Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own characters and plots. The original universe and everything in it belong to C. S. Lewis. All photos used of film characters belong to Walt Disney Pictures. The content I have written is fanfiction and its only purpose is to inspire creativity and to further immerse oneself in the universe C. S. Lewis has created.
Author's note: After publishing the last chapter I received a review asking whether or not the minotaurs are fighting for Aslan because there was a minotaur statue in the courtyard, to which I responded that 'much as there are bad and/or good humans, bad and/or good dwarves, bad and/ etc., I believe there are some minotaurs who fight for Aslan and some who fight for the White Witch. In the case of the petrified minotaur Pippa encountered in the courtyard, it could very well be one of the witch's followers who got punished, you know how that witch likes to wave her wand about!' Just in case someone else were wondering that as well, I posted my answer in this chapter. Thank you to everyone who take their time to review.
"Some journeys take us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny."
- C.S. Lewis, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (1950)
Chapter 4 – Escaping the Dungeons – September 1000 – Narnia
Sometime after Edmund had been taken by the Witch and her subjects, Pippa's fear had turned to anger. Anger at her parents for leaving her behind in England, anger at herself for following the Pevensies through the wardrobe, and anger at Edmund for betraying his family and herself to the White Witch. Now she was dying in a frozen dungeon either of cold, of thirst or of hunger. And she was understandably quite upset about it.
"That little rat!" Pippa grumbled. "Betraying us such as he did, how could he?"
"Don't be too hard on him, my lady." Mr. Tumnus said kindly. "Perhaps he thought he had little choice in the matter of helping the Witch after all?"
"My lady?" Pippa asked in surprise. She was no noblewoman, and by the state of her torn and dirty dress, she doubted she looked very ladylike either.
"Oh, forgive me, I did not mean to presume you were not a queen or a sibling, it's just that you don't very much resemble Lucy or Edmund." Mr. Tumnus answered politely with a kind smile and small bow with his head. "Your nose especially not so." He added. In utter confusion Pippa stared at him with wide eyes.
"What on earth are you on about?" She finally said. Pippa would have laughed if she wasn't so cold and miserable.
"Why the prophecy of course!" Mr. Tumnus spoke in hushed words, but his eyes were lit with excitement. "It was predicted long ago that when two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve take their rightful place by the four thrones in Cair Paravel, the White Witch's reign would be at an end." Mr. Tumnus finished quietly, and Pippa understood that to speak these words here, in the Witch's palace, would be an act of treason.
"And you believe Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are the prophesied sons and daughters meant to take the throne?" Pippa asked, not quite believing her cellmate.
"Not only I." The faun leant in closer and whispered in her ear. "Aslan believes it too." And just as it did the first time Aslan's name was mentioned at the Beaver's dam, Pippa's head felt lighter, her body warmer and her belly turn a somersault. For a moment she was lost in the feeling the name gave her, no longer feeling her body ache or letting her fear overcome her. A gust of chilly wind brought her back to reality, and everything felt more difficult than before.
"Well?" Mr. Tumnus asked, awaiting a reaction from her.
"Well what?" Pippa answered mutely.
"Don't you wish to help the true rulers of Narnia defeat the Witch and end this cursed winter?" Mr. Tumnus was impatient now. "My lady." He added politely.
"What I wish is to go home!" Pippa almost cried in despair.
"Home?" Mr. Tumnus inquired. Then his face lit up like a child's would when knowing the answer to a difficult question. "Are you from the land of Spare Oom too?"
"No?" Pippa answered, unsure of what to think of the faun sitting beside her. Mad as a hatter, this one. "I'm from Greenwich." She finally said.
The Mr. Tumnus' eyes widened. "You're a Green Witch?" He eyed her suspiciously.
"No, I'm from Greenwich!" Pippa repeated in frustration.
The faun shook his head, his brown curly hair and pointy ears were covered in snow that fell to his shoulders as his head bobbed up and down. "No matter, no matter! We need to come up with a plan of escape to help the Kings and Queens!" Mr. Tumnus had regained his strength and was more than ready to escape this wicked place.
"I need to go home." Pippa whispered, head bowed and tears in her eyes. A soft, hairy hand touched hers and Pippa's grey, unsure eyes looked into the faun's golden, firm ones.
"My lady, helping them is the only way to get home." Mr. Tumnus finally said.
Without even knowing Peter, Susan, Lucy and the Beavers had escaped the wolves' attack on the dam and were now making their way to Aslan's camp, Pippa and Mr. Tumnus softly whispered and planned their escape the following hours spent in the dungeons. One of the ugly dwarves with beady, black eyes and yellow hair returned to check on them and offer them more stale bread and frozen water, but otherwise they were left alone in their cold, dark confinement made of ice and chains.
"I have read tales of the Witch's castle before. It is enchanted with black magic, the very same magic she wields with her wand. The wand itself looks very much like a staff: long, straight and looks to be made of silver and ice." Mr. Tumnus explained.
Pippa nodded. "Yes, I believe I've seen it."
"Good. We'll need it." Mr. Tumnus said. Pippa opened her mouth to ask why, but the faun continued his line of reasoning. "If the magic of her wand could turn the Narnians to stone, the wand should also be able to reverse the dark magic and resurrect them." He reasoned.
"Turned to stone?" Pippa asked questioningly. She had never heard of any Narnians being turned to stone by the Witch's wand. Mr. Tumnus' eyes turned sad and his voice was sombre as he quietly spoke.
"Did you think the stone figures in the courtyard were made for simple decorations? No, they were all once living, breathing and talking Narnians who opposed her rule or otherwise conspired against her."
Pippa felt sick to her stomach as she thought of the hundreds of very life-like statues she and Edmund had walked past when they had arrived. Before they had been turned to stone, they had been real, living creatures, Pippa thought horrified.
"If we could only make it to the library, we could perhaps read more about the black magic the wand possesses." Mr. Tumnus pondered.
"How do you even know there is a library here?" Pippa asked, the idea of a library excited her, even though it would be dangerous to find it. Mr. Tumnus gave her a smile, sensing her keen interest in the prospect of a library filled with mystical books, an interest he shared.
"All powerful witches must have some place to store their spells and cookbooks." He mused.
"But how do we get there?" Pippa asked. "We're not only chained here and crippled by our leg-pains, but won't there be guards everywhere? And we don't even know where to begin looking, this castle looks to be huge!" Pippa felt dejected and scared at the possible outcome of the Witch's wrath if they were to be found out. "And what would we even do once we freed the Narnians, and what about Edmund? Is he not still her prisoner?" She prattled on.
Mr. Tumnus once again laid a hand over hers to calm her. He gave her a reassuring smile as he held her hand tightly. "One step at a time, my lady."
Pippa clutched his hand tightly and nodded unconfidently. If only she had the courage of her parents and brothers who were off fighting real bad people too. What would they say if they could see what a dangerous situation she had put herself in? Would they be cross with her?
"The next time one of her minions, let's hope it's a dwarf, comes in to check on us, we must lure him to us and overpower him. We'll take his weapon, chain him up and make him tell us where we can find the books we are searching for, alright?" Mr. Tumnus looked upon the young girl, awaiting her acknowledgement.
"At least it's a start." Pippa answered, the dread in the pit of her stomach filling her more and more as she spoke.
As luck would have it, a dwarf did come to check on them a little while later. When Mr. Tumnus tried to stand and make sounds of complaints the dwarf moved towards them to stop the faun from misbehaving, just as the pair had planned only moments before. Pippa jumped on the dwarf's back when he came close enough and used the frozen cup of water to knock him over the head as hard as she could. The dwarf moaned in pain but made no sudden movements. Mr. Tumnus reached for the half-man's weapon – a steel axe with a sharp blade – and Pippa used the belt of the dwarf's leather jerkin to tie his arms around his back and her own handkerchief to gag him.
"Now what?" Pippa asked Mr. Tumnus after their struggle with the dwarf was over. "How do we rid ourselves of these shackles around our legs?"
Mr. Tumnus searched the dwarf's pockets but found nothing of importance. "It looks like we'll have to break these irons with this weapon." Mr. Tumnus looked at her intently. "But it will hurt your leg even worse I'm afraid."
Pippa swallowed hard and nodded. "If it's the only way."
Mr. Tumnus and Pippa ripped some of the cloth from the barely conscious dwarf's clothes to lay over their shackles to soften the noises of steel hitting steel.
"This will hurt." The faun warned again, and Pippa closed her eyes, not wanting to look. She knew that once her legs were freed, she'd have to help him, but she did not think she would be strong enough.
Mr. Tumnus wasted no time hammering away with the axe. Each bash of steel made Pippa weep silently and she had to bite her lip hard to keep from crying out in agony. A few blows later, and the chains fell apart and her legs were finally unshackled. Pippa breathed a sigh of relief and massaged her aching legs with her frozen fingers.
Mr. Tumnus handed her the axe. "You'll have to help me now, my lady."
Pippa grasped the axe, felt its weight in her hand and prepared to deliver her first blow to the faun's shackles when the dwarf screamed a sudden, loud scream. The handkerchief in his mouth had been spat out on the icy floor. Mr. Tumnus threw himself at the dwarf to keep him quiet, but it was too late.
"They must have heard." Pippa exclaimed in horror.
"You'll have to hurry without me, my lady." Mr. Tumnus said whilst keeping the dwarf restrained. "Please." He pleaded as Pippa shook her head.
"I can't, I can't!" She whimpered. Mr. Tumnus reached for her hand and held it tight. With kind eyes he looked at her intently.
"You have to. Be strong daughter of Eve! I know you can do it." He said. The pair of them could hear movements coming from above, the guards having been alerted. Pippa squeezed the faun's hand as she stood on shaky legs. Letting go of Mr. Tumnus' hand, she took a few, tentative steps to steady herself on her injured leg before she hurried out of the dungeons as fast as she could without daring to look back.
By the grace of God or Aslan or whoever ruled her fate this night, Pippa made her way up the spiralling stone steps without encountering any guards. The steps were no longer covered in as much ice and it was much less cold than Pippa had remembered. She made her way to the Witch's throne room and just like the stone steps, this room were also less covered in ice. It must be melting somehow, Pippa wondered.
Pippa had to hide behind the Witch's throne as a black-haired Minotaur and a sullen-looking creature Pippa couldn't recognise patrolled the hallway. She had no other option than to slip through the nearest archway leading her to another hallway. She tried several of the heavy marbled doors, but none would move. She heard and saw water droplets dripping from the walls and onto the stone floors. Everything is melting, not only the ice on the ground, Pippa concluded. Remembering Mr. Tumnus and the dwarf in the dungeons, she stumbled along and entered the only unlocked room in the hallway.
The small, circular room was empty except for another spiralling staircase. I must be in one of the castle's high towers, Pippa thought as she limped and climbed the crooked steps of the tower. As she reached the top, she was relieved to be met by the sight of stacks upon stacks of books. The tiny tower was full of mouldy, old books and peculiar artefacts, and Pippa rushed to the nearest pile to inspect the spines of the books. Tales of the Bold Gryphon, Maps of the Seven Isles, The Wood Between the Worlds. The piles were endless, and Pippa wished she had time to read every last one of them twice. At least.
However, she had at last found two tattered books that looked promising; A Study of Dark Magic: Spells and Enchantments,and The History of Narnia and All Who Live There. She picked up the book of Narnian history and opened it. Disappointed, she realized she could not read the language in which it was written. Suddenly, a soft roar and a warm, thundering voice filled her head.
Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.
When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone,
Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,
The evil time will be over and done.
When the voice stopped speaking, the pages of the book promptly turned by themselves, and Pippa found herself looking at a picture. It was not a photographed picture, but a painting of four young men and women with crowns on their heads. The details on their faces and clothes were intricate and well-made. As she studied the face of the blonde-haired man she gasped.
"Impossible." Pippa whispered. She knew those faces, those noses and those eyes. It was unmistakeable. It was a painting of the Pevensie children, only much older and now crowned regents of Narnia. How could it be possible? By the state of the book it must have been made at least fifty years before the Pevensies were even born.
But, of course, it could be possible, Pippa contemplated. After all she had arrived in Narnia through a wardrobe, met a witch and faun, so why shouldn't a prophecy about four children helping Aslan defeat evil and sit upon four thrones at Cair Paravel be true? Although, that could not explain her own presence in Narnia, for she was not part of any prophecy. She was not important in this war or the war back home in England. Pippa slammed the book shut in frustration.
"Are you enjoying my personal assortment of books, girl?" The White Witch announced her presence.
Pippa yelped, and dropped the book in surprise and fright. The book came crashing down on the floor. The Witch remained expressionless as she peered at the young girl with interest. She sauntered closer to Pippa, her long white gown and her furry cloak trailing behind her, her staff clutched tightly in her right hand.
"Do not be afraid, girl. I do not wish to harm you." The White Witch said as she picked up the book Pippa had dropped and studied it closely.
Pippa remained silent and uneasy as she followed the Witch's movements and slowly backing away from her. She found herself by a cracked window in the tower, shards of glass surrounding the windowsill. Pippa carefully picked up a shard of glass and hid it in the palm of her hand.
The White Witch placed the book on a nearby shelf. "Come. I want to show you something." She beckoned Pippa to join her down the flight of steps. Pippa dared not refuse her request and limped forward.
"Oh, dear. Your leg, you can hardly walk, you poor thing." The Witch said in discontent. With a wave of her wand Pippa could suddenly feel a warmth spread across her left ankle and then her pains were gone. "There. I bet that's better." The Witch said with a charming smile as she once again beckoned Pippa to walk with her.
The White Witch led her down the tower, out of the hallway and to the throne room where she swiftly sat down on her throne, wand in hand and a superior, regal look on her face. Some of her soldiers were gathered around them and Pippa felt on edge awaiting the Witch's anger which was sure to come. But instead of anger, the Witch let out a graceful laugh.
"Such a serious face on you girl. Have I not made it clear I have no wish to harm you?" The White Witch's crimson coloured lips were still stretched in a broad smile, and Pippa thought it did not suit her face. It made her look old and disfigured.
"Now I have a proposal for you." The Witch said. "There seems to be so much trouble to be had from my subjects as of late, and I thought perhaps you could help me quench their rebellious thoughts?"
Pippa felt a presence inside her and the voice from before urged her to be brave. "And if I refuse?" Pippa held her breath. The smile on the Witch's face disappeared instantly.
"Then you die."
Pippa felt fear once again consume her as she shakily asked: "And if I accept?"
The White Witch smiled again, only this time it was a cruel smile. "Then you go home. And he dies in your stead." She said and pointed at a figure being held in the shadows by a foul-looking ogre. It was Mr. Tumnus. Pippa looked at him regretfully and ashamed for what she was about to let the Witch do to him, but she just wanted to go home.
Mr. Tumnus stared at Pippa appalled and shook his head in anguish. "No, my lady! You must help the rightful Kings and Queens of Narnia! Long may they reign!" He cried and yelped in pain as he was struck in the face by the ogre's wooden club.
"Silence!" The White Witch commanded furiously. "It's your choice girl. The faun dies and you go home." The Witch's eyes and words sent chills down Pippa's spine. "Or, I'll make sure you never see the light of day again."
And in a moment of cowardice and disbelief in herself, in prophecies and in Aslan she made a choice. Tearfully she spoke the words that would bring the friendly faun his doom. "I wish to go home, your majesty."
All air left the room as the Witch rose from her seat and glided down the steps of her throne and across the floor until she stood before the faun. "Any last words, faun?"
Mr. Tumnus sighed disheartened before looking defiantly at the Witch before him. "Long live Aslan!" He roared.
The Witch gave a frightful sneer and thrust her wand into Mr. Tumnus's upper body. And in a moment, he was no longer flesh and blood, but cold stone. Pippa instantly regret her decision as she collapsed on the floor in terror of what she had done.
"As for you," the White Witch said as she approached the crying girl on the floor. "I can have no daughters of Eve roaming my lands freely."
Pippa looked at the Witch in disbelief. "But you promised you would let me go!" She shouted.
"I am Queen of Narnia! An act against me is an act of treason." The Witch said coldly. "As for my promise, I promised you'd never see the light of day again." And the Witch waved her wand once more.
Pippa screamed in agony as her eyes started to burn. She tore the glasses off her face and clawed at her own eyes to make the burning stop. The pain was unbearable, it was as if a thousand daggers were stabbing her eyes, making her scream until her throat was raw. Still screaming and unable to breathe properly, her vision became more and more blurred, until everything turned pitch-black.
"Tie her up in the courtyard along with the other prisoner." Was the last thing Pippa heard the Witch command before her body went limp and she fainted from exhaustion.
When Pippa regained consciousness, she was once again tied up, only this time she was tied to a tree with rope instead of chained to a dungeon wall. She was not gagged or blindfolded, and it took her a few seconds to remember that the Witch had taken her sight from her. I deserve it and more, Pippa thought ashamed. She had betrayed Mr. Tumnus by letting him die instead of her because she was afraid. She was just a weak, little girl incapable of defending herself or anyone she cared for. Before a sob could escape her lips, she heard footsteps approaching.
"Is our little princeling uncomfortable?" A small, wheezy voice mocked. "Does he want his boots cleaned or his pillows fluffed, eh?" The mockery continued, but it wasn't directed at her, she realized. "Special treatment for a special boy, eh?" The wheezy voice laughed cruelly before spitting on the ground and walking away. Little princeling… Edmund must be here, Pippa thought.
"Edmund?" She whispered. "Is that you?" A grunt came in return. He must be gagged and bound; Pippa assumed as much. She also wondered if he had been hurt as she had, for he too had betrayed himself since they came to Narnia. Pippa felt something sharp jab at her thumb and found that, somehow, she still had the shard of glass from the tower window clutched in her palm.
"Edmund?" She whispered again, a plan gradually forming in her mind. "I think I can loosen our bindings, but you'll have to guide me to your ropes so I can cut them. Please grunt if you understand?" Pippa asked quietly as she edged the piece of glass in her hand to start shearing her own ropes as quickly as she could. Edmund grunted and as she was slowly, but surely freed from the rope, she asked again:
"Now I need you to grunt once if I need to go left, grunt twice if I need to go right or not grunt at all if I'm on the right path." Pippa felt determined to free them and at least go down fighting just like her brothers and father back in their world.
Edmund acknowledged her plan, and together they silently worked to cut Edmund's ropes with the shard of glass. It was a difficult task, and Pippa's eyes still stung from the pain she had felt earlier, but they managed. There was quite a lot of noise around them from the Witch's army working on their armour and sharpening their weapons, and thus no one paid the prisoners any attention.
Once Edmund too was free from his constraints, he tore the cloth from his mouth. "What happened to your eyes Pippa?" He questioned with a whisper. "They look so foggy."
Before Pippa had any chance to answer him the howl of a frightened wolf interrupted their conversation. Suddenly there were galloping horses and running men, a cavalry charging in, and as steel met steel, Pippa could hear the cries of slain men.
"They must be here to rescue you!" Pippa shouted above all the noise.
"Oh no!" Edmund screeched in return.
"Not so fast! You are not going anywhere!" The wheezy voice had returned. "Move, and I'll slit your throat boy!" The creature held a knife to Edmund's throat, the cold steel almost drawing blood.
"Pippa, help me!" Edmund cried helplessly.
In the darkness Pippa lost herself to reason and her only thought was to protect Edmund, and by doing so ensuring the prophecy would come true and that Mr. Tumnus' death would not be in vain. Edmund cried again in pain as the blade dug into his skin. Pippa threw herself in the direction of the cries and landed with an 'oumph' on top of a wriggling body not much bigger than her own. A dwarf's body, she realized. She and the dwarf fought for control of the knife until a sharp thump on the back of her head made her see stars and lose consciousness yet again.
When she for the second time that evening regained consciousness, it was quiet again. No sound of fighting soldiers or of men preparing for war. The eerie silence was broken by the White Witch as she spoke coolly.
"I hope saving that traitor was worth it, girl." She sounded defeated. Good, thought Pippa.
Pippa smiled and got up to stand before the Witch. She would now face death with pride and redemption. "It was. Long live Aslan!" She roared, and in an instant, she could feel, see or hear no more.
And so, time froze forever for Philippa Copland.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Based on 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' (1950) by C. S. Lewis.
Based on 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' (2005) by C. S. Lewis (Andrew Adamson, Mark Johnson, Phillip Steuer, Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures).
Songs for this chapter:
Slip into Darkness – Biqram
All the King's Horses – Karmina
Gumo's Hideout – Gareth Coker
Knighting Peter – Harry Gregson-Williams
The Stone Table – Harry Gregson-Williams
Peter Pevensie – Born 19th of January 1924 (16 years old)
Susan Pevensie – Born 2nd of June 1925 (15 years old)
Edmund Pevensie – Born 6th of March 1927 (13 years old)
Lucy Pevensie – Born 25th of December 1929 (10 years old, turning 11)
Philippa Copland – Born 7th of July 1924 (16 years old)
Author's note: This will be the last chapter I publish for awhile as I'm going on holiday. First time visiting Poland, exciting times!