As soon as they had split up, Edmund hated that he had suggested it. Not that it was an inefficient way of searching for Peter, it was probably the best tactic. But he hated that Susan was not there with him anymore. After travelling for a few hours, he really missed her. Her worry had distracted him; her demeanor kept him calm. Well, calmer.
Without her, he was feeling the entire effects of his worry alone. Phillip tried to talk to him, tried to ease his concern, but by the time they had travelled for almost an entire day North without a trace of Peter, Edmund's stomach was in knots, and he could not shake the feeling that they needed to go faster. Granted, they did not tarry, but Edmund had the feeling that Peter was running out of time. He had no facts to support it, yet he felt it in his very soul.
The only moment when he lost all spirit in finding Peter was when they reached almost the day mark in their journey North. Because as he rode on Phillip's back, he was becoming more aware of where they were, and most importantly, what lied ahead on the path in front of them.
Because as soon as they reached the ridge of the White Witch's castle, Edmund thought he was going to be pass out. This impending dread encompassed Edmund, surrounded him. Seeing the castle, even as run down as it was, still made Edmund feel hollow inside. When he last entered that place, he was a different person. The last time, the White Witch was alive, trying to kill him and his siblings.
Edmund only noticed he was shaking when Phillip gently called his name. Phillip's voice nudged him out of his stupor, but did not shake Edmund's fixation on the castle itself. Edmund did not think he was capable of entering that castle once more, despite the growth he had as a person over the last five years. Because in that castle, there were only terrible memories and awful betrayals.
"What are your orders, my King?" Kelo asked from his left. "Do you want us to check inside the castle?"
Edmund closed his eyes. He remembered everything about entering that godforsaken castle. Every statue, every feeling, it just reminded him of the awful person he used to be. The person he tried every day not to be once more.
But, he could not just leave without checking the place for Peter. If someone had taken Peter in there, Edmund would never forgive himself if they did not check inside first. He would not admit this aloud to his soldiers, maybe he could to his siblings, but he was afraid to go inside. Terrified of tearing open that wound once more, horrified to remember some of his worst moments. The moments he had decided to betray his siblings. He shuddered.
Instead, he elected to send two scout birds inside to investigate.
The entire time, Edmund was nervous, unable to really speak to anyone. His worst fear would be for Peter to be in there. He breathed relief when his scouts returned with the news that the castle was empty.
"There is no one in the castle," Ari told him. "Though, it is the most unnatural place. I could still feel the White Witch's magic even after all this time." Uven, the other scout, agreed with her.
Edmund did not like this sentiment at all. However, he felt that as King, he needed to reassure his soldiers. They had no reason to fear the White Witch anymore than he did. He took a steadying breath before he spoke.
"Aslan defeated her himself," Edmund assured. "All that remains are just remnants of her power." He paused before adding, "Thank you for going inside for me."
"Always, King Edmund," Uven said. The two little birds fluttered off him to rest. Edmund's eyes never left that castle.
It did not look the same, but they were right, the place still felt like her. He felt cold. Unsteady once more.
"Ari," Edmund called after her, as his mind was formulating his thoughts.
"Yes, my King?" She came back to him hastily.
"Could you stay here and keep an eye on the castle?" Edmund was not sure why he was asking. He had just assured his people that the White Witch was gone. But he could not shake his gut feeling that something was wrong with her castle. His precautionary side forced him to ask Ari to stay.
A wonderful aspect of being a King was that no one asked him to explain himself. He did not have to justify his instinct to leave Ari there. Not one did. They all trusted him, including Ari herself.
"Certainly, your majesty," Ari agreed with a bow.
"I'll leave Sunny with you as well," Edmund offered. "Thank you for staying here."
The two birds bowed to him, and Edmund felt some relief. He trusted the two birds to find him if anything was amiss. He knew they would.
With a piece of calmness, he was able to proceed with his search for Peter.
Peter was shackled across his wrists, detached from the chair he sat on. A cup of water was handed to him. In a moment of frustration, despite how thirst clawed at his throat, Peter chucked the cup of water at the guards in front of him; the water splashed against them and the iced ground.
He was tired of this. He wanted to go home. He did not want to keep dealing with the White Witch, and this was exactly what this was. He knew that as soon as he drank water, he would be brought to her.
He knew he needed to hold out a little longer. They are coming for you, he reminded himself. As a bit of calm touched him, it did not change what he had done, and one of the ogres, grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and slammed him into one of the walls of his cell.
The ogre's arm kept Peter pinned to the wall as it snarled at him. It picked up its jagged sword and plunged it into the back of Peter's shoulder.
Peter screamed in pain, as the ogre twisted the sword around. He thrashed against his hold only to finally have one of the other guards pull the ogre off. Peter collapsed to the ground, shaking violently.
The pain erupted everywhere, and the wound stung.
After what felt like too long of Peter's shallow breaths and him lying on the ground, Jadis appeared by his side. He flinched when she grabbed a hold of his arm.
"What happened?" she asked. She began to heal Peter's shoulder. Peter jolted from the spell, feeling too weak to do anything more than take it.
Peter did not hear their responses, but he did vaguely see her slash her blade across the ogre who had stabbed him. The ogre collapsed to the ground. One of the other guards dragged that ogre away.
As Peter's trembling slightly subsided to the typical tremors of fear, she hoisted him up to his feet. He was surprised by his legs' weakness. He almost fell over immediately.
She shoved him back into his chair. He landed hard, and he suddenly did not have the energy to fight. He just wanted to sleep. Preferably, in his own bed at the Cair, but he was not picky. Instead, Jadis ordered one of her guards to fetch water. When the one returned with it, she held out the cup in offering to Peter.
"No," was all Peter could do to refuse. He shook his head.
"What did I tell you about rebellion, my little king?" She asked.
"You'll just have to kill me then," Peter said. "You are already starving me to death. Might as well add in dehydration."
"You do not seem to understand, Peter. I will be keeping you alive, whether you want to be or not. Therefore, you will drink."
"The answer is no," Peter said.
He should have known it was not a choice. But he just wanted to be left alone. Instead, the next moments of his life were unnecessarily painful.
"Hold him," Jadis ordered.
Two of her guards came over, and Peter weakly fought their claws before they held him to the seat. A third came over, yanking his head back by his hair with their other hand around his throat.
Jadis came over with the cup, and Peter jolted in their hold. They just held him tighter.
"Open your mouth." His response was struggling in their grasp. He kept his teeth gritted shut. She just looked infuriated.
That was when she pinched his nose. All the air left him. He squirmed in their hold, desperate for air.
"Open your mouth, and I will let you breathe." He tried to hold out as long as he could until his head felt like it was going to explode, and his face red.
Finally, he had to open his mouth. Surprisingly, she allowed him to get a panted breath in before she poured the water down his throat. When his mouth was full, she covered his mouth with her hand to keep him from spitting it out.
Despite trying not to, he had to swallow, and therefore, he gave in.
They finally released him, and Jadis just smirked, as he gasped for air. He choked and panted out breaths.
"All of that could have been avoided if it were not for your own actions," she warned. When he could regulate his breathing once more, he glared up at her.
Following this, Jadis brought him out in the throne room and stabbed him a few more times in front of her followers.
After what felt like a short respite in his cell, Jadis and her minions once again visited Peter.
Over the next day, it would only take one more time of being violently forced to drink water for him to stop fighting against it. Granted, even then, she still forced him to drink once more before she stopped forcing it. He lost all will to protest in that regard.
The next time they brought him water, he just drank the cup and did not fight. He hardly fought when they dragged him to the throne room once more. This time, her followers beat him until he could not take it anymore. He pleaded with Jadis to stop.
She did not.
As he brought back to his cell and chained once more, he realized he needed to act. He needed to escape, for he was afraid he would lose himself if he did not.
They blindfold him again and a cloth in his mouth. Other than that, they left him alone to recover.
He could not take it anymore. He felt his own will to fight, to resist, slipping. He needed to get out of here before she hurt him any further.
He was drained and injured. Anymore of this, and he did not think he would have the strength to escape. He needed to do this now.
