as always, thank you guys for your reviews! :) i really appreciate them. Now, let's see what has happened to our heroine...
Rck.: DEAN BEAN! I misseded you! haha. Yes, I'm quite excited about the wolf myself ;) it does mean what you think it means. Things are about to get a taaad more complicated for poor Z. haha
Rockhardfairies: tee hee - I like having Peter/Zooey banter. that stuff's fun for me. I think they both deserve some fun - and, ya know, a lot of Peter/OC romances have such a serious relationship between him and the OC and that's just so...intense. and, as you'll see later, there will be PLENTY of "intense-ness" in store for them, so, we need to have fun with them while we can lmao. Unfortunately, the fun pretty much ends this chapter :(
For the first time in my life, I awoke with terror waiting to consume me. I groaned, immediately feeling the intense pain in my ankle. It seemed almost worse, and I tried to move to make myself more comfortable, but I couldn't - my ankles were bound as well as my wrists. I whimpered, finally gathering enough courage to open my eyes. Immediately, I sought out the face of a person I knew wouldn't be here.
I looked for Peter.
I remembered the voice calling my name in the forest. I knew it had been him, and I began to cry, thinking of how close I had been to being saved. If only I had called out to him, maybe then he would have found me.
"Good evening, Daughter of Eve."
The sharp, feminine voice sent chills down my spine. She was behind me, and I didn't have the strength nor the courage to roll over to face her. I squeezed my eyes shut, silent tears of fear and frustration coursing over the bridge of my nose on to the soft soil beneath me.
The woman clicked her tongue in disappointment, "That just won't do..." She stated. I heard the soft swish of her gown brushing against the earth as she walked to stand before me. I cried out as something prodded my already injured ankle. "I would have preferred you well." She sighed. "Pity, but I'm certain you'll survive." There was a moment of silence, but I could feel her cold, piercing gaze on me as I shook in fear. I knew by pure instinct that this woman was the very woman who had created me - the woman I had vowed to avoid.
The White Witch.
"Look at me, Daughter of Eve!" She ordered, her voice hard with annoyance.
I obeyed without hesitation.
"I know not your name." She prompted.
I swallowed, my throat dry. I wondered how long I had been unconscious. Was anyone looking for me? "Zooey." I croaked in reply. I knew I would live longer, with much less suffering, if I behaved accordingly and did as I was asked. Eventually, the time would come when she would do what it was she intended to do when she'd created me. Only then would I guage my actions accordingly. Maybe then I would have the strength to stand against her and fight. Whatever burden she bestowed upon me, she meant for me to use that power to kill the Pevensies. I would have rather died than hurt them. Perhaps it would come to that, and I could only hope I would be brave enough should that time come.
"What an awful name." She said this with such calm authority, like the point was undebateable. "Ginnabrick!" I flinched when she called the name.
We waited in silence, my harsh breaths seeming deathly loud to my own ears, but she seemed not to be bothered by them. As time passed, she grew peeved. With another glare in my direction, she exited the tent in which I was laying - off to see what was keeping this Ginnabrick, I assumed.
The moment I could no longer hear her footsteps, I began struggling against my bonds, grinding my teeth together to keep from crying out at the pain my struggles caused me. I became hysterical, thrashing about wildly, mindless of any further damage I was causing, sobbing frustratedly when I only succeeded in causing further damage to my already scratched and bloody hands. "Come on!" I whined.
I screamed when I felt a small body crash against mine. A tiny, but strong, fist snatched a handful of my hair and yanked my head back. I felt the cold edge of a blade against my throat.
"What do you think you're doing?!" The voice growled, jerking my head forcefully. He pressed the blade harder against my throat and I felt a small, warm trickle of blood slide down my neck as the metal sunk in to my skin. I wanted to struggle, but I feared that any movement would only cause further - perhaps irreparable - damage.
"Ginnabrick!" The White Witch strode to stand before me. I never thought for a moment that I would be so glad to hear her voice, "Release her at once!"
"But, your Majesty, she -"
"NOW!"
"Yes, my Queen." I crumpled forward when he released me, my head throbbing. I wanted to pull myself as far away from Ginnabrick as possible. I couldn't stop crying, and I wondered if there would be a point when I would be so fortunate as to have no more tears left in my body, for I couldn't see any other reason why I would cease my sobbing. I was overwhelmed by hit after hit of awful misfortunes, cruelty, and mistreatment. I wasn't used to it, I didn't think I would ever grow accustomed to it. It only made me miss my friends back at Aslan's camp even more.
"Where have you been?!" The Witch snapped, looking extremely displeased.
"Searching for the boy, my Queen."
Edmund! He'd escaped! I felt my first spark of hope when I heard this. If Ed could get to the others, he could tell them where I was! They would find me...
If he even knew I was here, that is. For all I knew, he could have escaped long before I even arrived. Or maybe he hadn't noticed them drag me in.
Still, there was hope, and that was more that I'd had only seconds earlier.
"We cannot waste time of a futile search for Edmund!" I was surprised that she'd used his name, "We know where he is - we cannot get him back by sheer force, you know this!" She turned her cold gaze on me, pausing as she thought of her next course of action: "It must be done now. Once she has recovered, we shall take back what is rightfully mine."
I panicked. Now?! I hadn't expected it to happen so soon! It had been foolish of me to expect her to waste any time. They were, after all, on the brink of war, "No!"
The tent was silent as two pairs of eyes bore into me, "What did you say?" The Witch hissed, he voice low and deadly, daring me to speak against her again.
"I won't do it." I shook my head, trembling even as I spoke my brave words. I was absolutely terrified.
She laughed, a terrible sound that send chills down my spine, "I'm afraid you have no choice, my dear girl." And with that, she turned away from me, speaking to the dwarf that had moved to stand behind her while he grinned horribly down at me. "Watch her." She commanded before taking her leave.
"With pleasure." The dwarf snarled gleefully, twirling the same blade that had been at my throat only moments ago over in his hands, waiting for me to make my move. He wanted me to try to get away, the twisted little shit! I wrinkled my nose in distaste, scooting even further from him, just for good measure.
Eventually, as we waited, I became able to ignore Ginnabrick, and my mind wandered back to where I longed to be. I hoped more than anything that others had gotten away safely and unhurt. Lucy and Susan, when I'd been dragged away, had been relatively safe in the tree. Peter, however...I shook my head, almost laughing at my own cynicism. Maybe it was my current predicament that made me think of only negative things, that made me assume that Peter could be hurt. Peter had become a good swordsman, and I was certain Aslan would never let anything happen to him. It brought me some comfort to know that they were safe with him, yet, at the same time, it broke my heart to know that Aslan hadn't been there to protect me. I would have thought that protecting me meant protecting them, since I was a danger to them if I were to fall in to the wrong hands.
What would Aslan do now that I had been in the Witch's clutches? Would he allow me to return again once the deed was done?
I realised, with a jolt of horror, that he wouldn't. Once the Witch returned, I would be what I was destined to become. If I ever saw Peter and the others again, it would be under the most terrifying of circumstances - circumstances that I couldn't even bear to consider.
I shook my head in denial when the tall, pale women returned, holding a vial of black liquid that made my stomach turn. "Please, no..." God, help me, I'd resorted to begging! I tried to push myself away from her, but it was hard to do with a busted ankle and bound limbs. She ignored my pleas, giving me a cold smile as she approached.
"Ginnabrick, could you help our guest with her drink?"
The dwarf hobbled over to where I was crouched, "Of course, my Queen." I shrieked as he seized my jaw in his hands, attempting to pry my lips apart. I shook my head, thrashing violently to try to prolong the inevitable. I held my mouth shut, absolutely refusing to drink the foul smelling formula - I would have rather suffocated. Ginnabrick, however, was smarter than he looked, and gave my injured ankle a swift kick, causing me to scream in pain, my mouth - obviously - flying open. The Witch took the opportunity and forced the concoction down my throat. I gagged while simultaneously trying to scream. The liquid burned as it oozed down my throat - like swallowing boiling water hot off the stove. I could feel it move through my body, down in to my stomach, like a fire consuming me from inside.
I only vaguely felt them secure a gag in my mouth to silence my shrieks of pain. The fire inside me was spreading through my limbs, down to the tips of my toes and, more than anywhere else, the ends of my fingers. I had never been much for dramatics, nor had I ever been one to condone suicide, let alone consider it, but in this moment, I was certain that I would have welcomed death if only to escape the blinding pain I was in - pain unlike anything I'd ever felt before, my torn ankle long forgotten. I was glad when, once again, I drifted back in to darkness.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I was in so much pain, I was afraid to move. Thankfully, it was a dull ache now, in every limb and in the back of my throat - the last sizzling remains of the fire from before. One thing I knew for sure was that it was now very dark outside - no sunlight was coming through the thin material of my tent and I could hear no movement outside, although I knew that they would have someone guarding me. I coughed, knowing before I even did so that it would hurt me, and I flinched, spitting out the blood that shot in to my mouth with said cough. I realised that they must have removed the gag once I'd passed out. Groaning (that hurt, too), I rolled over so that I lay flat on my back while calm, silent tears rolled steadily down my cheeks. It was done now, whatever "it" was, and that meant I was, officially, a danger to Narnia and it's future Kings and Queens. There was no chance of me ever being allowed to return to Aslan's camp, and there certainly would be no more one on one, late night chats with Peter. Hell, it would probably have been better if I were to never see them again, for the next time we met, the White Witch would expect to use me to kill them. Was it worth risking their lives just to see them again?
Stupidly, my mind gave me a quiet, desperate "yes". How selfish my thoughts could be...
My eyes drifted shut once more, my body still exhausted from whatever change it had endured, and I welcomed the deep sleep that enveloped me.
I dreamt of him - of bright blue eyes that glistened as he looked in my direction. He smiled at me, a small smile, but there was something different in the gaze - a sadness that I couldn't quite place. It wasn't the sadness I had grown used to, the look of loss...No, this was a look of pity. I approached him and I watched with great pain as he moved away from me, drawing his sword, the look of pity from before replaced with angry determination. His bright blue eyes turned to a slate grey as he glared down at me:
"I won't let you hurt them."
"Peter, I would never -" I reached for him and he snarled at me.
"Take one more step and it will be your last." He warned.
With a sad smile, I took that last step in his direction...
Boring and short, I know.
but my muse totally died and it was taking too long to return and i felt bad holding off for so long, so i'll put this up for now and HOPEFULLY my muse for this story won't be gone for long. :)
