edited 11/04/2022
Quite a few changes made to this chapter
Chapter Seven: Aslan's Camp
The next six days seemed to pass in a pain filled pattern. I was taken out of sight of Edmund and tied suspended from a sturdy branch of a tree in another clearing. The dwarf made sure to pull the rope so tight that not even my toes touched the ground and my shoulders burned from being pulled to the edge of their sockets and so far behind my head. At first, it was just the wolves and the dwarves who tried to get me to talk: the wolves would scratch and bite at me, while the dwarf used his whip to tear into the flesh of my back and chest. The whip would occasionally catch my face by accident, while the claws of the wolves would purposefully catch my face - leaving what I was sure were scars in their wake.
As more beings arrived in answer to the White Witch's call, she would send some of them to try and get me to talk – relieving the wolves of this duty so that they could go back to running patrols and search parties for the Witch. Instead, the dwarf worked with a rotation of different beings: the Hyena, the Vultures, the Ghoul, Hag and Ogre took joy in trying to make me talk in their own ways but the Horrors were the worse.
The Horrors were creatures with a dark form that was neither solid nor incorporeal, and they felt only of dark and evil. They could pass through my body and, as they touched me, I would feel whatever it was that they wanted me to feel. At first it was just pain that they would make me feel, but then they noticed how I would shudder when they approached and they realised that feeling their anger and hate and desire for destruction and death caused me more discomfort and pain then anything else. When the Horrors left, I knew that they could have done a lot of damage to my mind if it had not been for the shields I'd created on a whim for when I went into my mind after they were gone because I could see the cracks and black marks across the sky tat formed the entrance to my mind.
At the end of each day, I would be dragged back to the clearing that Edmund was being kept in and tied around the back of his tree. In the brief moments that I could see him, I made sure to look over everything about him to ensure that the White Witch and her minions hadn't hurt him. Fortunately, his ropes remained untouched and unbroken, and his clothes remained unruffled and he was unharmed. The bruises on his face were started to purple, forming a sharp contrast to his pale face. Edmund was gagged, unable to speak, but each time that he saw me dragged back into the clearing his eyes grew more and more worried.
The clearing that Edmund and I were being kept in wasn't the same one that the army was forming in, but we could hear them – the shouts and the jeers of the creatures. In any one time, there was around fifteen to twenty creatures left to guard us and relay the Witch's orders because she didn't leave her army to see us.
It hadn't been long since I'd been returned to the tree for the night when they came.
A wolf chased by a Centaur and other animals. While the Cheetah, Zebra, Lion, Jaguar and other animals went after the few beast that were in the clearing the Centaur removed the binds holding Edmund and me. Immediately, I removed my gag, grabbed Edmund's arm and pulled him behind me. He was too trusting of the people around him, and since the Centaur had freed him, he would probably go with him without question. I wasn't so trusting.
"Who are you?" I demanded to know.
"I am Oreius, Aslan has sent me." he informed me, my eyes narrowed slightly before nodding in acceptance.
I didn't detect any lie behind his words. And it would make sense for Aslan to send someone after Edmund if his siblings and the Beavers had managed to make it to the camp. The quality of the Centaurs sword, and the lion embroidered sheaf he was wearing was also evidence to support his claim of being part of the rebellion under Aslan.
"Aslan?" Edmund asked hopefully. It was one of the few names he recognised, and the person he knew his family were heading to.
"Yes. Come the White Witch will be here soon." Oreius said, motioning the Horse over to them.
"What's your name?" I asked as Oreius helped me and Edmund onto the horses back.
"Phillip." He answered with a surprisingly deep voice before they took off into the woods.
I leant forward slightly and gripped Phillip's mane as tightly as I could in my hands without pulling at the hair. Edmund wrapped his arms around my waist, while also trying not to cause me further injury.
"Harry…. Are you okay?" Edmund asked worriedly, having not been able to do so during their time in the witch's camp.
"I'll be fine Edmund." I told him honestly.
"You are hurt?" Oreius observed from where he ran beside Phillip, only now taking in my physical condition. He had only seen a brave human before who acted immediately to protect another when he had been released.
"I have suffered worse, and I will heal once I have properly rested." I reassured him, knowing this was only a small lie. With the blood and damage to my face, I knew that I didn't look to be in good condition or even a condition I could recover from – but Vernon had done worse to me even if it was never as sustained as it had been the past six days. the weight loss and muscle damage would be corrected with time and food, and the scars my magic couldn't heal would fade and become a part of me.
"And what is your name?" Oreius questioned.
"I'm Harry."
"That means you are Edmund, son of Adam, brother to Peter, Lucy and Susan?" Oreius looked to Edmund.
"Yes. Are my family okay? Did they make it to Aslan?" Edmund asked quickly, his worry for his siblings shining through now that they were no longer at the heart of the White Witches' camp.
"Your siblings are fine. They made it to the camp four days ago and requested aid in getting you back." Oreius answered calmly.
There was no more conversation after that – Edmund was too tired and relieved to comment on anything else and I was focused on keeping my balance on Phillips back while also circulating my magic gentle through my system in order to encourage healing instead of strength.
"We are here." Philip announced as they slowed to a trot around an hour later.
The other animals in the party broke off from the group as they entered the area where tents were set up. Oreius and Phillip continued on through the middle of the tents to a group of three tents that had been set up at the base of a cliff. They were more ornate than any of the other tents. When they came to a stop, Oreius helped Edmund and me off Phillips back, who bowed and then disappeared into the tents.
From the middle tent a lion larger than any other I had seen pictures of emerged. He had a full golden mane and was very intimidating. Edmund and I both dropped to our knees in a bow at the sight of him. I tried to keep the tremors at bay, not wanting Aslan to think I was scared of him but with my magic focused on healing my body was struggling to remain up-right, even in this kneeled position.
"Edmund, Son of Adam. Blessed of Merlin." Aslan greeted us. His voice was warm and welcoming.
"Edmund!" a girl's voice shouted.
I looked up to the tent on the left of Aslan too see two girls – one around my own age, and the other who was perhaps fourteen or so – running to greet their brother. The tent on Aslan's right opened to reveal a boy who was only a year or so older than the girl, who moved to greet Edmund. I struggled to my feet and limped to the side while Edmund greeted his family.
"Lucy, I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you." Edmund apologised, fighting back tears.
"You're forgiven." Lucy said before launching herself into her brother's arms.
"It's good to have you back." Susan agreed, pulling her two younger siblings into a hug.
Peter just silently clasped his brother on the shoulder, letting him know he was there and was forgiven.
"How are you feeling?" Susan asked when they finally released Edmund.
"I'm just tired." Edmund admitted, looking down to his feet and turning his head to hide the bruise.
"And you shall rest, son of Adam. But first, I would like to speak with you." Aslan interrupted their conversation.
"Of course." Edmund agreed, separating from his siblings and following him to a pathway that led up the cliff. He didn't even consider not talking to Aslan after all the grief he had caused since entering Narnia – especially the sadness he had caused Lucy.
"Lucy, do you have the cordial?" Oreius asked.
"Yeah," Lucy pulled a small red bottle from her belt to show him.
"Harry here was injured by the White Witch and her people." Oreius nodded in my direction bringing the three human's attention to me.
"I'm okay. I'll heal." I promised them shyly unused to the attention. I was no longer faced with a hostile situation, meaning all that strength and bravery that had gotten me through the attack and the subsequent imprisonment was starting to fade in the face of allies. I just didn't know how to interact around people who were kind, or people who weren't out to hurt me. My fellow prisoners had been different since they had been part of the situation I was in, and their presence had given me strength.
"Nonsense, you're covered in blood." Susan disagreed.
"It only takes a drop." Lucy promised.
Seeing a losing battle, I sighed and allowed Lucy to pour a drop of the liquid into my mouth. Immediately my eyes rolled and I fell to my knees, Peter reached out to catch me before I could fall completely and possible injure myself further. Absently I noted that he had some strength in his frame as he held my upper body off the ground.
My magic surged to meet with the drop of healing liquid. From what little understanding I was gaining of my own magic, it copied the liquid and almost seemed to add its natural abilities to me. I felt the rib that had been fractured when she threw me heal, the lacerations across my body mend, the torn muscles in my legs heal, the bite marks were healed over the dark magic clinging to me purified and it even seemed to try and make an attempt at fixing the old damage to my bones.
"What happened? What's wrong?" Lucy asked worriedly. "I didn't think this would happen."
"It's okay. My body's just reacting differently to how others would." I reassured her tightly, keeping my breathing under control as I got used to the unnatural feeling. My skin was stretching ad pulling as it tried to grow enough to cover the open wounds and still accommodate the muscles that were being repaired. It wasn't quite pain, but it was definitely uncomfortable.
I opened my eyes to prove my point, but ended up blinking in shock and looking around in slight amazement when I realised that it had also healed my ability to see. The world was no longer the blur it used to be.
"It healed my eyes." I told them in amazement.
"You're the first person I've used it on." Lucy admitted, holding the bottle tightly to her chest.
"Then I am grateful, Your Majesty." The title fell from my tongue without conscious thought. "And thank you, King Peter, for catching me." I said before climbing back to my feet and bowing to the siblings with renewed strength.
It seemed that the rest of the camp was waking up since various animals were wondering around performing tasks. Oreius disappeared off somewhere with a regale nod, now that he had ensured that I was healed.
"Please, I'm just Lucy." Lucy requested.
"I prefer to be called Peter."
"Susan." The siblings requested.
"Harry, allow me to show you somewhere to clean up. Aslan had clothes made that will fit you." Peter looked meaningfully at my blood covered and ruined clothes.
"I'll be grateful," I offered a quick bow as he blushed lightly. I was used to looking unkept and underdressed, but I didn't normally display the signs of the pain that I had been through so openly.
Peter disappeared into a basic tent that had been set up next to the one he had come out from before leaving with a pile of clothes and something wrapped up in cloth. He didn't pass the clothes to me, instead Peter led me down to a fresh water lake which was hidden from the site of the camp by trees.
"Would you like me to stay?" he asked, placing the clothes on a raised root.
"Can I have some privacy please?" I requested. I didn't know how many scars I had left after being healed, but I wanted to discover it in piece and on my own.
"I won't be far, just on the other side of those trees practising with my sword." Peter promised. "Shout if you need me."
"I will," I assured him.
I watched and waited for Peter to disappear into the trees before opening up the cloth that had been placed on top of the clothes. Inside was some soap which smelled like roses. Smiling slightly at the thought, I removed my blood-stained clothes and picked up the soap before entering the water. Despite being fresh water and just after the snow thawed, the water was warm against my skin.
At first, I just held the soap in my hand and ducked under the water to allow the water to brush against my body and take some of the dried blood and dirt away. I stayed under for as long as I could, before lifting my body out of the water. With much of the dirt already gone, I started using the soap – first with the mess that was my hair before moving onto my body.
When I was finally as clean as I felt that I could get, I climbed out of the water – standing on the roots so I didn't get dirt on my feet. Grabbing the towel that had been placed on top of the clothes I dried my self off before pulling on the underwear. Finally, I turned back to the water and looked at my reflection.
Just like I had feared, the claws of the wolves had left scars across my face: a small line coming up from the right side of my chin by two inches; a broken line from under the mid-point of my eye across the tip of my nose and to the mid-point of my other eye; a small line from my eye-lid up through the edge of right eyebrow before ending an-inch later and a final scar which started at the edge of my jaw under my left ear going cross and through the corner of my lip, catching the edge of m nose and going over my cheek bone to end at the top of my right ear. They weren't as pronounced as I thought they would be, just red lines and slightly raised skin.
Swallowing tightly, I looked down my body and arms for the first time. I was nearly skin and bone, with the bones across my hands visible just like my ribs and hips were. The scars across my chest, arms and thighs were mostly from the dwarves' whip – criss-crossing and heading in different directions depending on the way that it had been swung. Each of the lines were different lengths, some thinner on the end or in the middle, the raised skin differing depending on how much power went behind the blow and how much of the whip hit my skin. Next to the whip mark was the redder marks from the claws of the wolves which cut through the white marks of the whips. Then, on my forearms and legs there was also the overlapping scars from the jaws of the wolves but these scars were indented instead of raised like the other marks.
Turning, I looked over my shoulder so I could see the reflection of my back in the water. There were the welts from uncles' belt on my back with the scars from the claws and the whips over that. My back was a mess, worse even than my chest, and I struggled to see even a single piece of untouched skin.
When my uncle beat me, it was normally the blunt trauma of his fists and his feet or the impact of being thrown into the wall or the floor. He rarely used his belt which he knew could cause permanent damage and scars, which led to him breaking or fracturing more bones – while the Witch and her people didn't care that they were leaving visible reminders behind.
With a tired sigh, I pulled on the remainder of my clothes. A pair of black tights and a green tunic with silver accents around it. Over the top of the tunic, I pulled on a black cloak which kept the chill that had settled in away.
"Peter?" I called softly turning in the direction I had seen him go. I wasn't confident that I'd be able to get back to the camp without getting lost a couple of times.
"Harry, is everything alright?" Peter came from the trees a few moments later, his sword undrawn.
"I'm fine, your majesty. Will you be able to lead me back to the camp?" I requested.
"Of course." Peter smiled.
When they returned to camp, it was to find Aslan returning Edmund to the care of his sisters. Lucy was already holding a change of clothes for Edmund while Susan had towels and some more soap.
"Son of Merlin, may I speak with you?" Aslan requested as we approached.
"Of course." I agreed, offering Edmund a smile and a slight bow. I was confused by the term of address but it was quite obvious he was referring to me, and I wasn't going to argue with a figure who seemed so powerful, and yet kind and calm. Peter took the wet towel and the cloth with the soap from me so I could go with Aslan unburdened.
"I wish to thank you, blessed of merlin." Aslan began once they were on the cliff looking out over a beach which led to a cliff top castle.
"Thank me? What for?" I asked confused.
"I have been kept from Narnia for nearly 100 years. But it was when you entered Narnia – someone who was so pure of heart and innocent, and yet so powerful and strong – that I was able to breach the barrier and offer my help." He explained.
"Me…? But I didn't mean to enter Narnia." I told him confused.
"There are many holes between this world and your own. But there are very few who can access them. You are one of the prophesied to come to Narnia and free them from the winter. Just as Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy will be the Kings and the Queens of Narnia, you will become an adviser and counsellor to them. You will offer wisdom to their questions as they watch over Narnia."
I was quiet at that. I was only seven. Although I was well read for my age, there was so much I hadn't learnt. I wasn't sure how good I would be as a counsellor to Kings and Queens. I would rather just be their friend. I didn't want power, and the position of counsellor would come with some kind of power and recognition. I shook off such thoughts. I could plot on how to avoid such power and recognition later while still giving the Kings and Queens my friendship.
"Why do you call me a Blessed of Merlin?" I asked curiously.
"In your world there are those born with magic. One of the first to learn to control this magic was Merlin. Therefore, all those blessed with Magic are also known as the Blessed of Merlin or just the Blessed." Aslan explained.
"But I couldn't use my magic before I came here. And even now I can't really control it." I told him.
"Magic is tied to your very being, child. As you learn more about yourself, you will learn more about what you can do and how you can interact with the world around you." Aslan explained.
"What happens now?" I asked after a moment of silence.
"Now, we prepare for war." Aslan answered simply.