Panic, panic, panic and our poor families are having a hard time dealing with it.

Again, thank you so much for following/favouriting/reviewing, I really hope I'll be able to keep up something enjoyable for you! :)

No sooner had they all realized that the house was missing two brothers, panic settled in. Peter didn't wait for any instructions before quickly putting his coat on, and making his way to the door. Hopefully, they weren't too late, they just may be able to get to Edmund in time, he would never forgive himself were Edmund to be lost to him.

"Come on! We need to catch up with them before they get too far!" he cried, grabbing Lucy's hand as Thorin, Kili and Susan rushed passed him.

Mister Beaver anxiously looked around, seriously hesitating whether they ought to go out or not. It wasn't that he was against the idea of finding the two missing boys -God no!- , but if his suspicions were correct, he couldn't allow the remaining three children or the dwarves to even get remotely near the Witch's castle, knowing they would end up in her clutches, and thus the prophecy would never be fulfilled for the children's case. The dwarves however, he was still unwilling to let them fight something they could not win, and having heard Thorin's story of what had happened before he got here, he was loathe to let him acquire more scars.

After making sure his house was closed, and no part of it would be remotely easily burgled (one never knew what lurked around the woods, especially under these times), Mister Beaver took the head, Thorin and Peter following close behind him, the rest trying to keep up to the panicked run they'd all broken into.

Peter had always known Edmund could be sometimes selfish, especially in the recent months since Father had gone off to the war, but it had been his way of dealing with the whole situation. However, the boy had never thought Edmund would be capable of doing this! Had he not been listening to Mister Beaver at all? This Witch was nothing but trouble, and if Edmund was in her clutches (which a part of him already thought, grimly) he was not in for anything good, and Peter wouldn't be there to protect him, as an older brother should. He'd failed so miserably in his role over the past months, Peter had thought being in Narnia with his siblings may have brought a remedy to that, but instead, it had simply driven Edmund even further away from him, slowly letting Peter realize that their bond would never be repaired. And now… Edmund was out there, with no familiar face, and left to fend for himself. Oh, how could things have gone so wrong!

Thorin was going through an all too familiar situation, realizing someone he cared for was in need of help. It was exactly the same as when he'd understood that Ravenhill had been a trap all along, after having sent both Kili and Fili scouting up there, knowing then that he'd sent them straight to their deaths and he could no longer do anything for them. At least, Kili was with him this time, Kili was still here and running beside him, he was still alive, for now. Fili though, he couldn't even imagine what was happening to him right now, hopefully he was still all right and in one piece.

Frustrated tears welled up in the corner of his eyes as he followed behind Peter, knowing he'd let History repeat itself and hadn't done anything to prevent it when he'd sworn to himself that he'd look out more for all of these young ones. After listening to Mister and Misses Beaver explain to them who this Witch was, learning that it was forever winter and never Christmas (whatever that was) here because of her and that she could obviously do much worse, knowing the two boys were throwing themselves into her hands was more than he could take. She was bound to harm them, and Thorin had sworn to himself he'd look out for all of them, Kili and Fili as well as the four children, yet he understood that once Edmund and Fili would be within her grasp, he was going to be powerless. It was a race against time really, they just had to make it before the other two did or else…

Staggering up one hill, and down the other side, trying to make their way through the trees and the frozen snow, all in the dark, it wasn't easy, and they all felt like they were going in circles, like they were never going to find their way again.

The ominous branches reaching down to touch them were terrifying, as if they were trying to trap them here, leave them vulnerable for the Witches' passing, so she could add them to her collection in her frozen palace. Lucy tried going forward, Susan's hand on her shoulder helping her to keep up, but the dark shadows dancing on every side of her and the frightening silence all around them, safe for their panting breaths and the occasional rustle of the trees was scaring her. She wished they could all stop, where she could run to Peter and grab his coat so she could bury her head deep inside it, knowing her big brother would protect her from anything, but right now, finding Edmund and Fili was more important. If both boys were indeed still stuck here, in the scary forest, surely they would be in more need of comfort than her, she needed to find Edmund so she could tell him that everything was going to be okay, that he didn't have to run away from them, she had to be brave for him.

"Hurry!" Peter cried, as he made his way up, knowing it was unfair of him to push everyone beyond what they were capable of but knowing that if they didn't quicken their pace, all hopes of finding the two runaways would be lost.

He let out a sob of relief, as he saw the trees parting, letting him know that they were finally out of the forest, and that much closer to Edmund and Fili. Hope blossomed in Peter's chest, knowing that if they could run just a little further, they'd manage to catch up, and somehow convince his brother to come back, where Peter would do some apologizing. He knew it was mainly his fault that Edmund had ran off, knowing he'd been a terrible big brother to him over the last few months, being short tempered and sometimes letting some very foul words escape his mouth when he'd had some heated arguments with his younger sibling. Peter regretted it, knowing it was probably one of the major facts that had driven Edmund away from him and to the Witches' house. However, despite how reluctant Edmund would be about it, and not even counting the amount of insults said brother would be throwing towards him, Peter knew he had to get his little brother out of there, it was the right thing to do, even if it wouldn't come off as such to Edmund.

They all stopped, after reaching the top of the hill. Just across from them they all laid eyes on the solid ice castle, looming, inviting them to come closer, almost taunting them from afar. The seven of them stood, frozen, the palace almost enough to dissuade any of them to even dare and take a step closer. And then, in the distance, squinting their eyes to see better, they could all distinguish two small figures entering the icy doors, and heading deep into the Witches' lair.

Kili's breath caught in his throat, there was simply no way he was ever going to manage to get his brother out of there, no matter how many time he prayed the great Mahal, not this time. And seeing each other separated once again, it tore at him. The archer really wanted to go down, to retrieve the two runaways, but knew, he just knew that nothing could be done for them now. He could only allow himself to hope, and biting his lip, Kili forced his legs to stay rooted to where they were, instead of following his instincts and rushing down the hillside.

"Edmund!" Lucy screamed, before she could hold herself.

"Shh! They'll hear 'ya!" Mister Beaver hated having to be harsh on the young ones, but this was a very delicate situation, they were already way to close to the Witches' lair to his liking, and should anybody hear them, they'd be done for before even having a chance of running away.

Peter knew he'd not been nice to Edmund in a long while, and for that there were faults on both parts, and he'd thought that being in Narnia, this was his chance to make it up to him. Although he hadn't been very nice to him since they'd gotten here (arguably, Edmund had been pretty mean to Lucy too), but he knew he couldn't let his little brother stay in there, where he only risked being harmed. And without thinking twice, he rushed forward.

Thorin did exactly the same. Despite a little voice in his head, repeating that this was madness, he was unwilling to stand aside and do nothing, like last time his eldest nephew had been harmed (more like, killed). He knew it was unlikely any of them would manage to get the two boys out, but he just had to try, at least make an attempt of a rescue. What Uncle would he be if he was willing to let his family remain in a place where it was sure to get hurt?

However, both were stopped in their decision, as Mister Beaver grabbed Peter's coat and Kili took hold of his Uncle's arm, preventing any of them going any further. While the elder Pevensie only tried shaking off the little rodent, Thorin looked at Kili, incredulous that he was willing to just leave it at that, without trying to at least do something.

Kili, right now, was torn in two. While his heart was screaming at him to just run after his brother, knowing it was the right thing to do, and remembering the outcome of their last separation, the archer also understood that there was simply no way they were ever going to be able to get into that castle, find Fili and Edmund, and make it out in one piece and unharmed. While he trusted his elder brother would be able to defend himself, and protect Edmund, for a time at least, he knew two beavers, two dwarves and three children would never be able to save them. It was tearing inside him, knowing he just had to leave his brother there, but there was just nothing they could do right now.

"Get off me!" Peter was crying out, desperate to come to his younger sibling's help. Now he'd done it, he'd driven Edmund so far away from him that he'd taken refuge in a false hope, and Peter wouldn't be there to comfort him when the Witch shattered all of his wrong ideas. And why was Mister Beaver stopping him, did he really want to leave Edmund there? In a place where he was most certainly going to get hurt?

"You're playing into her hands!" Mister Beaver exclaimed, knowing how hard this was for all of them, but desperate to make them see that there was no choice for them here, they all had to leave, now.

"We can't just let them go!" Susan argued. True, Edmund had been a beast over the past months, but the thought of being separated from him forever was just too much. She just wanted her family back and whole, not this.

"He's our brother!"/"He's my nephew!" Lucy and Thorin cried simultaneously. Even if Edmund had been horrible to her over the past months, they couldn't leave him to the Witch. And Thorin was definitely not going to let his family get split up again, especially remembering how it had ended last time…

Not caring for the beaver's explanation, he tugged on forward, only to have strong arms encircled his waist, and turning around to come face to face with… Kili again? Was his nephew actually preventing him from going to rescue his own brother? Kili was willing to leave Fili there?

"What do you think you're doing Kili?! We can't just leave your brother behind!" He wasn't really angry with him, it was the whole situation that had started getting to his head again, and Thorin hated not being able to do anything.

"Mister Beaver is right." Kili admitted, as much as he hated to do so. "What are we possibly going to be able to do if we ever managed to get in there?" he asked pointedly. If the battle they'd fought at Ravenhill had taught him one thing, it was to be realistic. His love with Tauriel hadn't been realistic at all, how could an immortal elf be happy with a dwarf? How were they supposed to get through all of it? How was she possibly going to find joy when she'd spend the remaining of her life mourning him once he passed on, especially knowing that elves only loved once in their lives? Yes, they had deeply loved each other when they'd met, but it just wasn't possible, and Kili had accepted it, despite how much it had broken his heart to do so. Uncle needed to do the same, despite how much it was going to hurt. Helping Fili and Edmund was out of their hands now, and were they to even get nearer, it would probably only cause more harm than good, even if they went down there with honorable intentions. Risking the three remaining children in an attempt to retrieve the two runaways was not a good idea, even if one of the runaways was his brother.

Thorin, for once, was at a loss. He hadn't seen the situation in the light in which Kili had, and his arguments were actually quite right, what could they do? And never mind entering the castle, what would they do once they were inside? Sure, they'd manage to find Edmund and Fili, but how would they get out, unnoticed, if they were the eight of them trailing around the halls?

"He's the bait!" Mister Beaver was explaining to Lucy, hurriedly, so they could get away from here as fast as possible "The Witch wants all four of you!"

"Why?" Peter was overwhelmed, to put it mildly. He was lost, what was he supposed to do? While going after his brother was the right thing to do, Mister Beaver certainly didn't seem to agree, and he was going to have a hard time getting even remotely near to the castle if he was going to have to trail the rodent behind him the whole time.

"To stop the prophecy from coming true! To kill you!"

An awful silence fell upon them then, each taking into account the fact that they could no longer do anything. Were they to go in there, they would most certainly meet a brutal end, and were they to leave, they were forsaking their own family. What were they even supposed to do then? Peter was only just getting to grasp the importance he was going to play here, if indeed this prophecy story was true, and going after his brother was definitely putting it in jeopardy, but it felt so wrong, just turning away like that without attempting to do anything.

Looking back at the others, he was desperately hoping he might find a comforting face or find any indication of the course of action he was supposed to take, but all seemed just at a loss as he was, as they were taking into consideration Mister Beaver's words. While he'd started formulating an idea, thinking they could send both Thorin and Kili in there to retrieve their two missing companions, Peter was unwilling to put their safety on the line for this, knowing the Witch would be unnecessarily cruel to them just to get to him, Lucy and Susan. He felt empty as he realized there was just nothing they could do.

Kili, while wanting nothing more than to come to his brother and Edmund's rescue, had to agree with Mister Beaver here. His reckless nature would have already sent him storming off down to the huge doors, and he'd have hit them 'till his hands bled to make it open if it was what it took to get him in there, but this was not a time of recklessness. Recalling Mister Beaver's prophecy, their top priority was to look out for the three remaining children, make sure nothing bad happened to them. If they were to rescue Edmund and his brother, the best help they could get would be Aslan, and so they'd have to leave here as soon as possible, even if he hated the feeling of betrayal that was slowly creeping within him. Thorin's strong hand on his shoulder, despite attempting to make him feel a little better, was certainly not comforting.

Thorin himself was torn, there was no other way to put it. Mister Beaver's arguments were right and reasonnable, of course they were, but still, it didn't help the fact that just leaving Edmund and Fili there felt so wrong. Uncle Thorin was already screaming at him to just run, make his way to the door, and hammer on it until it either opened or broke down, no matter how long it took. Thorin Oakenshield however, was telling him that Aslan would be their best course of action. If he really was the one true king of Narnia then surely he'd be able to help them, right?

"This is all your fault." Thorin looked up at Susan's sharp accusation to her remaining brother, but couldn't bring himself to open his own mouth to defend the boy, his words were a total mess right now.

"My fault?!" Peter shot back, why was Susan accusing him all of a sudden? It wasn't as if he'd told Edmund to go there himself was it? Why blame him, when it wasn't his fault in the slightest? Had Peter not been under the stress of the moment, he might have had time to realize that Susan was only placing the blame on him because she'd felt like she'd let down her little brother, Susan who was always in control over her life was now faced with a situation in which she was lost, and the only thing she could think of doing was blame her elder brother, even I she didn't mean it.

"Please-" Thorin started, unwilling to see the family tear itself apart even more when now of all times they needed to stick together, but his quiet word went unheard.

"None of this would have happened if you'd just listened to me in the first place!" Susan had been right all along, saying they should have left only minutes after arriving. While she hadn't been against visiting Mister Tumnus, if only to make Lucy happy, anything after that, from following the beaver to actually taking him up on defeating the Witch, she'd flat out refused. And if Peter had listened to her, they would now all be back at the professor's house, together and unharmed, not separated and not knowing what was going to happen to their little brother.

"Oh! So you knew this would happen?" Peter shot back sharply, hating being the only one Susan was blaming. He wasn't necessarily angry at Susan, if anything, he was more angry at himself for letting Edmund slip away on him, especially to such a dangerous place, and knowing he could not do anything for his little brother anymore, but Susan's accusations were really hard, he wasn't solely to blame for this!

"I didn't know what would happen." Susan started, trying to keep calm, but just thinking of her missing brother let her anger get the better of her once more, and before she could stop herself, she was blaming Peter all over again "Which is why we should have left while we still could!" She finished harshly, hating the words, but somehow feeling she'd needed to say them.

"Stop it!"

Everyone started, and slowly turned towards the youngest, actually half-terrified of little Lucy's outburst. "This isn't going to help either of them." She tried reasoning.

Thorin gaped then, his admiration for Lucy having once again doubled. How such a small child could show such reason in a dire situation like this, where her own brother was for now lost to her, he couldn't understand, but decided he'd side with her, and that somehow, she was actually right.

"I know how much doing nothing seems wrong, trust me." He started, trying to remain calm and looking up at Peter "But your little sister is right, what can we possibly do, realistically speaking? Please don't tear what's left of your family, don't do what I did." He added quietly, knowing all too well how much words spoken in the heat of the moment could hurt, and no matter how much you wished to take them back, they were still said.

"Lucy and Mister Oakenshield are right." Mister Beaver started, trying to sound firm, still needing to get his remaining charge away from here, and quickly, the Witches' spies were bound to be after them soon. "Only Aslan can help them now." He finished grimly.

"Then take us to him." Peter sighed, utterly defeated by all this. If it was the only way to save Edmund, they had to take it, even if it wasn't what seemed right to do right now.

Thorin wrapped a would-be comforting arm on his remaining nephew's shoulder, hoping that somehow Kili would understand that leaving the castle truly was the best course of action that they could take right now. The brown haired dwarf looked back up at him, biting his lip, before turning once more to the ice formation just across from them, and Thorin could read the emotional conflict going on inside Kili's head, where morals and reason were battling each other. The Uncle gave the smaller dwarf's shoulder a squeeze, trying to be what comfort he could before Kili sagged, defeated, and tore himself away from the castle and the brother he was leaving behind.