Chapter 13 As the Sun Rose
"Susan, Hermione," called Lucy as she raced towards the two girls. They were sitting outside, their backs against the cave wall talking. It was in the early morning, the sun only now beginning to rise, and very few others were up at this early hour.
The two girls looked at Lucy as she ran to them, a big smile filling her small face.
"Aslan has a job for us," she squealed. "He said to meet in the forest behind Aslan's How."
"What's the job?" Hermione asked, jumping to her feet.
"I don't know. He didn't tell me."
"Whatever it is, it's important," Susan said excitedly. "This must be what we've all been waiting for. This must be Aslan's move!"
"Where's Pansy?"
Hermione and Susan shrugged nonchalantly.
"She must be with the boys. Aslan said just to get the girls here. He must want Pansy somewhere else."
"Well, c'mon. Let's go," Susan ordered, and the three girls chased each other to meet Aslan.
( )
"Pansy, wake up," whispered Draco.
The sun was looming over the horizon, the sky pink with the start of the sun's rays.
"Pansy," he said a little louder, trying not to wake up Harry, Ron, Edmund, Peter, or King Caspian.
Pansy rolled over and glared at her fellow Slytherin.
"We're treasure hunting today, Pansy, so get out of bed and hurry up."
"But the battle is today," she reminded him with a yawn.
"So?"
"This is the battle that decides whether Narnia becomes Narnia again."
"And?"
"We can't just go ambling off to find some fabled treasure," Pansy glared, now leaning on her side.
"Then I'll go myself," Draco hissed. He counted to three under his breath.
"Fine!" she relented. "But we better be back in time for the battle."
"We have hours until that starts."
"Draco, if you don't get out of my face, I'll make up lies and tell them to Professor Snape."
With a dark glare, Draco left the room, mumbling insults all the way out into the fresh air.
A minute later, Pansy entered the warm sunshine, a hand on her sword hilt and a small smile as the wind gently nipped at her face.
"Ready?"
"Draco, it's too early to be ready for anything."
"Too early for a treasure hunt?"
"Treasure hunt?"
Both Pansy and Draco twirled around, unaware that there was another being outside, Draco's hand on his sword.
"Potter!"
"Malfoy."
"Spying on us, are you?" Draco spat, letting go of his weapon.
"Stalking."
Pansy rolled her eyes at the two boys. She knew, at least in Narnia, Draco half liked Harry Potter. In Narnia, Harry Potter wasn't the Boy Who Lived, he wasn't special, and no one treated him as such.
"Boys, in case you haven't noticed, the sun is rising. We're losing time."
"It's the day of the big battle! You can't leave."
"We'll be back in time for the theatrics," Draco drawled.
"What treasure are you trying to find?" Harry said finally.
"A magical one. Maugrim's."
( )
"This is the big day, eh?" Ron said, more to himself then to anyone.
Peter awoke first, kicking Edmund awake. Edmund in turn kicked Ron awake, and Ron tripped over Caspian, waking him up as well. Now, five minutes later, the boys were all dressed and waiting for the first brave soul to head towards the armory, making the oncoming battle a reality.
Edmund nodded, his eyes following his brother around the room. It was obvious that Peter looked worried. He had every right to.
"He's twice as old as me, twice as heavy, and a good foot taller," the High King moaned. "What was I thinking?"
"You were thinking of saving Narnia," Edmund reminded.
"I know, I know. I'm just…"
"Terrified," Edmund finished.
Peter gave a grateful look at his little brother.
"When will they be here?" Ron asked.
No one had to ask who "they" were.
"Miraz's army should be here in a couple hours. We have just enough time to get ready. Where's Harry?"
"Maybe he's off with the girls," Ron shrugged.
"I don't know where Harry is, but we should go to the armory," Caspian sighed, leaning against the wall.
"Let's get ready," Peter agreed gravely, and lead the way to the dreaded armory.
( )
"Lu," Susan asked, as she, Lucy, and Hermione entered the forest neared Aslan's How, where Lucy said they were to meet Aslan. "Where is He?"
Lucy stopped and looked around for a moment before laughing. She pointed a little to the left.
"What are you pointing at?" Hermione asked, straining to see what Lucy saw.
"At Aslan," Lucy laughed. "Come on, He's right there."
Susan and Hermione only gave her blank looks.
"Oh, dear," Lucy sighed. "You'll just have to believe me, again. Aslan wants us to follow Him, and I'm going whether or not you two come." And with that, Lucy started running towards the great lion, who was still invisible to the other two.
"I'm not going to make the same mistake we made the other day," Hermione grinned, and she raced off after Lucy, Susan making up the rear.
( )
"This is about where Aslan's camp was," Pansy said slowly, looking at a valley below where she, Draco, and Harry stood.
"It looks different," Harry remembered.
"It's been over a century ago," Draco sneered. "Honestly, you Gryffindors are worthless."
"Draco, be nice," Pansy glared. "If it wasn't for Gryffindors, Slytherins wouldn't have half much fun at Hogwarts. Ravenclaws don't entertain us half as much and Hufflepuffs are too stupid to know when they're being teased."
"Hey! Cedric and Cho are just as good as Gryffindors," Harry retorted.
"Oh, shut up!" Pansy yelled. "Right now we have to figure out where that mangy wolf buried Aslan's crown."
"Obviously not down there," Draco drawled. "He probably would have buried it somewhere near that forest."
"You mean, by the witch's camp?" Harry piped in.
"That forest was a lot smaller back then," Pansy replied. "We'd have to go at least a quarter in before we got to where the forest started last time we were here."
"There's got to be an easier way," Harry tired. "Why can't Narnia let us keep our wands?"
"So we can just say, 'Accio crown'?" Pansy jeered.
"Wait!" Draco cried, excitement overflowing in his voice. "The witch had a wand. What if we find hers?"
"How?" came two voices at once.
"Aslan defeated the White Witch at her camp. Why wouldn't her wand be somewhere there?" Draco tried to explain. "No one has it. If they did, I'm sure we would have heard of it by now."
"So, we're just going to find the witch's camp, a camp that has been in decay for hundreds of years, find her wand, which has also been lost for over a century, and then use it to find Aslan's crown, which is now a fable?"
"Do you have a better plan, Potter?" the pale blond asked, his hands on his hips, looking a little too much like Pansy.
"I'm sure I'd think of something," Harry grinned, reminded of what their DLF kept saying.
"Where was her camp?" Pansy asked suddenly.
"You don't remember?" Draco asked, stunned. "We were held captive there!"
"Things look different," she said in her defense.
"If Aslan's camp was down there, then her camp would be that way-ish," Blondie said, pointing towards the forest.
"Well, let's go," Harry said, trying to hide his excitement. "The battle will start soon and we have to be back to help."
"Last one to the forest is a Gryffindor!" yelled Draco gleefully, as he pushed his way past Harry and Pansy, and raced down the hill towards Aslan's camp and the forest.
Harry clenched his fists as he ran after Draco, yelling, "I am a Gryffindor!"
Will Draco, Pansy, and Harry find the White Witch's wand or Aslan's crown? Will they make it back for the battle? Where is Aslan taking Lucy, Susan, and Hermione? Will Peter's one-on-one battle with Miraz save Narnia? Find out in chapter 14 (Before the Battle).
Courtesy of both C. S. Lewis and JKR