Prince Caspian

Chapter 6

Caspian stares at the carving of the Pevensies by their throne.

"Are you so glad of that magic horn now, boy?" Nikabrik calls Caspian's attention. "Your Kings and Queens have lied to you."

"What do you want? Congratulations?" He snaps, and Nikabrik smirks.

"You want your Uncle's blood. So do we. You want his throne? We can get it for you." Nikabrik leads Caspian to the Stone Table and pulls him to the pillars framing Aslan's relief. "You tried one ancient power. It failed. But there is a power greater still. One that kept even Aslan at bay for near a hundred years." Caspian stares at Nikabrik with dawning realization, but before he can say anything, growls rumble through the room and he draws his sword.

Jumping down the steps, Caspian calls out, "Who's there?"

As two figures emerge from the shadows, a deep voice rasps out, "I am hunger. I am thirst. I can fast a hundred years and not die. I can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze. I can drink a river of blood and not burst." Caspian glances between the two cloaked figures and Nikabrik. "Show me you enemies!" The figure throws off his hood with a snarl, revealing himself to be a werewolf to Caspian, who's sword rises again from where it had wavered.

"What you hate, so will we." The smaller figure spoke up, removing her hood to show a hag. "No one hates better than us."

Caspian frowns. "No... The Kings and Queens have not lied to me!" He turns to Nikabrik. "They didn't know I wasn't aware of the truth." All three frown and the hag hisses, drawing Caspian's attention as she pulls out a silver staff. The smell of something sweet and cloying fills the air and Caspian can't look away from the staff. His ears are ringing slightly, and everything sounds like it is far away as the hag calls out for a circle to be drawn. He distantly notices the werewolf slowly walking around him as the hag chants something he doesn't understand. He can't seem to care, because the staff is gleaming and looks so powerful. Caspian wants it. As the hag stands before the pillars facing Caspian, she shouts out the end of her chant and the sickly sweet scent leaves the air. Caspian's eyes widen in horror as she smashes the staff into the ground and ice spreads outward, growing up between the pillars to form a wall. He blanches as the figure of a beautiful woman appears in the ice.

"Wait, no, stop! I don't want this!" He tries to back out of the circle, but the werewolf grips him and holds Caspian's hand out in front of them.

"One drop of Adam's blood and you free me." The witches voice echoes through the chamber, and Caspian almost can't breathe through the sweetness permeating the air once again. The hag slices his hand as the Witch calls out, "Then I am yours, my king." Caspian manages to cry out in denial before his eyes droop slightly and he relaxes, the sweet smell increasing ever still, he can taste it now. He stares, mesmerized as her hand breaches the ice, turning pink as the air hits it. This is what Peter sees as he arrives with Edmund and Trumpkin to check on the Prince.

"Stop!" Peter shouts in horror as he rushes in, drawing his sword. Edmund and Trumpkin quickly follow suit. The werewolf leaps at Edmund while Trumpkin charges Nikabrik. Peter quickly takes on the hag, who manages to twist his arm into the Table, making him release his sword, which he catches in his other hand. The werewolf charges and manages to flip Edmund, who slices its leg as he's dropped. The werewolf howls, and Lucy runs in having heard the commotion. Seeing Nikabrik standing over Trumpkin with his sword raised, she quickly draws her knife and throws it into the dwarfs back and he falls to his knees before Trumpkins grabs his sword and kills him. Peter rolls and uses his legs to flip the hag into a pillar where she crumples to the ground. She doesn't get a chance to rise before Peter stabs her. Edmund runs to jump off some steps to get the needed height to cut down the werewolf as it leaps for him. As Jadis sees her soldiers falling, she urges Caspian to come quicker, but before he can Peter pushes him out of the circle.

"Get away from him!" He snarls, brandishing his sword at the Witch. Caspian hits the ground groaning as the sticky sweetness leaves his senses. Jadis draws her hand back, before directing her magic at Peter and calling out to him.

"Peter, dear. I've missed you. Come," she presses her hand out of the ice again. "Just one drop. You know you can't do this alone," she coos as his sword droops. His eyes clear slightly as she says that.

"I'm not alone." He mumbles before her magic surrounds him more and his sword droops to point at the ground. He blinks as suddenly her magic is gone and a sword point extends out of the ice where her stomach is. She gasps as the ice continues cracking and Caspian regains his feet to stand next to Peter. With a frightful yell that echoes throughout the How, the wall shatters, pelting Peter and Caspian with hunks of ice. They look up after the ice stops hitting them to see Edmund with his sword raised still, before he lowers it and looks at them. Peter jumps slightly and he feels a hand on his shoulder and turns to stare at Susan slightly dazed. She leads Peter away for some fresh air and Trumpkin follows Lucy as she beckons him to leave with her. Caspian stays by the Table, staring at Aslan's relief as Edmund comes and stands by him for a while.

"I know you are all expecting me to rule and protect the Narnians."

"Aslan willing."

"I can't even go against someone who is dead."

"Peter couldn't either."

"But you could." Edmund stays silent for a minute before responding.

"Not always. How much do you know of our story?"

"You were the greatest Kings and Queens of Narnia, you all ushered in a Golden Age for your people after conquering the White Witch. You especially were great. You are often depicted with the image of your sword breaking her staff."

"Yes. And my siblings?"

"I only know their images depict gifts given to them and that they always had these items near them, which I can see is true."

"Indeed. Those things were gifts. My symbol is different because I did not receive a gift, I was not there. I first came to Narnia following Lucy, and I ended up alone in the woods. Jadis found me, and discovered I was part of the prophesied children of Adam and Eve. By offering sweets," he sneers slightly, "She bewitched me quite easily to betray my siblings. It almost worked, too. When it didn't, she demanded my death. Aslan took my place on this very Table. I didn't see it, but Lucy and Susan did." He turns to Caspian who stares at him with wide eyes. "Yes, I can resist her magic, but only because I have spent weeks with her and have seen and felt the cruelty she is capable of. She found me when I was angry at the world, and she was brought to you because of your anger. Remember this, Aslan is justice, not revenge." Squeezing Caspian's shoulder, Edmund goes to pick up the staff. "Come on, let's see if we can break this thing some more."