A/N: Well, this is it. The chapter that contains the one-page one-shot that started the entire story.
Warning: one of the Telar says unpleasantly violent things.
Beta'd by trustingHim17, with my thanks!
OOOOO
Sirrioth landed by the Narnians, and Lucy fled from his arms to Peter's.
"Peter, they went after Susan," she cried, trembling. Jumak's cold voice, his anger, all directed at Susan-
Peter looked towards Sirrioth, but Lucy shook her head. "He told them where to find her," she choked out, and she felt Peter's whole body tense.
"You said you would help."
"I swore to help the one I loved as my own. She will be safe now."
"I thought you were another Khonat." Lucy shivered at the anger in Peter's tone.
Sirrioth's wings flapped uneasily. "He was a fool. I do not let my morals get in the way of the survival of my race."
"Just love, then. And your love saved her life and destroyed her heart." Peter's arms tightened around Lucy. "Didn't you learn anything from the half-life of your own race?" Sirrioth did not respond. "For your crime against the Gentle Queen, your own life should be forfeit. If we find her dead, Sirrioth, do not appear in my presence again. But for the sake of Lucy's life I grant yours, for as long as you can keep it. Go." Still sheltering his sister under his arms, he moved to Oreius. "We need to find them. Now."
"They're to the north, not far from where we met the Telar," Lucy informed them, wiping her nose. She took a deep breath. She would be brave. Susan was not lost yet, and Aslan was on their side.
That was enough for hope. She ignored the faltering sound of stone wings behind her as Sirrioth took off.
In the thicket, the other two looked up as the wingbeats grew louder—many of them. Edmund pushed Susan towards the tunnel, ready to run, but neither moved yet. They thought there was a chance they would not be seen.
Then, right above their heads, stone hands grabbed the vines and ripped them out by the roots.
"Run!" Edmund yelled, shoving Susan through first, for she was their target. She had to get away. She crawled forward, unable to actually run through the tiny tunnel, and then shouts echoed above them, the Telar's hands ripping open the top of the tunnel. Edmund threw himself over her, sheltering her the only way he could, both crawling forward like spiders running from a cat.
"They are here! Rip away the vines!"
"Jumak, stop!" another voice called, and both humans froze for a moment, panting.
"I will not!" As quietly as they could, both humans began moving forward again, inch by inch, as above them two forces of Telar hovered facing each other. Zedekah spoke again.
"We need her to revive the others."
"What do I care for the others!" Jumak screamed. "My king! She killed my king!"
"Give her to us, and she will still die. Your King, our King, will be avenged." The two were almost at the end of the tunnel now.
"You—she would die painlessly! No! I will rip her limb from limb! I will tear her to pieces and throw them beside the pieces of my King! I will be the one to punish her!" They two shoved themselves to their feet, and began running, as quietly as they could, towards the thickest of the woods. A moment later they heard a scream of frustration. "Where is she? Where is she?!"
"Edmund, you have to get away," Susan panted, words gasped between breaths. "I—can lead—them elsewhere."
"That would make you—an idiot—like Peter. And no." He grabbed her hand, holding tightly, dodging behind a tree. Behind them branches cracked and shouts echoed. Closing his eyes, he prayed Aslan would keep them hidden.
Lucy, Peter, and the others headed for the thicket, only to begin running as they saw Telar converging not far ahead. Lucy, with shorter legs than the others, fell behind. And so it was that she was far enough away to see five Telar splitting off from the battle in the air, and she changed direction to run after them.
"What do—we do—now?" Susan gasped.
"Run—till Peter—or Oreius—finds us. Run!" The last word came out a screech, for at that moment a Telar crashed in front of them, and the two dodged to the side. The long arms reached for them, Edmund ducked, pulling Susan down, and rolled away. He grabbed her hand again, pulling her up, and the two dodged behind a tree, faster than the large Telar in close quarters.
What would they do when the woods thinned?
A moment later Edmund felt Susan's fingers ripped away from his, and he turned. Zedekah had flown by magic, his wings still so he could weave between the trees. Edmund had not heard him, and could do nothing as Zedekah snatched up Susan.
"No!" Edmund screamed. "No! Susan!"
"Edmund!" Lucy's voice, distant, but he couldn't turn to look for her. He couldn't take his eyes off the Telar flying away with Susan. He scrambled after, yelling all the while.
"Lucy! The Telar have Susan! In the air!"
"Edmund!" The voice was fainter now, but Edmund couldn't wait. He was running, tripping, catching himself, still unable to look away from the sky. Zedekah was far faster, but he had Susan.
Wait, they were descending! Edmund pushed himself, trying to go faster, and ran straight into a rotting tree. He fell to the ground, the tree wobbling above him, creaking at its base. He scrambled to his feet, and realised just ahead of him gutted a narrow canyon, a black crack carved in the Narnia's crust, too deep to see the bottom.
Susan and the Telar were on the other side.
Aslan, help me.
The canyon was almost narrow enough to jump, but if he failed—Susan's life rode on that as well.
The tree! Barely more than a sapling, but wide enough to walk across!
At that moment Edmund heard a noise building, words carried by the wind to his ears. "A queen for a queen, for the defense of the Telar. A life for a life, for the defense of the Telar." No.
"Edmund!" came a scream from across the chasm, and Edmund's heart twisted.
"Susan! I'm coming! Just hold on—I'm making a bridge! I'll be a moment more! Hold on!" Edmund slammed himself into the tree one more time, driven by the chant. It creaked. He did it again, ignoring the pain that began screaming from his bruises. It creaked, swayed, and with a crash, it fell.
Muffled by its crash, he nevertheless heard his sister's voice call to him: "Hurry Edmund!"
A last crack of branches, and the limbs stopped the rolling trunk. He sprang, steady-footed, and crossed the chasm in five steps. Across, he sprang to the ground, just in time to hear his sister scream, the chant cease. He ran, around a tree, through a few more, panting, and halted-
There in a clearing lay his sister, spilled on the ground. Her head was crownless.
He was too late.
The Telar were flying away, the Queen's crown gripped in one stone hand and glinting in the sun. But Susan—he raced towards her.
"Please," he whispered. He reached her, kneeling in a breathless instant. He reached out to touch her. He felt her neck carefully, her arms, found no breaks, and rolled her over, brushing her hair from her face. "Susan, can you hear me?" Aslan, let her hear me. "Susan, wake up. Look at me." But she was still.
He slapped her white unmoving face. She didn't wake. No, no, she could not be—he held his hand above her mouth, holding his own breath. Wait. Wait. His lungs demanded air but he would not give it to them, not till he knew she was breathing. Not till he knew she wasn't-
There! A gentle whisper on his fingers, and Edmund breathed again. He had not known when life fled from one Queen to the other. He knew most of the life in his limbs had gone to the crown, but they had been numb, not lifeless. If she still breathed, they had time.
They had to find the gargoyle Queen. They had to make sure Susan's crown never touched her head. Because this, Susan laying still in his arms, was a nightmare that would not become reality.
"Edmund!" Lucy's voice called from the other side of the chasm, farther up, and Edmund looked up.
"Lucy! Down here!"
"I'm coming!"
She appeared a few moments later, twigs in her hair, skirts torn, running towards him as swiftly as a Stag. He held his hand up, warning her. "There's a chasm!" She stopped, almost stumbling, and looked down at her feet instead of at her brother. She began to look around, and he waved at his rough bridge. "Use the tree!" He waited, gathering Susan's head into his lap, pulling her head up and her mouth open, ready for the moment Lucy reached them.
He had forgotten he would have to watch his younger sister cross the chasm, certain death on either side, and he held his breath again, lungs pulling painfully, but she crossed it with light feet, striding through the branches and running towards him once she reached the ground. "Your cordial!" he called, and he was close enough to see her eyes widen, her hands instantly reaching towards her neck. She let herself fall beside them, already unscrewing the bottle. "Hurry," he begged, knowing she already was, but it was all he could do. Lucy held the bottle over Susan's open mouth and a single shining drop fell out. Edmund closed her mouth and watched her swallow.
She gasped, breathing in one deep breath, eyes flying open, seeing him—and shutting again. Her breathing slowed. Her color faded. Lucy held her hand over Susan's mouth, calling her name, before looking up at Edmund.
"She's barely alive. Edmund, why? The cordial always works!"
Edmund bent forward, touching his sister's forehead with his own. "It transfers all her life to the crown," he whispered. "Everything we give her, it takes away."
"Then we have to find the Telar's Queen. It's where they'll take her crown." He looked up to see Lucy tucking away her cordial, and he took a breath and nodded. He stood, bent down, and lifted Susan. Lucy spoke as he gained his feet.
"There are Horses close by, I passed them huddled against a threat they didn't understand. I'll go and ask them for help, to carry her. Can you make it across the tree with her?" Edmund blessed his sister's common sense as he nodded, and Lucy took a moment, just a moment, to slide Susan's hair from her face before running again.
Leaving Edmund with the sister he had failed.
Oh, Peter, is this what you felt when they chanted and I fell?
If I fail at this—I would give anything to go back to that moment and stop Susan's hand, let them take me, gladly give my life. We can't let them take hers!