The Secret Fifth

11: Meeting Aslan

Yielding a weapon only hours after it had been gifted to you was not as easy as one would think. Peter found this out the hard way as he stood before Maugrim, a snarling wolf of the Witch's police, with his sword rasied. His sisters cowered behind him.

"Look, just because some man in a red suit hands you a sword doesn't make you a hero! So just drop it!" Susan shouted Peter's own thoughts into his ear, and he was almost tempted to toss her into the rushing river to quiet her. As if he was not conflicted enough, Beaver spoke up from the jaws of the other wolf.

"No, Peter! Narnia needs ya!" Lucy looked at him with pitiful eyes. She could only pray that her new furry friend would make it out of this situation alive.

"What's it gonna be Son of Adam? We're not going to wait forever. And neither is the river." Maugrim spoke, taunting Peter as he had been doing for what felt like hours.

"Peter!" Susan pointed up to the ice wall behind them, where Peter looked up to see large cracks coming down from it, freezing water spurting from it. He dropped his arm from the wolf, who was also too distracted by the breaking ice. Thinking quickly, Peter turned to both of his siblings.

"Hold on to me!" He instructed them. They quickly obeyed, gripping onto his thick jacket tightly. Susan put an arm around Lucy as well, securing her further for whatever was about to happen. With his sisters clinging to his back, Peter thrusted his sword into the block of ice they stood on. Not even a second after he had, the ice covering the waterfall burst, and every creature on the ice was submerged.

A hand soon emerged from the freezing water, gripping a sword. Three bodies followed after it, and the Pevensies sputtered up the water that had covered them. Lucy let out a small shriek as the ice collided with the ground on their sides and chipped away the chuck that her side was resting on. Peter released his sword for a moment to grip his youngest sister's coat tighter. Susan tried her hardest to wipe her hair from her eyes and find a way of of this cursed river. Quckly spotting an exit, she shouted to her brother and pointed to a small bank coming up to their left. Peter and Susan worked together to slide off the ice and towards the bank, being cautious with the strong tide. They clambered on shore with heavy breaths.

"What have you done?" Susan yelled to her brother, who stood on the edge of the bank, shivering and dripping water, and holding Lucy's coat in his hands. Lucy was nowhere to be seen. He looked at her with regretful eyes, and they both began shouting.

"Lucy! Lucy!"

"Lu!" They were answered only with the silence of the warm air and the sound of the rushing river. Susan turned to Peter accusingly. A small and far away voice stopped the shouting that was sure to come.

"Has anyone seen my coat?" Lucy asked, tugging on her small cardigan and limping towards her siblings. They turned to her and breathed a sigh of relief, and Peter quickly wrapped her sopping coat around her.

"Your brother has you well looked after." Mr. Beaver teased, and everyone shared a much needed laugh. They moved away from the river and approached the edge of a white forest, which had a surprising amount of green and pink littering it.

"I don't think you'll be needing those coats any more!" Mrs. Beaver spoke. The Pevensies nodded and quickly shed the heavy layer, readjusting their presents on top of their England clothes.

As they walked further into the forest, it turned into a clearing. Grass patches became fields, a single flower bud became trees. The Beavers took in a breath of fresh air and looked to each other excitedly. The sudden spring could only be the work of one being: Aslan.

"Lucy." An almost silent whisper blew through the air, tousling the hair of the youngest Pevensie. She stopped her walk from behind Susan and turned to the pink leaved tree beside her. The petals seperated themselves from the branches, and began to float in front of her. Lucy's eyes widened as they took form of a beautiful girl, who seemed all too familiar. The petal figure waved to Lucy, then did a small twirl, laughing. Lucy let out a gleeful gasped and waved back vigorously. She could recognize that laugh anywhere.

"Come along dear, don't stray." Mrs. Beaver's voice brought Lucy's attention from the tree, and she smiled one last time before catching up.

"Why are they all staring at us?" Susan asked through closed teeth, referring to the thousands of creatures that filled the tents they walked through. Lucy giggled and nudged her sister playfully.

"Maybe they think you look funny." Peter and Lucy laughed, but Susan just rolled her eyes with a smile. As the group finally reached the end of the lane, they stopped in front of a centaur. Peter drew his sword uncertainly.

"We have come.. to see Aslan." He tried to deepen and steady his voice, but it still came out very timid. The centaur nodded and turned to the red and gold tent at the front. Every creature that surrounded the children went down to a knee as a marvoulous lion emerged, his soft paws padding along the grass. The Pevensies followed, Peter pointing his sword into the ground and aiming his gaze there as well.

"Welcome Peter, Son of Adam, Welcome Susan and Lucy, Daughters of Eve. Welcome Beavers. You have my thanks, but where is the fourth?" The humans rised from the ground sheepishly, and Peter put away his sword as he answered.

"That's why we're here." He said. Susan, sensing her brother's insecurity, spoke up as well.

"We had a little trouble on the way." She said. Aslan looked to her pointedly, silently questioning her vagueness. The girl resisted the urge to shrink back and avoid the stern, yet kind gaze of the lion.

"He's been captured by the White Witch." Peter finished. Gasps and whispers were audible from the crowd surrounding them, and Lucy took a small step closer to her sister. Beaver, knowing that the siblings would not speak the full truth, stepped forward.

"He betrayed them, your Excellence." He said. The noise of the crowd grew even further, and the centaur next to Aslan stomped a little.

"Then he has betrayed us all!" He shouted. The crowd cheered with him. Aslan let out the smallest of growls, and they were silenced.

"Peace, Oreius." He turned back to Peter as he gripped his sword and looked down.

"It's my fault really. I was too hard on him." He said. Susan slid a reassuring hand on his shoulder and looked to the lion.

"We all were." She smiled. Aslan nodded.

"Sir, he's our brother." Lucy's little voice spoke as she fumbled with her hands. Aslan's kind eyes travelled to her, and he gave her a soft smile.

"I know dear, and that makes the betrayal all the worse. It may be harder than you think." His deep voice answered. Peter looked down again, and the Lion cleared his throat. "Oreius, show the children their tents. They need their rest." The centaur nodded silently, extending his arm to guide the siblings down the row of tents. They followed, with one last hopeful glance back to the grand lion that stood behind them.