37 - The Age Of Light

The sound of horns filled the air until it shook. Edmund turned to look behind him and found thousands of warriors pouring onto the battlefield. The tide of them overran the Witch's soldiers—onto the plain, into the castle, up toward the forests. At the head of the tide raced Nalis, Darius, and a cloud of birch leaves that could only be Asha. Beside them ran Aslan.

Ed let out the breath he'd been holding. A wave of soldiers poured past him on either side.

Aslan came to a stop beside him. They looked at each other for a long moment, then the Lion gave him a solemn nod of approval.

Ed's heart warmed through. He nodded back, then held up the ice wand. He spun his sword in his other hand and brought it down on the wand. The ice wand shattered into glittering pieces that melted into the trampled snow.

Aslan turned to the battlefield and gave a great roar. The sound echoed over the plain. In its wake, the snow melted, farther and farther away until it dissolved from the plain, the western fields, the northern forests, and beyond. Everywhere, a curtain of green replaced the greys and whites of winter. Woody canes sprouted around the statue of the Witch and spiraled upward, thicker and thicker. Dozens of white roses bloomed along the canes, which grew and closed in, practically a tree, until the Witch was no longer visible.

A whirl of birch leaves surrounded Edmund. He grinned as Asha returned to her human shape and threw her arms around his neck. "You did it, you did it!"

"Edmund!" came Lucy's shout. She and Arrow landed, and Lucy raced toward them.

"Lucy," choked Peter.

Asha stepped away from him, and Edmund knelt beside Peter, who was staring at Lucy as if seeing a ghost. "Quick, he's hurt," said Edmund.

Lucy tossed her cordial bottle. Ed caught it and uncorked it to give Peter of drop of the cordial. The pain in Peter's face dissolved. He rubbed at his arm, and his stunned gaze came back to Edmund.

Ed held out his hand. "I never left you, brother. Not for an instant."

Peter took Ed's hand, and Ed helped him to his feet. Lucy slammed against them both in a crushing hug.

Peter's eyes filled with wondering tears. His gaze went to Edmund, then Asha, then Aslan, and back to Lucy again. "You're alive. You're alive," he gasped, hugging her until Edmund thought Lucy would suffocate.

"Of course she's alive," Edmund said in a tone of mock insult. "She's been with me."

Peter grinned at him over Lucy's shoulder. Then his smile froze again as the sound of flapping filled the air.

Van landed before them on Maddoken. The dragon folded his wings as Van jumped to the ground. "Ssssstuffed. Couldn't eat another bite," the dragon said. His tongue flicked out over his teeth.

"Ed ... ?" Peter began.

Ed exchanged a look with Van, who looked cautiously back at the dragon.

Maddoken eyed Peter, obviously marking him a king by Peter's armor. The dragon sneered. "Eh. Royalty tassssstesssss terrible, anyway."

Ed started to draw a sigh of relief, then choked on it as he saw Van doing the same thing. He and Van exchanged a rueful, watchful look.

Clearly, the only safe dragon was a full dragon.

- # -

Cheering replaced the sound of horns. The Witch's army had surrendered in the face of Aslan's charge, and Lucy's ears rang with all the noise. Other griffins landed around them, giving the dragon wary looks, but relaxing when no one (especially Arrow) seemed concerned. Lucy smiled at Arrow, who gave her a very Griffish look of dignified happiness, and nudged her toward Aslan.

She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him, inhaling his summery scent. Aslan laughed and nuzzled her cheek. "Dear, brave Lucy."

"Thank you, Aslan," she murmured.

"Thank you, dear one," said the Lion. He stepped back, still smiling that Lion's smile.

"Peter!"

All of them turned to find Cori running toward them, still in her battle armor. Peter gave a whooshing breath and opened his arms. Cori smashed into him in a hug that knocked him back three steps. "The children are all right. They are with Susan and Amelan."

"Children?" Peter echoed.

Cori nodded, beaming. "Susan has had a daughter. You should see her, Peter. She is so beautiful."

After that, there was so much laughter and cheering and dancing around that Lucy could hardly contain herself. Barton and Onyx joined them, snorting and shaking their manes.

Salvia landed on the ground before Peter. He bowed, both to Peter and to Aslan. "Humrubble has sealed the crate, sire. The remaining harpies have fled to Ettinsmoor."

"Thank you, Salvia. I will arrange for the crate to be—"

"I will dispose of it, Peter, where no one will find it," said Aslan. He nodded. "You have done well."

Peter gave Aslan a self-conscious, crooked grin that he rarely showed to anyone else.

When things settled, Aslan turned to Edmund with the hint of humor on his features. "You have labored long and hard in my service, Edmund. I think it is time you took a seat."

With a grin, Edmund started back toward the castle. The rest followed eagerly.

- # -

Van trailed behind Lucy and the others as they entered the castle through the damaged gates. They twisted and turned down hallways, and came finally to a soaring room of marble. The ceiling must once have been glass, and the wall behind the dais bearing four thrones, too—but these had been shattered, and through them, he could now see the red-and-gold colors of sunset. Already, the fallen glass had been cleared away, and a crowd of onlookers watched eagerly as the party entered the hall.

Lucy and Edmund strode confidently down the main aisle between huge marble columns. Behind came Asha, the woman in armor, High King Peter, and Aslan, whom Van could barely look at without staring. Lions were not unfamiliar to him—he'd seen some in Calormen—but never like this one.

In one of the thrones sat a woman, breathtaking in spite of the weariness on her face. Beside her floated—Van blinked in disbelief—a Jinn holding an infant. Maddoken landed outside, in the open space where the glass behind the thrones had been, and peered in with obvious curiosity (but, thankfully, no apparent intention of eating anyone).

"Edmund! Lucy!" shouted the seated woman. She started to rise from her seat.

"Sit, sister," Edmund said with a grin. He came toward her and took her hands. His grin passed from Susan to Saris and back. "Congratulations."

"Welcome home," the woman said. Her face fell. "Edmund, I am so sorry."

Edmund leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I am the sorry one." He looked to the Jinn. "I was wrong."

Wrong about what? Van wondered, feeling like he was missing half the story of the man under whom he'd sailed for over a year.

There were more hugs and kisses and tearful greetings, and a lot of fussing over the baby, whom Van assumed was the new arrival. And when the Kings and Queens sat on their thrones at last, Van had to cover his ears for the thundering cheer. Edmund grinned at him. A dryad came forward towing a toddling blond boy. Peter scooped him up at once, and the child squealed in delight.

Van's gaze found Lucy. She was seated at her throne, and beside her stood a beaming, white-bearded faun. She was speaking to the Fae king. Behind the Fae king was a long, long string of people and animals and Underland knew what else, waiting to talk to her. And still, the noise—one long, joyful rumble that somehow left him out.

He stared at Lucy and found it difficult to breathe. So fearless. So beautiful. So completely out of his reach.

Van edged backward to the wall and slipped around the edge of the dais. He saw no one looking as he reached Maddoken through the shattered window. "Time to go."

"Go where?" the dragon asked.

Van climbed onto the dragon's back. "Anywhere."

As he turned around for one last look, Van saw Aslan—only Aslan—watching him. The Lion's golden eyes blinked once, and Van somehow got the feeling that he had a choice yet to make.