I should mention that I had a grandfather who was once an unsuccessful pastor by earthly standards, but I was too young to know him before he passed away due to heart failure, and I had no opportunity to become familiar with his ministry.
I have been very busy writing this fic. I think now I shall devote some time to reading "Travels in Calormen" so I can R&R it.
If anyone has further comments and wants to email me personally, I wouldn't mind.
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Meanwhile back at the ranch, Ed was trudging his way towards the witch's castle, with conflicting thoughts on his mind. Unlike Edmund, however, he had a real reason for doubts. On one hand, it was certainly clear that the Aslan that his siblings were being taken to was fake. And on the other hand, the evidence was accumulating that the queen really was a Witch. She had conjured up food, so she obviously had magic. So she must be a magician. Ed remembered that Narnia had known some good magicians such as Coriakin and Dr. Cornelius, although it certainly did seem as if the Narnia he was in had entered an alternative timeline after the end of LWW. But all these magicians were men. Ed wondered if it was at all possible that a good magician in Narnia could be a woman. Or was it the case that the male-oriented elements in Narnian culture simply didn't permit women to practice magic? Lucy Pevensie did use one of the spells in Coriakin's book, but she certainly did not become a sorceress. Now there was something magic that was said about Swanwhite, one of Narnia's earlier Queens. But simply having a magical beauty that causes one's reflection to show itself off for days after looking at a pool, and having no other powers, hardly qualifies one as being an enchantress.
Just now, Ed had reached the castle. It looked like some of the higher and pointier towers had worn down and become unused. The more recently built towers had a much more attractive appearance. There was a newly refurbished gate on the south side of the castle, so it was not necessary to go around it. It was being guarded by a wolf. Of course, Ed knew that in some stories he had read, wolves were friends. When the Wolf saw Ed, he said, "So the fortunate favorite of the Queen has come, just as the story goes, and as expected, he hasn't brought his siblings. Well, no matter, the Queen still wants to see you. And so he led Ed through the courtyard and up the stairs to the throneroom. Just as the Queen had said, there were no stone statues to be seen anywhere, but just more wolves who were the Queen's police officers.
Ed was the first one to speak. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I was bringing my brother and my sisters with me, but we got robbed as we were passing the Beavers' damn. The rebels allowed me to escape, saying that they needed a traitor".
"That is really bad news. It's becoming even more clear that they want to repeat the sacrifice. I will have nothing to do with that. We must stop them. We have no time to lose". The Queen turned to the Wolf. "Mawdlin, go take a force of a hundred wolves with you to the Beavers' damn and arrest any Beavers, Monkeys, or any other suspicious looking creatures you find, and hold them for interrogations and investigations. Then meet me at the Stone Table".
"But you can't just arrest people without a warrant", said the Wolf.
"A month ago, I made a new law saying that I could issue a warrant in a moment's notice if I thought anyone was suspicious of being associated with the rebels who are responsible for bringing into Narnia creatures illegally from other worlds. It is absolutely necessary for national security reasons. That means if I said you should arrest someone, then you have a warrant. Any more questions?".
"No, your Highness".
And the Wolf did as he was told.
Then the Queen called another servant into the throneroom. As you could expect, he turned out to be a Black Dwarf. Ed gasped. The Queen asked if something was a matter. Ed said, "Are these Black Dwarves your friends?"
"You know there are both good Dwarves and bad Dwarves, if you've read as much as you say you have".
"But I thought that Black Dwarves were the kind who served evil Witches".
"Now, there's no need to be prejudiced. You don't think it's cool in your world if Black humans are judged because of the color of their skin, do you?" Ed was stunned silent. For a moment, his mind drifted towards the Eagles game that disappointed him. "Then let's give our black-haired friends a chance. And would you like something to eat? I think I've figured out a way to conjure up some enchantment-free Turkish Delight".
"Thanks for the thought, but dry bread is just fine with me. My mom gave me some candy last Christmas that was labeled 'Turkish Delight', as a joke, and I didn't think it tasted great. I can't imagine why Edmund was addicted to such a thing".
So the Queen conjured up some bread and water, and the bread was not too dry, and while Ed ate, she commanded her Dwarf to get her sleigh ready. The Queen looked sad and said, "I used to have all sorts of creatures working for me, but so many of them left to join the rebels, and the ones that favor me are mostly Wolves and Dwarves. Along with about ten percent of the Hags, they are about the only people that didn't flee to the North when I ended my mother's evil reign, nor join the rebels. Well, we do get a few exceptions, like Mr. Thomas the Faun, who, unlike most Fauns, remained loyal to me. I try to give everyone a chance, no matter how evil their reputation as a race, or how unpleasing their appearance".
The sleigh ride was cold, and during the early morning hours, a strong March wind picked up and blew in their faces, blurring vision and slowing down travel. They continued to talk about how things in Narnia had been before the Queen's reign and how they got as bad as they were now. The Queen related her sad story about how she was raised by a cruel and abusive mother, who had wanted her daughter to learn her evil ways. Her mother never allowed her to celebrate Christmas. She tried to teach her evil enchantments, and forced her to perform them in order to prove that she was a capable sorceress. She would make her practice turning people into stone and would restore them herself so she could do it again. Whenever she displeased her mother in some way, she would make her sit in a cell which had a view of the torture chambers and watch people being treated in ways that cannot be described. One day, her mother caught her in an act that her mother considered treasonous, that is, secretly conspiring with rebels and setting prisoners free. She got angry and started to use her magic to torture her. But suddenly, the daughter found some magic inside her that she had formerly not known about, and before she knew it, she had killed her mother. Instantly, the rebels who were surrounding her rejoiced, celebrated, and planned her coronation. During the first two years of her reign, she overturned many harsh laws her mother had made, including permitting people to openly celebrate Christmas, restored many people that had been under enchantments, and set many prisoners free. She abolished slavery and the torture chambers. She made the same vows that the good kings and queens of Narnia had made during their coronations, and for a hundred years, all of Narnia believed she was a good queen. And she resented her mother so much that she hated with a passion anything that reminded her of her. For that reason, she changed her name into something she had known some good Narnians to go by. "It always amazed me that people never questioned where I got my magic from, but it's becoming clear that I got it from my mother, and I fear that it may destroy me in the end", the Queen said at length.
Meanwhile, it had dawned, and just then they had come upon a drunken party. "What is this fakery?" demanded the Queen, angrily. "It is certainly not Christmas!"
"But shouldn't we be doing Christmas things all year through?" said a Squirrel.
"There are other holidays to be celebrating besides Christmas! Easter is around the corner, and you should be preparing for it, instead of being stuck on one holiday that has been over a long time ago!"
"But Santa Clause has been here, and he's given us these gifts!"
"Santa Clause? Long before my mother was ruling as a tyrant, we used to call him Father Christmas. While interrogating the illegal immigrants we've captured, I've learned that 'Santa Claus' is what they call him in Oz. Narnia is a British fairy-land, and we should call him what the English call him".
"Well", said a drunk Faun, "the multiverse is getting smaller, ha ha ha".
"I sure hope you don't drive a sledge while you are in this state. Now, why don't you all say you're joking, and I'll take this as an April Fool's joke".
"But Aslan has been here", said the Squirrel. "It has to be Christmas before we see Aslan and he brings the spring".
"You are drunk, and lying, and listening to false prophets!" declared the Queen, in a rage and raising her wand, but the next instant, she thought better of what she was about to do and commanded the Dwarf to drive on.
Ed asked her, "In all the books I've read, Lewis does not make any mention of Easter in Narnia. What's that like?"
"Well, I've been informed that Easter began to be celebrated after the defeat of Jadis I. It was a celebration of Aslan's death and resurrection, which brought about not only Edmund's pardon, but ultimately the salvation of all of Narnia, for without that sacrifice, the prophecy concerning Cair Paravel and the four thrones could not have been fulfilled. When my mother was ruling, she banned it along with Christmas. However, many folks continued to celebrate these holidays in secret, and my mother never figured out the magic that the White Witch had used to keep Father Christmas out of Narnia, so Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny often appeared to people in secret. And these holidays have been permitted to be celebrated openly under my rule".
Just then, Ed noticed the sound of rushing water and birds chirping. He also noticed that it was getting warmer. Soon the sleigh scraped against the rocks. Snow next to the sleigh tracks was beginning to turn into slush. The Queen noticed that Ed seemed to look puzzled. "Don't think it odd that it is beginning to feel like Spring", she said. "Of course it is Spring. It has been unseasonably cold during the last week of March, and we've had some unusual weather. Today is April 1, and it should be getting warmer. March and April weather can be very unpredictable. I've made preparations for possible changes in weather". And with that, the Queen made a gesture, and suddenly the sleigh was turned into a coach with wheels, and the melting snow on the ground was passable. By four o'clock in the afternoon, the temperature had reached the upper 80's, and bare grass and blossoms began to become visible.
When it suddenly became as hot as summer after a late blizzard, you can expect snow to melt fast, but as this was not a supernatural thaw, the snow did not melt as fast as it did in the original story. In fact, patches of snow were still in existence when they arrived at the rebuilt Stone Table in the midst of crowds. Ed noticed some of the flowers were very typical of Spring blossoms. There were, for instance, some forsythia bushes and a few scattered dandelions. But there were no flowers of other seasons, and some of the late-migrating birds were not present. Whereas, one could imagine that in the original story, everything bloomed at once. Soon, more people began to become visible, and most of them were headed in the same direction. Many other coaches, horses and buggies began to appear on the roadway, until you could almost say it was a traffic jam. However, no one dared stay anywhere within eyeshot of the Witch.
"The highway is becoming as crowded as the 95, and cars haven't been invented yet!" remarked Ed.
"This is a very dangerous situation", said the Dwarf. "It means that everyone's headed for the Stone Table. It means that everyone's being deceived. If we go there too, and it comes to a battle, we'll be outnumbered, and we'll be hopeless, unless you think you can be better with your wand than the White Witch. And you don't have all the cruels, hags, woozes, efreets, and ettins on your side, either. I suggest we flee, as the White Witch should have done".
"But you forget, I am a legitimate Queen, and I have made the same vows as the other good rulers have made, and one of these vows was not to act as cowards in battle. There are a few good people left who are not deceived, and if I leave them to the mercy of the rebels, then I would be faithless. Also, Ed's siblings are no doubt in danger, and they will most certainly be taken there. Therefore, we must fight. We must expose the fake Aslan for who he is. Go, take one of the reindeer and call all the good people you can find. Have them gather at the Stone Table, because we may need to do battle".
With that, the Dwarf departed, taking one of the trails through the wooded areas in order to avoid the traffic jams.