Thomas and Sophie could reach Beruna even if they were blind folded. The pathway seemed to have been lighted for them, perhaps because they had been there so many times; it felt like a habit taking that path. 

It was the place that had brought her to Narnia and it was also the place where she first saw Aslan. This would be the place that could give her the answers that she would need.

Thomas knew something was going on; that something was wrong. He could feel that something was running inside Sophie's head. The prophecy did talk about "Strawberry's line's cognize" but it was more than that. Something about the horse had drawn her to him since the first day they met and it wasn't just the prophecy. They were connected in a way that nobody could explain, not even the prophecy itself.

The two reached the bridge. Sophie patted him on the back as he rested his legs and then, she walked towards the bridge. The wooden surface was cold in her hand. There needed to be a familiarity with the wood in her hand and the texture of the rope used to tie it together. What would she do if she faced her? Was she making a mistake? She couldn't be. She was trusting her instincts. She needed to know what happened in the past; answers that only she could give. Whatever said and done, Jadis knew who Sophie was, who her parents were even if she was the one who slayed them down.

Sophie had to get her thoughts together before she marched into Aslan's How. She was betraying the trust of everyone she loved. She had told them that they would attack the How together in the morning but she had left without a word, not being able to say goodbye to them. She just couldn't. They wouldn't have let her go and if she was being honest, she couldn't have left them.

She needed to talk to the White Witch face to face. Jadis wanted Sophie, right? She was going to get her because Sophie was coming for her.

But at what cost?

The sky was getting brighter and brighter as she was lost in her thoughts. She stood at the edge of the river and looked at the bridge. What had Aslan told her?

"Why didn't anybody hear you back at the castle?"

"Nobody was looking for me, young one."

But of course, that was a dream. Standing at the bridge with her arms across her chest, she started looking for Aslan. She only wanted one glimpse of Him. She just wanted to hear His voice again.

Was it a dream though? Because it felt as real as Thomas and the apples that he was eating. She sat down at the edge of the bridge, her elbows resting on top of her thighs and her head resting on her closed fists as she recollected the dream.

"Look at the river. What do you see?"

Sophie looked at the river on her left as His words echoed through her brain. The waves were crashing against the bridge. The bridge was breaking its flow.

"I see a calm river that has a bridge built on it."

"And what is the purpose of the bridge?"

"To help people move across."

"Life works in a similar way, Sophie. Life is like this calm river. When we make decisions, we create ripples. The bridge represents the connection between people."

Life was a calm river - agreed. Decisions created ripples. If the hag had never found anyone to bring the Witch back, Sophie's life wouldn't have the ripples that it did now.

"You think too little of yourself, Sophie. You are not a nobody. Definitely not in Narnia."

Old habits die hard. He had told her that she was the Lost Legacy without having to speak the exact words. But what was the deal behind the metaphor of the bridge?

"Our decisions define who we are. This bridge can be knocked by one wave. You need to decide whether to make the wave or not."

Our decisions define who we are. 

One wave could knock that bridge out. 

"Oh," whispered Sophie as realisation kicked her across the gut. 

She stood up and faced the bridge, looking at it and the river and connected it with the metaphor. One decision could bring down the bridge. Her decision would destroy the bridge.

Again, either/or.

Either they would win or the White Witch would. Either she would meet Caspian at the field or she won't. Either she would keep all her promises or hurt everyone.

One decision would bring down the bridge, and that one decision lay on Sophie Adams' shoulders.

She looked at the sky and the stars that would slowly fade away as the new dawn would break. All the memories she had in Narnia flooded her - Nina's motherly affection, everyone else's friendship, the Professor's trust, Trumpkin, Reepicheep and every single Narnian's faith.....and finally, Caspian's love. 

She wasn't worthy of any of those. She didn't deserve any of those. 

"You think too little of yourself, Sophie."

All right, Aslan. One decision could knock out that bridge, she thought.

Sophie walked over to Thomas and brushed his mane while he dug through the sand with one of his hooves. He only did that when he was uncertain. Both of them were. He was uncertain for what was happening and she was uncertain about what was going to happen.

One decision.

"We will get through this."

Thomas looked her directly in the eye as though he was asking, "Are you trying to console me or yourself?"

Sophie took a deep breath. One decision.

"We'll meet again, Sophie Adams."

"I will be waiting for that day, Aslan."

That one decision? Sophie was going to take it. She was going to take that decision. She was going to bring the bridge down.

Sophie Adams was going to defeat the White Witch.

The air whipping against the face of the helpless human was lovely to remind of the stakes at hand. Sophie concentrated on enjoying it and not worrying about the problem at hand, even though it was absolutely impossible. She could only think about what she was going to do and somehow created an alternate timeline where she wasn't going to do that.

To prevent the Narnians from seeing her and reporting back to Glenstorm after stopping her, Sophie had to tread carefully through the forest. If that happened, she would have no choice but to stop them from stopping her....and she didn't want to hurt them. She stuck to the shadows and wore her hood up while thrifting through the woods.

The moment she reached the edge of Aslan's How, two minotaurs and two wolves keeping guard of the entrance looked at each other at the possibility of the girl surrendering herself just as the Imperial Majesty had predicted. 

Sophie got off of Thomas and made sure that her weapons were in her bag. She took just one thing with her - her mother's dagger. Thomas pulled the hood of her cloak, making her turn around to look at his beady eyes. He was trying to convince her with his eye trick, but this was for Narnia.

Nobody could stop her.

"I'll be back." She rubbed the area between his eyes to calm him down. "Stay alert."

The dream that she had.....this wasn't the time to think about it but she wasn't going to let anyone risk their lives for her. If the Witch wanted her, Sophie would face her. She was going to show her who she was.

She took a deep breath and walked out of the woods. The guards came towards her while the other two rushed inside, probably to inform everyone that she had come. She raised both her hands in the air and placed them behind her head as the minotaur stood in front of her. "Remove that," he said, poking at her cloak.

Sophie removed it, expecting something like that would happen. She held it in her left hand and dropped it on the ground. "What else?" She asked them and the wolf howled. "Calm down, dude!"

Another wolf howled from the direction of the How. "Move."

Sophie started walking but she looked around and noted the details. Trumpkin had taught her well. Four people outside were outside on check posts. She looked up at the outer structure of the How and smirked to herself - no guards there. She immediately changed her gaze when the wolf turned around to see her.

She entered the How through the front and saw that the enemy had lighted all the corridors using wooden stakes. She looked at the walls for the engravings and thank goodness, they were still present.

The minotaur pushed her forward while she turned to look at the walls. "Quit it!" He did it once more and she used the trick that she did with Trumpkin when they first met each other. She turned around and grabbed the spear from him and pointed it at him instead. The wolf pounced on her, or tried to, but she used to spear to block his attack. "Sorry!" She told the wolf and then turned to look at the minotaur straight in the eye. "I'm sorry for hurting you, but stop pushing me." 

The wolf and the minotaur were confused by what had happened. A human apologising for attacking in defence? Confusion. And the confusion was more because she had surrendered without any backup, which was really fun for Sophie to see.

They came out into the clearing inside the How and she saw every beast turn to look at her. The Witch's army changed partners and a new set of creatures walked her further into the How. Sophie had seen them sharpening their weapons as they prepared for the war that was coming for them. If she could get out of the Witch's hold somehow, she would know the exact positions to attack.

The end of the tunnel came when the minotaur spoke. "Go."

Sophie turned around and looked at him. "You're not coming?" He gruffed in response. She walked down the last path. Alone. Somehow, she knew what was going to happen. People come into this world all alone and the opposite happens the same way. We are our own beings. 

Sophie could see the light at the end very clearly and felt chilly all of a sudden, but that was expected. She walked into the inner room and at the end of the room, was her doom. The walls were covered with ice barriers. The whole room resembled as though it was made of ice. The usual brown look of the room was now blue. The fire in the hearth was destroyed and right in front of her was the lion hidden behind an icy barrier. A gasp escaped her throat.

The Witch seemed taller in person. She had her hair in a braid, exactly like Sophie had hers. There were ice crystals on the braid and her skin looked paler than it was. She turned around once she sensed Sophie's presence. "So the lost Princess returns," smirked Jadis, finally seeing what the hag meant.

"You wanted me, right? I'm here."

Both of them were wearing similar dresses but were the opposites. Sophie had dark hair while Jadis had pale hair. Brown eyes and green eyes. Average height and tall. They were opposites.

"It seems really stupid that you would come here without anyone." Jadis walked around the Stone Table, looking at Sophie like the hunter that she was. She was seeing Helen all over again.

Sophie squinted her eyes at the Witch. "I can read between lines."

"I'm sure that you have some questions for me."

Sophie was taken aback, having been expecting her to propose something for them to fight. Sophie didn't realise that she would want to talk to her. After all, Sophie was the only one who survived her wrath. "What's going to happen now? You wanted me and I came." Sophie stood a little straighter as Jadis raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

"Child, I am a thousand years older than you," laughed Jadis. "What else?" She asked, without answering her question.

"Will you really leave Narnia now?"

Jadis mocked her by sitting on the Stone Table. "I was expecting questions about your parents. Don't you want to know what happened to them?"

Sophie was about to charge towards her and punch her across her beautiful face, but the guards stopped her, reading her body language. She tried to fight them but they got hold of her and dragged Sophie to the Witch.

"Leave." Jadis told them as she crouched on the floor, catching Sophie's face with her hands and pressing her cheekbones together. The pain didn't matter but Sophie struggled to break free.

"Why don't we take it face to face?"

"Lets." 

But Sophie felt a sharp pain in her stomach, her eyes opening wide in the shock of what had happened even if she had expected it, but it was definitely not supposed to happen this soon. She had to have had her chance at fighting first.

The White Witch had brought out her staff and plunged it into Sophie.