FOURTEEN:
The Narnians were prepared for battle, but they had no idea the attack was going to be so soon. They fought bravely. Shift's army was being easily defeated but Peter refused to let Jill, Lucy, Polly or Camile near. They were being held back by Digory in a secret passageway.
"Listen to me, Peter wants you to flee." Digory whispered. "You need to get to Aslan's How and stay there."
"No!" Camile answered immediately.
"Camile, let's do what Peter says, we will hide in the woods, and by dawn we will come back." Jill said, and everyone pulled Camile and took her out of the cave. She had nothing left to do but run like everyone else through the woods.
Deep in the woods, Jill, Polly, Lucy and Camile waited. Camile had created a circle of big and robust trees around them. Polly and Lucy were asleep while Camile and Jill watched if any unpleasant visitor approached.
"We can be found at any moment right?" Jill whispered.
Camile nodded. But her head was still in the Dancing Lawn, she could have helped. She should have helped. But now she only wanted to rest a little, she will go before dawn to the Dancing Lawn and after making sure everything is save, she will return to look for Polly, Jill and Lucy.
The moon's light was perfect, Camile's eyes adapted to the darkness. She left her refuge not before telling a dryad to take care of Jill, Polly and Lucy; and to keep them there. The moon lowered as the first rays of sunlight hit Camile's face, she needed to hurry up. She broke into a jog and camouflaged between the trees, when suddenly an arrow hit a tree.
FIFTEEN:
"But we need to go find her!" Polly grinned as the dryad explained why Camile had left.
"She will come back, please don't leave."
"But we're starving!" Jill replied, and suddenly from the trees fruit began to grow for them to eat.
"Maybe she is on her way back, let's wait until midday and then we will go and look for her." Lucy was not even finished when another dryad joined them.
"Camile was attacked, she achieved to escape, but she took the wrong path and now she is lost in the woods. King Edmund is on his way to rescue her."
"Then, we will escort you back to the Dancing Lawn, the battle was won." Said the other dryad.
Edmund Pevensie ran through the woods, when he heard a whistling sound. It was still far but he heard it. Susan's horn! Camile! He ran faster dodging rocks and trees until he saw her. Camile was sitting on a big rock blowing the horn. Edmund smiled and walked toward her.
She stood up. "You came."
"You told the dryad to look for me, why?" Edmund asked.
"I knew Peter would be busy."
Edmund sighed. "Are you okay?"
"Just hungry but I didn't dare to use my powers, I was alone and weak."
Then Edmund saw she was wounded on her left shoulder. "You have lost a lot of blood. He looked for the sachet and took out Lucy's cordial.
"What are you doing? This is just for emergencies!"
"This is one." And he poured a drop in her mouth. The pain Camile had, faded and she instantly felt much better.
"Thanks." She smiled. "We need to get going now."
But Edmund moved his head disagreeing. "You need to eat and rest, tomorrow we will return."
Edmund brought some fruit and water with him, and gave them to Camile. After that, he told her everything that happened in the battle. "They will come again, but this time we want the battle to be in an open field." Edmund said.
Camile lay on the floor beside Edmund to stargaze. She was cold, but if she created a fire someone could see it and attack.
"I betrayed Narnia once." Edmund whispered.
"But you saved it too." Camile answered, Edmund looked confused. "You're a king, there are songs in your honor, I know your story."
"You could have sent the dryad directly to Peter or Eustace. Or even Luodnick himself! But you sent it to me…" he paused. "Why?"
"I knew you would come right away to rescue me. I was afraid…" she sat on the ground looking at the moon's tenuous light reflected in Edmund's eyes. "…I should have sent the dryad to Meena, I am sorry." She looked away.
"Please don't be." Edmund sat to look into her eyes. "I'm glad you sent that dryad to look for me. Otherwise you would have starved to death without my help." He finished laughing.
Edmund leaned closer and kissed her softly. Camile was shocked but then her hands ended up in Edmund's hair, and she was kissing him back. She broke the kiss after a few seconds and looked confused.
"It's late, get some rest." Edmund's lips turned into a smile.
Camile breathlessly nodded and lay once again beside him. Edmund instantly fell asleep, but Camile couldn't help smiling. She looked to the stars and felt a disgusting chill, something was not right; but her heavy eyelids betrayed her, and she fell asleep.
The cold wind woke up Edmund, but Camile was up already. "Hello." She smiled.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice still sleepy.
"Here, drink some water." Camile cupped her hands and water began to pour. Edmund drunk.
Camile kissed Edmund, she wasn't sure if it was correct, but she did it anyway. His lips moved rhythmically with hers, as if they were meant for each other, she broke off the kiss and smiled.
"Let's go." She picked up her sachet and walked out the woods with Edmund.
It was a long time since Jadis walked in Narnia. She had a small army of 20, but it was enough to capture and kill "the gifted girl". She walked with her wand when she spotted at a distance someone very familiar. Edmund! And he was with a girl, curly hair… Jadis smiled.
SIXTEEN:
"Edmund, dear!" Jadis shouted a feet away from them.
Edmund knew that voice; it had haunted him in his sleep so many years ago. Jadis! Edmund sheathed his sword and turned and so did Camile, who immediately created a fire barrier between them and the white witch.
Jadis laughed. "Edmund I've missed you, dear. Who's her? Your girlfriend?" she froze the fire barrier with her wand.
Jadis smiled, which was something really creepy for Camile. She raised her hands and a fierce wind enveloped them. But Jadis frozed it and turned it into snow. Edmund ran toward Jadis with his sword; while Camile created an earthquake to distract the white witch's army.
A wolf bit Camile's hand and she screamed in pain. The earthquake stopped and Jadis hit Edmund in his head, leaving him unconscious and wounded. Camile bled but didn't cry, she stood up, but a giant grabbed her and she couldn't move. Jadis smiled, Edmund's wound was serious and soon all his blood would be drained. She and her small army marched to Shift's camp.
SEVENTEEN:
Polly Plummer silently sat in the table. Everyone was having a conversation, except her, she was deeply worried about Edmund and Camile. They should have arrived by midday, and it was sundown and still, there was no sign of them.
"Perhaps they took the longer way to fool the enemy." Eustace said.
But Polly knew there was something much more than that, and so did Lucy. Everyone else was so sure they'll come back in the night or by dawn, that she abandoned the idea of telling Peter what she was thinking.
Later that evening, Eustace Scrubb was visiting the injured warriors. They were recovering in a small room almost at the end of the hideout. He heard the wind calling his name. It was beautiful, something magical. He exited the room and went to take some water to drink from the barrels, when a lion-like reflection appeared.
"Are you sure?" asked Peter.
"Yes! He told me not to worry. Edmund and Camile are in danger, but he will take care of it. We must go in two days to the owlwoods, the battle would be held there." Eustace affirmed.
"And what if it is a trap! What if whose reflection in the water was the impostor?" Jill said.
"I think you know Aslan when you see him, and he reflected in water, just as he did in fire to Camile and me yesterday!" Lucy replied.
"Then I guess Camile and Edmund are on Aslan's hands now…or paws…" Digory said.
"They have always been…" answered Polly.
Edmund Pevensie felt a warm breeze on his head and suddenly all the pain was gone. He opened his eyes and it was dark. How long had he slept? Why didn't Camile wake him up?
"Camile! Where are you?" His voice was barely a whisper.
"She was abducted Edmund."
Edmund stood up alarmed, eyes widened. "Abducted!" and then he remembered everything. "Oh Aslan!" his eyes got teary.
"I will help you get Camile, she won't make it until the end; but you will see her again."
Edmund had no idea what Aslan was talking about, but he stood up to face the great lion and bowed. Aslan began to walk and Edmund picked up Camile's sachet and followed him, it had been long since they shared a conversation. Edmund's heart ached with joy when he spoke, it was definitely him.
Shift's camp was in the same place where the white witch's camp once was when Edmund and his siblings first came to Narnia, thousands of years ago, near the fords of Beruna. Talking with Aslan made the trip shorter; he felt they barely walked an hour, when in fact they walked around five.
"Aslan? How are we going to pass all the guards?" Edmund asked.
"Just follow me Edmund."
And so he did. It was like if they were invisible, and although the camp was almost empty; no guard looked or questioned them. They got to the cage where Camile was held captive. She was pale and weak, her hair had lost it brightness and her eyes were dull. The wolf bite was infected and her mouth was covered with a cloth; but she didn't cry.
Jadis held Camile's necklace in her hand and laughed. Aslan stood beside her and she stopped laughing; although she couldn't see him or Edmund, she knew there was something wrong. Jadis turned and started to walk away.
"Can Camile see us?" Edmund asked.
"Yes. Release her and run. The others are getting to the owlwoods, help Peter win the battle. And Edmund, no matter what happens, Camile will be okay." Aslan followed Jadis and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Edmund forced the cage open and carried Camile out. He untied her and gave her a drop of Lucy's cordial. The wolf bite healed immediately, and she returned to her beautiful self.
Camile touched Edmund's face as Aslan roared from the distance. "We don't have much time…."
"You're right."
They both ran through the woods when suddenly Camile screamed and fell to the ground. "Go! Keep running! Narnia needs you."
"What? No! What's happening?" Edmund knelt beside her. Then he saw her hands and a green mist came out of them.
Camile screamed again, and then blue mist began to come out of her hands. "Jadis is smashing the rocks of my necklace, those rocks, are the source of my gift…and without them…" Camile screamed again and white mist came out of her hands.
"No!" Edmund screamed. "Please don't!" a tear rolled down his check.
Camile smiled as she tried to hide the pain in her chest, red mist came out of her hands. She took Edmund's face between her hands to lean him closer to her and kissed him, her lips were cold, but Edmund answered the kiss.
"What we have is not wrong. I will see you again. Fight for my people, please…" and then she closed her big green eyes, and with that, dawn approached. Camile's body dismissed and Edmund was left alone in the woods crying badly.
EIGHTEEN:
Susan Pevensie and her mother Helen were being held back by the police. They were desperate to hear news of their family, but no one said anything to them.
"Please officer." said Helen "I need to know if my family is okay."
But the officer shook his head in disagreement. "We can't let you in."
Susan's heart sunk when she saw two nurses carrying a girl, long brown hair and her dress was familiar. Perhaps, too familiar.
"No! Lucy!" Susan ran and cried holding her sister's hand. No one dared to separate her from her diseased sister.
"Susan…" she heard her mother, and turned.
Susan Pevensie felt her world was falling apart, when she saw that all her family and friends had passed away. Her face turned red, and tears were uncontrollably running down her cheeks.
No one in the place knew how to make Edmund eat or talk after he told everyone Camile was dead. He was polishing his sword remembering Aslan's words.
"Edmund, no matter what happens, Camile will be okay."
He brushed a tear off his cheek and put on his armor. Battle was starting in the morning.
NINETEEN:
Shift knew something was wrong; Jadis was not yet in the owlwoods. What could have gone wrong? He didn't care much about Jadis, he just needed her to kill the gifted girl and then his victory on the battlefield would be guaranteed. He went out his tent walking like a human, and ordered his troops to prepare for battle.
Peter and Luodnick were gathering the troops, when Aslan appeared between them. They were all really impressed and happy.
They all knelt. "Rise." Said Aslan. "You won't be needing all these weapons, stand behind me during the battle. It shall be over soon."
Edmund looked at Aslan and so did he. Immediately the sadness and agony he felt faded. He instantly knew Camile was really safe. Edmund joined the others as the sun appeared in the east. They all followed Aslan's instructions, and stood behind him. The cool breeze hit their faces as the enemy crowded the opposite side of the woods.
Shift's army appeared as Aslan's people advanced toward them. Then Aslan roared. It was majestic and at the same time it caused fear. The ape's army started to melt, in the literal term of the word; their armor, and weapons too; leaving Shift and Puzzle alone in the woods.
The great lion came forward to face both of them. Shift was a proud creature and he was a hundred percent sure he could convince Aslan to think different about him. Meanwhile Puzzle was waiting for the ape's orders.
"Aslan, we are truly sorry and everything we did-" but Shift's speech was interrupted by Aslan's roar, a roar so loud the trees came to the floor and all the Narnians fell unconscious to the ground. A whole was opened in the ground and Shift and Puzzle were slowly dragged into it.
TWENTY:
It was a beautiful place indeed. White clouds surrounded the place and an enormous golden staircase adorned the end of the room. Everyone was gathered there by Aslan. Lucy found her family and admired their clothes. They were so beautifully dressed, and peace overloaded their hearts.
"Welcome to my country." Aslan said from the top of the golden balcony.
In that moment Lucy, Peter, Edmund, Jill, Polly, Eustace and Digory knew in their hearts this time there was no way back to their world. Although that's all they ever wanted, a part of their heart was in sorrow because Susan Pevensie wasn't between them.
And the crowd acclaimed their true creator and only savior, as music played and everyone enjoyed the food and the company of each other. Edmund's turned to the staircase and saw Camile graciously descending from them with a beautiful green gown that matched her eyes. Her smile comforted Edmund's heart and he ran to meet her.
Camile broke in a little jog and threw her arms around Edmund's neck and kissed him. "I thought you were gone!" Edmund said breaking the kiss.
"I'm glad to see you too." She smiled.
"I knew you liked him!" Lucy said as they all saw how happy they were.
EPILOGUE:
Susan Pevensie was locked up in her room. She was sitting in a little chair in front of the mirror, but she covered her faced and sobbed deeply the loss of almost every single person she loved. She felt someone touched her back, but she never heard the door open.
"Get out!" she screamed.
"My queen, do you really want me to go again?"
Susan somehow recognized that voice and turned to meet Camile's green eyes. She smiled. "Turn around, take a look at the mirror."
Susan was afraid, but she did. She didn't see her reflection, but the reflection of her siblings in a magical land and a great lion between them.
"Aslan!" she knelt. "I am so sorry; please forgive me for forgetting you, for forgetting you're good and true and for forgetting Narnia." She cried.
"Stand up, Susan." Camile smiled and entered the mirror like if it was a door and extended her hand to Susan. "The decision is yours."
And the Susan heard the great lion whispering. "I forgive you."