ignite me / p. pevensie

chapter four

 "Please be okay . . . please be okay—Adeline, I am so sorry." A soft whisper said as Rowyn slowly found her way to consciousness again. Rowyn opened her eyes and winced loudly when she tried to move. "Rowyn—don't move, you're badly injured."

It was then that she noticed the full extent of the pain that radiated off of her back, her legs, and her wrists. "What did she do?" Was all she managed to say with a shaky, broken voice.

Tumnus was clearly crying now as she focused her gaze on him. "S-She—oh Aslan-" He was cut off by his own violent sob. She winced at the loud noise as it echoed throughout the ice surrounding them. "Your back . . ." His voice was a whisper after he quieted the sobs.

"W-What did she do?" She repeated while trying her best to stifle a sob as she connected some of the dots.

"She ordered a twenty-four lashing—one for every year that your mother-" He forbid himself from finishing his statement.

Rowyn's eyes burned like wildfire. "S-She whipped me?"

Tumnus' broken sound of confirmation was all she needed to break completely. Her lips wobbled greatly and she closed her eyes tightly—secretly praying that this was all a nightmare, that she would wake up at home.

"I-I used my scarf to try and help it—I don't know how much it worked but-" He stopped speaking when finally a sob escaped the tight hold she had placed upon her mouth. "Oh Rowyn, I am so sorry . . . there was nothing I could do to stop it." He came to carefully hold her in his arms while she cried.

The pair stayed like that for what felt like days until Jadis finally came in.

"Girl—get up." She commanded but Rowyn didn't move—she couldn't. Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed at her back, right at the wounds, and pulled her up and off of her feet. "When I command something you obey!" Her shout made Rowyn's eyes burn more than they already had.

"Your majesty," A new voice sounded—one she had never heard before. "The boy is headed here."

That was all the woman needed to drop Rowyn straight to the icy, hard ground below. Rowyn didn't have the strength or the want to wince—she excepted the pain—welcomed it's cold, lethal grasp with open arms.

Footsteps sounded and Jadis left the girl alone.

"Rowyn . . ." Tumnus said, scooting over to the frail girl who was silent. "Rowyn?" He repeated. Her soft sniffle was enough for him to calm down knowing that she was still alive—if that was even the right word to describe how she felt in that moment.

Rowyn stared at the wall of ice for what seemed like a lifetime until sleep overcame here.

....

"Are you going to eat that?" Tumnus said, willing Rowyn out of her painful slumber. She heard chains move for a moment and then stop again.

"Mr. Tumnus?" She knew that voice—it was Edmund. She wanted to lifted her head up and see him but she didn't—she couldn't.

"You're Lucy's brother, aren't you?" Tumnus questioned while chewing on the dry piece of bread. "You have the same nose."

"W-Who is that?" Edmund asked. Rowyn knew that he was gesturing to her—she was the only other one there. "A-Are t-they dead?" His voice held so much fear that Rowyn winced.

She wondered how badly she looked. If she looked just as horrid as she felt.

Rowyn willed up enough courage to lean up and look at the boy. His gasp was enough to prove that she did in fact look as bad as she felt.