Hours and hours went by and the air grew colder and colder. Susan, Lucy, and Gabriella paid no mind. They couldn't sleep as they lay there but their minds were still— the sort of stillness that only arrives once one has cried oneself out.

Eventually, the eastern sky became a little less dark than it had been. And the land became less still as the grass near the Table began to move. Lucy was the only one to notice but took no interest. What did it matter? Nothing mattered now! But at last, she saw dark forms moving up the upright stones of the Stone Table. And now the little grey shapes were moving about on Aslan's body.

"How cute," whispered Gabriella as she pet one of the mice.

"How beastly!" said Susan. "They're crawling all over him! Go away you little beasts," and she rose her hand to shoo them.

"No, don't," said Gabriella.

"Look!" Lucy said as she had noticed something else. "They're doing something."

"They're... nibbling at the rope," Gabriella said.

"That's what I thought," said Lucy. "I think they're friendly mice. Poor little things— they don't realize he's dead. They think it'll do some good untying him."

It was definitely lighter now, the girls could see the mice nibbling away; dozens and dozens, perhaps hundreds, of little field mice. And at last, the ropes were all gnawed through. The sky in the east turned whitish and the stars were getting fainter. They felt colder than they had all night. The mice, now larger than they had been before, scurried away once they were done.

The girls cleared away the remains of the ropes. Aslan looked more like himself without them. Every moment his dead face looked nobler, as the light grew and they could see it better. In the wood behind them, a bird gave a chuckling sound. It had been so still for hours that it startled them. Then another bird answered it. Soon birds were singing all over the place. It didn't seem right. Didn't they know what had happened? Couldn't they tell, even if they weren't Talking Animals, it wasn't the time to sing joyfully?

"I'm so cold," said Lucy.

The other two agreed and it was decided that they would walk around to warm up. They went to the eastern edge of the hill and looked down. The country was still covered in darkness but there was enough light to see shapes. And off on the edge of the world, the tip of the sea brightened to a whiteness. The sky's edge turned red. They walked back to the Stone Table and then towards the eastern edge once more, keeping a quick pace to create heat. All the while they stayed silent— it still didn't seem right to talk much. Finally, the sky turned to gold as the sun slowly came over the edge of the sea. The girls could now see Cair Paravel; the great, shining castle which sprawled over most of the peninsula it was located on. As they were looking out they heard a giant crack, as deafening as if the ground behind them had split open.

"What was that?" Lucy said and clutched at Susan's arm.

"The world really is ending," Gabriella whispered.

"I- I feel afraid to turn around," said Susan as she shook.

"They're doing something worse to Him," said Lucy. "Come on!" She quickly spun around and pulled Susan with her. Gabriella slowly followed.

The rising sun had made everything look so different— all colors and shadows were so changed that for a moment they didn't see the important thing.

The Stone Table was split in half. And Aslan's body was gone.

The girls cried out at the sight and rushed toward it.

Lucy started crying again, "Oh it's too bad. They could have at least left the body."

"I don't think anyone took it," Gabriella was still talking in a low voice.

"Well then how could this have happened?" Susan cried. "Was it magic?"

"Yes!" said a great voice behind their backs. "It is more magic." They looked around. There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself.

"Aslan!" the girls cried out half in joy, half in fear.

"Aren't you dead then, dear Aslan?" said Lucy.

"Not now," said Aslan.

"You're not... not a-?" asked Susan in a shaky voice. She couldn't bring herself to say the word "ghost".

Aslan licked her face in response. He was all warmth and gold and such a lovely smell, he reminded Susan of the sun. "Do I look it?"

"Oh, you're real, you're real! Oh, Aslan!" cried Lucy. She flung herself upon him first and the other two followed. They began to cover his face in kisses; it was a magnificent contrast to the way he felt less than an hour ago.

"But what does it all mean?" asked Susan after she had expressed herself enough.

"It means," said Aslan, "that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know: Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards." What a strange loophole! Gabriella thought wondrously, using a word she had learned recently.

Aslan continued. "And now we must—" and then he paused.

"Oh yes, and now?" Lucy was jumping with joy and clapping her hands. Happy tears began to fill her eyes.

"Oh, children," said the Lion, "I feel my strength coming back to me. Oh, children, catch me if you can!" He stood for a second, his eyes very bright, his limbs quivering. Then he made a leap high over their heads and landed on the other side of the Table.

Lucy scrambled over the Table to reach him; Gabriella and Susan followed. Lucy was laughing as Aslan leaped back over. The girls followed after him and the chase began. He ran from one end of the hilltop to the other, always managing to evade the grasp of the young girls' outreaching hands. Sometimes he slowed down, but never enough. Even when Gabriella tried to rush in front of the path he was taking, he managed to jump over her last minute. Lucy giggled and the rest started laughing as well. It was the greatest game of tag ever played. All of the grief from the night before was forgotten.

The chase went on until Aslan caught the girls up in his front paws and tossed them around, like a juggler does with apples. It wasn't frightening and he caught them each very gently. The girls were laughing and so excited that they didn't realize, even once it was all over, that they were not hungry, thirsty, or the least bit tired. It was the most fun any children had ever had in all of Narnia's history.

"Now," said Aslan as they all became calm once again. "to business. We have a long journey to go. You must ride on me." He got low on the ground so all three girls could easily climb onto him. Susan sat first with Lucy clinging onto her next. Gabriella sat last and was almost frightened of falling off. But Aslan was so warm and sturdy and even soft beneath them that they felt safe. And excited.

Aslan stood up and opened his mouth to roar. And roar he did! It was nearly frightening, the kind of roar lions only make when they're claiming their territory. The girls felt it vibrate throughout their bones. Then he began running, but to the three children on his back, it felt more like he was flying. Down the hill and into the forest he went, faster than any horse could have taken them. He was going so fast Lucy wondered, in amazement, how they weren't hitting any trees.

Aslan kept his pace as they passed through the entire countryside. Streams, meadows, forests, hills, valleys, the Great River. It all rushed past in a beautiful springtime blur. To the other two, it was something they had never experienced before, but to Gabriella, it felt a lot like being a passenger in a car speeding down the highway. Hours seemed to pass too, but to the girls, it didn't matter. They were at peace with the steady golden Lion beneath them. Then Aslan stopped.

They looked below the hill they were on and saw a castle far in the distance. It was dark in color, but seemed very cold, like ice. Aslan rushed down the hill towards it before any of the girls could speak. As they approached they could see that it was empty. No one looked over the outer walls and the gates were shut. "Hold tight!" Aslan called and with one big leap flew over the walls. Susan and Lucy felt their insides flop around and were filled with great tension. Gabriella felt as if she were on a rollercoaster. Around they went until he landed and the girls gently rolled off his back.

Breathlessly, the girls tried to stand up. It was a bit of a jostle for all of them to suddenly fly so high and land, but Lucy stood up first. She looked around her. They were in a courtyard full of stone statues.

"The Witch's home." Aslan answered the unasked questions.

"What an extraordinary place!" cried Lucy. "All those stone animals— and people too! It's— it's like a museum."

"There's evil here," Gabriella replied, not at all amused by the numerous statues.

"Hush," said Susan, "Aslan's doing something."

The Great Lion had gone up to a smaller stone lion and was breathing on it. As soon as he was done, he bounded off to a stone dwarf and breathed on him. Next to it was a rabbit who he also breathed on and right behind were two centaurs. But the girls had stopped following Aslan with their eyes. The first creature Aslan breathed on was turning yellow on its snout. Slowly, like an amber flame spreading, the pale yellow grew on its face until it looked like a normal lion head, not a stone one. The lion's head moved.

"He's turning them back!" said Gabriella in awe.

Soon the entire lion came to life. It shook its mane and stretched before speeding off toward Aslan. He was still going around breathing on all the statues.

The girls stared around them in amazement. The whole courtyard was slowly filling up with life. "It looks more like a zoo now," Lucy said.

Each creature, whether animal or mythical, immediately joined behind the first lion who chased after Aslan. Soon it became a parade. The whole place was looking less evil and more joyful with the colors of the centaurs and unicorns, birds and foxes, dogs and fauns, and naiads and dryads. It also became more musical as the latter three began cheering and singing and playing whatever instruments they had been carrying when they were originally turned. Many rushed up to the girls in a great commotion to greet the long-awaited humans, and then joined the festivities following Aslan. It was all quite amazing, watching the results of his work.

At last, the courtyard had but one statue left, and it was the biggest: a giant standing taller than a three-story building, the club raised and ready to swing. Aslan didn't seem to mind and breathed on him enthusiastically. Susan called out something in worry, but Gabriella couldn't hear it over the noise of the crowd, and if Aslan heard, he didn't seem concerned.

It took longer for the Giant to turn back than the others, but even while he was still half stone his legs began moving. Each stomp shook the whole place until finally the very head of the Giant was back to normal too. Then they stopped moving and he called out in confusion. Everyone had to shout up at him so he could hear.

"Now, everyone!" called Aslan to the crowd. "Look alive! We must search the inside of the house; make sure to leave no corner unsearched. Up to every floor and down to the dungeon, you never know where some poor prisoner may be concealed."

And in everyone rushed to search the dark castle for their fellow Narnians. There were no lights on so everyone threw open windows so the late spring sun could shine in. In nearly every room there was at least one poor soul who had been turned into a statue. Shouts calling for Aslan rang out everywhere, as well as shouts to help break down locked doors or for the dogs and cats to smell for hidden rooms. The three girls combed through the castle along with everyone else.

"He's got to be around here somewhere," Lucy said, peering into each room.

Gabriella knew she was talking about Mr. Tumnus. They split up and searched opposite sides of each floor until they reached the end of the third floor and Lucy cried out,

"Aslan! Aslan! I've found Mr. Tumnus! Oh, do come quick."

Susan and Gabriella followed Aslan to the room she called from. A moment later Lucy and the little Faun were dancing round and round for joy and then Gabriella joined in with a hug and someone pulled Susan in and an overly excitable rabbit who had been watching it all started squealing as if he had been reunited with his friend. Tumnus was none the worse for having been a statue and was of course very interested in all the two girls were saying as they caught him up on the past month.

Within a few more minutes the ransacking of the Witch's castle had ended. With every door and window open the whole place looked and felt a lot less evil and a lot more like an ordinary castle. Still, some were heard whispering that it should be destroyed one day soon. Once everyone had gathered back in the courtyard, Tumnus mentioned that the gates were shut. Aslan called the Giant over.

"Hi! You up there," he roared. "What's your name?"

"Giant Rumblebuffin, if it please your honor," said the Giant, touching his cap.

"Well then, Giant Rumblebuffin," said Aslan, "just let us out of this, will you?"

"Certainly, your honor. It will be a pleasure," said Giant Rumblebuffin. "Stand well away from the gates, all you little 'uns." Then he strode to the gate himself and began smashing it up with his giant-sized club. Then he turned to the gate-towers and smashed them to bits too. The cramped, stony courtyard now overflowed into the beautiful, ever-reaching, grass-filled meadows before them.

Everyone piled onto the larger animals who could carry them. Giant Rumblebuffin had a good many in his arms too. They were about to bring in the reinforcements to the battle Aslan's court was facing.

Author's Note: This is the last chapter in third person! From here on out it will be first person POV with most of the chapter's being from Gabriella's perspective and some being from the Pevensie's! The writing style is going to change too, it will be my own style as I will no longer imitate C. S. Lewis'.