3rd person
The Narnians forlornly returned to Aslan's How. Their numbers greatly diminished and down one enchantress queen. Susan had always wanted to be High Queen but not this way, not at the cost of her little sister. The rest of the Pevensie siblings were wondering how Lucy would take it and Peter and Susan were wondering if Edmund knew yet. Edmund would take it the hardest.
Edmund did know. He had found out in the most terrible way. He had just flown to a safe distance from the castle to meet with his family when the most agonizing pain spread throughout his body, hitting him in many places. He screamed, yelled and cursed but no matter what the pain didn't lessen. Thankfully he didn't slip off the back of the griffin on which he was seated from the excruciating pain.
Once the pain suddenly disappeared as quickly as it had come a bad feeling landed in the pit of his stomach. He urged the griffin to leave their hiding place to do one last sweep of the castle. He just hoped everyone had gotten out alright. As far as he knew mostly everything had gone to plan. He hadn't seen the end of the fight (or heard the retreat).
They reached the castle and kept to a secure distance in the surrounding darkness of night. What he saw below in the Courtyard where the battle took place, seemed to crush his heart and force it down to the bottom of his ribcage.
Dozens of bodies of Narnians of all kinds littered the ground and were just left there the way they went. There was a large gathering of them near the gate which Peter, Susan and Caspian had opened earlier. He looked desperately to see if he could see any specific people. He faltered at the sight of a handsome centaur, his body riddled with arrows and bolt holes. He was about to continue on when he saw what lay next to the centaur, practically on top of it as though they had died together, protecting each other.
Edmund gave a great cry of agony and despair. He now knew what that excruciating pain he had felt earlier was. It was dozens of arrows.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to look away, ordering the griffin to fly on. Edmund couldn't last another second looking at the dead body of a girl. His twin sister lay dead beneath him and there was nothing he could do. That any of them could do. He felt as though he was empty, there was a part of him missing. His second half, his twin. He suddenly felt so alone in the World. He forced himself to carry on. Dawn wouldn't have wanted him moaning and whining when there was work to be done, a battle to be fought. There would be time to mourn later.
What were they going to tell their parents?
Aslan's Howe
Lucy sat at the Stone Table, waiting patiently for her family to return. They had been gone longer than she expected, than anyone expected and already it was light outside.
She was holding her cordial in her hand letting her fingers run over the smooth glass. She heard a slight commotion coming from upstairs and slipped the vial back into its holder before dashing up the stairs in hope that it was the Narnians and her family returning.
She could just barely see Peter, Susan and Caspian, along with an old looking man with a lot of white hair. She guessed Dawn must be with Edmund. She glanced up as a griffin swooped overhead. He must be carrying her other brother and sister. He landed a bit away not that she saw she focused her attention on her other siblings who were being followed by a small trail of Narnians, a lot smaller than the one they left with. The looks on their faces showed anger and their eyes were cold and empty.
"What happened?" called Lucy as more Narnians exited the Howe from behind her to hear what happened at the castle.
"Ask him," spat Peter, not even glancing in Caspian's direction.
"Peter," scolded Susan, but her voice was quiet and tired, almost empty of all emotion.
"Me?" asked Caspian, his anger flaring, "You could have called it off. There was still time!"
"No there wasn't thanks to you. If you'd kept to the plan, those soldiers might be alive right now. My sister might still be here and not there being held captive or tortured of who knows what. She might even be dead!" cried Peter turning on his heel to glare heatedly at Caspian.
"And, if you'd just stayed here like I suggested, they definitely would be! She would be! We can save her!" yelled back Caspian.
"You called us, remember?!" said Peter, his voice was quieter but still held a threat to them.
"My first mistake."
"No," said Peter as he went to walk away, "your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people."
"HEY!" screamed Caspian in pure anger, all the pent up frustration finally being let out.
"I am not the one who abandoned Narnia!"
"You invaded Narnia. You have no more right to it than Miraz does!" exclaimed Peter as Caspian shouldered passed him towards the entrance of the Howe.
Peter continued, "You, him, your father… Narnia‟s better off without the lot of you!"
That was the last straw for Caspian as with a mighty fury filled yell, he turned unleashing his sword and going to attack Peter.
But just before the fight actually broke out a yell reached their ears, "STOP IT!" It was Edmund. He came forward with Glenstorm carrying an injured Trumpkin. Lucy rushed forward to help but also noticed that Dawn was not with Edmund or anywhere in sight. Caspian and Peter let their swords fall but neither left. Susan fell down next to Lucy on the ground next to Trumpkin.
Lucy took her cordial and let several drops passed Trumpkins lips allowing him to heal from his injuries. His eyes opened wide as he gazed around at the Narnians surrounding him, "What are you all standing around for? The Telmarines will be here soon enough."
Caspian noticed Glenstorm and one of his elder sons next to him sharing sad looks with a female centaur who stood near the entrance. The female's eyes were filled with tears and Caspian realized this was Glenstorm's wife, Windmane, and the mother to the centaur who had stayed behind after being trapped inside the courtyard with... Dawn.
Trumpkin then turned his gaze to Lucy, as she and Susan got their feet and he smiled, "Thank you, my dear, little friend." She returned his smile with a kind one of her own.
"What would you think Dawn would say if she saw you fighting like this?" wondered Susan as she looked from Caspian to Peter. "Well we will just have to get her back so she can keep us from slitting the other's throat," growled Peter darkly, scaring Lucy slightly.
"Thats the thing," spoke up Edmund from next to Glenstorm attracting everyone's attention.
"What do you mean Ed?" asked Lucy.
"Dawn isn't coming back. She can't."
"Why?" asked Susan.
Edmund looked to Peter, "I went back to see what happened like you said I should when everything was over. I saw her, Peter."
"What are you trying to say, Ed? Spit it out!" demanded the High King.
"Dawn. She's dead."
Caspian had quickly fled not daring to listen to anymore. Dawn was dead and she wasn't coming back. His heart was broken. He should have forced her to leave with him maybe he could have even stayed with her gotten her out another way.
He found himself staring at one of the carvings on the walls leading to the Stone Table, the one of the coronation day. The one Dawn herself had told him was ordered wrong. He stared deeply at the figure of his Dawn. His Queen. The painting did her beauty no justice.
"Are you so glad of that magic horn now, boy?" came a cold voice on his right. It was Nikabrik, the dark dwarf.
"Your Kings and Queens have failed us. And one of their own, leaving her for dead."
All Caspian could do was stare down at him in silence, not knowing what to say.
"Your army is half dead. And those that aren't, will be soon enough," the dwarf continued.
"What do you want?" asked Caspian, coldly, "congratulations?"
The dwarf gazed up at him with a hard stare as he growled out, "You want your Uncle's blood. So do we."
"You want his throne. We can get it for you."
The dwarf passed him, heading in the direction of the Stone Table.
Caspian glanced one more time at the painting of the girl he had loved before following after the dwarf uncertainly.
The two reached the Stone Table, the fire surrounding the room still blazing as it had since the Kings and Queens arrived.
"You tried one ancient magic. It failed," exclaimed Nikabrik.
He lead Caspian to the middle archway and turned to face the Stone Table, "but there is a power greater still. One that kept even Aslan at bay for near a hundred years."
A strange sound erupted around the chamber, putting Caspian on high alert. He drew his sword and raced down the steps so he was nearer the Stone Table, glancing around for the source of the strange noise. A strange sort of growl was heard, Caspian didn't lower his sword.
"Who's there?" he called out.
Out of the shadows came a werewolf covered in a black cloak as he growled out in a gruff voice, "I am hunger. I am thirst." Another creature also cloaked though Caspian couldn't see it clearly came from the other side of the chamber.
The werewolf continued his speech, "I can fast a hundred years and not die. I can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze." As he spoke both the werewolf and the other creature which Caspian could now see was a bird like creature that was a Hag, continued to come closer and closer to him.
"I can drink a river of blood and not burst. Show…me…your enemies!" With the last word, the werewolf howled out and threw his hood back to reveal it's gruesome face and sharp threatening fangs. Caspian raised his sword higher in warning, keeping the werewolf at a distance. He was really beginning to question why he had followed Nikabrik in the first place. He guessed he was just desperate.
"What you hate, so will we! No one hates better than us," spoke the hag in a gurgling, cruel voice.
Caspian turned his gaze to the hag, his arm fall to his side with his sword as he studied the creature curiously, "And you can... guarantee Miraz's death?"
"And More," said the Hag as she bowed to him.
"Bring back your little girlfriend, perhaps," spoke up Nikabrik.
Caspian was have an internal battle as he tried to decide where to agree or not. He studied each of the strange creatures. He hadn't seen any of them among the other Narnian soldiers. He turned back to look at Nikabrik who smiled darkly and gave a nod in encouragement.
"Let the circle be drawn!" cried the Hag.
The werewolf bent down and began to draw a circle around them using a claw on his finger. While it did this the Hag chanted while moving around him. She stopped just in front of the main arch, her back to Aslan's carving. She suddenly revealed a long silver like wand that gave a magical energy, much like Dawn's staff did. His eyes widened, he was certain he had seen something similar to this in a book. This was the wand of the White Witch.
The Hag continued to chant, reaching the climax of the call, she raised the wand up with a mighty yell before turning sharply and piercing the stone steps with the wand tip causing ice to erupt and cover the stone.
The room became cold and Caspian could see his breath coming from his own mouth. The ice spread quickly creating a wall of ice in between the two pillars of the main archway.
Caspian waited a few moments waiting for something to happen when suddenly a figure appeared within the ice. The White Witch, Jadis. He froze, this wasn't possible. She was supposed to be dead.
"Wait," called Caspian, "this isn't what I wanted."
He began to back away, almost leaving the circle that had been drawn by the werewolf causing it to growl threateningly at him.
The werewolf darted forwards and grabbed hold of Caspian's arm forcing it out towards the wall of ice that encased the White Witch.
"One drop of Adam's blood and you free me," spoke Jadis, her voice as cold and haunting as her appearance, "then I am yours, my King."
These words did not reassure him at all and he continued to struggle but his attempts were in vain as the Hag stepped forward, unleashing a dark long blade and roughly dragging it across his palm causing a long gash on his hand.
"No!" protested Caspian but his yell fell on deaf ears.
Then Jadis, brought her hand up to her lips for a moment before reaching her hand forward and forcing it through the ice until actual skin covered fingers appeared.
The werewolf ever so slowly released Caspian as the spell fell over his mind.
All of Caspian's complaints and arguments seemed to disappear behind a large cloud. What was so bad about the plan, anyway? His uncle was guaranteed to be killed so he wouldn't have to worry about him, he would be King and he could get Dawn back so she could rule by his side as his queen. It was a perfect future. Why wouldn't he want it?
This trance that fell over him a dark curse that if Dawn had been present might have been able to block or undo but as she wasn't, Caspian and all who stepped into that circle were trapped within the White Witch's magic.
Caspian walked forward unconsciously, reaching his hand up towards Jadis'.
"Stop!" came the faint cry of Peter in the distance but Caspian didn't even seem to hear it.
Peter, Edmund and Trumpkin rushed down the stairs and immediately set to work and destroying what ever ritual was taking place. Peter raced to attack the Hag, while the Werewolf lept off the Stone Table and was quickly attacked by Edmund. Trumpkin had taken the job of taking on Nikabrik, who only earlier that day had been considered his friend, now turned enemy.
The Hag quickly disarmed Peter and the Werewolf flipped Edmund but it didn't think of Edmund's sword which sliced him across the middle. Trumpkin lost his foot and was sent flying back into a pillar and Nikabrik went to finish him off but Lucy arrived and snuck up behind him and brought her dagger to the dwarf's neck.
Nikabrik thought fast and spun twisting Lucy's arm painfully behind her back causing her to give a pain-filled cry as he threatened to break the bone. The dwarf then shoved the young queen away from him onto the stone ground. Only a few feet away, Peter was able to do the same to Hag, sending her flying into a large stone pillar.
Peter glanced up from his place where he had fallen when he kicked the Hag away from him seeing that Caspian still stood facing the White Witch, he still had time. Edmund seeing a spot ran up onto some large rubble and rocks and turned as the Werewolf lept at him through the air, slicing the dark creature with his sword causing it to give a loud whimper of pain. Lucy tried to crawl backwards away from Nikabrik as he approached her with his dagger held high but suddenly Trumpkin was back on his feet and pierced his one-time-friend in the back. Killing him.
Jadis glanced around and spotted that those who had summoned her were defeated and grew desperate, "Come on! Come!" Not a moment too soon Peter shoved Caspian away from the ice wall and sending him sprawling onto his back on the ground. But Peter was now in the circle and he was still a son of Adam, someone who could easily be tempted and corrupted.
"Peter, dear," greeted Jadis as though greeting a favourite nephew after being away for a very long time, "I've missed you." Like she had done with Caspian, she reached her hand back out through the ice. As Caspian started to come back into his right mind he heard Jadis say to Peter, "Come. Just on drop."
Peter seemed to be considering it. "You know you can't do this alone," stated Jadis. Peter began to let his sword drop to his side and just as it reached his side, the end of sword's blade appeared through the ice, cracks appeared throughout which began to grow. The White Witch gasped in surprise and horror. Caspian and Peter watched in shock as she threw her head back in what appeared to be agony and then the ice seemed to practically explode from between the two archways revealing... Edmund with his sword raised. The White's wand was still imbedded in the stone of the steps.
Edmund glanced at his older brother, for some reason he couldn't help but blame Peter for the death of Dawn. But well he needed to blame someone.
"I know. You had it sorted," Edmund remarked coldly before walking away.
As Edmund moved off the carving behind the archway which the ice wall that had contained Jadis had blocked became clear once more. It was Aslan. They had failed him. They had both almost gone to the White Witch for aid, betraying him.
They both turned and spotted Susan standing behind the Stone Table. For a moment, Caspian almost believed it was Dawn standing there with a look of disappointment on her face but then this image disappeared bein replace by reality. She shook her head and turned to leave but she sharply turned back and said, "if Dawn were here. She would be disgusted with both of you!"
The two young royals looked at each other, realizing their grave mistakes.
The sound of waves were heard as though they were right next to me. Everything was stiff and sore. I didn't dare move. If this was just how I felt if I simply laid there, I didn't want to find out how painful it would be to even open one of my eyes. But the sound of waves confused me. What did I last remember. I wasn't on a beach the last time I checked. I could hear breathing next to me.
I felt movement and a sharp kick to my ankle which caused me to cry out. It definitely wasn't a foot that kicked me, unless they were wearing sharpened steel-toed boots. They must be hoofs. The creature next to me groaned, they must be in pain too.
I ever so slowly opened my eyes but something was in the way of my vision. It was dark and appeared to by hair. It was a centaur. We lay on something soft yet firm. I moved my hand yet I gave a moan of discomfort, it felt as though I had pins and needles piercing my entire arm. I carefully moved my hands and fingers trying to get some feeling back into them. It appeared the centaur next to me, whose name I couldn't quite re-call at the present, seemed to be doing as he was stretching out his legs.
Finally I had the sense of touch again and let my hand touch the ground on which I lay. It was sand. Sand. Waves. Maybe I was on a beach. Not that I quite saw any waves yet, only heard them. I turned my head so the back of my head rested against the sand instead of the side of my face. I could feel dry sand stuck against my skin but didn't make to brush it off. The sun blared down on me causing me to shoot up my still slightly stiff hand to block it's harsh rays.
I sat up, still keeping my hand blocking my eyes as I did so. The centaur laying next to me on the sand did the same. He was younger with dark hair, with a saddened expression on his face. Then the last events of my memory came back to me and the same expression that was on his was now on mine. I shared a soft reassuring look with him but it did nothing to calm our dispair.
The centaur got to his feet and suddenly froze.
"Your highness, I believe you should see this."
I turned my gaze up towards him. He was staring straight forward at something with wide eyes. I looked too and what I saw shocked me. It was a huge wave. How had I not seen it before. I went all the way across the island on which we lay. There was a small beach and then there was the wave. On the other side of the beach was a wide, crystal clear blue ocean with white flowers floating along on the surface.
Standing in front of the wave stood Aslan himself.
He nodded in respect to Orius before turning to me. His gaze also seemed to sadden slightly. The twinkle in his large usually joyfilled and wise eyes seemed to go out.
"My Little Lioness, so brave and beautiful. Giving up her life against faith's will just so she could do the right thing by her and her people. My Little Lioness is no longer so little."