The Beast Must Die: Chapter 14 - FINALE
The fight was over almost before it'd begun, and under the seething red glare of the triumphant Orb of Power, Aslan was bound hand and foot, and laid in the center of the hall. The incessant chanting of the robed crowd bore down on him, seeming to drain him. By now Varco was all but gone; the Darkness had won, and It now reigned supreme.
Manorflaed stepped forward to address the crowd. Instantly the chanting ceased and all eyes were directed to the stage on which he stood. "My loyal brothers! Victory is Ours! Tonight the Right Hand shall extinguish the Light of Narnia, and in the Eternal Darkness that follows we shall rise and conquer! Rejoice, my Brethren! Narnia is Ours!"
A sweeping array of applause, cheers, screams, and roars followed.
In the midst of the overpowering din Peter leaned closer to his siblings…he tried to whisper something encouraging, something hopeful, anything a big brother would do…nothing came. His brother and sisters could see plainly as him, under the glare of the deep red orb their king, protector, and dear friend bound and held, completely and utterly powerless. Edmund shifted uneasily, leaned in to say something to Peter, but was met with a guard's studded glove on his shoulder, and a rough shove to the floor. "Silence when the Seer is speaking!" The voice was gruff and threatening. Edmund gathered himself and huddled back toward the rest of his siblings.
The Racomine turned to face an elder and accepted an ornate ceremonial dagger with stoic reverence. He leapt from the stage into the circle surrounding The Great Lion. Dark red glow seemed to flow through him now, as if the dam had finally given way the seething dark river. Manorflaed cried out
"Bring forth the Prisoner!" At his command, all the brethren between the far wall door made way for two burly hooded figures carrying a young creature between them. Lucy was the first to recognize her
"Varina!" the Racomine looked to her, the dark red light of the room showed plainly the terror etched across her face.
"This young creature is of the same flesh and blood of our own Right Hand!" Again Manorflaed's voice commanded the crowd's attention. "Her death will be a sign that the Right Hand is completely given to our cause!"
"Varco...Varco can you hear me? Varco it's me! It's Varina" Her pleading eyes looked up at him as the guards backed away. Varco took a step closer, brandishing the dagger.
"I do not know you, young creature." It wasn't Varco's voice at all…It himself was talking.
"You're just practice." Faster than anybody could see Varco plunged the cold steel blade deep into her chest. For a moment her eyes widened, she didn't even have time to scream…only time to close her eyes…and breathe her last.
"Varina! Varina! No! Oh no!" Lucy buried her head in her hands, falling to the floor. Peter lost it right there, kicking, fighting, biting at his captor, one hooded guard reached over, and with a quick fist to the back of his head, Peter the Great King of Narnia joined his little sister unconscious on the floor.
Varco cleaned the blood off the blade, now turning to Aslan. "Your time has come, Beast!" The red glare in his eyes surged now in bloodthirsty power. Aslan looked up at him, the force of a thousand chanting minds bearing down on his consciousness… still, with great effort; he slowly raised his head…enough to look Varco in the eye.
"I know you're not dead, Varco, my child." His voice, though labored and struggling, still held so much love and power.
"I forgive you."
Suddenly, drawing in a sudden breath, Aslan summoned all his might, all his strength, everything he had left he poured into a final, powerful, defiant roar. It reverberated through the hall, shook the cave to its very foundations, cut through the air, through the darkness, through even It itself.
Perhaps it was the roar, perhaps it was that Varco had just seen It kill his friend, perhaps it was just an oversight on the Seer's part, nobody may really know. On the brink of fading away to nothingness, suddenly Varco felt a surge run through him, a cleansing flood through his entire body, and when he opened his eyes, for a split second, It was no longer in control. Just a split second… but that was all the time he needed. Varco gripped the dagger hard, and drove it into his chest.
What are you doing! You Fool! YOU FOOL! It was screaming at him, beating at his mind…Varco didn't care. The pain gave him enough focus to force It aside…just long enough…Varco didn't care anymore. He knew who the Beast truly was now. He knew who deserved judgment…Varco knew it: The Beast Must Die…but why, why did the Beast have to be him?
Edmund, in the midst of this distraction, suddenly dropped to the floor, and dug ferociously in his pocked for the flint, and some dry hay. Diving off the stage to the floor he struck the flint hard against the stone floor, sending a shower of sparks upon his fistful of dry hay. It ignited, flickered, and grew to a fresh flame as he dug his handful of fire into the nearest cloth cloak. By the time the hooded figure realized his cloak was caught he was very nearly completely engulfed. With a panicked scream he ran, jumped, rolled, and, in the crowded room, spread his flame to his brethren…until soon sickly black smoke filled the room, flames and shadows danced erratically everywhere, and deafening chaos reigned. Edmund gathered his courage, and made for the center of the flaming mayhem, toward the bound Lion. How he made it he could never say, but soon he was standing before Aslan, with Susan's arrowhead in his hand. And with a few hard stabs, he made quick work of Aslan's bindings. The Lion rose to his full height, and called to Edmund "Quickly, Brave Lad! Onto my Back!" Edmund did so, and held on for dear life as Aslan leapt to the stage, and gathered up the other Pevensies. As they clambered up, Edmund looked out over the crowd. Almost everyone's hoods and cloaks were ablaze they ran, screamed, rolled, cried…and slowly burned. Manorflaed was nowhere to be seen…but there, in the Centre! There was Varco!
Varco, with the dagger hilt still buried in his torso, bent down to Varina's nearby body. In the middle of the smoke and fire and chaos he knelt to shelter her from the crazed crowd. As the cruel mad world slowly dimmed around him, Varco looked into poor Varina's glazed eyes…and with his last strength he closed her eyes gently, and whispered ever so softly.
"I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry."
With that he fell, dead at last, even in death sheltering her from the chaos and fire that now engulfed them.
The last Pevensie was
secured on Aslan's back, and soon they were at the door to the
grand cave. As the Great Lion bounded towards the opening, the
sounds slowly faded and the eerie light of the flames darkened, until
they were suddenly in open night under a full Narnian moon. The cool
sweet breeze revived Peter, and he looked up at his Brother, then his
King, and his sisters, who were now also coming around. Finally,
Peter said what Edmund had been waiting his entire life to hear.
"You did well, Ed. Very well done, brother." Lucy yawned
and looked up at them.
"Is it over, Peter? Is it done?"
"Indeed it is, my Child." Aslan answered her.
"Indeed" mused Edmund quietly. "The Beast is dead."