Chapter 5
Raging pain met me when I awoke, I whimpered softly. A soft, cool cloth was put over my forehead. I tried sit up to see where I was, and then I found that moving hurt. In short, I yelped. A gentle hand pushed me backwards; I looked up to see who it was, it was Susan.
"Lay back down, you're in no condition to attempt to move again." She said firmly. "By the way, thank you. I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't pushed me out of the way."
A light voice exclaimed, "You're awake! Let me give you some of my fire-flower juice!" said Lucy, I assumed it was Lucy since she's the only one who had the fire-flower juice.
Susan said to me, "And then you can see Aslan."
Very carefully they flipped me over on my back, and Lucy applied a drop to my back and a drop to my head. Instantly, I felt better.
As I was led out of the tent, I saw Peter who hurried over to me.
"Clara! Thank you so much! If you hadn't….."Peter trailed off in silence.
"You're welcome." I said quietly.
"Come on, you have to meet Aslan." Lucy urged. "He wants to see you."
I allowed myself to be dragged by Lucy into the largest tent in the camp. Lucy then left quietly.
"Welcome, Guardian of the throne." said a deep, rich voice.
I squinted to see the lion, yes; I knew he was a lion.
I curtsied.
"Aslan, it is an honor."
"Listen to me. Your life is in danger now and it will be forever; people will want to kill you simply because of you close ties to the Kings and Queens."
"I see... and that would mean that either the Pevensie's would have to either see me as expendable or hide me from everyone. The last, of course, would be impossible." I ended with a slight frown.
He nodded, and then spoke again, "Such is the case. When I sent your father away it was to protect him, he married a girl from the world of the Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve. As you know, she died shortly after you were born. You, my daughter, are Narnian and are of the land to the East."
The lion then led me out of the tent and over the hill. What I saw was a castle.
"I will show this to Peter who will one day rule as High King. What I will also disclose to him was that you will be invaluable to them all after they are established on the throne. Many rulers tend to forget about their Guardians, not realizing that they are vastly important." He told me.
He took Peter aside and told him that he was going to be the High King.
Meanwhile, Susan, Lucy and I went to the stream to wash.
We splashed around for a few minutes, and then as Susan went to get a towel, a wolf appeared and snarled.
"Please don't try to run, we're tired. And prefer to kill you quickly." it said with a snap of its jaws.
Susan threw the towel over the wolf's face and grabbed and blew her horn. I threw one of my swords at one of the wolves. It died within seconds. Then quickly I climbed onto the tree branch that belonged to the same tree that Susan and Lucy were. Peter came charging -followed by others- and even though I had killed one there were still two left.
The centaur, whom I had met and was told to call Oreius, had trapped one of the wolves underneath his hooves.
"Stay your weapons, this is Peter's battle." Aslan commanded him.
"You think you're a King, but you're going to die like a dog!" It said the leapt at Peter.
Peter must have stabbed the wolf when it jumped on him because when Susan and Lucy rushed over to him crying his name, the wolf slid off of him with no resistance.
Once I was on the ground and had retrieved my sword, Aslan nodded to Oreius. He let go of the wolf and it went running.
"Follow him, he'll lead you to Edmund." the Lion said to us (us meaning Oreius, me and all the other creatures behind the centaur.)
Leaving the others make quick work of the White witch's camp, I looked for Edmund. He was tied to a tree with a gag. I slashed the rope and pulled him to his feet. Another centaur had caught a dwarf, which tied the dwarf to the tree.
As fast as we came we left, looking back I estimated we had killed around 10-15 troops from the White Witch's army.
Not a very good size dent, but we did something. I just hope it'll be enough.
Blinking slowly I awoke, brightness flooding my sight. I pulled myself out of my bed, and slipped on a blue dress with tiny floral patterns. My other dress that I wore yesterday was covered in blood. Most likely the blood stains would never come out.
As I pushed aside the tent flap, I saw at what the other Pevensie's were looking. Aslan was talking with Edmund. At Lucy's cry of "Edmund!" both he and Aslan came down from the rock on which they had been standing.
"There is no need to speak to Edmund about what is past. What's done is done." said Aslan, turning around and disappearing in amongst the tents.
Lucy threw herself in her brother's arms, then she was followed by Susan, more gently but no less happy to see her brother than Lucy was.
"How are you feeling?" Susan asked.
"I'm a little tired."
"Then get some rest." Peter said stiffly.
Edmund looked sadly at Peter before turning away.
"And Edmund, try not to wander off."
He turned to me and said, "Did you see something suspicious? How many weapons they had? Did you see anything?"
"So sorry. I was a little busy saving you." I retorted.
"Well, you didn't have to!" he shot back.
"I beg your pardon! I would undo it if I could. In fact, I wish I hadn't saved you in the first place!" I walked away in anger.
That little brat!
After my temper had cooled, I sat on the hill, watching the wind and thinking.
If the White Witch is as evil as people around here say she is, then she'll stop at nothing to kill them, actually, she only needs to kill one to stop the prophesy….
A centaur by the name of Mara came up to me, and said, "Guardian, your presence is requested. The Witch is demanding to see Aslan."
"Thank you very much, Mara."
As I walked hurriedly over the hill, I racked my brains as to what she could use against the Pevensie's to kill one of them.
I stopped in my tracks. A thousand thoughts raced through my mind. Edmund was a traitor. I had heard that Jadis - who was the White Witch -was the person who carried out the killing when people were condemned to die. People got killed for being a traitor. Slowly, with horror, it dawned on me. Edmund was going to die. And I could do nothing to stop it.
