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☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧ a glimmer of hope ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾
Ellie was walking back and forth in front of the Great Lion's tent, collecting her thoughts. It was noticeable that she was shaking and sweating due to frustration.
"You can come in, child." A deep voice from the tent made her jump a little.
She exhaled slowly and entered the tent. Aslan was sitting on top of his bed, watching her enter with a small smile. She looked around, observing the tent from inside. It was so simple, yet she felt that it belonged to someone mighty. "How did you know I was here?" Ellie asked as she connected her eyes with the Lion's.
"I knew," he answered briefly. "What do you wish to talk about?" he looked beside him for a moment then back at her.
Ellie sighed and sat down next to him. "Something's not right," she declared, and Aslan could hear the worry in her voice.
He remained calm as he asked, "what makes you think that?"
"I can feel it. Desesperación. I mean, desperation," she quickly corrected herself. "Sorry, a lapse of the tongue," she mumbled.
"It is okay, child. You shouldn't be ashamed of your true identity. You were born as a Spanish. Don't try to act otherwise."
Ellie tried to hide her surprised face. She was bewildered from the fact that he knew things about her nobody in Narnia did. The fact that he knew things about her world, even though he didn't belong there. "Nobody knows here that I am Spanish," she shook her head slightly. She was determined to keep it that way.
It was like Aslan had read her mind when he asked, "and why would you try to hide it?"
"I am not sure," she bit her lip nervously then cleared her throat to think of another conversation which wouldn't include her origin. "You offered your own blood to save Edmund, didn't you?" Her voice came out as a quiet whisper. She was almost sure of the answer but was afraid to hear it from the Lion's mouth. She was thinking about it all day, but a light spark of hope inside her was praying she was wrong.
Aslan nodded with an unnoticeable proud smile. "You really have a brain. I am glad I chose you."
Ellie frowned. He didn't seem sad about his fate as much as she was. "But-but you can't do it! How will we win this war? We need you. The Narnians need you, you are their King," she slightly raised her voice but lowered her tone after a look the Lion sent her to soothe her.
Ellie wanted to change his mind. She didn't want him to sacrifice himself. However, the situation seemed unchangeable. "They have you by their side," he told her.
She was shaking her head, and tears began forming in her eyes. "No, no, you overvalue me. I am nothing but a girl with a few beneficial attributions. The Narnians, they-they don't trust me."
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"Child. They don't know you, and that doesn't mean they don't trust you." He placed his paw on her hand which was resting on her knee. She slightly moved back with a restless breath.
"Pardon me," she apologised when she noticed that she moved further.
He watched her with a sad look, knowing very well what was the reason of her behaviour. However, he decided not to speak about it. "The Narnians know that I had chosen you for a reason, and they respect my decision. With that, they respect you too."
"But that doesn't mean they could let you get yourself killed! You are their-their ruler, you can't do this to them!" Ellie continued trying to convince him to change his decision.
"There is no other way," Aslan looked away from her face. It was painful for him to see the tears chasing each other on her young face. He knew she didn't know he would resurrect later, but he also knew that he couldn't tell her the whole truth, even though he didn't want her to suffer.
"There must be. There always is," she looked at him hopefully.
"Not this time, Ellie," he spoke softly. "Do you trust me?"
The girl bit her lip and nodded. "I do, of course."
"Then believe me when I tell you that everything will be alright," he said.
Her head started to hurt from trying to hold in her tears for too long. "But there will be a fight anyway, right? We can't escape it." She watched him, afraid of the answer. The Lion didn't reply, but Ellie could tell that she was right. "What should I do? Is there anything I can I do to help?"
"Just stay. Fight. Win. And as I had told you before, believe in yourself." He put his paw on her thigh and sent her an encouraging smile. "Go, celebrate with them. You need a little relaxation before the fight."
Ellie sighed, looking at the soft paw on her leg. Without hesitation, she reached out and put her own hand on top of it. "I can't go out and have fun, knowing that you will walk into your death in no time after the sun goes down."
"You needn't worry. Everything will be fine."
They sat in silence for a couple of seconds. "Thank you. For bringing me here. And I'm sorry that you have to do this. I wish I could help more," Ellie told the Lion with a grateful smile.
"You couldn't do any more things that would help me or Narnia, Ellie. You are brave, skilled and perspicacious. An enchanting warrior." The kindness and honesty in his voice made her smile down at her hands sadly. She didn't want to accept what would happen to him. She wanted to help him, even though she knew she couldn't have done anything to change his fate. "Go on, enjoy the night," he told her, and this time, she obeyed.
She exited the tent and faced the celebrating Narnians around the camp. There were more than one bonfires with different creatures dancing around them. She spotted Susan and Lucy dancing with dryads. Seeing the huge smile on their faces, the corners of her mouth turned up as well. The next person who caught her eye was the eldest of the Pevensie siblings. He was sitting far from the crowd, looking at the celebrating Narnians with worry in his eyes. He wanted to be happy and celebrate with them. But he couldn't. He had a very bad feeling that it wasn't over. Without a second thought, Ellie's legs brought her closer to him.
Noticing that he hadn't seen her, as soon as she was close enough, she coughed. She watched with a satisfied smirk on her face as the boy jumped in fright and rolled his eyes when he realised it was only the girl. "Hey, Peter," she said, sitting down next to him.
After a look of annoyance, he smiled. "Hey, Ellie. Where have you been? We've been looking for you." His voice sounded concerned.
