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The Neverending Winter

Chapter 29


"I don't remember this way." Susan said, after they had been traveling for a while.

"That's the problem with girl's. You can't carry a map in your heads." Peter said.

"That's because our heads have something in them!" Lucy replied.

"You know that includes me right?" Edmund asked.

"With the exception to Edmund." Lucy said.

"Thank you." Edmund said.

"I wish we would have just listened to the DLF in the first place." Susan said.

"DLF?" Edmund asked.

"Dear little friend." Susan replied.

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks.

...Mr. Tumnus was a statue. "NO!" Lucy screamed running up to the statue.

"Hope you said a nice good-bye to your dear little friend" the witch's cackled...

"Lu?" Susan asked, but her sister was stuck where she was.

"Lucy?" Edmund asked, putting a hand on Lucy shoulder. As soon as he did so she screamed, and got as far against the wall of rock that was to the side as possible. "Lucy, it's me." Edmund said, but Lucy was once again frozen in place.

Peter walked back up. Susan and Edmund exchanged a glance. Susan walked towards Lucy, which just made Lucy look even more scared than before. "Lucy, it's me. It's only me." Susan said.

Suddenly, Lucy started running in the opposite direction.

"Lucy!" Susan and Edmund shouted running after her, and Peter wasn't to far behind.

Susan was able to tackle her, sending them both to the ground. Lucy screamed and fought.

"Ed, help." Susan said, as Lucy was nearly to the point of overpowering her. Edmund went to his older sister's aid, and held Lucy down. This just made her fight more.

"Lucy! It's us! Calm down! Nothing's going to hurt you!" Edmund exclaimed.

"Ed?" Lucy asked, out of breath.

"It's just us." he said again.

Lucy looked up at him, then over at Susan. "It's ok. It's just us." Susan said gently.

"Come on. We've got to get going again." Edmund said gently, helping Lucy up.

"Are you alright?" Susan asked.

"Yes." Lucy replied.

"Are you sure?" Edmund asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." Lucy replied.

Peter looked at Edmund for a confirmation to start going again, and Edmund nodded his head. "Alrigh then, let's go." Peter said.

Susan, Edmund, and Lucy brought up the end. "Susan, Edmund, am I going mad?" Lucy asked.

"No Lucy, you had a traumatizing experience. Something like you went through is going to be tough to handle, especially if it keeps coming back to haunt you." Edmund replied.

"By the way, what made you get scared back there?" Susan asked.

"You said dear little friend. That's what the witch called Mr. Tumnus, when I first saw he was stone." Lucy replied.

"Oh, Lu. I'm so sorry." Susan said.

"It's alright. You didn't know." Lucy said, taking Susan's hand.

Lucy started taking deeper breath's than before and looked like she wanted to faint.

"Lu, are you sure your alright?" Susan asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lucy replied. Susan and Edmund walked on. "I think." Lucy said to herself.

They walked further, and soon came to a tunnel in the road. "I'm not lost." Peter said.

"No. Your just going the wrong way." Trumpkin said.

Peter turned around. "You said you last saw Caspian at the shuddering woods, and the quickest way there is to cross at the river rush."

"But unless I am mistaken, there is no crossing in these parts."

"That explains it then." Peter said "Your mistaken." He walked on, leaving the other's slightly behind.

"Don't listen to him Trumpkin, he's not himself." Susan said.

"What do you mean by that?" Trumpkin asked.

"He's not the King he once was." she replied.

"Did you three stay the same?" Trumpkin asked.

"We became children again, but that's about it." Edmund replied.

"Yes, children again. Puberty. Ugh." Lucy said shivering at the thought, Edmund shivering along with her.

Susan chuckled. Trumpkin gave her a questioning look. "Don't ask." she said.

They started after Peter and soon came to a cliff. "See, over time the water erodes the earth's soil, causing..."

"Oh shut up." Peter said, cutting Susan off.

"Is there a way down?" Edmund asked Trumpkin.

"Yeah, falling." Trumpkin replied. Edmund rolled his eyes.

"Well, we won't last." Peter said.

"There's a ford near Beruna, how do you feel about swimming?" Trumpkin asked.

"I'd rather that than walking." Susan replied.

Lucy looked across the gorge and her heart lifted so high she thought she'd burst. "Aslan?" she said. Everyone turned around. "ASLAN! IT'S ASLAN OVER THERE!" Lucy exclaimed "Aslan's right over..." Lucy turned back around, only to see nothing there "...there."

"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin asked.

"I'm not crazy. It was Aslan. And he wanted us to follow him." Lucy replied looking up at Peter.

"I'm sure there's any number of lion's in this wood. Just like that bear." Peter said.

"I think I know Aslan when I see Him!" Lucy said.

"Look, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist." Trumpkin said.

"She's always been right before." Edmund said.

"Why wouldn't I have seen him?" Peter asked.

"Maybe you weren't looking." Lucy replied.

"I'm sorry Lu." Peter said walking away.

"Susan?" Lucy asked.

"Sorry Lu." Susan said, a pained look in her eyes before walking away. Lucy didn't even bother to look at Edmund, but instead looked out at the other side of the gorge. She felt a hand on her shoulder a second later.

"He really was there." Lucy whispered.

"If it counts, I believe you." Edmund said. Lucy looked up at him so quickly, she nearly gave herself whiplash.

"You do?" she asked.

"Of course. Like I said, you've never been wrong before. And I don't think you'd start now." Edmund replied.

"Oh Edmund!" Lucy exclaimed, throwing her arms around his waist.

"Come on you two! Hurry up!" Peter yelled.

Lucy looked back out over the gorge. "If you want to go..."

"No, we don't want to make Peter mad. Besides, if we go, and he doesn't see the way we go, if he comes back to himself, he'll end up jumping over the cliff after us, and I don't know about you, but I don't want Peter going splat." Lucy interupted him.

"Ok." Edmund said leading her away from the cliff edge, taking one last glance, just to assure himself. They started after the other's again, and not long after they had caught up, Lucy's stopped.

"Come on Lu, we've got to..." but Edmund wasn't able to finish his sentance before Lucy collapsed. But luckily he was able to catch her before she hit the ground. "PETER! SUSAN!" he yellled in a paniced voice.

They turned around, and turned pale as they did so. "LUCY!" Susan screamed running up to her, but Peter had to catch himself from fainting before he could follow after her.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked when he finally got over to them.

"I don't know. She just collapsed. I was barely able to catch her, I don't know." Edmund said, his voice shaky.

"Is she hurt?" Peter asked.

"I don't know." Edmund replied.

A moment later Susan screamed, though she had a very good reason. Blood was starting to puddle through Lucy's dress on her chest.

"Oh dear Aslan!" Edmund exclaimed, shocked beyond words.

"What?" Peter asked, trying to calm his own shaky voice.

"That's where the witch stabbed Lucy, that night! That's the exact same spot! I should know, I was there!" Edmund exclaimed. Susan pulled out Lucy's cordial and gave her a drop.

Lucy started coughing and grabbed her head. "Oh, what happened?" she asked.

"We're not sure." Edmund replied.

"Do you remember fainting?" Peter asked.

"Yes. But I'd rather get away from this place, if you don't mind." Lucy replied. Peter nodded his head, Lucy stood up, and started walking as fast as she could.

"Wait for us!" Peter called chasing after her.

"Well, that was a change in mood." Susan said.

"To big of one." Edmund said.

Both of them were very suspicious, but kept their mouth's shut.

"Did I just miss something?" Trumpkin asked.

"Did you see the blood on Lucy's chest?" Susan asked.

"Yeah." Trumpkin replied.

"Then know. You just watched a Queen of Narnia.. die." Susan said, getting the last word out with difficulty.

"Yeah, just the thing every Narnian wants to do." Trumpkin said, before walking after Peter and Lucy.

"Oh yeah, trying being her older sibling!" Edmund replied.

"Ok, you got me there." Trumpkin said.

They had to run to catch up with Peter and Lucy. When they got to the River where they were going to pass, they found Telmarines building a bridge. They knew there was no way they could pass this way.

They were staying hidden by a pile of logs. Lucy couldn't help but try and search out a nyad that might be there in the water, but saw none. A second later, Edmund was pulling her down, and trying to hide himself as well. She glanced over at Susan and Peter and found they were trying to stay hiden too. She looked back up at Edmund who was focused on the danger that was close by. But when he felt Lucy look up at him, he looked down at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

They looked back over at Peter who was trying to quietly move away and back into the woods. Susan follwed next, after her, Trumpkin went. Lucy glanced up at Edmund. He nodded and she walked after them, but he was close behind.

"So what's our next plan?" Edmund asked, giving Peter a dry look, once they were far enough away.

"I don't know." Peter sighed.

"Then are you willing to go with my plan?" Edmund asked, leaning against a tree.

"Yes, oh Just one, enlighten us." Peter said dryly. Lucy looked down, so she wouldn't glare at him. Edmund gritted his teeth for a minute before closing his eyes and sighing, trying to swallow his anger.

"Well, my plan would be, we go back to the gorge, and see what we can find. I truely believe Lucy saw Aslan, and if He was there, there has to be some kind of way across." he said calmly.

Before Peter could speak up, Susan said "He has a point. I'm not exactly sure if Lucy saw Aslan, but it's our only plan for the time being."

Peter grunted. "Fine, we'll go." he said.

Edmund gave him a slightly victorious look before standing straight from where he has been leaning against the tree, and walked past him towards the gorge. Lucy was close behind him.

"She's like a puppy to him." Susan chuckled.

"Do I look like I care." Edmund smiled, having heard her.

Lucy smiled and continued after him, and Susan was close behind her.

When they got to the gorge, Lucy looked to the opposite side.

"So where do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter asked.

Lucy turned on him. "I wish you'd all stop trying to act like grown ups!" she exclaimed "I don't think I saw Him, I know I saw him!"

"I am a grown up." Trumpkin said.

"And I believed you, I'm not acting like one." Edmund said.

Lucy smiled. "Ok, you two have an excuse." she said before looking at the edge. She moved closer to it. "He was right over..." but she broke off as the ground fell out from under her, and she fell. Being the closest one to her, Edmund bent down, looking over the edge, ready to grab her. Susan, Trumpkin, and Peter were by his side in a second's notice, but it wasn't needed. "... here." Lucy said looking up at them. She looked down and saw a ledge. "There's a way down!" she said.

Edmund looked up at Peter. "You were saying?" he asked.

Peter rolled his eyes. Edmund smirked and looked back down at Lucy. "I'm coming down, look out." he said.

Lucy nodded and moved out of the way, and slowly starting down the ledge. The other's were close behind and she sighed when she finally made it to the bottom.

"Alright, we've got to go that way, and we don't know how slippery the rocks are, so be careful." Edmund said standing beside her.

She nodded and started walking down the creek, Trumpkin and Edmund on either side of her. They found out pretty quickly that the rocks were much slippery than they looked. Lucy gripped onto Edmund as she very nearly slipped.

"Careful." he said gently.

She nodded, and kept walking, being more careful to watch her step.

That night, once again, Lucy couldn't sleep.

"What happened earlier?" Susan asked.

Lucy looked over at her. "I don't know, invisble arrow." she replied, half-heartedly, obviously caught up in her own thoughts.

"Lucy, come on you can tell me." Susan said.

Lucy let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. "When we were walking, I heard the witch say 'my time for revenge is near'. Not but a second later, I felt a pain in my chest, and it became extremely hard to breath. I tried to keep walking, but after a moment, unconciousness overpowered me, and after that I don't remember much. But I do remember an eerie feeling as we passed by the spot." Lucy said.

"What do you mean an eerie feeling?" Susan asked.

"Like I'd been there before." Lucy replied.

"You don't think that's where the witch's camp, was it?" Susan asked.

Lucy jumped up. "That's it!" she exclaimed in a whisper, so not to wake the other's.

"What's it?" Susan asked.

"The witch's camp! Torture didn't just happen at the castle, it happened at the camp as well, that has to be it!" Lucy replied.

Susan nodded her head, trying to keep the thought of Lucy being tortured out of her head. Lucy layed back down, and gasped a second later, sitting back up looking around.

"What?" Susan asked.

Lucy didn't reply, but continued looking around.

Edmund startled in his sleep beside her, but just rolled over, a grimace on his face.

Susan looked up when Peter startled. "Get away from her." he mumbled before rolling over.

"What's going..."

"I hope you've enjoyed your sister. My revenge will come again, until I succeed." a voice said, interupting her question.

"There has to be some way to finish her off." Susan mumbled.

"Do not fear, my daughter, your sister will be free sooner than you think." she heard Aslan say.

"Will she survive?" Susan whispered. Lucy looked over at Susan, with a confused look. She heard no answer. "Well that's comforting." she mumbled.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing." Susan said quickly.

"Lu, Lucy, where are you?" Edmund mumbled in his sleep.

"I'm right here, open your eyes." Lucy replied.

"Huh?" Edmund said looking up at her, rubbing his eyes drousily.

"You big dolt." Lucy said playfully smacking him.

"I woke up for an insult. I'm going back to sleep." Edmund said, rolling back over.

"Apparently he didn't remember his dream." Susan said.

"Wrong again." Edmund said.

"Little brother's." Susan mumbled under breath "Come on, we need to get to sleep as well."

Lucy nodded and turned toward Edmund, and huddled up against his back, since he was turned the other way. He peaked his head, over and looked slightly surprised, but turned back over, and put his arm over her. Susan smiled and rolled over until she was comfortable.