Chapter Twenty-Five: A Little Worry

A soldier stood waiting for them at the edge of camp to take their horses to the stables for them. The boys dismounted first before helping the girls down from the horses as well. They then handed over the reins and made their way towards Aslan's tent. The group arrived just in time to witness the Witch's arrival into camp.

"Make way for the Queen of Narnia!" the small dwarf was yelling as he led the small procession through the middle of camp. At the sight of him, Edmund and Georgie both stiffened, visions of his knife flashing towards the front of their minds.

Behind the dwarf, the White Witch was seated on a large throne, which was carried by four bulky Cyclops'. When they were a foot away from the Great Lion and his large tent of red and gold, the throne was lowered to the ground. Rising from the throne, the Witch turned her icy gaze to Edmund and Georgie. After flashing the two boys a cold look, she turned back to Aslan.

"You have a few traitors in your midst, Aslan."

Those standing along the outer edges let out loud gasps before turning towards one another and conversing. Apparently word hadn't quite spread to everyone that Georgie and Edmund had made it to camp. Either that or they didn't know the exact circumstances of the situation. Aslan didn't allow the chatter to go on for more than a few seconds before he started speaking, his strong voice hushing the crowd in an instant.

"Their offence's were not against you."

"Have you forgotten the Deep Magic?" the Witch questioned, taking a step towards the Great Lion.

Aslan took a deep breath before letting out a loud and tremendous roar. "Don't cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch!" he threatened, glaring at the pale woman. "I was there when it was written."

The Witch didn't seem to be fazed; though her dwarf henchman almost fell over. "Then you will know that the boys belong to me." Turning around dramatically, she faced all the bystanders watching. "Those boys—" She pointed her ice wand in Edmund and Georgie's direction. "Will die on the Stone Table."

At the word 'die', all of the children reacted differently. Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and Georgie all stood there stunned, their fear written clearly on their faces for everyone to see. Lily was stunned as well, but grabbed hold of her brother's arm and pushed him behind her, shielding him as much as she could with her body though he was at least half a head taller than her. If that terrible woman wanted her brother, then she would have to go through her. Peter was quick to draw his sword and place it between the Witch and his family, taking a step towards her.

"Come and take them then!" he challenged, his face set.

He had made a promise to his mother that he would keep his siblings safe, and he intended on keeping that promise. He understood that he had been wrong treating Edmund like he had and still blamed himself for Edmund's betrayal. If he been a little nicer maybe he probably wouldn't have gone to the Witch as easily. Now that he had his brother back and he sure as hell wasn't going to let the Witch take him or Georgie again. The Rivers were his friends and he was going to protect his friends just like he would protect his family.

The Witch turned to the blonde boy, an unimpressed expression on her face. "You think that a simple threat will deny me my right, little king?" she insulted before turning her attention back to the crowd. "Aslan knows that if I do not have blood as the law demands, all of Narnia will be overturned, and perish, in fire and water."

"Sounds to me like you're just trying to cause trouble," Lily called out, unable to stop herself. At her statement, the crowd once again became filled with gasps and whispers. She was not going to let this "queen" gain any traction with the Narnians again. "We all know you're cold and heartless. You just want these people to fear you again so that your winter can return."

The Witch's eyes turned to slits as she glared at the outspoken girl. "You are a foreigner who has no idea of the powers that lay hidden and forgotten. I would hold my tongue if I were you, stupid girl."

"Enough!" Aslan roared before anyone could say anything else. The crowd around them fell silent and the six children all turned to looked at the Lion. His face was expressionless, but Lily couldn't help but get an uneasy feeling from the way he held himself. It wasn't as strong and proud as usual. There was a very slight sag in his shoulders.

The Great Lion turned his attention to the Witch and gave a slight incline of his head. "I shall speak with you alone." Turning back towards his tent, he waited before Witch to enter before following behind.

"What do you think they are going to talk about?" Georgie asked.

"I'm not sure of the subject but I'm almost positive that it's something serious," Susan replied, her arms crossed over her chest. She then took her eyes off of the tent and turned to Edmund and Georgie. "I'm sure that Aslan will handle the situation. You two won't be going back with the Witch."

A few minutes passed and neither Aslan nor the Witch exited the tent. A few of the soldiers standing around waiting left to continue the projects they had been working on before the Witch had made her arrival. Peter had started pacing while Lucy had taken a seat on the ground.

"How much longer do you think they are going to be?" Lily asked, shifting slowly from foot to foot, her arms crossed. "What on earth could they be discussing that takes this long?"

"They're probably deciding what to do with Georgie and me," Edmund answered sadly, looking down at his feet. "I'm sure we'll be hers in a matter of minutes."

Peter stopped his pacing and turned his attention to his younger brother. "You heard Susan, Aslan with handle the situation. You will not be going back to the Witch. You two will not be dying."

"Peter's right, you will not be dying. If Aslan can't resolve the situation then we will take it into our own hands. You guys are supposed to stop her anyway, remember?" Lily stated, feeling herself get mad. "That's what the prophecy said, right?"

Nobody said anything though Peter flashed her a quick smirk before continuing his pacing. Conversations ended there as they event back to waiting for the meeting to end. After another five minutes passed, everyone decided to take a seat on the ground, having grown too tired of standing. Lucy and Edmund occupied their time by pulling up the grass closest to them and making small piles out of it while Susan picked up a stick and started drawing small shapes in a patch of dirt in front of her. Georgie had taken to lying on his back, watching as the clouds lazily crossed the sky.

Lily had positioned herself between Lucy and Peter. She started out by braiding a few strands of grass together before growing bored and resting her head on Peter's shoulder. At first, a blush appeared on the blonde boy's cheeks. But as Lily slowly began to drift, a smile slowly started to appear while Susan looked on with a smirk tugging at her lips.

It seemed like only seconds had passed before Lily was finding herself being gently shaken by Peter. Blinking quickly, she sluggishly moved to her feet. Still being a little drowsy, she leaned against Peter for support. Peter didn't mind, in fact, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped her remain steady. Lily looked up and smiled her thanks before turning her attention towards Aslan's tent.

The Witch was retreating towards her throne when Aslan came out of the tent.

"The Witch has denounced her claim on Edmund and Georgie," he announced. All around, the bystanders and children started cheering.

Lily was just in the process of hugging Peter when the Witch drew everyone's attention back to her.

"How will I know your promise will be kept?"

Aslan didn't voice his answer. Instead, he let forth an incredible roar. Although she didn't show it on her face, the Witch was shocked, so shocked that she fell back into her throne. The soldiers standing closest to her, who were able to witness the sight, all burst out in fits of laughter. The Witch sent out icy glares to the Narnian's surrounding her before ordering her minions to take her away. The unfortunate few who met her stare fell silent, but the rest continued to laugh.

A smug smile found its way on Lily's face as she watched the Witch leave, glad that her brother was safe. The expression didn't last long, however, as she turned around and looked at Aslan. She watched as the Great Lion let out an inaudible sigh before turning around and returning to his tent. Turning to Lucy, she sat that the young girl had also noticed the sight and wore a frown on her face.

That night during supper, things were quieter than they had been at breakfast. Although they were all happy that Edmund and Georgie were no longer the Witch's property, they were fearful about what might happen tomorrow. The six of them wanted to stay and help the Narnian's with the battle, but with it looming over their heads; they were starting to have second thoughts. At one point, Peter, who was going to be down on the front line with Aslan, excused himself from the table and went to bed early. The other children soon followed behind.

Everyone seemed to fall asleep relatively quick except for Lucy. Deep down, she felt as though something awful was about to happen. However, she kept these thoughts to herself for fear of the others not believing her. She didn't even think to trust Lily with the information.

Turning in her bed, she lay there for a moment before sensing something. Sitting up, she saw that a large shadow was passing by their tent. At once she had a guess at to whom the shadow might belong to. Turning her head, she called out to her sister.

"Susan," she whispered.

Slowly, the raven-haired girl opened her eyes and looked at her younger sister who was getting out of bed. Lucy grabbed her dagger and her belt before heading towards the tent's entrance. Susan, wondering what her sister was up too, quickly followed behind; grabbing her bow and quiver as she went.

"Where are you going?" Susan asked in a hushed voice as they stopped at the entrance to put on their shoes.

"Aslan just passed by and I wanted to know where he was going," the young girl answered as she pulled away the tent flap and exited.

Susan let out a sigh before grabbing their cloaks and following her sister. "Put this on," she said as they waited outside.

"Do you think we should wake Lily?" Lucy asked as she cast a look at her sleeping friend. Susan looked back as well before dropping the flap.

"No, let's leave her sleep. Now come on, Aslan just headed into the woods."

Quickly, the two girls made their way across the camp; their path being lit by the fires left burning, and headed into the woods. It took them a few seconds to locate the Great Lion and when they did, they slowly started to follow him. They were soon discovered and allowed to walk with him. While they did so, neither of them realized what they were about to witness.

Author's Note: Soo, I've decided that I'm just going to post this story every other day because I'm excited for it to be done so that we can start to with the sequel. I'm just so touched that so many people are really liking this story. I love all of the follows, and favorites, and the lovely reviews. Thanks so much Scout out, my guest reviewer, Millions Of Amelias, Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967, and sarahmichellegellarfan1. All the notifications really make my day! Now, I will see you all on Friday!