old Narnia and it's Kings and Queens?"
"Not from my parents no. They died when I was very young, and when alive my father forbid it, afraid of the woods as he and all other Telmarines were. But Doctor Cornelius did tell such tales. I learned relatively young that he was part dwarf, and hung off every word he said. He was more of a father to me then Miraz ever was, though for many years after my father's death he played at being my father."
"And what did you learn of us?"
"I learned of the bravery of High King Peter, his magnificence."
"Don't let Peter hear you say that." Susan said with a laugh. "His head is big enough already." Caspian too laughed, but continued his tale.
"I learned all about the adventurous young Queen Lucy, how her innocence and gaiety brought joy to all of Narnia. The Just King's wisdom and strategic mind was something I often heard about. Doctor Cornelius often said that Narnia would surely have never been conquered had you all not disappeared, for King Edmund's brilliance with strategy was second to none. He never lost a battle."
"Not entirely sure if that last bit is true. We never lost a battle that would have cost Narnia everything, but battles were certainly lost sometimes, even if Edmund's strategy was used." Tilting her head back Susan looked up at Caspian. "And what of me? What did the Doctor say of me?"
"He said that the beauty of the High Queen was practically legend. That men from Archenland, the Calormen Empire, and even Telmar, fell at your feet begging your favour." Susan had to role her eyes at that, least of all because that wasn't far from the truth, though she was certain it had less to do with her beauty and more to do with her status as High Queen. Lucy certainly had suitors as well, her adventurous and brazen nature countered by her own beauty and being a Queen in her own right, but Susan undeniably had more suitors; her quiet and gentle nature appealing more to the medieval views of the men found in this world, on top of being the High Queen above all other Queens. "But though the history books tell us of your beauty, what struck me more was how fitting the title of Gentle Queen seemed to be. There was mention that while Queen Lucy brought joy to Narnia, you brought peace. You cared for every single one of your subjects, and no subject was ever below your notice; never unimportant no matter who they were or what their station was."
"That grew, you know." She admitted. "Being the eldest girl in a time when women took care of everyone, I always cared for my siblings, especially my younger ones, though I certainly cared for Peter as well. When we came to Narnia, and lost our parents in the process, Lucy and Edmund turned to Peter and I. Lucy was six when we entered Narnia, there's a ten-year age difference between her and Peter, and six between Edmund and I. They were still children when we came to Narnia, though Peter and I weren't exactly adults yet ourselves. But we had to be. We become parents to our younger siblings because that's what they needed. I gained maternal instincts and feelings without having a child of my own and when I learned what being a queen truly meant, those feelings grew to include every Narnian. I couldn't exactly mother the entire kingdom, of course, but the protection and care a mother gives her children certainly applied."
"You grew up fast." Caspian said after a moment.
"Both Peter and I did. It's one reason why I'm so practical, so rational. I had to be, and I don't know if I can be any other way."
"But you are. You are so much more then that, Susan. Though practical and rational are not bad things to be, they are a part of who you are, and I love every part of you."
"Not sure what you loving every part of me has to do with practicality and rationality being either good or bad, but I don't care right now." She responded before leaning up and pressing her lips to his. The kiss was soft and gentle, though it did not stay that way for long. The passion quickly grew between the two and Susan quickly found herself pulled onto Caspian's lap, their bodies pressed tightly together, wanting as much contact as possible. Caspian soon found himself cursing the tightness of the bodices that was the current fashion for it did not allow much room for his hands to wander, though that was probably a good thing.
"Unhand my sister. Now!" A voice practically whispered and was it not for the tone of voice that promised pain should it not be obeyed, neither Susan nor Caspian would have heard it. As it was the two pulled apart and turned to face the intruder who, unsurprisingly, happened to be Peter.
"Go away Peter." Susan told him, her own voice promising retribution should he not obey.
"And leave you with him when it's clear he wants under your skirts? Not bloody likely!" He growled, his hand moving to Rhindon.
"I'm a grown woman, Peter, and you do not have the right to tell me what to do!" Although her words were ones that said she would like privacy with Caspian once more, the moment was clearly over as the siblings began to bicker.
"And I'm your older brother! It's my job to see that boys don't get anywhere near you!"
"Give it a rest, Pete!" Edmund called from the entrance to the garden, panting and looking as if he had run here from wherever in the castle he had been. "Now's not the time! The search party has returned. We've found them!"
oo00oo00oo
The Great Lion stood in the doorway to their cell looking kindly down on the half-frozen Rangers.
"Quickly, we must go." He said and the two didn't hesitate to follow him. They met a few guards along the way, all of who had been knocked out, but passed no conscious guards, nor did they meet Goldar himself.
"This is too easy…" Tommy muttered when they made it to what must be the throne room if the large ornate ice chair was anything to go by, without encountering any resistance.
"Jadis is not here at the moment." Aslan explained. "She, and her puppet Goldar, are meeting their army, preparing to attack. Only the necessary guards remain."
"It's happening sooner then we thought then-ah!" Kim gasped upon soaking her foot by stepping in a puddle. This confused both her and Tommy for not a few hours ago the entire palace had been made of solid, and entirely frozen, ice; yet now that ice appeared to be melting. Looking around the only other odd thing that struck the two mates was that, for whatever reason, the ice seemed to be melting faster where Aslan stood. Looking up at The Great Lion, Kim and Tommy remembered words the Pevensies had spoken on more then one occasion.
" 'When Aslan bares his teeth, winter meets its death.' " Kim muttered.
" 'When he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.' " Tommy finished.
"You're doing this. Whatever magic holds this place together, you're breaking it." Said Kim. Aslan merely smiled softly and turned his head towards a table that stood next to the throne. Seeing the clear change of subject, Tommy and Kim turned to look where Aslan indicated and instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Our Morphers." They breathed, rushing up the steps and grabbing their Morphers, allowing the Crane and Falcon out enough to determine that these were indeed the real Power Coins, not fakes.
"Come, we must hurry." Aslan said when they'd been reunited with what was essentially a part of them. Running as fast as they could without slipping on the melting ice, the two Rangers followed Aslan outside the palace gates and into the forest. Only when the trees were dense enough to block the view of the palace did he stop. "Climb on my back." He said, bending down so he was lying flat on his belly. "We have a ways to go." Not knowing the significance of this, that it was a very rare privilege, and considered an honour in Narnia, to ride The Great Lion, Tommy and Kim scrambled onto his back. When he stood he was as tall, if not taller, then a horse and his powerful legs carried them even faster to their destination.
"What is this place?" Tommy asked as he helped Kim down off Aslan's back and the two looked around, seeing the ruins of some ancient building carved into the side of a mound of earth overlooking the field they found themselves in. The sight before them was quite beautiful. It having taken a couple hours to reach their destination, the sun was setting behind the ruins, painting the sky pink and orange.
"It is called Aslan's How." He replied, leading the way inside. The How had been rebuilt after the battle with Miraz, and the previously collapsed doorway once again provided the entrance to the historical site. Even the tunnels the Narnians had purposefully collapsed had been fixed, at least to a certain point; there was no longer a chasm in the ground, the holes had been filled in, though the tunnels were now blocked off. Tommy and Kim had naturally heard of this place, but truthfully knew little about it except that it had been the site of the battle for Narnia's freedom from the Telmarines. Aslan led them into the first chamber and down a corridor and makeshift staircase into a second chamber. Torches lined the walls, as they had in the first chamber, and given that there were no other signs of occupancy anywhere in The How, Tommy and Kim wondered how and why they were lit. The second chamber they entered bore a stone awning at the far end that perfectly framed a carving of The Great Lion himself that stood on the wall. However, it was the great stone table with a crack down its centre that drew their attention. Kim and Tommy hesitantly approached the table, feeling its significance though they had no idea what that significance was. They each laid a hand on the table, though removed it relatively quickly and did not touch it again.
"What is it?" Kim asked. Although they'd been told of The How, neither the Pevensies nor Caspian had said anything about a table; seeing it now Tommy and Kim had little doubt that it was due to some sorrow of the past they did not wish to relive.
"The Stone Table." Aslan said. "It was created by my father before the beginning of Narnia. The laws of Old Narnia are carved into its side; it used to be the meeting place of the Narnian council."
"Why is it broken?"
"There is magic imbedded in The Table, the very essence of Narnia, and should those laws be broken it was said that The Stone Table would crack. Jadis, the White Witch who has possessed Goldar, is a part of it. It was written that any traitor belongs to her and for many years she used The Table as a sacrificial alter for those traitors. However, she did not understand the full meaning of the magic within. Should someone who has committed no treason be killed by her hand under the guise of claiming her right to all traitors, the laws would be broken, The Table would crack, and death itself would turn backwards."
"So someone who committed no treason was killed in the place of a traitor." Tommy surmised.
"It was you wasn't it?" Kim asked when Aslan nodded his answer. "You sacrificed yourself for someone."
"Yes." He said simply, giving no more then that away. Silence reigned for a time, leaving Tommy and Kim to their thoughts until Kim could stand it no longer.
"I'm sorry." She said to Aslan. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, or called you the enemy. You're not. And after all that you still came to rescue us."
"I do not take offense to the words you spoke, nor do I begrudge you saying them." He said. "I will not deny they surprised me some, I am certainly not used to being spoken to like that; however, they did have truth behind them." Kim looked at him like he was crazy but didn't interrupt him. "People did die because of my inaction." He explained. "I have my reasons for my inaction, as I have said all things happen for a reason, even if you do not understand what those reasons are."
"Then explain it to us." She implored.
"Not everything can, or does, have an explanation. You must have faith that things do happen for a reason and that they will work out." Neither Kim nor Tommy were sure what to say to that. Their experiences as Rangers had taught them that what Aslan said was true, sometimes there just wasn't an explanation; however, there usually was when it came to something like this. Aslan had stood back and his inaction had probably cost people their lives, which was never ok in their book, and he didn't even offer an explanation as to why he had stood back. However, no matter how much more they had to think on they didn't have time; their contemplation was interrupted by the arrival of their friends.
"Thank goodness you're alright!" Lucy cried as she launched herself at Tommy, the White Ranger catching her easily as this was a common occurrence. Susan came and gave Kim a hug as well thought it was much more subdued, before the girls switched and moved aside for the boys before the scolding began.
"What were you thinking?!" Susan all but growled. "You could have been hurt, or killed!"
"We know." Kim said. "We're sorry. We were being stupid." That immediately stopped Susan, and the others, in their tracks for they'd not expected such an easy confession. Everything they'd learned about Kim over the last several months told them that she'd fight to the last if she thought she was right.
"Well alright then." Peter said. "Don't do it again, I guess?" He phrased it as a question, for none of them knew what to make of such a compliant Kimberly, and decided to leave it at that.
"Aslan." They all then turned to The Great Lion, bowing before The True King of Narnia before Lucy tackled him in a hug as well.
"I knew you hadn't just left for no reason." She murmured into his fur, feeling completely at peace as she always did when in such close proximity to him.
"So what happens now?" Edmund asked when the moment ended.
"We must prepare for battle." Aslan said, standing slowly to allow Lucy time to get off him. The Valiant Queen then moved to The Stone Table, taking a seat upon it as only she could, no one else feeling comfortable even touching it for too long, if at all. "Jadis is rallying her army. We must too." His words were cut off as The How shook suddenly, all its occupants looking up and around for the source.
"You sure she's not finished rallying her army?" Edmund asked as he, Peter and Caspian pulled out their swords while Susan took out her bow; something wasn't right. The How shook again and this time the source became apparent as a light entered The How under the awning, dissipating to reveal Goldar, holding Jadis' staff aloft.
"What do you want Goldilocks?" Tommy asked, using his and Jason's favourite nickname for the minion that always seemed to get on his nerves, though they didn't think he understood the reference.
"You left so quickly, Tommy." He said in his scratchy voice though there was an undertone to it that clearly belonged to Jadis. "And we had such plans for you."
"Just try it." Kim growled moving to stand in front of her mate though her short stature by no means blocked him from Goldar's view.
"Gladly!" He cried, raising the staff and launching a blast of power at Tommy. None of the Pevensies, Aslan, or Caspian had thought to block them for this move was new. Jadis' staff had always had power in it but she previously had had to touch it to her victim to use it; the long-range blast was not something they had seen before and so must come from Goldar. The blast hit Tommy, and Kim as she was in such close proximity, though Tommy did not allow her to remain in it for long, pushing his mate out of the way within seconds. This proved fortunate for the power began to solidify into ice that worked its way up Tommy's body from his feet, trapping him in the ice.
"Tommy!" Kim cried, seeing her mate about to be trapped in ice.
"No don't!" He shouted back, not wanting her to be trapped too. Kim had barely taken two steps towards him when she stopped, looking on desperately. When the ice reached his knees, Tommy doubled over, grabbing his head, and the ice's purpose became clear to Kim. She felt it through their bond the moment the residual power inside Tommy that belonged to the Evil Green Ranger began to come forward, the ice surrounding him bringing the evil out and tying it to Jadis and Goldar, much as Rita's spell had tied it to her; they were trying to gain control of the Evil Green Ranger. Not caring anymore what her mate had said Kim began her approach once more, though this time she allowed the Crane forwards. The Animal Spirit had become panicked the more the evil grew, for the Falcon was being suppressed, and so was only too happy to help Kim reach Tommy. She began glowing pink as the Crane's power washed over her and by the time she reached Tommy, physically reaching out for him, the power of the Crane was nearly blinding. By now the ice had fully enclosed Tommy within but physical barriers meant little to such power. Kim reached right through the ice and grasped Tommy's hand, pulling as hard as she could and pulling him out the second the Crane's power enclosed around him. The cry of the Falcon was heard as he was released once more, the evil power that would suppress him no longer there.
"Yes!" Kim cried seeing he was free and wrapping her arms tightly around him, holding her mate close as Tommy's arms wrapped around her as well. What brought the two apart not a minute later was the lack of response from Goldar. Usually when one of his plans was foiled he was very vocal about it, and no matter how much of Jadis he had inside him, neither Tommy nor Kim had any doubt that he would be cursing them, which only left them with one conclusion: his plan hadn't been foiled. Turning slowly, the two faced where Tommy had just stood and saw that although Tommy himself was no longer there the ice remained, and so did a dark green cloud of energy. Every occupant of The How watched as the cloud grew and began cackling with energy before exploding outwards, shattering the ice and forcing them to duck and cover. When they looked back up it was to see a sight both Rangers had hoped never to see again. Standing tall and proud, radiating immense evil energy, was the Evil Green Ranger.
