Peter felt the cold first: an unshakeable chill that soared through his entire body as he gasped awake. Peter shuddered, his eyes tried to pry themselves open from sleep after hours of sitting alone in the tent. He regained feeling in his body enough to know he was still tied to the wooden post and the cloth was still around his mouth. All the stiffness from sleeping in such a horrid position escaped his body as it was replaced with an alarming sense of fear. He had felt this kind of cold before.

He blinked his eyes opened, seeing ice under his legs first. He felt the icy air and chill of a cold night in Winter. This confused Peter only briefly before he heard a voice that had plagued his nightmares for many years.

"Peter, dear," the chilly voice filled the tent. In response, he quickly looked upward to see the White Witch standing before him. Peter frantically tried to squirm away, but was bound to the wooden post. She could not be real; she could not be in front of him.

I saw Aslan kill you, Peter thought to himself. Now shaking with terrible fright, Peter pulled against his bindings. He could not get free. He looked around helplessly, realizing that if she was real, he could not get away from her. Her laughter followed his reaction, and she bent down beside him. Peter's efforts to escape ceased when she moved her hand towards his face. She isn't real, he tried to remind himself. She could not be.

"I've missed you," she mocked in sweetness as she touched his cheek, making him flinch away from her. His eyes widened as the reality of this situation was crystalizing before him. She smirked at this. She removed the gag from Peter's mouth, and for a moment, all Peter could notice was his rapid breath in front of him.

"You can't be real," whispered Peter, fear encapsulated in his voice. He struggled to pull himself as far away from her as possible only for her to lean in next to his face.

"I am here to save you," her voice whispered cruelly in his ear.

"No," Peter horrified at her words. "Aslan killed you." Peter squeezed his eyes shut, turning away from her.

"Not anymore," She laughed. "Come, my little king, I will free you from your enemies." He opened his eyes, blinking at the very real nightmare forming in front of him. He did not want to find out what she was going to do to him without Aslan there to stop her.

"Get away from me!" Peter yelled. She clasped her hand over his mouth, pressing him against the post that held him put.

"Ah, Son of Adam, your fear is radiating off of you," The White Witch taunted. "What would your siblings say if they saw how afraid you were of me?" Peter nearly whimpered a response to her. "Now, hold still while I cut you free."

She pulled a knife from what looked like out of the air. Her hand left his mouth, and she cut the ropes around his legs before then cutting the binds holding him to the post. Once his hands were free, he scrambled to his feet and lunged to get away from her, only for her to grab hold of him, slamming his back into the post that once held him.

Her arm pinned his shoulders, the other she used to hold the knife to his throat. "Where do you think you are running off to?"

Peter stifled a fearful cry under her grasp, managing to say with some of his bravery returning to him, "Kill me and get it over with."

"Not yet," she grinned as she grabbed an iron grip of his arm, dragging him out of the tent with her. He thrashed, trying to get away, but she held him perfectly in her hand. Scattered outside the tent were at least a dozen stoned statues of Telmarines. Some looked ready to strike their swords; others never saw the Witch coming. Flashing before his mind, these statues reminded him of seeing the White Witch across the battlefield in the Battle of Beruna. Every person she had went against she had either killed or turned to stone that day. He was young then, but his fears of the White Witch were still very much real to this day, especially now seeing her again. His efforts to pull away only increased: he did not want to find out what she had planned for him if she wasn't going to kill him now.

He was not sure whom was better to be held captive by: the White Witch or the Cruel Usurper. After only a moment's debate, he tried to call out for help, but suddenly, he felt an intense, sheering pain erupt throughout his mind, making his vision darken and his eyes shut. He was doing his best just to gasp for air under the pain. She dragged him along, despite it. They disappeared into the forest as Peter struggled to get away from her with the pain still infecting his mind.

It was not until they were deep in the forest did the White Witch stop walking and throw Peter down on the rough ground of the forest. He gasped for air as he suddenly found his voice again, and the pain resided from his mind. He terrifying looked over at the Witch who stood there, looking beyond pleased with herself.

The White Witch turned her attention to behind Peter, saying, "You see, little prince, I told you I could save him." Peter looked over to whom she was talking to only to be horrified to see it was, in fact, Caspian.

"Caspian?" Peter scrambled to his feet. Despite feeling a great deal of pain, he went over to Caspian, grasping his arms. Next to Caspian stood the largest werewolf Peter had ever seen. Despite keeping an eye on the werewolf while his attention was on Caspian, Peter was rather glad to see him. Caspian appeared happy to see him too, but uneasy all the same. Peter turned to the Witch, finding his strength, "Release Caspian, you have no toil with him."

"I am not holding him prisoner," The White Witch gleamed. Peter shook his head in confusion, loosening his grasp of him as Caspian looked away. "How do you think I came back?" The White Witch asked. Horrified, Peter took a step away from Caspian as the realization hit him.

"No, Caspian, you didn't." Peter looked at him with pity.

He wanted to be angry with Caspian, but could not manage it. Caspian must have been tempted by the White Witch. Even Edmund, one of the greatest people Peter knew, had fallen for the temptations of this Witch. Caspian was desperate. In his desperation, he had made such a devastating mistake.

"There was no other choice," Caspian said. "She said she would save us."

Peter gave the White Witch a harsh look, which she did not seem to mind. Then the word us dawned on Peter, and he looked desperately to Caspian. "Is my family safe? Please, do not tell me she has gotten to them."

"They are alive," Caspian managed, "They left the How. We came here for you—"

"Enough of this talk," The White Witch declared. She snapped her fingers, and the werewolf grasped Peter from behind around his shoulders. Despite Peter's attempts, the werewolf was just too strong to beat in his current state. Pulling Peter away from Caspian, it kept Peter still. "We have work to do."

"What are you doing!?" Caspian demanded. "You promised you would save Peter—"

"Ah, little prince, I did as you asked. But I never once agreed to free Peter, he is mine now."

"No. No! Release him now!" Caspian drew his sword.

"Caspian, don't," Peter warned.

"But Peter," Caspian pleaded. Caspian was ready to fight the White Witch to save him; Peter could see it. She would easily kill him, Peter realized. He, himself, had only managed to survive as long as he did because she was toying with him. As much as Peter wanted Caspian to save him from this terrible Witch, he wasn't going to allow Caspian to die trying. Peter swallowed hard before mustering the courage to get Caspian to leave him with the White Witch.

"It will be alright," Peter told him.

"You don't have to lie to the boy," The White Witch sneered. "He has handed you over to me, after all." She took a few steps towards Peter. Caspian raised his sword at her more, she just continued until she was by Peter's side. "Doesn't he remind you of your traitorous brother? Edmund was much easier to fool than this little prince was though."

Peter kept looking at Caspian, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of a reaction at mentioning Edmund's past betrayal. Instead, he focused on Caspian, "Run, Caspian, before she kills you. Narnia needs you."

Caspian's eyes were trained on Peter. They were pleading and desperate. He did not know what to do, Peter could tell that from where he stood.

"I am sorry, Peter," Caspian said.

The White Witch smiled at Caspian, saying, "I'll spare your life for freeing me. Now, run, run, little prince, before I change my mind." Caspian gave one awfully conflicted look to Peter before he sheathed his sword. "Do tell Edmund that I will be bringing their brother where the Faithful had first gathered, I am sure, he will remember where." Caspian looked horrified, but also trying to keep a strong face.

"We will save you, Peter, I promise," Caspian said before running back to the How.

The White Witch smirked at Peter, saying, "He really should not make promises he cannot keep."


Thank you for reading! Next chapter will be up in the next few days! Thank you for everyone taking the time to read