Chapter Seven~
Having put their gifts on, the children came across a sight that made them pause and stare in horror as the once one hundred year frozen river now nearly unfrozen! Looking around, Peter swallowed as he said,
"We need to cross now!" so that little Lucy turned to the Beavers asking,
"Don't beavers make dams?" but Mr. Beaver just told her,
"I'm not that fast dear!" as they were starting down the ledge Susan stopped saying to Peter as she shouted at him,
"Wait, will you just think about this for a moment!" only Jessie turned to her and said to her hotly,
"We really don't have a moment Susan now do we?" so that Susan blinked in surprise saying softly to her,
"I'm just trying to be realistic." yet Peter rolling his eyes said to his sibling,
"No, you're trying to be smart—as usual!" making Susan take a step back as the others began down the ledge but when they all heard wolves howling they hurried quicker. As they begin across the frozen river the ice beginning to shift so that Mr. Beaver goes first, using his tail to find the weak spots so that Peter holds Lucy's hand while Jessie goes next than Susan. Only suddenly Lucy cries out,
"On no!" so that they see the wolves running overhead and that makes Jessie cry out in haste,
"Run for it guys!" only when Mr. Beaver tries to make it across one of the wolves grabs him in his jaw making Jessie and Peter pull out there swords as the lead wolf Maugrim say,
"Put those down children, someone may get hurt." but Mr. Beaver shouted at them to run the wolf throw and get out of there only the wolf kept going saying,
"Leave now, and your brother goes with you." this caused Susan to pause and shout at Peter while taking his shoulder,
"Stop Peter maybe we should listen to him!" only Jessie rolled her eyes and told her in a heated tone,
"He's a bad guy Susan, you really think he's being honest with us?!" yet Maugrim kept going saying sweetly,
"Oh come on now, this isn't your war. All my Queen wants to do is for you to take your family and friend home." yet Jessie snapped at him,
"I highly doubt that!"
"Look just because a man in a red coat hands you both swords doesn't make you two heroes!" Susan nearly screamed so that Maurgrim said,
"What's it going to be Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve? I won't wait forever—and neither will the river!" so that Lucy looked up and seeing the river starting to crack and break apart she screamed her brother's name and so with him looking around he shouted,
"Hold onto me!" so that Jessie put away her sword and grabbed a fistful of Peter's jacket while he stabbed the ice they were standing on before the waterfall broke into pieces and they were left to go underwater—holding their breaths—until they reappeared above the water shrieking as the waters pushed them along. With help from the Beavers they made it to shore and as they climbed onto land it was Lucy who notice Jessie was nowhere to be found.
"Jessie? Jessie!" she shouted before she spotted her figure in the water and cried,
"Peter look!" and so seeing her floating figure Peter jumped back into the waters making Susan cry out his name in horror but Peter continued to swim to grab Jessie and drag her along to shore. Once on the ground he realized she was slightly blue and began pushing on her lower chest hoping to get the water out of her lungs.
"Peter she needs CPR!" Susan said as Lucy clung to her sobbing at seeing her best friend like this so that just before Peter went to do CPR Jessie cough up frozen water from her lungs and spat it out rolling onto her side and felt someone rubbing her back. Registering that it was Peter talking to her, she rolled back onto her back and smiled up at him.
"Thanks." she wheezed before Peter said,
"No problem." then he helped her up and taking off his jacket hear Mrs. Beaver say,
"And I don't think you'll be needing those coats anymore." because turning to see what she meant they found a tree starting to bloom! Even so, Jessie kept the two jackets on until she warmed up completely with the three around her as if for protection. A hand on Jessie's shoulder made her turn to see it was Susan who to her surprise said,
"You alright then?" and hearing the levels of worry in her voice, Jessie nodded and smiled saying to the other girl,
"Fine as can be." they walked for a while longer, perhaps an hour or two before they noticed crimson and golden tents set up in a valley and an array of creatures in armor making weapons and getting ready for the oncoming war that seemed to loom ahead, weather they wanted it to or not. As they continued to walk along Lucy paused making Jessie turn to see three or four dryads of varying leaves waving at them and smiling, waved back before calling,
"Come on Lu." so that the younger girl followed along as a horn sounded as they officially entered the encampment. As they did so however, Susan noticed they were all looking at them and said uneasily,
"Why are they all staring at us?" so that Lucy giggled and said,
"Maybe they think you look funny." getting Jessie to giggle also before they stopped before a larger tent atop a small hill where a stoic centaur stood looking down at them. Peter removed his sword from his sheath and Jessie did the same, holding them up in the air high as Peter said in a clear voice,
"We have come to see Aslan." suddenly after the murmur that goes through the crowd of animals and creatures they all begin to kneel so that the children watch as the tent flaps of the larger tent are moved aside and the most majestic, regal and brilliant lion steps forward. Golden in color with liquid amber eyes that shine with amounts of warmth no one can compare to, his mane is made up of millions of threads of shinning golden light as the children kneel before him with heads bowed.
"Welcome Peter, Son of Adam. Welcome Jessica, Susan and Lucy, Daughters of Eve. And welcome Beavers, you have my thanks—but where is the fifth?" Aslan asks blinking his eyes so that the children slowly stand and it's Peter who speaks up saying,
"That's why where here sir, we need your help." and adding to that Susan says,
"We had a little trouble along the way." making Peter exhale deeply before forcing himself to say,
"Our brother's been captured by the White Witch." so that another murmur goes up through the crowd as Aslan calmly says,
"Captured, how could this happen?" making the centaur general snap,
"Then he has betrayed us all!" but Aslan softly growled,
"Peace, Oreius, I'm sure there is an explanation." the children in front of Aslan look at one another before it's Peter who steps forward saying,
"It's my fault really, I was too hard on him." making Jessie put a hand on his shoulder and give it a squeeze as Susan says,
"We all were really." while Lucy says pitifully,
"Sir he's our brother." this caused Aslan to exhale and say,
"I know dear one, but that makes the betrayal all the more worse. This may be harder than you all think." Jessie drops her hand from Peter's shoulder as Aslan says,
"I wish to speak to you Jessica for a moment if I may." Jessie felt her eyes widen and turned to the others who could only smile as Peter said to her,
"We'll be right here waiting." then giving her a smile, Jessie went to follow the Great Lion atop a hilltop where the two could see the whole camp and far off in the distance Cair Paravel. Holding onto the hilt of her blade, Jessie stood silent as the Great Lion padded to stand beside her saying,
"You know your Prophecy?" nodding, Jessie asked,
"Do I really have to die Aslan for it to come true?" he paused for a moment before saying,
"What has been written in Deep Magic, cannot be undone. It is more powerful than myself and even I must abided to it." swallowing tears, Jessie shook her head and in a panicked rush said,
"But I don't want to die Aslan! I'm only seventeen years old, I can't imagine my life already over now, plus you wish for me to fight in some war when my father died in a war! And how am I supposed to be queen when Susan and Lucy are rightfully queens and I'm just an extra?" hearing Aslan's low chuckle Jessie fumed at his amusement but he said coming to stand beside her and press his amazingly warm body into her surprisingly freezing body,
"Jessica, now known as Jessie by the Pevensies, your life is far from over dear child. You have many years ahead of you in Narnia to rule and govern beside the Pevensies as Queen beside the High King—or have you forgotten that phrase in the Prophecy?" Jessie suddenly blushed feeling utterly foolish so that Aslan said to her gently,
"Do not think yourself useless when your worth is just as worthy as the other Kings and Queens. But without your sacrifice one King may not understand his purpose." and at that Aslan began to walk away leaving Jessie to turn and try to grab his attention—only he was gone! That left her to retreat back to the campsite finding Susan and Lucy dressed in medieval dresses as Lucy said,
"There's one for you in the tent too Jessie!" indicating a tent that was crimson and light pink with golden roses so that Jessie went inside to change, finding a dress similar to Susan's only it was light blue. So once changed so stepped outside and followed the girls to the river where they said they wanted to freshen up and enjoy the clean waters.
"You look like Mum." Lucy said when they got to the river so that Susan stated,
"Mum hasn't had a dress like this since before the war." she sounded downcast as Lucy, ever bright and cheery said,
"We should bring her one back, a whole trunk full!"
"If we ever get back." Susan commented making Lucy frown as Susan told Lucy she was sorry for being boring. Jessie enjoyed watching the two siblings talking, making her long for a sibling of her own which, in an odd way, she was having by being with the Pevensies. Then a sudden scream made her turn to see three wolves and the leader, Maurgrim, saying,
"Please don't run, we're tired." as another wolf said,
"And we'd prefer to kill you quickly." so that Jessie, looking around for something to use as her sword since hers is with the other girl's things, grabs a tree branch and jabs a wolf in the muzzle before the three scurry up a tree. Susan manages to blow the horn Father Christmas had given her so that Peter, along with Aslan and a few troops come running. Peter, outnumbered tries to keep eyes on all three of the wolves but Jessie knowing he can't jumps down and somehow manages to grab her own sword. Now it's two against three, an even fight.