˚✶•━━━━━━•❈•━━━━━━•✶˚
𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑨𝑹𝑲 𝑫𝑨𝑾𝑵 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮
•✶•━━━━━━━━━━━━•✶•

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐙𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐋𝐘 as the group of five humans and beavers stared down at the great river. They stood at the edge of a steep precipice, the sun beaming down on their necks while the wind caused their thick fur coats to whirl around their legs. Though they had noticed the air becoming slightly warmer since their meeting with Father Christmas yesterday, they hadn't really understood his saying about the ice losing its grip on the world, not until now. Deep cracks ran along the frozen surface of the river and every once in a while, some massive plates of ice broke away from it; fiercely taken downstream with the turbulent dark green water that already streamed freely at their right. The frozen waterfall still loomed motionless at their left, but with the ever-rising temperature it probably wouldn't take long before the ice started to crack in there as well.

'What are we going to do?' Lucy asked, flinching as another loud crack rumbled through the air like distant thunder.

Peter's eyes flickered from shore to shore. 'We cross,' he said in determination.

'We'll never make it,' Susan said, but Peter took Lucy's hand and they carefully started to make their way down.

'Not if we keep talking about it,' he retorted, and though Susan let out a huff, she quickly followed her siblings as well. Alexander, Rosaleen and the beavers followed suit, but the climb down took longer than they had anticipated and by the time they set foot ashore, the frozen waterfall started to creak. Small chunks of ice broke loose and clattered like falling glass on the melting ice layer of the river which wasn't even broad enough anymore to allow more than three persons walking next to each other.

'We have to hurry,' Peter announced before stepping with one foot on the ice. The plate moved under his weight and with a fearful expression, he retreated his foot.

'I'll go first,' Mr Beaver volunteered. He stepped onto the ice and shuffled backwards over it, his flat tail patting on the frozen surface to test its strength. After it was sure it could hold the beaver, Peter and Lucy stepped onto the ice as well. Susan walked farther too but Alexander held back Rosaleen before she could move at all.

'Wait,' he said. 'It's not smart to go all at once, the ice won't hold that much weight.'

Rosaleen bit her lip, feeling more and more stressed as another piece of ice broke away at their right, but she still nodded in agreement. Her brother was right, if she joined the others on the same spot, they would surely sink right through it; the ice didn't look that strong anymore.

Alexander was about to shout to the Pevensies they should crawl over ice to divide their weight, but then all of their attention got drawn to the top of the waterfall when the howling of wolves added to the cracking sound of the ice. The canines ran light-footed over the frozen waterfall to catch the humans at the other shore.

Rosaleen stumbled over her own feet when Alexander roughly shoved her towards the ice, but when she glanced over her shoulder, she understood his actions; three other wolves quickly made their way down towards this shore, jumping from stone to stone that dripped with water of the melting snow.

'Go, go, go,' Alexander ushered her and she quickly broke in a sprint over the ice with Mrs Beaver. However, as he followed in his sister's footsteps, a sharp pain shot up through his leg when a wolf bit in his ankle. He fell with a thud on the ice, his breath pushed out of him with force and the wolf dragged him back onto the shore as he sunk his fangs even farther into his flesh. Alexander let out a painful scream, struggling to get out of the wolf's grip, and Rosaleen whirled back around.

'Alex!' she shouted as the distance between them grew bigger and bigger. She slid the twin swords out of their sheaths stripped onto her back and the iconic ring of metal shot through the air like a harbinger of death. Before Rosaleen could run back towards her brother, though, a deep gash appeared in the ice in front of her and a large chunk broke loose.

Mrs Beaver pulled the blonde back by the far end of her fur coat before she fell into the water, and Rosaleen screamed wordlessly when the distance between herself and Alexander was now cut by a wildly streaming river. She could no longer reach him, unless. . . but then she caught her brother's eyes and he shook his head at her. Tears burned behind her eyes when another wolf snarled at him and jumped onto his chest, snapping his jaws shut not far away from his face.

Mrs Beaver forced Rosaleen farther and farther backwards as the ice kept on breaking at the edge, and it took every fiber in her body for Rosaleen to turn around again. The swords trembled in her hands and she blinked a few times to sharpen her vision as her tears kept on threatening to escape.

'Look, just because a man in a red coat hands you a sword, it doesn't make you a hero!' Susan's voice shot sharply through the air, and Rosaleen noticed how another pair of wolves had managed to get close to the others; one of them even pinning down Mr Beaver while Peter had his sword pointed at the other wolf called Maugrim.

'Just drop it!' Susan screeched at her brother, but then Lucy screamed his name, pointing at the crackling waterfall next to them. Huge fissures appeared in the layer of ice, splitting across the frozen surface like the nerves in a leaf. Rosaleen's eyes grew wide, the waterfall was about to collapse.

'Hold on to me,' Peter ordered his sisters while raising his sword in the air and stabbing it into the ice. His gaze caught Rosaleen's but she was too far away to reach them in time, yet, without any hesitation, she followed his example and stabbed her own two swords through the icy layer. She hoped Peter's plan would work ─ if he even had one ─ but she had no time to worry about that as the first stream of ice cold water sprayed over their heads, right out of a horizontal fissure.

Then, the frozen layer of the waterfall thundered downwards with the force and strength of an avalanche. The ice and water surged down in the river and the last chunks of ice broke loose as a huge wave splashed up. The massive torrent delved under the humans, beavers and wolves, and the river finally flowed freely after being frozen for a hundred years. The turbulent water churned, sizzled and bellowed like a living creature, but other than that it was disturbingly silent.

Seconds passed by as the waves raged on, and all of a sudden, a hilt rose up from out of the water. The gold coloured lion's head shimmered fiercely in the rays of sunshine as the light bounced off the water as well.

Peter gasped for air, still holding on tightly on his sword with one hand while he pulled Lucy farther upon the chunk of ice that floated back to the river's surface. Susan held onto his other arm with a firm grip, and Peter desperately searched off the waters for any sign of Rosaleen, but he couldn't spot her anywhere.

'Rose!' he shouted, spitting out some of the river water that splashed into his mouth when the chunk of ice soared over a rough wave. The beavers suddenly swam next to the ice and they pushed it towards the shore as they could easily battle the current of the river with their tails and flippers.

The Pevensies clambered onto the river bank that was slippery from both the melting ice and mud, and Peter's chest heaved up and down as he anxiously searched the waters. He dropped his sword and sprinted a few yards downstream when he suddenly spotted the silver shimmering as two swords got thrown onto the shore, quickly followed by a pair of hands.

'Rose,' he breathed out in relief, crouching down and grabbing her wrists to pull her farther upon the river bank. However, just as he did so, the sole of his shoe slipped away and he fell backwards out of his crouching position, dragging Rosaleen with him in the momentum. She landed atop of his chest, their noses only inches apart as their hands were trapped between them.

'I'm sorry,' Rosaleen quickly apologised as Peter groaned, feeling slightly crushed after the collision.

He shook his head, carefully pulling back his hands and before he could stop himself, he gently tucked a strand of her now dark blonde hair behind her ear. 'I'd let you use me as a personal cushion any time,' he said with a cheeky grin, and despite being drenched with ice cold water, Rosaleen felt very warm. She was all too aware how their bodies pressed against each other and she could feel his steady heartbeat under her hands. It would be very easy to close the last remaining distance between them and though her heart surely fluttered wildly against her chest by that realisation, she didn't do it.

'It does beat drowning in a river,' Rosaleen answered after clearing her throat and she climbed off of him, sitting down on her knees while suppressing a cold shiver that ran down her spine.

Peter's grin disappeared. 'Right,' he muttered, pushing himself into a sitting position as well and he glanced over his shoulder as the sound of thudding footsteps grew louder.

'Are you alright?' Susan asked Rosaleen who nodded in response.

The blonde turned halfway around and took her swords while standing up. The water droplets on the blades glistened like elegant gemstones, but they glided off the surface as she slid the swords back in the sheaths on her back.

Susan handed Peter back his sword which he accepted before following Rosaleen's gaze towards the opposite shore. The river still gargled wildly and the white vapour of the melting ice hid the other river bank from their sight. There was no telling what had happened to Alexander, but they feared they knew the answer nonetheless.

'We'll get him back,' Peter reassured Rosaleen, placing a hand on the soaked fur coat that covered her shoulder.

Rosaleen looked back at him, her ocean coloured eyes sparkling in determination. 'We'll get both of them back.' They had now lost two of them to the White Witch, but they wouldn't give up until they were both safe again and out of her hands. Rosaleen wasn't exactly sure where her new-found bravery came from, but she welcomed it with open arms.

Peter nodded in agreement, softly squeezing her shoulder, but everyone focussed on Lucy when her excited voice traveled through the air.

'Look!' The youngest Pevensie stood by a large cherry blossom tree, pointing at one of the branches. The snow whirled off the blooming buds as the ice disappeared rapidly and made way for a beautiful shade of soft pink. All around them, the Narnian landscape came to life while the wind turned even warmer. For years, it had displayed no other colour than the ever-white of the snow, but now all the colours of the rainbow burst through it.

'The Witch's magic really is wearing off,' Peter said in awe, moving his hand away from Rosaleen's shoulder while the beavers led the way towards the east with elated treads.

'I don't think you'll be needing those coats any longer,' Mrs Beaver said when next to them, yellow tulips burst from the ground. In less than a few hours, their surroundings had changed from a freezing winter to a blooming spring.

The four teenagers draped their still drenched fur coats over the trunk of a fallen tree before they continued their way. They saw no use in dragging the heavy coats with them when it felt as if summer was about to arrive.

The rays of sunshine spread all over the land and dried their clothing, hair and faces as equally fast as it vapourised the last water puddles hidden between the vibrant green grass leaves. The scent of blooming flowers and fresh earth danced all around them, calming their nerves as the mountain with the stone table grew taller and bigger.

'Aslan's camp should come up any minute now,' Mr Beaver said and when they stepped out of the blooming forest and walked down the grass hills, the beaver's words proved to be right.

At the foot of the hill stood a huge encampment, hundreds of colourful tents spread over the field while the red with golden banners flapped in the warm breeze. The strangest of creatures ─ like fauns, centaurs, satyrs, gryphons and even talking panthers ─ wandered over the plain between the tents, but while the beavers led the humans through the encampment towards the pavilion in the centre, the creatures stared at them as curiously as the teenagers did. The walk through Aslan's camp took quite a while and hundreds of Narnians gathered behind the small group, forming an anticipating parade as they neared the red pavilion.

'Why are they all staring at us?' Susan wondered, awkwardly readjusting the leather belt on her shoulder that carried her quiver and bow.

'Maybe they think you look funny,' Lucy said as she put herself in the place of the creatures who had probably never seen a human in their life.

Rosaleen chuckled softly as she glanced at Susan and spotted her somewhat hurt expression, but when they reached the edge of a small hill on which the pavilion stood, every creature behind them paused in their steps and a reverent silence descended upon the area. The fabric of the red tent rustled softly in the breeze and Peter took a small step forward, his eyes glancing around in an uncertain manner. He was sure Aslan would be in the pavilion, but how was he supposed to get an audience? He crossed eyes with Rosaleen but when she shrugged, he took a deep breath and unsheathed his sword. The blade reflected the sun and sent the beams in all sorts of directions as he pointed it upwards in a salute.

'We have come to see Aslan,' Peter said and he lowered his sword a bit when all the creatures behind them moved. Like a ripple traveling through water, the gathered Narnians kneeled on the ground row by row.

Something moved in the tent-opening and then a majestic lion stepped out of it. His golden mane shimmered fiercely and the muscles of the strong animal rolled under his golden fur as he moved closer towards the teenagers. The lion's dark eyes observed the humans, the brown glistening like amber, and Rosaleen was the first to kneel down on the grass like the Narnians behind them. Susan and Lucy dropped onto their knees while Peter stabbed his sword in the ground and kneeled as well, bowing his head.

A chuckle rose up deep within the lion's throat and then he spoke with a calm, low and soothing voice, 'Welcome Peter, Son of Adam. Welcome Lucy, Susan and Rosaleen, Daughters of Eve. And welcome beavers, you have my thanks.'

If the beavers were physically able to blush, they would have, and the teenagers raised their chins again to look at Aslan ─ because that was who the lion was, and they had known it instantly in their hearts as soon as they had laid eyes upon him.

The lion's eyes glided over the teenagers once more. 'But where are the other Sons of Adam? Where are Edmund and Alexander?'

'That's why we're here, sir,' Peter answered, raising himself back to his full length and putting away his sword again. 'They have been captured by the White Witch.'

Aslan stared at him, curiously. 'How could this have happened?'

'Alexander got captured by the Witch's wolves when we crossed the frozen waterfall, and Edmund. . . He. . .' Peter's voice drifted away as he tried to explain what had happened to his younger brother, but he did not know how to word it.

'He betrayed them, Your Majesty,' Mr Beaver spoke up, stepping forth. 'He went to the Witch on his own terms.'

'Then he has betrayed us all,' a centaur shouted angrily, but Aslan silenced him with a low growl.

'Peace, Oreius. Is this true?' he asked the eldest Pevensie who stared at his hand that enclasped the red hilt of his sword, a dozen thoughts swimming through his mind.

'No,' Rosaleen said, stepping towards Peter and lacing her fingers between the ones of his free hand. Peter's head snapped up, meeting Rosaleen's eyes in surprise by the sudden movement, and though she quickly smiled at him, she then focussed upon the lion.

'Edmund was deceived,' Rosaleen continued. 'He must have been bewitched, there is no other way.'

Peter sighed, strengthening his grip on her hand as he battled his conscience. 'Still, I was too hard on him. I probably have made it so much easier for Edmund to turn on us.'

Susan joined her older brother's side, giving him a sympathetic look. 'We all were too hard on him.'

'But he's our brother,' Lucy added, her silent plea to save him nonetheless evident in her voice.

Aslan's thoughtful hum vibrated through the air in slow waves. 'I know, dear one, but that makes his betrayal even worse. All shall be done for Edmund and Alexander. Though, this may be harder than you think. . .'

•✶•━━━━━━━━━━━━•✶•