Chapter 6

I broke into a run, and dodging through the crowds I found the Pevensies, Aslan and the White Witch in the center of the crowd.

"….His blood is my property. That boy will die, on the stone table. As is tradition." Jadis was saying as I got near enough to hear what was going on.

A wave of alarm swept over the crowd.

I glanced at Edmund, he looked wretched.

That's just what he deserves. My conscious pricked me. Just because I have to protect him, doesn't mean I have to like him. Right?

I was shocked when my necklace pulsated a bright white light.

Hiding it under my dress, I pondered what the Witch said that was a lie.

Then it struck me. Normally the traitor would die, but on rare occasions some else who had no hand in the crime would die in his place. But that was rare. . As their protector I had a duty to protect them with my life; was I innocent enough? Recalling all the nasty things I thought (and consequently said) to Edmund, I knew I wasn't. Who was? And who would be willing to die in a traitor's place, giving their dreams, hope, their... lives for someone who had betrayed them?

"Silence. I will speak to you alone." said Aslan.

When Lucy started to cry, Susan and I shared a quick look.

Susan pulled Lucy onto her lap, while I stroked her hair.

Peter sat there looking dismal; Edmund was looking like someone had proclaimed his death sentence, which someone had.

All the chatter and whispers stopped when Aslan and Jadis came out of the tent.

"She has renounced her claim on the Son of Adam's blood." Aslan said, and a wild cheer went through the multitude.

"How do I know your promise will be kept?" demanded the witch.

A loud roar was her answer.

Knowing that Aslan had to have promised something great in order to save Edmund's life, I forced a fake smile on my face.

The day passed slowly, time seemed to be inching by. I couldn't help but wonder...what would happen to me when they were on the throne? I highly doubted they would throw me out, but I didn't want to be a useless wallflower. I knew that they knew little, well next to nothing about ruling a country, even if they were the fulfillment of the prophesy.

"You are troubled, daughter." said a voice behind me.

Without turning around, I replied "What if one of them dies? Not only would I feel terrible, but Narnia would fall to ruins. How could I live with that? All my life people have told me 'Do your best, that's the best you can do', what if my 'best' isn't good enough? What if I fail?"

"Never be afraid of failure, be afraid of not trying again. Clara, you were born to their Guardian. Never let your fears tell you otherwise." The lion said, and then turning around, then stopped when I asked "What was the promise? The one you made to the Witch?"

There was a long pause, "That…will be revealed when it is time." Aslan told me, and then he left.

Don't ask me why, because I won't be able to tell you, but I could tell you this much: things were about to take an ominous turn.


Later in the evening, as I was walking by, I saw Edmund sitting by himself. And to this day, I still don't know what possessed me to do this but I walked up to him and said "Edmund, there's something troubling you. Won't you tell me what it is?"

"Why should you care?

"I shouldn't. But I do, because I'm your guardian. And as such, my responsibility is to see that nothing is wrong with the heirs to the throne." I explained.

He sighed.

"Is it that bad having me as your guardian?" I inquired playfully.

"Not exactly, but you could be a bit more….experienced." he said hesitantly.

"Excuse me?" I said looking very offended.

"No, no….what I meant was: I wish it wasn't you………"

"Why ever not?" I asked truly puzzled.

"Because. If it were someone else I didn't know, I wouldn't feel as bad if they died…for my family…and me."

Silence prevailed.

He actually has a nice bone in his body! Imagine that… Should I speak to him about the "promise" Aslan made with the Witch? Hm…I don't think I should…if Aslan wanted Edmund to know he would've told him.

Stealing a glance at Edmund, I saw his eyes were focused on me.

"What?"

"Nothing….do you want to take a walk? I mean…I can understand if you don't want to… I…I wouldn't wa-"

"I would like that."

So we set out, talking about various things but studiously avoiding the topic of Aslan.

The course of our conversation went as follows:

"So, what was it like for you growing up?" he asked me.

"It's far from over. But the early part was lonely…my Mum died when I was about two, and Father was never around much. So I quickly learned to entertain myself, with pastimes such as reading, fencing, and Latin. What was it like for you?"

"Well, it wasn't like yours. My siblings would always be around. I hardly had a moment to myself. Being an only child was my greatest wish…until recently."

"I've always envied children with siblings. They have someone to play with, someone to talk to. All I ever had was my dolls, and they weren't much for conversation."

He chuckled.

We walked on in silence, again.

I heard the sound of crunching leaves.

Whirling around, I stood face to face with a hag with an evil smile on her twisted face.

Edmund had his hand on his sword. But I was faster, before she knew it my blade was lodged in her throat.

"Thank you…." he said breathlessly.

I shrugged it off. "It's my job."

"Edmund! Clara!" We both spun around, swords drawn. It was Peter. His face was filled with sorrow and horror.

"The tree…the tree gave me a message: Susan and Lucy said that Aslan is…dead."

Edmund began at once questioning Peter about the validity of that statement.

We are all going to die.