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SEVEN | THE WARNING

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THE PEVENSIES WERE STUCK. 

A short while after leaving the gorge, the four Pevensies and the dwarf  found themselves crouched down behind a large rock as they saw the Telmarines building a bridge across the river rush. Trumpkin cursed under his breath as he saw that there was no way to pass them - a clear indication that they would be unable to cross over the river like they had intended too.

"Perhaps this wasn't the best way after all." Susan suggested as she looked at Trumpkin, the dwarf cursing once again as he turned around and made his way back into the trees - the Pevensies following him after sharing nervous glances as they noticed his sudden change in attitude.

In all honesty, Trumpkin was angry. He had hoped to make it to Aslan's How by sundown but the sudden detour from the River rush made it practically impossible to do so unless he intended to allow the Pevensies to walk in the early hours of the day with no energy to fight if ambushed. Trumpkin kicked the dirt between his feet and stopped for a moment, the Pevensies stopping and looking at the dwarf as he muttered angrily under his breath.

His mind kept going back to Angelina, the girl he left behind. It was true that the dwarf cared for her as if she were his own daughter. He worried that in his departure anything could have happened and with Caspian in the mix, he was almost certain that he would test her beyond her limits and that the Enchantress would try and escape.

He would never forgive Angelina's sister for doing what she did; how could someone abandon their own flesh and blood in the woods? Granted, Angelina had made a huge mistake but it was out of her hands and those deaths were accidental on her part. The girl didn't know any better and all she needed was support - but instead she was abandoned at her greatest time of need. He supported her and in turn she supported him.

He just wanted to know that his daughter was okay.

The five soon found themselves back at the gorge where Lucy had claimed to have seen Aslan, Peter and Trumpkin were definitely still skeptical over the matter but knew they had to let it slide for the girls sake so that they could find a way to the How (and in Trumpkin's case to Angelina) which was their ultimate goal.

"Where do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter asked as he looked at Lucy who rolled her eyes at her brother.

"I wish you'd all stop acting like grown-ups. I didn't think I saw him, I did see him." Lucy insisted as she carried on forward towards the gorge, Trumpkin grunting as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I am a grown-up." Trumpkin muttered as Lucy stands before the edge and walks carefully near the edge of it.

"It was right around..." Lucy started before the floor beneath her cracks, Lucy letting out a fatal scream as she fell through the cracks. "here."

Looking down, they group saw a steep and narrow path going slantwise down into the gorge between the rocks. After they were finally convinced Lucy was correct, they walk down the path and cross the gorge safely. Among this however, Lucy slips and Trumpkin catches her before Lucy looks up at the trees in fright. 

Edmund followed his sisters eyes, his eyebrows furrowing as he noticed something running through the trees above them with a sort of green mist following their trail. He supposed he must have been hallucinating for whatever it was he was seeing couldn't somehow be there one minute and then gone without a trace the next. Sighing, the raven haired king ran a hand through his hair as he followed his family and the dwarf who were walking ahead of him.

But he was unaware of the eyes that were following his every move.

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As the darkness blanketed the sky diminishing the day, Lucy laid by the fire staring up at the stars in deep thought. Despite having wanted to return to Narnia ever since she left, she felt a sense of danger upon entering the world again - a cautious gut feeling that was telling her that if they follow Trumpkin something bad will happen. Of course she didn't want to upset the DLF, but she felt as if Aslan had already proved not to trust his judgement after they couldn't cross at the River rush and were forced to go back to the gorge like Lucy had suggested in the first place.

What made it worse was that Narnia just wasn't Narnia anymore.

There was so much more darkness that engulfed the land and it wasn't just due to the day withering away before her eyes. Something far more sinister was occurring and she knew the dwarf knew something about it - something that she knew Edmund had noticed too. 

There was an evil presence buried in the soils of Narnia themselves, Lucy finding that with every step they took towards wherever Trumpkin was taking them the world grew darker before them. The further they followed him the less colour they saw, the trees reluctant to dance as they periled into an ash grey as if becoming lifeless before her eyes.

It almost reminded her of snow. 

Edmund also seemed to be extra cautious this time round in Narnia and yet Lucy was the only one too notice it. She had constantly caught him staring up into trees or stopping abruptly as he walked with his face growing as pale as ice. It was quite rare to ever see Edmund this way but Lucy remembered her times in Narnia when Edmund was always refuse to go outside in the snow during winter and how his face would always hold the exact same expression of fear she had seen recently. He was afraid.

Why was Lucy the only one to notice it?

"Lucy, you awake?" Lucy was broken out of her train of thoughts by the soft voice of her sister, Lucy rolling onto her side so that she could give Susan her full attention.

"Hmm."

"Why do you think I couldn't see Aslan?" Susan asked her sister, Lucy sitting up immediately as a smile formed on her features.

"You believe me?" She asked happily, Susan shrugging as she looked up at her conflicted.

"Well, we got across the gorge." Susan stated, the two falling into a small silence as Lucy was in deep thought.

"I don't know." She said after a moment with a sad smile. "Maybe you didn't really want to."

Trumpkin listened intently to the conversation, a small frown forming on his face as she tuns on his side and lets out a deep sigh. Angelina had always told him of her meetings with Aslan every time the Enchantress had taken over but Trumpkin had always chosen not to believe it. In his mind, Aslan abandoned the Narnians when the Kings and Queens did but unlike the four that laid beside him, Aslan left on purpose. 

Despite Angelina claiming that Aslan had been the one to take the Enchantress' heart away from her in the first place, he still didn't trust the lion or believe in him at all. It confused him greatly how the great lion was able to kill the White Witch at the Battle of Beruna and yet only took the heart of the Enchantress and did not banish her from the land once again. Aslan had the power to destroy the Enchantress but chose to yet her live.

In a way Trumpkin both hated and thanked Aslan. If it wasn't for Aslan he would have never of met Angelina, the girl he had practically adopted as his daughter and the only thing that brought happiness to his life currently. But at the same time he hated Aslan because he didn't kill the Enchantress when he had the chance.  Knowing that the Enchantress was far more powerful than the White Witch was it made no sense that Aslan let the Enchantress live after her treachery. 

If Aslan had just killed her, Angelina would have never of been cursed like this. Angelina would have been living a happy life in the village with her mother, father and older sister with her biggest worry being whether or not she would find a suitor in the future to marry.  If Aslan had just killed her, so many harmless people wouldn't have died due to the Enchantress. If Aslan killed her, then the seed of greed wouldn't have been planted in the Narnian soils and the Narnians and Telmarines could live among each other as one.

If he had killed the Enchantress, Angelina could be happy.

Maybe it was selfish of Trumpkin to be enjoying the company of Angelina so much and secretly being thankful for what happened. But how could he not? In a world where only darkness remained, she was the light that made it better. She, half the time without knowing it, brought light to the Narnians even though she held the darkness within her. 

But now all he saw was the darkness and the constant worry of her safety was eating the dwarf alive. Was she okay? Was she looking after herself properly? Had Caspian annoyed her to the point of her killing him yet? These were the important questions that he couldn't stop thinking. If they had successfully crossed the River Rush he could of had these answers. But they didn't and so the questions sprung to mind again.

Trumpkin just wanted to see his daughter.

"You always knew we'd be coming back here, didn't you?" Susan asked her sister, unaware of the fact that the dwarf a little away was listening in.

"I hoped so." Lucy answered her softly as they both looked up at the stars that were slowly being engulfed with darkness before their eyes.

"I just got used to the idea of living in England." Susan muttered, a distant tone in her voice as Lucy rose her eyebrow at the girl.

"But you're happy to be here, aren't you?" Lucy asked and Susan hesitated, her answer clear to Lucy before she had even spoken.

"While it lasts."

"Can you two quieten down?" Edmund interrupted them as he sat up and glared sleepily in their direction. "Some people would like their beauty sleep."

"You sure need it." Susan mumbled, Lucy hearing as a small giggle escaped her lips - catching Edmund's attention.

"What was that?" He asked the two in confusion, noting as Susan and Lucy shared a look before laughing.

"Goodnight Ed."

And so they all attempted to fall asleep, Edmund being the one to toss and turn until finally he stood up and decided to go for a walk to clear his head.

Edmund couldn't quite wrap his head around it but somehow he knew that something bad was happening to Narnia and that something big was coming. Call it intuition or nerves but Edmund knew that was was coming was dark - the same darkness that he had experienced the first time he was in Narnia.

Edmund stopped as he reached a tree in the clearing, his eyebrows furrowing as she spotted something glinting underneath it. At first glance Edmund would have sworn it was a shard of glass, seeing that it was in fact summer time and not winter. But when he bent to pick up a piece he jumped out of his skin and scrambled backwards. It was ice. Pure, cold ice. Edmund shivered as the air behind him grew cold - his skin paleing as he rushed up to his feet and took small steps back from the tree.

It started with a few flecks of snow falling onto the branches of the tree but before Edmund knew it the rustic brown trunk of the tree was trapped in a ice shield that could have only of been created by her. Then he started to hear her whisper, her intoxicating voice trying to convince Edmund to betray his family again - promising various riches that Edmund only wished he could have.

But instead of giving in Edmund ran back to the campsite, collecting his sword and drawing it as he encircled the area and tried to keep his composure. In her eyes it had to be her. It had to be the white witch that was causing this but it seemed impossible to think so. 

He waited up for a while, holding his sword close as he felt the warm air of the summer night hit him again. Edmund sighed as he put down his sword and laid close to Lucy as she tried to catch a wink of sleep that night (even though he highly doubted he would). He couldn't let her destroy his family and hurt them. He wouldn't allow it.

But still he fell asleep.

At dawn, Lucy heard a low growl in the distance and woke up. Careful not to wake her family, she got up and began to walk away from the others and into the forest. In hopes of not hurting them, she carefully pushes branches of the trees out of the way as she makes her way through the forest. Surprisingly, a dryad floats past her while laughing and Lucy smiles happily as she waves at the dryad excitedly. The trees move aside, making way for her.

"Lucy..." She heard him whisper and hearing his voice she begins to run.

Then she saw him.

The Great lion stood on top of a small hill and little way away and Lucy noticed how much bigger he had become since she had last saw him. Lucy smiled before she joyfully ran up the hill and throws her arms around him.

"I've missed you so much." Lucy said excitedly to the lion as she held his fur tight, taking a second to look at him with widened eyes. "You've grown!"

"Every year you grow, so shall I." Aslan spoke softly, Lucy giving him a huge smile that fell slightly as she looked at him.

"Where have you been" Lucy asked as she tilted her head sadly. " Why haven't you come to help us?"

"Things never happen the same way twice, dear one." Aslan stated but Lucy only gave him a confused look as he looked up into the trees and let out a low growl.

"But..."

"I bring warning dear one." Aslan interrupted Lucy, the girl stepping back as she noticed him glaring at the trees above with anger clear in his before they softened at the girl. "You are being watched and may be in grave danger.£

"Aslan..."

"Tell Trumpkin the heart has been released and she is on the move." Aslan told her before he ran off into the trees, Lucy attempting to run after him but finding herself to slow to do so.

"Aslan!" Lucy screamed but then she heard it.

The restless giggles surrounding the trees, whispering to her and taunting her every move. Lucy stopped as she covered her ears, silently crying as the voices drew closer and closer and she screamed. Lucy dropped to the floor in a last hope to protect herself as a twig snapped.

Then suddenly she woke up.