Again, my thanks to NarnianFairy. You're the only reviewer :(. It makes me sad. But here's the next chapter, and I hope you like this!
Peter's POV
Peter wakes up in the night, and walks to the fire, so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he almost doesn't see Zariel as she stares into the fire silently.
He stumbles over her, making her look up and help him get his balance back. Sitting down next to her, he reaches up to touch the tear tracks on her cheeks.
"What is it?" he finds himself asking her. Her eyes are puffy and bloodshot from crying.
"Aislin." Her voice is so quiet that Peter almost thinks he imagines it.
"Who?"
"Aislin." Her voice is a little louder. "She was a leopard I knew when I was little. When I was six, I found her in the forest. She was alone and mewing…
Flashback (told from Zariel's POV)
I was taking a walk through the forest one day when I heard a meowing noise. I went over and found a little leopard cub. She had no mother with her, so I went over to her and picked her up.
"Where is your mother, little one?" I asked.
"Dead," she told me. "A pricker bush killed her and papa."
She didn't have any siblings, she said. She was all alone. I took her back to the valley I shared with Aslan, and I took care of her.
"I raised her for a little more than a year," she tells Peter, her eyes distant. "After that, she became my guard, companion, and friend. She had beautiful tawny fur, and her eyes were bright blue like mine.
"When we went to the stone courtyard, I recognised her as one of the statues." Here, she closes her eyes and a tear slips out. "She has a scar on her muzzle from protecting me from a Dumb bear."
She briefly presses the heels of her hands into her eyes, and then looks up at Peter.
"What's up with you?" she asks softly.
"Everyone is expecting us to lead an army," he says. "I'm not a soldier. We just want our brother back."
Peter looks down, expecting disbelief. Instead, her two graceful hands take one of his. He looks up into Zariel's red eyes, seeing them full of conviction.
"When the time comes, you'll make the right choice," she says confidently. "Whatever it is, even if you don't know it now. I know you will."
She lets go of Peter's hand and nods to his sleeping place. "You should get some sleep."
"So should you," he says, yawing.
She shakes her head. "No. I'm keeping vigil for Aislin. It's the tradition of her people. But goodnight, Peter."
In the morning, I stand up and stretch my stiff muscles before we continue our journey.
"Hurry up!" Mr. Beaver shouts.
"If he tells us to hurry up one more time," Peter groans, "I'm gonna turn him into a big, fuzzy hat."
I snicker and imagine him wearing a beaver hat. The image is so ridiculous that I almost laugh, but am interrupted by the faint sound of carriage bells. I quickly spin around and scan the woods for the source and Mr. Beaver yells, "Quick! It's her!" We duck behind a rise in the ground.
"Maybe she's gone," Lucy says after a few minutes.
"I'll go and have a look," Peter says, and begins to stand, but I grab his shoulder and keep him down.
"No," I say. "You're nothing to Narnia dead."
"I'll go," Mr. Beaver says.
"Neither are you, dear," Mrs. Beaver says.
"Thanks sweetheart," he says, and scurries up.
After a minute, he gets back and says, "I hope you've all been good, 'cause someone's here to see you!"
We follow him to a small clearing and find Father Christmas standing there, smiling.
"Merry Christmas, sir!" Lucy says, then whispers, "I told you he's real," to Susan.
"It certainly is, Lucy, thanks to you."
"I thought there wasn't any Christmas in Narnia," Susan says.
"Not for a hundred years," Father Christmas says. "But the Witch's power is crumbling." He throws a bag on the ground.
"Presents!" Lucy exclaims.
"For you, Mrs. Beaver," he says, "there is a new and better sewing machine. I will drop it in your house when I pass.
"For you, Mr. Beaver, when you get home, you will find your dam finished and mended, and all the leaks stopped.
"Peter, Adam's son," Father Christmas says.
"Here, sir."
"These are your presents," he says. "And these are tools, not toys. The time to use them may be near at hand." He gives Peter a sword and a shield, and turns to Susan.
"Susan, Eve's daughter," he says. "These are for you." He hands Susan a bow and a quiver full of arrows, as well as a small ivory horn. "Put your trust in the bow, and it will not easily miss. When you blow that horn, help of some kind will find you.
"Lucy, Eve's daughter," he continues. He gives Lucy a small diamond bottle and a dagger. "In this cordial, there is the juice of the fire-flower that grow in the mountains of the sun. If you or any of your friends is injured, a single drop will cure them. And this dagger is only to defend yourself in great need."
"I think I could be brave enough…" Lucy says.
"I'm sure you could," Father Christmas says. "But battles are ugly affairs. Manzanita, Jinn of Lilith," Nita steps up, and he gives her a long black wand with a golden handle and a leather bound book. "This wand will help you center your magical core. The book will teach you how to use your magic. And you get one more present," he kneels down and whispers something in her ear, making surprise, distaste, horror, nervousness, and a bunch of other emotions cross her face.
Last, he looks at me. "Zariel, Blood-born Pride-sister." He holds out a bag. "Aslan asked me to give this to you. It's bigger than it looks." Next, he gives me a leather bound book and an engraved ebony box. "This never runs out of room."
I beam up at him. "Thank you, sir," I say, and he climbs back into his sleigh. "Merry Christmas!"
I put the box and the book into my satchel, put on the gloves, and open the bag. On the outside, it can fit into the palm of my hand, but there are hundreds of my old things in it. I kneel on the ground and pull out the weapons.
A dagger is strapped to each forearm, two swords make an X on my back, a leather belt with knives and a quiver is put on my waist, and an unstrung longbow is in the quiver. I pull out leather boots that grow as I do and a golden cloak, and put them on.
When I walk, only a faint rustle of my cloak gives me away, and I put the bag into my satchel.
"We need to go now," Peter says. "Did you hear what he said? Winter is almost over."
My eyes widen. "That means no more ice."
We start running to the river, but by the time we get there, pieces of ice are already drifting away. When Peter steps on, the ice begins to crack, and he backs up into me. I help him get his balance again, and he moves away, a faint pink tinge on his cheeks. I shrug mentally.
"Maybe I should go first," I say, and walk closer to the frozen waterfall before stepping out onto the ice lightly. I wave them over, and carefully lead them across the frozen river.
We are only halfway across before the wolves catch up. They block the sides of the river off, and one of the wolves jumps on Mr. Beaver. Peter draws his sword.
"Put that down, boy," the lead wolf snarls. "Someone might get hurt."
"Don't worry about me!" Mr. Beaver shouts. "Slit his throat!"
"Leave now while you can and your brother leaves with you," the wolf says.
"Don't Peter!" I say. "He's lying! They'll kill us all if you let them live!"
Stop Peter!" Susan shouts, glaring at me. "Maybe we should listen to him!"
Peter's sword starts to drop as the wolf snarls, "Smart girl."
"Peter! Narnia needs you!" Mr. Beaver shouts.
"Just because a man in a red suit gives you a sword doesn't mean you're a hero!" Susan says angrily. "So just drop it!"
"What's it going to be Son of Adam?" the wolf taunts. "We're not going to wait forever, and neither will the river!"
"PETER!" Lucy shouts. I look back to see the ice under her feet begin to crack.
"Hang on to me!" He calls in response. We all try to grab some part of him as he stabs the ice with his sword, severing the ice.
We hang on the best we can, but I see Lucy's hold slip and her body float away. I bring my feet up on the iceberg and push off as hard as I can, swimming to where I can see Lucy's head bobbing.
"Lucy!" I scream, and she grabs my wrist. I close my eyes for a moment and focus, then feel my body start to change. When the change is finished, I gently use my feline teeth to haul Lucy's shivering body onto my now golden back. I use my tail to secure her and start paddling over to the shore. When we get there, I change back and lay Lucy down on the shore.
A warm feeling spreads throughout my body, and I hear Aslan's voice in my head. Well done, my kitten. Stay strong. I take off my cloak and wrap it round Lucy like a blanket as she wakes up.
"Zariel?" she asks.
"Come on, Luce," I say and help her up, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "The others will be worried sick about you."
We walk over to where we can hear the others calling out our names. They're standing in a clearing, and Peter is holding Lucy's coat.
"Has anyone seen my coat?" she asks, pulling my cloak tighter around her.
They all turn to look at us, and Mr. Beaver says, "Don't you worry dear. Your brother's got you well looked out for."
The Pevensie siblings run up to hug Lucy, laughing, as Nita comes up to me. She hugs me tightly and buries her head in my shoulder. I stroke her hair gently.
"I'm okay, Nita. You're not going to get rid of me that easily," I joke, and she laughs weakly, pulling away. The beavers waddle up to me and I smile at them. "Hey."
"You gave us quite a scare, dear," Mrs. Beaver says, her whiskers twitching. "I'm glad to see you safe." I make a face.
"Safe but wet," I say. "I hate the water. I wouldn't be sorry if I never got wet again."
Susan walks over to me after she disentangles herself from Lucy and Peter. She hugs me, making my eyes widen slightly and my eyebrows to twitch. "Thank you for saving Lucy," she says. "If she died…"
I recover from my shock and hug her back. "I would have done it for any of you," I answer. "Life would be so boring without you."
Susan pulls away and Mrs. Beaver points out to where snow is melting, revealing a patch of grass. "I don't think you'll be needing those coats anymore, dears."
I kneel down next to the patch, and when I touch a budding flower, it blossoms into a brilliant purple lily. Next to it sprouts up a small white rose, a soft pink carnation, and a bright blue iris. I use one of my knives to gently pluck them and take the thorns off the rose.
Walking back over to Susan, I walk behind her and twist her hair up in a glossy knot, then put the purple lily in the center. Next, I tuck the white rose into Nita's braid, and the carnation behind Lucy's ear. Susan walks over to me and plucks the iris from my hand before I can put it in my braid. She smiles at me and puts it at the top of my braid for me. I smile my thanks, and we follow the Beavers to Aslan's camp.
Just before we reach the camp, I slow down to walk next to Lucy. "Are you feeling better, Luce?" I ask.
She nods brightly at me. "The cloak is so cozy!"
I laugh lightly. "How about I get you your own sometime? But I need it right now." She gives it back to me, and I put it back on, smiling. The nymphs made it for me out of the finest strands of thread, and it is made to dispel all water and dirt that might get on it, and it doesn't rip or tear.
I hurry to walk next to Peter, at the front of the line. We emerge from the trees and find ourselves near a camp. As I walk, grass springs up around me and flowers grow and bloom. Animals line the way to the largest tent, and we stop when a centaur approaches us.
Peter's POV
Peter falls behind Zariel slightly, marveling at how the plants seem to sprout as she passes, turning their faces to her as if she is the sun. The air seems to grow warmer and clearer, but she seems not to notice. Her cloak floats out behind her, and she seems more… vibrant than she did in the other world. Her gold hair grows more rich, her pale skin becomes more vivid, and her eyes are more animated.
The creatures at the camp are lined up, making a path to a very official-looking tent. A centaur walks up to the small group.
Peter points his sword into the air and says, "We have come to see Aslan."
The tent flaps rustle in the wind, and a great golden lion comes out. Looking around, Peter realizes that everyone else is kneeling, including Zariel. He belatedly kneels, and Aslan says, "Welcome, Peter, Son of Adam. Welcome, Susan and Lucy, Daughters of Eve. Welcome, Manzanita. And welcome to you, Beavers, and you have my thanks." He looks at Zariel. "And welcome back, my little one."
I look up at his warm golden eyes, mentally asking, Can I hug you? He chuckles.
"You may, Zariel," Aslan replies, and I surge up to my feet and tackle him in a hug. We fall to the ground, and he licks my forehead, purring. I stand up, beaming, and Aslan rights himself. His eyes leave me, and he asks, "But where is the fourth?"
Peter shifts and looks up at Aslan. "That's why we're here, sir. We need your help."
"We ran into a little trouble along the way," Susan says.
"Our brother's been captured by the White Witch," Peter finishes.
"Captured? How could this happen?" Aslan asks, looking at me when the Pevensies and Nita look down guiltily.
"He… He betrayed us Aslan," I say quietly, but in the silence, everyone hears it.
"Then he has betrayed us all!" the centaur yells.
"Peace, Oreius," Aslan says. "I'm sure there is an explanation."
Peter looks up. "It's my fault, really," he says. "I was too hard on him."
"We all were," Susan admits.
"He's our brother, sir," Lucy says sadly.
"And our friend," Nita adds.
I move over between her and Nita, wrapping an arm around each of them. "I know, dear ones," Aslan says. "And that makes the betrayal all the worse."
"Aslan?" I ask, and he looks at me. "I think we will all feel better in fresh clothes, with full bellies."
He smiles at me. "Of course, little one. Yuma will lead you girls to your tent. I wish to speak to Peter for a moment."
A familiar nymph appears in front of us, and I grin. "Long time, no see, Yuma," I say to my first nursemaid.
She smiles. "I missed you, Zariel. Come, the tent is this way."
She leads us to a large tent with four beds, wooden chests, and carpets covering the floor. "Your clothes are in the chest," Yuma tells us, and I walk over to the biggest one, which has a seal of a lioness rearing.
The dresses are plain and simple, and I choose a sky blue dress made of cotton. I take off the ratty brown dress and the weapons belt, and pull on the comfortable blue dress on instead. The bottom of the dress is at the middle of my thighs. The skirt is made to give me full movement, and it isn't too clingy. The neck is modest, and the sleeves only reach my elbows to avoid getting in the way. I strap on the weapons belt again and sling the satchel over my shoulder again.
Yuma helps the others into their dresses, and we all head out together.
"You look like mum," Lucy says to Susan.
"Mum hasn't had a dress like this since before the war," Susan replies.
"We should bring some back for her!" Lucy exclaims. "A whole trunkful!" Susan, Lucy, and Nita wade barefoot into the water as I sit down to watch, pulling out the box and the book I got from Father Christmas.
"If we ever get home," Susan is saying. When Lucy's face falls, she sighs. "I'm sorry I'm like that," she comments mournfully. "We used to have fun together, didn't we?"
Lucy nods. "Until you got boring," she says, giggling, and Susan splashes her with water. Soon, it escalates into a water fight, and I open the box. It is filled with pencils, pens, and charcoal. The book is blank, but I can't find the end of it.
"It really doesn't run out of space," I murmur, and put both things back into my satchel as the girls come out, sopping wet. Susan pulls down a towel and screams. I jump up and grab a knife in each hand, spinning around.
"Please don't run," one of the wolves says. "We're tired."
"And we'd prefer to kill you quickly," another wolf says.
I jump in front of the girls and yell, "Climb the tree!"
They obey, and I shift into a fighting stance at the base of the tree, knowing that I don't stand a chance against all the wolves but determined to try. Susan blows on a horn, and the wolves start circling me. The biggest wolf steps up and growls at me.
Peter's POV
Susan's horn is blown, and Peter jumps up from where he is sitting in his new Narnian clothes. He sprints out to where the horn came from and sees Zariel standing at the base of a tree, facing three wolves. Susan, Lucy and Nita are sitting in the branches of the tree, relieving Peter of some of his worry. He runs over to Zariel and brandishes his sword.
"Come on, boy," the lead wolf taunts. "We've been here before. We both know you haven't got it in you."
Suddenly, a small group of soldiers follow Aslan over the ridge, and he traps one of the wolves under his paw. A flash of silver whizzes through the air, and a knife buries itself in the heart of one of the wolves' hearts, killing him quickly and almost painlessly. Peter glances back to see Zariel standing up after the throw, readying her other knife, but Aslan interrupts.
"Stay your blades," he says, seeming to speak to Oreius and Zariel. "This is Peter's fight."
He sees Zariel step back, casting him a reassuring look. Peter focuses back on the wolf.
"You may think you're a king," the animal snarls, "But you're going to die like a dog!" He pounces on Peter, who brings up his sword, but is pushed down by the force.
He hears his sisters screaming his name, and then the weight of the dead wolf is moved off him, and he is looking up into the worried face of Zariel. She sighs in relief and helps him up before Lucy and Susan hug him tightly.
"You alright?" Zariel asks, smiling at him.
"Fine," he replies, and pulls his sword out of the wolf's carcass. Zariel walks over to the other dead wolf and pulls her knife out, making a face, and wipes the blade on the grass, then slides it into its sheath.
Aslan releases the wolf, and tells Oreius, "Follow him. He'll lead you to Edmund."
The centaur obeys, and a small group of soldiers leave to find Edmund.
"Peter," Aslan says. "Clean your sword."
Peter kneels and wipes the blade on the grass, and feels Aslan's paw on his shoulder.
"Rise, Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane, Knight of Narnia," Aslan says, and takes his paw off his shoulder. Peter stands, and finds the girls beaming at him. Zariel steps forward, and Peter realizes how beautiful she looks in her blue dress.
"Welcome to our ranks, Sir Peter," she says, grinning. "My name is Sir Zariel Blood-Born, Lady Knight of Narnia."
Susan looks at her. "That's right, we still don't have a clue how you knew about Narnia."
Zariel smiles. "Well, I grew up here. Aslan created me from his blood, and then when I was nine, he had to send me away."
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Nita asks, pouting. Zariel snorts.
"If I did, then you would have stuck me in a mental institute," she says, and Peter has to admit she has a point.
So there! I'm so sorry it took so long to put this up, but I was busy. My parents are bothering me about spending so much time on the computer, so I don't have more than three hours a day on it. Oh, and Disclaimer; I don't own the Chronicles of Narnia.
If I don't have at least two reviews more, I won't update, so REVIEW!