Chapter Six: Winter is Ending

It was roughly an hour after Mr Tumnus was taken that the Dwarf, the Boggle and several wolves entered the dungeons. The moment the Boggle broke the chains holding me the wolves moved forward to bind me. Apparently, they remembered the last time I had been faced with them and the way I fought back. I didn't disappoint them this time either; I lashed out with my arms and feet, hitting the wolves on the side of the legs and ribs with as much power as I could.

However, without a weapon to help, the wolves were quickly able to pin me and binned me with ropes. When I was pulled to my feet again, I noticed that Edmund also had his arms bound but he wasn't fighting back – most likely because the dwarf had removed the whip he carried from its holder.

"Let's get going," Maugrim growled, pulling at the rope and causing me to stumble forward.

Edmund and I were led up from the dungeons and to the court yard. I couldn't help the look of pained sadness I gave the statues we passed on the way because I could still feel their life. When we reached the court yard both Edmund and I came to a stop when we found Mr Tumnus, who had been placed next to Reefxet.

"No!" I pulled my rope free of the wolf, sending it stumbling to the ground as I launched forward to reach the statues, the warmth that always rested in my chest surging through my limps. Before I could reach the statues however, the White Witch blasted something at me which sent me careening across the floor.

"Tie him to the sled, I do not what him escaping." The White Witch demanded of the dwarf who scurried to grab a hold of the rope and do as she said before he was punished or before I recovered.

The magic the queen had used and the impact with the floor had left my side bleeding, and my breathing laboured.

"Harry?" Edmund asked in concern as he was led to the sled.

"I'm okay," I told him grimly, climbing to my feet as I shook off the pain.

"Enough." The White Witch grabbed Edmund and placed him at her feet in the sled. I was left tied to the back.

"Find the human's trial." The White Witch ordered one of the wolves who moved to the front of the polar bears who were chained to the front of the sled. They shifted fearfully but otherwise didn't react, it seemed they weren't completely loyal to the queen. "Maugrim, find the traitor."

"Yes, your majesty." The wolf bowed before letting out a howl and running from the court yard, followed by two others.

The dwarf took up position in the driver's seat, while the other wolves surrounded the sled.

"Yah." The dwarf flicked his whip which set the polar bears in motion.

The pace was slow at first, but the polar bears eventually picked up enough momentum that I was struggling to run fast enough to stay on my feet. Normally a polar bear would outrun a human easily, but they were pulling the weight of the sleigh behind them, and that was the only reason I was just managing to keep on my feet as I was pulled along behind them.

I had been running behind the sleigh for about an hour when I noticed that the warmth – my magic, I corrected myself – had moved from keeping me warm to my legs. Strengthening them and allowing me to remain running behind the sleigh. My breathing was still laboured, but it evened out slightly as my body stopped demanding as much air to cope with the strain.

A little while later, I noticed something else. The air, ground and trees were slowly losing the feeling of wrongness, the feeling of cold and anger that had permeated through them when I first arrived here. It seemed that the White Witch's hold over Narnia was fading.

After three hours, the sleigh was forced to slow down as the snow began melting and hints of green was seen. Finally, they came to the edge of a cliff overlooking a water fall. A waterfall which likely hadn't flowed for a very long time until that day.

The moment the sleigh stopped, I fell to my knees breathing deeply and allowing my heart rate to return to normal after the excursion. Kneeling as I was brought my attention to the blood that had stained the side of my shirt and top of my trousers – it had created a large pool but seemed to have frozen over and sealed to the wound, likely during the first part of the run before the cold of winter had begun fading with distance from the Witch's home. I was grateful for that, since the quantity of blood suggested that the wound had been relatively serious.

The White Witch and Edmund got off the sleigh and were looking down on the river when a wolf appeared.

"What do you have to report?" the White Witch demanded to know.

"We were prevented from taking the humans when the ice melted. They were washed away downstream. I have a scout searching for their scent."

"Useless!" The White Witch spat, turning to glare at Edmund who flinched back from her anger even though it was clear he was relieved his siblings escaped unharmed.

"We found the traitor." Maugrim announced as he arrived. One of his pack threw a fox to the ground who let out a bark of pain. Fortunately, the fox was thrown close enough to where I was kneeling that the slack allowed me to move to his side. "He was gathering troops near the Sharwood forest."

"Nice of you to drop by. I understand you were so helpful to my wolves last night."

"Forgive me your majesty." The Fox bowed despite the injury to his hind quarters. I shifted slightly, recognising that he hadn't said that to the queen.

"Don't waste my time with flattery."

"Not to seem rude, but I wasn't actually talking to you." He made it obvious he was looking to Edmund who hovered unsurely by the White Witch. He knew he couldn't run without immediately being caught, but it was clear his instincts were telling him to get out of danger.

The Witch looked to Edmund and then back to the Fox. "Where is Aslan!?" she demanded angrily. "Answer me." she went to hit him with her wand. I grabbed the Fox by looping my bound arms around his neck and pulling him back into me. But I wasn't the only one to act to save him from the witch's anger; Edmund jumped between the two with a shout.

"WAIT! The Beavers said something about the Stone Table and an army."

"Thank you, Edmund. It is good for this creature to see some honesty before he dies…"

"NO!" Edmund cried out but was forced to move by the White Witch who grabbed his arm.

I shifted my hold on the Fox so that she could only turn him to stone if she also turned me to stone.

"Maugrim…" the White Witch growled.

"Let me go, son of Adam. I'm not worth it." the Fox said gently as Maugrim grabbed the rope binding me and pulled at it.

"She'll turn you to stone." I told him pulling back against the rope.

"It was a risk I knew I would face." The fox consoled as the other wolves moved forward and separated me from him. I struggled but I wasn't able to get free before the White Witch had turned him to stone. I stopped struggling and allowed the wolves to drag me back behind the sleigh where the ropes that bound me were tightened.

The White Witch turned her anger on Edmund then, slapping him sharply across the face for trying to stop her and for lying about what he knew. "Think whose side you are on. Mine…" She grabbed Edmund's chin and forced him to look at the fox. "Or theirs?" she roughly released him and pushed him to the sleigh. "If it is a war Aslan wants…" the White Witch turned a butterfly to stone as she strode purposefully to the sleigh. "It's a war he shall get."

They didn't travel far, only for an hour, before coming to an area of forest which didn't have as large a grouping of trees. It wasn't quite a clearing, but it was close enough.

"Bind Edmund to the tree," the White Witch pointed to a thick tree that was off to the side. "Maugrim, go and gather my army. I want to see General Otmin as soon as he gets here. Wolf, go and find your scout. I want the humans either dead or brought to me. Dwarf, take another two wolves and find out what the first human boy knows. He's had his chance to talk, now it's time we made him talk."

Edited 11/04/2022