The Queen's Dilemma: A Narnia Story

Alternate Ending Part 3

"I don't know where you two thought you were going," one of the creatures laughs, guiding Peter and I back into the cave, "There's nowhere we won't find you."

"Put them with the others," the second says, tossing over a ring of keys.

I wish I could see their faces, the fact that I don't know what they look like makes them far more terrifying. The one handling me begins to unlock some sort of a cell.

"Where did you put the lamb?" I ask.

"You'll see," it says, pushing Peter and I into the cold, dark room and locking the door.

"I can't see anything," Peter mutters, squirming out of the ropes around his wrists.

Someone carefully takes a small torch off the wall.

"How about now?"

Both of our faces light up.

"Edmund!"

***

The reunion was probably just as sweet as you anticipated. I'm also quite certain you'll be relieved to know that Lucy was safe as well, stationed not too far from her brother.

We spend the next few hours catching up and telling the younger two about Cornelius. It isn't too long until one creature comes to fetch the four of us, but to my relief I can see facial features this time.

She's a young woman with deep purple eyes and slick black hair. Her skin is a light grey, with a strange iridescent glow. She's beautiful, despite being the accomplice of someone evil. She reminds me of a reverse version of Lilliandil.

"Are you the new prisoners?" she asks.

We all nod in unison.

"Perfect," she says, "This way, then."

Her eyes flicker as she watches us rise to our feet and follow her out of the cave's depths.

"I think she was staring at you," Edmund whispers to Peter.

"You think so?" he raises an eyebrow, "Too bad she's evil, otherwise-"

"Stop talking," she snaps, guiding us back into the now-dark forest.

Lucy timidly grabs my sleeve as we draw nearer to what looks like a cult meeting. The creatures are gathered around an empty podium, eerily silent while staring at a covered object.

"I have them, sir," the young woman says.

Every single pair of eyes are on us. I want to disappear.

"Bring them forward," a deep voice replies.

All the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"What's wrong?" Lucy whispers.

"Are you deaf? I said hush," the girl says through gritted teeth.

Peter, Edmund, Lucy, and I step forward, ready for just about anything. Anything, of course, other than what it was.

A grotesque figure with the body of a man and the head of a vulture emerges from the ground and rests his giant folded hands on the podium. His eyes are black and lifeless, no pupils or anything. The other three look as if they're about to vomit, but I'm nearly paralyzed with fear.

"Tash," I breathe.

"Indeed," he grins, "You must be Melanie."

"You're the one doing all of this," I shake my head, "I've seen what you've done to my friends."

"Friends?" he asks. He sniffs the air. "Seems to me that you should understand better than any of these Earth-dwellers why I'm doing this."

He extends a scraggly hand and touches my hair, bringing some to his face and sniffing it. "Telmarine. You're a descendent of evil."

"Stop," I plead, yanking my hair back.

"Sorry, dear," he bows with a sneer, "You aren't important enough to be the topic of this meeting, anyhow." He reaches down and removes the cloth from what appears to be an oversized birdcage.

Peter and I gasp. Cornelius looks back at us with the saddest, yet bravest eyes I've ever seen.

"The little one wouldn't stop going on about you-know-who," Tash addresses the crowd, "So I thought it would be fun if we collectively decided what to do about it."

"You can say his name, you know," Cornelius pipes up, "It isn't a curse word."

"We don't speak of leaders who abandon their own people," Tash snaps.

"Aslan did not abandon us!" he cries.

I swear you could hear a pin drop.

"He's a great and powerful being," he says confidently, despite his voice quivering with each breath, "Much greater than you'll ever be."

Tash levels eyes with the lamb. "As much as I despise you, I admire your loyalty. Especially considering your circumstances." He curls his lips into a blood-boiling smile. "It's a shame I have to kill you."

I start to object, but the young woman from before covers my mouth. I bite down on her finger and she stifles a yelp, then leans into my ear.

"Shut up if you want to survive."

She removes her hand and I stand there with the three Pevensies, shaking uncontrollably.

"Fine," Cornelius says, "I'm more than happy to see Aslan's Country."

Tash rolls his eyes and scans the crowd. "Does anyone have any tongs?"

"I do, sir," someone gets up from their seat and passes them to the demon.

"Excellent," he says, "Thank you."

He removes a large, rusty dagger from his belt and places it on the podium beside the tongs. He crouches down and unlatches Cornelius' cage, lifting him onto the podium as well.

"If you want to see that God-damn country more than anything else, I'm going to make sure you get there as slowly as possible," Tash growls.

"No," Lucy squeaks, covering her own mouth, "Please don't."

The events that followed will forever be engraved in our minds; in part for its gore and in part for the sheer bravery we witnessed in front of us. None of us knew Cornelius for very long, especially Edmund or Lucy, but for this reason alone we will never forget him, no matter how old and fragile we become.

Tash uses the prongs to pry open Cornelius' mouth. The creatures in the circle aren't the slightest bit phased by it, perhaps they're used to animal torture. How disgusting.

"Can I trust you to keep your jaw like this?" he asks.

Cornelius nods proudly. "Anything for Aslan."

Tash laughs to himself. "Famous last words."

He takes Cornelius' tongue between the tongs. "Let this be a reminder to any of you who still wish to side with that ridiculous lion."

Then he does it. The most vile thing I've ever seen.

Cornelius wails as the rusty dagger saws through the flesh of his tongue. The four of us cry out, wishing there was something we could've done to help.

Once he's done, Tash tosses his weapons to the side, kicking Cornelius to the ground and leaving him for dead.

"Let's go," the female demon shoves four crying adults back to their cell to spend the rest of their night sobbing quietly into each other's arms.