Chapter Nine
Philip and Joy hit the water with a tremendous splash. The cold water stung Joy's legs and waist as Philip tread deeper into the river and started swimming. She gripped the saddle tightly with both hands but the cold current rushing over them seemed to be trying to pry her hands away and carry her downstream. Beneath her, Philip struggled and kicked, trying to go straight across the river and was panting from the effort. "Don't worry, we'll make it," he said between breaths, but the words did little to comfort her. Out of the corner of her eye, Joy saw a large chunk of ice rushing towards them.
"Philip, look out!" she cried out and pointed to her left. Philip tried to swivel his body but it was too late and the ice slammed into Joy's shoulder, throwing her off balance. She splashed down on her right side in the water, and floated upside down before clawing to the surface. She came up coughing and to her dismay, realized Philip had continued swimming, not realizing he was leaving his passenger behind. "Philip!" she called. Another ice piece floated towards her and Joy quickly dove under the waves. She saw Philip's kicking hooves swimming further away from her and she shot to the surface.
"Philip!" she screamed. She tried swimming forward but the dreadful current was dragging her downstream. Joy struggled and kicked but the current refused to yield. Across the river, Philip was climbing out onto the riverbank with his coat slick and shiny in the increasingly brighter sunshine. He shook his head, sending the loose reins flying and they wrapped around his neck. He seemed to say something to the absent passenger on his back and then craned his neck around to discover Joy was gone!
"Joy! Lady Joy!" he called out. Joy tried to swim towards him again but instead was carried further downstream.
"Philip!" Joy waved with her free arm. "I'm here!" Then she felt something wrap around her waist, something that felt like a current but was warmer and gentler than the current she was stuck in. To her astonishment, she realized it was pulling her through the water towards Philip! The horse then spotted her and cantered down the river bank towards her.
"Hang on Joy!" he shouted. Whatever was holding Joy pulled her effortlessly through the water and gently lifted her up and onto the bank. Joy lay on her stomach, coughing river water and then looked up to study her rescuer.
It was a woman whose entire form was made of water. Joy could see the constant flow in the rushing rapids of her hair and two calm and clear pools made her eyes which Joy found mesmerizing. Her body melted into the flow of the river, making it seem like she had no legs at all. For a moment, Joy wondered if she was a mermaid. The woman said no word but smiled gently at Joy.
"Thank you," said Joy breathlessly. "Thank you for rescuing me." The water-woman nodded, then dissolved into the rapidly flowing water. Joy scrambled to the edge of the riverbank to get one last glimpse of her but saw nothing. Philip trotted over to her.
"I'm so sorry!" he cried. "I did not realize you were gone until it was too late, I am so sorry Joy," Philip hung head in shame.
"No Philip," said Joy, tearing her eyes away from the river "that water-woman helped me so I'm safe now."
"Praise be to Aslan," said Philip, his eyes closing with relief. When he opened them, he told Joy the woman was called a naiad Joy, one of the daughters of the River God.
"Oh," said Joy as she climbed to her feet. She looked around and noticed the snow was rapidly melting underfoot. No more ice pieces floated past them and the river water was gaining a brighter, bluer colouring. Buds were blossoming on every tree and blooming at an alarming rate, and Joy could hear birds singing from whichever which way she turned. It was all so beautiful she felt no rush to leave the river's edge. Philip suddenly whinnied, forcing Joy from her thoughts and she looked up at the horse with annoyance. "What is it?" she asked.
"Joy, look!" He was pointing off to their right with his nose. Joy followed the direction with her eyes and saw the Witch, the dwarf, and Edmund standing on a cliff above the waterfall. So, they hadn't caught up with the others after all! Joy felt a rush of anger as she stared at the Witch and dwarf, but something like pity drowned out those feelings as she looked at Edmund. When he gave a smug smile to the dwarf however, her anger rose again. She watched as they looked down at the waterfall and they all turned around when something behind them caught their attention. "Come on," said Philip "before they look downstream."
"Right," said Joy, and the two quickly retreated into woods. Joy stuck her foot into the stirrup and after several attempts, climbed onto Philip's back and they were off again. This time, hardly any snow was left for them to trample, but fresh green grass and wild flowers danced in the breeze as the pair rode past. Many types of birds sat in the trees and said "Hello" to Joy as they rode by underneath the branches. Philip kept on sniffing the air as he ran, and twice he halted to eat some new grass before Joy could stop him.
While the beautiful spring sights flew past the pair, Joy marvelled at how much winter had melted compared to yesterday. She guessed with the Pevensies' and Aslan's arrival in Narnia, the Witch's magic was finally weakening! Whatever Aslan was like, he sounded very powerful and strong. "I wonder what Aslan is like," said Joy to herself. Did he know why she and Rebecca were brought to Narnia? Based on everything she had heard about him she felt that he knew everything about everyone, and that thought brought both joy and shame to her heart. She looked down at the horse and remembered Philip must have seen him at the Camp. "Philip, what's he like?" she asked.
"He's the Great Lion," said Philip, pride colouring through his tone "the Son of the Emperor over the Sea, King above all the Kings of Narnia," then Joy interrupted him.
"A lion!" she exclaimed, a wave of fear forcing her thoughts to come to a screeching halt. Why hadn't the Beavers' said anything to them! She gripped the saddle again until her knuckles went white. "I'm not sure I want to face Aslan after all," she said softly. "I don't know how to talk to a lion."
"Well, he's not a tame lion," said Philip, adding to Joy's fears "but he is good Joy. You can talk to him about anything and he will listen. Don't worry," he said. That made Joy feel a little better, if only a little is better than nothing. She let go of the saddle with her right hand and rubbed the horse's neck.
"Thank you, Philip," she said and he neighed in response. "How far is it now?" A warm breeze tossed her hair into her face.
"Not far Joy," said Philip, and he quickened his pace again.
They had gone on for about ten minutes when a rough voice behind them said "A Daughter of Eve!" Joy looked around; she recognized that voice from the Witch's castle and turned in the saddle. Two wolves came out of the bushes behind them and one of them was Maugrim! The other one thankfully was not Maros but he still grinned and trotted around to the other side of Philip, who had stopped when they heard the strange voice. "What are you doing out here, human?" Maugrim added a growl to the last word, and Joy grabbed the saddle horn again. She refused the answer the wolf and raised her chin to show she was not afraid.
"Heading to the lion's camp?" asked the other wolf with a sneer. Joy felt the blood drain from her face as fear took over, and she wished she had a rock or branch to defend herself. "How did you escape the Queen's dungeon?"
"I, I," said Joy haltingly and her tongue suddenly turned to lead.
"Did this horse and a fox help you?" asked Maugrim, and the other wolf crouched like it was ready to spring towards her if she gave the wrong answer.
"No," said Joy, and she quickly grabbed the reins, scared to know how Maugrim found out about Mr. Fox.
"Liar!" shouted Maugrim. The other wolf pounced, snapping at her arm.
"Philip!" she screamed.
"Vardan!" shouted Maugrim.
"Hang on Joy!" shouted Philip as he reared. Joy gripped the saddle again as Philip bolted. He galloped over flowering bushes and between the oncoming trees. The wolves kept on snapping at his heels, and more than once they tried to pull Joy out of the saddle but she leaned away from them each time. Philip then chose to run in a zig-zag pattern, but neither wolf let up on the chase.
"Give up," said Philip, and Joy was worried the horse would tire out before they'd reach Aslan's Camp.
"We won't give up that easily," huffed Maugrim behind them.
"Maybe you could try," said Philip in response. They rode quickly towards a large, sloping hill which was covered with trees. The other wolf, not Maugrim, let out a short howl behind them and the two wolves suddenly turned sharply to Joy's left and bounded off into the woods. Philip quickly came to a stop at the foot of the hill, panting hard and his legs shaking.
"Are you alright, Philip?" asked Joy, rubbing the horse's sweaty neck.
"I'm fine, I haven't done that much running in a long time," he said. Joy smiled at the horse, marveling at his bravery and how much he had done simply to bring her to Aslan's Camp. "I'll be alright in a minute."
"That's alright," said Joy, and she slid down off his back for a chance to stretch the cramp out of her legs from gripping Philip's body with her knees, not to mention the trembling in her limbs from the scare of the wolves. A small stream trickled through the grass and down between the trees to her right. Joy knelt, took a drink and splashed her hot face with the cool, refreshing water. Philip came up beside her and took a drink as well. "I hope those wolves don't come back," said Joy, and Philip nodded, too busy guzzling to answer. In the far-off distance, Joy thought she heard a scream and she stood up to look round.
All was quiet, fresh and green. The trees were now full of new leaves, and a thousand scents and sounds hit Joy at once. A bee buzzed by her before climbing up into a bluebell at the base of a tree. Philip looked up from his drink at the beautiful forest around them.
"I think I'm one of the lucky Talking Horses Joy," he said. "I get to see Narnia's first spring after one hundred years of winter." He pranced like a foal as he took in the sights around him, and Joy laughed happily, eager to forget about the wolves. Then, Philip stopped, with his hooves planted firmly in the new grass and was looking off to Joy's right. He trotted forward a few paces, then turned back to Joy with a horse's best imitation of a smile on his face.
"I think we found Aslan's Camp," he said. Joy's grin vanished and she slowly walked over to him, her heart pounding inside her chest. A wave of nerves clutched at her stomach and she felt like she was going to be sick. How was she going to face Rebecca? What would Lucy think of her after going off with Edmund to the Witch? And what about Aslan, what would he think of her? A breeze gently caressed her face and she thought Deal with one problem at a time. She mounted and Philip trotted around the base of the hill, out of the woods and around a rocky embankment where the valley widened out.
To Joy's left, crimson and gold striped tents filled the valley, stretching almost to the edge of the woods and a large rocky cliff overlooked the valley. To her right, Joy could see a few low hills, and beyond them lay the Great Eastern Sea with a strip of pale sand at the edge of it. On a rocky peninsula sat a great castle, which Joy barely got a chance to admire for Philip turned to the left and started trotting into the camp.
The camp was bustling with activity. Joy looked around at the weapons makers and blacksmiths, who barely looked up from their tools as she and Philip rode past. Her mouth watered when she saw trays of food being set up beside the welders, and her stomach rumbled so loudly that Philip let out a loud whinnying laugh in response, and several Narnians turned and stared at them. Philip continued walking forward but Joy caught snippets of what the Narnians were saying as she rode past.
"She was with the traitor, does that mean she's a traitor too?" said one dwarf. Joy's cheeks flushed and she hung her head.
"Let's let Aslan make that decision," said a Talking Dog, and Joy wished with all her heart she had not given into Edmund's dare in the first place. Philip continued past the blacksmiths and into a quieter section of camp off to the left off the main path.
"Don't listen to them Joy," he said, and Joy was grateful for the horse's words. The area she was riding into was quite different from the first section of camp. Here, several tents were bunched up together in groups, and the little groups were dotted all along the base of the rocky cliff. The pounding of hammers and metal on metal faded away as Philip came to a complete halt and Joy sat still with her mouth wide open.
The golden Lion, Aslan, was standing before them and watching the two with both gentle and intelligent green-gold eyes. He was so great and royal and beautiful that Joy could look at him only for a second before dropping her gaze to the saddle horn. "Joy, dismount," whispered Philip. Joy summoned all her courage and quickly slid out of the saddle. She fell to her knees before the Lion, and Philip bowed his head beside her with one foreleg stretched out towards the Lion.
"Welcome Joy, Daughter of Eve," said Aslan, and the sound of his voice calmed the nerves in her stomach and Joy dared to look up at him again. She noticed his face was not stern as she had expected, but kind and she could see wisdom in his expression. The Lion lifted his great gaze from her to Philip. "Welcome Philip," he said, "you have my thanks." Philip nodded, his head almost touching the ground. "What happened to Fox and Gregoire?" asked Aslan. Philip pulled himself up from his bow and Joy quickly did the same.
"Sir, Fox and Gregoire gave themselves over to the Witch's wolves to prevent Lady Joy from being captured," said Philip and Joy hung her head with shame. They had died for her, and she would never be able to thank them or see them again. Tears clouded her vison and Joy refused to look up. "It happened before we crossed the river early this afternoon."
"Both Gregoire and Fox have served Narnia well. Thank you for the report Philip, go get some rest," said Aslan. Philip bowed his head again and walked away. The nerves came back into Joy's stomach, and she slowly turned back to face the Lion. Under the weight of his gaze, she suddenly felt sorry for everything bad she ever said or done to Rebecca, Edmund, even Mum back home. Looking into the Lion's eyes, she said the first thing that came into her mind.
"I, I'm sorry Aslan," said Joy, bowing her head, unable to look into his eyes again.
"For what, Joy?" asked the Lion gently.
"For," Joy lifted her head and thought for a second "for everything. All that I said to Rebecca, Edmund, Mum…" her voice trailed off. "I really was a pig to all of them."
"Child," said Aslan "you take out your anger on others," Joy hung her head "but do not hold onto that bitterness." Shame covered Joy like a cloak, and she joined her hands together in front of her dirty dress. "Your sister loves you and your friends miss you; do not throw that away." The weight of his words pressed down on Joy's shoulders, for she had thrown it away when she followed Edmund out the Beaver's door. As Aslan was reading her mind, he asked her "What did you hope to gain out of meeting the Witch?"
"I don't know Aslan," said Joy "it was probably something stupid." As she spoke, she suddenly remembered what Edmund had said to her right before they headed into the woods. "Aslan, I'm sorry. I was dared by Edmund. He asked me if I was afraid and I said 'No.'" She dared to look up at the Lion. He looked stern now, and Joy remembered Philip saying Aslan was not a tame Lion.
"Child do not give into foolish dares because of your pride," said Aslan with a stern tone. "I hope you have learned your lesson." Joy nodded.
"Oh, yes I have Aslan," she said. She then remembered what the dwarf said as she and Philip rode past earlier and plucked up her courage to ask Aslan a question. "Aslan, even though I went along with Edmund to the Witch's house, I promise I did not betray where my sister and her friends were going. I am not a traitor," she said, pleading with her hands clasped before her. Aslan smiled gently, and Joy quickly relaxed.
"Joy, although you went along with him because you were dared, you did not do any harm," he said, and Joy breathed a sigh of relief, her chin dropping to her chest. "There are two things I will ask you to do," and she looked up again. "First, I will ask you to mend your relationship with your sister," said Aslan.
"Oh, yes Aslan. I will, I promise," said Joy, smiling with relief. She had thought he would ask her to do something hard or impossible, but seeing Rebecca again would be no trouble, would it? Even as she thought this, the nerves started to build inside her stomach. But Aslan was not finished.
Second," he paused "I ask you to forgive Edmund for the trouble he caused you." Joy felt that anger flare up again but met Aslan's gaze.
"Aslan, he tricked me into going to the Witch's castle," she said. "He betrayed his siblings, this beautiful country and you!" She pointed at him but quickly dropped the hand to her side when the Lion's gaze grew stern again.
"And even traitors deserve a second chance," said Aslan "once they have a change of heart. You need to forgive him Joy." Joy thought of rolling her eyes, but somehow that seemed like the wrong thing to do in front of Aslan.
"Yes, I will try Aslan," said Joy reluctantly. Aslan gave her a look. He knew she was not ready to forgive Edmund but did not say another word about it.
"Now, I think your sister is waiting for you," said Aslan. He turned slowly around and started walking away. Joy started following, walking beside the Lion's great head. His mane looked so soft that she wanted to reach out and touch it but chose to keep her hands at her sides. Several Narnians stopped and stared at her, bowing to Aslan but looking at Joy with curious and sometimes accusing gazes.
They came out into a busier section of the camp again, and Aslan told her to wait in the shadow of a tent which had a forge set up nearby. The Lion walked forward and Joy noticed that everyone would turn around and stare at him as he passed by. Centaurs, animals, satyrs; everyone stopped and looked. It was very difficult not to for the golden Lion was hard to miss, and he was so beautiful and fierce that one could not help but stare. Joy's eyes started to burn from the lack of sleep and she stifled a yawn as she waited for Aslan to beckon her forward. At last, Aslan turned his great head and looked at her, and Joy stepped out of the shadow of the tent.
A girl with golden hair was staring at her and she was dressed a rose-coloured dress with a missing sleeve and a bandage around her right bicep. Her left ankle was bandaged and a large patch of dried blood marred the pretty hem, and she had a sword belted around her waist. Her blue eyes went wide as they connected with Joy's, and she started hobbling forward. Joy slowly walked forward, knees trembling and then Rebecca broke into a run. "Joy!" she cried.
"Rebecca!" called Peter from behind Rebecca but she didn't seem to hear. She grabbed Joy by the shoulders and hugged her tightly, so tight Joy could hardly breathe. But she didn't mind one bit. Hot tears of shame and guilt pricked her eyes, and she let them fall, burying her face in Rebecca's shoulder.
"Joy," said Rebecca in her ear. "I'm can't believe you're here!" She stepped back and Joy sucked a deep breath in through her nose so she would stop crying and stared at her older sister. Rebecca's blue eyes studied her face and Joy forced herself to say, "I'm sorry," before her voice caught in her throat again. Rebecca gently grabbed her face with her hands.
"It's alright Joy, it was partially my fault for not listening to you," said Rebecca, and she hugged her tightly again. "I'm just so glad you're safe. I was so worried about you!" She pulled back and Joy could see tears shining in her eyes. Then, Rebecca's golden brows furrowed. "What happened to you?" She ran her finger over one of the scratches and Joy winced.
"Ouch," she sucked in a breath between her teeth before continuing "the Witch slapped me across the face and I hit the wall of the dungeon cell." Rebecca glared at the scratch.
"Ugh, if only I had been there to protect you," she said. "But once we defeat her in the battle, she will then pay for her crimes," and she patted her sword hanging on her left side. Peter came up behind her.
"Rebecca, we're going to talk about that," he said, "but later." He gave her ankle a pointed look and it seemed only then did Rebecca acknowledge the pain in her arm and ankle. Peter then addressed Joy. "I'm glad you got here safely, but where's Edmund?" He looked incredibly concerned, but also slightly angry and Joy didn't blame him.
"The last time I saw Edmund was a little while ago," she said, "he and the Witch were standing by the waterfall at the river." Peter nodded slowly and his shoulders slumped with relief.
"Thank you Joy," he said softly, and walked away. Rebecca slipped her uninjured arm around Joy's shoulders.
"Besides the scratches and bruises, are you alright otherwise?" asked Rebecca.
"I'm very tired," said Joy with a yawn "would I be able to get some sleep?" Rebecca nodded, smiling.
"Come on," said Rebecca, hobbling forward "I'll show you to our tent." They slowly made their way back to the quieter part of camp. It was at that moment that the girls realized Aslan had slipped away without them noticing. They looked around at the crowd of Narnians but saw no sign of the Lion. "I will have to thank him again when I see him next time," said Rebecca. Joy looked down at the thick bandage around Rebecca's ankle.
"Rebecca, what happened to your ankle?" she asked as Rebecca limped along beside her.
"Oh, a wolf bit me a little while ago," said Rebecca. "Two wolves attacked us, one of them was the leader of the wolf pack. One wolf bit me on the ankle and the leader scratched my arm with his claws before turning on Peter, who happened to come just in time." Rebecca's cheeks coloured as she said the last part.
"Oh, so that's what happened while I was away," said Joy with a teasing grin.
"Honestly Joy," said Rebecca with a little frustration "it's bad enough that the whole camp thinks there's something going on but to get the same teasing from your sister is somehow worse." Rebecca glanced at her with an annoyed expression but it quickly melted away and Rebecca hugged her again with her left arm. "I'm so glad you're safe, I've been so worried about you."
"Rebecca," said Joy as Aslan's words came back to her "I know I have been rotten to you lately, but I am sorry for everything." Rebecca looked at her from head to toe, and Joy could see the teasing in her eyes.
"Am I sure that you are Joy, my sister Joy?" asked Rebecca, pretending to think it over. "The little sister who once did not speak to me for three days because I read her diary?"
"Hold on," said Joy as her cheeks grew hot "that was embarrassing! And besides, I got you back for that one." Joy smirked. "I read yours and then wrote a letter to Ben Wilkes about your crush on him." Rebecca laughed.
"How silly of me to fancy the most arrogant boy in my class," she said, and the two girls laughed again. They turned to the left where a cluster of three tents sat in the shadow on a large rock. Rebecca let go of Joy's shoulders and limped towards the tent flap.
"Rebecca," said Joy as she slowly stopped laughing "I also want to say that, while in the Witch's dungeon, I did miss you." Rebecca turned around, amazement in her eyes. She grabbed Joy's hand and pulled her close in another hug.
"I cannot begin to tell you how much I missed you, but we're together now and I won't let anything like that happen to you again," said Rebecca, and tears blurred Joy's vision again. Rebecca lifted the tent flap and the two stepped inside.
There was little furniture inside the tent. Joy saw two beds, a washstand and a small closet at the back of the tent. There was also a wooden pole in the corner with a metal hook jutting out at the top, and Rebecca explained that was for a lantern which they could use as night fell to brighten up the tent. Rebecca sat down on the first bed, hung up her sword belt on the bed post and propped up her bandaged ankle on the soft mattress. "That one's yours," she said, pointing to the bed on Joy's left "but before you doze off, I want that explanation." Joy nodded and sat down on her bed. For a moment, she relished the feeling of the soft mattress beneath her, then forced herself to speak.
Joy recalled following Edmund out of the Beaver's dam, how he dared her into following him and the two headed to the Witch's castle. She made it clear that she never betrayed any information about where they were or where the group was headed, and Rebecca believed her. She even interrupted Joy long enough to say that she had been certain Joy wouldn't betray them the whole time they were apart. Joy went on to say that when she refused to say where Aslan was, the Witch slapped her which caught her off guard and she fell into the ice wall, which gave her these scratches and bruises. She told Rebecca about her attempt to escape and her rescuers, Mr. Fox and Gregoire, who sacrificed themselves so Joy could escape. She told Rebecca about the naiad which saved her from drowning, and the encounter with the wolves before arriving at Aslan's Camp.
Rebecca sat still throughout the whole story, but often looked at her sword whenever Joy would mention the Witch. Dusk was coming on by the time Joy finished telling her story. She took off her shoes and snuggled under the thick comforter as Rebecca got up, saying she was heading to the dinner table outside by the kitchen tents. "Joy, do you want anything?" she asked as she turned around.
But Joy was fast asleep.